The Right Question

The Right Question

When you are in search of an answer, to get the information you want or need, you have to ask the right question(s). I have heard it said that at some point most people will, in one form or another, ponder three fundamental questions: Where did I come from? Why am I here? What happens when I die?

Thankfully the Bible truthfully and accurately answers these questions!

Question 1: Where did I come from?

• Genesis 1:27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
• Psalm 139:13-14 For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb. 14 I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well.
• Biblical Answer: God is the creator of all life. God not only created the first man and woman, He created the entire human race. Every single human life is a gift from God; intentionally and personally made by Him.

 

Question 2: Why am I here?

• 1 Corinthians 10:31 Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
• Revelation 4:11 “You are worthy, O Lord, To receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things, And by Your will they exist and were created.”
• Biblical Answer: You are here to glorify God. All you think, desire, say and do should be for His glory!

 

Question 3: What happens to me when I die?

• Matthew 25:46 And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
• Acts 24:15 I have hope in God, which they themselves also accept, that there will be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and the unjust.
• Biblical Answer: After you die you will spend eternity in Heaven or hell. Heaven means eternity in the presence of God; a sinless, perfect paradise. Hell means suffering the wrath of God; physical, emotional and spiritual suffering without end.

According to the Bible, the first two questions each have only one answer. In other words, the outcome to these two questions is absolute. However, the third question has two possible answers! And since the two possible outcomes are unchangeable, eternal and drastically different, the right question to ask is:

How do I get to Heaven?

• John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
• God sent His only Son, Jesus Christ, to earth to live a sinless life, to die on a cross to pay for our sins and then rise from the dead.
• For more about salvation is Jesus Christ:
• Read the ‘Easter is Good News’ post on this site (April 19, 2014)
• Start reading the Bible (the book of John is a great place to start)
• Start attending a Bible believing Christian Church
• John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
• Jesus Christ is the only way to Heaven. You must understand who He is, believe what He did and then make a decision to accept His gift of salvation and surrender your life to His Lordship.
• Matthew 12:30 He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad.
• There is no middle ground. You are either for Christ or against Him. Don’t delay in seeking Him out. Don’t delay your decision to accept Him. You are not promised tomorrow.

Prayer

Dear Lord, gracious Father, You have the answers to every question. Please move in the hearts of those who need salvation in Christ. Send them Your Word. Reveal Yourself and Your truth to them. Bring forth a Christian who can disciple them. I love You and I thank You for Your goodness, mercy and love. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Easter is Good News

Easter is Good News

Personally, I don't get overly concerned about secular Easter traditions like coloring eggs, candy, baskets, chocolate bunnies, big family lunches, etc. That is, as long as the true meaning and importance of Easter is not overshadowed or overlooked.

Easter is the most sacred holiday for Christians.  

• We Commemorate Holy Week.  
• We Celebrate the ‘Last Super’ and the death, burial and resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
• We Contemplate what this all means (satisfaction of the sin debt, salvation for the lost, security in the promise of eternal life).

• 1 Cor 15:1-4 Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, 2 by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. 3 For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, 

 

‘Gospel’ literally means ‘good message’. Every living person needs this good news!

• John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
• Because of His perfect love for humanity, God sacrificed Jesus Christ, His one-of-a-kind Son, so that sinners can be forgiven and spend eternity in Heaven worshipping Him.
• Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
• God didn’t require humanity to ‘get right’, clean up or anything else before He sacrificed Christ. The same holds true today! You don’t clean yourself up before you come to Christ. You come to Christ just as you are and He cleanses you with His blood.
• Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.
• God gives you the faith to believe. This is an undeserved blessing! There is absolutely nothing you can do to earn salvation. You do have to believe it, accept it, and surrender to it to be saved.
• 2 Corinthians 5:21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
• You are only allowed into Heaven when you stand before God just as righteous as He is. You can never achieve that. But when you are washed in the blood of Christ, His righteousness is credited to you. You are righteous before God only if you are surrendered to Christ and washed in His blood.
• Romans 10:9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
• Cry out to God with the true message of salvation, the Good News of Easter – Christ is God, He died for you to pay for your sins, and He rose from the dead, defeating death as your guarantee of eternal life in Heaven.

God loves you. Beg Him to reveal Himself and His truth to you!


Prayer

Father, please bring the comfort of assurance to Your children. Pease draw the lost to salvation in Christ with the eternal truth of the Gospel message. May Your will be done. In Christ’s name I pray, Amen.

Looking Back

Looking Back

 

 

• Psalm 105:5 Remember His marvelous works which He has done, His wonders, and the judgments of His mouth,
• Sometimes we need to remember; to learn from the past. History can be a great teacher. To be wise we should not only learn from our own experiences, but also from those of others.  
• What better source of history than the Bible? We can learn from the history in the Bible and gain perspective on our own lives.  

Looking Back with a Godly perspective at the following areas can help us grow in knowledge and wisdom.

 

 

Lessons

• 1 Corinthians 10:6 Now these things became our examples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted.
• Paul pointed out to the Church at Corinth that what happened to the Jews in the Old Testament was an example to learn from. What examples from the Bible, your family history, your friends or your own life can you learn from? 

 

Landmarks

• Joshua 4:6-7 that this may be a sign among you when your children ask in time to come, saying, ‘What do these stones mean to you?’ 7 Then you shall answer them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord; when it crossed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. And these stones shall be for a memorial to the children of Israel forever.”
• These ‘stones’ commemorated the Nation of Israel crossing the river Jordan into the Promised Land. What ‘monuments’ serve as testimonies to great works of God in your life? 

  

Loves

• Genesis 29:18 Now Jacob loved Rachel; so he said, “I will serve you seven years for Rachel your younger daughter.”
• True love as defined in 1 Corinthians 13 is a wonderful gift from God. Who has loved you with a sacrificial love? Who has God brought into your life that allows you the opportunity to love sacrificially? 

 

Loses 

• 2 Samuel 12:23 But now he is dead; why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me.”
• Since the fall of Adam, sin and death have been inevitable parts of human life. What loses can you celebrate because you know you will be reunited in Heaven? 

 

Legacies

• Joshua 6:23 And the young men who had been spies went in and brought out Rahab, her father, her mother, her brothers, and all that she had. So they brought out all her relatives and left them outside the camp of Israel.
• A prostitute in Jericho made the right decision and not only saved her family, but also became an ancestor to King David and Jesus Christ. How has your devotion to Christ impacted your legacy?

 

So, Looking Back with the right perspective can be very helpful. However, be careful not to get stuck in the past! Your previous successes, failures, hurts and accomplishments can also become stumbling blocks to your future growth. Don’t let pride, shame, guilt or arrogance drag you down.

 

 

Prayer

 

 

I pray dear Lord that Your Holy Spirit will guide me in using the history in the Bible and the experiences from my life and the lives of others to grow in knowledge and wisdom in such a way that You are honored. Forgive me when I look back with longing or excessive guilt. May the past help guide me into the future. May the hope that comes through saving faith in Jesus Christ be seasoned with the blessings and lessons of how You have moved throughout history. I praise You and pray to You in the name of Jesus, Amen. 

 

 

What’s In A Name?

What’s In A Name?

 

 

Why is a name so important?

• Proverbs 22:1 A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, Loving favor rather than silver and gold.

What about the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ? The importance of His ‘good name’ was prophesied in the Old Testament and declared by angels in the New Testament!

• The prophet Isaiah to King Ahaz
• Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.
• An angel of the Lord to Joseph
• Matthew 1:21-23 And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” 22 So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: 23 “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.”
• The angel Gabriel to Mary
• Luke 1:31-32 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. 32 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David.

Jesus Christ is a name and a title.

• Jesus (His Name) – Savior, the Lord is Salvation
• Psalm 9:10 And those who know Your name will put their trust in You; For You, Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You.
• Acts 4:12 Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
• Christ (His Title) – Messiah, Anointed One 
• Isaiah 61:1-2 “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, Because the Lord has anointed Me To preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to those who are bound; 2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn,
• Matthew 16:15-16 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16 Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

God the Father gave God the Son His name – a name to be reverenced above all other names.

• Philippians 2:9-11 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Jesus’ name is so incredible, we are to pray in His name.

• John 14:13-14 And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.
• But there is no magic formula here; no secret password. We pray in faith, and by the authority and power of His name. God answers prayers according to His will. We pray to align ourselves with His will, not to manipulate things according to our desires.
• 1 John 5:14-15 Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. 15 And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.

 

Understanding and appreciating the name Jesus and the title Christ is a blessed journey that starts with truth, continues in faith, and is experienced for eternity!

 

 

Prayer

 

 

Precious Heavenly Father, thank You for Jesus and His wonderful name. May the beauty, power and love of Jesus occupy our minds, temper our words, and guide our actions; all for Your glory. I love You so very much! In the name of Jesus Christ I pray, Amen.