JESUS SPEAKING

                “He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much. Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust true riches? And if you have not been faithful in what is another man’s, who will give you what is your own?” (Luke 16: 10-12)

INSPIRED THOUGHTS

There are two kinds of riches; earthly riches, and heavenly riches. The heavenly riches are far more valuable, for they are eternal.  God has granted to mankind temporary possession of many earthly treasures.  Every human being is a steward; a steward is ‘someone who manages property or other affairs for someone else.’  How one handles what they have been given in this life, indicates whether they are capable of properly handling eternal life.  Those who have abused what is God’s will never receive their own everlasting possessions.

When I was young (before I knew Jesus Christ) I had little respect for the possessions of others.  Whenever my mother allowed me to take her vehicle, I abused it.  I would hit jumps, take friends out riding on dirt roads, and drive through snow banks.  In college, my dad bought me a new vehicle; a car ‘all my own.’  I abused that car to within an inch of its life. I smoked in it; I left garbage wrappers in it; I hit jumps with it; once when I was drunk I rode over a bunch of mail-boxes with it (popping the tire.)  I had a friend kick in the side door; I got it stuck in a ditch; I had a window smashed in; the door handles were ripped off etc.  Eventually the automobile was taken away from me.  Had my Dad read this scripture, he would have known I was not worthy to possess my own vehicle.

This life is a test.  The things we have are not ours; they are God’s.  Our wives, our children, our houses, our cars, our friends, our families, our bodies, our jobs, and even our money; it all belongs to God, and we must care for them accordingly.  If we succeed in being good stewards of the possessions in this life, we will receive for ourselves, eternal possessions.  Be a good steward of what you have been given; take care of what is His; and your reward will be great.  If you can be trusted with what is least, He will one day entrust you with what is much.

“Lord Heavenly Father, we come before You and ask that You help us to be good stewards of what we have been given.  May we be faithful in the very least of our possessions.  May we always be pleasing to You; and may we one day inherit true riches; eternal riches; everlasting riches.  We love You Father, we praise You, and we thank You; and we ask and pray all of these things in Jesus Christ’s name. Amen.”  God bless all of you.

JESUS SPEAKING

                “But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while.  For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles” (Mathew 30: 20 – 21.)

INSPIRED THOUGHTS

                The gospel is a powerful force; like a raging torrent, it demands reverence and respect.  Just as rivers gouge out valleys and tear apart mountains, the gospel transforms lives.  Many eagerly receive God’s Holy Spirit but lack foresight; they do not understand the magnitude of changes God intends to perform in their lives.  True faith is costly; the price of salvation is death; death to our old lives.  One must willingly be destroyed in order to be remade in the image of Christ.  Those whose hearts are stony experience a very shallow relationship with God.  They desperately cling to old familiar habits and abandon their faith when it requires real change.  They turn from the light and live in darkness; choosing comfort above growth and sin over righteousness. 

                When a famous gangster named Mickey Cohen was released from prison in the 1950’s, a Pastor by the name of Bill Jones made it his personal mission to convert him to Christianity.  When Jones presented Mickey with the gospel, he said a prayer and accepted Jesus in to his heart.  Soon, word of his conversion spread, and many were amazed to hear that this once villainous mobster had turned to Christ.  Although Mickey enjoyed being called a ‘Christian,’ he refused to live like one.  “He soon lost touch with Pastor Jones, and began to hang around his old buddies from the criminal underworld.  The disheartened Jones confronted Cohen to tell him that as a Christian, he needed to put distance between himself and his old [criminal associates].  Puzzled, Cohen responded, “Jones, you never told me that I had to give up my career.  You never told me that I had to give up my friends.  There are Christian movie stars, Christian athletes, and Christian businessmen.  So what’s the matter with being a Christian gangster?  If I have to give up all that – if that’s Christianity – then count me out.”

                Sadly Mickey’s story is not uncommon; out of the four different types of soil Christ describes, the stony heart can be the most deadly; for within it, there exists the greatest propensity for self-deception.  Believing a verbal profession of faith to be sufficient for salvation, many remain unchanged.  With their lips they affirm Christ, but with their lives they deny him.  Continuing in behaviors such as, pornography, fornication, drunkenness, idolatry, and dishonesty (to name a few), many delusional souls travel toward an eternal precipice from which there is no return.  If you can identify with this type of soil, then you have two choices; continue forward toward damnation, or get honest with yourself and begin a new life with Jesus; a life of repentance; a life free from darkness and unrighteousness; a life lived as a disciple of Christ; a life fully committed to purity, church fellowship, prayer, evangelism, and bible reading.  May the Lord give you the courage, strength, and conviction to make the right choice.

                “Lord Heavenly Father, transform us in to the image of Your Son.  May we lay down our old lives to take up our new ones.  May our relationships with You be deep and meaningful.  May our lives always confirm our verbal professions of faith.  If we have not fully committed our lives to You, reveal to us the areas where we have refused to change; and by the power of Your Holy Spirit, help us to overcome and to conquer.  We love You Father, we praise You, and we thank You, and we ask and pray all of these things in Jesus Christ’s name.  Amen.”  God bless all of you. 

JESUS SPEAKING:

“Teacher,” said John, “we saw a man driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us.” “Don’t stop him,” Jesus said. “No one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me, for whoever is not against us is for us” (Mark 9:38-39.)

INSPIRED THOUGHTS:

Every good work done in the name of Christ is commendable in the sight of God.  Those who oppose such works (for whatever reason) practice evil.  The disciples mistakenly commanded an unknown man to cease casting out demons in Christ’s name.  Jesus rebuked them for ignorantly believing that God would only use members of their inner circle.  The man was filled with faith; enough faith to perform miracles in his name; he was not a stranger; rather, the man they confronted and corrected was in fact, their brother.  Authority and power come from God; they do not come from men.  Briefly, the disciples believed themselves to be more than servants; they selfishly attempted to set themselves apart, and to control and contain the work of God; in so doing, they stood in opposition to Him.

Throughout the centuries, there have been many who have fallen victim to the exact same mistake made by the disciples.  Some vainly believe they alone possess the power and authority of God; the Mormons say, “This church is the only true and living church on the face of the whole earth.”  The J-hovah’s Witnesses say, “We acknowledge as the visible organization of J-hovah on earth, the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society.”  The International Church of Christ says, “There is one church! There is one God. There is one kingdom of God and this is it!”  The seventh day Adventists say, “Since we keep all ten Commandments and have Ellen White as our prophet, we Seventh-day Adventists are The Remnant Church!”  The True Jesus Church claims that they are “the true church restored by God through the Holy Spirit of the latter rain. She is the revival of the apostolic church in the end times.”  Any organization that claims membership with them is a prerequisite for true salvation stands opposed to the Lord they profess to serve.

Jesus Christ can never be replaced by a denomination; rituals and traditions cannot usurp the power of the Holy Spirit.  Those who say affiliation with their church is necessary are in rebellion against the one true and living God.  It can be very difficult to keep the gospel simple, and to keep Christ at the center of the faith (avoid those who practice sectarianism.)  Jesus is what connects us; he binds us to one another; he brings us together; he alone is our salvation and our strength; he is the center of our faith; may you always keep him close; and may you continue to seek fellowship with those who love him.

“Lord Heavenly Father, give us discernment; may we never forget that faith in Your Son is what truly matters.  May our good works always be done in Your name.  Help us to avoid those who seek to replace our trust in You with a faith in a denomination or sect.  May we draw near to one another as we draw near to Your son.  Father, continue to fill us with Your Holy Spirit, that through us, Your miracles may continue to be done in this world.  We thank You Father, we love You, and we praise You, and we ask and pray all of these things in Jesus Christ’s name, Amen.”  God bless all of you.