Thoughts from a Random Mind

           Recently I had a chance to share the gospel message at a local restaurant with a couple we know. After I shared for about 15 minutes, we began to collect our things, pay the bill, and head out the door. On the way out the husband said to me, “Geez, Rich, I didn’t know you were a Christian.” I stopped & stood there in dumb silence. The statement left me numb. My mind was racing. “How is that possible?” “I try to imitate Christ each day.” “How could he not know.” Hmmm. Very disconcerting. Time for me to make another spiritual assessment. 

Instead of getting preachy with everyone I meet, which I don’t believe is the correct approach, I’ve been trying to practice the St. Augustine approach: “Preach the gospel at all times, and if necessary, use words.” What can I do so people know without a shadow of a doubt that I am a Born Again Christian without being intrusive? I don’t believe there is anything in my makeup that causes me to be “in your face” about anything. I’ll have to do some very specific praying about this.

 There’s obviously something I am doing or not doing that caused that to happen. I don’t know, but I aim to find out. How about you? Do people you know realize you are a Christian? 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

            There is a school of thought that proclaims that cremation is a sin. They base this claim that we will be raised in our bodies, but that isn’t possible if there is no body in the grave. To me this is faulty thinking. Why? Because they are saying that the creator of all things is unable to make ashes into a body again. Didn’t He create Adam from the dust? Yes He did. Genesis 2:7 tells us, "Then the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being." 

So you’re telling me God is incapable of doing that again? And what about all the godly souls who died thousands of years ago. What happened to their bodies. Didn’t they eventually turn to dust in their graves? “Within minutes of death, cells begin to break down due to a lack of oxygen. The accumulation of carbon dioxide makes the cellular environment more acidic, causing membranes to rupture and releasing enzymes—especially from organs like the liver and brain—that digest the cells from the inside out. This process, known as autolysis, is the first stage of decomposition.” ^[1]

            And what of our skeletal structure, does that turn to dust?  “While bones are more durable than soft tissues, they do not last forever. Eventually, they decompose into fine mineral-rich particles—effectively becoming dust.” ^[2] Okay, so those bodies that passed on centuries ago have returned to dust. Can God not replicate the creative process He invoked at the beginning. I dare say there is NOTHING that is impossible for Almighty God.

            So with all this being said it would seem that the whole notion of cremation, or essentially turning a body to ash (dust), is a sin would be debunked.  If God can do it once, He can do it again; in fact as often as He needs to. Cremation is not a sin. In fact cremation isn’t mentioned at all throughout scripture.  If you cremated a loved one, as I did my father, you may put your mind at ease. It is NOT a sin. Until next time, walk with the King & be a blessing.

In His Name & for His Glory,

RL Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

Resource: www.gotquestions.org

^[1] www.chemistryworld.com

^[2] www.iflscience.com

Thoughts from a Random Mind

In my book titled MAN’S REJECTION OF GOD: WHO’S FAULT IS IT? I wrote a chapter called THE CULT OF PERSONALITY. It talks about how powerful the entertainment industry is with regards to molding our youth. If Taylor Swift sports a new outfit, all the “Swifties” try to replicate it. If a famous football player does some provocative dance move after scoring a touchdown, all the football junkie kids try to replicate it. Does that make Taylor Swift or football bad, no, it just means that a portion of our society has broken down. The whole idea of “I can do whatever I want as long as it doesn’t hurt anyone else” needs to go away, because someone is always watching and it generally has a negative impact on certain types of people. 

            It is almost cult-like as young people become mesmerized by the big, the bold, the sexy, the wealthy all around them as if they are people that should be imitated. The Lord is patient, but frankly must be saddened by the ignorance that is so rampant in this world that He created. That is all the result of the free will God allows each individual. To remove ‘free will’ would make Him a tyrannical God, but scripture proves that is not the case. He is a loving, benevolent God who wishes all to follow Christ into eternity where they will all be wonderfully blessed beyond their wildest imagination.

            Don’t try to imitate anyone this side of heaven that doesn’t have anyone’s best interest at heart but themselves. Imitate instead the only perfect person to ever walk the earth; that being Jesus Christ. 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

            A certain segment of society is morally and ethically bankrupt. They have lost their way. They rely on doing what suits them and not what is right. It is tearing at the very fabric of our country. They seek to sidestep the whole God issue and craft their own god out of whatever makes the most sense to them. The future is bleak for those folks, for any road that leads anywhere other than Almighty God will end in ruin. 

            How did this moral and ethical decay take place? What caused it? The enemy of man’s soul has been diligently working at infiltrating all sectors of human society since man’s fall in the Garden of Eden, wreaking havoc wherever he can. It has taken a massive toll on civilization, as Almighty God silently watches from His throne watching His creation flaunt its free will in ungodly ways. God did not create evil; it came from Satan and was passed on to man. 

Every man, woman, and child has the option to follow God throughout their life, or follow their own path. You DO NOT HAVE to follow Christ! However, seeing things that way seems rather short-sighted. Dealing with the here and now with the purpose of gaining as much happiness and satisfaction as humanly possible is not seeing the BIG PICTURE. Sadly, the consequences of doing as you please will not become real to some folks until it is TOO LATE. 

I’m not trying to scare anyone; I’m just laying things out as I see them based on how it is laid out in scripture. If you don’t believe God is real, then anything that is tied to that belief becomes mentally null and void for you. But think about this: with something as important as where you will go after you leave this earth, you would think people would take the time to do some honest, open minded research. Don’t bother looking for proof, because it shall never be found. Why is that?  Because proof negates the need for faith. 

Take an honest look at yourself in the mirror. Are you truly the best version of yourself? Take this seriously; and that goes for many Christians as well. How is your relationship with the creator of the universe and man’s first breath? Take an honest assessment of your life with Christ. How are you doing? Make the most of this life in Jesus name. Live for Him and give Him all the praise and glory. 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

Is it possible that many Christians aren’t well grounded in the Word of God? Is that perhaps why people are now “DECONSTRUCTING” their faith? They pray and when they don’t receive an immediate answer it must be because there is no God. Too many new believers must feel entitled to all the riches in glory without having to make any alterations to their mindset or behavior. Are people looking for short cuts regarding their spiritual walk? 

A true believer in Christ will understand what it takes to cultivate their relationship with the Lord. It takes an earnest desire and unabashed determination to serve our God. We aren’t handed everything on a silver platter. There are times when we must pray thru and trust that the Lord knows exactly what He’s doing. If something doesn’t work out the way you thought it would that shouldn’t cause you to doubt God. 

Do you comprehend who God truly is? Do you read the scriptures? Do you FEED your spirit man daily? What are you waiting for. The road doesn’t get easier; it gets harder as in desperation the devil begins to pull out all the stops to throttle God’s plans. He is a defeated foe, and he knows it so there is nothing he won’t try to cause you to get tripped up. 

Buckle up and set your face as a flint, ready to do battle (figuratively speaking) with all who would try to minimize the impact God can make in a person’s life. Be the best representative for Christ that you can with the help of the Holy Spirit within you. We already have the victory; we simply must stand fast and endure the storm of hate that is infiltrating our land. May God have mercy on our land and give all Christians the wherewithal to stand up for that which is right and just according to scripture. In the end, may God’s perfect will be done. Until next time, walk with the King & be a blessing.

In His Name & for His Glory,

RL Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

Note: Our greatest weapons are prayer in Jesus’ name & the Word of God. 

Is being gay a sin? Part 2

The question, “Is it sinful to engage in homosexual activities because of same-sex attractions?” has a more straightforward answer. Being drawn toward a morally forbidden relationship is not an active sin; it is a temptation. Sin occurs when we dwell upon the wrong thoughts, the temptation spawns, or when we yield to the temptation. Feeling a same-sex attraction is not an active, willful sin, but yielding to that proclivity and engaging in homosexual relations is.

Our culture assures homosexuals that they were born gay, and that confused sexuality is to be celebrated, not overcome. It is now fashionable to call oneself “gay” or “bi” or any number of other faddish sexual labels without any real understanding of their meaning—or of the moral and eternal implications.

We are all sinners, born with a nature that wants only to please itself. The sinful desires within us vary from person to person, but the root is the same (Romans 3:11). When we realize how broken we are and that we cannot have fellowship with a holy God in such a deplorable condition, we gratefully accept the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross for us (2 Corinthians 5:21). He paid the price that we owed to God for our treason against our Creator. He also paid the penalty for the sin of homosexuality, just as He did for pride, rape, adultery, and theft. Those sins, and a thousand more, are what keep us from God and sentence us to an eternity without Him. We cannot continue to define ourselves by the very sins that crucified Jesus, while also assuming that we are right with God. First Corinthians 6:9–10 lists many of the sins that the Corinthians once practiced (homosexuality is on the list). But verse 11 reminds them, “That is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” In other words, some of the Corinthians, before they were saved, lived gay lifestyles; but no sin is too great for the cleansing power of Jesus. Once cleansed, we are no longer defined by sin.

Homosexual behavior won’t damn a person any more quickly than pride or greed or adultery. Without Christ, we are lost, whether gay, or straight. But, when we surrender our lives to the lordship of Jesus, He gives us a new nature (2 Corinthians 5:17). He destroys the power that sin once held over us (Romans 6:1–7). The old nature that once dictated our actions has been conquered in a born-again child of God (John 3:3). Temptation still rages. Weaknesses still torment. But the power of the Holy Spirit helps us to resist Satan and overcome the sins that once held us captive (Colossians 2:14; James 4:7). We can choose new life in Jesus or the old life of sin. But we cannot have both (Matthew 6:24).

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

In His Name & for His Glory,

RL Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

Resource: Taken from post on www.gotquestions.org

Is being gay a sin? Part 1

            Admittedly, this is a HOT BUTTON topic. There are various answers to this question, but what does Almighty God have to say about it?

In order to answer the question “Is being gay a sin?” we need to break this question down and deal with each piece separately. Instead of asking “Is being gay a sin?” we need to ask, “Is it sinful to have same-sex attractions?”,which leads to the follow-up question, “Is it sinful to engage in homosexual activities because of those attractions?”

Regarding the first question we should take the time to distinguish between sinning and being tempted. Being tempted is not a sin. Jesus was tempted, but He never sinned (Matthew 4:1; Hebrews 4:15). Eve was tempted in the garden, and the forbidden fruit definitely appealed to her, but it seems that she did not actually sin until she took the fruit and ate it (Genesis 3:6–7). A struggle with temptation may lead to sin, but the temptation itself is not a sin.

The problem with same-sex attraction is that it is an attraction to something God has forbidden, and any desire for something sinful ultimately has its roots in sin. Our natures have been so infected with sin that what is evil often looks good to us. Sin causes us to see the world and our own actions through a warped perspective. Our thoughts, desires, and dispositions are all affected. Scripture says we are sinners by nature (Romans 5:12). So, same-sex attraction, per se, is not always an active, willful sin, but it springs from the sinful nature. Same-sex attraction is always, on some level, an expression of the flesh, or the fallen nature.

Our world is filled with forbidden fruits, including the enticement to “be gay.” A happily married man can be suddenly smitten with attraction for his new associate and wrestle with those feelings every day. A sober alcoholic can struggle with the ongoing desire to drink, even years after he becomes clean. Those desires do not represent an active choice to sin, although they stem from the sinful nature. They are part of being a fallen creature living in a fallen world.

Some people may not always be able to control how or what they feel, but they CAN control what they do with those feelings (1 Peter 1:5–8). And we all have the responsibility to resist temptation (Ephesians 6:13). We must all be transformed by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:2) and “take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5).

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

In His Name & for His Glory,

RL Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

Resource: Taken from post on www.gotquestions.org