When Bad is Good

“Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near.”  Luke 21:28  NKJV

Lately it seems that you cannot escape the conversation concerning the state of this world and events which often defy explanation, especially in our own country.  Within the body of Christ, many are asking how much worse can it get, and how long will it be before the Church is removed. Within the body, many are asking whether or not what we are seeing become acceptable behavior in society has “biblical” implications, or if the events are simply part of what we could call “normal” everyday occurrences.  I suppose that should come as no surprise considering the words given us by Peter in his second letter.

“knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.”  2 Peter 3:3-4  NKJV

While the scoffers might well disagree, it seems very apparent that true believers understand this is certainly not normal, and that the acts of violence which are becoming an almost weekly occurrence throughout the world as well as here at home are being orchestrated.  Something we can also observe are the struggles many people are having in trying to explain these events, and the motivations which produce them.  Simply turn on any news channel or read any commentary in the secular news and you will find numerous attempts at an explanation, and generally speaking, no agreement at all concerning why violence around the world is increasing.  Fortunately for us as believers, the answer is clear and spelled out in the prophetic Word from our Father in heaven.

Then the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and testing Him asked that He would show them a sign from heaven. He answered and said to them, "When it is evening you say, '[It will be] fair weather, for the sky is red'; "and in the morning, '[It will be] foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening.' Hypocrites! You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot [discern] the signs of the times. "A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah." And He left them and departed.               Matthew 16:1-4 NKJV

In this passage, the word for discern is the Greek word “sēmeion”; which is translated as “a sign, prodigy, portent, i.e. an unusual occurrence, transcending the common course of nature”. So let me ask you; do you see what I see?  Events beginning to occur that many believe are unusual and not what you would expect to see if things followed their natural course?  I believe this attitude of ignoring what is truly unusual is what Jesus was warning us about in this passage.  Jesus had performed miracles which were “transcending the common course of nature” yet it was not enough for the skeptics.

“But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you. For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape.”  1 Thessalonians 5:1-3  NKJV

Do you think it would be fair to say that when we as believers see that “bad” is becoming the norm, the truth would be that for the Church as a whole we could call it “good”?  While the Church, and all true believers in Jesus Christ fight against evil in all its forms, there is no denying the direction this world seems to be heading. Is it really possible that for us, seeing what we are seeing is proof we are living in the “times and the seasons” Paul is referring to here?  Notice Paul begins verse one with the word “But”.  This means it is a continuation of a previous thought, so we need to look back at what he was talking about before.  When we do, at the end of the previous chapter, this is what we see;

“For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.”   1 Thessalonians 4:15-18  NKJV

It is obvious that Paul has been speaking about the rapture of the Church, the concluding event of the Church Age which we as believers are expectantly waiting for.  Paul tells his readers two very important facts which I believe we should take serious note of as we read these verses.  The first is that he certainly teaches that true believers will recognize the “times and the seasons”.  Considering what Jesus had to say about recognizing the signs of the times, I believe it is logical to assume that God intends to make it very clear that we are approaching the end of the age to those who are watching faithfully for Jesus’ return.

The second thing Paul says is that the signs will be comparable to a woman in labor, and the pains she will endure before the birth of her child.  Something I have noticed before, and something I am sure most of you would agree with, is that there is usually no question that a woman is “expecting” because of the visible signs we can observe.  In other words, although the actual labor pains begin just before the delivery, there are plenty of other signs that precede it which tell us that a woman is expecting.  So those who are watching and expecting a birth are generally not surprised when the labor pains begin.

“Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is. “It is like a man going to a far country, who left his house and gave authority to his servants, and to each his work, and commanded the doorkeeper to watch. “Watch therefore, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming—in the evening, at midnight, at the crowing of the rooster, or in the morning—“lest, coming suddenly, he find you sleeping. “And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch!”                Mark 13:33-37  NKJV

Although some may question if the events we see are the beginning of birth pangs, I believe the vast majority would agree this world is “expecting” and the "labor pains" are soon to start.  In this case it follows that to the Church, with the expectation of “delivery” to our eternal home, the “bad” pains are a “good” thing.

Of course, while the deliverance from the evil of this world is available to all, it’s guaranteed only to those who choose to accept it by believing on the sacrifice of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  If you are reading this today and have never made that decision, you can do it right now wherever you might be by simply praying a prayer like this;

Jesus I know that I am a sinner, and have sinned against you.  I believe you loved me enough to send your Son Jesus to die for my sins, and that He rose from the dead so that I can live.  Forgive me of my sins and come into my life and help me to live for you.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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Born Again

“Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”  John 3:3  NKJV

As I have often said, the picture we are given of the Laodicean church in Revelation chapter three is describing the state of the Church at the time of the rapture.  It is, of course, the reason so many believe we are at that threshold today since the Church for the most part, reflects the abandonment of the principles of the original gospel taught by the disciples.  In the non-offending, seeker friendly, feel good churches which seem to be the norm at this point in time one of the most obvious exclusions is this simple statement by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ when He stated plainly that we must be “born again”.

In truth, because many churches today have chosen to abandon this teaching, it follows that the response of many when hearing these words would probably be much similar to what Jesus heard from Nicodemus when He first spoke them to him.

“Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?”   John 3:4  NKJV

At first glance, this is certainly a logical response and one that most of us probably had when we first heard those same words.  Fortunately Jesus went on to explain exactly what He meant, and in so doing showed us all how we can become a part of the family of God.

“Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. “Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’”   John 3:5-7  NKJV

As we all know, we were all born by our biological parents by the normal, natural means.  Jesus, however, explains plainly that there is a second birth available to all and this is the birth that occurs when we become part of the family of God.  The most important part of this message and one which you will probably never hear in many churches today is that this second birth is a result of a choice.  While we did not choose to be born the first time, our birth into the family of God, the body of Christ, is the result of us choosing to do so by asking God to accept our confession and acceptance of His sacrifice for our sin.

“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”  John 1:12-13  NKJV

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.  2 Corinthians 5:17  NKJV

The Word of God makes it abundantly clear that we must be born again in order to enter the Kingdom of God, and, we become born again by believing in three things; (a) we are sinners in need of a savior, (b) that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, came to this earth to die for our sins, (c) He rose again from the dead on the third day as proof that He was and is the Son of God, and that His death was sufficient to pay the price for our redemption.

In my teens I became involved with an organization called Campus Crusade for Christ.  Many of you might be familiar with them, but I bring that up to share what I believe was one of the best, if not most effective tools for witnessing our generation has ever seen.  It is called simply “The Four Spiritual Laws”, and was created by the founder of Campus Crusade, Dr. Bill Bright.  If you are not familiar with them, or even if you are, I have included the following article for you to read in the hope that you will be blessed by hearing a message many have probably never heard from the pulpit, but should as it is the same message that Jesus shared with us so many years ago during His ministry on earth.

The four spiritual laws – What are they?

The Four Spiritual Laws is the title of an outreach booklet created by Campus Crusade for Christ founder Dr. Bill Bright. Translated into numerous languages worldwide, it includes four important "laws" that can lead a person to faith in Christ.

The first spiritual law is that "God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life." John 3:16 teaches, "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 10:10 (NIV) gives us the reason that Jesus came: "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." The Four Spiritual Laws asks, "What is blocking us from God's love? What is preventing us from having an abundant life?"

The second spiritual law answers this question: "Humanity is tainted by sin and is therefore separated from God. As a result, we cannot know God's wonderful plan for our lives." Romans 3:23 states, "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Romans 6:23 adds, "the wages of sin is death." According to the Four Spiritual Laws, God created us to have fellowship with Him. However, humanity brought sin into the world, and is therefore separated from God. What is the solution?

The third spiritual law answers by stating, "Jesus Christ is God's only provision for our sin. Through Jesus Christ, we can have our sins forgiven and restore a right relationship with God." Romans 5:8 shares, "but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." First Corinthians 15:3-4 says, "For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures." Jesus taught that He is the only way of salvation: "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6).

The fourth spiritual law answers how you can receive this gift: "We must place our faith in Jesus Christ as Savior in order to receive the gift of salvation and know God's wonderful plan for our lives." In John 1:12 we read, "But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God." Acts 16:31 teaches, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved." Salvation comes through grace alone, through faith alone, in Jesus Christ alone (Ephesians 2:8-9).

Are you willing to place your faith in Jesus Christ as your Savior and receive this free gift of eternal life? If so, do it now. There is no special prayer you must pray to do so. Words will not save you. Only Jesus can save you. However, the following prayer is one you can use to tell God you are ready to accept Jesus Christ as your Savior:

"Dear God, I realize I am a sinner separated from you. I can never reach heaven by my own good deeds. But you have made provision for my sin. Right now I place my faith in Jesus Christ as God's Son who died for my sins and rose from the dead to give me eternal life. Please forgive me of my sins and help me to live for you. Thank you for accepting me and giving me eternal life."

https://www.compellingtruth.org/four-spiritual-laws.html

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Doing Your Part

“But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift. Therefore He says: "When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, And gave gifts to men." Ephesians 4:7,8 NKJV

Today, when many are justifiably concerned with the health and effectiveness of the Church, the body of Christ, the question we all should be asking ourselves is am I doing my part as a member of the body. As often as we probably hear the message to be "busy" doing Gods' work, the logical question for many might be "what should I be doing?" That question is in fact, a very good one, for it should be obvious that for the body to function effectively, we can’t all be doing the same thing. Fortunately for us, God has personally taken care of the confusion that could arise by giving to each of us a special gift, or gifts, that He intends for us to use while fulfilling the responsibilities of our service to Him.

“Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually. And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all workers of miracles? Do all have gifts of healings? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? But earnestly desire the best gifts. And yet I show you a more excellent way.”   1 Corinthians 12:27-31  NKJV

Now experience has taught me that the subject of spiritual gifts can be confusing to many, and occasionally even the source of some controversy. Our God, however, is not a God of confusion so it stands to reason that any confusion or misunderstanding about gifts comes from man and not from God. I want to spend some time discussing what the Bible has to say about the gifts He has chosen to bestow on us, and the purpose behind His instruction on how we go about exercising those gifts.

The best way to look at the subject of spiritual gifts is to look at them the same way that God does, and that is as a picture of a human body and how it works. It may be an oversimplification, but let's imagine our physical body made up of four distinct divisions. One would be the structural system made up of the bones and muscles which support the entire body. Without it, our bodies would simply collapse so obviously it's quite important. Second would be the nervous system, by which the muscles and bones are told what to do and what direction to do it. Third would be the digestive system by which we take in the nourishment we need in order to grow and receive the energy needed to fuel the body. Last would be the circulatory system which takes the fuel we consume to the rest of the body in order to sustain life.

When we look at these verses in Ephesians we see that Paul divides the gifts of the body of Christ into two distinct ministries. The first we could call the support ministries, and the second would be the working ministries. Look closely at the following verses.

“And He Himself gave some [to be] apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ”   Ephesians 4:11,12 NKJV

You can see that Paul states there are four specific gifts given to some individuals solely for the purpose of "equipping" other saints for their specific work of ministry. Let's look at these four gifts in light of the four "systems" of the body we have already mentioned.

These verses describing the gifts seem to correspond directly the picture of the body we have already painted with its four distinct divisions. The first gift listed is that of apostles, whose job it was to lay the foundation or the support structure upon which the body of Christ would be built. Second are the prophets, who were the individuals who spoke by inspiration of God, revealing His words to men. You could compare this to the nervous system of the body which tells the structural system what to do. The third gift Paul tells us is the gift of evangelism, which is how the body of Christ grows larger. You could look at this as the digestive system in our bodies where all that we need in order to grow is stored for distribution resulting in the growth of the body. Last is the gift of pastor-teachers. In the Greek, this is actually a phrase, so Paul is using two words to describe one gift. We can see where this gift is like our circulatory system which we have already described as giving life to the body by circulating the nourishment we need in order to remain healthy.

These "supporting" gifts are the foundation of the heath and effectiveness of the body of Christ. Without them, the body would collapse and be unable to perform the work for which it was intended. Paul makes it clear that God chooses which gifts to bestow on certain people; therefore He chooses those to whom He wishes to place the responsibilities of gifts supporting the body.

Unfortunately, many might look at this picture and ask "what more is needed"? But remember I said there are two divisions in the body. There are the "support" ministries which we have discussed here, and then there are the 'working" ministries. In order for the body to perform effectively, there is a division of responsibilities that many seem to miss when discussing spiritual gifts. You could look at the support ministries and think they would be able to do everything necessary, but this is not what Paul has described. Look closely at verse 12.

“for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ,”

The support gifts are for the purpose of preparing the "saints" for their work.

“And He Himself gave some [to be] apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head--Christ-- from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.”   Ephesians 4:11-16 NKJV

After the support ministries, Paul now introduces us to what we call the working ministries. There are several lists of gifts to be found in the New Testament, each not quite complete, so we will put them all together and see what we find. What we find are as follows; wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, miracles, prophecy, discernment, helps, administration, exhortation, and tongues. To help us understand each of these better, I thought I would list each separately below with their Greek definitions and usages from the Strongs concordance.

wisdom-"sophia"... wisdom, broad and full of intelligence; used of the knowledge of very diverse matters

knowledge-"gnōsis"...knowledge signifies in general intelligence, understanding

faith-"pistis"...the conviction that God exists and is the creator and ruler of all things, the provider and bestower of eternal salvation through Christ

healing-"iama"...a means of healing, remedy, medicine

miracles-"dynamis"...strength power, ability

prophecy-"prophēteia"...a discourse emanating from divine inspiration and declaring the purposes of God, whether by reproving and admonishing the wicked, or comforting the afflicted, or revealing things hidden; esp. by foretelling future events

discernment-"diakrisis"...a distinguishing, discerning, judging

helps-"antilēmpsis"...in NT, to aid, help

administration-"kybernēsis"...a governing, government

exhortation-"paraklēsis"...a calling near, summons, (esp. for help) importation, supplication, entreaty exhortation, admonition, encouragement

tongues-"glōssa"...the language or dialect used by a particular people distinct from that of other nations


I think it reasonable to assume that some of these definitions surprise you, for when it comes to teaching about the gifts, there is plenty of disagreement within the body as to their meaning, uses, and even necessity. However, if we examine the context in which Paul writes about the gifts, we can see that controversy and misunderstanding is nothing new. In writing to the church at Corinth, Paul goes out of his way to say a lot about their use, and misuse, even going as far as to list them in order of their importance. All this obviously in response to some in the church believing and teaching that certain gifts were more desirable than others, and which could also then be regarded as an indicator of personal status within the body.

Paul addresses these problems in the course of three whole chapters, which we find in the book of 1 Corinthians, chapters 12-14. In these three chapters I believe Paul makes at least three main points.

The first is that it is God who chooses what our spiritual gift is to be, and not us.

“But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.”   1 Corinthians 12:11 NKJV

All too often we find those in the body trying to tell us what our gift should be, rather than encouraging us to look for and accept whatever gift it is that God has chosen for us. The point Paul makes here is that it is not we who choose our gift, but rather it is God who chooses to give us the gift He feels we need to perform the work He has chosen for us within the body.

The second is that the parts of the body, each with its own gift, must work in harmony with the others.

“For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also [is] Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body--whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free--and have all been made to drink into one Spirit. For in fact the body is not one member but many.”   1 Corinthians 12:12-14 NKJV

Paul now has to spend the rest of chapter 12 explaining that the body is made up of many individuals, and while all do not have the same gift, each is just as important as the next. Paul makes the point that in order for the body to work effectively, each part must perform the function it was designed for if we are to accomplish the responsibility of reaching an unbelieving world for Christ.

Third Paul tells us we can desire the greater gifts.

“But earnestly desire the best gifts. And yet I show you a more excellent way.”   1 Corinthians 12:31 NKJV

Now there are two words in this verse that explain exactly what Paul is trying to tell us, and those are "desire" and "best". Desire in the Greek is "zēloō" which means "to desire earnestly, pursue", and best in the Greek is "kreittōn" which means "more useful, more serviceable, more advantageous". Now if we look at all the lists Paul gives us, it is the "equipping" gifts we talked about which are always listed first. What Paul is saying here is that although we should not seek to have a gift which God has not given us, it is perfectly alright to "pursue" the equipping gifts.

How is that you ask? It should be clear that the equipping gifts are given as a result of spiritual maturity and come after a believer has proven himself worthy by study and application of his faith. New believers do not, and should not, try to teach other believers in the body the day after they make a decision for Christ. I believe what Paul is saying here is that if you apply yourself to attain growth and maturity, God may choose to reward anyone with the serving gifts one of the greater gifts in order to equip other believers for their service for God.

The bottom line is this; are you using your gift? If so, are you striving to grow in order to receive one of the equipping gifts? As members of the body, Paul makes it clear that the life of a believer is a life of doing.

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Do You Really Know Him?

Thus says the LORD: “Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, Let not the mighty man glory in his might, Nor let the rich man glory in his riches; But let him who glories glory in this, That he understands and knows Me, That I am the LORD, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight,” says the LORD.  Jeremiah 9:23-24  NKJV

How many friends do you have on Facebook?  That is, of course, assuming that unlike me you actually have a Facebook account.  Believe it or not, I actually never have had one, and most assuredly never will yet I acknowledge that, from all accounts, I am in the minority.  One of the things about it which has always confounded me is the importance to many of the number of friends they have, regardless of the fact that they have never even met them.  Which of course, leads me to question how they can actually be your friends if you never have?  Now many would argue that they consider them friends because they have come to know them by talking online but my question then becomes this; is knowing “about” someone the same as actually “knowing” them?

In this passage from the book of Jeremiah, we find that God considers the most important thing a man can do is to understand and know Him.  In the Hebrew, the word know is actually part of a phrase and according to Strong’s concordance is the word yâdaʻ, yaw-dah'; which is defined as; “a primitive root; to know (properly, to ascertain by seeing); used in a great variety of senses, figuratively, literally, euphemistically and inferentially (including observation, care, recognition; and causatively, instruction, designation, punishment, etc.).”  I think that most of us, even without reading that definition or by examining the context of the passage above could easily conclude that God is not telling us to simply “know about” Him, but rather to commit to establishing and maintaining a relationship in which our sole desire is to really “know” Him in the fullest sense of the word.

“And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.   John 17:3  NKJV

Assuming it is our desire to do this, the question then becomes how best do we accomplish knowing God in the way He desires us to?  In truth, I believe we best do that exactly how we do it with those around us whom we choose to be friends with.  In other words, ask yourself who the person is in your life that you consider to be your best friend, and then think about how that came to be.  I think most of us would say that there were steps involved along the way that helped what started as a friendship eventually turn into a relationship which is something much different than simply knowing someone.  I would hazard a guess that most of us would readily admit that spending a great deal of time getting to know someone intimately was a very important step to eventually understanding  what made them special.  Is it no wonder then that God asks this very same thing of us?

How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word. With my whole heart I have sought You; Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments! Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You.   Psalm 119:9-11  NKJV

If you have never taken the time to read Psalm 119 I would encourage you to do so.  The cry from the author reveals his overwhelming desire to know God to the greatest extent possible.  Since God has chosen His Word as a way to reveal Himself to us, one of the overriding themes in this chapter is spending time in the Word to learn, understand, and follow the commandments we have been given.  If our desire is to truly know God in the way He has instructed us to, our first step should be to make reading His Word the priority in our lives, and put the cares and concerns of this world behind.

I will meditate on Your precepts, And contemplate Your ways. I will delight myself in Your statutes; I will not forget Your word.   Psalm 119:15-16  NKJV

I believe we can all relate to children, and even ourselves when we were young, asking the question “why?” for a great many things.  Have you ever spent the time thinking and meditating on God’s Word wondering “why”? To understand someone is to know them well enough to not be surprised when they say or do something that you readily acknowledge is a result of their nature and who they really are.  By meditating and contemplating on God’s Word, we engage in the process of growing our understanding of Him and His commandments with the end result being an answer to our question “why”.

But Peter and the other apostles answered and said: “We ought to obey God rather than men.  Acts 5:29  NKJV

The decision and choice of the apostles to obey God first was a direct result of knowing Him to a degree that many today do not.  The Bible is full of examples of people making this same decision once they knew and understood God in the way He intends us to.  Believers who truly know God never hesitate to make this type of commitment in their lives and it will be, just like the apostles, evident in how they live their lives and the choices they make.  We all as believers have at some time wondered what we should do in a particular instance, and spent time on our knees asking God what He would have us to do.  I submit that the better we know and understand God, the easier it becomes to answer those questions.

Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content:   Philippians 4:11  NKJV

It is my personal belief that the most obvious, if not important result of truly knowing and understanding God is the ability to live just as Paul did when he wrote these words.  To be content no matter what the circumstance reveals not only a true knowledge of God, but an understanding that He is in control of every facet of our lives and as His children, we have nothing to fear.  I have often wondered how different my life would have been if I had been able to achieve this contentment in my youth.  The desire to control our own lives and make the choices which result in achievement that the world values shows a disregard for the instruction we are given over and over again in God’s Word that our priority should be to know Him.

Oh, continue Your lovingkindness to those who know You, And Your righteousness to the upright in heart.   Psalm 36:10  NKJV

Do you truly know God, or just know about Him?  If you are reading these words and have never made the decision to ask Jesus into your heart and begin an eternal relationship with the God of this universe, I urge you to do it today.  You can do that by praying a prayer like this; Jesus I know that I am a sinner, and have sinned against you.  I believe you loved me enough to send your Son Jesus to die for my sins, and that He rose from the dead so that I can live.  Forgive me of my sins and come into my life and help me to live for you.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.  If you have done this, then your eternal destiny is life with Him and because He loved us enough to do this for us, doesn’t it make sense to really get to know Him?

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