How to Be Blessed!

 Happy Sunday!

"Blessed woman, who believed what God said, believed every word would come true!"(Luke 1:45 Message).

Mary the mother of Jesus had just arrived at her cousin Elizabeth's home.  Elizabeth rejoiced. She and her unborn child were filled with the Holy Spirit, and the babe in her womb was leaping for joy!  She pronounced the blessing over Mary.  What a wonderful Blessing!  How would you like to receive a blessing like that?  Well, Good News!  You can also receive the blessing for believing every Word of God.  Jesus verified this fact when he was seen after the resurrection. "Then Jesus told him, “You believe because you have seen me. But BLESSED are those who haven’t seen me and believe anyway.”(John 20:29 Living Bible).

Jesus said, "This, beloved, is the truth: until heaven and earth disappear, not one letter, not one pen stroke, will disappear from the sacred law—for everything, everything in the sacred law will be fulfilled and accomplished."(Matthew 5:18 Voice).  Don't miss this!  God's Word will stand the test of time!  If He said it, that settles it!  What we need is Faith, and Patience!  The Prophet Isaiah was inspired to prophesy, "In the same way, my words leave my mouth, and they don’t come back without results. My words make the things happen that I want to happen. They succeed in doing what I send them to do."(Isaiah 55:11 Easy-to-Read Version).

What are you believing God for? Dream Big! Psalm 78:41 says, "Again and again they turned away and tempted God to kill them, and LIMITED the Holy One of Israel from giving them his blessings."(Living Bible).  Don't limit God!

Love and prayers, Cynthia

Evil People

 Happy Sunday!

“The heart is hopelessly dark and deceitful, a puzzle that no one can figure out. But I, God, search the heart and examine the mind. I get to the heart of the human. I get to the root of things.  I treat them as they really are, not as they pretend to be.”(Jeremiah 17:9-10 Message).

I have to admit that the last few years have opened my eyes to how "desperately wicked" humans can be.  When you live your life by Bible principles you tend to assume that others will or are doing the same.  Not so!  God inspired the Prophet Jeremiah long, long ago to tell us the Truth!  Jesus echoed this sentiment and said, "Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it."(John 8:44 KJV).

The Psalmist said, "For I was guilty from the day I was born, a sinner from the time my mother became pregnant with me."(Psalm 51:5 Voice).  When the Prophet Isaiah was brought into the presence of God, he said, "My doom is sealed, for I am a foul-mouthed sinner, a member of a sinful, foul-mouthed race; and I have looked upon the King, the Lord of heaven’s armies.”(Isaiah 6:5 Living Bible).  Because of what Adam did we were all born in sin.  BUT thank God because of what Jesus did we can be Born Again!  We can be changed from the inside out.  The Apostle Paul described it like this, "Now we look inside, and what we see is that anyone UNITED with the Messiah gets a fresh start, is created new. The old life is gone; a new life emerges! Look at it! All this comes from the God who settled the relationship between us and him, and then called us to settle our relationships with each other. God put the world square with himself through the Messiah, giving the world a fresh start by offering forgiveness of sins."(2 Corinthians 5:17-19 Message).

Jesus is the only hope for humanity!  There are no programs, rehabs, charities, projects, medications or good deeds that can solve the problems in society.  "Jesus saith unto him, I am the WAY, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."(John 14:6 KJV).  God has offered us the Solution.  The Apostle Paul wrote, "I can say this about them: They really try hard to follow God, but they don’t know the right way.  They did not know the way that God makes people right with him. And they tried to make themselves right in their own way. So they did not accept God’s way of making people right. Christ ended the law so that everyone who believes in him is made right with God."(Romans 10:2-4 Easy-to-Read Version).

I am encouraged!  I have read the end of the story!  Good wins!  Evil and evil doers are temporary.  Psalm 37:1-3 says, "Don’t get upset about evil people.  Don’t be jealous of those who do wrong. They are like grass and other green plants that dry up quickly and then die.  So trust in the Lord and do good.  Live on your land and be dependable."(Easy-to-Read Version).

Love and prayers, Cynthia

Is it worth it?

Happy Sunday!

"If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it.  And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?"(Mark 8:35-37 NLT).

Don't miss that question!  Is anything worth more than your soul?  In Job 2:4, "Satan answered the Lord, “Skin for skin! Certainly, a man will give everything he has for his life."(GW).  The enemy had already failed at getting Job to curse God after he'd lost all his possessions, and his children. But he was sure that Job would curse God when his health was affected.  BUT we all know how that story ended!  Job did not curse God, and in the end he got "Double For His Trouble"!

Job realized that there is more to life than people and things. Read that sentence again!  I will wait. 

We are to love God first, and when we love Him we will love people in the RIGHT way.  The preacher said, "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man."(Ecclesiastes 12:13 KJV).  The Apostle James wrote, "The Christian who is pure and without fault, from God the Father’s point of view, is the one who takes care of orphans and widows, and who remains true to the Lord—not soiled and dirtied by his contacts with the world."(Living Bible).  What a visual!  Don't you just love reading scriptures in other translations?  We don't want any part of "Soiled and Dirtied"!  Jesus is coming back for a Glorious Church without spot or wrinkle"!(Ephesians 5:27). 

Jesus told the story of The Rich Man and the Beggar Lazarus.  The rich man had everything he could ever want.  The KJV version says, "fared sumptuously every day".(Luke 16:19).  The Message says, "expensively dressed in the latest fashions, wasting his days in conspicuous consumption".  You know me, I had to look this up.  One web site defines it like this, "Conspicuous consumption is the purchase of goods or services for the specific purpose of displaying one's wealth. Conspicuous consumption is a means to show one's social status, especially when publicly displayed goods and services are too expensive for other members of a person's class.".  OUCH! 

The Bible goes on to say that both men died.  Luke 16:22-23 says, "The poor fellow died and was carried on the arms of the heavenly messengers to the embrace of Abraham. Then the rich fellow died and was buried and found himself in the place of the dead. In his TORMENT, he looked up, and off in the distance he saw Abraham, with Lazarus in his embrace."(VOICE).  The rich man didn't go to Hell because he was rich.  God wants us to prosper. He is not against prosperity.  God is against the selfishness that caused the rich man to pass by the beggar right at his gate and refuse to help him.  Jesus said, "You’ve made your choice. Your ambition is to look good in front of other people, not God. But God sees through to your hearts. He values things differently from you. The goals you and your peers are reaching for God detests."(Luke 16:15 Voice).

What's it worth to you?  Where will you spend eternity?  The song writer wrote, "You may seek earthly power and fame, the world might be impressed by your great name, soon the glories of this life will all be past, but only what you do for Christ will last".

Love and prayers, Cynthia

Thanks

 Happy Sunday!

"Give THANKS to God no matter what circumstances you find yourself in. This is God’s will for all of you in Jesus the Anointed."(1 Thessalonians 5:18 Voice).

The Apostle Paul had been through many different circumstances.  He was Qualified to encourage the Believers to be thankful no matter what they experienced.  He told the Corinthian Church, "You think you are so wise—yet you listen gladly to those fools; you don’t mind at all when they make you their slaves and take everything you have, and take advantage of you, and put on airs, and slap you in the face.  I’m ashamed to say that I’m not strong and daring like that! But whatever they can boast about—I’m talking like a fool again—I can boast about it, too."(2 Corinthians 11:19-21 Living Bible).

He goes on to describe some of what he endured,
"They say they serve Christ? But I have served him far more!
(Have I gone mad to boast like this?)
I have worked harder, been put in jail more often,
been whipped times without number,
and faced death again and again and again.
Five different times the Jews gave me their terrible thirty-nine lashes.
Three times I was beaten with rods.
Once I was stoned.
Three times I was shipwrecked.
Once I was in the open sea all night and the whole next day.
I have traveled many weary miles and
have been often in great danger from flooded rivers and
from robbers and from my own people, the Jews, as well as from the hands of the Gentiles.
I have faced grave dangers from mobs in the cities and
from death in the deserts and in the stormy seas and
from men who claim to be brothers in Christ but are not.
I have lived with weariness and pain and sleepless nights.
Often I have been hungry and thirsty and have gone without food; often I have shivered with cold, without enough clothing to keep me warm.(2 Corinthians 11:23-27 Living Bible).

Don't miss this!  This same man consistently encouraged others!  He didn't share the stories of all he'd been through everywhere he went, and if the Corinthians hadn't been hoodwinked by false teachers he likely wouldn't have shared it here.  BUT he did share it and hundreds of years later it can still inspire, teach, and train us how to be thankful no matter what!  This same man wrote, "God can bless you with everything you need, and you will always have more than enough to do all kinds of good things for others."(2 Corinthians 9:8 CEV).  This same man said, "But THANKS be to God, who always leads us in Victory through Christ. God uses us to spread his knowledge everywhere like a sweet-smelling perfume."(2 Corinthians 2:14 Easy-to-Read Version).

Psalm 106:1 says, "Praise ye the Lord. O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever."(KJV).

Love and prayers, Cynthia

Prosper

 Happy Sunday!

"Jesus knew what they were thinking and said, “Why are you criticizing her? For she has done a good thing to me. You will always have the poor among you, but you won’t always have me."(Matthew 26:10-11 Living Bible).

Why did Jesus say there will always be poor people around?  Great question!  I'm so glad you asked!  God gave us free will.  There will be poor people because we have freedom to make our own decisions.  Proverbs 10:4 says, "Laziness leads to poverty; hard work makes you rich."(CEV).  Proverbs 21:17 says, "Those who live to party, who pursue pleasure, will end up penniless; those who enjoy lots of wine and rich food will never have money."(Voice).  Even the Apostle Paul had to remind the Believers, "For while we were yet with you, we gave you this rule and charge: If anyone will not work, neither let him eat."(2 Thessalonians 3:10 Amplified). Proverbs 21:20 says, "The wise man saves for the future, but the foolish man spends whatever he gets."(Living Bible).  

There will always be poor people, but you don't have to be one of the poor.  Jesus said that he came to preach "Good News to the Poor".(Luke 4:18).  What is the best news you could ever give a poor person?  That's right!  You don't have to be poor any more!  The Apostle John said, "Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth."(3 John 2 KJV).  Don't miss this!  As your Soul (mind, will, and emotions) prospers, your entire life will prosper.  Romans 12:1-2 says, "Dear friends, God is good. So I beg you to offer your bodies to him as a living sacrifice, pure and pleasing. That's the most sensible way to serve God.  Don't be like the people of this world, but let God change THE WAY YOU THINK.  Then you will know how to do everything that is good and pleasing to him."(CEV).

The most important reason for you to prosper is to be able to help the poor.  Jesus said, “Then I, the King, shall say to those at my right, ‘Come, blessed of my Father, into the Kingdom prepared for you from the founding of the world.  For I was hungry and you fed me; I was thirsty and you gave me water; I was a stranger and you invited me into your homes; naked and you clothed me; sick and in prison, and you visited me.’

“Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Sir, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you anything to drink? Or a stranger, and help you? Or naked, and clothe you? When did we ever see you sick or in prison, and visit you?’

“And I, the King, will tell them, ‘When you did it to these my brothers, you were doing it to me!’(Matthew 25:34-40 Living Bible).

Love and prayers, Cynthia

Don't Be Ignorant!

 Happy Sunday!

"God wants you to silence stupid and ignorant people by doing right. You are free, but still you are God's servants, and you must not use your freedom as an excuse for doing wrong."(1Peter 2:15-16 CEV).

 

So many times, the inspired writers of the Bible urged us not to be ignorant! The definition of ignorant is "lacking knowledge or awareness in general; uneducated or unsophisticated" or "lacking knowledge, information, or awareness about a particular thing".  Don't miss this!  God is the God of More Than Enough!  He's got everything we could ever need and He's happy to share it with us!  James 1:5 says, "If any of you lacks wisdom [to guide him through a decision or circumstance], he is to ask of [our benevolent] God, who gives to everyone generously and without rebuke or blame, and it will be given to him."(Amplified).

The Apostle Peter told the Believers there are "stupid and ignorant" people in the world!  BUT we should NOT be named in that group!  We can Silence them by living right, and doing right!  Yes, we were once like them but now we are changed by the Holy Spirit within us!  1 Corinthians 6:9-11 says, "Don’t you realize that this is not the way to live? Unjust people who don’t care about God will not be joining in his kingdom. Those who use and abuse each other, use and abuse sex, use and abuse the earth and everything in it, don’t qualify as citizens in God’s kingdom. A number of you know from experience what I’m talking about, for not so long ago you were on that list. Since then, you’ve been cleaned up and given a fresh start by Jesus, our Master, our Messiah, and by our God present in us, the Spirit."(Message).

How can we ensure that we are not stupid or ignorant?  Great question!  I'm so glad you asked!  "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."(2 Timothy 2:15 KJV).

Love and prayers, Cynthia

What Really Matters

 Happy Sunday!

"Don’t tell lies to each other; it was your old life with all its wickedness that did that sort of thing; now it is dead and gone.  You are LIVING a brand new kind of life that is continually LEARNING more and more of what is right, and trying constantly to be more and more like Christ who created this new life within you.  In this new life one’s nationality or race or education or social position is unimportant; such things mean nothing. Whether a person has CHRIST is what matters, and he is equally available to ALL."(Colossians 3:9-11 Living Bible).

What really matters to you?  What things are important to you?  I've seen people being asked if they had to evacuate what items would they want to take from their homes.  Many times it's mementos or keepsakes, pets, valuables, and of course, family members.  Things are changing quickly in our world. Jesus described the times we live in.  He said, "You will hear about wars that are being fought. And you will hear stories about other wars beginning. BUT DON'T BE AFRAID. These things must happen before the end comes. Nations will fight against other nations. Kingdoms will fight against other kingdoms. There will be times when there is no food for people to eat. And there will be earthquakes in different places. These things are only the beginning of troubles, like the first pains of a woman giving birth."(Matthew 24:6-8 Easy-to-Read Version).

Don't miss the best part of all that Jesus said!  Don't Be Afraid!  It would be deceitful for Jesus to tell us to do anything that we couldn't do.  If he says we can live fearlessly, then we can live without fear!  Timothy was a young pastor in Ephesus. He faced many obstacles. His father in ministry, the Apostle Paul wrote to him saying, "For God did not give us a spirit of timidity (of cowardice, of craven and cringing and fawning fear), but [He has given us a spirit] of power and of love and of calm and well-balanced mind and discipline and self-control."(2 Timothy 1:7 Amplified).

How can we have a calm and well balanced mind in any situation or circumstance?  Great Question! I'm so glad you asked.  Isaiah 26:3 says, "With perfect peace you will protect those whose minds cannot be changed, because they trust you."(GW).  Keeping our minds on the Word of God will keep us in perfect peace.  The Dake Annotated Reference Bible says this about this scripture, "This is a promise for all men of all ages who meet the condition of keeping the mind stayed on God, and who trust Him at all times, in all things, and in all places".  We can keep the Word on our minds by hearing it, reading it, memorizing it, speaking it, and meditating on it.  The Psalmist said, "Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee."(Psalm 119:11 KJV).  Just like the precious treasures we would grab if we needed to evacuate, the Word should be something we can't live without.  It should be the thing that matters most.

Love and prayers, Cynthia