Don't Worry

I work at a job that is commission based in pay.  This month I am not doing so well and as I face month-end tomorrow, I am wondering if I am going to make it.

I constantly find myself worrying if I am going to make the cut and be able to make the bills.

Christ addressed this in His Sermon on the Mount.  Matthew 6:25-34 encourages us to not worry about this life.  God has promised to take care of us, we need to rely on Him and Him alone.  Rather, we should be more worried about Kingdom work and God will take care of the Earth work.  He has promised that he will supply our needs. (Philippians 4:19)

The Jesus Inquest by Charles Foster

The Jesus Inquest by Charles Foster was an excellent case for, and against the resurrection of Christ. 

The book felt very much as if you were reading articles of evidence for a court case.  The evidence on both sides is very detailed and extremely deep in content.  Just looking at the footnotes alone you know that Foster did an amazing amount of research for the book.

What was most pleasing about the book is that, though very technical, anyone would be able to read and understand it with ease.  Many scientific and Theological terms are introduced but explained very well.

I have to give The Jesus Inquest 4 out of 5 stars.  It is a must read that will strengthen or convince you of your faith in Christ and what He did on the cross.

Born Again

John 3:2-6

I have been studying a lot as my wife and I have been meeting with a pair of Mormon Missionaries.  One of the things that has caught my attention is their belief that baptism is necessary for Salvation.

I am not trying to downplay baptism, but I cannot find in Scripture where it is mandated before one can get to Heaven.

The Mormon belief comes from John 3:5 where Jesus says you must be born of water, and of the Spirit. 

It is easy to see how this could be misunderstood to mean baptism when you take the verse out of context.  However, when we look at the before, and the after on the context of this verse we see clearly that it is not talking about baptism, but rather, our human, physical birth.

John 3:4 shows Nicodemus asking how can a man be born again when he is old, can he return into his mother’s womb?  The next verse Jesus responds with water, and spirit.  One must assume that Christ was answering the question about physical birth with the term “water.”

In the next verse following Jesus statement, John 3:6, he then talks about flesh being born of flesh, and Spirit being born of Spirit.  Once again we see the reference to a physical birth. 

When we examine the context of the Scripture we clearly see that Christ is not talking about baptism as a requirement for Salvation, He was merely painting a picture of the differences between our natural and spiritual births.

Introduction to the Book of James

James 1:1

James describes himself as a slave, or a bondservant.  The Greek word is Doulos (δοῦλος) and has the idea of  an attitude of a slave.  As Christians, we are not slaves to Christ as though we do not have a choice, but rather we choose to follow and serve Him because of what He did for us on the cross.

The Benefits of the Lord

Psalm 103:2 says to not forget the benefits of the Lord.  But what are His benefits?

A lot of times we take the thing of God for granted, He has given us eternal life when we deserve death.  God has given us the right to be Kings and Queens.  He has given us love when we do not deserve His love.  He gives us blessings, He supplies our every need.

These are just a few, but when we really start to think about what God gives us, it begins to sink in just how loving and marvelous He truly is!

Devotional Thought

Hebrews 10:24-25
We are told to consider each other, and to lift up, not cause strife.  We are also commanded to not forsake the assembling of ourselves together.  We can't make it alone in this life, we must have the help of other Christians, this is what the Lord intended.