Words to Live by ...

Thoughts From a Random Mind

         This world offers so much promise for each individual. It offers material possessions galore, temporal though they may be. Man doesn’t think about the temporal nature of things, nor does he consider whether the item(s) in question are really necessary. If you want it you will find a way to get it. The enemy dangles shiny baubles in front of us to entice us to make a grab for it. People go into severe, often insurmountable debt in their quest to find happiness and true lasting satisfaction. The fact that is found to be so elusive should be no surprise. Worldly enticements are a mirage at best. As Solomon states in Ecclesiastes, they are “a chasing after the wind”. The wind is totally unpredictable. It cannot be seen or caught. Everything this world has to offer is exactly like the wind. Just when you think you’ve gotten ahold of it it’s gone. 

           Christianity is largely misunderstood by non-believers and in a lot of ways it’s our own fault. Many insist on taking on the responsibility of judge when only God is the judge of all things. Our mission and responsibility as a follower of Christ is to imitate him as his representatives in this world. Our rigidity when dealing with those outside the faith sends the wrong message. We are to let them see the love and mercy of God thru our words and actions and we should lead with actions. As the saying goes, we need to “walk the talk”. That’s because too many of us say one thing and do another in “do as I say, not as I do” fashion. That sends a very confusing message to the outside world. In the end many come to the conclusion that Christians are no different then they are.

             Our message needs to be truthful and honest. We must be real. Non-believers can sense a phony and that disengages them from listening. We have the answer to the one question they are unable to sort out on their own, but we are blowing it. Meet them where they are and don’t pass judgment. What would we have done if Christ had treated us the way we treat others? The most important request you can make of God on your own behalf is to ask him for the ability to see others the way he sees them. It will revolutionize your faith walk. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing! rlkeller

                   

Thoughts From a Random Mind

JESUS AS LORD

            I believe far too many people are willing to accept Jesus Christ as their Savior, but not their Lord.  Such a big deal is made of having your sins forgiven, and it isa very big deal, but the whole concept of submitting to his Lordship gets lost in the salvation frenzy. Don’t get me wrong, salvation must be the initial step taken toward true godly living, but it shouldn’t stop there. Your transformation isn’t complete. Just as Sanctification is progressive, so is our maturation into total submission. There’s a learning curve as we feed our spirit man and grow in the things of God. We reach plateaus in our growth and level off. At times we cool off, feeling we need a break from spiritual things. We must fight our way thru those times so we don’t fall back into sin. 

             We think we are in full control of our own lives but our decisions throughout our life belie the fact that we are not at all in control and continuously make poor choices based on our feelings and outside influences. The reason it’s important to allow Christ to be the Lord of our life is because he knows us far better than we could ever know ourselves [Romans 8:27a]. Scripture tells us he always knows what our needs are and when they need to be met. We tend to rush blindly into situations, but since time means nothing to God he takes all the time needed to give us the very best.  The wait can be excruciating from our perspective, but that is where are faith and trust need to shine. Yes, it means surrendering your will to him, but it’s a voluntary submission. The Lord seeks willing followers, not followers who feel obligated to serve him. It’s just another choice out of the millions of choices we make in our life. 

           In submitting to God you won’t lose your identity, but rather, your identity will be enhanced. As you grow you will begin to think, speak and act more like Christ. This is a sign of maturity and understanding that will allow you to become a dynamic force for Christ in your own microcosm of this world. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing!rlkeller 

A Word from THE Word

Thoughts From a Random Mind

STARING IN THE FACE OF TEMPTATION

            There are a myriad of temptations that surround us daily. They stare us down in the attempt to break us. It is the person that is well grounded in the word of God that wins these battles and they are indeed battles. Just because we give our lives over to Christ doesn’t mean the enemy won’t attempt to ram a stick in the spoke of our wheel as we cruise thru life. Those that see the temptation for what it is and don’t succumb to the lure of it will remain strong, but it is very difficult at times to ward off the flaming arrows that come at us. 

            When a believer in Christ gives in to temptation there is typically an immediate feeling of guilt and remorse. You realize in an instant that you’ve betrayed God and others very important to you. God can forgive you for such transgressions, but the feeling of shame always lingers in the deeper recesses of your mind. The enemy pulls that card out at inopportune moments to knock you down. It impedes any progress you are making in your walk with the Lord. It puts a dent in your personal integrity. It makes trusting you just a little bit more difficult or perhaps impossible depending on which relationship is in play. 

        Falling to temptation is a selfish act that benefits no one; not even you. The raging consequences that follow burn bridges that you may have wanted to cross again. It’s a losing proposition. How do I know, I went down a rabbit trail or two that I never should have gone down. I hurt others dear to me and I hurt myself. Frankly, it is only the grace of God that has brought me to where I now stand. Because of HIS grace I am no longer defined by my past mistakes. God still wanted to use me and he is.

           If this message resembles your life, understand this … once forgiven by God you aren’t defined by yourpast either. It’s a lot easier to be humble when you know how many times you’ve failed and who now holds you up. Don’t beat yourself up, seek forgiveness from God and others and move on with the help of the Holy Spirit. You are not a failure. You aren’t a loser. You’re human and you didn’t listen when the Lord said NO. Face the only one who loves you without condition and know that you are of incalculable value to him. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing!rlkeller

ONCE FOR ALL TIME

            Do you know the difference between the Old Testament sacrificial system and Christ’s death?  In both cases blood was required to pay for sin, but in the OT the blood only covered the sin. Picture a piece of wood with the word SIN written on it. If you painted over the word, it would still exist, but because of the paint you couldn’t see it. So it is with the OT sacrifice. The blood satisfied the payment for the person’s sin, therefore although it wasn’t removed, God didn’t hold it against the person because the proper payment had been made. The evidence that the pardon was not forever lies in the fact that sacrifices needed to be made every year on the Day of Atonement. 

            The blood of Christ cleansed sin from our hearts and souls. If you wrote with a stick the word SIN on a shoreline you could watch the next wave come in and remove the word. THAT is what Christ did for us. He, being the only perfect being in existence, was the only one whose blood would completely eradicate a person’s sin. That is the only way our sins can be completely removed. Once for all time. 

            This is wonderful news! In fact it’s the kind of news that ought to cause a change in the trajectory of one’s life. This isn’t an average, ordinary event that takes place in a person’s life. No way. This is revolutionary thinking. To proclaim that you are freed from the grip of sin sounds like crazy talk to most. They are the ones who are stuck in a quagmire of faithlessness and disbelief. Unless the Spirit quickens their spirit, they will stay lost forever. Seek the Lord while he may be found.

            Isaiah 55:6-7New International Version 

“Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near.                                           Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts. Let them turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will freely pardon.”

Resource: The Life Application Study Bible

OUR IMCOMPARABLE GOD

Isaiah 45:19 New Living Translation

“I publicly proclaim bold promises. I do not whisper obscurities in some dark corner. I would not have told the people of Israel to seek me if I could not be found. I, the Lord, speak only what is true and declare only what is right.”

         I came across this verse in the book of Isaiah and felt it was very revealing. The Book of Isaiah is basically split in 2 halves. The first 39 chapters carry a message of judgment for sin. The 27 chapters of the 2^ndhalf of the book bring a message of forgiveness, comfort and hope. 

            In verse 19 of the 45^thchapter above we find God declaring that he makes promises that he always keeps. The fact that he keeps his promises can be seen in his next statement regarding seeking and finding the Lord. God can be found or he would not have told people to seek him. This isn’t some sort of game the Lord plays with mankind. As stated in the very next statement, God’s words are true.

            So to summarize … God makes & fulfills his promises – if it weren’t true he would have told us – he only tells us that which is true and just and right. This is why reading God’s word is so important. We read what God has to say on a wide variety of topics and this is what we build our life upon … his words. We are unable to sort out the issues of life on our own. If we were God would not have needed to intervene, but he did because he knew he was the only one who could flawlessly intercede and make everything as it should be / as it was meant to be from the beginning. We can trust the Lord because while many in this world claim to be trustworthy, God has no record of failure to perform or provide that which we are in need of and he has promised. Let that sink in to the deepest recesses of your mind. No one is like our Lord. He is incomparable. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing!

Resource: The Life Application Study Bible.

Words To Live By ...

Thoughts From a Random Mind

THINGS I WONDER ABOUT … 

                  There is a young woman named Monica at work who comes in sometimes wearing a black hoodie with the word “Blessed” in gold across the chest. I’ll have to ask her why she feels she is blessed. It’s a fact that Christian items have become the bling of choice for many folks in the world. Ornate crosses hang from their necks.  Shirts that say, “Jesus is my homeboy” are worn by some. Big tattoos that sprawl across either the chest or upper back of some muscular dude that reads “Only God Can Judge Me”. While believers truly are blessed, I wonder if the wearer knows where the blessing comes from? The cross is an iconic universal symbol of death and new life. I wonder if all the people who wear it around their neck understand the price that was paid? Jesus is the Son of God and God incarnate, not someone’s homeboy. I wonder if people understand the reverence, awe and respect that should be due him? While God being our only judge is a true statement, I wonder if people understand the serious implications that come from making a statement like that. Or are they simply using that statement to justify their lifestyle. I wonder … 

            This is not cheap grace we enjoy. It is a very serious matter of a second life and death. Perhaps we ought to spend more time cultivating our spiritual walk. There is nothing intrinsically wrong with nonspiritual things, unless they overshadow everything else. Anything that replaces the Lord in our lives must be jettisoned like dropping unnecessary weight from a boat taking on water.  Just something to think about  …  rlkeller

Thoughts From a Random Mind

“It’s not easy to outrun your demons … “^[1]

            This message is for those who think they have their life all together. It’s for the backslidden believer who has gotten entangled in the darkness once again. It’s for the quasi-believer who says they believe in God, but doesn’t feel the need to incorporate him into any part of their life. It’s for the atheist who thinks he understands all that he needs to understand and sees an unseen spirit deity as unreal and therefore an unnecessary ingredient to his life. No matter who you are you have secrets. Lies you’ve told, things you’ve either done or left undone. An unspoken past that you swept under the rug a long time ago. I’m here to tell you, you can never outrun your past. You cannot outrun your demons. They will dog you, they will overrun you and they will make you pay for your past mistakes. Those are called ‘sins’ and you cannot outrun them. One day payment will be expected and you won’t have what you need to make it.

            Christ willingly went to the cross and shed his blood to make that payment for you. Scripture says “But if you reject me, I will tell my Father in heaven that you don’t belong to me.”[Matthew 10:33; Common English Version]Have you rejected Christ? Do you feel the need of proof? Faith requires no proof. Facts can be fudged. Man’s word means very little. God’s word is truth. Because we don’t understand it doesn’t make it false or questionable. If you turn your life over to God for restoration you will live under his umbrella of grace and because of his grace you shall no longer be defined by past mistakes. Think on these things … rlkeller

I leave you with two quotes … 

“If we all die and there is no God, then it’s just eternal unconsciousness, you’ll never know, but if you’re wrong … you’ll know forever.”– Brad Stine

“I would rather live my life as if there is a God and die to find out there isn't, than live as if there isn't and to die to find out that there is.”- Albert Camus

^[1]Chicago P.D.; Season 5, Episode 19; April 11, 2018; final scene.

PERISHING vs BEING SAVED

                                                          1 Corinthians 1:18 English Revised Version

“For the word of the cross is to them that are perishing foolishness; but unto us which are being saved it is the power of God.”

            Without a personal relationship with Almighty God based on the work Christ has done on the Cross those on the outside looking in are in fact perishing a little more each day. With each decision they make they take a step further away from God. Fortunately, you are never too far away for God to reach you, but each day separated from him is nothing more than another wasted day. Faith in God enables a person to check his or her own feelings and emotions at the door and embrace what is finally seen for what it is … the existence of a singular complete truth.

            Man’s distortion of that truth comes in several forms … thru science, technology and medicine, along with the mass media industry. While there are certainly many exceptions to this statement, there exist many that see no reason for the existence of a God. They feel that God’s existence can readily be disproved by various means. Sadly, all the years of research is no different then a person making scripture say what they want it to say.  The notion that the creature can definitively disprove the existence of its Creator is somewhat arrogant and terribly ignorant.

            The believer is saved and yet in the process of being saved at the same time. The sanctification process is progressive, meaning it takes place in our hearts and lives from the day we are redeemed until the day we cease to exist on earth. Sanctification is holiness, the process of being purified. At salvation we are seen as being cleansed, righteous and holy in God’s sight, for we are seen thru a veil of Christ’s blood. However, the purification process continues as long as we allow the Holy Spirit to guide our way in this life. If you are one of the perishing, it isn’t too late until God declares that time has come to an end. If you are saved, revel in the relationship with God that you have and continue to maintain it daily. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing!

Resources: The Life Application Study Bible; The Bible Hub; The Free Dictionary, Bible Gateway.

A DAY OF RECKONING

Romans 14:12 New Living Translation

“Yes, each of us will give a personal account to God.”

            A high price was paid by Christ, which gave him the privilege & right to be the judge of his people. With that being the case, why do we, as his followers, feel we have the right to judge our brothers and/or sisters in the faith? Oh we do it, whether we have the right or not, make no mistake about it. I do it, you do it, we all do it. What gives us the right to judge anyone? We think we know how we ought to live yet judge others for the same things we’re guilty of ourselves. This is inappropriate behavior for a believer in Christ, yet it seems to be inbred in us. It’s a carry over from our worldly life. Old habits are difficult to break at times. We must give it over to God and allow the Holy Spirit to purge out of us this piece of arrogance & pride that lingers in so many of us.

            Now I don’t know exactly how this will go down, but scripture is clear that we will all stand before God and give an accounting of our life after salvation has taken hold. For Christians it will be what we’ve done with the 2^nd chance the Lord gave us to live a life that is pleasing to Almighty God. Our sin has been paid for in full. No further payment is required on our behalf. What glorious news that is for every sincere follower of Jesus Christ.

            Those who have rejected the redemptive work of Christ on the cross will have to ante up when the time comes, but they will not be able to because the cost is paid with the blood of a sinless life. Giving a personal accounting to God for the believer needn’t be a terrifying event. We aren’t expected to be perfect. We simply need to keep our focus on the Lord exclusively and not wander down any rabbit trails. God wants us to succeed, but his definition of success is far different than the worlds. Pleasing God with our lives should be our main goal in this life. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing!

Resource: The Life Application Study Bible

OWING NOTHING BUT LOVE

Romans 13:8 _{New Living Translation}

“Owe nothing to anyone—except for your obligation to love one another. If you love your neighbor, you will fulfill the requirements of God’s law.”

            In this day and age where it seems like man owes every mother, brother, sister and cousin, the Lord tells us to ‘owe nothing to anyone”. That certainly makes life a lot simpler if you are not beholden to someone. According to Paul, we are obliged to love our neighbor. “For Jesus, to love your neighbor as you love yourself was to practice justice towards your fellow human beings.” ^[1] Being a literal person I often wondered what loving your neighbor meant from a biblical perspective. Were they people that lived right next to you or on your street? Practicing love, kindness, mercy and compassion without judging is apparently something we are required to do as a follower of Christ. It doesn’t seem to be optional. If we are truly his followers we will strive to be as he is in all matters of life.

            The obligation part comes from our indebtedness to Christ for all he has done for us just with his death on the cross alone. Therefore we are permanently obliged or required to lavish the love on others that Christ has poured out onto us. It shouldn’t be all that hard for us, but we so easily become self-absorbed and forget all about others. Being human doesn’t excuse it, but it does explain it.

            While we are no longer required to fulfill the Law found in God’s Ten Commandments, because we have been bought and paid for thru the blood of Christ, we should be compelled to live out the Ten Commandments as a natural part of our new life. Do we absolutely HAVE to? No. Should we want to with all our heart as a response for what has been done for us? Yes. If you reflect on each stage of Christ’s journey to the cross on Golgotha’s hill, any hesitation or doubt should be broken away by the fact that the punishment Christ bore was ours to take, but he took it for us and willingly. Live out the scripture and be

Christ to those around you. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing!

^[1] http://www.christianitytoday.com/derwin-gray/2015/january/so-what-does-it-mean-to-love-your-neighbor.html

Resource: The Life Application Study Bible.

SINNERS SAVED BY GRACE

Romans 3:23-24 New Living Translation

“For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins.”

            Contrary to what many folks believe, there are no big and little sins. Murder, while horrifyingly heinous, is no different in God’s eyes than hate for another individual. Adultery is no different than pride. A sin is a sin is a sin is a sin. Evil cannot dwell with God. Sin is evil and sinning makes us a sinner. Sin cuts us off from God. Even after salvation we can still dabble in sinful practices that can stunt our spiritual growth and temporarily sever our relationship with God. This action begs the question, “If God seems far away, who moved?” All sin separates us from our Heavenly Father, but all sin can be forgiven.

            Followers of Christ are forgiven. A do over … a 2^nd chance … a mulligan. Life can be very hard and unforgiving. The Lord uses the harshness of this life to teach us valuable lessons that aid in the spiritual maturation process. We are free to live as we choose, but God’s desire is that we seek to live a life that pleases him. Why not just please yourself? Because we cannot know what is best for us … only the One who made us can know that.

            Because of God’s forgiveness we are seen as righteous in his sight. He sees us thru a veil of Jesus’ blood. The blood turns off some folks due to their dislike of the gore, but without the blood there is no redemption. Once redeemed we are said to be washed in the blood of the lamb. Without the blood there is no hope and no future.  Embrace a bloodied and beaten Christ, for it is THAT Christ that freed us from the penalty of ALL our sins. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing!

Resource: The Life Application Study Bible