Look Up for the Battle is Truly the Lord's

I've always heard "God gives His hardest battles to His strongest warriors".  I believe that is true.  I'm sure that some of those warriors would not agree.  In fact I don't think those warriors felt like they were strong at all.

Let me back up and explain something first, actually a couple of things:

#1  Not every battle we face is because of God or because of our faith.  We bring some of our battles on ourselves.  i.e. bad choices, bad company, rebellion, neglect are just a few of the things that can get us into trouble.

#2  Our sole purpose on this earth is not to grow rich, grow famous, get married, have kids, have a career, etc.  Whatever prosperity we have is solely blessings from God, not what we deserve.  Our purpose is to bring honor and glory to God, our creator.
Shock!!!...  Do they tell you that in church.  Probably not.  Modern day churches preach as if God owes us something, when in fact it is just the opposite. We owe God EVERYTHING, literally.

Let's take a look back in history at some of God's warriors.  (These aren't in any particular order or if they happen to be it is purely accidental.  I am just listing them as they come to mind.)  

First, Job, he was a man dearly loved by God.  Did he do anything to cause the battles he endured?  One thing, he loved God.  He believed God.  His battles drew him even closer to God.  No matter what happened, he would not turn on God.  In fact, he said in Job 19:25-26, "As for me, I know my Redeemer lives, and at the last He will take His stand on this earth.  Even after my skin is destroyed, yet from my flesh I shall see God."

Can you imagine?  Job lost his children, all his livestock, his home, everything dear to him.  He had boils covering his body and yet HE DID NOT DENY GOD.
People tried to get him to admit he had done something to cause the curses that came on him.  They thought surely he had to have done something.  Job knew he hadn't but he knew God and he believed God.  He was a warrior, chosen by God.

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego being thrown into the fiery furnace, DID NOT DOUBT GOD.  They told the king even if God did not save them, He was still God and they would not bow to another.    Daniel 3:16-18, 16 Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego replied to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to give you an answer concerning this matter. 17“If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire; and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king. 18“But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”

God's only son, Jesus, chosen by God Himself to be the one to die on the cross for us.  

Every instance of every warrior, their faith did not waiver.  When little David went up against the giant Goliath, he trusted God.  When Daniel was thrown into the lion's den, he trusted God.

That is why God gives His toughest battles to His strongest warriors because through the battle their faith remains.  There may be  lapses of weakness but their faith does not waiver.

The war is not against death, infirmities, cancer, aids, autism, etc.  The war is against the powers of darkness that would separate us from God if they could.   To name a few: the parents who have lost a child to sickness, disease or accident, keeping the faith that God will reunite them someday.  The person who has fought cancer or has a family member or loved one that fought or is fighting cancer, keeping the faith that if not cured in this life, they will be cured in eternity.  The person who stares down the barrel of a gun being told to deny God, that says, I will not deny my God even in the face of death.  The missionaries over seas who are killed, beheaded etc for their faith in God.   I doubt any of these warriors would tell you they were strong.  I am sure most of them would have said they could never make it through something like that.  But they have.  How do they fight?  What keeps them going?  God.  Their faith in God, their insistence that God will get the glory regardless, their belief that no matter what happens,  God is still God.

The next time you face a battle, remember that even when things are hardest God is right there with you.  

Philipians 4:13 says, " 13I can do all things through Him who strengthens me."

Not some things, but all things.  God has promised to never leave us or forsake us.  

I wish I could say the battles would be easy but if they were we wouldn't lean so much on God and we would lean too much on ourselves.  What I can say, with certainty, is that God will never leave you or forsake you.  God does not lie, what He says in His word He means.

Ending with this:  Ephesians 6:10-17, " 10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. 14 Stand firm therefore, HAVING GIRDED YOUR LOINS WITH TRUTH, and HAVING PUT ON THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, 15 and having shod YOUR FEET WITH THE PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE; 16 in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 And take THE HELMET OF SALVATION, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God."

How did they all fight those battles, look up!

God bless.

A Choice or a Chance

For generation upon generation we have heard the cry, "Jesus is coming soon".   If you listen to some false prophets, they will tell you the exact day, and time.  Many have heard it so often they now choose to ignore it.  Many of us are truly watching and praying for His return, while at the same time we pray for God to delay His return just a while longer to give another loved one a chance to change their life and accept Him.  Many go through their days thinking, "It won't happen in my lifetime, I have time to live my life and get right when I am older".
Here is the message: "Jesus IS coming soon", a lot sooner than we think.  We are watching the books of Daniel and Revelations unfold right before our eyes.  It could be tomorrow, it could be another 200 years, (which I doubt).  But, what I think doesn't matter.  
The truth is YOU could come face to face with God at any moment! Any of us could.  Whether you are 6, 16 or 60, we all have the same amount of time.  ONE HEARTBEAT, one heartbeat separates us from eternity. We are not promised a certain amount of time, we have no guarantee of tomorrow. 
James 4: 13-14  13Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.” 14Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.
If you die tonight, do you know where you will spend eternity?  Just saying you believe in Jesus is not enough, being a good person is not enough.  We are to be Christ like. We are not perfect, none of us are, but if we are to spend eternity with God, we better start living like He is coming back RIGHT NOW.  For some He is.  Somewhere right now a person who thought they had plenty of time before Jesus returned has taken their last breath.  Somewhere tonight someone has made their choice for eternity simply because they waited. 
The Bible says we can't serve two masters. Time after time God warns us not to follow the world.  Time after time God warns us to be ready.   If it was going to be easy, God would not have given us so many warnings.  If we could know the exact day and time of Jesus return what we do with that information?  Wait until the day before and try to change?  For many right now the time has come, there are no more tomorrows.  I pray God gives you another tomorrow, another chance to accept Jesus and really change your life.  Time is up, Jesus is coming soon, will you rise up to meet Him in the air or cry and scream and beg for more time.  
The devil is a liar and one of his biggest lies is, "you've got plenty of time".  
God gave me this message for you because He loves you.  
I love you, get off the fence.  
Is this your last chance?  Is your time up?  What will you do?

The Rest of the Story - The Truth Will Set You Free, Jesus IS That Truth

Here's the thought for the day: How much do you REALLY love your family, friends, 
parents, kids, spouse, etc? Enough that you are concerned about their souls? Have you 
shared Jesus with them? Do you care if they split hell wide open?


and here's my answer.... I love each and every one of you enough to tell you the truth. The
 truth is... If you don't get your life right and get a real personal relationship with God and
 seek Him and His approval rather than man's (or woman's), you will miss the Kingdom of 
God and living throughout eternity. That thought may not bother some people but it's 
where you will spend eternity that is the problem. A relationship with Jesus is not just a 
word here and there. It's not yelling, "Oh Jesus" when a car almost sideswipes you, it's not 
being sick or having a loved one that is sick and praying for healing one day and forgetting
WHO healed as soon as you/they are well. When you are in a true relationship with God,
 you strive to live according to HIS will. You stay away from evil and "all appearance" of 
evil. You follow HIS laws. Some people think that because they don't kill they haven't sinned or that telling "a little white lie" isn't as bad as killing or stealing, well from what I read in the Bible, SIN IS SIN, there is NO big sin, little sin. Yes I love you and yes I care about your soul. Please get your life right with God and then strive daily to keep it that way. We aren't perfect any of us, it's a daily walk not just a one time thing.

The first thing you have to do is accept Jesus into your life.  Accept that HE IS the Son of God and HE DID come to die for all of our sins.  Then you must confess your sins to God, and yes HE does already know them but true repentance comes when you yourself acknowledge them as sins.  The Bible says if you will ask for forgiveness HE will grant it, doesn't say might or maybe but that HE will.  

1 John 1:9(NASB)

9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Many people today think the Bible is "just a good book of morals".  It is a good book of morals to live by but it is so much more than that.  It is the living breathing Word of the Most High God.  The instructions laid out in the Bible are not just "good words to live by", they are the life of a Child of God.  You can't pick and choose what you want from it.  When Jesus died on the cross He completed all the man made laws in the Bible, but HE did NOT do away with God's laws.  Those laws being the 10 Commandments.  Even Jesus followed those.  He said, "if you love me, keep my commandments".  He added two commandments that people today think override God's 10 but they don't, they add to.  

My point is that not only do you need to confess Jesus and confess your sins to God but you need to read and study your Bible to learn the ways of God and what He wants and expects.  The Bible tells us that sin cannot enter into God's Kingdom.  The Bible goes on to tell us what sin is, not just with the 10 commandments but in other verses too.  Sin and unrighteousness are the same thing.  

Read this: Proverbs 6:16-19, 16 There are six things which the Lord hates,Yes, seven which are an abomination [i]to Him:

17 17 Haughty eyes, a lying tongue,And hands that shed innocent blood,
18 18 A heart that devises wicked plans,Feet that run rapidly to evil,
19 19 A false witness who utters lies,And one who [j]spreads strife among brothers.

Broken down this means pride, lying, killing, trouble making, looking for evil.  

There are other things the Lord hates, adultery, idolatry, fornication, drunkenness, stealing, coveting, fighting.  Most of these don't need explanations but some people try to justify what they do.  (Example:  my husband/wife doesn't give me what I want/need, I love them but I'm not satisfied so I go elsewhere, but I always come home to them.- That is adultery.  Example 2:  NOTHING, I mean NOTHING gets in the way of my football game, or my exercise class, or my soap opera, etc. etc. - that is idolatry; Example 3:  We can have sex, it isn't adultery because we aren't married. - that is fornication.  Drunkenness, stealing, lying, fighting I think needs no explanation.  Coveting - I want to keep up with the Jones, Rockefellers, etc.  I want that car that he has or that dress she has or that husband, that job etc.)  Sin = unrighteousness.  

The Bible says we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory but it doesn't say we are hopeless.  It is a daily walk.  We stumble, we fall but we need to get up and move forward, never looking back.  Ask forgiveness as often as we realize we have sinned.  Ask forgiveness again during prayer even if we aren't sure.  Talk to God all the time, not just when we need something.  What family member or best friend would stick around if we only talked to them once or twice a year or when we needed something and especially if we never came back and said thank you.  

Being a Child of God isn't hard, you don't give up anything, you gain everything.  

Do you love your family, your friends, etc?  This is only a part of the truth you MUST share with them, you must care about where they will spend eternity. You must care about their soul.  You must love them, even if you don't always like them.  You are responsible for what you tell them AND what you DON'T tell them AND what they see you do.  YOU will answer to God one day.  When HE says, what did you do with MY Son?  What will you say? When HE says what did you do for those you love to help them make it into the Kingdom and into Heaven? How did you show your love? What will you say?

As Jesus told Peter, "If you love me, feed my sheep". 

John 21:17(NASB)

17 He *said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you [a]love Me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you[b]love Me?” And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I [c]love You.” Jesus *said to him, “Tend My sheep.

John 21:17 (KJV)

17 He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep.
If you love HIM, feed HIS sheep, if you love them, feed them. HE doesn't mean physical food, HE means Spiritual.
Love you all.  

I truly love you.  If you are committing any of the above sins, you WILL NOT make it into Heaven.  I truly love you, if you do not confess your sins, accept Jesus and live your life for God, you WILL NOT make it into Heaven.  I truly love you, if you continue to live in sin, you will die in sin and you WILL NOT make it into Heaven.  
I truly love you, I want us both to walk this walk and talk this talk for the Lord and make it into not only Heaven but the Kingdom of God that is coming.  I'm not perfect by any means, it is a daily walk and sometimes a daily struggle but the key is to keep on keeping on.  

Matthew 24:13(NASB)

13 But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved. 

Sticks and Stones

Psalm 139:14

I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.
Do you ever find yourself weighed down by what others say or have said about you?  Who isn't?  Even the strongest among us can be disheartened by an accusation or a careless word.  It can come from anywhere, a loved one, a co-worker, even a total stranger.  Ever been cut off in traffic only to be cursed at or improperly gestured at as if YOU were the problem.  Ever let that set the course for your whole day? 
"I am wonderfully made, beautifully designed, magnificently engineered, created by God, strong and powerful! I am built Lord tough!" 

Satan is good at what he does, after all he's had thousands of years to practice.  He knows just what it takes to try and steal our joy!!  The first thing he wants to do is break our spirit, do something to cause us to take our eyes off God even if only for a moment, so he can kick us while we are down.
The next time satan uses someone to bring you down, remember what God says about you.  Keep in mind that being human you are going to make mistakes, you might get angry, you might get down but don't let careless hurtful words or deeds destroy your joy.  Remember your joy, (and strength) comes from the Lord-NOT people.  Remember you are wonderfully and fearfully made.  You were created in God's image.

Jeremiah 29:11

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.

Romans 15:13

Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost. 

Ephesians 5:2

And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savour.

Remember the old children's line:  "Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me."

We all know unfortunately, words can hurt but they don't have to.  If we keep our focus on God and remember that no matter what satan may bring against us, no matter what people say about us, no matter what lies are told on us, we are "more than conquerors".  We are wonderfully created, a chosen people, God's beloved.  What people say only matters if we react or respond... 

Romans 8:38-39

38For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Galatians 5:22

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
The next time someone hurts you with words, look up and thank God that it was you and some one else was spared :)  Nothing can take the sting out of someone like thanking God for them anyway, blessing them, praying for them. 

Luke 6:28

Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which spitefully use you.

And remember, this is how very much God loves you:

John 3:16

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
John 4:16
And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.
God loves us so much He sent Jesus, that means we are very special to Him so no matter what lies satan tells us we have the word of God to stand on and God Himself to comfort us along with Jesus and the Holy Spirit.
Man does not give us our joy, let's not let careless words or deeds steal it away.
A dear friend and sister in Christ posted this on my comments in facebook and feel like it just confirms what God gave me above so I want to share it with you all.  (God bless you Sis. Cathy for listening and obeying the Lord and being such a wonderful sister and friend in Jesus).
Cathy P:  I might have done what you said I did, but I am not who you say I am! I am still on the potters' wheel being molded and shaped in His image.And I have God's grace and mercy when ever I reach out and ask. If we could only forgive ourselves as GOD has already forgiven us, cast our misgivings into the lake of fire. It is our doing to keep digging up the past. Put away the shovel and move on. Be proud of who you are in Jesus.God bless.
His servant
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem 

Praying the Lord's Prayer

I have always been a prayer, one of my requests to God has always been "make me a prayer warrior". I love praying but don't always feel I "say" or "pray" with the best choice of words. Now having said that, I also know, God doesn't care the way you say things, He just wants you to come. This was just a desire I have. I picked up a book Lord Teach Me To Pray in 28 Days by Kay Arthur. Now when I got this book I kept telling myself, (and so did others), I was crazy that a book, (other than the Bible),can't teach you to pray and that is true, however, I will say it's a good study book and it did teach me some things I hadn't thought of. Did it teach me to pray? No, it did however help me to enhance my prayers, it broadened my horizons so to speak. Now having said all that, I would like to share my condensed version of some of what I learned while studying and I hope this helps you as much as it did me.
The main thing I learned is our prayers are more effective when we pray God's will. The only way to truly pray God's way is by studying His word. When you know God and know His word, you know what things you should pray for. Jesus says in John 15:7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.
We know from studying God's word that sickness does not come from God, therefore, if we pray for healing, we are praying God's word.
Jesus gave us an outline for prayer in Matthew 6:6-13. We are not to pray this prayer repititously, it is an outline. He said, "pray in this manner". Now, let's break it down:
Our Father which art in Heaven - Acknowledge He is God, the Father, the One and Only true God.
Hallowed be Thy name - All praise, honor and glory go to God. Hallowing His name and giving Him reverence at the beginning of our prayer brings us immediately into His presence.
Thy Kingdom Come - this is not only His literal/physical kingdom, but we are also inviting Him to establish His Kingdom in our heart. This is where the very beginning of God's Kingdom is. We are also to pray that His literal Kingdom come.
Thy will be done - (this is sometimes the hard part). NOT our will but God's will. If we pray His will be done over our own, we can be assured that what He has for us is so much more and so much better than we could hope for-even if His will doesn't line up with something we are wanting. Remember He knows what you need even before you do. (Matthew 6:8)
in earth as it is in Heaven - whatever the Lord God establishes on earth is also established in Heaven with Him
give us this day our daily bread - many think this is asking for food and it is - spiritual food. John 6:33-34 For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world. 34Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread. Again God knows what we have need of, He has already promised us in His word that He would provide our needs, we need not worry about physical bread we do need spiritual feeding every day.
and forgive us our debts - Literally asking god to forgive our sins daily. We were born in sin, therefore, we must ask forgiveness daily for those things we know we did as well as anything we might have done that isn't known to us immediately.
as we forgive our debtors - It is every bit as important for us to forgive those who have wronged us as it is for God to forgive us. Holding back forgiveness puts us in a position of trying to play God! Holding back forgiveness allows bitterness to settle in our hearts. It hurts us. Remember what Jesus said in Luke 6:37-38 Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful. 37Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven: and Matthew 6:14-15 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: 15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. This must be very important for Jesus to mention it so often and what does He finally say about forgiving others, remember what He told Peter in Matthew 6:21-22 Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? 22Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven. Wow, I would say it is important.
Lead us not into temptation - This one is a bit tricky, God hates sin, He will NOT lead you into temptation but let's think of it this way: If the Lord abides in us, where we go, He goes. He goes before us in ALL things. He is not leading us there, and will not lead us there, but we may attempt to take Him with us! He gives us free will and God gives us clear instruction in His word. James 4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
but deliver us from evil - God gives us a way out and protection before the problem ever arises. Praying in this manner helps us to make the right choice, God will deliver us, IF we ask. . God's word makes provision for this also. He gives us the whole armor listed in Ephesians 6:11-17 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. 13Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; 15And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. 17And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
Prayer my friends, that is our armor and faith in an unchanging God.
for thine art the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever - Ending our prayers the same way we began - praising and worshipping God. Acknowledging again that it is through His Kingdom, His power and His glory that we are His children. Through Him ALL things are possible.
Amen - true
Because Jesus said to pray in this manner, does that mean that is all we can pray? Of course not, the gospels, actually the entire Bible is full of prayers and Jesus words on what to pray for and how to pray.
Our prayers are our communication with God, they are a reflection of our personal relationship with Him, remember what He said in John 15:7 and again in 1 John 5:13-14 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God. 14And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:
A word of caution - something my mom always taught me - be careful what you ask for, you just might get it. Pray for God's perfect will, not His permissible will. The difference is "God". In His perfect will, all the pieces fit together, in His permissible will it will be struggle, hardship, possibly heartbreak because He has lifted His hand and let you have what you want, even if it's not the best for you. Therefore you will suffer any consequences that occur. Ask Him His will on everything FIRST. Seek your answers in His word, ask Him to show you. Does it line up with His will? He will never let you down. His word says to cast ALL your cares upon Him. Nothing is to big or small for God, He wants you to come to Him.

The Bell

I don't know who did this but they spent a lot of time and it has an awesome message so I had to share. If you know who created it, feel free to leave their name in comments so they get credit for it. God bless.

THE BELL
I KNOW WHO I AM
I am God’s child (John 1:12)
I am Christ’s friend (John 15:15 )
I am united with the Lord (1 Cor. 6:17)
I am bought with a price (1 Cor 6:19-20)
I am a saint (set apart for God). (Eph. 1:1)
I am a personal witness of Christ. (Acts 1:8)
I am the salt & light of the earth (Matt 5:13-14)
I am a member of the body of Christ (1 Cor 12:27)
I am free forever from condemnation ( Rom. 8: 1-2)
I am a citizen of Heaven. I am significant (Phil 3:20)
I am free from any charge against me (Rom. 8:31 -34)
I am a minister of reconciliation for God (2 Cor 5:17-21)
I have access to God through the Holy Spirit (Eph. 2:18)
I am seated with Christ in the heavenly realms (Eph. 2:6)
I cannot be separated from the love of God (Rom 8:35-39)
I am established, anointed, sealed by God (2 Cor 1:21-22 )
I am assured all things work together for good (Rom. 8:28 )
I have been chosen and appointed to bear fruit (John 15:16 )
I may approach God with freedom and confidence (Eph. 3: 12 )
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Phil. 4:13)
I am the branch of the true vine, a channel of His life (John 15: 1-5)
I am God’s temple (1 Cor. 3: 16). I am complete in Christ (Col. 2: 10)
I am hidden with Christ in God (Col. 3:3).. I have been justified (Romans 5:1)
I am God’s co-worker (1 Cor. 3:9; 2 Cor 6:1). I am God’s workmanship (Eph. 2:10)
I am confident that the good works God has begun in me will be perfected. (Phil. 1: 5)
I have been redeemed and forgiven (Col 1:14). I have been adopted as God’s child (Eph 1:5)
I belong to God
Do you know
Who you are?

What Does A Man Gain

I recently read an article of a "young" man, (barely 90), who had passed away. I was impressed with what I was reading and though I didn't know him I was caught up reading about all the wonderful things he had done in his lifetime for his community and other people. He was moderately famous and had helped many people in his lifetime, had won prestigious awards for energy conservation, was an inventor and a highly intelligent man. He was concerned with not only himself and his family but America and our planet as well. He had been credited with several life saving inventions as well as energy conservation plans and inventions of all sorts, as I said he was highly intelligent and not just book smart. The article talked about what a loving person he was to his family and towards all mankind and animals as well. While he could have used his intellect to better himself and probably have been a multimillionaire, he was more concerned with helping our country and the earth. He used the knowledge "God" gave him for the good of all, not just himself.
I love to read about people like this and wish I had the intelligence and money to help people. But am content to do what the Lord gives me to do and what I can.
However, as I was reading this article it went on to say he was a devoted family man and devoted and proud American, somewhat liberal, scholar, intellectual, etc. etc. and an atheist. When I read the last word my heart literally sank. My first thought was, how can a man save the world and yet lose his own soul. Mark 8:36-38, 36 For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? 37 Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? 38 Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.
The Bible tells us we cannot be saved by works alone. Titus 3:5-9, 5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; 6 Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; 7 That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. 8 This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men. 9 But avoid foolish questions, and genealogies, and contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and vain.
My second thought was dear Lord, please let him have had a believing praying wife so that he at least had a chance at coming to know the Lord before he left this world. 1 Corinthians 7:13-14, 13 And the woman which hath an husband that believeth not, and if he be pleased to dwell with her, let her not leave him. 14 For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: else were your children unclean; but now are they holy.
How sad if this man did so much good and yet missed Heaven because he not accept Jesus Christ. There may be a lot of things published and we might be famous for a time but once we are gone and the people that knew us well are gone there is not much recognition and then what have we gained if we spend eternity in hell. So what if he gained the world for a short time, he lost his soul for eternity. It didn't mention much about his wife but I pray she was a christian and beseeched the Lord on his behalf. If not, the sorrow of losing her life's partner would also be compounded by the knowledge that he was lost, what an awful pain to feel. My heart breaks for this man and his wife if he left this world lost.
I pray that this was the case, that his wife sought the Lord daily on his behalf and that when he stepped out of this life he stepped into the arms of our loving, forgiving, merciful Lord, who can call us out in the twinkling of an eye but who also can and will forgive us even in our ignorance and unbelief when we come to that instant in our lives that we confess Him as our Lord and Savior and ask Him into our lives. Even on our death bed.
I pray no one reading this has to worry where they or their loved ones will spend eternity but if you are, I lift up my prayers in agreement with you for your loved ones. I hope you will do the same for me. I pray for all the lost and lost loved ones and pray that God richly blesses those and gives those contentment who stand strong in their faith and their belief that through their prayers God will save their loved ones.
What does a man gain?
God bless
tawanab