Thoughts from a Random Mind

“Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.” – Leo Tolstoy. *

            What an immensely profound statement. The problems in the world today will not be fixed simply by talking, but rather by being people of action. I am not insinuating that physical violence is the answer to change. I’m thinking more along the lines of changing your attitude, your thought process, your capacity to love. These things can only be found in the heart of Almighty God. 

            It is my humble opinion that God is the answer to all of mankind’s problems. Surrendering to His will for your life is a crucial start to your journey toward changing yourself for the better. You’ve heard of becoming the best version of yourself, well wouldn’t you want to become all that the One who created you knows you can be? I sure would. It’s not a cake walk though. The enemy doesn’t want you to become all you can be in Christ. He wants to cripple you spiritually thru temptation and difficult trials. Some believers have walked away from their faith because it seems too hard to deal with. Were they truly redeemed in the first place? It is not for us to say, for only God knows reality from fiction. 

            Changing yourself with limited resources is like trying to mow your lawn with a weed whacker. You’ll get the job done eventually, but it won’t look very good. The total resources of God are readily available to those whom He calls His children. Are you sold out for Christ, or hitching a ride on the soul train with the thought of jumping off at any time. 

            We aren’t perfect and never will be this side of heaven; however, as we strive for perfection we will grow and mature spiritually speaking and slowly begin to change from the inside out. It’s a daily process; one that isn’t always easy, but perseverance will always win the day. Dogged determination is one of the keys to success in this life and walking forward hand in hand with the Lord guarantees success from an eternal perspective. Don’t just desire to change the world. Start by looking into your own heart and seek to change yourself. Until next time, walk with the King & be a blessing.

In His Name & for His Glory,

RL Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

·       Russian author Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910) is considered a master of realistic fiction and one of the world’s greatest novelists. His best-known novels are “War and Peace” (1865–69) and “Anna Karenina” (1875–77).

Thoughts from a Random Mind

I find that I enjoy the company of unsaved people more so than believers. You may not agree with everything they happen to believe or say, but with some you can at least agree to disagree and leave it at that. No irate bursts. No hate. With Christians I’ve gotten various responses from them. Some seem to want to have an impromptu Bible quiz to show off what they know. Some are silent and don’t even know how to talk about the things of the Lord. Some are judgmental to the max, thinking that they’ve cornered the market on Christian doctrine, and you simply MUST agree with them, or you’re wrong.

             Now I tend to look at my faith the following way. I am NOT a judge re: anyone else’s lifestyle or beliefs. God alone is the judge. If you disagree with me on any topic I’m fine with that. Maybe I’m mistaken. Maybe not. Either way I wish to be friends and sidestep the controversial stuff. I believe I know what is right and what is wrong in God’s eyes, but I never force it on anyone else. I would pray for the opportunity to share what I believe, but do not require anyone to believe like me. I try to plant a seed of faith when the opportunity presents itself and they can if they feel the wooing of the Spirit, become Born Again as Jesus had said. I absolutely DO NOT live a perfect life, but I’m trying to be the best version of myself with the much needed help of the Holy Spirit within me.

              I pretty much have no one to discuss doctrine with. You aren’t able to do it with unbelievers, and in many cases you cannot do it with believers either. It can be frustrating at times. I write. I write a lot. I write a Blog re: Christ. I’ve written 3 books, with a 4th one in the wings. Aside from the normal sports banter that most guys engage in, doctrinal talk is scarce. I do find myself precariously close to falling into the trap of wanting everyone to like me, but with a few exceptions, I feel just the opposite is true. I’ve come to believe that I annoy people. I’m quirky, but have been referred to as strange, weird, crazy… the fact of the matter is that I’m just different than other folks, and that’s alright. We judge others by externals, while side stepping the reality that we DO NOT know them. We do not know their back story. We don’t know their heart. Who are we anyway? How are we living out the gospel to an unbelieving world? Are we so self-absorbed that we are singularly focused on ourselves and nothing else? 

I believe it is better for Christians to interact with the unsaved regularly, without following their behavior. How else can we reach the masses? Staying in our little conclaves, wishing to avoid the front line in the battle for men’s souls, we invent ways to keep the reprobates from dirtying us. Jesus mingled with those in need of redemption on a daily basis. Shouldn’t we be doing the same thing. Just because someone isn’t part of your church or your faith doesn’t make them reprehensible. They require that which we have already obtained... forgiveness. 

            Think of it this way: If a raging fire broke out in your home and you didn’t know because you were sound asleep, would you want someone to come, wake you up and help you escape? Of course you would. So why is that any different than sharing salvation with a person destined for hell? It isn’t is it? Think about that and then ask God for opportunities to be a seed planter of the gospel.  Until next time, walk with the King & be a blessing.

In His Name & for His Glory,

RL Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

Thoughts from a Random Mind

As believers get older all the aches and pains become amplified. Sickness & disease encroaches our lives at various times and all this becomes a challenge to our faith. We cling to the promise that “by His stripes we are healed”little realizing that the healing being spoken of is spiritual and not physical. We accept our plight as things become slowly worse health wise. Will God heal us?

             As near as I can tell from scripture reading and some research, God heals at His own discretion and does not heal every person who asks Him to be healed. Understanding that death could potentially be the best answer to our prayer for healing helps us deal with the loss of a loved one, but it doesn’t replace the loss and the feelings of loneliness. Death is a blessing in some cases, depending on how much pain the person happens to be having to endure.

              God isn’t like some genie in a bottle who magically grants wishes. He is the creator of the universe and everything in it, and we must trust that He knows what is best for us. We must trust Him with our well-being; aches, pains, and everything else that comes our way. We must trust that God knows what He’s doing. Man is weak, frail, and destined to die. Life isn’t like, as the old ‘40s tune says, “a bowl of cherries”. It can be more like, “if life is like a bowl of cherries, why do I always get the pits?” A negative way of looking at things for sure, but it certainly CAN be the way we feel at times, nonetheless. Trust God with your everything. 

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

In His Name & for His Glory,

RL Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

Thoughts from a Random Mind

            Marie Curie was once quoted as saying: “Life isn’t easy. We must persevere & above all trust in yourself.” I agree with the first two statements; however, the third statement begs the question, “... to what end?” What good is it to trust yourself when you are a supremely flawed individual? Of course, if all you have to rely on is yourself, then I suppose her statement has some validity. But what if there is such a thing as a “higher power”?  A supreme intellect... one who created you and loves you above all else. What if He only and always had the very best, positive intentions for you?     

            Knowing what I know now, I would never want to trust myself to do anything totally on my own. Not when I can tap into the wisdom of God to guide and direct me thru life. For those who are hesitant to believe in an unseen deity, my question is, what is your vision for yourself? What plan do you have? God can take the guess work out of your life’s plan. That’s the way it is with a perfect and almighty God, but you have to really know Him. Head knowledge is insufficient; there must be heart knowledge. There needs to be a spiritual connection with the Holy Spirit being the conduit. 

            The sad part in all this for non-believers is that they will continue to, figuratively speaking, slam their collective heads into the proverbial wall trying to make things work out. It’s really no different than trying to hammer a square peg into a round hole. It’s not going to work. People cling in desperation to their own autonomy, insisting that they have the wherewithal to accomplish anything they put their mind to, but what if it’s not in your best interest to accomplish the thing you are striving for. Don’t frustrate yourself any longer. Surrender! Abandon your own will in favor of the will of God for you. It is sculpted into the design that will best fit you and those closest to you. Until next time, walk with the King & be a blessing.

In His Name & for His Glory,

RL Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

Note: Marie (aka, Madame) Curie - Polish French physicist and chemist (1867–1934).

 

Thoughts from a Random Mind

It’s Not Me!

            I’m not a prophet, nor am I a preacher … I am a writer. I use words to convey thoughts to those who would read what I have written. I’m no one special. I am to God and I am to my wife, but I’m nobody of any consequence. Yet God has chosen me to present a message to those who need to hear it. Everything I write isn’t awesome or inspiring or even encouraging, but I believe it’s what I’ve been called to do. So I write … words … one after the other until I feel I am finished saying what I feel led to say.

            Some days I have nothing to say. Some days I feel what I have written is blah. That is usually the day someone emails me to say it was just what they needed to hear at that particular moment. 

            My message is pretty basic … love God, read his word, commit to serve him and do everything in your power to imitate Christ each day. I say this because it’s NOT all about you and it’s not about me. It’s about God IN you and me. It’s about letting him take the wheel. It’s about being Christ to others. It’s about steering the accolades for anything you might do that blesses another directly to God. I’ve said this before in my life and I say it again now: Anything anyone ever sees in me that is good, kind, generous, loving, selfless isn’t me at all. Left to my own devices I would be a wretch of the worst sort. No, it’s not me; it’s my Lord at work in me. Is he working in you? Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing!   

In His Name & for His Glory,

RL Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

What Does It Mean?

Apostasy

                  There is a Christian Rock band whose name is "Seventh Day Slumber"*. Their name is derived from Genesis 2:2, referring to the seventh day when God rested after creating the universe. It symbolizes a period of rest, referencing the biblical Sabbath; however metaphorically, it refers to a call to wake up from spiritual inactivity or lethargy. It suggests breaking free from "spiritual slumber," which is described as a state of being inattentive to one's walk with God, lazy in spiritual development, or lax in discipline.

            That all makes me think of the great apostasy foretold in the New Testament. I will break down the Great Apostasy sometime soon, but suffice it to say, it is when professing believers do an about face and renounce their faith in God. It will be a terrible time around the entire globe as the devil will for a short time have his way. Scholars who believe in a Pre-Tribulation Rapture of the church feel this shall take place prior to the Great Apostasy. That would mean those professing Christ were never saved to begin with.

            It is imperative that believers remain faithful to the call that God placed upon them when they gave their heart and life over to Christ. Those who dabble in the deconstructing of their faith are playing with hell fire. Their interest in deconstructing God and His Word will result in their adjusting doctrinal and scriptural meaning to suit their own feelings about the issue. Is that the precursor to the Great Apostasy? Perhaps... so GUARD YOUR HEART against  the wiles of the enemy. Do not fall asleep. Be alert to your surroundings and be strong and unflinching in your faith and trust of the Lord. Until next time, walk with the King & be a blessing.

In His Name & for His Glory,

RL Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

 *Seventh Day Slumber has been making music since 1996, when the band was formed in Dallas, Texas, by frontman Joseph Rojas.  As of today, the band has been active for 30 years. 

What Does It Mean?

Insidious - proceeding in a gradual, subtle way, but with harmful effects.

 

Insidious is a word that describes a Christian’s enemy. There are a lot of insidious goings on around the globe. It’s the devil weaving his evil into the very fabric of humanity. Christian’s must gird themselves with the armor of God to defend themselves against his hideous plans for man. There are many folks who are unknowing pawns in his evil schemes. They fall victim to his tricks that are nothing more than illusions, yet appear to the untrained eye to be real. This is exactly why a follower of Christ must stay in the Word of God and then utilize the godly artillery that is available to us. Prayer in Jesus’ name is a powerful tool to thwart the enemy. It goes to the root of the problem and shuts it down. 

                  It’s important to understand that God’s timetable is NOT anything like ours. We are ruled by time, but God is the supreme ruler of time itself. That is why 2 Peter 3:8 tells us, “But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.” Time is meaningless to God.

            So be mindful of that which is transpiring at home and abroad and pray each day for God’s will to be done. Since He causes or allows everything that takes place throughout the universe, and knows all that can be known, He would absolutely know what needs to take place. It is His plan that is playing out, not man’s and not the devils. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing.

In His Name & for His Glory,

RL Keller

Bread of Life Ministries