The Prayer Project - No. 5

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”- Philippians 4:6 ^ESV

            Anxiety appears to be a common problem for people, even believers in God. We allow that which we see to dictate how we feel emotionally. Let’s face it, humans are emotional creatures. Some show it more excitedly than others, but I think it is safe to say that we’re all emotional, especially when things go wrong in our lives.

             The Lord tells us not to be anxious about anything, but rather pray about everything with a thankful heart. Remember, God looks at the heart, not what lies on the outside. We overreact to situations, but we truly don’t need to. What God says he means so when he tells us not to be anxious, concerned or worried, that means he has provided a way to remain calm even in the most trying of times.

            Prayer is really just talking to God.  How often do we make the time to talk to God AND then also take the time to listen, giving the Holy Spirit time to minister God’s wisdom to our hearts? Must we really be in such a hurry that we avoid that which can take our anxiety away and fill us with peace. Now if you are bound and determined to worry and fret about things, then there may be no help for you. Oh, make no mistake about it, the help is there, but you won’t avail yourself to it. Don’t allow the enemy to erode your faith and trust in the Almighty for Satan is a liar and will do whatever he can to spiritually neuter you. Stand strong and place your unwavering trust in your God, for he hears your prayers and answers them in due time. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing.

Richard Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

The Prayer Project - No. 4

“Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.”- Jeremiah 29:12 NIV

            How would you like to be told that you would be going into captivity in a foreign land for 70 years? I can’t say I would like that very much as all. But that is the message God gave Jeremiah to share with the people of Israel. He also let them know that after that time had passed the Lord would bless them with all the things he had promised them. 

                  Israel is a great example of our own walk with the Lord. With all the times they turned their back on God, he still loved them … without conditions placed upon that love. Think of King David … adulterer, murderer, general disobedience mixed in with being an incredible man of God and he was referred to him as a man after God’s own heart ^{[Acts 13:22]} and the apple of God’s eye ^{[Psalm 17:8]}. 

                  God’s promise to Israel and by association believers today is that when we call on God and pray to him, he will listen. What a wonderful promise. No matter who you are or how undeserving you may think you are, you are no better or worse than the rebellious Israelites or the adulterous, murderer King David. Make no mistake, their sins had dire consequences associated with them, but the punishment was meted out of love. You see, God knows what is best for us and while we can go our own way, he tries to guide and direct us by his Holy Spirit. The spirit was with David for he did many mighty deeds in the name of his God. The Lord was also with the people of Israel and performed great things on their behalf. 

                  Know that when you pray your prayers are heard by the creator of the universe and man’s first breath. Pretty amazing, isn’t it? Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing.

Richard Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

Word for the Day

 

The Prayer Project - No. 3

“…if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”- 2 Chronicles 7:14 ^NIV

            Israel has a long history of turning their back on God. In the 6^th chapter of 2^nd Chronicles, King Solomon asked God for provisions for the people when they sinned. God placed 4 conditions necessary to receive forgiveness: 1) humble themselves by admitting they had sinned; 2) pray, asking God for forgiveness; 3) continuously seek the face of God and 4) make a 180 degree turn from their sinful lifestyle. 

True repentance is a lot more than just lip service … it’s changed behavior. Scripture tells us God looks upon the heart of an individual and not the exterior ^{[1 Samuel 16:7 NIV]}. It’s also what he looks at when we pray. Do we pray from a sincere and humble heart or do we have some sort of agenda that drives our prayer? Remember, the Lord knows everything that can be known, so there is no fooling him. Our prayers, when coming from a heart that is hungry after God, shall be answered. The timing of the answers is known only to our Lord. Patience while waiting is very important. If we rush ahead of God, we will likely miss the blessing that comes with a perfectly timed, God-given answer. 

If we prayerfully repent as the Israelites did God will hear us and forgive our sin(s). This also applies to our great nation. If we corporately do that which is described in scripture than our land will be healed. We must pray for our needs, the needs of our friends, our loved ones, our government officials and so on, so as to bring about change, albeit slow change, but change, nonetheless. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing.

Richard Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

The Prayer Project - No. 2

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” - 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 ^NIV

            Because the topic is prayer, I would like to focus on the phrase “pray without ceasing”. Now I’d like to clarify that phrase if I may. I think it should be fairly obvious that we are not being told to pray continuously to the exclusion of all else. It means to never stop praying. God never takes time off, so by following his example, we are not to cease praying when we go away or when things are going well for us. We are to pray in bad times and praise in good times. We are to pray for others and not just ourselves. 

            Prayer is a powerful weapon in our arsenal. God is multi-dimensional … ever-present, able to move and flow allowing him to know all things that can be known. Therefore, he knows what we will ask prior to our asking and has the ability to answer when the time is best and most advantageous for us. 

            I think praying without ceasing means that there is no situation that we cannot pray about. We should never be hesitant to seek God regarding anything. Look at the two phrases that act as the bread to the prayer sandwich … “rejoice always” & “give thanks in all circumstances”. We are not to rejoice & give thanks only when things are going well for us. We are to rejoice & give thanks in ALL CIRCUMSTANCES, which implies that we will go thru times of trouble. Let’s face it, we can always find something to praise the Lord about; for the air we breathe, the food we eat, for life itself. 

            We must have confidence that our prayers are heard as they are spoken and not forgotten. Since it is impractical to think we can pray at all times, I believe we can most wholeheartedly be in a prayerful attitude, being ready at a moment’s notice to lift something or someone up to his throne of grace. So remember, pray for any and all things according to God’s specific will for your life. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing.

Richard Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

The Prayer Project - No. 1

In this Prayer Project I will be taking fairly common verses regarding prayer and expanding upon them. I hope you enjoy this project. Right now, I have picked 8 verses to write on. I may end up doing more or not. One never knows with a writer who has a random mind.

 

The Prayer Project - 1

 

“This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.” - 1 John 5:14 ^NIV

            Did you know you can be certain that you will receive eternal life? It’s not based on any feelings, thoughts or inadequacies you feel you may have. It’s based on God’s promise that we would receive eternal life through the blood shed by his Son Jesus Christ. Our walk with God ebbs and flows throughout our lives. We have good days and bad days. We have days when we feel spiritually strong and days when we feel like Samson after his hair was cut off. It’s not about us! It’s about what has been done for us. Remember that when you are down in the dumps. His love and forgiveness are unconditional.

            The notion of getting anything we ask for is largely misunderstood because of the individual’s blind eye to the phrase “according to his will”. This particular verse just says, “he hears us”, not that he gives us whatever we ask for. Verse 14 says, “he hears us whenever we ask for anything that please him.” The way to know what pleases God is to read his word. 

The Apostle James wrote his letter “to the ‘twelve tribes’ scattered abroad”. He had something to say about not receiving what you ask for from God. In James 4:3 he declares, “When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.” It is vital and required that what we ask for is according to the will of God for us as individuals. God has a corporate or general will for all believers, such as speaking the gospel message to an unsaved world.  He also has an individual will based on the gifts he has given you. Do you know what your spiritual gifts are? Mine are writing, preaching, teaching, encouraging, serving and praying. It’s taken me years to hone them into usable gifts. If you pray to your heavenly father according to what you know, not think, but know your gift(s) are, then you shall receive what you seek … when God chooses to answer you. His timing is impeccable, so don’t lose faith. Patience is a trait that is learned by waiting for God to move. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing.

Richard Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

Thoughts from a Random Mind

What does it mean to be incorruptible? It means you are “incapable of being bribed or morally corrupted”. What does the root word ‘corrupt’ mean? “To change from good to bad in morals, manners, or actions.” People without morals or ethics are easily corrupted and will do just about anything, for instance, for money or sex. Almighty God is incorruptible, and his children are expected to be the same. I believe it all comes down to what you are feeding your inner man. If you are constantly feeding your spirit man, you will flourish in the things of the Lord, but if you are feeding from the trough of the world, you will shrivel and die spiritually and the consequences you will pay for what takes place on that path will not be to your liking at all.

Strive to be incorruptible as your father in heaven is incorruptible. Feast on the riches that lie in his word. Let them and his Holy Spirit guide you thru this life and you will be blessed. Your life won’t be perfect, without trials and/or tribulations, but the Lord will be with you each moment of every day. Be incorruptible in all your dealings. It is what is expected of a child of God. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing.

Richard Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

Note: Definitions come from Merriam-Webster Dictionary

Thoughts from a Random Mind

    At times we can be very hard on ourselves. We want to be pleasing to God yet make an error in judgment and let it beat us about the head relentlessly. The enemy doesn’t have to do anything to us because we’re doing the work for him. God seeks from us a contrite ^{[sorrowful, remorseful]} heart regarding our sinful condition. If we display it before him then forgiveness can be ours for the asking. But once forgiven there are many of us that still can’t believe it’s all as simple as that. Surely there must be a flogging due, a verbal chastisement coming. No, God doesn’t work that way. Even if you’ve known the Lord for over 40 years like me and feel you should have known better than to think, say or do that thing you did, forgiveness is still can be yours just for the asking.

            In the 3^rd of the original Star Wars movies Luke Skywalker, who had found out Darth Vader is his father at the conclusion of the 2^nd movie, said something rather poignant. Vader had done a multitude of evil things, but towards the end of the movie in one climactic scene Luke could still say to him, “I can see the good in you, Father.” Our Heavenly Father can see the good in us, no matter what we may think of ourselves. He sees the good in us because it was placed there by the Creator himself and is enhanced by his Holy Spirit. Don’t beat yourself up any longer. Instead bask in the peace and mercy of the unconditional forgiveness that has been afforded us. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing.

Richard Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

Thoughts from a Random Mind

        There is no doubt God forgives, but can we forgive ourselves? I think there are times in a Christians life when we find it difficult to accept God’s forgiveness because we simply cannot forgive our own sins. They weigh heavy on us and bind us up. God’s love is completely unconditional … that simply means he places no conditions on his love or forgiveness. If you ask the Lord for forgiveness with a sincere heart, regretting what you have done, regardless of what it is, you shall be forgiven. There is nothing this side of heaven to compare this type of love to. I believe that is why we have difficulty forgiving ourselves. Not to mention the fact that the enemy will continue to throw it back up in your face as long as you don’t reconcile yourself to the fact that you are the only one keeping peace from ruling over the entire situation. Let the things that encumber you GO! Release it from your grasp in Jesus name. You don’t have to live with regret. Although regret reveals a level of sincerity from the deepest recesses of your heart and mind, you no longer have to carry that with you. Turn it over to God so he can get rid of it. Allow the Holy Spirit to do a cleansing work in you. If you’ve sought it, forgiveness is yours. Live in the freedom that God’s loving forgiveness provides. Amen. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing.

Richard Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

Word for the Day

 

Thoughts from a Random Mind

Temptation is a vile thing. Satan uses it to tear down good people, even righteous people. Walking away from temptation when it is staring you in the face can be a little tough at times, but understanding it is nothing more than bait set to trap you helps you to walk away. The enemy wishes to ensnare you via your thoughts, words and actions, blackmailing you with your own guilt. A person who has a conscience can be pounded senseless with the guilt that comes from a poor decision made. Your strength comes from God. Your strength comes from the Holy Spirit within you. The Spirit which causes you to rise up with full armor and fight off the temptation so that you do not become a pawn of the enemy.

The Lord has given us great power to withstand the attacks of the enemy. Why do we succumb to temptations that lay down in front of us, as if to block our way? There is nothing that says we must give in. Fight back! Rebuke the thing in Jesus’ name. Quote scripture like 1 John 4:4, which says, “You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.” Tap into the power that has been afforded you and claim your victory! Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing.

Richard Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

Word for the Day

“Everything has its wonders, even darkness and silence, and I learn whatever state I may be in, therein to be content.”

Helen Keller

 

“Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: …”

Philippians 4:11

New King James Version

Word for the Day

Jesus: the Visible Image of God

“Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation … “. - Colossians 1:15

            If Colossae existed today, it would be in the southern section of modern-day Turkey. The issue in this church was the infiltration of some believers who were attempting to combine elements of paganism and secular philosophy with Christian doctrine. Paul wrote to combat these errors and show that Christ alone is more than sufficient to meet all a believers’ needs than anything outside God’s standards. This letter was written in approximately 60 AD.

                  The first sentence in verse 15 speaks directly to the divine nature of Christ. Not only is Christ equal to God ^{[Philippians 2:6]}, but IS God ^{[John 10:30, 38; 12:45; 14:1-11]} by virtue of the saying that he is “the visible image of the invisible God”. Jesus “is and was and is to come”. He was the most intimate part of creation in that he existed prior to there being anything in existence. There is nothing our Lord cannot do for us and is in complete control of everything he has created.

            Paul spent a good portion of his letter emphasizing that our focus must be on Christ as our sole provider and sustainer. We must also focus on God’s word and not another person’s perception of what God meant with that which he said. The standard we must follow is God’s word and his word alone. Worldly philosophies and conjecture re: Christianity will only confuse you, not drawing you any closer to God. Draw close to God. Rid yourself of worldly habits that quickly turn into sin. Praise the Lord with Psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Praise his name without ceasing, for this is what we are called to do. Until next time walk with the King and be a blessing.

RL Keller

Bread of Life Ministries 

Word for the Day

Thoughts from a Random Mind

                It’s a sad day when a man loses his purpose for living. My grandfather spent nearly 50 years in the printing business. It was his entire life. When he was forced to retire, he lost his purpose for living. He had no hobbies, nothing he did for relaxation. Printing was all he knew. He retired at 65 and the final two years of his life he did something he had never done … he watched television all day long. He passed away at 67 years of age with a lack of purpose for continuing to live. My grandmother lived 5 years without him. She died at 72. He was her purpose for living.

                  I am facing a similar crossroad. It looks like I may be laid off from my job due to a loss of work. When you work nearly every day of your life for so many years your job becomes your purpose for living. Fortunately, I know Christ and at 24 years old HE became my purpose for living, so even though being laid off will be weird and different, it will not be the end of my life. God gave me the gift of writing. That is my purpose for living. Believers in God have gifts, which are their purpose for living. Noah’s purpose was to build the Ark. Abraham’s purpose was to be the father of Israel. Peter’s purpose was to preach to the Gentiles. Jesus’ purpose was to die in our place. We all have a God-given purpose in this life. Unfortunately, my grandparents never knew the Lord, but it doesn’t have to be that way for me or you. Don’t ever let your circumstances drag you down into a pit of despair. The Lord is with you wherever you go and will never leave you. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing.

Richard Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

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Nothing Without Jesus

“Then (Jesus) said to them all: ‘Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it.’”- Luke 9:23-24 ^NIV

                  Let’s look at Luke. Jesus is asking those who were following him to forsake all they know, which required “self-denial, complete dedication and willing obedience.” ^[1] “…we must align ourselves with God’s will through a humble renunciation of our own agenda.” ^[2]

To be a follower of Christ you must take on his character. You must put him on as a piece of clothing. People should see Christ in you. Just declaring you are a Christian will mean very little if you don’t back up your declaration with action. Now we are human and painfully so I might add. We stumble and fall and fail under the sheer weight of our own conscience as we strive to be perfect in the eyes of God. Our Lord never expected us to be perfect, for the only perfect individual is now seated at his right hand. Our perfection comes thru Christ, yet in actuality we will never be any of the things we’re striving to be. Having said that we must never stop trying for perfection. Those things we do in the name of Christ are tantamount to working out our salvation. We are to lose ourselves in favor of living for Christ. Paul once said, “For to me, to live is Christ, to die is gain.” ^{[Phil 1:21]} Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing.

Richard Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

[1] NIV Study Bible Notes, Fully Revised Edition

[2]  NIV Application Commentary

IMMERSION

“So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.” (Romans 13:12b-14)

          Paul’s letter to the Roman Church was written in Corinth while he was on his way to Jerusalem with funds he had collected for the poor. He had never visited Rome to this point and was hoping to lay out a systematic presentation of the Gospel so as to win the favor of the Romans. This would enable him to utilize Rome as a missionary center or home base, if you will, to launch from. He had designs on visiting Spain with the Gospel and Rome would be a perfect launching point.

          Here we see Paul encouraging those believers in Rome to set aside dark deeds and put on the armor God offers to every believer. This armor is discussed at length in Paul’s letter to the Ephesian church. We are not to act one way in plain sight of others during the day and be involved in highly questionable activities after the sun has set. Paul tells us directly to clothe ourselves in Christ. When we place clothing on our bodies it hangs on us and covers us. Clothing protects us from exposure to the elements. In like manner Christ protects us from all evil and directs us into all truth. We are to put on Christ as we would a garment and wear it daily so as to protect ourselves from the wiles of our adversary. The devil will do his best to trip us up, so it is crucial that we become immersed in Christ. That goes further than Paul’s statement of clothing ourselves. I believe it goes much deeper than that. Immersion doesn’t always imply being dipped in some sort of liquid. It can also mean “involve oneself deeply in a particular activity or interest”. We need to involve ourselves in Godly endeavors. We need to make sure we avoid places and activities that provide unnecessary temptations. A Christian’s life is not a boring one filled with a lot of restrictions, but rather an exciting life where we live for God and watch His will unfold right in front of us. We must be paying attention to see it and must be attuned to what He is doing, or we will miss it. God knows what He’s doing. Immerse yourself in Christ today and see what happens. Immersion isn’t salvation, but rather the next step which brings a closeness and understanding. Make Christ the focal point of your life. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing.

Richard Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

Word for the Day

 

Word for the Day

 

What Love Is

"This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for one another."- 1 John 3:16 ^NIV 

Would we ever truly know what real love was without the example Christ set for us? I don't believe we would. Scripture tells us that dying for a good man is difficult enough, but to be God and come down to earth in human form to show the world how much You loved them by dying in such a gruesome fashion is pretty unbelievable. People may say "I never asked anyone to die for me." Well, He didn't do it so people would feel obligated in any way. He did it because He created us and in creating us, loved us. When we went astray, He had a plan to save us from ourselves put in place. 

So you see, Easter really isn't about bunnies and candy, but rather a celebration of Christ risen from the grave. A grave He voluntarily ended up in to save us from ourselves. Redemption. The paying of a sin debt. God did that for us all. You either believe it or you don't; that’s free will at work. Angels rejoice in heaven when one soul comes to the realization that his sins can be erased as if he had never committed them. What a joyful day that is when we finally receive Christ in our hearts and allow our lives to be changed forever. Yes, what a glorious day that is indeed. Your ticket for heaven will have been punched. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing.

Richard Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

When in Doubt, Turn to God

“Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom. Instead, fear the Lord and turn away from evil.”- Proverbs 3:7 

            In Proverbs 26:12 it says, “There is more hope for fools than for people who think they are wise.” It is far better for another to say you are wise, then for you to say it of yourself. When someone else says it there is an opportunity to meet it with humility. When you say it of yourself humility is out the window. One of the most unattractive characteristics a person can have is having an overinflated sense of importance. Scripture says that person is worse off than one who is classified as a fool.

            What today’s verse is telling us is that one cannot have a true understanding of what is real, as opposed to what is false without the help of God’s revelation. We may see ourselves as superior in intellect to another of God’s creation but compared to the Creator of all that is in existence, we are come up woefully short. We are to fear God, as in revere and respect him, not be afraid of him. If you are a habitual sinner, one who is ignorant of God’s standards, you have good reason to fear God. To not follow his lead would make you his enemy.

            We should always compare ourselves to the ultimate standard, Almighty God himself, so we can see where we really stand. We already know we are sinners who have fallen short of God’s glory ^{[Romans 3:23]}. Look to him for wisdom, guidance, direction, not to mention love, compassion, discernment & mercy, to name a few. We think our husbands or wives complete us & they do, but only from an earthly perspective. The Lord completes us so totally that there is nothing this side of heaven that it compares to.  I’ve known people who were deeply ensconced in their faith, only to turn their back on it when things got rough. We cannot do this thing called life by ourselves. We will most assuredly mess things up. Look to God to lead you thru your life & you will succeed. Until next time, walk with the King & be a blessing.

Richard Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

A Heavy Price Paid

“Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”- Hebrews 12:3

         For all those who think their walk with God is difficult, consider this:  an innocent man was dragged off, beaten repeatedly, had a crown of 1”-2” Judean thorns beaten down upon His head, had his body brutally lacerated, was made to carry his own cross and then nailed to it and hung between earth and sky to die. At that time on the cross, he was separated from his Father for the first and only time. Think of the anguish that must have caused him. 

The lacerations came from a scourge which was meant to torture the recipient. There’s debate as to whether Christ carried just the cross beam of a two-piece cross known as a “Low Tau” cross or the entire cross.  Depending on which school of thought you line up with, the weight of it was estimated to have been anywhere from 75 – 300 lbs.  And this Jesus did after He had a great loss of blood.  

Think of the humiliation and shame he endured.  This was God’s plan to rescue mankind from themselves.  And Christ didn’t have to be forced to do it. He did it willingly because he knew it was the will of his Father. So do not grow weary and lose heart in your walk with God.  Think of the great price that has been paid for your redemption and rejoice with a grateful heart.  Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing!

Richard Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

Resurrected to New Life

“For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied. But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.”- 1 Corinthians 15:16-22 

          Corinth was a hodgepodge of various influences from the East and the West with Romans, Greeks, Egyptians and Jews all living together in one city. A wide variety of beliefs were proclaimed side by side on the city streets. Divisions had occurred in the Corinth church with spiritual arrogance becoming an issue. Apparently some, like the Sadducees in Jesus day, did not believe in the resurrection of the dead. Paul is addressing that issue in the portion of the letter shown above. 

          Paul makes the case that if the resurrection of the dead did not take place our faith in Christ would be a waste of our time. Paul first saw Christ on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:1-19). He was in His resurrected state and appeared as an intense heavenly light. So, while Paul did not know or see Jesus while He was alive on this earth, he had a very real encounter with the risen Lord which caused him to repent and do as he was instructed, be a light to the Gentiles. The thought of Christ being resurrected is a fact to him and he forcefully defended its reality. 

          Without Christ’s resurrection, our faith is useless. If all we have is hope of salvation in this life with no hope of an afterlife with God, then we are indeed without any true hope at all. For hope is what ignites passion and enables us to present the gospel message with such assurance. Christians today stand firm in their belief that Jesus Christ was raised by the power of the Holy Spirit from His grave to stand among men once again before He ascended to heaven to sit at the right hand of the Father. Those who deny the resurrection of Christ have not experienced the life changing event that salvation brings. When we encounter the truth, we are compelled to stare wide eyed at its validity and embrace it as absolute truth. Because of the resurrection of Christ, we have a life worth living. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing.

Richard Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

Happy Resurrection Day!!

 

Grace Equals Redemption

         “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace.” - Ephesians 1:7 ^NIV

          Picture a white board … now picture all sorts of things scribbled all over its surface. Things like HATE, ENVY, STRIFE, BULLYING, GOSSIP, FIGHTING, ASSAULT, CORRUPTION, PAIN … any negative feeling, emotion or action you can think of sprawled over the once pristine white surface of the board. They represent your sin. Now watch as an eraser passes over the “sin” and makes the board that was once clean, spotless again. That is what the blood of Christ does for us. God’s grace ^{[His unmerited favor]}affords us another chance. Redemption: it can be defined as “payment of an obligation or ransom”; a rescue of sorts. Christ rescued us from certain death. Our soul was in need of cleansing; He provided just that.
          Now picture this … we are covered in grime and filth. There is a shower that we must go through to be made clean again. It is a shower of blood. Amazingly enough we are not blood stained when we come through the shower, but rather clean; white as freshly fallen snow. THAT is what the blood of Christ does for us. If you have experienced this is your life, praise His name and give Him all glory. If you haven’t, yet believe there is a God, you need to understand that it is only thru Christ that you can have your sins washed away, once for all time. Why stay filthy from your sins when you can be forgiven; cleansed of all the wrong you have ever done. It is a “great exchange” … your sin  in exchange for eternal life with your Creator God. I call that the deal of the century. Forgiveness just for the asking. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing.

Richard Keller

Bread of Life Ministries