lOVE.....FAMILY.....AND???????

Good morning everyone!! Yes, what a great day to be alive in Jesus!!! God
is good all the time, all the time, God is good!! So, I trust your
yesterday was a great day in the Lord!!
Love......Family.....what about it?

Romans 12:9-10 "Don't just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate
what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. (10) Love each other with
genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other."

Most of us have learned how to be nice, to be courteous to others. We
speak kindly, avoid hurting feelings, and appear to take an interest in
them. We may have developed the talent of pretending to show compassion
when we hear of others' needs or become angry when we hear of
injustice.

God calls us to real and genuine love that goes far beyond being
hypocritical and polite. Genuine love requires concentration and
effort. We help others become better people. We will invest our time,
money, and our own personal involvement.

No one has the capacity to give love to the whole community, but as a
member of the family of God...WE DO AND CAN! Now, will we? Look for
people who need your love, your listening ear, your genuine concern,
help them to get better.

Hey, what are mom and dad's for?? We love our children
unconditionally and without question. Do we always approve of what
they do? No! But that is how our Father in heaven is toward you, me,
everyone!

Joshua24:15 "Choose today the one you will worship......As for me and
my family, we will worship the Lord." Can you say this?

D.L. Moody "A man ought to live so that everybody knows he is a
Christian, and most of all, his family ought to know."

Great words from our Father in the Bible and from D.L. Take time to
reflect, are you taking time to be the Christian God wants you to be?
Thank you for reading. Love you all.

In Christ's Love and Grace
Johnny

Today? ? TODAY!!!!

Good morning everyone!!! I hope this is the day the Lord hath made for you! God is good all the time, all the time, God is good!! May you be blessed TODAY!! Have you thought about TODAY??
Psalm 118:24 "This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." Do you?
Or do you grumble because........have to get up; have to go to work; have to read or study you Bible; have to get gas; and on and on. What do you expect from the day ahead!! Are you expecting God to do wonderful things, or are you living under a cloud of apprehension and doubt? Look at the verse again, "let us rejoice and be glad in it," what? TODAY!!
What comes forth out of grumbling and complaining; STOP, DROP, & PRAY!! Ask God to lead you, as Jo Anne says, "LET GO, LET GOD!" Each day should begin and end with GOD!!!
Does your day begin and end with GOD??? Jesus came to the earth, right here, and for what? You to grumble and complain??? NO!! To give you abundant life and eternal salvation. WOW!!!! We should REJOICE---we are given the gift of life, the gift of today, so how are you going to use it??
A most precious gift from the Father above - to serve our Savior and to share His Good News and all who cross our paths.
"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!" Philippians 4:4
John 9:4 "I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work."
2 Corinthians 6:1-2 "As God's partners, we beg you not to accept this marvelous gift of God's kindness and then ignore it. For God says, 'At just the right time, I heard you. On the day of salvation, I helped you.'"
Life is a journey, and today is an important part of that journey. The present moment is a priceless gift. Treasure it; savor it; and use it.
Thank you for reading with me today. May today be wonderful to you; and may you be wonderful to Christ by spreading His word. Love you all.
In Christ's Love and Grace
Johnny

Courage, Prayer, Diligence

Good morning everyone!! I trust this will be a great day in the Lord
Jesus Christ for the Kingdom of God which is yet to come. Wow!!! An
awesome God, what a day, so many things are being laid on my heart, and
they are all talking to me. In revealing my study this morning I just
pray that you gain from it as must as I have. Remember, God is good all
the time, all the time God is good!! I will not try to be lengthy.....be
prepared!! LOL
1 CHRONICLES 28:20 "THEN DAVID CONTINUED,'BE STRONG AND COURAGEOUS, AND DO THE WORK. DON'T BE AFRAID OR DISCOURAGED, FOR THE LORD GOD, MY GOD, IS WITH YOU. HE WILL NOT FAIL YOU OR FORSAKE YOU. HE WILL SEE TO IT THAT ALL THE WORK RELATEDTO THE TEMPLE OF THE LORD IS FINISHED CORRECTLY.'"
David advised Solomon not to be frightened about the size of his task
as king and builder of the Temple. Fear can immobilize us. The size
of a job, its risks, or the pressure of the situation can cause us to
freeze and do nothing. One remedy for fear is found here. Don't focus
on the fear, instead, get to work. Getting started is often the most
difficult and frightening part of a job.
OKAY, an exerpt from Jeff Wells, pastor at Woodsedge in Woodlands
Now PRAYER!! Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words
may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the
gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may
declare it fearlessly, as I should. Ephesians 6:19-20
Sometimes Paul amazes me.
Paul is in a Roman prison. He's writing to a much-loved church where he
spent three years. At the end of his letter, he asks these brothers and
sisters to pray for him. And what does Paul request?
The biggest longing of Paul's heart, the one thing that he wanted
prayer for from the Ephesian Christians, was that he would have courage
to preach the gospel. "Please pray for me that I would be fearless in
proclaiming Christ's gospel!'
I think Paul was so God-centered, so Christ-intoxicated, so
kingdom-oriented, that even when he was in a Roman prison bound by
chains, he was more concerned with Christ's cause than with his own
comfort. Now back to a word from Johnny Holcomb.
Diligence!!! "NOW WE WANT EACH OF YOU TO DEMONSTRATE THE SAME DILIGENCE FOR THE FIANL REALIZATION OF YOUR HOPE, SO THAT YOU WON'T BECOME LAZY, BUT IMITATORS OF THOSE WHO INHERIT THE PROMISES THROUGH FAITH AND PERSEVERANCE." Hebrews 6:11-12
As we study the Bible, we are confronted again and again with God's
intention that we, as believers in Christ, lead disciplined lives. God
does not reward laziness nor does He praise mediocrity. To the
contrary, He expects us to be disciplined, diligent, and faithful to His
commandments. As we begin this day, let us remember that God rewards
diligence. And let us act accordingly.
Thank you for reading with me today. Love you all.
In Christ's Love and Grace
Johnny

Are you blameless??? Cause others to stumble??

Good morning everyone!!! What a great day to be alive in Jesus!! God is good all the time; all the time God is good!!! How God cares for us and all we have to do is give God a little respect and honor. Isn't it grand that God does not require us to be 'perfect' all the time. None of us would be successful. Thank you for being a loving and forgiving God. We are accountable one to another. In our daily walk we should not cause one of our brothers to stumble, however, if we do we should be held accountable for our actions, go to that person and ask for forgiveness. Have you had this happen?? Lately?? Well, 2 Corinthians 6:3 has been talking to me the last 4 or 5 days. Is my ministry blameless? I have been feeling a burden.
Romans 14:13 "So let's stop condemning each other. Decide instead to live in such a way that you will not cause another believer to stumble and fall."
Both strong and weak Christians can cause their brothers and sisters to stumble. The strong but insensitive Christian may flaunt his or her freedom and intentionally offend others consciences. The scrupulous but weak Christianmay try to fence others in with petty rules and regulations causing dissension. Paul wants his readers to be strong in the faith and sensitive to others' needs. We are all strong in some areas and weak in others, we must constantly monitor our behavior and its effects on others.
The stumbling and falling may be not in his or her faith, but bringing doubt on us, our faith, our belief. We need to have someone hold us accountable. In this case my accountable partner is David. Last week when I made a off the top of the head, "humorous" comment it did bring about some questions. David visited with me about it, I was wrong, and according to scripture I apologized, asked forgiveness-which was accepted, God forgave me and the burden is gone.
I say all this to say, "How many times have we made statements which were insensitive and brought into question our faith? I now have a new prayer, not only for wisdom and knowledge, but to be aware of what I say and do. Wisdom and knowledge will tell me whether to speak or not, self discipline and listening to God will regulate what to say.
Thank you God for sending us angels in the form of friends. Fear not to visit with a fellow Christian about his/her actions. Thank you for reading, listening, and understanding. Love you all.
In Christ's Love and Grace
Johnny

True Ministers of God!!

Good morning everyone!!! I trust you had a great day in the Lord Jesus Christ yesterday!! Isn't God great......God is good - all the time; all the time God is good!!!! What a great saying. Also, as Jo Anne tells me "Let go, let GOD!" Now, that is one we really need to think about and do.
My mind keeps going back to 2 Corinthians 6:3 "We live in such a way that no one will stumble because of us, and no one will find fault with our ministry." (4) "In everything we do, we show that we are true ministers of God. We patiently endure troubles and hardships and calamities of every kind."
I think about the shows we allow in our living room. People yelling at each other, killing each other, making others laugh at someone's expense, affairs, and so on. Then we let our children watch "cartoons" - cartoons that are not funny UNLESS you live in the world, with worldly views and attitudes.
Cartoons like South Park - children cursing; abc family is coming out with a cat show where they "mark" their territory by "peeing" on things; kids yelling at adults; kids covering their ears so they cannot hear the adults; and we could go on and on.
Is my ministry blameless? No, I have probably violated each item listed above and more. How subtle it is; it begins slow and before you know it, it is at full throttle. One joint ain't bad....then another...then another and then something stronger. One beer ain't bad....then 2..then 3...then passout. As the Bible states we are fighting a spiritual battle and who is winning?? Slowly items creep into our society and we allow it, then it grows. We reap what we sow.
I need to be in prayer daily....ASAP...Always Say A Prayer!! We need to be true ministers of God and are we??? Personal search here!!! I am not the ministrer of God that I need to be. Pray for me...pray for others....but first PRAY for YOURSELF!!! God wants us to come to Him daily, not just when there is a problem. Again, think about your ministry today, each day. Thank you for reading. Love you all.

In Christ's Love and Grace
Johnny

Is your minstry blameless?????

Good morning everyone!!! I hope this is a wonderful day for each and everyone of you. May God bless your day and weekend. Many will be traveling and please pray travel mercies for them. God is good all the time and the time God is good. I am going to talk today about verses in Bible that seem to be talking to me and being my base of committment. II Corinthians 6:3,4 KJ “Giving no offence in any thing, that the ministry be not blamed. (4) But in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses.”
II Corinthians 6:3,4 Life Application Study Bible “We live in such a way that no one will stumble because of us, and no one will find fault with our ministry. (4) In everything we do, we show that we are true ministers of God. We patiently endure troubles and hardships and calamities of every kind.”
Okay, In everything he did, Paul always considered what his actions communicated about Jesus Christ. If you are a believer, you are a minister for God. In the course of each day, unbelievers observe you. Don’t let your (our) careless or undisciplined actions be some person’s excuse for rejecting Christ.
What Paul asked of others he demanded of himself. At this time, his thoughts were upon his own ministry and the demands he made upon it based on the principle he had just stated. ‘giving no offense in anything.’ Paul avoided doing anything that would cause someone to reject the gospel on his account –‘that the ministry be not blamed’- do not discredit the ministry. It is impossible for God to fully bless and use His children who are in compromises or complicity with evil.
Most important thing I do every day: TO PRAY THAT JESUS BE SEEN THROUGH MEYes, I do fall short many times, however, I believe this is one of the most important things I try to do. Thank you for reading with me today. Love you all.
In Christ's Love and Grace
Johnny

Are you ignoring God's message????

Hello everyone!!! Yes, a great day in the Lord Jesus Christ. WOW!!! What a man, if I could only be ½ as good as Jesus. Just like the sign says: 1 cross
3 Nails=
4 Given

II Corinthians 6:1-2 “As God’s partners, we beg you not to accept this marvelous gift of God’s kindness and then ignore it. 2 For God says, “At just the right time, I heard you. On the day of salvation, I helped you.” Indeed, the ‘right time’ is now. Today is the day of salvation.”


How could the Corinthians ignore God’s message? It could have been they were doubting Paul’s words, confused by the false teachers who taught a different message. The people heard God’s message but did not let if affect what they said and did. How often do you, do I, ignore God’s message???

God offers salvation to all people. Many people put off a decision for Christ, thinking that there will be a better time – but they could easily miss their opportunity altogether. There is no time like the present to receive God’s forgiveness. Don’t let anything hold you back from coming to Christ. The right time is “NOW.”

God is good, all the time; all the time, God is good. Don’t we serve an awesome God. Take time to thank HIM for all your material possessions you have. Don’t forget to give to God first, HE’ll do the rest. Thank you for reading today. Love you all.

In Christ’s Love and Grace

Johnny

Suffering??? God's instructions???

Good mornining everyone!! Another beautiful day of our Lord Jesus Christ. May every thing we do be in and for HIS glory. My prayer for today is that people may see the reflection of Jesus Christ through you.God is good all the time, all the time God is good.
Psalm 119:71-72 "My suffering was good for me, for it taught me to pay attention to your decrees. Your instructions are more valuable to me than millions in gold and silver."
Our sufferings teach us to Stop, Listen to what God is saying. Thnings happen and we wonder why? Why did God let this happen? God made us creatures of free will and allows us to exercise that free will. When we stray, God watches, and when it is time He brings us back, and through these moments of traversing the secular world we may suffer, or reap what we have sown. We may be, and should be brought to our knees, to pay attention to God and what HE wants for our life.
Once we stop and listen, we will find that God's instructions are indeed more valuable than gold and silver. Why? Silver and gold are but for a season, whereas God's word and our life with God is not for a season, but for eternity. Living with, singing praises for, and worshipping our God, the most high forever with no pain, no sorrow, no worldly items can be nothing less than absolutely WONDERFUL!!!!
What are you learning from your sufferings?? Are you reveling in God's instructions, HIS word?? Thank you for reading. Please continue to pray for my daughter Erin, she is getting better, but still needs prayer. Love you all.
In Christ's Love and Grace
Johnny

More Discipline!!

Good morning everyone!! I hope and pray that yesterday was a wonderful day in the Lord for you!! God is good all the time, all the time God is good!! How did you do yesterday? Did you stay the disciplined course? Did you wander? Well, for me, I tried to stay the course however sometimes it seemed I was busy but got nothing done!!
God still takes care of us no matter what. Psalm 119:67 "I used to wander off until you disciplined me, but now I closely follow your word."
David is talking to God here and knows that it is important to walk with God. Just as a child, we wander off the path, the Father disciplines us and brings us back. Why? For our welfare and safety.
In verse 68 David goes on and in talking to God acknowledges that God is good and he wants to learn. "You are good and do only good; teach me your decrees." David is hungry for the word. Shouldn't we be hungry for the word?? David is wanting to be a good stewart of his Heavenly Father.
How about you??? Are you striving to be a good and faithful servant of the Lord on High, our Heavenly Father?? If so, praise God!! If not, what do you need to do??? Some real soul searching would be necessary, some knee mail (prayer time), stop and take time for the Lord!!
Thank you for reading today. May you be disciplined as you need be by God, yet let your walk be faithful and true. Love you all.
In Christ's Love and Grace
Johnny

Discipline

Good morning everyone!!! I hope this is a wonderful day in the Lord Jesus Christ for you. God is good all the time,all the time God is good!!! Wow! Fellowshipping with the children of God is an awesome experience. Do you love Jesus?? Yes! Do you ask "open the eyes of my heart so that I may see you?" We are to live a life that is an example of Jesus Christ!
Can we do this? No, but the closer we come to our Saviour, the closer our walk is, and the reflection we see will resemble Jesus Christ. Our walk with the Lord requires discipline. Discipline in: tithes, giving, spreading the word, be of the spirit, doing what is right with the Lord.
We are forgiven, not perfect, just forgiven!!! WHAT A GIFT FROM GOD!!!Hebrews 12:11 "No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening-it's painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way."
We respond to discipline in several ways: (1) we can accept it with resignation; (2) we can accept it with self-pity, thinking we really don't deserve it; (3) we can be angry and resentful toward God; or (4) we can accept it gratefully as the appropriate response we owe a loving Father.
This relates in ALL OUR LIFE! Come home and do nothing OR do a few things to keep up and not have to spend all Saturday. Sort the mail when it is picked up OR be part of the Saturday routine and go through it all.Do you, do I, have the discipline to be active either for the Lord or in taking care of all the things God has given you? i.e. house, yard, car, money, children, parents, etc.
My biggest sin is the "oh, woe is me, I am tired and will do it later," No!! Many times I just think I am tired and if I get up, put my body in motion and do an activity, just go outside a new attitude comes over me. Then guess what?!?! I am no longer tired and the self pity is gone.
My goal all this week is to be the type of person God wants me to be to others, BUT, more importantly, to be the disciplined person God wants me to be all the time, at home, on the road, in town, everywhere. Pray for me, you and all of us that we will do better in being God's servants.
Thank you for listening. A special prayer request - my daughter Erin, spent the weekend cleaning her mom's home (mom is out of town) and when she got home she fell ill. Yep, stomach and very ill, please just reach your hand out for a moment and pray that she be healed. Thank you. Love you all.
In Christ's Love and Grace
Johnny

Sole or Soul- Heel or Heal - Dye or Die?

Good morning everyone!! I hope and pray this is a great day in the Lord for you! God is good all the time, all the time God is good. Wow!! Are you counting your blessings today.
2 Thessalonians2:13-14 "As for us, we can't help but thank God for you, dear brothers and sisters loved by the Lord. We are always thankful that God chose you to be among the first to experience salvation - a salvation that came through the Spirit who makes you holy and through your belief in the truth. He called you to salvation when we told you the Good News, now you can share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ."
Okay, if you tell someone about Jesus today....enjoy the spirit and feeling it gives you. Let me ask you a question.....are you a cobbler of shoes or a believer of our holy cobbler?
What??? Okay, a cobbler saves soles.......a cobbler can heel you..... a cobbler will dye for you!! The difference....Jesus saves souls.......Jesus can heal you.......Jesus already died for you!!!! So, you have salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ.
The cobbler only did things which are here physically here, last for a season, then are gone. Jesus only did things for eternity, things that will last for a season...a season...a season...uh...eternity....forever!!
So, are you a cobbler who resoles, reheels, and dyes? OR, are you telling people who died to save souls and heals???
Jesus says it all!! Salvation!! The rapture: the only way to fly.Thank you for reading with me today. Love you all.
In Christ's Love and Grace
Johnny

Are you exercising??? YOUR MIND????

Good morning everyone!!! I hope this is a wonderful day for you in the Lord Jesus Christ. God is good, all the time, all the time, God is good!!
Have you stopped, no not to smell the roses (that would be good as well) but to give thought to wisdom???? To exercising the mind??? The experts, the ones who tell us how we should live, claim that we should exercise the mind as well as the body. So, we need to stay healthy physically and mentally. Let's add one more to that......spiritually as well!!
"Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser; teach a just man, and he will increase in learning." Proverbs 9:9
Some people dislike school, some can't get enough of it. Both of these groups include intelligent, inquisitive people. No matter which group you fall into, it's wise to keep your mind open to new things and your brain tuned to discovery mode.
Many times we do not want to delve into some "new" or "advanced" simply because we are afraid. Afraid of what?? The unknown and possible failure!We adapt and follow change, improve our minds in a lot of things. If we believe, in our mind, that we might fail, fear becomes the motivating factor to stop us. If you have been driving 15 years or more think back about the car you had 15 years ago (you may still have it, lol). The ones of us who have been driving 30, 40 or more years......we don't stay back in the 60's, 70's, etc. We grow gradually.
Soooooo, why don't we grow in our professional life, in our spiritual life??? A man did not take a computer class since he was not computer illerate. However, his knowledge was limited. His coworkers were putting together charts, spreadsheets, etc. Finally, he went back, took the class, his production increased and he was rewarded with a raise. Where are you, still drawing your own charts, or using the technology at hand?
Me, you, we are not dumb, just reluctant many times. I don't want to take the Bible class because it requires too much work! I don't want to take a course for my professional life because I am doing fine where I am!!
We should treat our professional life just like we do our spiritual life; and treat our spiritual life just like our professional life! Are you doing the very best for your saviour? For your company/boss? Proverbs 9:9 tells us give instruction to a wise man and he will be still wiser.
Don't give up. Our biggest mistake is to panic and quit. We have to remember GOD IS IN CONTROL!! We should seek HIS wisdom, HIS knowledge, HIS advice, HIS leading. Learning in important in every stage of life. Where do you need to improve?? Your spiritual life should reflect your professional and personal life, and vice versa. Ask God for a hunger for spiritual understanding.
"A wise man will hear and increase learning and a man of understanding will attain wise counsel." Proverbs 1:5
Let me lead you with this from Henry Ford: "Anyone who stops learning is old, whether twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young."
Use your mind, don't let it rust. Be wise. Thank you for reading with me today. Love you all.
In Christ's Love and Grace
Johnny

IF's and BUT's

Well, A lot has happened today and I am behind in my devotional. Thank you for being patient. God is good, all the time; all the time God is good!!! When things look bad, they could be worse; when things look good, they could be better. Now, what type of person would say this???
We tend to use a lot of "IF's" and "BUT's"!!! As Dandy Don Meredith said so eloquently: "If if's and but's were candy and nuts, we would all have a Merry Christmas."

If----we are always reaching when we are in the If Zone.

But----we are passing the responsibility.

IF I had more time, I would be a better Christian; BUT, there just never seems to be enough time.
As the cave man on geico says, yeah I have a response.....what????

We don't have time to do God's work, but we can...........(you finish it your way; for me it would be..)take the boat on the lake, play golf, go to a movie, watch t.v. or movie on t.v., etc.
Are we working for eternal life? Or, are we working to just stay alive???
"Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve...As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." Joshua 24:15

We cannot serve 2 masters, we will love one and hate the other. A simple decision.....yet so very hard!!

"Whoever listens to me will dwell safely, and will be secure, without fear of evil." Proverbs 1:33

Thank you for reading. Have a wonderful and blessed day, evening and tomorrow. Love you all.

In Christ's Love and Grace

Johnny

Are you a runaway??

Good morning!!! God's blessings to you!!! God is good all the time, all the time, God is good. Love you all!!! May today's words touch your heart. Just like the song: "open the eyes of my heart, Lord, open the eyes of my heart so that I may see you!!"
Philemon 2:10 "I appeal to you to show kindness to my child, Onesimus. I became his father in the faith while here in prison.(11) Onesimus hasn't been of much use to you in the past, but now he is very useful to both of us."
Okay, first, the name Onesimus means 'useful', which is not what Onesimus was at first. In ancient times a master had the legal right to kill a runaway slave, so Onesimus feared for his life. Paul wrote this letter to Philemon to help him understand his new relationship with Onesimus who was now a Christian brother, not a mere possession.
From his prison cell, Paul led Onesimus to the Lord. Paul asked Philemon to forgive his runaway slave who had become a Christian and even going beyond forgiveness to accept Onesimus as a brother.
As Christians we should forgive as we have been forgiven (Mat 6:12) Paul is sending Onesimus "useful", back to Philemon stating he has not been useful to either, but will be useful now. As brothers in Christ, he should be forgiven and work together.
Are you "Onesimus" - "useful" - for the kingdom of God? Or, are you a runaway? Too often we are runaways? Fortunately, we will be forgiven, but let's pray that we are "Onesimus" or "useful" for the kingdom of God.
Thank you for reading with me today. Love you all. May you be blessed through out the day and weekend. If we are slaves or prisoners, let us be prisoners or slaves of Jesus Christ, who gives us eternal life. Praise God!!
In Christ's Love and Grace
Johnny

Good or evil??? Wise or foolish????

Good morning!!! God morning!!! Have you prayed yet today??? Take time to pray and enjoy the riches of God. I am going to talk about good o evil as portrayed in the book Mind Siege by Tim LaHaye and David Noebel.
3500 years ago evil was termed "the way of man" or "the way that seemed right to man." The good way has always been called "God's way." These two ways of life are really philosophies of life dictating how a peson lives. The apostle Paul described the difference between the two when he wrote to the chuch in Corinth where much of our I - DOLATROUS thinking oiginated:
1 Corinthians 1:17-25 "For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel; not with wisdom of words, lest the cross ofChist should be made of none effect. For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. For it is written I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this world? Hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. For the Jews require a sign, and Greeks seeks after wisdom. But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness. But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men."
Here Paul points out 2 opposing views: man's wisdom & God's wisdom. Paul is telling the Greeks, the intellect of the day, that man's wisdom was wrong, calling it foolishness.
However, God's wisdom is powerful, it possesses the energy to produce godliness, contentment, fulfillment, and meaning, to which the wise aspire. (I Timothy 6:6) These benefits are available only throug God's wisdom. Man's wisdom continues to keep them based in the secular, with no way of seeing the angelic, heavenly, spiritual realms.
What do you strive for? The wisdom of man? OR, the wisdom of God? I have to pray for God's wisdom, so that I will be of wisdom spiritually. How about you? Good or evil.....wise or foolish!! It all lies in your hands.
Thank you for reading. Love you all.
In Christ's Love and Grace
Johnny

Do others see Jesus in you???

Good morning everyone!! I hope and pray this is a wonderful day in the Lord Jesus Christ for you. Do not forget who is large and in charge!! (from Bro Bill). God is good all the time, all the time God is good.
If you read the chilvary list yesterday you may find it interesting. So many times it refers back to the church, or being contrary to the church's word. We are here to serve others. Greater is he who serves than he who demands service.
Today we live in a world where power, prestige, fame, and money tend to rule and newsworthy. Brittany shaving her head; Paris going to jail; Bonds hitting homerun #756----these are all newsworthy. The young lad or lady who accepted Jesus Christ as his/her Lord and savior yesterday, last night, Sunday is not newsworthy in our society. Oh, yes, Paris "changed in jail" and had a religious experience. No, I am not judging, and I do pray that she did change, but the only reason this was broadcast is because of her wealth, power, and prestige.
Matthew 23:11 "but he who is greatest among you shall be your servant."
Proverbs 21:26 "the righteous give and don't hold back."
John 12:26 "If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor."
Chilvary, being kind, following God's word, let Jesus Christ shine through YOU!!! Yes, we may fall short, but don't quit!! God is there for us always. I try to live my life so that others see Jesus Christ from my walk. I also try to do this in my professional life. If people see Christ through me, I will bring honor to my God, to my company, and may touch lives for the kingdom of God---eternal life.
Do I fall short??? Yes, many times, temptations lay in wait, just wanting to snare me, you, everyone!! Do we fall, yes! But don't just lay there, get up, cast your eyes heavenward and ask for forgiveness and guideness. May we all tell someone about Jesus today and touch more lives than we can imagine. Thank you for reading. Love you all.
In Christ's Love and Grace
Johnny

Are you chilvaric?!?!?

Good morning all!! What a wonderful day to be alive in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ!!! God is good, all the time; all the time, God is good! Today my main prayer is for God to help me be humble, doing His work, giving Him the credit. Are you humble and doing God's will? Sometimes it is tough.
In Galatians 5:24 "THOSE WHO BELONG TO CHRIST JESUS HAVE NAILED THE PASSIONS AND DESIRES OF THEIR SINFUL NATURE TO HIS CROSS AND CRUICIFIED THEM THERE."
In order to accept CHRIST as Saviour, we need to turn from our sins and willingly nail our sinful nature to the cross. As Christians we still have the capacity to sin, but we have been set free from sin's power over us and no longer have to give in to it. We must commit our sinful tendencies to God's control daily, crucify them daily, and moment by moment draw on the Spirit's power to overcome them.
We need to practice Chivalry!!! You say what??? What you talkin' 'bout Willis??? Well, look at the following list.
Chivalric codesThere were several lists written down during the Middle Ages. One example code can be found in the book Chivalry by 19th century French historian Leon Gautier:
 Thou shalt believe all that the Church teaches, and shalt observe all its directions.
 Thou shalt defend the Church.
 Thou shalt respect all weaknesses, and shalt constitute thyself the defender of them.
Thou shalt love the country in which thou wast born.
 Thou shalt not recoil before thine enemy.
 Thou shalt make war against the Infidel without cessation, and without mercy.
 Thou shalt perform scrupulously thy feudal duties, if they be not contrary to the laws of God.
 Thou shalt never lie, and shall remain faithful to thy pledged word.
 Thou shalt be generous, and give largess to everyone.
 Thou shalt be everywhere and always the champion of the Right and the Good against Injustice and Evil
Are you chivalric? The very first one says what?!? BELIEVE ALL THAT THE CHURCH TEACHES, AND SHALT OBSERVE ALL ITS DIRECTIONS. But continue on from here- look at each one. Think about how these relate to your Christian life...and Are you being chilvaric??? I just pray that God helps me be chilvaric, to be a student of the word, and to let Jesus Christ shine through my actions and words. Thank you God for being a loving and kind God. Thank you all for reading. Love you all.
In Christ's Love and Grace
Johnny

Do you bear the scars of JESUS CHRIST?!?!?!?

Good morning everyone!! What a great day to be alive in the Lord Jesus Christ!!!! God is good all the time, all the time, God is good. Today let's finish up Galatians.
Galatians6:17-18 "FROM NOW ON, DON'T LET ANYONE TROUBLE ME WITH THESE THINGS. FOR I BEAR ON MY BODY THE SCARS THAT SHOW I BELONG TO JESUS. DEAR BROTHERS AND SISTERS, MAY THE GRACE OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST BE WITH YOUR SPIRIT. AMEN."
Back in the days we are glad we do not live or experience, many times the masters would mark the slaves in such a way that people would know who they belonged to. Paul carries the scars from being imprisioned, beaten, and abused because he carried the news of Jesus. Paul does not want to be bother by things that the Galatians brought forth, like having to be circumcised to be a believer. Jesus died for us unconditionally....no circumcision, no piercings, only FAITH....this brings to mind one of my favorite praise songs - Open the eyes of my heart Lord, Open the eyes of my heart, so I may see you!!!!
What scars do you have? Where is your heart? vs 18 Paul's letter bodly declares the freedom of the Christian. We are not bound by the law, we are saved by Faith, to have everlasting life. As we want to grow we have to be careful about not being misled, watch out for man made laws in a church. Do they follow the Bible? This is the question we must ask. We are set free by JESUS CHRIST!!!
If we follow laws and revert back, it would be like a prisoner being released from jail, and he walks out for a minute, then turns around and walks back into his cell. We are set free by JESUS CHRIST!!! Since Jesus set us free, we must not go back into our bondage.....bondage of the world is a great bondage. We are free, thank God, we are free through JESUS CHRIST!!
Thank you for reading. Love you all.

In Christ's Love and Grace
Johnny

Are you a NEW CREATION?????

Good morning everyone!!! Oh, yes, t'will be a great day in the Lord once again!!! How great is our Lord! God is good, all the time; all the time, God is good!!!! Are you a new creation, or a creation of the world??
Galatians 6:12-14 "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.(13)And even those who advocate circumcision don't keep the whole law themselves. They only want you to be circumcised so they can boast about it and claim you as their disciples."
Okay, some of the Judizers were emphasizing circumcision as proof of holiness, but were ignoring the other Jewish laws. People often choose a certain principle or prohibition and make it the measure of faith. Some may condemn drunkenness but ignore gluttony. Others may despise promiscuity but tolerate prejudice. Some who are adamant against homosexuality ignore child abuse. The Bible is our rule of faith and practice. We cannot pick and choose the mandates we will follow.
vs 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."
The world is full of enticements. Daily we are confronted with subtle cultural pressures and overt propaganda. The only way to escape these destructive influences is to ask God to help crucify our interest in them, just as Paul did. How much do the interests of this world matter to you?
Galatians 2:20 "MY OLD SELF HAS BEEN CRUCIFIED WITH CHRIST, IT IS NO LONGER I WHO LIVE, BUT CHRIST LIVES IN ME. SO I LIVE IN THIS EARTHLY BODY BY TRUSTING IN THE SON OF GOD, WHO LOVED ME AND GAVE HIMSELF FOR ME." Wow! How strong is that??? And then Gatatians 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."
All this tells us to turn from our sinful ways, and to give every part of our life to God. Submit everything - emotional, physical, social, intellectual, vocational. Give it all to God. Thank you for reading. Love you all.

In Christ's Love and Grace
Johnny

Are you living in CHRIST or the law?????

Good morning everyone!!! Yes, a wonderful day in the Lord Jesus Christ. God is good all the time, all the time God is good. Yesterday we ended with vs 10 of Galatians 6 - "Therefore, wheneve we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone - especially to those in the family of faith."
Did you take the opportunity yesterday to share the good news with someone? OR did you bypass that chance? It would be better to say: "I took the opportunity to share the good news AND it was good!!
Galatians 6:11-12 "NOTICE WHAT LARGE LETTERS I USE AS I WRITE THESE CLOSING WORDS IN MY OWN HANDWRITING." Up to this time Paul probably dictated the words of his letter to a secretary or scribe. Here 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 genuine.....from him.
vs 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 thatthe cross of Christ alone can save."
Wow!!! These people are trying to enforce part of the 'law' which Jesus came to fulfill. So, to be saved you have to be circumcised and accept Jesus. Funny!!! That is not what the Bible says. We are not to add to, we are to just do!!!!
These pushers of circumcision tended to be intimidating to the followers of Christ, trying to pick part of the law of Moses to follow. Paul's letter to the Galatians is very direct. These Judizers did not have the faith in Jesus Christ to accept any criticism or be persecuted for believing only in Jesus. They were people pleasers. Where do you fit in this scheme?? Are you trying to please? No persecution because you believe in Jesus? OR....do you take a stand for Christ? Suffer the consequences? Proudly stand in Jesus and share the GOOD NEWS?!?!?!
Take a stand...tell someone about Jesus today!! Be bold and stand on the ROCK------JESUS CHRIST!!!! Thank you for taking time to read!! Love you all!!
In Christ's Love and Grace
Johnny

What are you harvesting?????

Good morning everyone!!! What a wonderful day to be alive in the Lord Jesus Christ!!! God is good, all the time; all the time, God is good!!!
Yesterday we talked about our own work and paying our teachers. Soooo, today, we will talk about harvesting what you deserve! It can be kind of scary. Hang on as we move to Galatians 6:7-10.
Galatians 6:7-10 "dON'T BE MISLED - YOU CANNOT OCK THE JUSTICE OF GOD. YOU WILL ALWAYS HARVEST WHAT YOU PLANT. THOSE WHO LIVE ONLY TO SATISFY THEIR OWN SINFUL NATURE WILL HARVEST DECAY AND DEATH FROM THAT SINFUL NATURE. BUT THOSE WHO LIVE TO PLEASE THE SPIRIT WILL HARVEST EVERLASTING LIFE FROM THE SPIRIT. 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."
Wow!!! A lot said!!! It wold certainly be a surprise if you planted corn and pumpkins came up. It's a natural law to harvest what we plant. It's true in all areas as well. If you gossip aout your friends, you will lose their friendship. Every action has results. If you plant to please your own desires, you'll harvest a crop of sorrow and evil. If you plant to please God, you'll harvest joy and everlasting life. What kind of seeds are you planting?
vs 9,10 It is discouraging to continue to do right and receive no word of thanks or see no results. But 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.
Sooooooo.......what kinds of seeds do you plant----at home? at work? at church? in everyday life? with your friends? Verse 8 says if we plant to the desires of our sin nature we will reap "decay and death." Something to ponder on. Thank you for reading with me today. Love you all.
In Christ's Love and Grace
Johnny