Thoughts from a Random Mind

A “Reckoning” is a biblical term that is significant for understanding the believer's righteous standing before God. To reckon is to acknowledge that something is true on the basis of established facts. God reckons people righteous on the basis of his grace and their faith.

A “Dead-Reckoning” to me is when someone trades in their old life for a new one thru salvation. It’s when a person learns to die to self daily so that the new life can shine thru. We have nothing at all to lose; however, it is incumbent upon us to choose to respond affirmatively when the Spirit calls. A “dead-reckoning” is all about DYING to the world and becoming ALIVE in God.

The world calls us many negative, derogatory things, but they can call us whatever they want, they cannot take our soul from us. Funny how as children we learn this little ditty: “Sticks & stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me.” But it happens to be true. Words in the form of profanity laced insults can no doubt sting, and even cut right to the quick, but the most important thing in all that is that words can truly do nothing to us. Dying to the world makes us its enemy and places somewhat of a target on our back. God may allow our enemies to do any number of things to us physically, but no matter what, they cannot make God stop loving us. They cannot rob our salvation from us. AND they cannot void out our ticket to our eternal home with the Lord. You see? What can they really do to us. Nothing. Even if they took our very life, we would be in heaven, which would be a fair exchange; this sin filled world in exchange for an eternity of peace, joy, hope, mercy, and love with our Heavenly Father. All because we had a “dead-reckoning”. 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

            In a world that is rife with evil laced hatred, “love conquers all”. That is straight out of the “love chapter”, aka, 1 Corinthians 13. I have a sign in my sitting room that says it like this: “Love Always Wins!” Regardless of your current situation, no matter how much pain, bitterness, or resentment you might feel in your heart towards another or towards God Himself, that statement is a “stone-cold fact” *. There is nothing on this earth that can overpower love, especially when that love comes from Almighty God. As dedicated followers of Christ we can tap into the source of that love anytime we need it. It doesn’t matter whether we need it for ourselves or we need to show it to someone else who needs to be loved. God’s love has a special quality about it. It’s spiritual in nature. It’s essence is supernatural; even miraculous. When nothing can break thru a person’s stoney heart, God’s supernatural, miraculous, unconditional, never-ending love can. His love can pierce thru to the core of a person’s soul. It can create a euphoric feeling of love that cannot be reproduced by any mortal man. 

            While I’ve said a number of times that it costs nothing to be kind, the same goes for love. True abiding love can win over those who are stubborn, those who are haters, those who are broken, those who are tragically flawed, those who are deeply depressed, those who feel all hope is lost. When someone leads with love they win. 

            Life is hard. Each road we travel as individuals has their own ruts, rocks, potholes and the like, but if it’s the path the Lord has set you on, then He will give you all it will take to travel down that road all the way to it’s end. Remember, lead with love because love always wins!!

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

In His Name & for His Glory,

RL Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

*Stone-cold fact means a complete, undeniable truth—something that is absolutely certain, without any doubt.

Thoughts from a Random Mind

      Spiritually speaking, there is a currency that runs thru God’s economy. It’s main component is Salvation, which is yours for the asking & only requires your allegiance & fidelity. In other words, it seeks your loyalty & obligation to duty based on the Lord’s standards found in scripture. 

            There are also so many other things in God’s spiritual currency that are free. It costs nothing to be kind. It costs nothing to be merciful. It costs nothing to be loving. It costs nothing to be compassionate. I think you get my point. It costs NOTHING to replicate Jesus’ behavior among His peers & among the multitude of unsaved. He treated everyone the same; some more harshly than others, such as the religious leaders of His day. 

            So when you experience an injustice or some other sort of unpleasant situation, quickly reflect on how Jesus behaved before the Sanhedrin when He was being prosecuted.

Behave like Paul & Silas while they were in prison. We have no way of knowing the back story of each stranger we encounter each day, so show them the same grace God has shown you. Thru all your highs and lows God never chastised you, or threw it back in your face at a later date. His love is so strong for His creation that those who don’t yet know Him still have hope until the day they die, because God doesn’t wish that ANY would perish outside His presence. Show kindness to others always, just the way you would like someone else to treat you. ^{[Luke 6:31]} Until next time, walk with the King & be a blessing.

In His Name & for His Glory,

RL Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

Luke 6:31 – “Treat others the same way you want them to treat you.”

Thoughts from a Random Mind

            There is a lyrical message presented in a song by a Christian rock group by the name of Theocracy. The song’s title is “The Sixth Great Extinction” and it talks about the self-destructive path that mankind is on. It points out the spiritual and moral decline which the Bible refers to as “apostasy”; a willful turning away from God. It could be classified as a self-imposed spiritual death.

            A spiritual “extinction” could easily take place thru a loss of discernment and a loss of interest in following the standards the scriptures have revealed to us. The mental state of mankind is (generally speaking) one of self-centered, self-absorbed individualism. The catch phrase “Me, Myself, & I” seems to be somewhat of a reality. Trust is in our fellow man is waning. Looking out for No. 1 is making a resurgence. 

            Many scholars and theologians believe we are in what scripture refers to as “the last days”. Now we must understand that everything takes place on God’s timetable and not ours. 

Is Christ’s Return imminent? Perhaps. No one knows but God Himself. Our job as followers of Christ is to continue to pray, continue to read the scriptures, continue to share what we believe when the Lord presents the opportunity, and by all means, NOT be judgmental. 

            Put on your armor as described in Ephesians 6:10-18. Be prepared. We aren’t to sit idly by doing nothing. The least we can do is pray, for prayer is a formidable weapon against evil. Don’t allow your faith or trust in God to fade away. Rise up and declare the victory in the name of the Lord, for it is the Lord that goes before us. We are never alone in the fray. The spirit of God dwells in us if we are saved. Rely on the Lord God to see us thru any battle, whether physical, medical, emotional, or intellectual. We are children of the King and He is coming back for us one day. 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

          Christ will ALWAYS be the One who took your place on the criminals cross on Golgotha’s hill. What does that mean to you? It means EVERYTHING to me!! Life was just one foot in front of the other, one day at a time growing up.  After growing up in the Presbyterian church in Red Bank, NJ I’ve come to realize that nothing in this life is ABOUT ME. It took me a while to recognize that, but with the help of Pastor Rick Warren’s book The Purpose Driven Life, I began to understand that it was NEVER all about me, but rather about God. Who He is & who I am IN HIM.

Who are we in Christ? We’re a new creation. We have been grafted into God’s family as a child of the King with all the blessings and benefits that comes with that. So how does that make you feel? It should make you grateful and blessed that the Creator of the Universe and man’s first breath would care so deeply for you personally that He would come down to dwell among us in the Person of His Son, live a life of peace and love, then willingly go to a death that was reserved for criminals, just to pay the debt that no man was & is able to pay. Why would ANYONE do that for you? Why? You didn’t ask them to do it. I didn’t either. He did it simply, and purely out of love for the entirety of His creation... that, of course, would be YOU & ME. Do you feel grateful now? It was His plan from the beginning of time. Celebrate Christ; His birth, His life, and His death, and understand the purpose of it all. 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

            Do you understand that God wants ALL OF YOU? He doesn’t want the small portion of your life that you feel comfortable letting go of, He wants the whole megillah*.

            Comfort zones stunt your spiritual growth. We must venture outside our comfort zones to be as effective for Christ as He knows we can be. I say this understanding that it is a human reaction to seek to be comfortable in whatever setting we happen to be in, but we need to dare to branch out. You’ll never know what you’re capable of it you don’t. Actually, you’ll never know what God can make you capable of if you don’t. I say THAT because it is NOT about us. It never has been and it never should be. It is about God and His desire to lovingly use us to minister on His behalf. 

            St. Francis of Assisi once said, “Preach the gospel at all times & if necessary, use words.” In other words, it is imperative that we strive to LIVE THE GOSPEL among the masses. The old adage “Actions speak louder than words”^[1] comes into play here.

            We must fully grasp with two hands the concept that we cannot walk with Christ without His assistance. We must accept the idea that we are a flawed, broken people with help for us readily available. Like salvation itself, living for Christ is very much like a gift that is offered, yet too many avoid taking it for themselves. 

            While determination is needed to follow thru with our faith, we must also be prepared to surrender to the will of the Lord once we are aware of just what it is. It’s different for everyone, for He has a path and plan for each one of us to be successful in the kingdom. Being successful in this world is optional when it comes to serving God. If God is our provider then why should we strive so hard to achieve wealth. There’s nothing wrong with having wealth. As I’ve said several times before; it’s not wrong to have wealth, it IS however important HOW we acquired it and WHAT we do with it. Having great wealth happens to be inconsequential when it comes to our walk with the Lord. 

            So give your time and efforts to the Lord freely and do not fret about the outcome. God WANTS you to succeed in His name, not for your benefit, but for the benefit of all those who interact with you. Then give God all the glory, praise and honor.

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

In His Name & for His Glory,

RL Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

*the whole megillah an informal expression for something in its entirety…The phrase, which is Yiddish & alludes to the length of the Megillah**

**Megillah can also refer to a complicated sequence of events, or it can be used as a synonym of “ball of wax” meaning “everything involved in what is under consideration.”.

^[1] The earliest known version of the saying comes from John Pym in 1628, emphasizing the value of actions over words. Thomas Manton’s 1693 sermon introduced the idea of actions "speaking louder" than words. The phrase in its current form first appeared in 1736 in The Melancholy State of Province.

The Attributes of God

Love and Goodness

            The following group of scriptures from both the Old & New Testaments shine a light on the love and goodness of Almighty God. All these verses speak loudly to His unchanging, unconditional love for His creation. Read each one and soak in the truth that is representative of our God.

 

1 John 4:16 - "God is love, and whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him."

 

Psalm 145:9 - "The Lord is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made." 

 

Psalm 103:8–10 – “The Lord is compassionate and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.  He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.”

This verse captures both God’s mercy and unfailing love, emphasizing His character as patient and gracious. 

 

Lamentations 3:22–23 – “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”

These verses highlight the unending, renewing nature of God’s goodness and love, offering fresh hope daily. 

 

Psalm 23:6 – “Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

This verse affirms God’s goodness is persistent and personal, pursuing believers throughout life. 

 

Isaiah 54:10 – “For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my steadfast love shall not depart from you, and my covenant of peace shall not be removed.”

This verse emphasizes the eternal, unshakable nature of God’s love which is more enduring than creation itself. 

 

James 1:17 – “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”

This verse affirms that all goodness originates in God, who is unchanging and reliable. 

 

1 John 4:10 – “This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.”

This final verse defines love as God’s initiative—not based on human merit, but on His grace. 

These verses collectively reveal a God whose love is eternal, sacrificial, and active, and whose goodness is steadfast, trustworthy, and life-giving. Until next time, walk with the King & be a blessing.

In His Name & for His Glory,

RL Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

Resource: www.openthebible.org