If the shoe fits!

Ever feel as if a sermon or comment was aimed at you? I believe it is that "Still small voice" not condemning you, but just trying to get your attention. I share many views and suggestion of things that we deal with in our day to day walk with God on this earth. Trust me, most are things that I need to look in the mirror of my own life about. Everything that I share is for the uplifting and enrichment of anyone it speaks to. I cannot walk timidly worrying that something I share may insult or offend someone somewhere. What I do promise is to never publicly point out or directly be offensive to anyone on this page or my personal one.

The thoughts I share are for you to take in, if you desire, and hopefully discern their application in your life, by comparing them to what God shares with us in His Word. Because I have given my life, my thoughts, my opinions, and attitude over to Jesus Christ, I believe He has given me a certain amount of discernment of His message. Sounds like a bold statement but if I had Rev. in front of my name few would question it. If your boss at work felt that you were fully dedicated to his plan, and had studied it deeply, and were committed to implementing it for the good of the company; don't you believe he would be comfortable letting you make firm statements about it?

I have absolutely NO desire to lessen or detract from the awesome men and women of God, who have dedicated themselves through education and study, to accurately and purely share the loving message of God with the masses. I just know that even though you and I have not been to seminary, it does not mean that we cannot also know the truth that is the Word of God. If higher education was the only way God wanted to mold people to be the vessels of His message, I don't think He would have chosen fishermen, young men, and every day people to be the leaders of the New Covenant. In sports, especially professional sports, you have a coach who job it is to design the game plan and pass it on to all the players. Now the players must know quite bit about the game and the plan for it to be implemented to the best degree. The players don't run back and forth to the coach saying, " What do I do now coach?". The coaches use the players they trust and know have studied the plan and the game the best. Now some players later move on to become coaches, not alot, but most of the players just work at being the best players they can be.

God has not made me a coach, yet, and maybe never will. I do know that if I never strive to be the best player I can for the team, He will never make me a coach. Being a player is ok though. I don't care how many good chiefs you got; if they don't have some really good indians, they ain't gonna win the battle.

So I will share what He puts on my heart, always securing it by His Holy Word; and prayerfully hoping that it may bring light to your darkness, ease to your pain, and mostly drawing you closer to accepting Jesus Christ as your Savior, if you have not already. Yours in Christ, Mike

Know what you believe.

Why do you call yourself a Christian? What is it that you base this statement on? What revelation tells you that you can take whatever parts of the Bible you want and ignore the rest? Where did you study, to obtain the great wisdom, to say some of the Bible is true and some is false? Where did that discernment come from? If there are truths and untruths in the Bible; then how can we accept any part of it? Why is it that you will accept an earthly scientific preponderance, that you have little or no understanding of, yet you discard a heavenly truth, that maybe be as equally hard to comprehend because it is uncomfortable? If your faith is based on only what you can understand and what is comfortable; is it truly faith? I ask you again, why do you call yourself a Christian and where did you get this Christian belief?

I ask these because we who proclaim our belief in Christ have received this knowledge either from the Word or from someone who has taught us the Word. The biggest reason many fall into cults is that they have taken the word of someone else and never sought to explore themselves. God does not tell us to have blind faith. That is why He has given us His Testimony and implores us to read and study it continually. That is why He has pulled no punches in It's content. There are several choices we are called to make that do not sit well with our human sensibilities. If I were going to write a book to draw people to gladly worship me I would tailor it to be easily accepted by all. I would sculpt it to please their creature comforts and desires. I have heard many people say that if they can trust someone, regardless of whether they agree or like them, that they can respect them. Why then do we not trust the Author of Truth, when He calls us to follow Him? It speaks to our sinful, prideful nature that when God says be one way or another, do not be lukewarm or I will spit you out; that we bow up our chest and try to tell Him, " You can't tell me how to worship You, take it or leave." We then call Him unfair and uncompassionate when He chooses to leave it.

So don't fool yourselves by deciding what you can accept and reject of what you think you know of God and His divine Word. MAKE the time to go and study for yourselves and see how much God loves you and desires the TRUE good things for you. In this day and age of political correctness and fence sitting when it comes to Christianity, you are called to make a choice. If that choice is truly God, then you will strive to follow His guidance in every aspect of life. It will encompass your personal walk, your marriage, the words you speak, the jokes you tell or listen to, the movies/TV you watch, and how you feel about your opponents or enemies. I always marvel at the depth and immensity of God's admonition to "Love your enemies". Because in that is where we truly show our obedience and our best chance to have the heart and light of Jesus Christ shine through us.

Do not take my word for any of this. Go and study the Bible and make your choice. If you are only making God the god you want Him to be; you are fooling yourself. If you truly believe in a heavenly afterlife, this is the most important decision you will ever make for you and for children.