Day: March 26, 2018

Apples anyone?

We’ve all heard the story of Adam & Eve in the Bible.   I’ve always thought to myself, why did Eve eat that apple, when God gave her so many other choices?   That one decision, changed the course for mankind!  I believe that each one of us would have responded the same way.fullsizeoutput_cb2

As I thought about this, the Holy Spirit convicted me and said “How many apples have you eaten?”   Ouch!!!  If I’m being totally transparent; quite a few!   Did any of my decisions change the course of mankind I thought?  Probably not, but some of them effected my family, friends and those around me in a negative way.  The point is, that none of us are perfect, right?

The Bible says that:  ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.  

I have eaten so many apples over the years.  Most of the time, I knew better; but believed that the apple would bring me pleasure!

It’s funny how quick I am to judge Eve for eating that one apple, when in reality I’ve  done the same thing.

Daily, there are decisions in our life that we each must make.  Some of those decisions bring God glory.  Others, perhaps are just the opposite.

Peer fear plays a huge factor in many of these decisions.  Often times we’re more concerned about pleasing man, than we are about pleasing our Creator!

I can seek the things of this world that will bring temporal pleasure, or I can chase after the things that bring eternal happiness.

What’s my apple?  Anything that I put before my relationship with God.

Green Pastures

I have always been drawn to green pastures and still waters.   I spent a lot of time fly fishing the rivers of Colorado before we left.  It was during these times that I heard so clearly from the Lord.   There’s something about these places that draw me in.  Usually, when I think of these types of places, my mind immediately goes to a place of seclusion, calmness, tranquility and peace.

It’s during these moments, that God speaks to me.   God desires a relationship with each one of us.  Much like the relationship that we have with our closest friend.   If I’m totally honest, I know that there are things in my life that I’m not comfortable sharing, even with my closest friends.  totally honest, each of us knows that there are things in our life that we’re not comfortable talking about; even with my closest friends.

This is where God comes into the picture.   He is always there for me and wants to be my comforter during the good times as well as the bad!

So, how do we hear from God?   It will never happen, unless I make time for Him.  It’s impossible for me to hear from God, when I’m trapped in the busyness of my day.  God loves it when I break away from the routine and spend time with Him.

The good news is that we don’t need to go out into the wilderness to hear from God.  Our wilderness might be the spare bedroom, garage or back porch.  Basically, it’s any place I can go to be alone with Him.  For some, it might be during our commute time in the car.

God wants us to be free from the distractions of our day, so we can clearly hear him speak!

 

In Psalm 23, we’re told that He makes me lie down in green pastures.   Why?  Because he wants to speak to us.   He wants us ALL to slow down and make time for him.   It says in scripture that He’ll use this time to refresh our soul.

He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul.  He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake.  Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff they comfort me.-Psalm 23:2-4

Dwelling Place

I debated on whether or not to post this, but really feel led by the Lord to share it.  Let me take you back to a time in my life, before I knew the Lord.  I can remember a few times when people would share Christ with me.  I remember being so turned off by them, as most of the time it was the old turn or burn gospel message.  I don’t want to come across like the guy on the street corner telling people they’re going to hell.

Last week, I felt the Lord tell me that I am to share this with those in my center of influence.  I really struggled with it, as it can be such a sensitive subject.  Eventually, I decided that if I believe the Bible in its entirety, than I need to share everything; not just the good stuff.

Everyone of us has a place we call our home.  A place where we reside for the short time that we’re here.  Each of us has big dreams about our future.  We begin to plan our lives and write down our goals for this life.  One day, however, each of us will take our last breath and pass into eternity.

How is it that we can spend our entire life making plans for our future, but are not even concerned about where we’re going to spend eternity?

Society tells us that if we’re a good person and we do enough good deeds, that we too will spend eternity in heaven.  Unfortunately for us, there’s no mention of that in the Bible.

Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. -Psalm 23:6

How long is eternity or forever?  An endless or seemingly endless period of time; duration without beginning or end.-Dictionary.com

The bottom line, is that every one of us is going to spend eternity somewhere!

Imagine if you will,  spending eternity without God.  Some might think, that’s not a big deal.  “I don’t want anything to do with him now, so why would I want to spend eternity with him, they ask?”

I think it’s important to meet people where they’re at and show them what the love of Christ looks like.  Too many times, I’ve witnessed people make a decision for Christ, but years later they walk away from the faith.

If I believe what the Bible says, than it’s important for me to let them know that there is a consequence for their decision.

I’ve heard comments over the years like, “All my friends will be there, so I may as well join them!”

God gives each one of us the choice to accept him or deny him.   If we accept him here, than we’ll spend eternity with him.   On the other hand, if we deny him here and live in darkness, than we’ll spend eternity in darkness; separated from him.

“But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.-Matthew 10:33

This day in age, it’s easy to share the gospel message to those around us.  The Bible refers to the gospel as the Good News.  Unfortunately, if there’s good news, there’s usually bad news as well.  When sharing Christ with people, we usually only talk about the good news and never mention the bad news.

This is problematic, as people believe they can take or leave Christianity; without any repercussions.  The truth is, there is a huge repercussion that awaits you, if you deny Christ.

It would be better if they had never known the way to righteousness than to know it and then reject the command they were given to live a holy life.- 2 Peter 2:21

If a righteous person turns from their righteousness and does evil, they will die for it.        -Ezekiel 33:18

“Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”-Matthew 25:46

The wicked go down to the realm of the dead, all the nations that forget God.-Psalm 9:17

Hell is not going to be a big party, where you can hang out with your friends.   Hell is a place of eternal darkness, where you’ll be eternally punished.  How long will it last, you ask?  Forever!!

And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever, and they have no rest, day or night, these worshipers of the beast and it’s image, and whoever receives the mark of its name.-Revelation 14:11

“There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, for you will see Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the prophets in the Kingdom of God, but you will be thrown out.-Luke 13:28

Weeping is obvious, but what do they mean by gnashing of teeth?   Imagine being so mad, that you grind your teeth in disgust.  Kind of like slamming your finger in a car door, or smashing it with a hammer.  Think of a time in your life, where you made a huge mistake and were so mad.  You grit your teeth, because you made the wrong decision.   This will be the reality of many in this world.

A snap shot of hell:  Forever tormented, unending rest, goes on day and night; forever, where the worm does not die and the fire is not quenched, while you spend eternity in eternal darkness.  There are NO second chances in hell!  Does that sound like a place where you want to be for eternity?

Some may say that they don’t believe in hell.   The fact that you don’t believe in it, doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.   Someone could say they don’t believe in gravity and step off a tall building, to their death.

There are countless verses in the Bible, that speak of the reality of hell.

And the angels will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.-Matthew 13:42

Please, don’t follow the way of the masses!   Go the opposite direction that everyone else is!  Choose to be different and make a difference in the lives of those around you!

“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many.  For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.-Matthew 7:13-14

God’s desire is that none would perish and that each and every one of us would have eternal life!

As surely as I live, says the sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of wicked people.  I only want them to turn from their wicked ways so they can live.-Ezekiel 33:11

If you want to read more information about what the Bible has to say about hell, check out Ezekiel 33.

If you are moved by this post, I would encourage you to share it on your feed.  I also welcome any comments below.