No Vacancy

 Greetings to you all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ,

     John 14:1-4 says, “ Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.   In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.  And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.”

     Well I just got back from the hospital. I spent a lot of time in the emergency room because they did not have a room available in the hospital I was there probably over 24 hours but the same is true in many of our hospitals in this area in that they do not have adequate space which reminded me about having a reservation when you go to the hospital or a motel or a hotel how important that is 

     I am trying a new feature on the devotions which is voice typing I hope it works okay in speaking about reservations. It reminded me of the Celestial City.   we know that the celestial city is big according to the measurements it's around 1500 Mi long and 1500 miles wide and 1500 miles high it's like a giant Cube that's a lot of floors for a lot of people and I was thinking there's probably not going to be one room that does not have a soul in it every room will be filled and there will be no vacancy.   that's a lot of people when you think about it.  Only God knows who the last person is that would be called to fill every room in the celestial City.  As we go out into the world today let us be conscious of spreading the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ to the lost that we come in contact with. we need to give the gospel message to each and every person that we know the time is growing shorter and we know that each room in the celestial city is being filled moment-by-moment when that last room is filled then we will all go to heaven we will all be there. The world however has a different program and you went there are 4000 different religions in the world we can realize that man is trying to come up with his own way to get to heaven but there is only one way the passage above when you go 2 verses 5 and 6 remind us that the Lord Jesus Christ is the only way to the father so definitely pray for those who are around you today those you will come in contact with need to hear the message as we close today the thought is the praise God for the way of Salvation and that the Lord Jesus Christ is building that place a place for us it's like I've Got a Mansion Just Over The Hilltop

A Wolf in Sheep;s Clothing

 Greetings to you all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ,

     Perhaps you have heard the expression, "You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear."  The obvious point of such a saying is that you can't make something nice out of something that isn't nice.  The quality of a pig's ear is such that it would never be good enough to be used to make a fine silk purse.  No matter what you did to it, the purse would still resemble the quality of a pig's ear.  There are religious groups around us today that are still trying to do the same thing.  While their beliefs are extreme and contrary to what the Bible says, they still try to gain respectability and thereby fool the people into believing that they are something that they are not.  In a sense, they are trying to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear.   First John 4:13-15 says, "Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit.  And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world. Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God."   In the early church, this was a very important confession.  It was perhaps, broader in scope than we perceive in this present age.  To confess that Jesus is the Son of God is to confess that everything about Jesus Christ is true and that you have put your faith in Him to be your Savior.  No matter how you dress up a false doctrine or what works you do in order to make it seem good, it is still what it is.  All of the good advertising and promotion stunts won't change the fact of what it is.  False doctrine is exactly that, false doctrine.  You can try to candy-coat it but it still comes out to be the same in the end.  But, the truth is, many are being deceived as it seems to be respectable.  First John 4:1 reminds us, Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world."  So, no matter how good something seems on the outside, remember that it is necessary to hold up the doctrine to the supreme standard, The Word of God.  Then you will know if it is a genuine silk purse or nothing but a sow's ear.

It Won''t disappear by Itself!

 Greetings to you all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ,

  There were those days when I did some vacuuming of the rugs and noticed something.  When I would approach something that was dangling on the floor, such as a curtain cord or an electric cord, I would squint my eyes so that they were almost closed.  I came to the realization that I was doing this each time that I came close to something that could get sucked up into the vacuum.  In essence, I was hoping it wouldn't happen and if I closed my eyes, that would prevent it from happening.  Obviously, that was all wishful thinking.  More than once a shoe lace or curtain cord has gotten wrapped around the vacuum.  Ignoring something doesn't make it go away or to not exist.  However, some people feel that if they completely ignore the area of sin, that it doesn't exist and that they are not under the penalty of it. 

            Romans 3:10-12 says, "As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one.  There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one."   These verses, quoted from the Old Testament, plainly point out that everyone is a sinner and that the penalty of sin has been pronounced upon them.  There is no way of avoiding that fact.  Squinting your eyes or even closing them when you get close to the Bible or to sound preaching doesn't negate the fact of sin.  It is still there and it needs to be dealt with.  As a quick review will point out, God has set a standard for entrance into heaven.  Unfortunately for us, that standard is a perfect sacrifice in order to make payment for entrance into heaven.  Without that payment or that perfection, we cannot enter heaven.  For some they say, "Well, that won't be so bad."  However, the second destination for a soul  not going to heaven, is the Lake of Fire that has been prepared for the devil and his angels.  So, to ignore God's requirements won't make them go away nor will they guarantee instead a safe passage to heaven.  There is only one way and that was is the Lord Jesus Christ.  This means that we must accept His payment for our sins, since He was and is, the only perfect sacrifice that could have been offered for sin.  So, don't think that sin doesn't exist or just because a person doesn't believe in it that it is not real.  It is very real and so are the results.  Your final destination can only be determined by whether or not you accept God's plan of salvation through the sacrificial death of Christ on the cross.  Don't close your eyes to God's gift.  Praise God today for His steadfastness even in  judgment,  

Peace With God

 Greetings to you all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ,

     Romans 5:1-2 says, “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:  By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”

     Let me take a moment to thank those of you who rescinded and then prayed for my condition, whatever it was.  Still a lot of pain in the left leg but the fever is gone and no more chills that seem to rattle my bones.  Got  my brains tickled with a Q-Tip and that was a negative report for covid which was thankful for that.  If there is a “normal” then maybe I am getting close to it  now.  Our group of seniors are reading through the Book of Romans which is interesting in itself as we all have something in our lives that is weak such as eyes, voice, memory and such things.  I get excited with the Book of Romans as there is so much there in doctrine for every believer.  I chose the first two verses of Chapter 5 because of the phrase, “peace with God.”

     Prepositions are really important as you can have peace with jGod and you can have the peace of God.  In this passage it deals with the soul having peace with God.  Actually you can’t have the peace of God, until you peace with God.  Those souls that are unbelievers are at enmity with God and heading for a terrible judgment.  The only thing that will keep them from that judgment is to have peace with God.  God is omnipotent, that is powerful and as such, the Most Powerful Being in the universes.  He created the universe and he created the ants. God has all of the universe at His disposal and can use anything He desires to move nations in and out of existence.  Nothing surprises Him nor is He ever caught off guard.  His plan cannot be stopped.  Pal reminds us that us believers are  justified by faith and so we have this wonderful peace with God and notice where it comes from.  It goes on to say, through our Lord Jesus Christ.There are many false preachers around in the world today that say that there are many ways to heaven and that Jesus Christ is only one way.   The mass of people want to believe that error as it gives them more choices for salvation, but they all lead to an eternal separation from God adn to put it bluntly, Hell.  When Jesus said that He is the way to the Father and that no  one can get  to the Father except through Him, then that is what it means.   Believers then have the peace with God and certainly then they will have the peace of God many times in their lives in the midst of death, grief, sickness, sorrow, depression and so on.    Praise God today for the blessing of having Peace with Him.

Problems Everywhere

 Greetings to you all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ,

     Our lives seemed to be filled with more and more problems every day.  Many people, including believers, find themselves with a long list of concerns.  The problems never seem to go away, but they become just one more on a growing list.  People talk about being at "wits end."  This usually means that they are totally frustrated and don't know what else to do.  God has an answer to such a condition.  

       First  Peter 5:6-7 says, "Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:  Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you."  Our cares, no matter how large or how small, how great or seemingly insignificant can be cast upon the Lord in times of prayer.  The verb that is used for the word "cast" is a verb that indicates a one time act.  You don't have to keep on casting them at the feet of the Lord, but you just need to cast them there that one time and then you can forget about them.  God will take care of the situation.  You don't even have to keep reminding Him of the care for He has it already.  With some people, casting away a care upon the Lord is like trying to throw away a piece of rolled up scotch tape.  It sticks to your fingers and no matter how hard you shake your hand, it's still there.  You try to pick it off with your other hand and now it is stuck on that hand.  The verb that is used in this verse is not like that.  You just have to cast it that one time and it is gone.  The reason that it is gone is given at the end of the verse.  It is gone because He, God, cares for you.  You can have confidence that God will take care of the concern because He genuinely cares for each and every one of us.  We also notice that the preceding verse indicates that we should "humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God that He may exalt us in due time."    Then, our verse for today quickly follows.  It would indicate that there is a connection between the two acts.  A person who has humbled themselves before God are also totally dependent upon Him for everything.  This is why some, who seemingly cast their cares upon the Lord, are not satisfied.  If you think that this is just a magic formula to be satisfied in the midst of all of your concerns, then it will not meet your needs.  Your cares will still be there.  However, if you have truly humbled yourself before God, then, He will be faithful to His Word and take care of your concerns.  So, get the order right and humble yourself before God.  Then, give Him all of your concerns.  He will meet all of them according to His will.

Hope

 Greeting to you all in the name of the Lord Jesus cChrsit,

     There are two kinds of hope in the world.  Webster defines them in his 1825 dictionary as, 1.  "A desire of some good, accompanied with at least a slight expectation of obtaining it, or a belief that it is obtainable. Hope differs from wish and desire in this, that it implies some expectation of obtaining the good desired, or the possibility of possessing it. Hope therefore always gives pleasure or joy; whereas wish and desire may produce or be accompanied with pain and anxiety."  The second definition is, "Confidence in a future event; the highest degree of well founded expectation of good; as a hope founded on God's gracious promises; a scriptural sense."  As you can see, one of them is just a desire of some good whereas the second is confidence.  To the believer, there is a great hope.  

        Colossians 1:23 says, "If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister;"  Our hope is in the gospel, the good news of the Lord Jesus Christ.  We live in an age where we always are under the desire to have hope in something.  We hope that our children do well in this life.  We hope that we will have a job tomorrow or next year.  We hope that we will have good health and not have some major illness.  All of these and the host of other things in which we hope are things in this life that may or may not come to pass.  While we have these desires, we also have confidence.  This is a much different type of hope.  When you have confidence in something to come to pass, it is a hope that is guaranteed because our hope is placed in Him who is able to grant us such confidence.  Our hope is in the Lord Jesus Christ and His finished work on the cross for us.  Our hope is based on the promises of God and not on temporary things.  The gospel itself can be summed up in the words of Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 where the "gospel" was defined.  Paul said there, For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:"  Because Jesus died for our sins, was buried and raised from the dead, our hope is guaranteed.  It is in the gospel that we have this confidence.  So, while things today may change your desires, your confidence will always be there because it is based in God's promises.  If you are having a day when things seem to be going in ways you didn't plan, remember the hope that you have in God and praise Him for it.

Guilty!

 Greetings to you all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ,

      Romans 3:9-10 says, “What then? are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin;  As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:”

     The new activity lady decided that it would be good for the group to read through the Book of Romans.  It is an excellent book and filled with doctrine.  Of course, right at the beginning kind of puts us all down.  Can a Senior age person change their manner of living?  At this point in our lives, we seem to be set in our ways and if dementia has set in at all, it makes it worse.  I recall a man and his wife who were in their seventies  and began to ride our bus to church.  They never wanted to go to church when they were young and now that they were old, the wanted to come to a church but couldn’t get there. That same man was born again at one of the church services and was later baptized.  While it may be a rare circumstance, it does happen.

     The above passage points out one clear fact and that is that every person, Jew or Gentile, are under sin.  There is no way of getting around it.  No matter how righteous we try to be in and of ourselves, it will fall short for salvation.  James points out that to be guilty of one sin, makes ou guilty of the whole law.  The first three chapters of Romans points out our situation clearly and we can praise God that it doesn’t stop there.   Our sinful condition is in vital need of a Savior and it comes along in chapters four and five.  There was only one option and it was through the perfect sacrifice on the cross.  The Lord Jesus Christ became the propitiation, or the satisfaction, for our sins.  He alone could do that as He was perfect and without sin.  We can praise God today for the salvation that He has provided for old and young alike.