Jesus Is God

John 14:9-11

9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. 11 Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves.

Exodus 3:1-2

1 Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian. And he led the flock to the back of the desert, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 And the Angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. So he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed.

This event happened in the midst of common and ordinary toil. The Lord delights in seeking a person on an ordinary road. His will, sometimes, takes the most subtle form, often without sensational happenings. We have duties in the valleys that require work and endurance, and often it is during such labors that the divine fire leaps out at our feet.

Giving Thanks on Thanksgiving

Luke 17:11-19 tells of when Ten Lepers Were Cleansed

11 Now it happened as He went to Jerusalem that He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. 12 Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off. 13 And they lifted up their voices and said, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!”
14 So when He saw them, He said to them, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed.
15 And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, 16 and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks. And he was a Samaritan.
17 So Jesus answered and said, “Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? 18 Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?” 19 And He said to him, “Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well.”

Commentary on Bible Gateway regarding these verses: A sense of our spiritual leprosy should make us very humble whenever we draw near to Christ. It is enough to refer ourselves to the compassions of Christ, for they fail not. We may look for God to meet us with mercy, when we are found in the way of obedience. Only one of those who were healed returned to give thanks. It becomes us, like him, to be very humble in thanksgivings, as well as in prayers. Christ noticed the one who thus distinguished himself, he was a Samaritan. The others only got the outward cure, he alone got the spiritual blessing.

Other verses regarding giving thanks to the Lord:

Colossians 3:17

17 And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

Hebrews 13:15

15 Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.

Romans 8:28

28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

Philippians 4:8

"Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things."

From a friend that Blogs over at Radio Patriot who got it from Soldier's Perspective. Thanks Andrea.

Matthew 7:13–14 Genuine Salvation

"Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it."

There seems to be a great many people today that believe watered-down doctrines that deletes the important message of repentance. These folks believe in an all-caring, nonjudgmental God who requires no repentance or a change in their lifestyle. They will say things like, "I believe in Jesus Christ, but my God is not judgmental. My God would never send a person to hell. But I am a Christian."

Ever heard the phrase, you can't have your cake and eat it to? No matter how much people desire it to be so, according to biblical text, we cannot have it both ways. Christianity is not a faith that is made up as we go. Scripture is very clear on this.

Such fondness of watered-down beliefs even resides in the church. Diluted gospel teachings may be the most dangerous plague the church is facing today, because it gives a sense of false assurance to the person who believes it.

The Bible speaks of false prophets who give false assurance. In Jeremiah 6:14, God says, "They have also healed the hurt of My people slightly, saying, 'Peace, peace!' when there is no peace."

It would be like going to the doctor when you are having a heart attack, and having the doctor tell you, "Oh, you are fine. You are being so dramatic! You will be OK."

There are ministers today who say, "God loves you and everything is fine. You can do whatever you want and live however you want to live. Let's just love one another and have a great time."

But that is a false gospel. Yes, God loves us. Yes, God receives any person who comes to Him. But He asks us to repent, meaning that we must turn away from our sins. If we are not willing to repent, and instead continue to practice sinfulness habitually and continually, then we are not experiencing biblical faith, nor the grace of Christ's offered salvation. If we do not place our lives in his hands and repent, then in the end we are not going to receive what the Bible describes as genuine salvation.

Matthew 7:18-20

"A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them."

The fruit I bear is a concept I struggle with constantly. I know, by the grace of my Lord, that I am not even nearly righteous enough to be in His presence, and no matter how many charities I give to, good deeds I perform, and hoops I jump through, I am not worthy. My sinful nature outweighs my ability to earn my way into heaven, and the penalty each of us may pay is far beyond the depths of our spiritual bank account. In other words, to be in His presence, we are going to need some help.

God provided that help through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Christ died on a Roman Cross more than two thousand years ago, and as He did He was bombarded with every sin that was ever committed, or any sin that would be committed in the future. He bore it all, and paid the ultimate sacrifice so that we don't have to. But the washing away of those sins is not automatic. It is a gift that must be asked for.

Once such a commitment is made, the battle with sin is not over. In fact, it is then that the battle is just beginning. Our fruits do not earn us placement with our Heavenly Father, but our fruits do reflect our faith and our walk with the Lord. The relationship with the Lord, when in the proper context, will produce good fruit. Does that mean we stop sinning? Absolutely not. And the fiery arrows from the enemy become more intense, because the enemy does not wish us to follow the path to Christ, or to maintain such a path. And even more alarming is that Satan's greatest weapon against God is the lukewarm Christian, or one that claims to be a Christian and is not, meaning that when we fail to stay on the path, we are actually doing the bidding of the enemy.

There are those out there in the world that proclaim, "I am a Christian," but they are out drinking alcohol excessively. They say, "I am a Christian," but they are having premarital sex or are committing adultery by being unfaithful to their husband or wife. There are those out there in the world that ardently shout, "I am a Christian," but in their daily business they lie to people, distort things, take money that is not really theirs. There are a lot of people today who think they are Christians but are not, because they have not really changed in their heart because they have not given their heart completely to Him. They are not living according to what the Bible teaches because they have not surrendered their heart, life, and soul to Christ.

As I stated earlier, I am not saying that a Christian cannot sin. I am not saying that a Christian won't slip up. But I am saying that there is a big difference between a person who slips up, sins, is sorry for it, and wants to change, and a person who lives in continual, willful, habitual sin.

If you live in the way of continual, willful, habitual sin, then the Bible says that you do not know the Lord. And perhaps they don't know God because they have not committed themselves to Him. The minions of darkness believe in God, and that Christ died and rose again, but that does not secure them salvation. Some people think that being a Christian is just having Jesus along for the ride. Jesus just simply is hanging out in the bed of their spiritual truck, waving his hands to stop the storms from reaching the life of the driver. These folks don't realize that it is those storms that build character, and shape your life as a potter shapes a lump of clay, and that the roadway being followed is an avenue in the wrong direction unless He is driving. The Lord wishes to carry you through these moments of tribulation, leading and guiding you through a distinct and unique plan and purpose for your life.

It is difficult. I know this from experience. I struggle daily with my relationships and daily walk. I struggle greatly, anyway, until I remember that He is in control, and no matter what path I take, Jesus Christ is the Lord of every aspect of my life. He wants to be the Lord of your business, your free time, your relationships. He desires to be the Lord of all, for He knows that if He is not Lord of all in our lives, then He is not Lord at all.

I Kings 8:56

There hath not failed one word of all his good promise.

I may not understand why God has decided to say "no" or "wait" to me regarding my prayers. I sometimes worry or perplex over why my prayers may not be being answered. What I may not understand is God may be answering them in a far richer way, giving me a glimpse, occasionally, though not revealing the full revelation until the future. The thing is, He sees the whole picture, of which we recognize only a small portion. In the end, it is all for His Glory.

When Love Takes You In

This is dedicated to my new grandbaby born yesterday. Ezekiel Christopher Gibbs is now a part of the family. And he is a miracle.

2 Corinthians 4:18

. . .For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

Wonders have graced this earth. The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World are among the many wonderful things this world has seen. These impressive creations of human genius, except for the Pyramids of Egypt, have all been destroyed. Though mankind marveled at these wonders, the passing of time has shown that these things, and everything else in our world, is temporary. God, however, is eternal. He remains consistent and true. The Earth, and its glories, will pass away. As Christians, however, we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken.

Hebrews 12:28 says: Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear.