Random

            "Random" describes something that occurs without a predictable order, plan, or purpose; something that happens by chance. Today I am referring to “random acts of kindness”.  Holding a door open for a stranger. Paying for a strangers lunch. Complimenting someone regarding their appearance. Showing understanding when someone comes to you with a hurtful set of circumstances that have knocked them to their knees. There are so many ways to bless someone; or as I like to say, “be Jesus to someone”. We are Christ’s ambassadors, meaning it is incumbent upon us to behave in such a way that others see the kindness of God in us thru our words and / or actions.

            If the unsaved don’t see Christ in God’s children, then where will they see Him? This is our mission as followers of Christ. This should be our focus, our mindset; to be a constant reflection of the One who saved our souls from an everlasting hell.

            Here’s a true fact for you: it costs us NOTHING to be kind. Absolutely nothing, except some of our time. I’ve already written about time and how it is a commodity we only get to spend once. Why not spend your time being kind to others, regardless of how they respond. 

Our ACTIONS are important, but our REACTIONS matter as well. Being kind only to be ugly in reaction to the reception your kindness receives is highly counterproductive. Be steady. Be strong in your convictions. Don’t allow someone else’s unseemly behavior negatively effect your disposition. Remember, CHRIST is our example, not any mortal man, woman, or child. Follow His lead and succeed in life.

            Until next time, walk with the King & be a blessing.

In His Name & for His Glory,

RL Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

 

 

Are We Truly Eternally Secure?

When people come to know Christ as their Savior, they are brought into a relationship with God that guarantees their eternal security.  Jude 24 declares, "To Him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy." God’s power is able to keep the believer from falling. It is up to Him, not us, to present us before His glorious presence. Our eternal security is a result of God keeping us, not us maintaining our own salvation.      

The Lord Jesus Christ proclaimed, "I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand" (John 10:28-29b). Both Jesus and the Father have us firmly in their hand. Who could possibly separate us from the grip of both the Father and the Son?

Ephesians 4:30 tells us that believers are "sealed for the day of redemption." If believers did not have eternal security, the sealing could not truly be unto the day of redemption, but only to the day of sinning, apostasy, or disbelief. John 3:15-16 tells us that whoever believes in Jesus Christ will "have eternal life." If a person were to be promised eternal life, but then have it taken away, it was never "eternal" to begin with. If eternal security is not true, the promises of eternal life in the Bible would be in error.

The most powerful argument for eternal security is Romans 8:38-39, "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Our eternal security is based on God’s love for those whom He has redeemed. Our eternal security is purchased by Christ, promised by the Father, and sealed by the Holy Spirit.

Until next time, walk with the King & be a blessing.

In His Name & for His Glory,

RL Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

Source: www.gotquestions.org/eternal-security.html

Covering vs. Removing

            To cover something is to hide it from sight. To remove something is to erase it from sight as if it had never been there. THAT is the key difference between God’s way of dealing with sin in both the Old & New Testament. 

            The Old Testament had a sacrificial system put in place by Almighty God to atone for man’s sin. It happened to be the blood of animals and that particular sacrifice only covered over the sin so, theoretically, it could no longer be seen. It was a symbolic system in that God who forgets nothing and is certainly still aware of a person’s sin, CHOOSES to no longer hold it against them due to the covering of the blood. 

            The New Testament, often referred to as the ‘era of God’s grace’, allows Christ’s blood to wash our sins away, the way a wave from the ocean washes away writing in the sand... just as if it were never there. Though both the Old & New systems of sacrifice essentially provides the same result, the New Testament recipient has to sacrifice not a spotless animal, but submit their will over to a loving God who only wishes to bless and not harm us. Sounds like a great exchange to me. Until next time, walk with the King & be a blessing.

In His Name & for His Glory,

RL Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

What sin will God not forgive?

          “According to the Bible, the unforgivable sin is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. This is not a single act, but rather a state of a hardened heart that repeatedly rejects God's grace and refuses to repent. It is seen as a deliberate and persistent rejection of the Holy Spirit's conviction, a choice to remain unforgiven.” ^[1]

            So you see there IS something that God will not forgive. If a person is bound and determined to reject the existence of God and live his or her life on their own terms, then in the end that is considered by God to be unforgiveable. Now you may have a hard time excepting that there is something God will not forgive, but it is true. As quoted above, it is blaspheming the Holy Spirit of God. God doesn’t wish that any individuals would go to hell. Hell wasn’t created for them; it was created for Lucifer / Satan and his minions (the fallen angels cast out of heaven with Lucifer by God). While Satan has been given dominion over the earth, he is not nearly as powerful as Almighty God. He is stronger than humans though, so he does have power, but is controlled by God. We see reference to this control in the opening chapter of Job*in the Old Testament.

            The free will that God allows all men and women can be a blessing, but can also become a curse in that the decisions that one makes on his or her own they will own and must deal with the corresponding consequences that result from said decision. Even WITH God’s assistance we can still choose the wrong path by misinterpreting scripture or some word they feel had come from the Holy Spirit. That’s why I have been saying that being close to the Lord consistently and continuously is extremely important for a believer.  You wouldn’t have much of a relationship with your wife if you avoided her, or always had something else to do rather than spend time with her. Why would you think your relationship with God would be any different? Is it because you can’t experience Him with any of your 5 senses?

Seek to get spiritually in tune with your God. You can and should so you can know what comes from the Lord and what does not. That way falling away from faith in God should become more remote. Enhance your relationship with Almighty God by spending more time with Him. I’m not suggesting that you spend ALL your time with Him, but I believe He should always be on your mind. Don’t you think that’s the least you can do for someone who purchased for you your freedom from the clutches of sin? 

Until next time, walk with the King & be a blessing.

In His Name & for His Glory,

RL Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

^[1] “AI” generated response to the title question.

*Job 1:6-12 

Worship

Is it true that we were created to worship God? It would appear that the answer is “Yes”, since major religions (for example, Christianity, Judaism, & Islam), teach that humans were created to worship God. Humans were created in God's image to have a relationship with Him, to glorify Him, and to enjoy Him forever, according to biblical teachings.  Not everyone believes there is a God; therefore, if a person isn’t focused on God, then will likely worship other things that have no connection to God; such as athletes, stars from the entertainment industry to name a couple.

According to the Bible and the Quran, the purpose of human creation is to know, love, and worship God. However, since people are separated from God through sin, they naturally seek other things to fulfill this need for worship, which can lead to focusing on things like money, power, or self. 

Some sources suggest that when people turn away from God, they may worship their own ego, material possessions, or sensual desires. Other potential "false gods" include political power, the natural world, or other things that receive the highest priority in a person's life. Ultimately, any worship that is not directed to God is seen as worshiping the "created" rather than the "Creator". 

            It’s simply a matter of what your focus in life is. Is it God and the relationship you have with Him, or is it something else that is much less important? I say that because in the eternal scheme of things nothing is more important than knowing and worshipping the One who created you. To not agree with that only means that your life is on a different trajectory than those who know the Lord. 

Once redeemed worshipping God should become fairly natural to you. Once you realize who God is and what He has done for His creation, it ends up being normal to want to lift up His name in praise. No other person or object that man might worship cannot save your soul. Without salvation, heaven is out of your reach. There is no other way to go to heaven but thru the cross of Christ. That news is worth praising forever.

Until next time, walk with the King & be a blessing.

In His Name & for His Glory,

RL Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

Time

            Time is a currency we can only spend once. How do you spend your time? Are you selfish with your time, only doing for yourself, and not for others? Or do you only use your time for others when you receive a benefit from it.

            If you’re a Christian how much time do you spend with God? If you’re not a Christian it makes much more sense to be selfish with your time. For the believer, you must know how much God wants to fellowship with you, so why don’t you spend time with Him? Seriously, what could possibly be more important than communing with the Creator of the Universe? 

            Now please don’t misunderstand me; we all have responsibilities in this life. I’m fully aware of that, because I too have responsibilities. So I’m not suggesting that we never do anything but spend time with God, but He should be He pretty much always on your mind or at least in the back of your mind? We need to make our relationship with the Lord what drives our decision making in this life.

Now I’m not perfect. No way, no how. I’m broken just like everyone else; however, I am trying every day to be a little more like Christ and I’m trying to incorporate God in as much of my life as possible because that’s what I believe God would like us to do. Do I fail in my attempt? You betcha, but that doesn’t stop me from trying.

He loves us so much, yet many of us seem to keep Him at an arm’s length. If you’re a parent, how would you feel if a child of yours treated your relationship that way? If you don’t have kids, then plug in wife, husband, girlfriend, boyfriend... whatever you like. The important thing is that you grasp my point here. We get one crack at this life. Once saved we’ve accomplished the most important part... forgiveness for our sins. But what comes next? 

            Let the opening statement roll around your mind a while. You can only spend time once; what will you do with it? Time.... 

            Until next time, walk with the King & be a blessing.

In His Name & for His Glory,

RL Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

“It will ABSOLUTELY CHANGE YOUR LIFE!!”

               Is it just me or is anyone else noticing how much attention is being paid to one’s bodily appearance. I mean it been that way, seems like forever; however, it seems more than ever lately.  All the commercials for this makeup or that weight loss product. And jewelry? Look no further than the HOME SHOPPING NETWORK. They’ll even give you an account on credit for those spontaneous, ‘gotta haves’ (and that, my friends, is how you slowly build a mountain of debt.).

            Trust me, none of the “things” advertised on TV or the Internet will NOT change your life. Will they have some immediate positive impact on your life, perhaps, but like a child who tires within hours of receiving that toy he simply HAD to have, the impact fades rather quickly. The Lord provides a lasting impact on your life that changes it permanently, as in for all eternity.

            All the ABSOLUTES in the buying world are nothing more than a money grab. You honestly don’t need whatever they’re selling. The sales folks know exactly what to say to make people feel like they must have what is being sold. It’s a trap that when repeated endlessly can ruin your life and the lives of those who depend on you. Salvation is the ONLY thing you must have to exist beyond the grave and have your sins forgiven. Everything else is temporary and not worth what you pay for it. 

            Please understand, I’m not advocating buying nothing for yourself. Not at all. What I’m actually trying to pinpoint the fact that these trained professionals know how to take advantage of listeners / watchers so that they buy things they never needed. It’s fine to buy something you just want, just be mindful of the traps. I’m no expert on this subject other than the fact that I wrestle with unpaid debt like so many other folks. So you could say I speak from personal experience. Seek the face of God for guidance and direction in all things and listen attentively for the answer.

            Until next time, walk with the King & be a blessing.

In His Name & for His Glory,

RL Keller

Bread of Life Ministries