Do you have someone you need to forgive? Has someone hurt you or angered you causing you pain? Do you hold a grudge against this person or persons? Being angry or allowing you to remain in a hurtful state by someone else’s actions real or perceived only hurts yourself. There are real physical and emotional things that people have done that hurt you. Continuing to hold anger towards them, does it hurt you or them? If someone hurt you, it may have been very wrong wether they admit it or not and they may not even be sorry for what they have done. Forgiving them does not take away their blame, it just clears you from having to judge them and punish them. When you forgive someone you’re turning them over to God who can be counted on to deal with them. “Dear Friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, ‘I will take revenge; I will pay them back,’ says the Lord” (Romans 12:19). We are all born with the sin gene or as the Bible calls it our sinful nature. There is not one of us that hasn’t sinned breaking God’s commandments. “All have sinned” (Romans 3:23). “The wages of sin is death.” (Romans 6:23) Death is what each and every one of us deserves for the things we’ve done wrong and the people we have hurt. God came in the form of a man Jesus Christ and took our sins upon Him and died a sinner’s death in our place on a cross. If God is willing to do that for us don’t you think he loves us?
I see the bible as a love letter to us from the Holy Spirit God. The Bible says that God created the Heavens and the Earth and all that it contains; He also created us in his own image. God has left us with an instruction manual called the Bible; everything in the Bible is there to make our lives better. If you will read it and do what it says your life will be better. Easy no, painful yes it can be. God tells us in the Bible to forgive because we are forgiven, He doesn’t tell us this for the benefit of those we’re forgiving but for our own benefit. Ask anyone who has ever truly forgiven someone and they will tell you “it’s like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders.” In one of my favorite passages in the Bible in Luke chapter 6 Jesus is talking about loving your enemies and what He says is so contrary to our normal reaction and so brilliant it astounds me. I try to keep these verses in my heart and in my mind at all times. Jesus said: “But to you who are willing to listen, I say, love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you.”
I’m going to expose myself by telling you this but there are a few things that I do keeping what Jesus said in mind. If I feel hurt by someone (something they do or say or even don’t say), if someone curses me or talks ill of me to others, or hates me there is a few things I do.
1) I will pray for them. Not a prayer for my benefit but a prayer for theirs. I will go before God on their behalf asking My Heavenly father to rain down Blessing upon them and if they haven’t trusted Jesus as Lord I will pray for their salvation.
2) I will buy or make them a gift something nice, something that they would really want. Really consider this person in the gift selection really buy for them I will usually give it anonymously.
I’m telling you Jesus really has something hear like I said it is brilliant. I have never been able to truly pray for someone with their needs in mind, then go out and shop for them, really thinking of them and stay mad with them. It causes you to care deeply for their well being. I hope that some of the things that I’ve said here today help. Forgive! Let it go!
God Bless and Trust in Jesus,
Mike Peek
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Saturday, August 21, 2010
THE CROSS
Earlier this week I walked into my break room at work and the television was on one of the 24 hour news channels. There was a man on there representing a group of atheist his complaint was; in the state of Utah everywhere a state trooper dies they erect a large white cross and this offended him deeply. As there always is on these news shows (the reason I never watch them) there was someone on the other side arguing angrily for the crosses while he argued angrily against them with a news person in the middle. It got me to thinking neither one of these men understand the cross! Why are they so angry? Why does a group of people act this way over a cross? Why spend all of your time and resources fighting on television and in court over a cross? You see each of these men see the cross as a religious symbol and neither one understands what the cross represents.
In the time that Jesus walked the earth the cross was an instrument of death. Romans used it as a fear tactic, people from a concurred land where tortured then hung on the cross in full public display to die a slow and painful death so that all would know if you are against them, this is what would happen to you. You see God changed all of that, at the cross the worst that man had to offer met the best that God had to offer. If you’re an atheist you don’t believe in God and I understand that, but the cross is a symbol of love. Jesus allowed Himself to be captured, tried in an unjust court by sinful men, beaten and hung on a cross to die. He allowed this to happen to Him out of love. Now I believe Jesus is who He said He was, I have received His spirit and He has manifested Himself to me in many ways. Whether you believe Him or not He believed that He is the Christ the chosen one of God, He believed that through this selfless act of allowing Himself to be tortured to death on a cross that He was saving millions from punishment. He did this out of love. The cross isn’t the symbol of hatred and anger that people try to turn it into, the cross is God saying “I LOVE YOU!” (As we look at the history of mankind we see the walls the separation and the barriers that have been erected by politicians, by government, and yes even by religion. But at the cross we see that all people are the same irregardless of their religion, their color, their sex, and their economic statues for at the cross we meet the love of God. ~Arthur Blessitt) “God loves us, He wants everyone to be saved. ~1 Timothy 2:4 “He gave His life to purchase freedom for everyone” ~1 Timothy 2:6
In the quote by Arthur Blessitt he said; “at the cross all people are the same.” You see all people are the same, some think there different but they’re not. Every person walking the face of this earth has the laws of God written on their heart, you know right from wrong. Do good people go to heaven? Yes, if there were any good people but there aren’t, “Everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. ~Romans 3:23” At some point in your life you have done wrong, I have, everyone has, and you’re not alone. There is nothing you can do to change that, no amount of good deeds going forward can make up for the things you have done wrong, you have to be perfect in thought, word, and deed to enter heaven. “The wages of sin is death. ~Romans 6:23” “All will be judged according to their deeds. ~Revelation 20:13” The bible talks about a second death the lake of fire ~Revelation 20:14. Jesus has paid the price for our crimes, He died in our place. “Anyone who trusts in Him will never be disgraced. ~Romans 10:11” All you and I and everyone else has to do to be saved is trust in the goodness of Christ and you will be saved. So pray to God today, confess that you have sinned, make Jesus your Lord and follow Him. All of your wrong doings will be whipped away and God will make you a new creature, with a new heart and new desires; you will receive the spirit of God. The cross is love, at the cross the worst that man had to offer met the best that God had to offer!
In the time that Jesus walked the earth the cross was an instrument of death. Romans used it as a fear tactic, people from a concurred land where tortured then hung on the cross in full public display to die a slow and painful death so that all would know if you are against them, this is what would happen to you. You see God changed all of that, at the cross the worst that man had to offer met the best that God had to offer. If you’re an atheist you don’t believe in God and I understand that, but the cross is a symbol of love. Jesus allowed Himself to be captured, tried in an unjust court by sinful men, beaten and hung on a cross to die. He allowed this to happen to Him out of love. Now I believe Jesus is who He said He was, I have received His spirit and He has manifested Himself to me in many ways. Whether you believe Him or not He believed that He is the Christ the chosen one of God, He believed that through this selfless act of allowing Himself to be tortured to death on a cross that He was saving millions from punishment. He did this out of love. The cross isn’t the symbol of hatred and anger that people try to turn it into, the cross is God saying “I LOVE YOU!” (As we look at the history of mankind we see the walls the separation and the barriers that have been erected by politicians, by government, and yes even by religion. But at the cross we see that all people are the same irregardless of their religion, their color, their sex, and their economic statues for at the cross we meet the love of God. ~Arthur Blessitt) “God loves us, He wants everyone to be saved. ~1 Timothy 2:4 “He gave His life to purchase freedom for everyone” ~1 Timothy 2:6
In the quote by Arthur Blessitt he said; “at the cross all people are the same.” You see all people are the same, some think there different but they’re not. Every person walking the face of this earth has the laws of God written on their heart, you know right from wrong. Do good people go to heaven? Yes, if there were any good people but there aren’t, “Everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. ~Romans 3:23” At some point in your life you have done wrong, I have, everyone has, and you’re not alone. There is nothing you can do to change that, no amount of good deeds going forward can make up for the things you have done wrong, you have to be perfect in thought, word, and deed to enter heaven. “The wages of sin is death. ~Romans 6:23” “All will be judged according to their deeds. ~Revelation 20:13” The bible talks about a second death the lake of fire ~Revelation 20:14. Jesus has paid the price for our crimes, He died in our place. “Anyone who trusts in Him will never be disgraced. ~Romans 10:11” All you and I and everyone else has to do to be saved is trust in the goodness of Christ and you will be saved. So pray to God today, confess that you have sinned, make Jesus your Lord and follow Him. All of your wrong doings will be whipped away and God will make you a new creature, with a new heart and new desires; you will receive the spirit of God. The cross is love, at the cross the worst that man had to offer met the best that God had to offer!
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Can You Choose
Last week in the Sunday school class that I attend the questions was posed; Can a Christian sin? I think a better question to ask is do you really know what sin is? People will laugh and joke about it even in a Sunday school setting but when you get down to it sin is a horrible thing that traps you and separates you from the Living God. Jesus said: “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave of sin.” (John 8:34) A slave is owned not free. If you’re a slave you can’t do what you want to do you must do what you’re told. You have no free will as a slave. If a slave tries to leave and escape he will be hunted down and captured then forced to obey his master. People call Jesus Lord; if you plug the word lord into your thesaurus you will get the word Master. Remember a slave has no rights he is owned; your master as the Apostle Paul puts it is your sinful nature. You are owned, you can’t make decisions for yourself, so no matter how much you want to be free inevitably you will obey your true master which is your sinful nature. Jesus said: “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other.” (Matthew 6:24, Luke 16:13) No matter what you may say with your mouth your actions will always give proof to who your true Master is. So the question arises; are you a slave of righteousness or unrighteousness. Are you bent on serving yourself or serving the Lord? Jesus said: “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross daily, and follow me.” (Luke 9:23) Taking up your cross means to die to self. To follow Jesus means to cast aside your own selfish desires and follow the commands He has laid out for us to follow. Jesus said: “All who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come and make our home with each of them.” (John 15:23)
Jesus is the son of God! Jesus said: “A slave is not a permanent member of the family, but a Son is part of the family forever. So if the Son sets you free, your are truly free.” (John 8:35-36) If Christ being the Son of God has set you free from your slavery to your sinful nature then you’re free and under no obligation to sin. You’re no longer controlled by your sinful nature you’re free to choose. We are all guilty and there is a penalty for sin called Hell, but Christ has paid the price for our sins with His blood and all you and I have to do to be saved is repent and trust alone in Jesus Christ then and only then will you be free. “Now you are free from your slavery to sin, and you have become slaves to righteous living.” (Romans 6:18) Human effort accomplishes nothing; we don’t conquer sin by stamping out desire. When you put your faith and trust in the Savior Jesus Christ you will receive His Holy Spirit and it is the Spirit of Jesus Christ that will transform you. You will become a new creation with new desires no longer a slave of your sinful nature but you are truly free. “This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” (2 Corinthians 5:17)
Jesus is the son of God! Jesus said: “A slave is not a permanent member of the family, but a Son is part of the family forever. So if the Son sets you free, your are truly free.” (John 8:35-36) If Christ being the Son of God has set you free from your slavery to your sinful nature then you’re free and under no obligation to sin. You’re no longer controlled by your sinful nature you’re free to choose. We are all guilty and there is a penalty for sin called Hell, but Christ has paid the price for our sins with His blood and all you and I have to do to be saved is repent and trust alone in Jesus Christ then and only then will you be free. “Now you are free from your slavery to sin, and you have become slaves to righteous living.” (Romans 6:18) Human effort accomplishes nothing; we don’t conquer sin by stamping out desire. When you put your faith and trust in the Savior Jesus Christ you will receive His Holy Spirit and it is the Spirit of Jesus Christ that will transform you. You will become a new creation with new desires no longer a slave of your sinful nature but you are truly free. “This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” (2 Corinthians 5:17)
Saturday, August 7, 2010
ARE YOU GOOD ENOUGH
If I were to ask you if you are a good person what would you say? Most people when asked this question reply; “Yes I am a good person.” So let’s go through a few questions and see if that is true. As we go through these questions really search yourself.
1) Have you ever at anytime in your life told a lie? What would you call a person who tells lies? I’ll make it easy for you, I’ve told lies before so what would you call me if I lied to you? The answer is a liar. A person who tells lies by definition is a liar.
2) Have you ever stolen anything, taken anything at all regardless of its value that doesn’t belong to you? What do you call a person who steals? A person who steals is called a thief.
3) You know the command do not commit adultery, Jesus said: “anyone who even looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” Have you ever looked at another person with lust that wasn’t your wife or husband?
4) Have you ever used God’s name in vain? God is holy, He created you and everything you see, He gave you life His name should be revered set apart above all other names, yet people everyday use it in place of a cuss word to express discuss.
What we have been doing here is going through a few of God’s Ten Commandments, the standard by which He will judge the world. To be exact the 9th, 8th, 7th, 3rd Commandments in that order (Exodus 20:1-17).
If God judges you by His ten commandments on the Day of Judgment will you be found innocent or guilty? Will you go to Heaven or Hell? You may say God won’t send me to Hell because He is good! The bible says that God is a good and just judge, if God is truly a good and just judge because He is good, He must punish you for breaking His commands. God is not going to let you off because He is good His goodness is the reason He will send guilty sinners to Hell. You may say well that’s in the past, I haven’t done any of those things in a very long time. Time doesn’t take away your guilt you’re no less guilty because time has gone by. For example: let’s say you rob a bank you get away with it for ten years before your caught by the police, during those ten years you’ve turned over a new leaf you haven’t committed any other crimes in all of that time, do you think when you go before the judge he is going to let you off the hook because it was ten years ago? No he won’t there is a penalty for the crime and if he is a good judge he must see that justice is served. You may say that there are a lot worse people than me! That is true if you’re comparing yourself to other people but other people aren’t the standard, God’s law is. The bible says that “sin is breaking God’s law” (1 John 3:4). The bible says: “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard” (Romans 3:23). The bible says: “For the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). This isn’t the death of your body but the death of your soul the Bible talks about a second death: “all were judged according to their deeds. Then death and the grave were thrown in the lake of fire. This lake of fire is the second death” (Revelation 20:13-14)
Despite everything that we have done God loves us, God loves you! Do you know what God did for you so that you wouldn’t have to go to Hell? God the Father sent His son Jesus born of a women, He lived a perfect and Holy life, He did not even once break one of God’s Commandments. He was beaten and put on a Cross and died for my sins and yours then three days later He rose from the dead and defeated death forever for everyone who believes and trust in Him. “For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed His life, shedding His blood” (Romans 3:25) There are two things you must do to be saved, do you want to know what they are? Repent of your sins and trust alone in Jesus Christ! Meaning turn away from your sins and follow the Savior, no longer trust in your own goodness but transfer that trust to Jesus He is the only one that is good. If you do that you will become a new creation, you will move from death to life and God will give you His Holy spirit as a deposit for your salvation. Then read your bible and pray to Him daily and do what it says, He will grow you more than you can imagine. So pray to Him today, confess all of your sins make Jesus your Lord and trust in Him and Him alone to save you on the Day of Judgment.
1) Have you ever at anytime in your life told a lie? What would you call a person who tells lies? I’ll make it easy for you, I’ve told lies before so what would you call me if I lied to you? The answer is a liar. A person who tells lies by definition is a liar.
2) Have you ever stolen anything, taken anything at all regardless of its value that doesn’t belong to you? What do you call a person who steals? A person who steals is called a thief.
3) You know the command do not commit adultery, Jesus said: “anyone who even looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” Have you ever looked at another person with lust that wasn’t your wife or husband?
4) Have you ever used God’s name in vain? God is holy, He created you and everything you see, He gave you life His name should be revered set apart above all other names, yet people everyday use it in place of a cuss word to express discuss.
What we have been doing here is going through a few of God’s Ten Commandments, the standard by which He will judge the world. To be exact the 9th, 8th, 7th, 3rd Commandments in that order (Exodus 20:1-17).
If God judges you by His ten commandments on the Day of Judgment will you be found innocent or guilty? Will you go to Heaven or Hell? You may say God won’t send me to Hell because He is good! The bible says that God is a good and just judge, if God is truly a good and just judge because He is good, He must punish you for breaking His commands. God is not going to let you off because He is good His goodness is the reason He will send guilty sinners to Hell. You may say well that’s in the past, I haven’t done any of those things in a very long time. Time doesn’t take away your guilt you’re no less guilty because time has gone by. For example: let’s say you rob a bank you get away with it for ten years before your caught by the police, during those ten years you’ve turned over a new leaf you haven’t committed any other crimes in all of that time, do you think when you go before the judge he is going to let you off the hook because it was ten years ago? No he won’t there is a penalty for the crime and if he is a good judge he must see that justice is served. You may say that there are a lot worse people than me! That is true if you’re comparing yourself to other people but other people aren’t the standard, God’s law is. The bible says that “sin is breaking God’s law” (1 John 3:4). The bible says: “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard” (Romans 3:23). The bible says: “For the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). This isn’t the death of your body but the death of your soul the Bible talks about a second death: “all were judged according to their deeds. Then death and the grave were thrown in the lake of fire. This lake of fire is the second death” (Revelation 20:13-14)
Despite everything that we have done God loves us, God loves you! Do you know what God did for you so that you wouldn’t have to go to Hell? God the Father sent His son Jesus born of a women, He lived a perfect and Holy life, He did not even once break one of God’s Commandments. He was beaten and put on a Cross and died for my sins and yours then three days later He rose from the dead and defeated death forever for everyone who believes and trust in Him. “For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed His life, shedding His blood” (Romans 3:25) There are two things you must do to be saved, do you want to know what they are? Repent of your sins and trust alone in Jesus Christ! Meaning turn away from your sins and follow the Savior, no longer trust in your own goodness but transfer that trust to Jesus He is the only one that is good. If you do that you will become a new creation, you will move from death to life and God will give you His Holy spirit as a deposit for your salvation. Then read your bible and pray to Him daily and do what it says, He will grow you more than you can imagine. So pray to Him today, confess all of your sins make Jesus your Lord and trust in Him and Him alone to save you on the Day of Judgment.
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