Seek Him with all your Heart

 Jer 29:13

And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.

Every year this day holds special meaning for me. It is the day that I found the Lord to be real to me. It was a turning point in my life that I still hold as the most important day of my life. It was a Thursday evening in a small church in Cucamonga, California. I don’t remember the message that Rev. J.E. Cook preached that revival night. I just remember seeking to find forgiveness and acceptance. 51 years ago, I knelt at an altar of prayer as these strangers gathered around me praying that God would save me from a life lived in sin to a new life in Christ. The journey since that day remains the same. I still seek and search for Him with all my heart. He has never failed me, and is always there when I need Him. It has been a life of seeking, a desire to know the will of God. “Seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.” Matt. 6:33 has been the journey and destination theme of my life. The path to my eternal destination is filled with failures, disappointments, and unwanted circumstances, but through it all He has never been a disappointment or led me astray. As I continue this journey, I pray that the Lord will let me see my kids and grandkids come to Him as I have known Him. He is everything to me and each day, I will seek Him with all my heart, and will be found by Him.

Holding Fast- 50 Years

 Revelation 3:11
 Behold, I come quickly; hold fast that which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.

It was 50 years ago today that I took hold of a new life in Christ. There have been times in the last 50 years that my hands have trembled, and my grip was not always as tight as it should have been. Saved in a church that held strong against the trappings of the world and adding a few of their own rules and regulations, I have navigated through life asking the Holy Spirit to lead me, on the path of right living. 50 years later, at the age of 65, I still find myself navigating through life, shunning that which is evil and embracing that which is good. Holding fast to that which is clearly given to us in God’s word. Holding fast to Jesus, who is the only way to the Father. Holding fast to the promises of God’s word. Holding fast to my faith and belief that God is a rewarder for those that diligently seek Him (Heb 11:6) My eyes are set on that which is above. I’ve come too far to turn back now. He is the author and finisher of my faith. 
I started this journey as a young teenage boy of 15, and believe that God brought me to a body of believers that desired to live holy lives in this present world. Some were in bondage to their man-made rules, but many sincerely desired to please God in the way they lived. I hold fast to the teaching of a life of holiness. I find it to be a good way to live. I don’t hold fast to rules, but I do hold fast to God’s commandments that help and guide the way I live and the rules I keep. Those who have let go of God’s word will someday fall on their knees to confess that He is Lord of all. The temptation to let go and accept the way of the world and its “woke” ideas will cause the crown of God to fall from our head. We must hold fast to Christ, let our light shine in this dark sinful world, and don’t let anyone or anything take it away.

Whosoever Shall Be Saved

 Roman 10:13
For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

What do we need to be saved from? Why do we need to be excused? We, creatures of humanity, born of Adam, inheriting the Adamic nature from the fall of Adam and Eve are a fallen race. Sin abides in our heart and the wages of sin is death. But, Jesus came to save us from death. He took upon Him the sins of the world, died on the cross and paid the debt that we owed. Everyone who will believe, and accept this work of Christ will be saved. Believing and accepting implies that we know that we are sinners and recognize that Jesus alone can forgive our sinful way. We confess with our mouth our depravity, and believe in our heart that Jesus took upon Himself our sins, we can be saved. The core of equity is made clear in scripture. “Whosoever” means every human being born on earth has access to this salvation. God is no respecter of person, regardless of the color of your skin, the identity of your birth, the culture of your land, or the genealogy line you come from, we all have the opportunity to be saved. God so loved the world, that He gave Son that we may be saved. We confess, We believe! We are saved.

Nothing Too Hard for God

Jeremiah 32:17
‘Ah, Lord God! It is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you.

It did not seem that there was any hope for Judah. Babylon was allowed to besiege their land, yet God promised that a day would come that Judah would once again reclaim what was theirs. At the time this seemed to be unlikely to happen. But Jeremiah realized that God, who is in control of nations and governments rising and falling, recognized that with God, nothing was too hard. There are things in our lives that look impossible. We recognize that unless God steps in, there is no hope. Jesus said, “With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.” The word of Christ was spoken to his disciples when things seem to be impossible to accomplish in the human. Especially when it comes to the salvation of the heart. There is nothing that man can do to achieve salvation with human efforts. Salvation comes only through Christ. The person gone deep into sin or the person who was raised in a well refined culture home all need to be saved. There is nothing too hard that He can do, He can save to the uttermost all who are willing to believe. We need to continue to pray for family, friends, and souls that are lost in sin. No matter their walk in life, Jesus desires to reach down and release them from the bondage of Satan. He has the power and desires that no one perishes, but that all come to repentance.

Believe in The Lord

 Act 16:31

 And they answered, “Believe in the Lord Jesus [as your personal Savior and entrust yourself to Him] and you will be saved, you and your household [if they also believe].” 

It appears for this jail guard that seeing was believing. Sometimes God has to do something drastic to get our attention. We (humanity) are so busy making a living, entertaining ourselves with the things of this world that we fail to see God’s purpose for our lives. Even good people who love their family and want what is best for others, can be distracted from God’s purpose for their lives. It is the will (purpose) of God that all people will come to believe that Jesus can be a personal Savior and come to a place where we put our entire trust in Him. Jesus came to earth for more than just showing us how to love others and treat our neighbor with kindness, He came to take us out of the darkness of sin, forgive our sins, send the Holy Spirit to dwell in our hearts. This is what living is all about, serving Him brings fulfillment, knowing that He will guide our steps and walk this earthly journey with us. 

Who Shall Be Saved

 Romans 10:13
 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Salvation is not automatic. Christ dying on the cross for the world does not save the world, but it provides a way for the world to be saved. The world is lost in darkness and sin remains lost and without hope, unless it calls upon the Name of the Lord. The Gospel is no respecter of people. Salvation is not restricted to a selected few or some elect hand-picked by God. All people from all lands, all cultures, all languages have access to this great salvation. It is truly for whoever will. We are not born Christians, or even raised Christians, we become Christians when we call on His Name, confess with our lips that we are sinners, and make Him Lord of our life. 

Believe

Acts 16:30,31 …What must I do to be saved?…And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved…

Believing is more that just a consent of the mind that something is true. Believing that Jesus is the Son of God who walked and lived in this world, put to death by those who refuse to acknowledge his Lordship is not enough to be saved from the curse of sin and eternal damnation. The jailer recognized the power of God, and Paul and Silas were empowered by the Holy Spirit as they praised God in song. Falling on his knee, he wanted what Paul and Silas had. How could they praise God in the midst of being persecuted? Who was this Jesus that they worship, willing to be imprison and even willing to die? He was troubled and convicted of his sin. He wanted no part in the accusation of these God fearing men. What must I do to have what you have? This was the underling question. The jailer confess his need, accepted Christ and acknowledge Christ through baptism. His changed life reached out to his family and no doubt, everyone that he came in contact with.

The Gift of God

Eph. 2:8,9 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:..Not of works, lest any man should boast.

As good and kind as we try to be, it is not the key that unlocks the door to eternal life. By no fault of our own, we are all born in sin. The fall of Adam and Eve place the curse of sin on all humanity. At birth, lays within us an enmity against God that refuses to submit to the will of God. But God has also put in each of us a desire to know Him. The struggle between good and evil is the conflict of ages. The victory over evil cannot be achieved by doing or being good. Sin must be removed, sin must be cast out, sin must be destroyed. All our goodness and righteousness is but filthy rags, it will never be able to make us clean and fit. God so loved humanity, that He sent us a gift, His only Son, Jesus Christ to earth. His life paved the pathway giving us an example how to live good and righteous, but that example was not enough. The gift of God was to provide a way to remove sin. The propitiation was made, Christ died on the cross and shed His blood for our sin. By this grace are we now able to come boldly into God’s presence. This gift of God is only obtained through faith in believing that Jesus died for our sins and through His blood we are made clean. It is this grace that gives us the earnest desire to do good works and to live a life that is pleasing to Him. Doing what is right and good is product of our faith. Faith ceases to exist when our deeds become evil. It is the lost of faith that separates us from God, manifested by our works. No amount of works will save us without believe and accepting Jesus as our propitiation for sin.

Faith to be Saved

Luke 18:42 And Jesus said unto him, Receive thy sight: thy faith hath saved thee.

Faith requires some action. James says that “Faith without works is dead” We are not saved by works, but our faith is demonstrated by the effort we make to step out in faith. Taking the first step is an act of works. It requires action on the part of the person who has faith. The blind man begging on the street corner demonstrated his faith when he cried out and was given an audience with the one he believed could heal his blinded eyes. We are all born as sinners and are blinded by sin in our lives. I remember when Jesus passed by in my life. The day my eyes were open to His love, grace and forgiveness. I saw that I was a sinner in need of a Savior. Jesus spoke to my heart and said, “Believe in Me and you will be saved” It will be a day that I will never forget,when my eyes were open to the spiritual world around me. If we but believe, have faith that He is God and is able to open our eyes, He will do it!

I First Saw The Cross

1 Corinth 1:18 “For the preaching of the cross is foolishness to those who perish; but unto us who are saved, it is the power of God.”-

It was a just an old wooden altar in a small holiness church where I knelt to pray. It was where I first saw the cross and the light of God revealed to me the true meaning of his death and why He had to die. I grew up knowing that the cross has significant meaning and was a holy symbol of the church, but I was blinded to the realization that the cross was the power of God that could save me from my sins. It was not the church or a man behind a screen wall that was able to forgive me from my sins, It was  Jesus, the One who gave His life for me. The One who gave me a new life, the One that opened my eyes to the spiritual world. It has become the center theme of my life. Through Christ there is power to live a Christian life. Power to overcome the trails and temptation of life. Yes, even in the possibility of failure, there is power to forgive and restore. Power is not in the object of a cross, but in the One who was nailed to it. For those who are saved, it is the landmark and beginning of a journey that will lead to eternal life. Cease the power, through the cross.

New Life in Christ

2 Cor 5:17 “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things have become new.”- 

It was Feb 21st, 1974 that I began my spiritual journey as a new babe in Christ. The life I lived before Christ was a short 15 years. The sins of my life were washed in the blood of Christ. I became a new person, and slowly my life style started to change as I grew in the knowledge of my Lord. Life now had new meaning and purpose as my eyes were open to spiritual truths. I now look at life through the eyes of God’s Word. Christ became the center of my Life and everything I did was focused on pleasing Him. Almost 40 years later, and I don’t regret the path that I choose to take. A life of full surrender and adventure as I journey this earth with the Lover of my Soul by my side. 

Born Again in Christ

39 years ago today on a Thursday evening, February 21st, 1974 I knelt at an altar of prayer in Cucamonga California confessing my sins and asking Jesus to come into my heart. My life changed forever more on that Thursday evening. Rev. J.E Cook was preaching revival. I remember coming home that night with Pattie and telling my mother that I had accepted Jesus as my Savior. Things are different now, my coarse was set and I have never seriously looked back.

Justified By Faith

April, 13th, 2008
Galatians 3:1-14
Paul writing to the Galatians was totally bewildered how quickly they had been fooled. They were being taught that staying saved and being made perfect was done by keeping the law. He eloquently revealed to them through scripture, that faith in God’s promise (Christ) was the only way. It was the Spirit that begun the work and it is the Spirit that will bring it to perfection. We our not made perfect or more spiritual by keeping rules, it is our faith in God’s Spirit through Christ to bring us unto perfection and perfect obedience.

Bewitched and Fooled
• Galatians- Intellectual minds being fooled
• Obedience to the truth neglected
• Crucified with Christ- dead to the law
Brought to Question
• Persuaded by logic
• Where did this experience come from?
• Reflect back to day you got saved?
Begun in the Spirit
• The Work of the Spirit
• Receiving the Spirit in Salvation
Being Made Perfect
• Made perfect by faith or works (outward rules)
• Perfection is obtain through faith
Building in Vain
• All of their efforts of the past are for not
• Casting away that which they suffered for.
Believing God as Abraham
• The promise was give to Abraham before the law
• Abraham’s trust was in God, not a set of rules
Blessed with Abraham
• The Blessing (the promise) of Abraham to the Gentiles
• Heir of Abraham because of our faith in God promises
• The father of the faithful to all who believe.
• The promise of the Spirit only through faith
• Argument: The SEED is Christ, all nations are blessed
Book of Laws
• Was establish to show how sinful we are
• The is a schoolmaster to bring us to Christ
• The Law requires payment and justice
• All have sinned (our cursed) and come short
Bought with a Price
• Christ took on the curse (the judgment-payment) for us
• We our redeemed through his death on the cross
• Atonement was made- Christ fulfill the law’s requirements