A New Day Dawning

2 Thessalonians 2:1-6 NLT
(1) Now, dear brothers and sisters, let us clarify some things about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and how we will be gathered to meet Him.
(2) Don't be so easily shaken or alarmed by those who say that the day of the Lord has already begun. Don't believe them, even if they claim to have had a spiritual vision, a revelation, or a letter supposedly from us.
(3) Don't be fooled by what they say. For that day will not come until there is a great rebellion against God and the man of lawlessness is revealed--the one who brings destruction.
(4) He will exalt himself and defy everything that people call god and every object of worship. He will even sit in the temple of God, claiming that he himself is God.
(5) Don't you remember that I told you about all this when I was with you?
(6) And you know what is holding him back, for he can be revealed only when his time comes.

Do not fear for our Father in heaven knows the business of man and the tricks of the enemy are not hidden from Him. As we watch lawlessness rise up in this Christian nation we who hope in the Lord God Jehovah know that these things must happen before Jesus returns. To those who think His returning will happen while everything is going great, blue skies, and sunshine you are sorely mistaken. In fact those who have prepared and keep their lamps burning for the Bridegroom will know His coming is near because of the darkness that surrounds that time. Look at verse three again. “Don't be fooled by what they say. For that day will not come until there is a great rebellion against God and the man of lawlessness is revealed—the one who brings destruction.”

Lord, thank you for the hope you give and the strength that is beyond my means. Please help me to be ever watchful for the signs of your return. Help me not to lose myself in matters of this world but be ever mindful of your presence. May I be an empty vessel to be used for your purpose so that my life may be poured out for your glory, not my own. Be near family and friends and help me to encourage them in times such as these. In Jesus' name, amen.

Test yourselves to see if you know Christ

John 1:1-14 NLT
(1) In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God.
(2) He existed in the beginning with God.
(3) God created everything through Him, and nothing was created except through Him.
(4) The Word gave life to everything that was created, and His life brought light to everyone.
(5) The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.
(6) God sent a man, John the Baptist,
(7) to tell about the light so that everyone might believe because of his testimony.
(8) John himself was not the light; he was simply a witness to tell about the light.
(9) The One who is the true light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.
(10) He came into the very world He created, but the world didn't recognize Him.
(11) He came to His own people, and even they rejected Him.
(12) But to all who believed Him and accepted Him, He gave the right to become children of God.
(13) They are reborn--not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God.
(14) So the Word became human and made His home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen His glory, the glory of the Father's one and only Son.

How do we know if we really have relationship with God's Son? Ask yourselves this question, “Am I a good person?” Simply put if your answer is “yes” then you have not known Him. If you are good then you have no need for a savior, still our hearts cry out for one. Why is it Marvel movies make over one billion dollars each? Whether we know it or not our hearts recognize the need for a hero but society tells us to pull ourselves up by our boot straps and earn that position and title, make people take notice but all along we leave behind the truth that tells us we need Jesus (BTW that's the Holy Spirit of God). So have you become a “good person”? Working to do what's right, still quietly falling short of where a true hero stands? Have you eliminated your need for a savior? John 1:12 But to all who believed Him and accepted Him, He gave the right to become children of God.”

Lord, even if it means that we come face to face with our own shortcoming please show your children their need for Jesus, still do not crush us but let us find hope in your Son. Let us be reminded daily that though our righteousness is as dirty rags Jesus, the one who knew no sin, covers us and if we only believe in Him we shall be saved. Forgive me Father for trying to make it on my own and teach me your ways, lead me and guide me all the days of my life so that I may be called yours. In Jesus' name I pray, amen.

You travel this road not alone

To all those tired and weary, to those who follow God without regard for man's thoughts, it is to you I say these things. Take not the judgment of man upon your shoulders for God Himself will judge, nor take thought of their schemes for God alone is your hiding place. The more they persecute you the more your spirit recognizes God's presence, the more you feel alone the more you realize that you never can be. Take heart for even Jesus' friends thought they were alone in the world after His Crucifixion but look at this story and see if there are not parts familiar with your own. God will not leave you, even when you do not recognize Him, He is there.

Luke 24:13-34 GNB
(13) On that same day two of Jesus' followers were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem,
(14) and they were talking to each other about all the things that had happened.
(15) As they talked and discussed, Jesus himself drew near and walked along with them;
(16) they saw him, but somehow did not recognize him.
(17) Jesus said to them, "What are you talking about to each other, as you walk along?" They stood still, with sad faces.
(18) One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, "Are you the only visitor in Jerusalem who doesn't know the things that have been happening there these last few days?"
(19) "What things?" he asked. "The things that happened to Jesus of Nazareth," they answered. "This man was a prophet and was considered by God and by all the people to be powerful in everything he said and did.
(20) Our chief priests and rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and he was crucified.
(21) And we had hoped that he would be the one who was going to set Israel free! Besides all that, this is now the third day since it happened.
(22) Some of the women of our group surprised us; they went at dawn to the tomb,
(23) but could not find his body. They came back saying they had seen a vision of angels who told them that he is alive.
(24) Some of our group went to the tomb and found it exactly as the women had said, but they did not see him."
(25) Then Jesus said to them, "How foolish you are, how slow you are to believe everything the prophets said!
(26) Was it not necessary for the Messiah to suffer these things and then to enter his glory?"
(27) And Jesus explained to them what was said about himself in all the Scriptures, beginning with the books of Moses and the writings of all the prophets.
(28) As they came near the village to which they were going, Jesus acted as if he were going farther;
(29) but they held him back, saying, "Stay with us; the day is almost over and it is getting dark." So he went in to stay with them.
(30) He sat down to eat with them, took the bread, and said the blessing; then he broke the bread and gave it to them.
(31) Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, but he disappeared from their sight.
(32) They said to each other, "Wasn't it like a fire burning in us when he talked to us on the road and explained the Scriptures to us?"
(33) They got up at once and went back to Jerusalem, where they found the eleven disciples gathered together with the others
(34) and saying, "The Lord is risen indeed! He has appeared to Simon!"

Even when you know you are guilty or partly to blame there is hope, look again at verse 20 “OUR chief priests and rulers handed him over...” and though some have faith you just can't see it, verse 23 “THEY came back saying they had seen a vision of angels...” But Jesus Himself comforts us even if while rebuking us for doubting what we have been told by the scriptures, verse 25 “How foolish you are, how slow you are to believe everything the prophets said!”. Then it happens the Holy Spirit reveals unto you that you really are not alone, verse 31 “THEN their eyes were opened and they recognized him...”. At that moment your heart fills once again with hope and you can't wait to tell someone!

A lie, an offense, and unforgiveness

Colossians 3:9-13 NLT
(9) Don't lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old sinful nature and all its wicked deeds.
(10) Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like Him.
(11) In this new life, it doesn't matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilized, slave, or free. Christ is all that matters, and He lives in all of us.
(12) Since God chose you to be the holy people He loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.
(13) Make allowance for each other's faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.

When someone lies to you because of shameful sin how do you react? When that person's actions dishonor you or your family what should you say? Often what you want to say or do is not what you should say or do. How do you forgive the person without condoning the sin? How do you love them without pretending what they did was of no consequence? When a person has responded by lying and that reaction has become a life-style what does that say about the parent? Did the parent fail? Was the child unteachable because of ill feelings harbored inside? Remember both have fallen short and both are human. How does God see a life that refuses to submit to His authority? What does God say about an unrepentant sin? Can that person expect God's blessings in their life or the work of their hands?

These questions lead but to one answer – we know that everyone has fallen short of the glory of God because of what the Bible tells us in Romans 3:23 NLT (23) “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God's glorious standard.” And we know because of what Jesus taught we are unable to point a finger at one without first condemning ourselves, because of our own broken nature. Look at John 8:7 and Matthew 18:32-35. We also know that God is holy and just and not defiled by sin and impurity, just look at what the Old Testament priests had to do in order to prepare to be in His presence (Leviticus chapter 16). We also know that God is the same yesterday, today, and for eternity, that's why we can only come before Him through what Jesus, the Christ, did for us on the cross – He has paid our sins with His own life so that we might live BUT we have to humbly confess Him as Lord and Savior (1 John 1:9). It's not enough to believe that Jesus lived and died but we must take up our cross and follow Him, love Him, and obey the leading of His Holy Spirit if we are to have eternal life. It is because of these things that we are to forgive, understanding our own desperate situation, knowing that God loves the person who has acted shamefully or even continues to do so just as much as He loves the one who is obedient (Luke 15:11-32) and those who feel self-righteous should be warned God's wrath is kindled against you just like the unforgiving servant in Matthew 18. So treading lightly knowing we are to forgive, understanding just how much we have been forgiven. We are to pray for this person so God's presence might be known by them and that He might bring about conviction so that this person's life might change to one that honors Him, and we are to love them by loving and honoring God in our own lives before them, knowing that God is good all the time and cares more than we can comprehend.

Is Today's Society Like Pharaoh?

Exodus 9:12 NLT
(12) But the LORD hardened Pharaoh's heart, and just as the LORD had predicted to Moses, Pharaoh refused to listen.

Regardless of what facts are presented people refuse to listen just like Moses told Pharaoh about the horrible plagues that would come if he did not listen to God and I believe once again God's people are being prepared for a great exodus as the Jewish people were being prepared to leave Egypt. The harder hearts become the closer we get to seeing God do something big! As it was with Pharaoh many opportunities have been provided to turn from his disobedience but in the end he chose selfishness which brought him low for the rest of the world to see and for all time but even then he did not surrender to God's authority. Is America headed for the same judgment, many think they can over-power or push God's hand. I was reminded of this as I watched video of the Black Lives Matter movement blocking traffic only to be ran over by angry motorist. God is kind and merciful but that does not mean He is weak. It seems odd to me people who dislike their country enough to come looking for a new life are trying so desperately to change America into the same type of country they came from but then sin and disobedience is not about common sense is it? For they, like Pharaoh, are being driven by demonic forces as Satan himself fights against the Living God by trying to destroy what is most important to Him, His people. I feel a great tribulation is coming and we know that only means the second returning of Christ Jesus is also coming. Some believe it will happen before things get bad but I know Jesus, our teacher did not leave this world before the great tribulation he faced and I know the Bible teaches we must be like him.

Matthew 10:24-28 NLT
(24) "Students are not greater than their teacher, and slaves are not greater than their master.
(25) Students are to be like their teacher, and slaves are to be like their master. And since I, the master of the household, have been called the prince of demons, the members of My household will be called by even worse names!
(26) "But don't be afraid of those who threaten you. For the time is coming when everything that is covered will be revealed, and all that is secret will be made known to all.
(27) What I tell you now in the darkness, shout abroad when daybreak comes. What I whisper in your ear, shout from the housetops for all to hear!
(28) "Don't be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

As days go on watch and see if people don't get more angry as the truth is revealed for that will be a sure sign that the time of Christ Jesus' return is near. Listen to the words of Jesus as he told His disciples what would take place before the end.

Matthew 24:1-51 NLT
(1) As Jesus was leaving the Temple grounds, His disciples pointed out to Him the various Temple buildings.
(2) But He responded, "Do you see all these buildings? I tell you the truth, they will be completely demolished. Not one stone will be left on top of another!"
(3) Later, Jesus sat on the Mount of Olives. His disciples came to Him privately and said, "Tell us, when will all this happen? What sign will signal Your return and the end of the world? "
(4) Jesus told them, "Don't let anyone mislead you,
(5) for many will come in My name, claiming, 'I am the Messiah.' They will deceive many.
(6) And you will hear of wars and threats of wars, but don't panic. Yes, these things must take place, but the end won't follow immediately.
(7) Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in many parts of the world.
(8) But all this is only the first of the birth pains, with more to come.
(9) "Then you will be arrested, persecuted, and killed. You will be hated all over the world because you are My followers.
(10) And many will turn away from Me and betray and hate each other.
(11) And many false prophets will appear and will deceive many people.
(12) Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold.
(13) But the one who endures to the end will be saved.
(14) And the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations will hear it; and then the end will come.
(15) "The day is coming when you will see what Daniel the prophet spoke about--the sacrilegious object that causes desecration standing in the Holy Place." (Reader, pay attention!)
(16) "Then those in Judea must flee to the hills.
(17) A person out on the deck of a roof must not go down into the house to pack.
(18) A person out in the field must not return even to get a coat.
(19) How terrible it will be for pregnant women and for nursing mothers in those days.
(20) And pray that your flight will not be in winter or on the Sabbath.
(21) For there will be greater anguish than at any time since the world began. And it will never be so great again.
(22) In fact, unless that time of calamity is shortened, not a single person will survive. But it will be shortened for the sake of God's chosen ones.

For they know not what they do

Luke 23:33-35 NLT

(33) When they came to a place called The Skull, they nailed Him to the cross. And the criminals were also crucified--one on His right and one on His left.
(34) Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they don't know what they are doing." And the soldiers gambled for His clothes by throwing dice.
(35) The crowd watched and the leaders scoffed. "He saved others," they said, "let Him save Himself if He is really God's Messiah, the Chosen One."

We are quick to ask for forgiveness when we fall short of God's standard but if someone falls short of our standard how often do we follow Jesus' example, “Lord forgive them for they know not what they do”? No, more often we keep score remembering their deliberate choices against us. In our self-righteous position we justify our prayer for equality, completely forgetting what God has done in order to forgive our deliberate choices against His will. At some point we all come to this place due to the pain and hurt we have endured and we think somehow if we forgive then the offender will not be held accountable. Jesus was not concerned about those responsible for his pain and suffering being held accountable but instead looked past that and saw them as lost children who needed saving. Jesus knew the Father would judge and even though Jesus could have called them out in His righteousness that was not what He came to do, instead He trusted the Father to do what only the Father can do. Remember this the next time someone deliberately comes against you or your intended good; can you trust Father God to do what you cannot, to see what is really going on and judge each one not only by their deeds but also by their hearts?

I have a saying that I try to live by when someone is acting out, “Don't let their problem become your problem.” Meaning we are so often concerned about things being even that when someone hurts us we are quick to act in kind to show them how tough we can be but did you know when we take matters into our own hands God's judgment moves from the offender to us, in part because we had the opportunity to show them God's love and kindness but we were disobedient. Now instead of the offense being against a child of God it is against God himself!

Lord, help me to love like Jesus loves. Please forgive me for holding on to my hurt and pain like they are some sort of trophy to be worn in front of others as a indicator of what I have endured for You, how silly. I am reminded often of my own need for forgiveness and exactly where I would be without it. Give me spiritual eyes to see what is really going on and a heart that trust You know what You are doing. To worry about people being held accountable for their deeds is to worry that You don't know what You are doing and that too is silly. Lord I love You, thanks for loving me first. In Jesus' name I pray, amen.

Why dad?

Dad why do we read the Bible? Because son there is a journey we all travel but this journey is different than any other because you cannot see, touch, or hear it but this journey is the most import one of them all. But dad if I can't see, touch or hear it how do I know where I'm going? That's the best part son, we have a guide that leads us but you can't see, touch, or hear Him either. But dad I don't understand. How can I follow someone that I cannot see on a path that cannot be touched? Our guide is Jesus Christ and He has given us a road map, it's called the Bible. Those who try to find this path without it are hopelessly lost, as a matter of fact Jesus in His infinite wisdom has hidden the path from all including the rich, those who do well in school, and those who are over us so that all the glory might go to His Father in heaven. You see many have tried to get to heaven on their own but all have fallen short of the mark but Jesus knows we cannot make it without Him and has a plan. In the end all the winners read the Bible not so they can look good but so they can see, does that make sense son? Yes dad, Jesus gave us His Word so that we may know Him and be able to follow Him so that one day we can all go to live with Him in heaven. That's right son, I love you.