Infomercials

So, Tara and I are some times finding ourselves on different schedules. On nights that she does not have to work at Publix we play with the kids, put them to bed and then we either watch tv or a movie and talk or just enjoy one another's company. But, on nights that she has to work it is different because by the time she gets home I have put the kids to bed a few hours earlier and I am about gone. From just sitting and reading or watching tv alone I am sleepy. So when she gets home I go on to bed and she comes but she is still up from working so she watches television in the bedroom. Now, Wednesdays are just the opposite in that I am still pumped up from youth that night and I can't go to sleep while she is out quite peacefully.
The reason I bring this all up is that some nights one or the other of us falls asleep with the television on. We wake up in the night or early in the morning to infomercials. Yuck, I know, who actualy watches them?
What is the making of a good infomercial? You have to present a valid and useful product. You have to have witnesses or people who have used it and can share how it has changed their life. You have to have a product that positively improves life in some area that is commonly important to consumers.
2 Peter 1:3-4 says, "His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness".
Well think of your life as an infomercial. Every day you are a spokesperson for CHrist and all that He has done for you as well as what He can do for others. Every day you are living out a testimony and a sales pitch for those who watch your life and see you in action. The good news is you are selling something that God's divine power has given everything to. Eternal life, hope, peace, trust, joy and a personal relationship with the Creator of all things. So there you see your infomercial is a quite easy one, we have to ability and honor of sharing a product in the person of JEsus Christ. It's a product that meets very real needs in a world that is lost and dying.
Thanks for reading and have a great day!

Darkness

have you ever been hungry was the question yesterday. Today I want to know have you ever been in darkness. Truly covered up in complete darkness. I can only think of a few times that I have. One was in Georgia on Tara's family's farm. It was a cloudy night with the moon completely covered and there were no lights on in the back when I was out there with Tara's cousins(they were shining deer, go figure). Anyway there was absolutely no light to be found. In our neighborhood (where normal Florida people live) there is no way to find complete darkness. Street lights, house lights and so on, there is always some form or source of light in the area. But, in Georgia it was different.
I have heard stories of people in caverns, caves and deep sea diving excursions in pitch black dark, but they always have a light iwth them. IMagine complete darkness though. In the fellowship hall at ACBC there is a way to close all of the doors and play midnight football. You get a glow in the dark football, give it to one of the teams and they crawl on the floor playing two hand touch trying to get the person with the ball. It's fun and crazy, but still most of those kids can somehow see what is going on around them.
John 8:12 says, When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."
Speaking in terms of spiritual things, if you have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ there will always be light. If you don't, there will be darkness that can only be partially illumined by the light of others. That light leaves whent he other believers leave however. How sad to think of going through life in complete darkness.
That is why I always say that there is not truly, completely bad people. THere are only people with an absence of good. Like the light of Christ, there are those who have it and those who need it. Those are the only two types of people on the earth today. It is my hope that we as believers show the light in a way that it exposes those who are missing it and makes them want it. It's our job as Christians to make our greatest possession that personal relationship with Christ, contagious.
So let your light shine today, no matter what and eventually others will see it for what it really is, and want it.
Thanks for reading and have a great day!

Hungry

Have you ever been hungryy? I mean really hungry, odds are the majority of us in America have never experienced this feeling. I know from time to time we do a fast for our teenagers at the church and they don't eat for a 24 hour period. At the end fo that period they are hungry, but not nearly as hungry as someone who eats 2 or 3 meals a week. Or someone in a third world country who is passing up a meal so that their children or loved ones can eat the only bread or fruit that they have for the day. But what about being spiritually hungry? Have you ever been starving spiritually? At that point where your soul seems almost empty and incomplete.
I must admit I stay hungry for more spiritual growth. I read books, study my quiet times and read sermons by John Piper and Jonathan Edwards regularly looking to grow. But am I really hungry? Is there a reason for me to feel in want? No there is not, it's a different type of hunger.
John 6:35 Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.
So there it is, if we believe in Jesus we will never be hungry or thirsty. But wait, I just said that I was hungry every day for the word and thirsty for knowledge. Think about that for a minute. First of all, I am never really hungry, it's more of that going back for seconds kind of feeling. When you go back for seconds you have already eaten enough to sustain you, you just desire to eat more. But in this context am I really hungry when I am reading and studying? THe answer is no, I am not really hungry or thirsty in this setting because I can go directly to the source and be filled. That is it, in America when we are hungry the majority of us can go into our cupboards and find food. It's the same with the word of God. When we are desiring we can go straight to the source and be filled right there on the spot because of God's gift to us the Holy SPirit.
So be thankful that through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ we can never know spiritual hunger.
Thanks for reading and have a great day!

film

So the last 2 weeks have been a major build up for the Pedro Menendez Football program. We have spent 2 entire weeks cherishing the fact that we have made it into the playoffs and savoring every minute. From the night of the Clay victory until today the kids have all had tapes of film on our first opponent in the playoffs, Jackson. Andrew jackson highschool has played a lot of local teams and demolished the majority of them including a few teams that we beat as well. But, the kids have analyzed every play over about a 4 game time. They have looked over and watched film during lunch, film in the morning before school, and at home. One young man that I take home after practices can tell what 3 plays every formation they have leads into and how to tell which way the play is going. Today, highschool football is more about knowing the other team than knowing your own weaknesses. But, if that is all you focus on you forget what your there for, you are there to execute your game plan not to foil theirs.
It's the same way with us as Christians. We need to take time to see our own weaknesses and our own sins so that there are not holes in our armor. We want to know why we are hit so hard, knocked down so often, and so slow to recover when Satan attacks and many times it is because of some hidden sin in our lives.

"That is why the Israelites cannot stand against their enemies.... (Joshua 7:12). God made this statement to Joshua when they could not win a battle against a seemingly inferior army at Ai. Joshua could not figure it out, they had destroyed armies 10 times a large and a hundred times more powerful just in recent battles. They looked at every natural angle, then they discovered that there was one who had taken the plunder and that was a weak link, so much so taht God could not bless that army until that sin was dealt with.
So check your armor daily, think about your lifestyle and your actions. Are you living in a way that your armor is weak and God cannot bless you? Take care of those sins in your life and find God's armor to be all bearing.
Thanks for reading and have a great day!

Where is your treasure?

There is a problem that I see very apparent in believers today. It's a problem that only church seems to have right now. It's called loyalty. People are not loyal to the church or to God if you measure it against other things. Think about it, the average church goer probably misses more church services in a year than their favorite television show. We are far more loyal to a tv show, to our favorite sports teams and to other things in life than to God.The following verses have a lot in them, but the overtones for the whole thing is loyalty. Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also?

Matthew 6:19-24 "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
22 "The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!
24 "No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.

What do you treasure? What is it that your heart longs for, what is the priority on your calendar for tomorrow, next weekend, next week? Is it God, or is it your favorite tv show? Think about the way this set of verses is stated directly by Jesus Himself. You cannot serve both God and money, you cannot be devoted to more than one thing either.

I am a pastor, I am overly excited about Night of Fire the biggest race that my dad and I race in all year long. It is this Saturday, but I promise you Sunday will still be the highlight of my weekend without a doubt.

Thanks for reading and have a great day!

12th man to the 10th man

As I was thinking and praying and okay honestly striking out working on a Thanksgiving Sermon I came to a story. Then God gave me far better ideas so it did not make the cut.But this story is one that jumped at me repeatedly.
Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance and called out in a loud voice, "Jesus, Master, have pity on us!" When he saw them, he said, "Go, show yourselves to the priests." And as they went, they were cleansed.One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan. Jesus asked, "Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?" Then he said to him, "Rise and go; your faith has made you well."
Think about that in terms of what we have been given as believers. We have so much to be thankful, namely a Savior who died on a cross for our sins and our salvation. Now we have 10 people who are healed of a disease that made them completely unaccepted by society and brought sores and sickness to them. Now, they are completely healed and only one of them returns to say thank you.
So thank God every day. Be like the 10th man, not the other 9. It's easy to get caught up in justifying things, it's wise to just thank God for every little detail of life.
Thanks for reading and have a great day!
P.S. yes I am typing late at night, got an early start for BGH Wednesday morning!

The 12th man

The history of the 12th man is a neat one to me. In college football they call the crowd the 12th man, but it had one distinct situation arise in 1922. At Texas A & M University the football team was locked in a close battle with Centre College who was the #1 ranked team in the nation. They were tied when they had a couple of players go down with injuries. THe coach then signalled to some of his associates in the box above the stands to come down for a minute. The team was going to run short of players real soon if they didn't do anything. So they motioned for a young man who played on the basketball team and had been to the football workouts over teh off season. That young man rushed down out of the stands, went into the locker room and put on a jersey and pads. He stood teh entire remainder of the game right next to the coaches as he was the only player left to sub in by the fourth quarter. He stood there waiting his turn, it never came but that isn't the point I am making.
In Issaiah the prophet makes the comment to God, Here am I send me. What an awesome way to respond to God, much the same way the young A & M student did for his football team.
To this day the entire student body of Texas A & M stands throughout the whole game just to let the coaches know that they are ready to go if needed. One coach even incorporated a 12th man special team that allowed walk on students to try out for the kick off team.
What an amazing analogy for the church today. On Sunday mornings during worship, during the sermon, during the invitation, and all through the service in what position are you? Are you standing up, saying here am I send me. Or are you sitting down wanting to be entertained? God knows, God sees teh heart and knows the motives. Worship is not a spectator sport, neither is church membership. So stand up, be that 12th man ready for service at any moment, so that God can use you to further His kingdom.
Thanks for reading and have a great day!

Praying for others

So each day I have a care list I call it that I pray over. It is a list of regular attenders, their family members and those I have come in contact with over the past week that I have sought to witness to. So each day I pray over this list and go over the names, teh families and their needs. There are however, those times when someone in the church is on the list and they have no apparent needs. Their family is healthy, they are faithfully a part of the ministries of the church and they are not seemingly that needy at all. What do you do then?
Well, first I thank God for their faithfulness, for their family's health and for the fact that their prayer list of needs is seemingly non-existent. THen, I pray for their actions and their deeds. Yesterday I spoke about Aeneas and Dorcas two believers that Peter raised from the dead. Each of them were said to be a blessing to those they came in contact with. One was a man who had been bedridden for 8 years, how is he a blessing? And the other a lady who was a widow and took care of other widows in the community and the church.
Colossians 1:10 tells us how Paul prayed for others.And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God,
He prayed that their lives will be worthy of the Lord, please Him in every way and bear fruit in every good work, allowing them to grow in the knowledge of the Lord. What more can we pray for? IN the lives of other believers in our flock, in our family in our lives but that they live fruitful lives worthy of God. That they bear fruit in their good deeds and that they grow closer in their knowledge of GOd.
I think Paul sums it all up, this is what and how we should pray for others. It's simple and it covers all the ground!
Have a great day and thanks for reading!

Your Guard

We all have things that we protect. On our computers we have passwords to stop someone from getting into our personal information, on our internet accounts and on our debit cards you have passwords. We are very protective of our personal information. We take great strides toward privacy by putting security alarms on our vehicles and on our homes. We as Americans in the land of the free spend more time in protection mode than any other thing. We do so many things for security and safety that we don't even think about. We do our best to not allow anyone or anything into our possessions that doesn not belong.
What about our hearts and minds?
Proverbs 4:23 Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.
Above all else, above and beyond all other things that you guard. Think about that with me for a moment. How much time do you spend guarding your heart and your mind? How many passwords, firewalls and steps does someone or something have to go through to gt into your heart and your mind? Not too many I'm sure. We live hazardously when it comes to our minds and hearts. We listen to a lot of music that we should not listen to, we watch a lot of things on television that we should not watch, we even interact with people we should not interact with. What about all that security? What kind of steps do we take to protect ourselves from becoming corrupt. Very few.
It says above all else, guard your heart, why? BEcause it is the wellspring of life. If you get a virus in your hard drive of your computer it shuts down the whole system. I know because I experienced all that just last weekend. If you allow a parasite or virus, or uncorrupt thing into your heart and mind it shuts down your whole wellspring. Your heart and mind are where you are most able to tune in to God, but we put that connection at risk when we don't guard our hearts.
So put some passwords up, guard your heart so that God can give you an abundant life.
Thanks for reading and have a great day.

Act like you've been there

I am a firm believer in self-control in all aspects of life. I will admit there are those times when I probably don't display it as well as I could, or should but I work hard at it. I believe that self-control is a very strong thing for someone to possess and they are to be commended for it.
Self control comes in all different forms.
Titus 2:12 says, We should live in this evil world with self-control, right conduct and devotion to God.
This verse tells us several things. FIrst we live in an evil world full of a lack of self control. Watch a football game, watch any sports event and watch players score or do something to help their team but take the credit for themselves. We are living in the world of me. It's all about me, what I want, and what I need from life.
Right conduct is obviously a major part of self-control. If we don't live with self-control we will get involved in anything that comes our way. It is important that we live with right conduct and set ourselves up to stay away from the desires of this world. Again, these passing pleasures are always about me.
Finally he tells Titus to have devotion to God. If we walk around with an attitude that everything we do is for God, and builds on our devotion to him then what can we do but get rid of our selfishness. The moment we start living our lives for God, we stop worrying about me, about things that make me happy, or bring me glory. A true servant of God takes no credit for what he or she accomplishes but understands it is for God, and led by God.
I believe we need self-control in the good and in the bad times. When you win at something you are happy, but you simply understand that God is not impressed and that we shouldn't be either. When a touchdown is scored the ball should be handed to teh referee and that is it. No dance, no celebration, no party. Same goes with bad situations, we need to show self-control when bad things are happening to us understanding that rough times and trials are what God uses to groom us. WE should be happy that rough times come because it tells us God is still preparing us for bigger and better things.
So practice self-control and devotion to God.
Thanks for reading and have a great day!

Abraham's greatest attribute

Abraham had many attributes, and many attributes had Father Abraham. Or so the song could go. Corny, I know but that was my best shot this morning. Abraham did a lot for the book of Genesis. We see so much of the world start from the faithfulness of Abraham, but just why did God chose to use him so much. Why was Abraham clearly a favorite of God's? I think the answer first and foremost is his love for God. He loved God above all things, even his own son. Who can say that, especially in today's society who can honestly say that they love God more than their children? In today's world I would be willing to say that most don't even love God more than themselves or their possessions. That is a sad but true fact.
But here is what sets Abraham apart. In Genesis Chapter 22 we read:
Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, "Abraham!" "Here I am, he replied. Then God said, "Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about.ver Early the next morning Abraham got up and saddled his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about.
There are 2 phrases in this set of verses that set Abraham apart from most casual believers or followers of CHrist. First, When God said Abraham immediately Abraham responded with Here I am. He didn't delay the conversation, he didn't do anything but respond with here I am. Second, and this is the big one. God told him to take his son, his only son and go to the region of Moriah(which was a 3 day travel for them in those days) and sacrifice him there. What did Abraham do? How did he respond? He simply got up the very next morning and started gathering the wood and supplies he needed and they took off. He didn't go and get cousel from someone, he did not even discuss it with anyone, he simply went.
God is today looking for people who truly want to go for God. When He speaks to us we need to be prepared to go. Instead of talking it over, praying about it some more and seeking cousel(even with Godly people) we need to go. Abraham took off and I gaurantee you God is not asking anyone to do anything nearly as difficult as sacrificing your own child.
So when God says go, go. Just go and let Him lead you and avoid confering with flesh as Paul calls it in Galatians 1:16. Go and confer with God, and allow His will for your life to become the same as yours. Then you will be able to accomplish many things for Him.
Thanks for reading and have a great day!

every impression

I remember growing up under the care of my parents, my pastor and youth pastor. All of them were very important in my upbringing, but there was one other person that was important that I could never explain until just a few years ago after he was dead. Rev. Armando Silverio, I wish so badly that he had lived long enough for my children to see him, and for him to come and some time preach at Freedom. I wish people today could see him, and more importantly experience him.
He was originally a missionary for the Southern Baptist Convention when he got into the ministry as a young man. He preached mostly to the Italians who had settled near Pittsburgh and boy oh boy could he tell some stories. Things that he had experienced, things that had happened to him, and most importantly things God had taught him through those experiences. I remember taking Tara over to see him and not wanting to leave. What a date I was, spending a Friday night on a couch listening to stories and gleaning from every word what I could that would help me grow into a youth pastor and some day a pastor.
The thing that I could finally put my finger on was that he was so full of personality, yet it didn't come accross as him. Let me explain.
When he preached he didn't have a real style, he opened up God's word, explained each verse and then he talked to the congregation like you were sitting down for dinner with your family. THat's what I remember but there's a verse he shared with me one night in Colossians 1:24, I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ... He used this verse to teach me humility. To teach me that his personality, his appearance and his attitude were all important but they could not be the lead in what people think about him. THey need to experience him as someone who cares, who is compassionate and who is full of Jesus Christ. He wanted people to remember talking to someone who loved the Lord and hoped that the Lord loved them if only through him.
What a testimony for someone who had preached all over America. He was known by everyone in this area. He was pivotal in starting Anastasia Baptist Church, he was the first preacher at Moultrie Baptist Church, and at Cresent Beach Baptist Church. I believe he did alright for himself.
The biggest story he told me was the way he taught me to teach and to pastor. He asked me how many children we wanted, I was young and said 5. Tara grinned but no comment. I know we're falling behind for sure. But he said, if only 2 of them show up for dinner would you feed them? Would you feed them just as well as if all 5 had showed up for dinner? Well, yes, yes I would! Exactly, that is how it is with the church. As a Pastor you are their shepherd and if you have 1,000 in attendance or 2 the same message comes through your heart and your lips. Because you are talking to and for God and not man.
Those words helped me when I first got into the youth ministry and we had singled digit attendance for a few months. Those words got me through the first year at Freedom and they continue to ring through my head. Bottom line, it's not about us, it's about God and His Will. We should feel honored by the fact that He would even use us in His plan.
Thanks for reading and have a great day!

What new converts need

I am going to talk at length about this on Sunday, but there are certain things that happened in Paul's life at and after his conversion that should be modelled by the church.
First, he needed acceptance. He needed to be accepted so that he could begin his spiritual journey. Without the innitial acceptance of the disciples he struggled, but then Barnabas stepped in and spoke on his behalf. All of a sudden Paul was accepted and his growth process was in full swing.
Second, he needed patience. Paul needed those around him to be patient with him. The same goes for the unsaved and the unchurched. We can't expect them to dive right in and get it, we can't expect everything to change the moment they believe. We must be patient with them. That leads us to the third thing and that is guidance.
Guidance is very important. Paul already knew the Old Testament very well having grown up the way he did. Paul did not need any fancy speaking or training to share what had happened to him. His Damascus road conversion was all he needed. He knew that he was hand selected by God for his new role as an apostle because Jesus Himself had appeared to him on the road to Damascus. So what other training did he need, very little. But he did need guidance. He needed otehrs who were farther along in their walk with Christ, and who had already experienced what was going on in his life right then to guide and direct him.
So as a church it is our job to reach out and accept everyone in who is lost. To be patient with them offering correction when needed. It's important that we are guiding them and helping them to develop into the young believers that God is calling them to be. These are all things that are done by and in the church for God's purpose of changing the world and growing His Kingdom.
Thanks for reading and have a great weekend!

facing uncertainty

I can honestly say to you right now that as a pastor, as a father, and as a husband I am facing more uncertainty than ever before. After having left a job where I was making a lot more than what our bills required(living below our means) and then taking a job making less than half of what I made, to now working two jobs and Tara 3 jobs just to still make less than we were making 2 years ago each working one job.
Uncertainty can be an uncomfortable thing if we let it. But, I don't worry about those things as much as most would. I am often accused of almost not caring for those things and that isn't true at all. There are 2 verses that come to mind when I start thinking about those things that tend to leave us with worry or stress. The first one is one that I think is most important as Christians when things are not so hunky dorey(if that's really a saying).
1 Cor. 15:58
Therefore, my dear brothers,stand firm.Let nothing move you.Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord,because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
THere you have it, just stand firm. If you stand firm in your beliefs and in your following of the Holy SPirit your work will never be in vain. What you do for God will indeed in its time bring fruit, and the fruit of serving God far outweighs anything that the world can place in your path. Bills, relationships, sickness and even death are nothing in comparison with the fruit that comes from a lifestyle of serving God. Worshiping God in all that you do, in the car, in the office and at school or on a sports team, you work in a way that you are working directly for God and there will be fruit. That fruit will take over and it will be the leading power in your life as you allow the Holy Spirit to guide you in your daily walk.
So stand firm, continue to serve God and all that comes with that will take away the worry and the stress. I speak from strong experience, trust me!

Thanks for reading and have a great day!

what can we say, today?!?!

As I went to bed last night I already knew exactly what I wanted to share this morning. THere was a lingering feeling in my stomach and in my head as I laid down to go to bed last night. So today and tomorrow I will share those 2 things that were in my gut.
First of all I want to warn you of your dealings today. The great theologian Linus once said, "There are 3 things I have learned not to talk about in public, CHarlie Brown. Those 3 things are politics, religion and the great pumpkin." My advice would be to lean toward teh Great Pumpkin talk today. Anything that is said politically or religiously today may come out of the wrong motives and not from the heart. So just that little side note for today.
Now, Obama has been elected as president of the United States. He's never served the country in any war type situation, never been in the armed forces, never been in this type of power position. He voted every time for abortion and against partial birth abortion resessitation, he also voted against secret ballot vote. He is a man about change alright, changing the very fabric of our country. BUt, he's our president starting in early 2009 and I will respect and follow him for that. Say what?
Let me explain:
Romans 13:1-5 Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you. For he is God's servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God's servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience.
This set of verses got me through times of doubting why I was where I was. Working under who I was working for. In a past job I stayed and never voiced my distrust or dislike for the way the boss ran things for over 4 years. It is our job as Christians to speak out for our beliefs and our morals as I stated yesterday. But, it is also our job to show our understanding of God by respecting our authorities as hard as it may be sometimes.
So respect your leaders, understand that they only have the power that God has allowed them to gain. THey are there for a reason and God knows that reason, we are not in any position to question it.
Thanks for reading and have a great day!

Election 08 it's heeerrrrreeeeee!

Here we are November 4th, 2008 one of the biggest days in the history of our great nation. There are so many views, so many ideas, and so many opinions on how things will go. I say, they will go according to what God has planned for our nation. But, that does not mean that I won't vote for my way to happen. It's my privledge and duty as a Christian and as an American to get out a vote. We are called to influence the people around us as salt does, and as light does their surroundings. What greater example of a way to do that than voting with our morals.
"You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men."You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.
There it is, we are the salt and the light of the world. It's interesting I share one piece of information every time I share this passage. In the Old TEstament times when an army went into and ambushed a city or village they would burn down things, destroy things, and they would use salt to trample into the ground. THis would ensure that the crops wouldn't grow back after the destruction is over. THey use salt to leave a lasting affect, just as Satan uses us "the salt of the earth" to leave a lasting affect when we don't stand up and take a stand for our morals and beliefs.
As believers we must exemplify our ability and our call by God to flavor and light up this world and our communities by voting. We must step into the polls today and vote according to our beliefs and our morals. We must us the Word of GOd to lead us in our decisions and not let any other reason guide our decisions.
So, get out and vote today. It's your duty and your call by God to voice your morals as an American and as a believer.
Thanks for reading and have a great day, voting!

If.......the sign of desire

Every time in the Bible Jesus gives us some type of directive as to how to live for Him, or how to live our lives He uses the word if. What is the word if? What does the word if signify, well in these verses it signifies the fact that it is what He wants and may or may not be what we want.
Here are two examples: First, we have John 14:15 "If you love Me, keep my commandments." No where in this verse does it say I demand that you keep My commandments, but if. If is a sign of wanting and longing for something. Jesus is longing for us to love Him, He is longing for us to keep His commandments, but that is all He is doing. If God did things the way a lot of non-believers believe, He would tell us that we love Him, that we are His, and there is no choice. Kind of like a pre-arranged marriage. How much love can there truly be in something that is arranged and not chose.
Second, we have Luke 9:23, " If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself...
Here again, an example of a loving Savior wanting and longing for our love. He is love, He is all that love encompasses and longs to pour that out on us. But, first we have to love Him and show it to Him in these two ways. By denying ourselves on a daily basis, and placing our relationship with Him at the top of our priorites. And, secondly, by keeping His commandments.
If, we will do these two things then He will continually pour down His love and compassion on us. It's easy to get confused and say that we have to earn His love but that couldn't be further from the truth. We just have to want it for ourselves. If we show by obedience and by priority that we love Him, then we will be able to fully feel and receive His love in return.
So prioritize, and deny yourself and His love will become more real to you every day!
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