Filled With Contentment

1 Timothy 6:6-8



 
But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.

Do we believe that we have a good God who knows exactly what we truly need? (need not want) Or are we discontent, continually feeling the need to provide a little more for ourselves? The Apostle Paul is reminding us here that even if we go to church and pray regularly, give to the poor and do all the things that "super Christians" appear to do, we are missing everything if we are not content with what God has given us! Contentment is born out of faith in our hearts. We can trust in God's goodness and provision over our own today.

Worship In Spirit and Truth

 Roman 8:26
 
Likewise the Spirit also help our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself make intercession for us with groaning

... JESUS is our advocate before the
Throne of GOD. Because of HIS
perfect sacrifice, HIS obedience,
HIS righteousness we have standing
by HIS grace and in HIS grace alone.
HE pleads for us, and HE is just;
HE will make things right!!

God is looking
and longing to find;
A ready and willing
heart that says:
"Not my will, Lord;
But Thine!

John 4:23-24, But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." 

 

 Jesus was speaking to a Samaritan woman at Jacob's well in Samaria. As background, you will remember that the Samaritans didn't go to Jerusalem to worship God in the Temple there. They attempted to offer worship to God in another temple on a mountain in Samaria. Many years before, during the time of the divided Kingdom, the Northern Kingdom of Israel had established its own temple on a mountain in Samaria while only the southern Kingdom of Judah remained faithful to worship at the temple in Jerusalem.

 During the time of Christ only a remnant of the Israelites of the Northern Kingdom, people of mixed blood, still lived in the area. They were called Samaritans and they were still going to the temple in Samaria to worship God. The woman speaking with Jesus at the well had raised the old question with Jesus, should temple worship be done in Samaria as she had been taught, or in Jerusalem as the Jews taught. Remember, she was referring to worship in a temple, a building built by people in a specific location on the map. Jesus answered her with the words quoted above from John 4:23-24.

 In essence, Jesus said that the hour is near when true worshipers will not need to go to a specific temple building to find God to worship Him. In the future, worship will be done in spirit and truth. And to explain what He meant by the use of the word "spirit" He added, "God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."


It appears that Jesus was making a contrast to the thoughts of the Samaritan woman which were about going to the right place on the map of earth to worship God. Jesus, in His answer to the woman was looking to the time, shortly to come to pass, when the temple at Jerusalem would have served its purpose and would no longer be important in worship of God. No longer would people have to worry about which is the true geographical place of worship, whether it is in Jerusalem or in Samaria, for Jesus was saying that your worship from now on is to be centered in something spiritual rather than material.


For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father Ephesians 2:18 .

That is, both Jews and Gentiles "we both factions": being made one, and reconciled unto God, and having the Gospel of peace preached to both, they have through Christ freedom of access and boldness in it.

One Spirit unto the Father
they may come to God as the Father of spirits, and of mercies, who has made their souls or spirits, and bestowed his mercies on them in great abundance; and as the Father of Christ, and as their God and Father in Christ: and the rather they should consider him in this relation to them, in order to command in them a reverence and fear of him; to secure a freedom and liberty in their approach to him; and to encourage an holy boldness, and a fiducial confidence in him; and to teach them submission to his will: and their access to him is "through" Christ, who has made peace for them, and atonement for their sins; who has satisfied law and justice, and brought in an everlasting righteousness for them; so that there is nothing lies in their way to hinder them; and besides, he takes them as it were by the hand, and leads them into the presence of his Father, and presents their petitions for them, on whose account they have both audience and acceptance with God: and this access is also "by one Spirit"; the "Holy Spirit",

 who is necessary in access to God, as a spirit of adoption, to enable and encourage souls to go to God as a father; and as a spirit of supplication, to teach both how to pray, and for what, as they should; and as a free spirit to give them liberty to speak their minds freely, and pour out their souls to God; and as a spirit of faith to engage them to pray in faith, and with holy boldness, confidence, and importunity; and he is said to be "one", both with respect to the persons to and by whom access is had, the Father and Christ, for he is the one and the same Spirit of the Father and of the Son; and with respect to the persons who have this access, Jews and Gentiles, who as they make up one body, are actuated and directed by, and drink into one and the same Spirit: hence this access to God is of a spiritual kind; it is a drawing nigh to God with the heart, and a worshipping him in spirit; and is by faith, and may be with freedom, and should be, with reverence, and ought to be frequent; and is a peculiar privilege that belongs to the children of God; and who have great honor bestowed upon them, to have access to God at any time, as their Father, through Christ the Mediator, and under the influence, and by the direction and assistance of the Holy Spirit: this is a considerable proof of a trinity of persons in the Godhead, of their deity and distinct personality. Be blessed and have a wonderful day in Christ. Much love!

Jesus Answered and Said

John 14:20-22

 Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

The Lord Jesus Christ is Himself the way to heaven. He does not merely show t...he way; He is the way. Salvation is in a Person. Accept that Person as your own, and you have salvation. Christianity is Christ. The Lord Jesus is not just one of many ways. He is the only Way. No one comes to the Father except through Him. The way to God is not by the Ten Commandments, the Golden Rule, ordinances, church membership-it is through Christ and Christ alone. Today many say that it does not matter what you believe as long as you are sincere. They say that all religions have some good in them and that they all lead to heaven at last. But Jesus said, "No one comes to the Father except through Me."


The Lord begins in John 14:1 a long discourse that continues through Chapter 17 and ends with His prayer for them. Jesus had repeatedly talked about His coming death and departure and He brings into a sharp focus the comments He had made. At this time the disciples did not seem to accept or understand, but obviously now this truth was beginning to sink in that the Lord was leaving them. In John 16:6 Jesus in the middle of this discourse mentions they were sorrowful because He had told them He would leave. His leaving was puzzling to them because they believed He was the Messiah. Their understanding was that He would be soon setting up His kingdom and ruling from Jerusalem as Israel's Deliverer. (See John 16:17-18)

The obvious question was if He is about to become the King of Israel, why was he saying He was going to be betrayed, that He would die, and leave them? How could this happen to the promised Messiah? His great power in preforming miracles demonstrated that He was the Messiah and they believed was the Son of God. (See Matt. 16:16, Luke 22:70; Joh. 3:18, 5:25, 6:69, 11:14) Jesus now begins to help them to understand and to prepare them for the coming events.

"Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, ye may be also." (John 14:1-3)

Jesus' response was one of disappointment, but it must be understood that after Jesus' resurrection Philip and the disciples would understand. Philip had been a disciple longer than most of the other disciples and had seen innumerable signs. However, he had not believed. This seems to be the key to understanding his response. After the resurrection, even when the other disciples said they had seen the resurrected Lord, Thomas did not believe them. He wanted to touch the Lord's hands and side in order to believe. His nature was to doubt. What a lesson is here for the doubters. Jesus is to be accepted and believed because of who He is and upon His credibility as our God and Creator (See John 1:1-4).

How hard it seems to be for some, to simply believe God. The pastor and teacher who proclaim God's word can also feel the same disappointment and sadness as did the Lord. It is painful for the man of God to Sunday after Sunday proclaimed God's word, to love, care and sacrifice for his congregation, and yet stand at the back door as they leave the services, knowing that most go away unchanged, ignoring the principles that would bring such blessings to their lives. Jesus appeals to them to believe Him because of the marvelous works He had done. They had seen Him heal every disease, even lepers, the dumb, blind, lame, and even raised the dead. That should have been proof enough of who He was, but it was not.


"Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it. If ye love me, keep my commandments." (John 14:12-15)


Modern critics have criticized the King James Bible translating the word "Parakletos" as "Comforter." The NIV translates the word "Counselor" whereas the NKJV uses the word "Helper." The Holy Spirit is certainly the believer's Counselor and Helper, but according to the context of Jesus' statement Jesus' intent was to reassure and comfort them in sending the Person of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit would be their Comforter or consoler in His absence. This is confirmed by Jesus' statement in verse 18.


"I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also. At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you. He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him." (John 14:18-21)


Again the Lord qualifies what is saving faith. Those that believe unto salvation are those who keep His commandments. The one's whose faith produces action in their lives and who truly love the Lord Jesus, are those who are saved and loved by the Father. What more comforting statement could He make than tell them He loved them and would show Himself to them. God says to those who believe, "Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me." (Hebrews 13:5-6)


"Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world? Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me." (John 14:22-24)

The Son Question (Jesus Is Real)

Acts 4:11–12

 

"For Jesus is the one referred to in the Scriptures, where it says, 'The stone that you builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.' There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved."

 

Let me ask you a very important question. If you were to die this very second, would you know for sure, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that you would go to Heaven? If you answered “yes” to the above question, is that because you are a good person and/or because you attend church regularly?


The conventional wisdom about what happens when you die is that you will stand before God,

Many good people think that by being good and not hurting anyone, or because they have performed many good deeds, or because they attend church every Sunday, that they are going to heaven. I’m sorry to tell you that your good deeds, church attendance, or good behavior will not get you into heaven.


Then the other belief is that if you have done enough bad things that outweigh your good works, then you will go to hell, because hell is for bad people. Heaven is for good people who get in by good works, while hell is for bad people who do bad things.


But that is not what the Bible teaches. The Bible teaches that hell is prepared for the devil and his angels (see Matthew 25:41); it isn't prepared for bad people at all.


Heaven is the dwelling place of God, and the way you get into heaven is on the basis of what you did with Jesus. What God will want to know is did you believe in Jesus Christ?


Even if you have lived a wicked life and sinned throughout all of it, if on your deathbed you were to call out to the Lord Jesus Christ in genuine repentance, you would go to heaven. But if you lived a good life and have been a relatively moral person and have done good deeds, but you have never put your faith in Jesus Christ, then you would not go to heaven. And by the way, your good works never would outweigh your bad works. So be thankful that is not what you will be judged for.


Has anyone ever told you before that God loves you, and that He has a wonderful plan for your life?  It’s true. God Loves you and wants you to come to know His son, Jesus today.  JESUS is there with you right now and He wants to be your Lord and Savior. Are you ready to know Jesus, the Savior  who loves you so much that He died just for you?  You were on His mind when He hung on that cross.

 If your not born again, and you don't know Jesus. Its your time. Let me take a moment to introduce my best Friend and Father in Heaven. It take less then a minute. A simple prayer. Dear Lord Jesus, I am a sinner come into my heart.  Forgive me of my sin. and that I might become a new creation in Christ. Wash me and cleanse me. Set me free.  Jesus, thank You for dying and shedding your blood for me and my sins at the cross.  I believe that You are risen from the dead and that You’re coming back again for me.  Fill me with the Holy Spirit.  Give me a passion for the lost, a hunger for the things of God and a Holy boldness to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I confess that I’m saved; I’m born again, I’m forgiven and I’m on my way to Heaven because I have Jesus in my heart.  Amen.

I encourage you to get a Bible and begin to spend time with Him (Jesus) in His Word. Start with the New Testament. Check out the churches listed on this website. Find one that teaches the whole Word of God.  And go, share the good news of the Gospel and bring others to Jesus.

 
The assurance that we will go to heaven is not as our culture often sees it, but this is as the Bible teaches it. It is the Son question—not the sin question. God bless you  and stand strong and firm in God's word and live it. have a wonderful day.. Love you all Saints..

Spiritual Weapons

Acts 12:5

 



Peter was therefore kept in prison, but constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church.

Think about the daunting challenge the church of the first century faced. They had no political base, no voting block in the Roman Senate, and no emperor of Rome who was sympathetic toward them. The first Christians did not outargue the pagans; they outlived them. Christianity made no attempts to conquer paganism and dead Judaism blow by blow. Instead, the Christians of the first century outfought, outlived, and outprayed the nonbelievers.

That is because they recognized that their weapons were not physical, they were spiritual. We don't read that the Christians armed themselves and led a revolt against Rome. Rome had the most powerful military on the face of the earth at that time. The first-century believers essentially said, "Let's fight fire with fire. Let's recognize this is a spiritual battle, and let's use spiritual weaponry."

In Acts 12, we find the early church facing an incredible difficulty. Herod had James, who was one of Jesus' disciples and the brother of John, executed. Then he decided to throw Peter in prison. So what did the church do? Did they undertake a campaign to have Herod overthrown? No. We read that "constant prayer was offered to God for [Peter] by the church" (verse 5).

What is the spiritual weaponry that God has given us to fight the battle today? It is primarily prayer and the preaching of the gospel.

The problem is that we don't use this weaponry. We use political means or other avenues to try to solve the problems, and we end up like a person trying to put a forest fire out with a squirt gun. Let's use the spiritual weapons that God has given us. “For the weapons of our warfare are mighty through God” (2 Cor. 10:3-5). USE THE WEAPONS OF THIS SPIRITUAL WAR THROUGH GOD'S POWER IN YOU! The key to spiritual growth is mental transformation (Rom. 12:2; 8:4-6). Have a blessed and beautiful day Saints.

Nourishing Your Body With Good Food

1 Thessalonians 2:13

You accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is at work in you who believe.

And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is at work in you who believe. – 1 Thessalonians 2:13

How do we view the Bible? A guideline of morality? A handbook for life? The Scripture has a self-awareness that is far more profound. When we see the Bible as the very words of God, the goal changes from learning to being transformed. The Bible is living and active and, if we accept that, it can do a work in us that we can’t do ourselves. Let the Bible do the work for you today and accept it in it’s full power.

A righteousness of imputation, namely, Christ's righteousness. He shall be called the Lord our righteousness' (Jeremiah 23:6). This is as truly ours to justify, as it is Christ's to bestow. By virtue of this righteousness God looks upon us as if we had never sinned (Numbers 23:21). This is a perfect righteousness. Ye are complete in him' (Colossians 2:10). This does not only cover but adorn. He who has this righteousness is equal to the most illustrious saints. The weakest believer is justified as much as the strongest. This is a Christian's triumph. When he is defiled in himself, he is undefiled in his Head. In this blessed righteousness we shine brighter than the angels. This righteousness is worth hungering after.

A righteousness of implantation: that is, inherent righteousness, namely, the graces of the Spirit, holiness of heart and life, which Cajetan calls universal righteousness'. This a pious soul hungers after. This is a blessed hunger. Bodily hunger cannot make a man so miserable as spiritual hunger makes him blessed. This evidences life. A dead man cannot hunger. Hunger proceeds from life. The first thing the child does when it is born, is to hunger after the breast. Spiritual hunger follows upon the new birth (1 Peter 2:2). Saint Bernard in one of his Soliloquies comforts himself with this, that sure he had the truth of grace in him, because he had in his heart a strong desire after God. It is happy when, though we have not what we should, we desire what we have not. The appetite is as well from God as the food.

The hypocrite's desires are cheap. He would have spiritual things, but will be at no charges for them. He cares not how much money he parts with for his lusts; he has money to spend upon a drunken companion; but he has no money to part with for the maintaining of God's ordinances. Hypocrites cry up religion, but cry down maintenance of ministers. But true desires are costly. David would not offer burnt-offerings without cost (1 Chronicles 21:24). An hungry man will give anything for food; as it fell out in the siege of Samaria (2 Kings 6:25). That man never hungered after Christ who thinks much of parting with a little silver for the Pearl of price'.

1 See here at what a low price God sets heavenly things. It is but hungering and thirsting. Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, buy without money' (Isaiah 55:1). We are not bid to bring any merits as the Papists would do, nor to bring a sum of money to purchase righteousness. Rich men would be loath to do that. All that is required is to bring an appetite. Christ hash fulfilled all righteousness'. We are only to hunger and thirst after righteousness'. This is equal and reasonable. God does not require rivers of oil, but sighs and tears.

 

The invitation of the gospel is free. If a friend invites guests to his table, he does not expect they should bring money to pay for their dinner, only come with an appetite. So, says God, It is not penance, pilgrimage, self-righteousness I require. Only bring a stomach: hunger and thirst after righteousness'. God might have set Christ and salvation at an higher price, but he has much beaten down the price. Now as this shows the sweetness of God's nature he is not a hard master so it shows us the inexcusableness of those who perish under the gospel.

What apology can any man make at the day of judgment, when God shall ask that question, Friend, why did you not embrace Christ? I set Christ and grace at a low rate. If you had but hungered after righteousness, you might have had it, but you slighted Christ. You had such low thoughts of righteousness that you would not hunger after it. How do you think to escape who have neglected 'so great salvation'? The easier the terms of the gospel are, the sorer punishment shall they be thought worthy of who unworthy refuse such an offer.

Jesus feeds the five thousand—He walks on the sea—He is the living manna sent from God—Salvation is gained by eating living bread—Jesus explains how men eat his flesh and drink his blood—Peter testifies that Jesus is the Messiah. John 6:35 And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that come to me shall never hunger; and he that believe on me shall never thirst.

Invitation is open to all who thirst and hunger for the love of Christ. If you know someone today that is looking for spiritual food. Show them the way to Christ. Invite them to your church and bible study. Show them the exact love as Christ has shown you.. God be with you forevermore!







Love you all..    

Spiritual Physical Fitness

1 Timothy 4:7-8

For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.

Physical fitness is important. There is no doubt about that. But this passage reminds us that we can make the mistake of thinking the physical fitness will make us a happier person training only gives us an insecure person who is in shape. But giving ourselves to the scripture and prayer promise to change us from the inside out. Here are just a few of the promises In both the present life and our life to come: long life, purity, a clean conscience, being changed, renewal of thinking, blessing in business. Relationships, and the list goes on. Physical training is of some value, but godliness has value in all things.

 

For better understanding: When an individual training for a specific sport. let take football as one example professional football players train rigorously blood, sweat and tears. The players watch many hours of videos footage of pass games. The next example I'm using is myself I spent years in the military as a soldier with intense training everyday learning constantly in the areas of physical fitness, endurance, leadership, combat maneuvers and tactical readiness. This training prepared myself as good leadership in order to train the soldiers underneath my leadership to have loyalty and discipline to follow orders to be professional in their duties as a soldier.

 

We can never get anywhere in life without discipline, If it in the form of arts, business, athletes, or academics. This is doubly so in spiritual matters. In other areas we may be able to claim an innate advantage. A musician with a perfect pitch or an artist with an eye for perspective. But none of us can claim an innate spiritual advantage. Now this is reality, we are all equally disadvantaged. None of us naturally seek after God, None certainly didn't inherently righteous, and none instinctively does good.

Romans 3:9-18

from the heart. Let win this race for God and take the prize of glory and victory. How bad do you want it?
God bless you all Saints in your development in God word. Let God lead you home to His kingdom. Have a blessed Tuesday. I Love you all in Christ.

No One Is Righteous

9 What shall we conclude then? Do we have any advantage? Not at all! For we have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under the power of sin. 10 As it is written:
“There is no one righteous, not even one;
11 there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God.
12 All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good,
not even one.”
13 “Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit.” “The poison of vipers is on their lips.”
14 “Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.”
15 “Their feet are swift to shed blood;
16 ruin and misery mark their ways,
17 and the way of peace they do not know.”
18 “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
Therefore, as children of grace, our spiritual discipline is everything, I meant everything. In 1 Timothy 4:7 in regard to spiritual training and fitness. Train yourself to be Godly – take this not as a transcending important, but a personal urgency with intensiveness, energetically, and with seriousness