Our Own Understanding, Our Downfall

Our Own Understanding, Our Downfall 

by David Brenneman 

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the Lord and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your body And refreshment to your bones." Proverbs 3:5-8.

"Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures,"

Luke 24:45.

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines glorify in many ways. Among them are the verb, verbs are known as action words, to describe it.

Glorify: to make glorious, by bestowing honor, praise or admiration. To cause to be or seem to be better than the actual condition. To give glory to (as in worship).

Many today do not realize that they indeed have so much excitement, so much they are thrilled to be participating in...that they are indeed glorifying things or people with a higher regard than the glory they give to Jesus. They've been taught to do this from an early age. To be desensitized to taking what belongs only to God and give it to others or other things. 

It doesn't take much to see it--but acknowledging it--that's the hardest part. 

Admittedly it's hard acknowledging that we've been lead astray. In this very instant in time people open their eyes in Hell to the realization that in no uncertain terms they got it wrong. That their cries, pleas, fall on deaf ears concerning wanting another chance. A chance even to warn people of what they are headed for whom they know. Clarity of thought is an absolute perspective in Hell as well as in Heaven. Sin is no longer in the way to delude or deceive the human mind. 

We are absolutely enticed to trust in our own thoughts, our own understanding. Adam and Eve did. Look at the results over the centuries.  

Have you ever prayed that passage in Luke? I have. It's as much a favorite passage as those in Proverbs shown before it to me.

It's a prayer that will, if you are honest with yourself, transform your life. You will begin to see things from a different perspective. The Helper, the Holy Spirit, will then truly become the Teacher of all things that Jesus promised for you. 

We have no measuring stick to show how far we've gone from the Standard of the Bible. 

We really do take the glory that belongs only to God and give it to persons, places and things. The most visible are sporting events. Admiration for achievements is blown out of proportion and people get put up on a pedestal. Billions of dollars are spent glorifying people while the mission of the Church often struggles to get by.  

This isn't to say there aren't benefits or admirable people in sports because there are.  

But the reality is shouldn't you know more about Jesus, about your Bible, about His plan and purpose for your life than you do these people, places and things? Shouldn't Jesus be what excites you rather than any of that? I grew up around people who could give you a summarized biography on various people in sports, historical events and places, yet couldn't tell you a few verses or stories from their Bible.  

Standing firm in your faith is going to mean letting go of the temptations to go along with the world.  

We get taught at an early age to be wise in our own eyes. We really do. The cross of Jesus Christ brought choice to our lives. The ability to truly worship our Savior and Lord. Seeking first His kingdom and His righteousness is going to come with some sacrifices. It's going to cost. 

It's an awesome thing to have your mind opened by the Spirit of God to understand the Scriptures. Literally there's nothing in the world to compare it to.  

So much emphasis is on feelings and getting what you think you deserve in our world...sometimes by force even. This isn't the way of God in Christ.  

You have the opportunity to have the Author of the Bible explaining things to you. Why look at other people, places or things?  

Why take what belongs to God and give to someone else, something else?

The last portion of that passage from Proverbs...turn away from evil. How would you if you don't know what that evil is according to God?  

Jesus said to ask, seek, knock. Are you?   

Truly our sin nature gets the better of us. We need to keep the full armor of God on. There's no R&R in this Spiritual war to be had. People either enter eternity in Heaven or in Hell. Every second of every single day death finds people. Then eternity starts for them based solely on whether or not they said yes to the free gift of salvation through Jesus Christ alone.  

Our lives are to reflect the light of Jesus Christ. If we keep hiding that light how will people see it?

Take time today to really consider how your own understanding has gotten in your way of growing in Christ. How you might indeed be taking what belongs only to God and have been giving it to others or other things. 

All NASB 1995 and NASB Scripture Excerpts used by permission. (C) Lockman Foundation.

It IS Coming...Let He or She Who Has Ears

It IS Coming...Let He or She Who Has Ears 

by David Brenneman 

"Then He left the crowds and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field.” And He said, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man, and the field is the world; and as for the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom; and the tares are the sons of the evil one; and the enemy who sowed them is the devil, and the harvest is the end of the age; and the reapers are angels. So just as the tares are gathered up and burned with fire, so shall it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness, and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear." Matthew 13:36-43.

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet cast into the sea, and gathering fish of every kind; and when it was filled, they drew it up on the beach; and they sat down and gathered the good fish into containers, but the bad they threw away. So it will be at the end of the age; the angels will come forth and take out the wicked from among the righteous, and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." Matthew 13:47-50.

Jesus has repeatedly said: "He who has ears, let him hear.".

In the book of Revelation the letters to the Churches, He says "He who has ears, let him hear.".

What of you? Are you still living in denial? Do you not have ears to hear? Are you covering them over to try to ward off whatever God's been pleading with you to hear?

Sticking your head in the sand, plugged your ears with your fingers, isn't going to change the outcome for the better for any at the end of their lives before Jesus. Ignorance will be no excuse. Jesus said that everyone will be without excuse before Him.  

What's keeping you? Fear of the unknown? Fear of what others will think? Fears of some other kind?

Jesus says that perfect love casts out fear. His. 

Afraid of losing things or people?  

How would you remotely know what Jesus might or might not ask of you until you come to Christ for salvation? Truth is you can't. To receive the mind of God through the Spirit of God you must come to Christ for salvation first. This is way more than just walking a mile in someone else's shoes. 

The god of this world is leading a lost cause against the will of God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ and the Spirit of God.  

His lies are everywhere and he twists everything against the knowledge he has and knows about the Kingdom of God in Christ Jesus. 

You cannot understand what you think you know of spiritual things, spiritual thoughts until you truly come to Christ for salvation.  

The consequences are eternal.  

Choosing to say no to Jesus for salvation will indeed mean what you read earlier of those in a place of weeping and the gnashing of teeth. Crying out to the Lord for a second chance or raging at the Lord in anger for His judgment against such people. 

As I wrote the other day...billions will cry out to Jesus for a second chance mere seconds after He returns to take His Church home to forever be with Him. You get your second chance in every single breath you are taking right now. God doesn't have to let you to continue to live in rebellion to Him. 

Grace is God’s unmeritted favor towards everyone. You didn't earn the right to live and breathe...its a free gift to you that you had nothing to do with. 

God's mercy is not giving you what you do deserve. What all have deserved since Adam and Eve has been that place of weeping and the gnashing of teeth. What Jesus did to come to Earth, live a sinless life. To be cruelly beaten and crucified. To raise up again 3 days later. Was to provide a way to not spend eternity in torment, forever separated from God. The free gift of salvation isn't like the original sin that started it all.  

You must choose to ask Jesus to come into your life to be the forgiver of your sins and the leader of your life.  

Read on...

"But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart”—that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; for “Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Romans 10:8-13.

This is only and entirely between you and Jesus. Nobody else. Nobody can choose for you. Nobody can take it from you once you do.  

The opportunity is not without end. There's a day fixed by the Father’s own authority as to when Jesus will return. That's exactly what the Bible says.  

There are not many ways to get to Heaven. Just one. There are not many gods, just One. There are not many ways to be saved...just the one.

Jesus is seeking to save...but you must want to be saved. The consequences of saying no will last for eternity. The consequences of saying yes will endure for eternity. 

My Dear Reader...Jesus is knocking at the door of your heart...pleading for you to let Him in. Won't you today?

All NASB 1995 and NASB Scripture Excerpts used by permission. (C) Lockman Foundation.

Eh? Oh...

Eh? Oh...

by David Brenneman 

“Hear then the parable of the sower. When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is the one on whom seed was sown beside the road. The one on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, this is the man who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no firm root in himself, but is only temporary, and when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he falls away. And the one on whom seed was sown among the thorns, this is the man who hears the word, and the worry of the world and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. And the one on whom seed was sown on the good soil, this is the man who hears the word and understands it; who indeed bears fruit and brings forth, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty.” Matthew 13:18-23.

This parable hasn't changed a bit since Jesus taught it the first time. 

Even in our world today people can have something explained to them and in as clear a way possible yet within seconds the explanation is lost.  

To learn something requires diligence in doing so. Many in our world today want microwave results...and even then it's not fast enough. Impatience rules the day. 

It takes diligence to seek first His kingdom and His righteousness. 

It takes diligence to keep making sure that the whole armor of God stays in place. 

It takes diligence to pursue a life in Godliness in Christ Jesus. 

Decades ago there was a song with a line in it of looking for love in all the wrong places, looking for love in too many faces.  

Our world is seeking but refuses what the Creator God of everything is saying.  

Living for Jesus a life that is true. Striving to please Him in all that I do.  

These are lines from another song.

There's not anywhere near enough people seeking to really understand life and what's going on in the world. They just want their world to be just so.  

They don't want to hear that the Word of God is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work. 

They crave useless information and literally treat that useless information as the gospel. They're more enraged at people misspeaking a statistic than educating themselves and others on the truths found in the Word of God that are indeed necessary for daily living. 

The seeds of God's Word should be sprouting, growing, reaching new heights everyday. There should be evidence of growing in Christ.  

While I know a lot about a lot of things...it's a waste because none of it grows me in Christ like being in the Word of God.  

Substitutions. That's what Satan offers in our world. Substitute your time with Jesus with this or that. Substitute your prayer time for a game, for a book. If at all you find yourself remotely considering "if I do this, watch this, etc. it will be ok I'll still have a few minutes to pray before..." then you're in trouble. 

Does the Sovereign Lord and Savior Jesus Christ deserve a few leftover minutes out of your day, your week or your month?  

Are you gathering things that indeed choke out the Word of God and make you unfruitful to the work of God?

Are you at all thinking of ways to minimalise your time with Jesus because of work, or hobbies or even people?

“He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who has found his life will lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake will find it." Matthew 10:37-39.

"And He said to him, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ Matthew 22:37-39.

All that we grasp for in life will turn to ashes if it's not going to benefit us in growing in Christ. We may not see it immediately but eventually the luster is going to tarnish. Sadly, many won't understand how much they wasted their lives on until they stand before Jesus to give an account of their lives. The waste will go unnoticed until then.

Are you really planted deep?

Are you really self-deceived?

Are you at all really growing in Christ? Are His attributes evident in your life?  

Do you make it a point to remember Jesus in your life? Some people don't until the storms of life happen.  

Is time with Jesus something that you look forward to or is it something that you dread? 

Have you told Jesus lately that you love Him? If not, why not? 

Spring cleaning doesn't have to wait for Spring to get here. You can start right away at ridding your life of thinking and things that are interfering with your life in Christ. 

It likely is going to be painful for a long time. You might even try to stretch out the process by thinking you can make a quick buck off letting go. My Dear Reader...you're not going to find that that is Biblical. If something is a sin we're told to cast it away. Toss it. Get rid of it. In some cases, burn it, destroy it.  

How important is God’s Word to you? This will tell you where you are in that parable we read earlier. 

Everyone is in one of those places. 

Clear off everything and start a new with prayer. Meaningful prayer. Not the rough standard that never changes. Jesus doesn't want useless repetition. He died for you. Took your beatings. Took your stripes from being whipped in your place. Took your nails in His hands and feet. Doesn't He deserve more of you than what you toss Him?

Oh. So now is this making more sense? That maybe you're really not on the right track after all if Jesus isn't your most important part of your life? How you treat the Word of God and prayer says everything.

All NASB 1995 and NASB Scripture Excerpts used by permission. (C) Lockman Foundation.

You Have The Another Chance in Every Breath

You Have The Another Chance in Every Breath 

by David Brenneman 

"For truly I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it. Hear then the parable of the sower. When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is the one on whom seed was sown beside the road. The one on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, this is the man who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no firm root in himself, but is only temporary, and when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he falls away. And the one on whom seed was sown among the thorns, this is the man who hears the word, and the worry of the world and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. And the one on whom seed was sown on the good soil, this is the man who hears the word and understands it; who indeed bears fruit and brings forth, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty." Matthew 13:17-23.

There's those who have lived through horrors that most will never know. Even in this very hour in which we live! A second chance, another chance, is what they hope for.  

In recent years we lived through this pandemic. Many cried out to get their freedom back. Many cried in hospitals because of what either they or their loved ones or friends were going through. 

In most cases diseases, famines, earthquakes do not discriminate. The mere rare survival is sometimes referred to as a miracle, maybe even an act of God. 

Decades ago there was a pop rock song with a line in it "every breath you take I'll be watching you". 

Horrors unimagined even by the standards of Hollywood are on the horizon for mankind.  

To those paying attention to the Word of God and having been saved by the Lord Jesus Christ...they look forward to the return of Jesus. That calling away of His Church before the great and terrible day of the Lord which is yet to come. 

I am a firm believer in the Rapture of the Church before the events of the book of Revelation. 

I know in my heart of hearts that just like "but just as it is written, “Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, And which have not entered the heart of man, All that God has prepared for those who love Him.”" 1 Corinthians 2:9, eye has not seen or ear has heard of how things are going to be after this taking away of the Church of God from the Earth. 

In that moment, after this happens, billions will only then "get it". Only then will a lifetime of bad choices ring loud in their minds. 

Crying out as loud as they can for God, for Jesus, to come back and give them another chance!

My Dear Reader...oh my Dear Reader...your second chance comes with every single breath you take! Right here, right now. There will be horrors coming that will be on a scale never seen. People will be dying on a scale hitherto unheard of outside the sacred writings of the Scriptures. People will be beyond emotionally spent. Craving hope from whomever has a plan or exudes peace of mind that they believe they can live with...as long as it brings something resembling normal to them...they'll pay the price. 

But oh those immediate moments after the Rapture of the Church. 

Those moments will burn into the minds of billions of people. They won't soon forget the global disasters that overtake everyone. They won't soon forget watching people vanishing right before their eyes. There is an explanation that will surface from so-called world leaders as to what happened to all those people and it will be believed!  

Oh how it does not need to be that way for anyone!  

Impossible! You might be saying to yourself. Look back before the year 2020...would you honestly have thought that was possible? Look at what's going on in California...the ravaging fires, what happened in North Carolina, Florida. Oh my Dear Reader...these things are extremely possible. 

What can you do? I sit here and I sigh a long sigh. Many will still disagree and dismiss what's going on in the world as well as being gravely mistaken that they have time. That they'll see it coming and in that moment turn to Jesus and He will take care of them.  

Tell me, my Friend, if even Jesus says it will be in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, how will anyone prepare for this? Hmm?

Time is not on the side of anyone still running away from Jesus.  

For those who read and study the Bible...they know that there nothing left prophecy wise before Jesus will return. N o t h i n g.

My point of view is this...at this moment of time...all that remains is for the last person who is going to be saved is saved. That is it. My personal view goes further that it might even be like bookends. The thief on the cross was the first. Never did anything but truly believe and trust in Jesus. Was never baptized. Never attended a church or Sunday School. Never attended any classes. This last person whom the Father knows is the last member of the Church will choose life in Christ and that's it.  

A grave mistake billions make is that they have time.  

My Friend this topic has been on my heart for days. The urgency is there. We absolutely do not know the day nor the hour of the return of Jesus but...but...we are to live every day as though today were that day. 

Don't believe for a moment that you're ok without Jesus right now. Nobody who isn't saved is safe. Regardless of how beautiful their lives may look. Satan's not going to bother with people who have no interest in Jesus.  

"But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart”—that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; for “Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Romans 10:8-13.

Your second chance happens with every breath God has graciously granted to you. Millions woke up in either Heaven or Hell during the night...or during the day...depending on your part of the world.  

All thought they had another day...another chance...another opportunity. They breathed their last because they were out of chances...they had all they were going to receive. 

Jesus has been knocking at your heart for your entire life. He's known you since before you were born. He knit you together in your mother's womb. He watched you take your first breath. He watched you cry your first cry. Take your first step. He's so in love with you that He stepped up to take your place and die for you. He took your place. 

He wants a relationship with you. Wants to save you but...you...must ask for Him to do that. 

"But...He might ask me to..."

Really? A choice between Heaven and Hell and you're concerned about what He might ask you to do? My Dear Reader...if you're trusting Him to save you...can't you trust Him with the rest of you?

You took a great many breaths while reading this. A great many second chances were given to you.

None were promised to you. They were given by the grace of God. You didn't earn any of them. 

"Now I say this, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality. But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, “Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." 1 Corinthians 15:50-57

All NASB 1995 and NASB Scripture Excerpts used by permission. (C) Lockman Foundation.

But Wait...Yes...There's More

But Wait...Yes...There's More 

by David Brenneman 

 "The plans of the heart belong to man, But the answer of the tongue is from the Lord. All the ways of a man are clean in his own sight, But the Lord weighs the motives. Commit your works to the Lord And your plans will be established." Proverbs 16:1-3.

"By lovingkindness and truth iniquity is atoned for, And by the fear of the Lord one keeps away from evil. When a man’s ways are pleasing to the Lord, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him." Proverbs 16:6-7.

"The mind of man plans his way, But the Lord directs his steps." Proverbs 16:9.

"He who gives attention to the word will find good, And blessed is he who trusts in the Lord. The wise in heart will be called understanding, And sweetness of speech increases persuasiveness." Proverbs 16:20-21

"The heart of the wise instructs his mouth And adds persuasiveness to his lips. Pleasant words are a honeycomb, Sweet to the soul and healing to the bones. There is a way which seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death."

Proverbs 16:23-25.

A cliche of decades from a television commercial says "But wait...there's more...".

When you really look at your life...do you see there's room for more? More about Jesus would you know? There's a line in a hymn that says that.  

Do you make it a priority to know Him more? You may have heard some people say that you can't out-give God. Did you know that applies to getting to know Him as well?

Your getting through life isn't about success as the world calls things success. Oblivion awaits nobody. Heaven or Hell awaits everybody. 

For the unbelieving Jesus Himself spells out what awaits. Sadly it's not an overcrowded place. Billions more will be added to the number of people in Hell in the coming years. Read the book of Revelation and you will see the times when billions will die at the judgments of God. Many of these billions will have celebrated when those who left with Jesus at the Rapture had left. The Hell they denied now becoming their temporary home until the Final Judgment at the end of the age.  

Not a very uplifting thing is it? For me and many others...another song might come to mind. This world is not my home...I'm just a passing through...

Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ made promises that still apply today. The wisdom He spoke to the Disciples applies today. As Jesus said to the Pharisees and Sadducees, and the people of His day...something greater than King Solomon was among them.  

Are you looking for ways to understand the Word of God or have you relegated that to an optional thing? Are you a seeker to understand the things of God or have you allowed dust to accumulate on your Bible?  

Do you know more about worthless statistics on things that have absolutely nothing to do with salvation, growing in Christ, or the character of Christ?  

For a time in my life I was doing that. Science fiction was my favorite part of my life. Knowledge of how to do things and being good at them was important to me. My time in God's Word was rushed. Cram for youth group and set it aside til later. After the youth group years the bad habits kept up.  

How about you? Really just what would your life be, if Jesus came to visit you for a spell? You would have no idea how long how long He would be there. Would you be ready? Would you be out of practice at living a life in Christ that meets His approval? Would you be stumbling over appearances? Would you even relate to what you would talk to Him about?  

There's always more. What if He had arranged it to go wherever you go? To be there during all your conversations with people you know? Would it be an uneasy time? A comforting time?  

A look in the mirror is a revealer of truth.  

2025 is just getting started. There's troubles on the horizon that you know are there...are you going to try to face them alone or are you going to seek out Jesus now and bolster your relationship with Him to get through life?  

We aren't here for ourselves. All mankind was created for a relationship with Jesus. We who are in Christ are supposed to be the first to seek first His kingdom and His righteousness. We are the first to be those standing firm in the Lord. We are supposed to be part of the body of Christ that's supposed to be so powerful in the Lord that the gates of Hell would not withstand the onslaught of the Church of Jesus Christ. 

If you aren't making growing in Christ your priority...what would you know about that?

To my shame I can still relate useless facts about science fiction characters. Millions out there can do the same. Billions can tell you countless sports statistics. 

This revelation to me decades ago brought a realization that I was letting down the One who saved me. I was disappointing my Savior and Lord. What was important to Jesus wasn't important to me and that had to change. For most of my life I hadn't read through my Bible even once. The full realization that I will be standing before Him and wouldn't be able to say that I hadn't taken the time to read it even one time horrified me. Today...I have lost track of how many times I have read through my Bibles. Yes plural. Every single time I read something new is in the pages. There's always more. Always.  

How are you going to face Jesus? The Believer knows they will be spending eternity with Him. How well they lived for Him remains to be seen until that day we all stand before Jesus. 

The unbelieving will face the judgment of God. Eternal painful separation from God that will have no end. Something more, something worse is coming to those who have been in Hell all this time. Yes something worse than Hell is possible. Rejecting the free gift of salvation is what sends people to Hell...not Jesus. In the lives of all who breathe the free gift of salvation through Jesus Christ alone is available. Some who have died might have thought their lives were Hell on Earth. Then they woke up in Hell to something worse. 

My Dear Reader...know this day where you are going to spend eternity. Heaven or Hell is in your hands. The cross of Jesus Christ brought choice. Your decision. 

For those who are claiming to be saved...how much true effort are you putting into living life for Jesus?

What eternally worthless things in your life are in the way of knowing Jesus more?

You can't outlive a life in Christ. 

You can waste your time on this Earth. There's more you can be doing. Encouraging or embarrassing, what would Jesus arriving at your doorstep mean to you?  

All NASB 1995 and NASB Scripture Excerpts used by permission. (C) Lockman Foundation.

Oh The Lives Seen and Unseen!

Oh The Lives Seen and Unseen!

by David Brenneman 

"But flee from these things, you man of God, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses." 1 Timothy 6:11-12.

“Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for the tree is known by its fruit. You brood of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak what is good? For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart. The good man brings out of his good treasure what is good; and the evil man brings out of his evil treasure what is evil. But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” Matthew 12:33-37.

"O Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you, avoiding worldly and empty chatter and the opposing arguments of what is falsely called “knowledge”— which some have professed and thus gone astray from the faith. Grace be with you." 1 Timothy 6:20-21.

"(What would you do what would you do if Jesus came to spend some time with you)

If Jesus came to your house to spend a day or two

If he came unexpectedly I wonder what you'd do

When you saw him comin' would you meet him at the door

With arms outstretched and welcome to your heavenly visitor

Or would you need to change some things before you let him in

Like burn some magazines and put the Bible where they'd been

Oh I know that you'd give your nicest room to such an honered guest

And all the food you would serve to him would be the very best

And you'd keep assuring him that you were glad to have him there

That serving him in your home was a joy beyond compare

But what about your family conversation would it keep up its normal pace

And would you find it hard each meal to say a table grace

Would you be glad to have him stay forever on and on

Or would you sigh of great relief when finally he had gone

You know it might be interesting to know the things you'd do

If Jesus came in person to spend some time with you

(What would you do what would you do if Jesus came to spend some time with you)" 

- "What Would You Do (If Jesus came to your house)?"

By Porter Wagoner

Written by Hugh Ashley

Album: In Gospel Country (1968)

We really ought to take seriously the promise that there WILL be a day of accountability before Jesus for each and every single person's thoughts, intentions, words and actions. There's nobody exempt!

While at times we've grown accustomed to deceiving ourselves and others, there is no deceiving Jesus. 

While we convince ourselves that things aren't as they appear to be...we can and often do present good as evil and evil as good...just like the rest of the world. 

What would you do if you saw Him? What would you do? What if Jesus was walking up to your house and knocked? You open the door, would you be glad to see Him or would a thousand things go through your mind that you wish you could hide or change before He sets foot inside?

That old song from 1968 still resonates with me. Would we turn into Martha's and rush around the house or sit with Jesus and just take it in that we're in His presence like Mary?

What if it were on a Sunday? Would you invite Him to Church with you? What if it was on a full day of football, championship games etc. Would your mind be split between the agony of not knowing what's going on and the conversation that He's having with you?

Would you be seeing everything you didn't do around the house before He came and are trying to figure out how to fix while He's talking seriously with you?

As Paul admonished Timothy...are you taking your life with Christ seriously enough now?  

Your questions are so deep and so hard! Really? Why would you say that? If you were already walking with Jesus as you should be, why wouldn't this visit be like an old friend stopping by?

My Dear Reader...would you really react differently or would you really be at ease?

If your conscience is being pricked...then maybe you do have something to be concerned about. 

Are there things you are valuing that aren't going to pass the fire test?  

Are you wasting time on unholy things and brushing aside the holy times you could be having with Jesus?

We have to choose what's really important in light of eternity. Our day-to-day choices show where our priorities are really at.

You read that portion from Jesus in the opening passages of today's post. Will you watch a crown be formed to give back to Jesus or watch a lifetime go up in smoke?

One of the most prolific sets of lies of Satan are that you don't need to be so serious, that God will cut you some slack. That you're giving enough, that you've done enough. Let others do it now. You earned your time to be at ease. That you can...well...fill in the blank.

"guard what has been entrusted to you, avoiding worldly and empty chatter and the opposing arguments of what is falsely called “knowledge”— which some have professed and thus gone astray from the faith. Grace be with you"

Are you among those sadly countless people who have gone astray? There's time yet to turn your eyes upon Jesus! Yes letting go of those things is going to hurt. But my Dear Friend...a little pain now is far better than a disappointing look on Jesus's face on that day you stand before Him.

If indeed you are saved...Jesus is already visiting. Question for you is does He approve of what He sees?

Walk through the house of your life and be brutally honest about what you see. 

Walk through your home and be brutally honest with yourself. 

There's but one life to live...give it your best as unto the Lord.  

All NASB 1995 and NASB Scripture Excerpts used by permission. (C) Lockman Foundation.

Your Time Becomes Something

Your Time Becomes Something 

by David Brenneman 

“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain. Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy." Exodus 20:2-8.

"Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” 1 Peter 1:13-16.

Do you realize that the time you set aside each day to pray or to read your Bible is as holy a time as attending a Bible preaching, Bible teaching Church?

In those moments we are in the midst of holiness because we are indeed living out obedience to God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 

It's not just something to be doing. 

It's not a chore to complete. 

Prayer is our entering into the very presence of God.

Our opening our Bible to read is our entering into God's classroom to be taught of the Spirit of God. 

We can only learn what holiness is from the Teacher, the Helper sent for our instruction in righteousness.   

We are taught in society that faith is optional to live out. That if a law is written it must take precedence over your faith in God. God's word says that faith in God is exclusive of the laws of mankind.  

One of Dr. Charles Stanley's Life Principles says to obey God and leave the consequences to Him. 

Times aren't changing...it's that the more seedy, sinful, sorts are getting louder. Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever. His Word does not change. What it meant decades and even centuries ago it still means today.  

We, to this very day, choose who we will worship. Idolatry isn't dead, it's custom crafted for the masses. Shrines exist all over the world in people's homes. Symbols of their idolatry adorn their clothes, houses and vehicles. People have been coaching people to take the time dedicated to God and give it to other people, places and things. That we shouldn't worry, we can squeeze in a few minutes with Jesus. 

Is this you?

Are you selling off your time doing stuff, no matter what it is, and giving it to other people, places or things that aren't going to grow you in Christ?

When you pray...look at how Jesus taught the Disciples...look at His instructions. Look at the Lord’s prayer. What are the priorities?

Fiction to politics to hobbies to sports is being used of Satan to get a foothold into the lives of Believers to cause them to stop feeding off the Vine of Jesus Christ. 

Anything can be something that takes that time of holiness and turns it into something it shouldn't be. 

You pray...you are meeting with Jesus Christ, Savior, Lord, Creator of All that is or was.

You open your Bible...you are meeting with the Spirit of God who was with God the Father before the foundation of the world!

How can these times be anything but holy?

How can we desire things outside of that? It's been an eye-opening moment for me. Not surprising, the more time I spend with Jesus the more I am cognizant of my time with Jesus. It means more than it did when I began giving Him a sliver of my time. The bigger the sliver the more it means to me. The more I want more of it.

Really look to see if you are taking what is holy and are throwing it to the dogs. Really look to see if you are taking what is holy and trampling it under foot.

What are you doing to ADD holy time to your schedule?

How quickly would you toss out your desires if Jesus knocked on the door of your house and said He was there to spend a year with you? How quickly would you be identifying your things you took away from time with Jesus and getting rid of them? How fast would your idols be gotten rid of?

Think about just how you value holiness. It will determine how you spend your time. Nobody is going to care about your idols in Heaven they will want to know of your relationship with Jesus.  

That stuff Jesus said would be burned up like wood, hay, and stubble? It's everything we valued apart from our relationship with Jesus. 

Reevaluate your time with Jesus today.  

All NASB 1995 and NASB Scripture Excerpts used by permission. (C) Lockman Foundation.