1In the beginning the Word already existed.
The Word was with God,
and the Word was God.
2He existed in the beginning with God.
3God created everything through him,
and nothing was created except through him.
4The Word gave life to everything that was created,*
and his life brought light to everyone.
5The light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness can never extinguish it.*
Read for yourself from John 1
If you are Catholic, you believe in Jesus, right? If you are Catholic, you believe in the virgin birth, do you not? If you are Catholic, you believe in Mary, the mother of Jesus, don’t you? If you are Catholic, you believe in God the Father, right? If you are Catholic, you believe in the trinity, God in three persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, correct?
So if you are a Catholic and you were to die tomorrow, are you certain you are going to heaven? Well, if you think that simply “being” Catholic will get you into heaven, you are WRONG!! Simply being a Catholic gives you no better chance of getting into heaven than an atheist or an agnostic. Do you know why?
The reason why is because there is only ONE WAY to get into heaven, and it really has nothing to do with what church we attend. That ONE WAY is a person and his name is Jesus, the one you “believe” in!
You must have a PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP with Jesus to get into heaven. Simply “believing” is not enough, and just “being” Catholic is not enough either.
Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No man comes to the Father except by me.” ~ John 14:6
Only Jesus can get us to heaven. Have you invited Him into your heart? Have you given your life to Him? Do you acknowledge Him as Lord of your life? You can do this TODAY!
I’ve been hearing a lot about forgiveness lately. It’s even been the topic of teaching at my church. What is so important about forgiveness anyway? Is it really necessary? Well, when we read the Word of God, we can see that it is.
In Matthew 6:14 we read, “For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.” And in Mark 11:25 we read, “And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him and let it drop, in order that your Father Who is in heaven may also forgive you your own failings and shortcomings and let them drop.”
Consider what I heard one person say, that if Jesus had waited for us to ask for forgiveness, we would never have received it. Hmmm, kind of got me thinking.
Oftentimes we need to forgive others even if they do not ask for forgiveness. When we do not forgive and instead harbor bitterness or anger in our hearts toward someone, it actually interferes with our relationship with God, hinders our prayers, and blocks our blessings!
Consider what the bible says in Luke 6:37b: “acquit, forgive and release (give up resentment, let it drop), and you will be acquitted and forgiven and released.” (The Amplified Bible)
These verses tell me that God expects us to forgive, even requires it, and He promises to forgive us when we do. He states that unless we forgive others, we will not be forgiven by Him. I don’t know about you but I sure want God to forgive me for the things I’ve done wrong!
I also heard it said that a person who will not forgive does not realize what they themselves have been forgiven of. The bible says that we are ALL sinners and fall short of the glory of God. Jesus said in John 14:6 that He is the Way, the Truth and the Life, and that no one will get to the Father (in heaven) except by Him. That means we must put our faith and trust in Him if we ever hope to meet our Father in heaven. Jesus took our sins upon Himself on the cross in order that we would be forgiven for those sins.
Have you put your faith and trust in Jesus? If not, don’t delay. DO IT TODAY!
I love the promises of Jesus in the book of Revelation, Chapters 2 and 3. Each section is ended with the words, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” followed or preceded by a promise. Consider those promises with me.
Ch 2 verse 7: “To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.”
Ch 2 verse 11: “He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death.”
Ch 2 verse 17: “To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna to eat. And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it.”
Ch 2 verses 26-28: “And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations–‘He shall rule them with a rod of iron; As the potter’s vessels, shall be broken to pieces’ –as I also have received from My Father; and I will give him the morning star.”
Ch 3 verse 5: “He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.”
Ch 3 verse 12: “He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. And I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God. and I will write on him My new name.”
Ch 3 verse 11 also states, “Behold, I come quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown.”
What wonderful promises from our Savior!! Yes, in this world we will have tribulation, but He has overcome the world and we can overcome whatever challenges enter our lives by His strength in us. When we do this, we are promised Paradise, food from the tree of life, protection from the second death, hidden manna to eat, a new name, power over the nations, the morning star, sparkling white garments to wear, our name guaranteed in the Book of Life, confessed before God the Father and His angels, life forever in the New Jerusalem, Jesus’ new name given to us, sitting on His throne with the Father. Wow! So exciting!!
Isaiah 55:8-9, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. ‘As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (NIV)
We hear so many motivational speakers say that we need to change our thought life. They say we need to speak positive aspirations to ourselves. Speak what we want to happen in our lives as if it already has happened. They say it is vital to our success in life.
But what does the bible have to say about our thought life? My pastor gave a timely message this morning concerning the things we think about. As I listened and took notes, I was inspired to share some of his points with you.
Pastor Steve has been doing a series for several weeks now on “The Pursuit of Happiness” and today’s topic was “Happy People Pursue Good Thinking.” He went on to talk about thinking good thoughts, referencing Philippians 4:8-9 which says, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable–if anything is excellent or praiseworthy–think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard of me–put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.”
That’s a lot of happy stuff there. I decided to look up definitions for each word:
True: Consistent with fact or reality; not false or erroneous; steadfast, loyal, honest, just.
Noble: Possessing outstanding qualities; of high birth or exalted rank; grand or impressive especially in appearance.
Right: Righteous, upright, suitable, appropriate, genuine, real.
Pure: Unmixed with any other matter; being thus and no other; free from moral fault or guilt.
Lovely: Delightful for beauty, harmony, or grace; eliciting love by moral or ideal worth.
Admirable: Deserving the highest esteem.
Excellent: Superior, eminently good.
Praiseworthy: Applaudable, commendable, creditable, meritorious, admirable.
One thing Pastor Steve said that really encouraged me was that God wouldn’t tell us to change our thinking if it wasn’t possible to do it. Even when bad thoughts seem to haunt us, if we replace those thoughts with true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy thoughts, we can surely change them!! We do this by reading God’s word, filling our minds and hearts with His thoughts. His thoughts and His ways are higher than ours and we can allow His thoughts from His word to permeate our thinking and drive bad, ugly, untrue thoughts away.
Happiness comes when our thoughts align with His thoughts.
Thanks Pastor Steve!
What is it you are hoping for today?
Romans 15:13 in the amplified bible says, “May the God of your hope so fill you with all joy and peace in believing [through the experience of your faith] that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound and be overflowing (bubbling over) with hope.”
Hope defined by men (The American Heritage Dictionary of the English language):
Hope defined by God (The New American Standard Bible):
Today, put your hope in God. He will not disappoint you!
While praying this morning for a family who recently lost a loved one, having gone through the funeral services just yesterday, I was reminded of how difficult the day after was for me. When my husband’s funeral services were over, the friends and family were gone, I was left alone with my children at home, facing an uncertain future and feeling the sting of reality.
Then I remembered Patti. While the rest of my husband’s siblings were gathering at my in-laws, I was feeling rather down, depleted, and unable to bring myself to drive over there to join them. Patti was the one who was sensitive to my needs, calling and coming over to spend some time with my children and me. I praise God for Patti and the way God used her to minister to me that day after.
Do you know someone mouring the loss of a loved one? Have you recently attended a funeral service? Remember that person on the day after because it just might be their most difficult day. They might need for you to be their Patti, the one to comfort them, encourage them, love on them, and remind them of God’s love.
Bless you my friend. May you have a day filled with the power and love of Jesus!
As 2012 comes to a close and we welcome in 2013, should we spend time reflecting on the good, the bad, the ugly of 2012, or should we look ahead to our future in 2013? Personally, I prefer to look ahead.
Don’t get me wrong, lots of good things happened in my life in 2012. God has done some amazing things and I praise and thank Him for each and every one!
But, new beginnings are always so exciting. It is great to look forward into 2013 with great expectations, enthusiasm and hope. Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today and forever. I am excited to see what Jesus has in store for me in 2013.
How about you!