Thoughts From a Random Mind

TIME

          Today I am 63 years old. It’s hard to believe that I was welcomed onto this earth 63 years ago, but that’s when it was.

Time defined: “A nonspatial continuum in which events occur in apparently irreversible succession from the past through the present to the future.”* Wow! That’s a mouthful!

Continuum à Uninterrupted existence or succession.

         To simplify all that I believe I could say that time is a succession of increments that increase in number. No one knows when time began or when it will end. To God a 1000 years is like a day and conversely, a day is like a 1000 years. (2 Peter 3:8) Time means nothing to the Lord and yet his timing is impeccable. He knows exactly when we need the answer to our deepest, most heartfelt prayers. Time causes us to grow old and pass away. Nothing can stop time except God himself. The most important element of time for us is how we use it. Do we waste it or do we make the most of it? Being useful to God is a valuable use of our time. Doing things solely for yourself benefits no one but yourself. Use your time to become selfless. Use your time to become everything God intends you to be for his kingdom. Don’t live in regret over time wasted. Live in peace knowing you’ve lived a life fulfilling God’s will for your life.  It is far better to have the approval of God Almighty than the approval of man. Man’s approval feeds your ego; God’s approval feeds your soul and spirit. Let go and let God mold you into the man or woman HE knows you can be. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing! rlkeller

REAPING ETERNAL LIFE

“Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.” – Galatians 6:8 NLT

          Everyone is familiar with verse 7, which tells us that God isn’t mocked; that what we sow we will reap. I thought I would extend it out to the next verse and look at that. No matter what you do in your life a result will follow. That’s called ‘consequences’. Paul uses a natural law to illustrate this point. It should be pretty obvious that if you planted corn and pumpkins came up that would be unexpected. If you live a life apart from God you will reap the consequences of that life. Conversely, if you live a life for God, following his standards as recorded in scripture, you will reap a harvest of peace, joy and everlasting life.

          Having said that I don’t want to leave you with the impression that once you enter into a personal relationship with the Lord nothing bad will ever happen to you, because that simply isn’t true. You will experience trials that have the potential to bring you sorrow, heartache and pain, however, you will be far better prepared to deal with them when you have God’s arsenal of spiritual tools at your disposal. Trials are necessary for ones spiritual growth; so don’t shy away from them.

          It’s a simple agricultural example that we have here. Plant bad seed and you will reap nothing of any value. Plant good seed and you will reap a bumper crop of goodness. God knows what he’s doing. He’s truly the only one who does. Trying to go it alone is foolhardy when plentiful resources are available to combat this complicated maze called life. Seek to make wise choices, thus avoiding foul consequences as a result. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing!

Resource: The Life Application Study Bible.

FREEDOM TO BE SELFLESS

“For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.” – Galatians 5:1 NLT

          When Christ died on the cross at Calvary he purchased for us freedom. Not just freedom from sin, but from rules and regulations as well. Paul’s letter to the church in Galatia was to address the false teaching of a group called the Judaizers who taught that believers in Christ must also obey Jewish law in order to be saved. Paul refutes this claim referring to it as a “yoke of slavery”. This freedom that has been purchased by the blood of Christ enables us not to do as we please, for that would lead us directly back into slavery to our own selfish desires. It enables us to be free to live in a way that would have been impossible before our salvation. It enables us to live a selfless life.

          We already know from Paul’s letter to the church in Corinth that while all things in this life are permissible, not all things are constructive or beneficial. Therefore we need to draw close to the Lord and learn how he wants us to live. We ARE human and God knows that for he made us from the dust of the earth. This means we will struggle and strain as we try to live a life that is pleasing to the Lord. This isn’t the Lord’s fault that we struggle, but rather ours, for we are like wild stallions in need of taming.

          Focus in on godly virtues and not the worldly vices you had become so familiar with. Allow the Holy Spirit within to guide and instruct you in the things of God. That way you will stay free from the sin that so easily entangles us (Hebrews 12:1) Until next time walk with the King and be a blessing!

Resource: The Life Application Study Bible.

Thoughts From a Random Mind

WHO DO WE THINK WE ARE?

          I feel like Christians can be their own worst enemy. We judge people based on their looks, as if we had it all together. We ask people to stop cussing, as if we never slip up and say one ourselves. We inform smokers that it will kill them if they continue, as if they were unaware of this fact. We either dislike or avoid those who are different then us, when in reality we’re all pretty much the same. We practice the old ‘do what I say, not what I do’ adage, as if people are too stupid to see right thru it. We act like we are superior to those outside the family of God, while we are only different by God’s grace. Everyone isn’t like that I’m sure, but my point is that we treat unbelievers like they are so much different than us and as a result cause animosity to grow between the saved and the unsaved.  It should really not come as a shock to any one of us that so many non-believers can’t stand Christians?

          We are no better than ANYONE else. We are sinners saved by grace. What or who gives us the right to act in such an un-Christ-like manner? Our personal thoughts and opinions are meaningless. What we say sounds like nothing if it isn’t followed or better still led by actions. We need to lead by example if we are to change the world for Christ. Put your personal agendas aside and ask the Lord to show us how to see others thru his eyes. Develop compassion and mercy. Cultivate a humble, quiet spirit. The old chorus ‘They will know we are Christians by our love’ should be a standard that we live by.
          Don’t read this and say that you don’t have anything that needs changing. You’re fooling yourself. We all need a spiritual makeover. Knowing we’ll never be perfect this side of heaven is no reason to avoid seeking perfection in all aspects of our lives. Surrender to the Lordship of Christ and live your life the way God intended you to live. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing! rlkeller

THOUGHTS FROM A RANDOM MIND

AVOID EMOTIONAL DECISIONS

          There are some people who quit going to church because someone offended them or they didn’t like this or that. Because they allowed their emotions to dictate their actions they cut off a critical line of spiritual food. It’s the same as cutting your fuel line on your car and then expecting it to run. Your walk with the Lord will become stagnant, like a pond without a fresh source flowing into it. I know individuals who have stopped going to church for various reasons. Everything from deception to hypocrisy keeps them away. Was it real or just their perception? Remember, one’s perception is their reality, but either way the end result is the same.

          Not being happy at a church shouldn’t stop you from going to church altogether. Find somewhere else to go, understanding that even the most unique and spiritually alive church will become flawed once you pass thru the doors. No one is perfect so finding the perfect church is impossible. Not going anywhere at all one of the worst things you can do for your faith. Take yourself and your emotions out of your decision and visit churches with an open mind and heart. Allow the Holy Spirit to lead you to a church where you can be blessed and be a blessing.

          Don’t cut off your source of spiritual nourishment for you’d be playing right into the enemy’s hands. Being ineffective for God’s kingdom is his aim. It’s a battle you don’t want to fight because you can’t win. Without God’s guidance and wisdom to draw from you don’t stand a chance against the wiles of our wicked enemy.

          The only way we will become more like Christ in our daily lives is to stay tapped in to the only source of eternal truth. Don’t base your decisions solely on your feelings and end up short changing yourself. God has many wonderful blessings in store for those who stay engaged with him continuously. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing! rlkeller

WORDS TO LIVE BY

"The world is changed by your example, 

not your opinion."

Paulo Colino

NO ONE IS GOOD

          With few exceptions the vast majority of people feel they are good. This thought begs a very important question. Who decides what’s ‘good’? It has to be a universal definition that can easily apply to everyone on the planet, one that cuts thru language and cultural barriers. Who on this earth could accomplish this? What’s good for you may not be good for me and so on. There has to be a standard.

          Good is a relative term used far too loosely. Like the word ‘normal’, I would venture to say that everyone has his or her own personal definition of ‘good’. I believe most would admit they weren’t choirboys, but they haven’t robbed a bank or committed murder so they feel they are good people. They hope they have been good enough to go to heaven when they die.  If they are not the least bit “religious” I suppose they would hope there really is no God.  I have a shocking revelation for you; Jesus himself says no one is good accept Father God. JESUS said that even HE wasn’t good. If Jesus isn’t good than what hope do any of us have to being ‘good’?

         Goodness comes from God. That along with peace, patience, mercy, compassion, love, wisdom, guidance and so on. God is all we will ever need to make it in the life and the one that follows. With God we are children of the most high King. With God we are forgiven. We are proclaimed holy and righteous in his sight.

          There is no such thing as ‘religion’. The word doesn’t even appear in scripture. The thing I’m speaking about is a relationship of the most personal kind with the Creator of the entire universe and man’s first breath. I’ve walked with the King since March of 1979. I am coming up on my 39^th spiritual birthday. The only bumps in the road have been of my own doing, but then God never promised a problem free life. I’m not good, but I am a treasure in the eyes of my Heavenly Father. And so are you if you’ve entered into that relationship with him too. We’re not good and we’re not at all normal and I don’t care. I am who God made me and I’m proud of who I am and whose I am. You should be too. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing! rlkeller

Mark 10:18 (AMP) “Jesus said to him, ‘Why do you call Me good? No one is [essentially] good [by nature] except God alone.’”