"For thus says the LORD to the house of Israel:

Seek Me and live; 
But do not seek Bethel, 
Nor enter Gilgal, 
Nor pass over to Beersheba; 
For Gilgal shall surely go into captivity, 
And Bethel shall come to nothing. 
Seek the LORD and live, 
Lest He break out like fire in the house of Joseph, 
And devour it,
With no one to quench it in Bethel— 
You who turn justice to wormwood, 
And lay righteousness to rest in the earth!” 
He made the Pleiades and Orion; 
He turns the shadow of death into morning 
And makes the day dark as night; 
He calls for the waters of the sea 
And pours them out on the face of the earth; 
The LORD is His name. 
He rains ruin upon the strong, 
So that fury comes upon the fortress. 
They hate the one who rebukes in the gate, 
And they abhor the one who speaks uprightly. 
Therefore, because you tread down the poor 
And take grain taxes from him, 
Though you have built houses of hewn stone, 
Yet you shall not dwell in them; 
You have planted pleasant vineyards, 
But you shall not drink wine from them. 
For I know your manifold transgressions 
And your mighty sins: 
Afflicting the just and taking bribes; 
Diverting the poor from justice at the gate. 
Therefore the prudent keep silent at that time, 
For it is an evil time. 
Seek good and not evil, 
That you may live; 
So the LORD God of hosts will be with you, 
As you have spoken. 
Hate evil, love good; 
Establish justice in the gate. 
It may be that the LORD God of hosts 
Will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.
Amos 5:4-15 (NKJV)

I hope that all of our relationships are close with God.  I hope that all of us who read this have a relationship with God.  I know that not all who read this have a personal relationship with God.  I pray that for those who don't will be directed by the Holy Spirit to search the Scriptures and find the truth about Jesus Christ.  For those who do have a personal relationship with God, seek Him with all your heart, mind, and strength.  Don't back down, keep striving for Him!  If we constantly, consistently seek Him, then as we grow closer and closer to Him He will give us strength and grace to make it through the day.  How do we seek Him?  Read His word, communicate to Him in prayer, and serve Him by using the gifts that God has given you.  Seek Him and Live!

Blessed is the man
Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, 
Nor stands in the path of sinners, 
Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
And in His law he meditates day and night.
He shall be like a tree
Planted by the rivers of water, 
That brings forth its fruit in its season, 
Whose leaf also shall not wither; 
And whatever he does shall prosper. 
         
The ungodly are not so,
But are like the chaff which the wind drives away.
Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment,
Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. 
         
For the LORD knows the way of the righteous,
But the way of the ungodly shall perish.
Psalm 1 (NKJV)

Who are we as people?  There is, in my opinion, two types of people.  People who are like trees and people who are like chaff; people who are godly and people who are ungodly.

Who are the godly?  The godly are those who delight in the Law of the Lord (Bible); they meditate or study it day and night.  Godly people are those who are just can't get enough of God's truth.  The godly are those who God sees and knows there ways because they are His children.  A godly person is one who according to this Psalm is like a tree planted by the rivers of water.  A tree is a plant that is firmly rooted in the soil and it is rather difficult to uproot.  Well, as people we are like a tree but only stronger because there is absolutely no way for us to be uprooted from the Soil; the solid rock or our salvation Jesus Christ.  Sure we can be weakened by the cares and temptations of this world but we will always have a strong foundation, a strong root system in Jesus Christ.

Who are the ungodly?  The ungodly are those who are like chaff that the wind drives away.  Chaff is the husks of grain that are separated during threshing.  It is just a flimsey part of the grain that blows away with any slight breeze.  Ungodly people have no foundation; they have no solid root system that they can cling to in the "winds" of life.  The ungodly will not stand at the judgment and their way will perish forever.  The ways of the ungodly will not last for eternity because God is in control and He will not stand or allow evil to last. 

How does one go from an ungodly person to a godly person?  It is very simple.  That person according to God's Word must acknowledge that he or she is a sinner.  A sinner destined for hell because God is holy and can have no evil in His presence.  After he or she has acknowledged that they are sinner, an enemy of God, they must see from Scripture that God through His Son Jesus Christ is the only remedy for that sin.  Jesus' life here on earth and His death on the cross assures us that our sins are taken care of because it is said in Scripture that without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins or forgiveness of sins.  Christ had to die so that you may have the opportunity to live.  Once you put your whole life, everything that you are, into what Christ did for you than you have made the transition from an ungodly person who is like chaff that the wind drives away to a godly person who is like a tree planted by the rivers of water. 

I pray that we all would consider, take stock of our lives, and see whether we are truly a godly person or an ungodly person.  I pray that those who are godly will continue being godly by studying God's Word and growing closer to your Lord.  For those who are ungodly, I pray that you will see the grace of God in your lives today.  Please search the Scriptures and see that you can have assurance and hope.  When the storms of life comes, you can know that you won't be blown away because you can be rooted in the solid Rock.  Consider whether you are godly or ungody; a tree or chaff.

If you have any questions or comments on what I just had written, please feel free to comment and question.  I'm hoping that this will get us all to think about where we are going in life.  God Bless!

Another parable He put forth to them, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way.  But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared.  So the servants of the owner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?’  He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The servants said to him, ‘Do you want us then to go and gather them up?’  But he said, ‘No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them.  Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.”’"  Then Jesus sent the multitude away and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field.”  He answered and said to them: “He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man.  The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one.  The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels.  Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age.  The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.  Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!  (Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43 NKJV)

Are you ready to meet Jesus?  Do you have a personal relationship with Lord Jesus Christ?  This is the parable of the wheat and the tares.  In this chapter of Matthew, Jesus is going through quite a few of parables in his teaching to the crowd at the synagogue.  Jesus not only tells the parable but He also explains it so that we, in 2008, can understand it.  Amazing that our Lord has given us this so that we can think about whether we are ready to meet Him at the end of the age.

I know I am ready to meet Jesus because I have recognized that I am a sinner destined for Hell apart from God's grace.  I have trusted and put my entire life into the life and death of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  This is how I know that I'm ready.  If you would like to know more about how you can be ready, please don't hesitate me to contact me through Xanga.  I would be happy to lead you through so that you can be sure that you are ready to meet your Lord and Savior.  God Bless!

Happy is the man who finds wisdom, 
And the man who gains understanding; 
For her proceeds are better than the profits of silver, 
And her gain than fine gold. 
She is more precious than rubies, 
And all the things you may desire cannot compare with her. 
Length of days is in her right hand, 
In her left hand riches and honor. 
Her ways are ways of pleasantness, 
And all her paths are peace. 
She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her, 
And happy are all who retain her.

Proverbs 3:13-18 (NKJV)

How much do we value wisdom?  Do we value it far beyond all money and wealth?  Do we value it more than our own lives?  I pray that we would forever retain wisdom because it is one of the most precious things we could ever attain in this life.  Wisdom, true wisdom, can only come from Above from the Father of Love.  God is truly God of all wisdom and we must go to the source to continue to grow in and value wisdom.  Seek wisdom in God and you will find it!

I read something in Philip Schaff's History of the Christian Church that was amazing about Jesus and His deity.  I thought it would be good to share it with the Xanga world because it comes from an ancient source.  It comes from Melito of Sardis; a bishop of Sardis that lived in the first two centuries of the church (100-200 AD).  I think it is incredible that with little over a hundred years and the theology is really well-developed on the deity of Christ.  Here is the quote and I hope it will inspire us all to worship and glorify Him with our lives.

"The Lord Jesus Christ is acknowledged as the perfect Reason, the Word of God; who was begotten before the light; who was Creator with the Father; who was the Fashioner of men; who was all things in all; Patriarch among the patriarchs, Law in the law, Chief Priest among the priests, King among the kings, Prophet among the prophets, Archangel among the angels; He piloted Noah, conducted Abraham, was bound with Isaac, exiled with Jacob, was Captain with Moses; He foretold His own sufferings in David and the prophets; He was incarnate in the Virgin; worshipped by the Magi; He healed the lame, gave sight to the blind, was rejected by the people, condemned by Pilate, hanged upon the tree, buried in the earth, rose from the dead and appeared to the apostles, ascended to heaven; He is the Rest of the departed, the Recoverer of the lost, the Light of the blind, the Refuge for the afflicted, the Bridegroom of the Church, the Charioteer of the cherubim, the Captain of angels; God who is of God, the Son of the Father, the King forever and ever."      
                                      --Melito of Sardis in Philip Schaff's History of the Christian Church, (v. II, pg. 739)

For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him.  Therefore comfort each other, and edify one another, just as you also are doing.     (1Thessalonians 5:9-11)

I hope that today you would find yourself reading these versed and find rest and hope for the future.  I know that there are those who are discouraged and weary of this world.  Please, I urge you to read this passage over and over in your mind and heart because it will truly uplift you to know that God is faithful.  God will not forget His children; He will bring us all together one day in a place where there will be no more pain, sorrow, or sin.  Praise God for He is the only way into life everlasting; He is the only way to find comfort for our weary souls.  Find hope today even if you are in the middle of a storm.  Comfort one another with these words!

High up in the blue sky
Wings of hope are spreading wide
A white dove is dancing, flying free and happily

White dove, white dove
Flying higher and higher
Lest my country’s clean and blue skies
Should be cloudy and gray

White dove, white dove
Flying higher and higher
Lest my country’s clean and blue skies
Should be cloudy and gray

This is the song that goes along with the video.  It is such a powerful song, it helps me to bring my mind back into focus; to be able to see what is really important in life.  The innocence of life, I think is what we all really want to be in our lives.  Often times I am tired of the dirtiness of this world and want to look for the innocent things of life and to worship God because He has not totally removed all things that are innocent.  I pray that the video and lyrics would help us all to see what is really important in life.  God Bless! 

Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not hear the law?   For it is written that Abraham had two sons: the one by a bondwoman, the other by a freewoman.  But he who was of the bondwoman was born according to the flesh, and he of the freewoman through promise, which things are symbolic.  For these are the two covenants: the one from Mount Sinai which gives birth to bondage, which is Hagar—for this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and corresponds to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children—but the Jerusalem above is free, which is the mother of us all.  For it is written: 

      “ Rejoice, O barren,
      You who do not bear!
      Break forth and shout,
      You who are not in labor!
      For the desolate has many more children
      Than she who has a husband.”

Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are children of promise.  But, as he who was born according to the flesh then persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, even so it is now.  Nevertheless what does the Scripture say? “Cast out the bondwoman and her son, for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman.”  So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman but of the free.

Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.  Indeed I, Paul, say to you that if you become circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing.  And I testify again to every man who becomes circumcised that he is a debtor to keep the whole law.  You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace.  For we through the Spirit eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith.  For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love.            Galatians 4:21-5:6 (NKJV)

This passage gives us a description of the difference between the spirit of bondage and the spirit of freedom.  If we are in Christ, we have the spirit of freedom; at least, we should be living like it.  I think in my life there are many times that I fall back into the spirit of bondage because I forget how gracious and merciful God truly is.  I forget that no matter what we have done we can always fall back into the arms of Jesus and He will love us and help us to not fall into the miry pit.  The spirit of bondage and the spirit of freedom in this passage is described by using the analogy of Hagar and Sarah.  Hagar bore a son to Abraham and that son was not to be the son of promise but the son of a bondwoman.  Sarah bore a son to Abraham and that son is to be the son of promise.  When Hagar conceived, it was not God's plan to have Abraham go to Hagar and have a child.  God's timing is not Abraham's and it is not ours; He wanted Sarah to be the one to have the child of promise and you know what He brought that to pass.  You see, in the pasage it is said that Ishmael was a child of the flesh and Isaac was a child of the Spirit.  Ishmael was a child of the flesh because Abraham disobeyed God by going to Hagar.  Isaac was a child of the Spirit because Abraham realized what God was doing in his life.  So, just like Isaac was a child of the Spirit; we too are children of the Spirit.  We are children of the Spirit because we heard God's call and believed that Christ is the only way to Heaven; the only way to have a right relationship with God.  Although we are children of the Spirit, we often times act like children of the flesh.  I pray that we will live like the children of the Spirit by living by faith in love.  We should be the ever-flowing fountain of love to other people because God has drowned us in His love.  We are so full of God's love that we are overflowing and I hope we feel that we must spread that love to those who are dying and hopeless!  Are you a child of the flesh or a child of the Spirit?  Are you living in the spirit of bondage or in the spirit of freedom that is only found in Christ?  I pray that we all consider these questions very carefully because it is a matter of life and death.

          "The blessed and inviting truth is that God is the most winsome of all beings, and in our worship of Him we should find unspeakable pleasure.
          The living God has been willing to reveal Himself to our seeking hearts.  He would have us know and understand that He is all love and that those who trust Him need never know anything but that love.
          God would have us know that He is just, indeed, and He will not condone sin.  He has tried to make it overwhelming plain to us that through the blood of the everlasting covenant He is able to act toward us exactly as if we had never sinned."           --A.W. Tozer, Whatever Happened to Worship?, p. 28

Amazing isn't it about worship; that God does accept us no matter what we have done.  God doesn't see us, who are believers in Jesus Christ, by the wrong things we do but by the imputation of Christ's righteousness.  This doesn't mean that we escape the consequences of sin; but it does mean that we don't have to worry about losing our relationship with God because it is eternally secure through the blood that was shed on the cross.  I pray that these words would inspire us all to worship God more passionately forever because He is worthy.  He is worthy of our very lives because He has given the life of His Son so that we may have life eternal.  Praise God for His amazing grace!

Then it happened, as He was coming near Jericho, that a certain blind man sat by the road begging.  And hearing a multitude passing by, he asked what it meant.  So they told him that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by.  And he cried out, saying, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”  Then those who went before warned him that he should be quiet; but he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”  So Jesus stood still and commanded him to be brought to Him. And when he had come near, He asked him, saying, “What do you want Me to do for you?”  He said, “Lord, that I may receive my sight.”  Then Jesus said to him, “Receive your sight; your faith has made you well.”  And immediately he received his sight, and followed Him, glorifying God. And all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God.         Luke 18:35-43 NKJV

Prayer, is a topic that is so broad.  We probably could go on and on talking about prayer because there are so many things that God has answered.  So many stories to tell about God moving in our lives.  Sometimes we don't see it until after the answer has come.  You know, I hope that we would all be like this man in the passage.  First of all, do we even call out to God in our distress; do we tell Him about our difficulties and weaknesses.  We should because He is the only One that can truly help us in our troubles.  Second of all, do we stop praying when we are discouraged by the people around us.  Do we persevere in prayer like this blind man was?  I hope so.  Finally, what is our response when the impossible has happened?  Are we grateful?  Do we try to follow Him more wholeheartedly?  This man did both of these things.  I think that we should all emulate this man because he gives us a high standard to follow.  Sometimes it is so easy to get puffed up with pride when God answers our prayers.  I hope tthat we would stay humbled by the fact that Almighty God would want to hear our requests; and you know what He also finds pleasure when we bring our concerns to Him.

You know, I should have been more grateful about one big thing that has happened to me; that I have prayed for over and over for God to answer.  I FINALLY HAVE A JOB!!!!  I work for a guy in my church who just opened up an Orkin Pest Control Franchise in Falconer, NY.  I work 30 hours a week for now and soon I will be going to more of a full-time mode.  I'm basically the computer guy for the company.  I input information into our system, print work tickets, print invoices, and receive payments to put into the system.  So, I just want to say a big THANK YOU  to God for His providential hand in my life.  HE IS GOOD!

So, the next time you pray think about who you are praying to.  Recognize when He answers and thank Him for His answer.  Follow Him like this blind man did.  Pray; for our God is good!