Are you of the world????? OR of GOD?????

Good morning everyone!!! The daylight is trying to break through here in East Texas and it will be a great day in the Lord!!! Be positive....KNOW that GOD is HELPING YOU!!!
Galatians 6:14 "As for me, may I never boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of that cross, my interest in this world has been crucified and the world's interest in me has also died."
Just what is Paul saying here? The world has lots of enticements.... just look around---the models with perfect looks-male and female; pretty or cool cars; nice homes; fancy clothes; expensive jewelery; social drinking with friends and having LOTS of FUN; dining out for fun or romance; and the list goes on.
Every day we are faced with subtle pressures from our culture. And, yes, we are caught up in them. How do we get away from all this??? The only way to escape all these destructive influences is to ask God to help crucify our interest in them, just like Paul did.
How much are you tied to the world?? Gal 5:24 "Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there." Have you do this?? No better time than now!!!!
Thank you for reading. Have a blessed and wonderful day. Love you all!
In Christ's Love and Grace
Johnny

Are You following the Law????.....or JESUS?????

Good morning everyone!!! Thank you for reading with me today. God is good all the time, all the time God is good. If you see where I make a mistake please let me know. Yesterday I typed Gal 5:9-10 and it should have been Gal 6:9-10. Sorry for the misprint.
Today, Galatians 6 : 11-12 "NOTICE WHAT LARGE LETTERS I USE AS I WRITE THESE CLOSING WORDS IN MY OWN HANDWRITING." (12)"Those who are trying to force you to be circumcised want to look good to others. They don't want to be persecuted for teaching that the cross of Christ alone can save."
vs 11 up to this point Paul probably dictated the letter to another person. At this point he takes the pen into his own hand to write his final, personal greetings. Paul did this in other letters as well, to add emphasis to his words and to validate that the letter was truly from him.
vs 12 The legalists were concerned about putting up a good front, present a good front to win favor of men and not lose popularity, position or prominence. They were trying to make the people follow the law, saying it is absolutely necessary. These legalists were not concerned for the Galatians, or for God, but only about their own comfort and reputation. They did not want to be persecuted by teaching about the cross of Christ, the symbol of suffering and shame, they were more concerned with their own comfort and pleasure.
Thank you for reading. Love you all. Pray for many, seveal unspoken requests, and for the floods in Texas to subside (as well as the rain).
In Christ's Love and Grace
Johnny

Don't be discouraged!!!! God will bless you!!!

Good morning everyone!!! Yes, another great day to be alive in the Lord Jesus Christ!!! There is a song that really touches me and it says……..open the eyes of my heart Lord, open the eyes of my heart. This is something I long for. I don’t know if those eyes are always open, but I can only pray that God opens…. And keeps open the eyes of my heart.
Galatians 5:9-10 "So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith."
Okay, it may be discouraging to continue to do right and receive no word of thanks or see no real results. Paul challenged the Galatians, and he challenges us to keep on doing good and to trust God for the results. In due time, we will reap a harvest of blessing.
Are you doing the best you possibly can at: church? Home? With the family? With co-workers? To the people of the world? Don’t give up……stay the course…..stay true to your Lord and saviour……it will all be okay?
Thank you for reading today. May God bless you and may you be encouraged by His word. Love you all!!!!
In Christ’s Love and Grace
Johnny

How do you reply??? By being gracious or vicious!!

Good morning!! What a wonderful day the Lord has made!!! Let us rejoice and enjoy what God has given us. How blessed we truly are!!!!
I read Max Lucado's daily devotional and it really struck home. How we should act. Colossians 4:5-6 "Live wisely among those who are not believers, and make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone."
Let's look at verse 5. We should be wise in our contacts with non-believers, making the most of our opportunities to tell them the Good News of salvation. What opportunities do you have?? Have you told someone about Jesus through your actions? Open the door for someone? Help someone carry something?? Let Christ shine through you will actions.
Verse 6 we should not only tell others about Christ, but we should be gracious in what we say. The old expression "sticks and stones may break my bones, but words shall never harm me." This is truly a lie. Words may strike, and cut deeply, they last a long time, and heal slowly.
Our conversation with others should be gracious, encouraging, not wrathful and spiteful. No matter what we do, the non-believer is waiting, watching and keeping tabs of what we, the believers, say and do.
As Bro Lou and many have said, if you were on trial for being a Christian would there be enough evidence to convict you. Look at Ephesians 4:25-27 "So stop telling lies. Let us tell our neigbors the truth,for we are all parts of the same body. And "don't sin by lettinganger control you. Don't let the sun go down while you are still angry, for anger gives a foothold tothe devil."
Thank you for reading. May the area below the nose and just above the chin be gracious, helpful, and enjoyable to you. Thank you for reading. If you do not want this email please reply with let me know.
In Christ's Love and Grace
Johnny

Are living a life of sin?????

Good morning to everyone!! What a wonderful day to be alive in Jesus!! God is good all the time and all the time God is good!!! Let's look at Galatians 5:19-21
Gal 5:19-21 "When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures. (20) idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division,(21) envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God."
WOW!!! Does this hit you right between the eyes? If you don't have ANY of these today, you should rejoice 'cause you are probably dead and with Jesus!! I fight many of these daily, only through God's help, the Holy Spirit, do I survive. We all have evil desires, and we can't ignore them. In order for us to follow the Holy Spirit's guidance, we must deal with them decisively, as we will see in verse 24. These desires include obvious sins, we have to deal with these sins through the gift of the Spirit that leads to a transformed life.
Where are you dealing with your sins.....personally as in "I can do it?" or spiritually as in "Holy Spirit lead me through these sins?"
Now is a good time to thank Jesus for all He has done for you and praise God that He sent Jesus to make us white as snow with no blemish. I am attaching some rules to live by...thank you Carolyn for these.
Thank you for reading with me today. Love you all.
In Christ's Love and Grace
Johnny

Are you allowing the Spirit to lead???

Good morning everyone!!! Yes, tis a wonderful day in the Lord Jesus Christ who is our Lord and Saviour!!! Aren't we lucky. Okay, let's look at a quick verse today.
Galatians 5:18 "But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law."KJ Life Application Study Bible "But when you are directed by the Spirit, you are not under obligation to the law of Moses."
What does this mean? Very simple my dear Watson..... If you are being led continually by the Holy Spirit then it follows that you are not under the law. This does not mean you can do anything, this means the law of Moses. christians have a live-in divine person to keep them in line, and they do not need an external curb.
Are you letting the Holy Spirit continually lead you?? Before you do anything else this morning, STOP.....DROP......PRAY!! I really enjoy my new job......God gave me the job.....and I have to thank God daily for my job......and my days go so well......WHY? Because, God is in charge, He has sent the Holy Spirit to guide.....all we have to do is be..."directed by the Spirit......" Thank you for reading. Have a wonderful day. Love you all.
In Christ's Love and Grace
Johnny

The flesh or the Spirit--who do you follow?

Good morning all. A wonderful day to wake up and be alive in Jesus!!! Life is precious and we should thank God continually for what He has given us. God is good all the time, all the time God is good!!! Yesterday I may have written Gal 6, it should be Gal 5:16. Okay, now today......
Galatians 5:17 "For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary the one to the other; so that ye cannot do the things that ye would."
"For the flesh lusteth against the spirit", This is a constant and deadly duel going on. Both, Jesus Christ and satan fight for possession of the soul of man. The flesh (satan) opposes the Spirit (our salvation through Jesus) in an effort to stop the believer from a life of obedience, surrender, and victory. Victory how? Victory over death and satan!!!
"The Spirit against the flesh," the Holy Spirit opposes the flesh and give the believer victory over it.
"And these are contrary," You cannot serve the world and the Lord Jesus Christ. The two are at odds with each other. We must decide to viva la momento- live for the moment OR to live eternally. Only you can decide this.
"So that ye cannot do the things that ye would," So you may not keep on doing whatever you may want to do. We have to follow as the Holy Spirit leads.
Thank you for reading. May this touch your heart. Love you.
In Christ's Love and Grace
Johnny

Spirit give victory over sin

Good morning all!!! Yes, another wonderful day in the Lord Jesus Christ!! God is good all the time....all the time God is good!!!
I would like to take Galatians 5:16 to 21 to study this week. Then next to study Galatians 5:22 to 26. Thank you for being faithful. I'll try to break it all down by verses and words.
Galatians 5:16 "This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh." Walk in the Spirit-have the habit of continually walking by the energizing power and under the divine direction of the Holy Spirit. This is the only way we can be delivered from selfish lusts.
"And ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh." When God saved us, He did not eradicate the old nature, nor did He reform the old life; He gave us an absolutely new life (John 3:6 "That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit."
The old nature is "not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be" Roman 8:7. The Christian can conquer the self-life and have continual victory by walking by the Holy Spirit.
Romans 8:7 "........is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be." Paul is not speaking here of two types of Christians, one spiritual and one unspiritual. he is speaking of believers and unbelievers as verse 9 clearly shows. "they that are in the flesh cannot please God." Until faith is placed in Jesus Christ, a man in no spiritual way can be pleasing to God the Father. (Heb 11:6)
Okay, summary, when you are walking in your daily work place how do you view things? The way you view things will be a good indicator of where you Spiritual life is. You see an attractive co-worker how do you react?? check your spirit. You see a new car a co-worker or friend just bought, how do you react? And on and on.
We cannot serve two masters- earthly (satan) or heavenly (God), for we shall love one and hate the other. check yourself today and see where you are sitting spiritually. A nice time to soul search...for heaven's sake!!
Thank you for reading with me today. Love you all.
In Christ's Love and Grace
Johnny

You think you have troubles??????

Good morning everyone!! What a great day to be alive in the Lord!! Troubles?? you have troubles???? In the news children are killed in Iraq; a 4 year old is swept to her death at Haltom City, Tx; flood waters damage and destroy homes; and on and on. So, tell me again what troubles you have......
Many times our "troubles" are God's little lessons. I guess one of my favorite verses in the Bible is Psalm 46:10 "Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth." God is in control, whether we believe it or not. All is in God's plan, whether we like it or not.....DEAL WITH IT!!
We cannot avoid problems, but they can be useful in our spiritual growth if we trust God. It is easy to say "I trust God," or "I turned it all over and laid it at the foot of God." However, in reality, we laid it down TEMPORARILY and then we picked it up again. We never really gave it over to God.
Then comes the time of questioning God and His wisdom. Well, why would God do this??? Why does God let this happen??? Remember, God is our Father and many times we force His hand as we did our earthly fathers. We push and push (and in my case) push, push, push. Then when something happends we blame God. NO!! We are creatures of free will, God created us, and just as our earthly fathers, when we get out of line, our FATHER has to correct us, sometimes gently, and sometimes harshly.
"My troubles turned out all for the best-they forced me to learn from your textbook. Truth from your mouth means more to me than striking it rich in a gold mine." Psalm 119:71-72
Thank you for reading. Love you all.
In Christ's Love and Grace
Johnny

Wisdom...some got it....some ain't

Good morning!!! A great day to be alive in the Lord Jesus Christ!! Yes, I know, poor grammar in the title. Have you ever just stopped and thought about wisdom? How does wisdom come?? Why do people listen to "old" men or women?? I have more wisdom now than I did in my youth. Why?? Simple, because of my experiences. The more experiences, the more knowledge, the more wisdom.
In 2 Chronicles 1:7 God appeared to Solomon and said "What do you want? Ask, and I will give it to you!"
In Verse 10 Solomon says, "Give me the wisdom and knowledge to lead them (the people of Israel) properly, for who could possibly govern this great people of yours?"
God says ask and I will give you.......Wealth, fame, best harem, most donkeys and camels, everything was there for Solomon to claim.....and.... he asked for WISDOM. Solomon knew wisdom was far greater than any of the above. Proverbs 3:15 Solomon wrote, "Wisdom is more precious than rubies, nothing you desire can compare with her."
The same wisdom that was given to Solomon is available to us; the very same GOD offers it. How can we acquire wisdom?
We must ask God, who "will not rebuke you for asking" James 1:5. Then we must devote ourselves wholeheartedly to studying and applying God's Words, the source of divine wisdom, to our lives.
What will you ask for??? W I S D O M !!! God is good all the time, all the time God is good. All we have to do is ask, stay in the word, and wisdom far beyond your greatest imagination is yours. So, what's in your hand?? The B - I - B - L - E ! ! !???
Thank you for reading. May you be blessed with wisdom. Love you all.
In Christ's Love and Grace
Johnny

CHERIO's....What can they teach us???

WELL, good morning to all!!! Yes, a wonderful day in the Lord!! God is so awesome. Have you stopped lately to look at what God has created?? Not just the people, but the plants, animals, stars, terrain, the ants!!! ANTS!!!!
YES, ANTS!! Sunday when Jo Anne and I were walking on the sidewalk from Sunday School to church we looked down and a Cherio.....yes a CHERIO is moving along the sidewalk at a constant speed. Upon further investigation there are many ants under the cherio, moving it all in one direction. These little creatures, ants, are all working together with one main objective....to move that cherio to a place where they can use it.
Have you ever thought about GOD!!! Is God sitting on HIS throne, looking down on us, watching our activities. Instead of seeing us all move the cherio in one direction, we are fighting over the cherio, destroying the cherio, tearing it apart. We all need to work together, move in one direction and do what????? DO WHAT??? SPREAD THE WORD OF JESUS CHRIST.. forget our petty differences and work for the KINGDOM OF GOD!!!
As Christians....are we doing all we can do??? What have you done for the Kingdom of God lately???? Have you shared the name Jesus Christ with anyone lately??? If so, good, keep it up!! If not, WHY NOT????
ROMANS 12:4,6 "JUST AS OUR BODIES HAVE MANY PARTS AND EACH PART HAS A SPECIAL FUNCTION, SO IT IS WITH CHRIST'S BODY...GOD HAS GIVEN EACH OF US THE ABILITY TO DO CERTAIN THINS WELL."
GALATIANS 5:26-6:1 "LET US NOT BECOME CONCEITED, OR IRRITATE ONE ANOTHER, OR BE JEALOUS OF ONE ANOTHER. DEAR BROTHERS AND SISTERS, IF ANOTHER CHRISTIAN IS OVERCOME BY SOME SIN, YOU WHO ARE GODLY SHOULD GENTLY AND HUMBLY HELP THAT PERSON BACK ONTO THE RIGHT PATH. AND BE CAREFUL NOT TO FALL INTO THE SAME TEMPTATION YOURSELF."
"Creativity has been built into everyone of us; it's part of our design. Each of us lives less of the life God intended for us when we choose not to live out the creative powers we possess." Ted Engstrom
Thank you for reading. Love you all!!!!
In Christ's Love and Grace
Johnny

Think before you speak!!!

Good morning all!! Sorry I missed you Friday and Monday. Friday I was on a mission trip with the junior high students from several churches. Monday I had to leave for work from my house at 4:30 a.m. and did not get up early enough to post. Not excuses...just facts.
What an awesome experience with the young people this past weekend. Yes, an adult was in charge of 3 to 6 students, but they did a lot of work. A church, Garden Villa, has to be up to code by June 30 or the city will close its doors. Our groups, green and red, worked at the church Friday and Saturday. The amount of work the students and adults produced was awesome.
Colossians 4:6 "LET YOUR SPEECH ALWAYS BE WITH GRACE, SEASONED WITH SALT, THAT YOU MAY KNOW HOW YOU OUGHT TO ANSWER EACH ONE."
On Saturday afternoon, as we were winding down, we had painted some file cabinets, they were dry and ready to be brought inside. One young man helped as we placed them in the correct rooom. We had 2 in place when 2 ladies came in as we were bringing in the last one. They were afraid the paint was still wet, I assured them it was dry, but they wanted me to put the cabinet on paper in the fellowship hall. Okay, no problem.
Oh, yes, the young man helping me was one of the painters of the cabinets. As we were moving the cabinet pass the room of the other 2 one lady look in as exclaimed, "Oh my gosh," when she saw 2 cabinets in the room already. The young man said, "yes, don't they look good?"
The lady did not even realize what she said but wanted the 2 dry painted cabinets off the floor (carpet) and moved in to the fellowship. Her obsession with possible wet paint completely eliminated the enthusiasm the young man had.
In one swift moment she completely eliminated 1 1/2 hours of work the young man had put in and was so proud of.
Again, Collossians 4:6 says let your speech be with grace, seasoned with salt. Why? You may have to eat those words. Have you spoken hastily, in anger, with malkous? WHY? What did it get you??
Be gentle, be kind, load the mind before the mouth shoots!!! A great experience can be eliminated swiftly. Can you remember when you have done this?? Or when this was done to you????
Thank you for reading!! Love you all!! Pray one for another for safety, health, and being close to God!!
In Christ's Love and Grace
Johnny

TROUBLES--How do you handle it???

Good morning everyone!!! What a great day in the Lord Jesus Christ!! GOD IS GOOD ALL THE TIME, ALL THE TIME GOD IS GOOD!!!! Wow!!! Can you imagine how people without Jesus face troubles?? They may take it in stride, they may scream, holler, cuss, throw things, be violent!! How do you react to troubles??
Matthew 6:34 Jesus said, "Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble."
WORRY--our doubts about our abilities, uncertainty about others' feeling toward us, anxieties about what might happen in the future--- they become like coils around us and squeeze the energy and hope out of us. The more we struggle the tighter the coils become.
We have two weapons: perspective and peace. Paul, the apostle, instructed fellow believers to be anxious for nothing. Paul was in prison where he was beaten, in chains, and separated from those he loved. Also, he had some type of thorn in the flesh and experienced physical pain. The asked God many time to cure him of the pain...God's answer here was NO!
Paul's perspective was in the right place, he knew what was truly important. He knew God loved him and had a plan for his life!! How is your perspective????
Nothing is greater...no, not one of our worries is greater than being loved purely and eternally by Almighty God and being made clean from all of your sins!!!
Nothing we face it too difficult, troubling or frightening for God. God is awake and on the job all the time!! Let God turn worry into victory and rejoice. Here are some ideas for fighting off worry: 1. Maintain a positive, hopeful outlook about life, regardless of circumstances; 2. turn worry time into good prayer time; 3. avoid worrying about things that are beyond my control; 4. share my worries with God and trust him to guide you ghrough these times; 5. reach out to people who worry, helping them deal with the trials they face.
Psalm 31:19 "How great is Your goodness, which You have laid up for those who fear You, which you have prepared for those who trust in You in the presence of the sons of men!"
Thanks for reading, a little long, Love you all.

In Christ's Love and Grace

Johnny

Troubles?????? Can you learn????

Good morning everyone!! What a great day to be alive in Jesus!!! God is good all the time, all the time, God is good!!!
We will have problems in our life. That is a fact. How we handle them is the difference. If we trust God these troubles will be useful and we will learn something through them. We can grow spiritually through our troubles, but we have to rely uon God to overcome these hurdles, and in doing so will learn what is really important.
God never fails to direct us pass these pitfalls when we let Him lead. Too often we try to lead in our own way. God can make the most of our situation----SO....fully trust Him as your teacher; follow His word; quit doubting, questioning, or trying to travel your own direction.
Psalm 119:71-72: "MY TROUBLES TURNED OUT ALL FOR THE BEST-THEY FORCED ME TO LEARN FROM YOUR TEXTBOOK. TRUTH FROM YOUR MOUTH MEANS MORE TO ME THAN STRIKING IT RICH IN A GOLD MINE."
Thank you for reading. May this school of circumstance teach you what you need to know. Love you all.
In Christ's Love and Grace
Johnny

Celebration and Praise

Good morning everyone!!! I hope this is a great day in the Lord for you!!God is good all the time, all the time God is good!!! YEA!!!!!

T H A N K Y O U J E S U S ! ! !

How do you praise God? David danced before God. David also wrote worshipfl psalms to express his appreciation. Some sing hymns to thank God.

Do you life your hands in exaltation?

Do you fall to your knees humbly?

Do you use a tambourine, piano, or some type of instrument for rejoicing?

Do you write poems or love letters to God?

What ever you do, the most important thing is that you are celebrating God. Sooooo, today, whether you dance, paint, write, play an instrument, sing, or are just silent---make sure you give GOD ALL THE GLORY!!!!
2 Samuel 6:14 "DAVID DANCED BEFORE THE LORD WITH ALL HIS MIGHT."

We need to thank GOD for accepting our own unique ways of praising Him. We need to hold Him up with all our heart. Thank you Father!!! Thank you for reading today. May your day and weekend be blessed. Love you all.

In Christ's Love and Grace

Johnny