WORDS TO HANG ON TO!

47 And he was teaching daily in the temple. The chief priests and the scribes and the principal men of the people were seeking to destroy him,48 but they did not find anything they could do, for all the people were hanging on his words. 

                                               -Luke 19:47-48

What an amazing statement, "...for all the people were hanging on his words." Jesus' words are indeed words to hang on to because they are life-giving. Jesus' words are not empty words, but words of the spirit and life.

It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.                                       -John 6:63

What wonderful words of life we have to share with others:

He said He is the Bread of Life: "I am the bread of life" -John 6:48

He said without His blood, we have no life in us: “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. -John 6:53

He said He was "The Way, The Truth and The Life". John 14:6

Jesus said that the man who hears his words and puts them into practice is like the man who built his house by laying the foundation on rock--a strong house that's able to withstand all kinds of inclement weather (Luke 6:46-49).

Take heed of Jesus' words today!

Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.                                                   -Mark 16:16

Jesus' words are words of life, words to hang on to! AMEN!

WHAT DOES A DEVOTED FOLLOWER OF JESUS LOOK LIKE?

"And they devoted themselves to the apostles teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers."  -Acts 2:42 (ESV)

From the earliest days of the church it was evident that followers of Jesus Christ were devoted to the things of the Lord.    From the New Testament what might we glean as the focus of our devotion to the Lord.

A Devoted Follower of Jesus is...

1)  Devoted to SEEKING GOD regularly through His Word & through worship with others in His Church.

2)  Devoted to SERVE GOD with the blessed gifts and resources He has to help His church & our neighbors.

3)  Devoted to SHARE ONE'S FAITH story with others & the meaningful way God has impacted one's life through the Gospel.

This Three-Part Ministry Plan of SEEK, SERVE, & SHARE must be an integral part of the life of the Lord's church.   Church Leaders must design measurable methods and strategies whereby an honest appraisal can be done to see that progress is being made in these vital areas.   If any program, event, or other ministry does not promote one or more of these three elements then the life and vitality of a congregation may be lacking focus on the true mission of the church.

JUDGED BY GOD'S WORD

12 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. 13 And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.       -Hebrews 4:12-13 (ESV)

God gives us a warning of the terrible danger of a hardened heart.  The good news is that there is something that can soften a hardened heart: The Word of God.  God’s Word is sharp like a double-edged sword.  Jesus himself spoke of his own words as bringing life.

  

“The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.”  -John 6:63b

God’s Word also brings judgment:

“The one who rejects me and does not receive my words has a judge; the word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day.”  -John 12:48

God’s Word pierces into the deepest part of our being.   The Word of God confronts us with the God of the Word.  Because we can keep nothing hidden from God, Christians must be prepared to give an account of our decisions to the Lord.  Just as a lawyer stands between their client and the judge and jury, so it is that Jesus stands as a mediator between God and us.

How might it be liberating to realize that God knows every secret of your heart?

IS THE U.S.A. ONE NATION UNDER GOD?

Is the U.S.A. "One Nation Under God"?  My answer: We have been in the past and we can be again!

It seems that liberal history revisionists are rewriting U.S. History in the textbooks of our children and youth. 

There is the old political saying, "Tell a lie often enough and loud enough and soon everyone will believe it."  

Here are some facts from U.S. History:

• Abraham Lincoln was once talking to a farmer and asked how many legs a cow had.   The farmer, of course, said four.  Abe then asked him how many legs a cow would have if you counted his tail as a leg.  The farmer then said five.  Lincoln said, "No, it doesn't matter what you call the tail, the cow still only has four legs."  The truth is the truth no matter what someone else may say. The Founding Fathers of this nation understood that God had to be in the equation to understand what truth is.

• Do you know what George Washington's first two acts as president were? 1) When sworn into office he kissed the Bible that was used. 2)  He held a two hour worship service in the Congressional Hall.

• Congress voted to put the words, "In God We Trust" on our currency.  

• In 1776, eleven of the thirteen colonies required that before you could run for political office that you must be a professing Christian.

• In 1777 Congress voted to spend $300,000 to distribute Bibles across American and in every classroom as part of their curriculum.

• President Harry Truman said, "I do not believe there is a problem in this country or the world today which could not be settled if approached through the teaching of the Sermon on the Mount."

• President Ronald Reagan said, "If American ever forgets that we are one nation under God we will be one nation gone under."

The solutions to our problems are not going to be found in the White House, the Court House or the State House.  They are going to be found among God's House.  As a nation we have got to get our trust back in God, not in government.

The main problem in our country is that we have strayed so very far from God's Word.  We live in a society that has watered down the Bible to suit our own desires.  

For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine.  Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.  -2 Timothy 4:3  (ESV)

For our nation to be "One Nation Under God" you must first be under God yourself.  The more of us that are under God the better we can see our nation turn to God.  It can happen!  It is only through righteousness that a nation is exalted.

So is the U.S.A. "One Nation Under God"?   

My answer:   

We have been in the past and we can be again!