february 28th, 2011

Death of a Loved One.


All of us have suffered the loss of a loved one at some point in time. It's not easy, and it's very emotional. I lost my grandfather last March, and it was a tough time on the entire family. He was a special individual and he will never be forgotten. He is missed terribly. I had to come to the realization that yes we are suffering down here without his presence any longer, but he is no longer suffering the pain that he was dealing with. Which is better? Obviously the second one. They are in the presence of the Lord now, and he is safer than ever before. 


"But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. Therefore encourage one another with these words." - 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14,18


Jesus died on the cross for his friends, and he rose again. God will bring with him the ones who have fallen asleep. Do not fear, but the loved ones you have lost... you will soon be reunited with them when your time comes. Realize and understand that they are with God now, and they are safe. Their spirit still is alive, and never are they forgotten. 


This is a saying that I say on a daily basis, "Treat others with love and not hate, for you do not know when you may lose them and you do not want them to remember of you being hateful but for love is what you want to surround them with." You can lose a loved one at any time, and none of us know what God's plan is for everyone. In the meantime, treat every single person with love and not hate. You don't know what could happen in the future. 


"Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord." - 1 Thessalonians 4:17


I personally believe in heaven and hell. You may disagree, and I still respect your thoughts as I wish for you respect mine. I am not a person that goes around and makes the assumption that I am going to heaven. None of us know whether or not we are going to heaven or hell, so do not boast about such things. The decision is made upon God himself, and we do not have a say. 


I am back to the topic about loss of a loved one now, I apologize for getting off track. I know it is hard to lose a loved one, and it's never easy and I don't expect it to be. My main point is that none of us should treat a person with hate, for it's not what God wants us to do. You want to treat each other with respect and love at all times. Understand that God has everything in his control, and each one of your loved ones are safe in his care. 


In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all.

Amen.

february 27th, 2011

Your Sorrow Will Turn Into Joy.


"A little while, and you will see me no longer; and again a little while, and you will see me." - John 16:16


Your sorrow will turn into joy when you ask in God's name. Prayer is not about your wants, my wants, or any of  our selfish desires. It is about God's desires. Until we ask in his name our sorrow will not turn into joy. For some of us have not been asking for the right reasons, and some of us have not been asking in his name. For when we all ask in his name, we will all have joy. 


"So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you. In that day you will ask nothing of me. Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you. Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full." - John 16:22-24


What do those verses there tell you? It tells me that if I ask for things in such a way that it is not in God's desires that I will not receive such a thing. I don't believe all of us remember or keep in mind that prayer is for God. We should pray for emotional strength in his name. We should pray for others, and we should ask for his guidance in life to teach us the right thing. I am not a perfect example of a Christian; however, I do try to better myself a child of God. I try to better my relationship with our Creator by prayer, through his word, and through loving others like I should. 


He will fill our hearts with joy, and we will not see sorrow no longer. 


Remember to ask everything in his name, and remember that. Not in your name or for your selfish desires. Prayer is for God's desires, not our own. That is very important, keep that.

The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all.

Amen.

february 26th, 2011

How would you?


How would you explain who God is to a person that's never read the Bible?


I will tell you my explanation. 
I would say to them, "You're here aren't you? You're alive aren't you? How do you think you got here?" My other answer to this is, I have faith. I have a strong faith in God, I know it can be stronger and I am working daily on that. I believe in God through his word, and I would advise anyone to just open the Bible and to start reading anywhere. The purpose of the bible is to...


"Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciple, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name." - John 20:30-31


We shouldn't have doubts in our Father, but if some of us may fall into that situation... You should read. Read out of his book, and learn his word. You will all soon be strong in your faith because you know his commands. Everything else will fall into place soon after knowing God's word. 


Ask God for his guidance in showing you his way and path of life. Ask in his name. Ask for the strength, and you will receive. 


Another verse in the Bible that tells me so.. 


"then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature." - Genesis 2:7


What does that tell you? God is powerful. He is our Creator. 


Ask yourself the question if you have any doubts in the Lord above, "Where did I come from?"


I know where I'm from, do you?

The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all.

Amen.

february 25th, 2011

Abiding in God.


How do you live a Christian life? Is it by doing good deeds, or doing the right thing all the time? What is living a good Christian life? Do any of us know the answer?


Spending time with our Father, the Lord above.


There are three ways; learning God's word, constant prayer, and loving one another.


God's word is very important; however, you cannot do God's word without knowing the word. Don't you think that's right? I know it's right. 


"If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love." - John 15:10


If you want to have a strong relationship with our God you need to know God's word and his commands. Follow his word, and believe in it. 


Prayer. Do you pray as much as you should? What do you pray about? Yourself? I've talked about prayer before in previous posts, and you may go back and look at my view on prayer if you'd wish to do so. If you aren't getting your prayers answered you probably aren't asking for the right thing. We shouldn't pray for a big house, or lots of money, should we? We all probably ask for something like that at some point in our lives. This subject was preached about at church previously, and it was a wonderful sermon. 


"If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you." - John 15:7


Loving one another is the third way of abiding in the Lord Almighty. Do we all love every single person surrounding us? I don't believe we do like God wants us to. Are we like Jesus Christ and have the love that he did for all of us to lay down his life for his friends? Not at all. Abide in God. Love each other as you want to be loved. 


"Greater love has no one than this, that someone lays down his life for his friends." - John 15:13


Remember these three ways. Do you know God's word? Do you have the constant prayer that you know you should? Do you love every one of your brothers and sisters of Jesus Christ and treat them with love and not hate? 


Ask yourself those three questions regularly. 


If you do know God's word, pray like you should, and love everyone... everything else will fall into place. 

The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all.

Amen.

february 24th, 2011

Trust in the Lord with all your Heart


"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding." - Proverbs 3:5


We should all trust in the Lord will all of our hearts, and not lean on ourselves and our own selfish desires. We should not be stubborn, and we should not try to do everything on our own without God's help. I came to the realization that if I give my life over to the Lord and let him be in control that I will be in much better hands than if I was in control of my life. Trust in him. Trust that he has your life in his safe and loving hands. 


"In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil." - Proverbs 3:6-7


He will lead you down his path, and it's your choice if you steer away from it. If you trust in him he will lead you down a straight path, and that's if you give your life over to him. Trust him. He is our Father, and he is our Creator. 


Let our hearts keep his commandments and live in his name. Live your life in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. 


"My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments, for length of days and years of life and peace they will add you." - Proverbs 3:1-2


Do you trust in the Lord with all your heart, mind, and soul?


I know that I need to, and I do. I cannot have doubts, for I will continue to strengthen my faith. 


Trust in the Lord with All Your Heart.


All of it. 
We all can work on that. 

The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all.

Amen.

february 23rd, 2011

This is in Honor of my Uncle Rick Witherington

This is my Uncle Ricky. He recently discovered that he had a brain tumor; he had it removed not too long ago. He is battling brain cancer, and I will ask from you God to please help this strong man. I know you have heard my constant prayers lately, and I will not give up. I ask for you to please give him the strength and the courage to get through this process. I know it's just beginning, and we don't know how long this process will go on. 

This is my mother's oldest brother and only brother for that fact. He reminds me of my grandfather each and every time I look at him. They both mean to me more than they will ever know, and I know that I didn't spend enough time with my grandfather that I know should have. I want to spend more time with my Uncle, and I want to tell him how much he means to me even though I don't tell him like I should. I love you Uncle Ricky, and this is for you. 

You are a strong person, and I know that. You have to be to grow up with three little sisters like my mom, Ann, and Ginny. I love those three sisters, and I love each and every one of their personalities. I love my family, and I will continue to have constant prayer during this process of cancer. Family is everything, and I will never forget that. 

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." - John 3:16

I will go back to saying that every time I look at my Uncle Ricky I think of my Granddaddy. It warms my heart, and it makes me feel like he is still here. I love you both, and you both are very important in my life. 

I love you Uncle Ricky, and I will never stop praying for you to have the strength to get through this. You can do it. You can overcome it, and never forget who has your life in the palm of his hands. 

The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all.

Amen.

february 22nd, 2011

Jesus Promises the Holy Spirit.


"If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you." - John 14:15-17


Jesus Christ lives within our hearts. He has promised to love us, and be with us forever. He has always been there for me, and I know that personally. He promises to always be there for each and every one of us. 


"I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him." - John 14:18-21


He has promised to help us, and guide us within our lifetimes as long as we believe in him. We should follow his word and his commandments. We shall live our lives for him, and worship in his name. I cannot say that enough, and I will never stop saying it. He died on the cross for our sins, and the least we can do is follow his way and glorify in his name. 


"If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father's who sent me. These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid." - John 14:23-27


He's always there, and he never backs out on us. He keeps his word. He is always there for us, and never will he ever not be. 


Do you back out on the ones you love? Do you let them down at some point? We all do at some point. He does not. He does not let us down; he is always there for us. He never leaves us hanging, and he will always love us unconditionally. 


Without a doubt, he is our Creator and our Father. Without a doubt, I would never have it any other way than to be a child and follower in Jesus Christ. 


What are you in this world? 
I am a child of God. 
I know you are too.


The question for you, is do you know that?

The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all.

Amen.

february 21st, 2011

Follower in Jesus Christ.

I was baptized as a baby, and some people have different views on this. My parents had me baptized in my church as a baby, and they promised to help raise me as a Christian and live in a Christian household. My parents did a good job on that. I believe that in life it comes to a certain point where it is your decision on what you believe in. Over the past few years I have developed a strong relationship with God. I am trying to have constant prayer and being thankful for everything he has blessed me with. Yes, it is my parents decision on whether they raise me in a Christian household, but when it comes to a point in my life it becomes my decision whether I want to be a Christian. I was not forced to become a Christian and believe in God. I chose to believe in the Lord and follow his ways. That was my decision, and I wouldn't have it any other way.


I never have the feeling of loneliness anymore. I know that I can always talk to him, and ask him for his guidance. When 2011 was coming into place I came to the realization that I wanted to start this blog and be open with my faith. I wanted everyone to know that I was a believer in Jesus Christ, and that I was not going to be ashamed. I want to be a follower in God's way. I want to have his guidance in my life, and I will live my life for him.


"I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." - John 8:12


I have realized I am a child of God, and I will do the best I possibly can to make wise decisions throughout my lifetime and follow God's commandments. 


For all of the teenagers that are wondering if God is real.... He is. He's there, and if you have any doubts you should ask someone. I am reading more and more in the Bible than I ever did before, and it has strengthened my belief. I want to strengthen my faith, and be one of the strongest Christians I can be. 


It's your decision. It's not anyone else's decision. You have to make that choice. No one can make that choice for you. 


Are you going to be a follower in Jesus Christ?


I chose to follow his way, and I will never give up trying to better myself as a child of God.

The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all.

Amen.

february 20th, 2011

For God So Loved the World


"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." - John 3:16


This verse in the Bible is one of the most known and famous verses overall. God loves the world, and he gave Jesus Christ to die on the cross for all of our sins. He states that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. It states that just in that very verse. His love is everlasting and never ending. No matter what we do he will forever love us. 


"For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgement: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their deeds were evil." - John 3:17-19


I believe that God's love is the most powerful thing in all the Earth. He is the Father of all of us. He is our Creator, and not all of us believe in him. We all have different beliefs, and we all have things that differ and separate us from one another. I do know that God loves us unconditionally, and he will forever love us no matter what we do. None of us have that kind of love for everyone. We are all his children, and we should worship him and glorify in his name. 


Do you know what kind of love God has for you?


Do you know that his love is never ending?


You are loved, and the one that loves you the most...


is our Lord. 

The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all.

Amen.

february 19th, 2011

Who Do You Pray For?


When you pray do you pray who do you pray for first? Yourself? your family? the soldiers? 


That's a question that was asked today in Sunday School. Majority of all of us that pray to God all pray for ourselves first and then others. When some of us won't admit it that we pray for ourselves more than others. 


Is it wrong to pray for yourself? I don't believe that's so. It is wrong if you pray for the wrong reasons. Say if you had a test coming up and you studied really hard for it, and you asked God to help you remember what you studied; is that okay? Sure it is. If you didn't study for a test, and you asked God to help you out; that is wrong. You didn't do the work behind it to deserve to pass. 


Is it wrong for you to pray to help you succeed in your job? Is it wrong to want to succeed in anything? My answer to these two questions is if you are hurting people during that process then you are wrong. It's not wrong to want things for yourself. It all depends on what you do to get there. Do not step on people or hurt people just to get there for your own pleasure. 


"And they said to him, "We are able." And Jesus said to them, "The cup that I drink you will drink, and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized, but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those whom it has been prepared." - Mark 10:39-40


James and John wanted to be superior and sit at the left and right hand of God. They didn't just want to be in heaven they wanted to be right by God's side. They prayed for themselves, they asked Jesus to give them what they wanted. 


You should not pray for just yourself, but you shall pray for the soldiers across the world, the people in poverty, the people in need of God's guidance. We should pray for God's grace to surround everyone across the world. Everyone needs God's grace and his guidance. 


"For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." - Mark 10:45

The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all.

Amen.

february 18th, 2011

That You May Know


"I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life. And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked him." - 1 John 5:13-15


If you read the good book, as my father calls it, you will be able to have the confidence in the Lord and believe everything the Bible tells us. In passages throughout the Bible it tells us that we will have eternal life if we believe in the Father and do his word. If you ask anything in his name, and in good reasoning you will receive. If you ask of him to hear you and listen to you in according to his Scriptures, he will listen. Do everything in his name. Do everything for the Lord. Live your life for him.


Read his scriptures and read this Holy Book in order to reassure yourself that he is always there. The Bible was written in order that you believe in Jesus and that by believing you may have life in his name. Keep his name Holy. If anyone ever needs the reassurance that he is there, just pick up a Bible and read. Start anywhere. We are all from God, and we all are his children.


"We know that everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning, but he who was born of God protects him, and the evil one does not touch him. We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one. And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. Little children, keep yourselves from idols." - 1 John 5:18-21


God is there, he is here. He is real. He is mighty, loving, and strong. Do not be discouraged; believe in his word.


We should all know that our God loves us unconditionally, and he is an accepting God. He will forever love us all; no matter what we will ever do in life he will always love us. We should all know that.


If We May Know is the title for todays topic, and it's says just what it means. If we may know.... God is here. He is everywhere. Never forget that.


God is everywhere, right beside you, behind you, in front of you, and everywhere. Everywhere.


He is in our hearts regardless of whether we want that or not. God is in our hearts, and he wants us to do good.


Make him proud.
I know I'm trying on a daily basis to make him proud, and I will never stop trying.


Will you?

The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all.

Amen.

february 17th, 2011

God is Love


Jesus Christ died on the cross for all of our sins. He has that kind of love for his Father, and he had that kind of love for all of us to do so. If it wasn't for his strong will we would not be alive.


"Greater love has no one than this, that someone lays down his life for his friends." - John 15:13


Follow Jesus Christ, and do God's commandments. Jesus Christ has the love for all of us, for he was nailed to the cross and died for each one of our sins. He was resurrected from the dead and came back to life. He has eternal life, for believing in the Lord. Do any of us have that kind of love for our Lord and everyone? In the book of John it states the story of Jesus dying on the cross. If you'd like to look it up you may. (It is rather long to type, so I advise you to look it up if you want to know that story if you do not already know it)


"Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." - John 20:29


I believe that not any of us have that kind of strength to do that, for we were all born sinners. We all sin. Read that again, we are all sinners. I do not like to hear anyone say "I'm a Christian, so I don't sin." You just lied if you said that. You sin when you don't even know it, and that's terrible. We are all that way, and we should all think about a lot of things before taking them into action. Believe in the Lord. Believe in his word. Do not be boastful and cocky in any sort of way. Do not think you are better than another person. We are all equal. We are all God's children.


"We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother." - 1 John 4:19-21


In order to love God, we must love all of our brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ. Yes, all of them.


God is love.


Jesus Christ loved us, and he died on the cross for all of our sins.


Do you have that kind of love?
I'm sure we all would love to.


Never forget who died for your sins.
Worship him and praise his name.

The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all.

Amen.

february 16th, 2011

Are you ashamed?


Is it hard to talk about religion with friends? or anyone for that matter? It's a difficult conversation to have with anyone because of all of our different beliefs. Right? I know that it's a conversation some will say to stay away from when talking to people. That is wrong. You should not deny the Lord if you believe in him. No one should be ashamed to talk about God and his word.


There is a chart on the beliefs of Christians. It states the main things we all Christians believe in, and then as it goes up it states the nit-picky things that are small and what differs us all from one another. When we go about talking to a person about religion we shouldn't start from the top and state the small things that make us different; therefore, if we do we will start an argument or a disagreement between the two. We should not judge one self if they have a different belief or view on a story or situation. Accept them, and move on. Do you know your belief is the correct one? None of us know that. We do not know; therefore, we should not put down a single person in the process.


"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths." - Proverbs 3:5-6


Christians believe in Jesus Christ, and we believe in the Lord our God as our Father. Don't we all? Yes. The small things is what separates us, and we should think of the big picture and not criticize one another for doing things in different ways. If we criticize or think of someone differently because they aren't like "us" then we are not being loving towards one another we are judging one another and God does not want us to judge or be hateful towards one another. 


The Lord our God knows the right way, and we all should not act as if we know the correct way of everything. For we do not know everything. We are not perfect, and we never will be. We should act as Christians, and we should not deny our God in front of everyone. We should speak proudly and be willing to talk about God's word. Spread his good word, and never be ashamed of his ways.


If you deny Jesus Christ, he will deny you in front of his Father.


Keep your faith strong, and never.... be ashamed to speak of God.
Try to better yourself as a Christian, and become a better person each and every day.
There is always room for improvement.


Think of it that way.


In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all.

Amen.