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RECALCULATING!

8/24/2015

Ever since I started using a GPS, traveling to unfamiliar places has become a lot easier for me. When using the GPS, it’s been my experience that any time I don’t follow its instructions to the letter, missing a turn or taking the wrong exit, I get this voice alert: “Recalculating!” That alert simply means I am getting off the path to my intended destination, and therefore need to follow the subsequent instruction to get back on track. To my surprise, following the new directions does really work. I may get to my destination a bit later, but I do get there.

Christians are called to shun sin and evil, to walk in Christ’s footsteps, allowing the Holy Spirit and the Word of God to direct us. However, every now and then, we get off course, the result of our sin nature, and need to be redirected. The Holy Spirit directs us, and quite often redirects us when we are not walking in obedience to the word of God. Do you ever hear the Holy Spirit’s alert -“Recalculating”? If so, how do you respond to Him? Do you continue down the path He is steering you away from, or do you take the redirected path to continue sweet fellowship with your Lord and Master?

What are some of the wrong paths we may find ourselves on, requiring His redirection? Consider these: have you ever been on the path of un-forgiveness, envy, jealousy, laziness, procrastination, lust, fornication, adultery, greed, evil desires, or the like? See Colossians 3:5. If we are honest, we’ll admit to at least one of the aforementioned behaviors. Now, how have you responded to the Holy Spirit’s nudging? Have you allowed Him to redirect you, or you are still on the path that will lead you farther away from God? The Word says God’s wrath is coming because of these sins (see Colossians 3:6), and Paul admonishes, “Now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator” (Colossians 3:8-10 NIV84).

Obedience to the Word of God is proof that we love Him! See John 14:23. We cannot claim to love Him while deliberately living in disobedience; if we do, the Bible says we are liars (see 1 John 2:4). Stop doing wrong and return to the path of submission. The Scripture says, “The Father disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as son” (Hebrews 12:6 NIV84). Also, in Revelation, God warns the church in Laodicea, “Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent” (Revelation 3:19 NIV84). Don’t make Him bring hardship or calamity into your life; He is patient with us, but He loves us too much to sit back and watch us destroy ourselves. Don’t continue to live in sin with the attitude that “God forgives.” It is disrespectful to intentionally do things we know break His heart or offend Him.

No matter where you got off course in your Christian walk, the process to get back on track is the same. When the Spirit convicts you of something, you need to agree with Him, repent, and ask for forgiveness. Don’t stop there; go on and remedy the situation. You might need to apologize to others, return or pay back what you borrowed. In short, you need to make restitution as needed. Let’s allow ourselves to be redirected by the Holy Spirit so we can continue to grow in our Christian walk, and have unbroken fellowship with God. Let’s be attentive, so we don’t miss hearing the Spirit’s alert: “Recalculating.”

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YOU MAY DISAGREE, BUT AT YOUR OWN PERIL

8/18/2015

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Truth is defined as that which is true or in accordance with fact or reality. There is something very refreshing and freeing about truth, because it does not change. Truth is non-negotiable; it is not affected by peoples’ view of it, and it does not take other positions into consideration; it stands alone. If it took other positions into consideration, there’d be no truth; it will cease to exist, and sadly, there’ll be only conflicting ideas that lead to chaos. Consequently, there will be no need for law enforcement of any kind in society; everyone will be free to live out his or her own truth. What a messy world that will be!

Psalm 24:1 NIV84 says, “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.” Will this fact change because someone insists there is no God? Of course not! If a child says to his parents, “You are not my parents,” would that change the fact that they really are, and could produce documents to prove it? Certainly not!

If you live on planet earth, anywhere in the world, you belong to God, and it behooves you to listen to what He says. One of the most basic things He wants us to pay attention to has to do with our relationship with Him through His Son, Jesus. In reference to Jesus, the Bible says, “To those who believed in His (Jesus) name, He gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:14 NIV84). Do you believe in His name? Until you believe in Him, you are not His child; you are His creation, and of course, you are free to disagree with His claim of ownership on your life.

If you do not wish to be a child of God, then you are all set; you don’t have to do anything different from what you are already doing. On the other hand, if you’d like to be a child of God, you’ll need to ask God for forgiveness of sin through Jesus. Disagreeing with this process is very unproductive, because disagreement is not an acceptable excuse for unbelief. It won’t exempt you from accountability. It will only place you in the category of unbelief for which the consequence is already spelt out. It goes like this, “Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son” (John 3:18 NIV84).

God is Truth; He does not change, and He does not take His words back (see Malachi 3:6, Isaiah 31:2). So we are the ones who need to change. Our way of thinking needs to come into alignment with His Word. If He says our relationship with Him will be restored only through faith in Jesus, then that is the only way to go. Please don’t waste time going around in circles, and coming up with seemingly-cute arguments, because His Word will never change to accommodate your unbelief and disobedience. You are free to choose what you want to believe, but also, be aware that what God says is final! Time is running out; do it God’s way by placing your faith in Jesus today for salvation! “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16 NIV84).

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THE TEMPLE OF GOD

8/11/2015

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What is a temple? A temple (from the Latin word templum) is a structure reserved for religious or spiritual activities, such as prayer and sacrifice, or analogous rites. So in short, a temple is a place of worship, and for the Christian, the temple is the house of God.

The first Israeli-temple was a permanent worship center built by King Solomon, the second king of Israel, four years into his reign. It was built four hundred and eighty years after the Israelites came out of their captivity in Egypt (see 1 Kings 6:1). David his father, had wanted to be the one to build the temple, but God had other plans. God said to David, “Your son whom I will put on the throne in your place will build the temple for my name” (1 Kings 5:3 NIV84). In preparation for this project, King David put together most of the materials and supplies the builders would need for building the temple.

That structure was huge and magnificent! See 1 Kings 6:2-36. Unfortunately, it was later destroyed by fire; by the armies of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, during the reign of King Zedekiah (see 2 Chronicles 36:17-20).

The temple was later rebuilt at the command of Cyrus, king of Persia, who proclaimed throughout his kingdom, that God had appointed him to rebuild the temple at Jerusalem in Judah (see Ezra 1:1-4). Some of the Israelites in captivity returned home to undertake that project. When the foundation was laid, the Israelites who had seen the first temple, many years prior, wept bitterly, because the foundation of the new temple was no match for the first one (see Ezra 3:12-13).

The temple remained a place of worship, a place of sacrifice, and a place where God met with His people. Anything or anybody considered unclean for health or other reasons was not allowed in the temple; an indication that God wants the temple to remain holy at all times.

During the time of Jesus, the temple area had become a trading place. Offended by the practice, Jesus overturned the tables and benches of the traders, and drove them out saying to them, “It is written my house will be called a house of prayer, but you are making it a den of robbers” (Matthew 21:13 NIV84).

It is obvious that the temple we’ve looked at so far is a physical structure visible to the human eyes, built by humans, with human hands, human effort, and physical materials. But there is another temple; it is invisible, made without human hands, or human efforts. It is not built over time, but rather instantly.

This temple of course is a spiritual temple. It is erected as soon as a person makes a confession of faith in Jesus Christ. At that instance, God comes to indwell the believer in the form of the Holy Spirit. The indwelling of the Holy Spirit makes one’s heart the temple of God. God didn’t live there prior to conversion, because it was cluttered with sin. Jesus’ blood cleanses us from all sin, making our heart the only suitable dwelling place for the Holy Spirit. So now God’s dwelling place is no longer a physical structure, but a spiritual one, our heart. The apostle Paul on teaching the people of Athens about the true God, said, “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands” (Acts 17:24 NIV84).

Just as God demanded His temple to be kept holy in the Old Testament, so He requires of us, in the Church-age to keep the temple of our bodies clean. It is important to note that there are consequences for destroying God’s temple.

On warning the Church of Corinth, about taking good care of themselves, the apostle Paul said to them, and to all Christians of course, “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him; for God’s temple is sacred, and you are that temple” (1 Corinthians 3:16-17 NIV84). On the topic of sexual immorality, Paul again wrote to them, “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God” (1 Corinthians 6:19)?

If we constantly remind ourselves that we are God’s temple, we’ll be a bit more careful about what we do to our bodies, what we do with our bodies, and what we subject our bodies to. For instance, some of the conversations and music we listen to, some of the things we think about, and some of the things we watch have the ability to contaminate our thoughts. Let’s remember, “We are the temple of the living God” (2 cor 6:16 NIV84). Paul reminds us in his letter to the Philippians, “Whatever is true, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things” (Philippians 4:8 NIV84). May God help us to respect His house and keep it clean!

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BE CAREFUL WHICH EXIT YOU TAKE

8/4/2015

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I was on the highway the other day, going home from a doctor’s visit. The exit off the highway that will take me home was further divided into two. This meant, off the highway, I had to make a choice. Which way should I go? I could go either to the left or to the right. Of course these two sub-exits lead to different destinations, and only one would lead me home. I went right; the driver behind me went left. What if the driver who went left really wanted to go to my house or to my neighborhood, would that left exit get him to that intended destination? No!

Everybody in this world is on a journey, going somewhere. There are at least three groups of people on this journey, and there are two destinations to choose from. The people in the first group know where they are going, and know how to get there. They are sure they are on the right road and going in the right direction, and even know what to expect at their destination.

The people in the second group have no idea where they are going or where they’d like to go, and so how they get there does not seem to be a concern; they seem to be saying, “Any destination is good.” The truth is these people will be very surprised, terrified, and disappointed when they arrive at their unplanned destination. Where they find themselves at the end of their journey will not be anything they’d like to identify with. But unfortunately, they’ll not be able to turn around, or go in a different direction. That destination will be their home forever.

Those in the third group on the other hand, know where they want to go, but don’t know how to get there. Yet they assume and claim that they are already on the right path. The people in this group need to be redirected. Desiring to arrive at a particular destination will not get you there if you take the wrong road or wrong exit. The destination at the end of the road you are on is where you’ll end up, whether or not it was your intended destination. Some of the people in this group will accept re-direction, but the others won’t.

So let’s break it down this way. The people in the first group are people who hear the gospel of Jesus Christ and understand that Jesus died in their place. They confess their sins to God, and accept His forgiveness through Jesus Christ who paid the penalty for their sins. This group is walking by faith in Jesus, and using the Bible as their roadmap to get to their destination out of this world – heaven. At their destination, they know without a doubt that they will see Jesus face to face and live with Him forever. I thank God I am a member of this group. His promises to us include: mansions, good health (no sickness), and eternal life (no death). Humanly speaking, heaven is an indescribable place (See 2 Corinthians 12:2-4). This is how the Bible describes it, “Now the dwelling place of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away” (Revelation 21:3-4).

The people in the second group don’t think God exists. They think when they die, it is over; there is nothing after death. Wrong! They argue about the concept that there is life after death, therefore, they live to please themselves, they are a law unto themselves, and they like to keep it that way. According to the Bible though, their conscience tells them differently, because God’s law is written in their hearts (see Romans 2:15).

The people in the third group believe God exists, they believe there is life after death, and they’d like to go to heaven. So far so good, but which route are they on; which exit are they taking? This group is travelling in the wrong direction; I’m sure you’re wondering, “How so?” Well, their beliefs are inconsistent with biblical teachings. For instance, some of them believe there are other ways to get to heaven, which there are not, according to the Bible. Others in this group believe Jesus is not the only way to heaven, they cite other deities. However, the bible clearly says, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12 NIV84). Jesus himself told His disciples, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6 Niv84). Furthermore, they also believe they are good people doing good deeds, and that should qualify them to get into heaven. The Bible addresses that position as well, “It is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9 NIV84).

Which of these groups do you identify with? Which road are you on, and which exit are you taking? Do you need to be redirected? The Bible is the Word of God, and God does not lie. If whatever you believe or think does not line up with what the Bible says, you need to rethink your stand and position. Get on the right path and go in the right direction, by placing your faith in Jesus, the Son of God who died in your place.

Jesus is your only hope for eternal life! Arguing about your position isn’t going to change God’s mind. The Bible says, “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life…There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son” (John 3:16-18 NLT2013). Place your faith in Jesus today and be saved!

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RECALCULATING!

YOU MAY DISAGREE, BUT AT YOUR OWN PERIL

THE TEMPLE OF GOD

B﻿E CAREFUL WHICH EXIT YOU TAKE

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BE CAREFUL WHICH EXIT YOU TAKE