What Is Your Will In Christ?

"This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief. However, for this reason I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show all longsuffering, as a pattern to those who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life. Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen."   1 Timothy 1:15-17 (NKJ) If you know much about the life of Paul through scripture, you know how incredibly much the Holy Spirit revealed to Him to share with us, how God used him, and how faithfully Paul served Christ even through hardship and terrible trials. So when Paul said of himself that he is the chief of sinners ... many of us likely sat up and paid attention. What would cause a man who confessed Christ so boldly in the face adversity, spoke the truth of God, and taught it so eloquently, to speak himself so harshly? I believe that it's quite s...

I know that my position here may not be popular on it's face at first, but I think it could be most revealing of where some hearts are - even my own, by the response that it evokes... I think it's possible that we're all partly responsible for the chaos and darkness that is constantly swirling around in the digital tornado that is the constantly hammering news these days. While we may not have contributed to it directly by our own actions, it's a good bet that we may have contributed to it by our own inaction. Where does the true power to change things come from? And who is our best example to follow in this life? Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed." Mark 1:35 (NKJ) "Now it came to pass in those days that He went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God." Luke 6:12 (NKJ) "Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought ...

"If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you." John 15:19 (NKJ) It's a recurring event throughout human history - that we seem shocked when evil suddenly allows itself to be exposed, ... but it's not something new. Darkness has been lurking in the shadows waiting to leap out and strike fear where it can for as longs as time itself has existed. In fact, evil exposed itself even before that through Lucifer, but in terms of human history, its appearance was recorded very near the beginning of time. Lets not forget... "Now Cain talked with Abel his brother; and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him."   Genesis 4:8 (NKJ) We shouldn't be surprised by evil's sudden reappearance when it does, but somehow we are. It's not as though it ever left and then suddenly returned. It...

" Therefore David blessed the Lord before all the assembly; and David said: "Blessed are You, Lord God of Israel, our Father, forever and ever. Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, the power and the glory, the victory and the majesty; For all that is in heaven and in earth is Yours; Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, And You are exalted as head over all. Both riches and honor come from You, And You reign over all. In Your hand is power and might; In Your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all. "Now therefore, our God, we thank You And praise Your glorious name."  1 Chronicles 29:10-13 (NKJ) Sometimes I have random thoughts that evolve from my core understandings, study and experience with our Lord. Occasionally they come to the surface and continue to weigh on my mind until I write them out. This is one of those times. If you belong to Christ, I have some thoughts intended to give  a little pause for a moment ... Understanding that as the bride of Christ, our l...

"... The problem is we might forget that in the grand scheme of things (namely eternity),  we have about five seconds on earth to make our lives count ..." - Louie Giglio, Pastor of Passion City Church, Founder of Passion Conferences. I think some of us have a vision problem... ... Depending on the individual severity, the number of symptoms and their effects   due to Persistently Recurring Human Myopia  can vary greatly, but some of us definitely have a vision problem. Some are fooled into embracing this life as though it's the life that God intends for us, but it's not. And some may forego the life eternal in favor of it and its perishing passions instead of recognizing the true power, passion and plan of The God who created  heaven and earth and everything in them. His plan for us is invested in a life beyond this one, but the choice to hear Him and submit to that plan is ours. "  ‘Now see that I, even I, am He, a nd there is no God besides Me;  I kill a...

"For thus says the Lord, who created the heavens, who is God, who formed the earth and made it, who has established it, who did not create it in vain, who formed it to be inhabited: “I am the Lord, and there is no other. I have not spoken in secret, in a dark place of the earth; I did not say to the seed of Jacob, ‘Seek Me in vain’; I, the Lord, speak righteousness, I declare things that are right.  Isaiah  45:18-19 (NKJ) To have hope - not the hope that this world offers in all of its festering, decomposing,  glory -  but the true hope found in Christ Jesus, is to possess the greatest everlasting hope to be found in all of this universe and beyond, along with all of the wealth of heaven. "And again, Isaiah says:  “There shall be a root of Jesse;  and He who shall rise to reign over the Gentiles, i n Him the Gentiles shall hope.”  Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in ...

"All things are full of labor; Man cannot express it. The eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing. That which has been is what will be, that which is done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun. Is there anything of which it may be said, “See, this is new”? It has already been in ancient times before us. There is no remembrance of former things, Nor will there be any remembrance of things that are to come by those who will come after."  Ecclesiastes 1:8-11 (NKJ) There of course was something new that came long after Solomon's days, but it was only new because it was the fruition of a longstanding plan that God set it into motion Himself. He made restitution to justice Himself through Christ Jesus - paying the bloody price for the sins of mankind so that man would have the opportunity to be  reconciled to Himself. And man thereby having the opportunity to once again walk in close relationship with God as Adam and Eve did befo...

"For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.  And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account. "  Hebrews 4:12-13 (NKJ) I'm not one who appreciates the stoking of fear for the sake of it or unnecessarily. There are enough things in this life to keep people concerned and even constantly fearful if they subscribe to them. I would like though, to take a moment to encourage my brothers and sisters in Christ and any others who will take a little time to read this and give it some serious consideration because the subject has real   potential  consequences and there's still time to address any issues that we find upon reflection... If you were made aware that   sometime in the next hour  your life on earth was ...

One of my daughters arranged a writing project for me that I have been working on for months now. It consists of a series of questions that I'm intended to give an answer to. The latest is what follows and I felt compelled to also share it here... If this was the last thing you wrote, what words of wisdom would you share? My response begins with “Behold the Man!” "Then Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. And Pilate said to them, “Behold the Man!”   John 19:5 (NKJ) Pontius Pilate had no idea how profound those words were at the time that he spoke them or how they would impact to change the lives, hearts and minds of the men and women, boys and girls who would regard to follow them in earnest as they continue to echo throughout the history of mankind since. “Behold the Man!” As Pilate spoke those words to the crowd, it was in the hope that they would look on the man Jesus, with his flesh torn by the barb tipped whips that they used to beat Him, blood...

"ECONOMY | definition in the Cambridge English Dictionary  Cambridge  https://dictionary.cambridge.org › dictionary › economy  — the system of making money and producing and distributing goods and services within a country or region" Mankind has been concerned with the available prosperity to be found in the economy that he inhabits in the world around him from the earliest recognition of his own want and need. The world's economic interests have, over time, spawned every imaginable financial mechanism from organized employment, to banks, to wall street and a plethora of financial oligarchy's. The primary medium, conveyance, or currency for exchange in the majority of today's world economies is of course money. Apparently most consumed by one degree or another of greed for money and material gain have forgotten that there is a higher economy and that its currency is of far greater value. That economy is an institution that far preceded and still overrules man'...

 "Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created." Revelation 4:11 (KJ) There's something about this verse in the King James version that grabs me every time that I read it. From the inspiration of this one verse, my heart and mind begin sounding out a litany of truths every time. For example... We did not create ourselves, we were created by God (So any physical trait that we might brag on (even inwardly) only reveals our utter foolishness) We had no hand in our own creation. Such things and even our talents and personal gifts didn't originate with us, but are from the same hands that formed us. And further, we were created not by or for our own pleasure, but HIS. So it seems obvious that our purpose above all other things would be to serve HIS pleasure rather than our own. Indeed, all things are intended to serve His pleasure, but among His greatest pleasures, given the...