God's Will

 Happy Sunday!

"The one who loves Me will do the things I have commanded. My Father loves everyone who loves Me; and I will love you and reveal My heart, will, and nature to you."(John 14:21 Voice).

Jesus is the Living Word.  John 1:1 says, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."(KJV).  The Word is full of wisdom that reveals the heart, will, and nature of God.  If you want to know God's Will on any topic go to the Word. 

God's Will regarding Health and Prosperity - "Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth."(3 John 2 KJV).

God's Will regarding Success - "Always remember what is written in that book of law. Speak about that book and study it day and night. Then you can be sure to obey what is written there. If you do this, you will be wise and successful in everything you do."(Joshua 1:8 Easy-to-Read Version).

God's Will regarding Long Life - "The Lord says, “If you love me and truly know who I am, I will rescue you and keep you safe. When you are in trouble, call out to me. I will answer and be there to protect and honor you.  You will live a long life and see my saving power.”(Psalm 91:14-16 CEV).

God's Will regarding Enemies - "The Lord will defeat your enemies before you; they will march out together against you but scatter before you in seven directions!"(Deuteronomy 28:7 Living Bible)

God's Will for Salvation - "God isn’t late with his promise as some measure lateness. He is restraining himself on account of you, holding back the End because he doesn’t want anyone lost. He’s giving everyone space and time to change."(2 Peter 3:9 Message).

God's Will for Abundance - "And God is able to make all grace (every favor and earthly blessing) come to you in abundance, so that you may always and under all circumstances and whatever the need be self-sufficient [possessing enough to require no aid or support and furnished in abundance for every good work and charitable donation]."(2 Corinthians 9:8 Amplified).

Love and prayers, Cynthia

Hell Is Real

 Happy Sunday!

"Wise [Insightful] people’s lives [way] get better and better [move upward]. They avoid whatever would cause their death [turn aside from Sheol/the grave below]."(Proverbs 15:24 EXB).

Proverbs is packed full of wisdom about things to avoid.  The young man is urged to avoid getting involved with evil friends, and loose women.(Proverbs 4:14, Proverbs 2:16).  We are told to avoid co-signing on a loan for a family member or friend.(Proverbs 17:18). We are urged to avoid laziness.(Proverbs 21:25).  All of the things we are encouraged to avoid could lead us to Hell.  We don't hear much about Hell these days, but Hell is real.  Bishop Henry Phillips used to say, "If you know Jesus, this life is the only hell you will ever experience. If you don't know Jesus, this life is the only heaven you will ever experience."  Who really wants to go through hell on earth, only to go to Hell in eternity?

Jesus said, "Don’t look for shortcuts to God. The market is flooded with surefire, easygoing formulas for a successful life that can be practiced in your spare time. Don’t fall for that stuff, even though crowds of people do. The way to life—to God!—is vigorous and requires total attention."(Matthew 7:13-14 Message).  The Good News Translation says it this way, "Go in through the narrow gate, because the gate to HELL is wide and the road that leads to it is easy, and there are many who travel it. But the gate to life is narrow and the way that leads to it is hard, and there are few people who find it."

The Apostle Paul said, "I don’t know about you, but I’m running hard for the finish line. I’m giving it everything I’ve got. No lazy living for me! I’m staying alert and in top condition. I’m not going to get caught napping, telling everyone else all about it and then missing out myself."(1 Corinthians 9:26-27 Message).   The Apostle Peter said, "Do your best to improve your faith. You can do this by adding goodness, understanding, self-control, patience, devotion to God, concern for others, and love. If you keep growing in this way, it will show that what you KNOW about our Lord Jesus Christ has made your lives useful and meaningful. But if you don’t GROW, you are like someone who is nearsighted or blind, and you have forgotten that your past sins are forgiven. My friends, you must do all you can to show that God has really chosen and selected you. If you keep on doing this, you won’t stumble and fall."(2 Peter 1:5-10 CEV).

My Aunt, Pastor Theaha McClendon always said, "You have to know that you know that you know you are saved."  You can be sure of your final destination, and Jesus came to make a way for you to spend eternity with Him.  John 3:16 says, "Yes, God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him would not be lost but have eternal life."(Easy-to-Read Version).

Love and prayers, Cynthia

Say, Say, Say what you want!

 Happy Sunday!

"Your words now reflect your fate then: either you will be justified by them or you will be condemned.”(Matthew 12:37 Living Bible)

Since the Garden of Eden man has been playing the "Blame Game".  Adam blamed the woman, the woman blamed the serpent, and we blame parents, employers, and other races for all of the misfortune in our lives.  BUT Jesus said it's not other people that are to blame.  We are responsible.  We have been given the power to create life or death with our words.  Proverbs 18:21 says, "Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof."(KJV).

Don't miss this!  You have the power to steer your life in any direction with your words.  James 3:3-9 says, "We put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us. With these bits we can control their whole body. It is the same with ships. A ship is very big, and it is pushed by strong winds. But a very small rudder controls that big ship. And the one who controls the rudder decides where the ship will go. It goes where he wants it to go. It is the same with our tongue. It is a small part of the body, but it can boast about doing great things.  A big forest fire can be started with only a little flame. The tongue is like a fire. It is a world of evil among the parts of our body. It spreads its evil through our whole body and starts a fire that influences all of life. It gets this fire from hell. 

Humans have control over every kind of wild animal, bird, reptile, and fish, and they have controlled all these things. But no one can control the tongue. It is wild and evil, full of deadly poison. We use our tongues to praise our Lord and Father, but then we curse people who were created in God’s likeness."(Easy-to-Read Version).

Words matter!  Your words matter.  Especially the words you speak to yourself.  Have you told yourself anything good lately? Encourage yourself with the words of your mouth.  Not sure what to say?  Follow the old rule:  If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all.  Need some tips on what to say, when you don't know what to say?  Ephesians 5:19 says, "Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;"(KJV).

Love and prayers, Cynthia

Counsel, and Correction

 Happy Sunday!

"Take good counsel and accept correction— that’s the way to live wisely and well. We humans keep brainstorming options and plans, but God’s purpose prevails."(Proverbs 19:20-21 Message).

Several of my managers have commented about how easy it is to coach me.  Now, don't get it twisted.  I don't like being wrong, I don't enjoy being accused of things I didn't do, and I work hard to do the right thing.  I do make mistakes, and I am open to try things another way.  Honestly, sometimes I do it their way just to prove that they are wrong.  But most of the time, their way works and my numbers show it. 

We humans want to do it our way.  We have been singing songs for decades about "Doing It My Way".  Years ago when I worked at Officer Funeral Home in East Saint Louis, Illinois, they had a audio system that could play soft reflective music in the chapels.  I found that there were some other options on the playlist, and happened to have Frank Sinatra playing when Mrs. Myrtle B. Officer walked in.  She heard the song and quipped, "We only do it my way here!"  I took that as a cue to turn that selection off. 

Jesus is our perfect example.  He said, "The truth is that the Son does nothing on His own; all these actions are led by the Father. The Son watches the Father closely and then mimics the work of the Father."(John 5:19 Voice).  The Apostle Paul later picked up on this same theme and encouraged the Believers to remain teachable.  In Ephesians 5:1-2 he wrote, "Watch what God does, and then you do it, like children who learn proper behavior from their parents. Mostly what God does is love you. Keep company with him and learn a life of love. Observe how Christ loved us. His love was not cautious but extravagant. He didn’t love in order to get something from us but to give everything of himself to us. Love like that."(Message).

In life, in work, and in relationships we must never stop learning, and always be willing to admit that we don't know it all.  The enemy is a great deceiver and works overtime to get us focused on the wrong things while the important things fall by the wayside.  It's good to remember, "Don’t be misled: No one makes a fool of God. What a person plants, he will harvest. The person who plants selfishness, ignoring the needs of others—ignoring God!—harvests a crop of weeds. All he’ll have to show for his life is weeds! But the one who plants in response to God, letting God’s Spirit do the growth work in him, harvests a crop of real life, eternal life."(Galatians 6:7-8 Message).

Love and prayers, Cynthia

Righteous

 Happy Sunday!

"Tell the good people who do what is right that good things will happen to them. They will receive a reward for what they do. But it will be very bad for wicked people, because they, too, will get what they deserve. They will get what they did to others."(Isaiah 3:10-11 Easy-to-Read Version).

Israel had a history of ups and downs.  Periods of obedience followed by disobedience.  Good honorable kings followed by desperately wicked kings.  But consistently the good people were always at peace, protected, and provided for.  Think about Elijah facing off with Ahab.  He prophesied drought and famine, but he personally never lacked water or food.  And when he felt depressed and told God about all he'd done in 1 Kings 19:10, insisting he was the only good guy left.  God told him, "And incidentally, there are 7,000 men in Israel who have never bowed to Baal nor kissed him!”(1 Kings 19:18 Living Bible).

God is faithful.  God is faithful to His Word.  God is faithful to the righteous.  2 Corinthians 5:21 says, "He orchestrated this: the Anointed One, who had never experienced sin, became sin for us so that in Him we might embody the very righteousness of God."(Voice).  Don't miss this!  When we accept Jesus, we become the righteousness of God in Christ.  Titus 3:5 says, "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;"(KJV). 

The Message Translation says it like this, " It wasn’t so long ago that we ourselves were stupid and stubborn, easy marks for sin, ordered every which way by our glands, going around with a chip on our shoulder, hated and hating back. But when God, our kind and loving Savior God, stepped in, he saved us from all that. It was all his doing; we had nothing to do with it. He gave us a good bath, and we came out of it new people, washed inside and out by the Holy Spirit. Our Savior Jesus poured out new life so generously. God’s gift has restored our relationship with him and given us back our lives. And there’s more life to come—an eternity of life! You can count on this."(Titus 3:3-8).

Love and prayers, Cynthia