Line of Communication

I was blessed to have the opportunity to speak this past Sunday at my church. I always enjoy this chance to share what God places on my heart, and yet there is a load of responsibility that goes with it. Did I use the right verses? Did I misinterpret something? Did I make the point that was needed? Did I make a difference? All of these questions I used while praying for the message that God wanted. Now I do not claim to hear God's voice directly, but I believe that He uses subtle clues, i.e. lays on your heart what needs to be said. In this case it came from a young man that asked me what exactly is a personal relationship with God. I gave him an answer and had a good witness session with him, but the question kind of stuck with me. I started studying my bible and could not find anywhere that it used the phrase "personal relationship." This was perplexing. So I started thinking about what it means to have a good relationship. This lead me to a sermon. One of the big keys that I discovered while studying was the need for communication. Most of us sadly only seem to pray when we are at church, before we eat, and at bedtime. Lets think just for now about your spouse, significant other, special family member. How would your relationship be with that person if you only spoke to them before a meal, right before sleep at night, and three other times a week? The divorce rate might be higher. This lead me to think, what is the status of my relationship with God. When to I talk to Him? I come to find that my relationship was not too good. I mean, if you think about the person that only talks to you when something is wrong or wants something, does God see us the same way. Don't get me wrong, I know that God loves us all, but do you think He gets tired of us trying to use Him, instead of serve Him. Psalm 145 teaches that God draws near to all who pray to Him. We need that closeness with our creator. One of the other ways to best communicate with Him is constant study. The bible is the life story and legacy of Christ. By taking time to read and find out who He was, what He did for us, and what He expects of us, deepens our relationship. We have to ask the question, do we really know our Lord, and does He know us? John 10:24-28 reads "The Jews then gathered around Him, and were saying to Him, “How long will You keep us in suspense? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly.” Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe; the works that I do in My Father’s name, these testify of Me. But you do not believe because you are not of My sheep. My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand." So I ask again. What is the state of our relationship with our Lord. Do we commune with Him often, or only at the appointed time or when we need something.

Thanks and God Bless You all this week!

End of Time?

I know that many of you have heard about or seen in the news about this group of people that said the world would end soon. That the rapture would have been this past Saturday at 6pm and the actual "Doomsday" would be in October. Well, I am still here. I have not gone anywhere. The truth of the matter is that none of us know when the world is going to end. Matthew 24:36 reads "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone." Jesus Himself does not even know when the rapture is going to be. Only God the Father does. With that being said I would caution you when you here someone say that they have figured it out. What makes them great enough to be let in on a secret from God that He will not even tell His Son? But, one thing that this whole false prophecy has done, is to cause people to think about the end of time. Should we be actively searching the scriptures for a secret that will tell us the exact day? No! Should we be selling all we have and quit working because it will all be over soon? Definitely not. What we should be doing, is carrying on what Jesus told us to do before He returned. In Matthew 28:19-20 Jesus commanded "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." And if you flip your bible over the the book of Acts in the first chapter verses 7-11, it teaches that the disciples were chastised for watching the clouds. Is the end of the world coming soon? I believe so. But, instead of looking for the end, I feel it more important to witness and share the Gospel of Christ with as many people as possible. The exact day in which I will be raptured, or the appointed time for me to die is none of my concern. That is God's business. My business is to do the best I can with what time God has given me.

Thanks and God Bless you all this week!