God is With Me - Psalm 91

For as long as I can remember this Psalm was one of my mother's favorites, and it has come to be one of my favorite passages. When I need a "little time" with God , and a little reassurance of His presence in my life. I turn to the Psalms. The Psalms are full of comfort and peace. They are also the place where King David left  some of his notes and prayers to God. King David was a sinner of the highest magnitude, BUT, he also had God's ear, and God's favor. He committed adultery with Bathsheba, and actually had her husband sent into the heat of battle to be killed so he could marry her. He became convicted of his sin and David got on his knees and begged God for forgiveness. He admitted his sin, publicly, and David was forgiven by God. God elevated him to the status of one of Israel's greatest kings. God was also faithful to David's children. Read in 1 King, 2 Kings, 1 Cron., 2 Cron, and the Song of Solomon. Do you ever feel like your sins are so bad, so horrible that God could never forgive you for them. Well, forget that notion. God is all powerful, all seeing and always faithful. God doesn't want any of His children to be condemned in sin and be cast into the firey pit with Satan. God wants all of us to be heirs in His kingdom through His Son Jesus Christ! Paul also thought that he was the worst of sinners, yet all of his sins, and they were terrible sins, were forgiven and God elevated him to a place of honor. He filled him with the Holy Spirit through knowledge of His only Son Jesus. Remember that  Paul was first a pious Jew, as were all of the deciples, and had been persecuting those who followed Jesus and His way of life. Paul was even present at the stoning of Stephen. He was trained in the traditions of the Pharasees. BUT, he was forgiven all of that and ended up being one of the strongest believers in the "Good News" of Jesus Christ and worked hard all the rest of his life to spread this Gospel to the world.
Romans 8 (KJV)

16 "The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. . ." 
 
 John 3:16 (KJV)
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."
 
While we were yet sinners God sent His only Son, Jesus to die for us!
 
Romans 5:8(KJV)

But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 5:7-9

 Galatians 3:26-28(KJV)

For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus

Psalm 91 (KJV)

1 Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.[a]
2 I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”
3 Surely he will save you
from the fowler’s snare
and from the deadly pestilence.
4 He will cover you with his feathers,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
5 You will not fear the terror of night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,
6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
nor the plague that destroys at midday.
7 A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.
8 You will only observe with your eyes
and see the punishment of the wicked.
9 If you say, “The LORD is my refuge,”
and you make the Most High your dwelling,
10 no harm will overtake you,
no disaster will come near your tent.
11 For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways;
12 they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
13 You will tread on the lion and the cobra;
you will trample the great lion and the serpent.
14 “Because he[b] loves me,” says the LORD, “I will rescue him;
I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
15 He will call on me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble,
I will deliver him and honor him.
16 With long life I will satisfy him
and show him my salvation.”

All of the Psalms are wonderful revelations of God and God's love and faithfulness to all of His children. God does not want us to be cast down and depressed. He wants us to be at peace. We can have that peace through a personal relationship with God. The best way for us to do that is by accepting Jesus as our personal Lord and savior. When we are in Christ , we are counted as one of God's children. See the verses from Romans 8: 16, 17 above for the Biblical proof of this. I urge you to repent of your sins and sinful ways. Turn to God. Turn to Jesus to be your pathway to that salvation trhrough the forgiveness of your sins. Jesus knows you and knows your sins. They are what He went to the cross for. Jesus was beaten, spit on, mocked, and the hairs of his head and beard were pulled out. Imagine that suffering. Imagine all of that pain. Imagine the pain and humiliation of being nailed to a cross.  Now believe that He went through all of that and went to the cross to die for you so your sins could be washed away by His blood. Jesus was the final and perfect Lamb, sacrificed for your sins!     

JESUS IS THE REASON FOR THE SEASON!

Howdy y'all; it has been a couple of months since my last posting so an apology is in order. I have been pretty busy, but I have to say that some of it is procrastination! How many times have you used or heard the words in the title of this posting? I know I have used it a lot and I even made a bunch of buttons with my button machine that said it. I also made a bunch that said "Merry CHRIST mas" on them. Our society here in the good old U.S.of A. has, in recent years, tried to "numb" us to the Christ in Christmas. For years we have been bombarded with all of the commercialism, and "politically correct" desensitisation to this special time of the year. I remember when I first saw "Xmas" when I was a kid. I thought the people were just to lazy to write out "Christmas" and didn't think too much about it! The "wrongness" of it finally hit me when I experienced my first Christmas as a born again believer. Suddenly it ALL seemed so wrong. I looked around me with the new eyes of a true child of the Living God and really SAW all of the world's commercialism, all the "hype" for toys, cards, expensive gifts for your "special someone" and decorations that left Jesus out of the picture. I was actually nauseated by all of it. We, as believers, must take a stand and say a loud "NO" when we hear of someone calling it a "holiday tree", even though some really fundamentalist Christian's believe that the Christmas tree is a pagan symbol, and that it wasn't popularized in this country until the 18th century. From a certain perspective it's history does hearken back to pagan, or at least "non-Christian" roots. It really doesn't matter! What really matters is what it has come to represent with it's star or angel tree-topper that symbolizes the night when the star shown over Bethlehem and the angels proclaimed the good news of Christ's birth, and the lights that represent the good news that the "light" of truth and Jesus Christ has come for all of mankind. Granted a lot of folks over do it a bit, but it is still Jesus that is to be worshipped and recognized as the true and everlasting truth and light for all of us. It is a shame that "Jesus is the reason for the season!" has become so cliched. It has lost some of it's punch. Freedom of religion is one of the fundamental "RIGHTS" provided for us by the constitution of this great country, and I stand by it and believe it deep in my heart. Some people have perverted the right to freedom of religion to mean every other religion EXCEPT Christianity. I had a teacher in my high school civics class (it was called "Problems of Democracy" at that time) who taught us that my rights end where another persons begin and their rights end where mine begin! I took that to heart. Everyone in this country is guaranteed the right to worship as they desire, or NOT to worship anything if that is their belief. I don't have a problem with any of that. Really. I believe that they are wrong not to worship Jesus Christ or to believe that the Bible is the inspired word of God, and that God was, is now and will be for ever and ever, or that God created the whole universe. BUT. . .I will never try to cram Jesus down their throats or condemn them for not believing. I must confess that I would, and do, talk to non-believers about Jesus. That is really one of the main reasons why I started this blog; to try to introduce folks to Jesus. I find it a bit odd that in some communities it is okay to display a Jewish menorah   or other symbols for other religions but it is against the law to display a Manger scene, Creche or other Christmas decorations. It is okay to display Santa Clause in some cities but it is considered a religious symbol in others. There are a lot of other religious blogs out there in cyber space and they have a right to run them just as much as I have the right to run this one! Back to the title of this posting. Jesus IS the reason for the season. When you say it . . . mean it! When someone says "Happy Holiday" to you , don't be offended; just say "Merry Christmas" to them. I love Jesus! I love Him for going through all of the torture, the punishment and finally going to the cross to die for me and my sins! Without Jesus I believe I would have been condemned to hell for all of eternity. With Jesus in my heart and being born again. I believe that I am saved from that condemnation and that I will be in heaven with my loved ones who were born again believers, and better yet I will be in the presence of my creator, God and with His only son Jesus Christ! How wonderful is that!? The only way that can happen is if you are truly "Born Again"; and the only way to be born again is to accept Jesus Christ as you personal Lord and Savior.  How do you do that you may ask. First, you must truly repent of your sins (". . .for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God"). Second, you must ask Jesus to come into your heart and to fill you with the Holy Spirit. Finally, you must confess that Jesus is the only Son of the ONLY Living God. It is one of the hardest choices you can make and also one of the easiest things to do. Pray this prayer:
       "Lord God I know that you are the creator of all things and that you sent your only Son Jesus Christ to die for me and that His blood was shed to wash away my sins. I confess that I am a sinner and I do truly repent of my sins. I thank you for sending Jesus for me and the rest of the world. I believe that He is no longer among the dead, but that He was resurrected to sit at Your side to rule in heaven. Please, Lord God, send the Holy spirit into my heart and give me the strength to turn away from my sinful ways, my evil thoughts and wash away any doubts you may find in my heart. Please, Lord God give me the knowledge, strength and faith to stand up for you in the world and to spread your word by teaching others about your Son Jesus." 
            God is ALWAYS faithful and true. He always keeps His word, and He  promised that if we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior and truly believe that Jesus is His only Son sent into this world to die for our sins that we would be "saved".  Without Jesus we are not worthy of being in God's presence or going to heaven when we die. God's grace is a free gift! It is only by our faith and by God's grace that we can be saved. I don't know about you . . . but as for me I want to go to heaven and be with God; and I want to be with Jesus through all of eternity! I also want see my brother, dad, mom, grandma, great grandma and the rest of my family that were/are believers! To be with all of those believers that have gone on before me, Moses, King David, Peter, Paul and the rest of the disciples. I want to see and reside in that heavenly home, that mansion not built by human hands. Thank you God. Thank you Jesus! I truly love you and want to please you Lord.
 YES; Jesus IS the reason for the season! AND, He died for you and me, He was raised from the dead to rule in heaven with His Father  so that we could claim eternal life and so that we could be washed clean and worthy of that place in heaven!                   

A Continuation of our Study of Islam and the Muslim Faith

Once again I want to remind y'all that this is a Christian BLOG, but I have been doing a study on Islam and Muslims, and I want to pass on some of what I have been learning so I hope you will all bear with me! I hope you all had time to go to Genesis and do some reading especially in Genesis 11: 26 31. and continue along in Genesis to follow the story of Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Ishmael and Hagar. It is a very interesting study and a good read. I love the Bible and I love to study and read in it over and over. It seems like every time I go to it and read something I had read previously I find something new to apply to my present situation. It is an awesome book and once you start reading in it you will be drawn to it over and over.
Where I left off was with the animosity that is established between Ishmael and Isaac. It is a very complicated relationship and to fully understand it all you really should read it all for yourself in Genesis. My reason for even mentioning it is because Ishmael is the "father" of the Arabian race, and the Arabians are where Islam begins and Ishmael is also the connector between God and God's covenant and the basis of the Monotheistic beginnings of Islam and the Muslim people. The covenant connection, the enmity between the Hebrew people and Arab people and Monotheism is where we find Muhammed and his meditations that were the basis for the Koran. The enmity and the rest will be more important a bit further along in this discourse. So back to Muhammed. Muhammed was born sometime in the year 570 to 571 C.E. He was born into a family that was one of the leading tribes in Mecca (the Koerish) and he was to find sorrow on the day of his birth because his father had passed away just four days previously. The name Muhammed means "Highly Praised" and his full name is Muhammed ibn Abdullah, by traditional knowledge he is a "Hanif" and one of the direct line of descendants of Ishmael. He has become known as "The Seal of the Prophets" meaning that there may have been many prophets before him but none will come after him. Muhammed is a name that has been given to more male children than any other name in history. So strike one, he is born without a father, strike two his mother dies when he is six and he is taken in by his grandfather. Strike three his grandfather dies when he is nine. He is then taken in by an uncle (Abu Talib) who because of failing fortunes has to put him to work on the family farm tending his goats. Even though he is an orphan he is warmly accepted by his uncles family. Even then it is reported that "the angels were opening out young Muhammed's heart and filling it with light." To say that times were tough for young Muhammed in the world of sixth century Arabia would be an understatement. Descriptions of what it was like by contemporary historians, and later ones said that if they had to condense it down to just one word it would be "barbaric". Conditions for the life of a Nomad in the desert had never been serene or comfortable, there was constant heat and freezing temperatures at night, wind storms that could actually scrub the skin off your body, lack of water and the constant scarcity of material goods and material comforts. When you add to all of this the fact that the average Bedouin felt almost no obligation to anyone other than his immediate family and tribe, and was in a constant mood for a fight, which was exacerbated by the constant burning heat and was a brigand and thought that wars and fighting were a badge of male virility and bravery you can understand just how awful conditions were. Now stir this all up with a general breakdown of the magistrate of Mecca it made for chaos, brawling and bloodshed. Drunkenness and gambling were commonplace, dancing girls moving from tent to tent and again the blazing sun all inflamed the "sons of the desert", and made for a rough and tumble world of depravity that disgusted young Muhammed. What passed for religion was a mix of animistic, pantheistic, polytheism rife with beasties, sprites, powerful Jinns or Genies and demons. Personifications of all "the things that go bump in the night" in the desert. There is absolutely no evidence that it ever inspired any type of religious feeling or fervor and certainly would not inspire any form of moral conviction. The area that was Arabia was ripe for religious deliverance and most certainly ready for a "deliverer" and that man was Muhammed. He was feeling that the angels of God (Allah) were filling him with light and speaking to him (this underlines his character beautifully according to historians) and all around him was depravity, tribal fighting and bloodshed and of course the drunkenness and debauchery that disgusted him; what was a young man of upstanding character (and reportedly) a sweet and gentle disposition to do? It is also probable that his early trials and tribulations made him very sensitive to the trouble and suffering he saw all around him. It is said that he was always willing to reach out to others and offer help, especially to the poor and weak. It is reported that he had a strong sense of duty, honor, honesty and a commitment to truth. As he grew into manhood all of those traits inspired titles like "the true", "the upright" and "the trustworthy one". In spite of his concern for others and his commitment to help them he remained aloof and separate from them which seems a common trait for men of his ilk.He remained isolated in all of this chaos. He saw the lawlessness, the immorality and depravity, the constant fighting among the tribes, and the more he saw the more the disgust grew for the whole Arabic society of the time and the more he matured the more his meditations and thoughts turned inward. In 596 C.E.., at the age of 25 he turned his sights to the business of caravans and trade and went into business with a wealthy widow named Khadija. She was very impressed with his diligence and integrity, and soon her being impressed with him turned to affection, and soon that affection turned to love. Even though she was fifteen years his senior they were married. History reports that they had a very happy and satisfying relationship. He did have other wives later in life but Khadija was his comfort and solace in a world that turned to desolation in his eyes. No one seemed to believe in him and at times even he didn't believe in himself, but through it all Khadija stood by him and offered him the support he needed and bolstered his failing feelings of worth. It is reported by historians that Allah (God) worked through Khadija to comfort him and lighten his burdens. After his marriage to Khadija and before his actual ministry began there was a period of preparation, spiritual communion and meditation that lasted about fifteen years. His need for time away from the world made him turn to a cave that he was familiar with on the outskirts of Mecca on Mount Hira, a huge outcrop of rock that erupts out of the barren desert. In this cave Muhammed found the solitude he needed for his meditations. His visits became more and more frequent as time went on. He meditated on good and evil, on the barbarism he saw daily all around him, the superstitions and pantheism and the moral decay that was the accepted norm, and in his desperation he reached out to God (Allah) the God of Abraham, Isaac and Ishmael. Allah was worshipped in Mecca, but not as the supreme God but as a god amid a pantheon of gods, Jinns and demons. To Muhammed Allah (God) became the supreme provider, the God above all other gods. For Muhammed, Allah inspired real religious feelings and devotion in his heart. Allah being real, became the central focus for Muhammed, and was fearfully wonderful and as real as the universe He created. Muhammed felt that Allah was far more than his countrymen could have dreamed and even more than he could have dreamed. Allah's awesome majesty filled his mind, heart, soul and his cave. His Allah filled the whole universe that Allah Himself had ordained. This God, this Allah was not "just" a god or even a god above all other gods. This Allah was THE God, the One the only true God without rival, La ilaha Allah! Muhammed cried out from his cave to Allah; "there is no God but Allah!".
So, with that, I am going to stop for now, and pick up later today or maybe tomorrow. Remember that this is a Christian Blog and for me Christ is my connection to God, for it says in scripture, "none come to the Father but through Me." and I believe that Jesus is the only true Son of the living God, and to find salvation and forgiveness for my sins I must repent of my sins and ask Jesus to come into my heart and fill me with the Holy Spirit. It is by His blood that we are saved, Jesus Christ went to the cross willingly as the pure and perfect sacrificial Lamb, and the payment for my sins and actually for all of us and all of our sins. How awesome is that? If you are not a "born again" believer in Jesus Christ you can be, and all you have to do is pray what they call the "sinners prayer": Lord I am a sinner and I repent of my sins and ask Jesus to come into my heart and fill me with the Holy Spirit. Wash away all of my sinfulness. I believe that you are the only Son of the living God and it is only through You that I can have salvation. Lord enter my name into the "Book of Life". I thank You God, and I praise You. Amen.

Happy New Year!!

Howdy to y'all! It has been quite a while since my last posting so a lot of water has flowed under the bridge. It is hard to believe that we are almost finished with the month of January already! There is still time for a "new years resolution". If you need to "change" a few things in your life, NOW may be the time. The older I get the faster time seems to pass. The nice thing about growing older though is that I have lived long enough to know that EVERYTHING that happens, happens for a reason! It may take a long time for us to find out WHAT the reason is, but it sooner or later becomes apparent. But we may never really know until we come into the presents of the Lord. My favorite saying or phrase in the Bible is . . ."and it came to pass." The only thing that is really sure or constant in life is CHANGE! Nothing EVER stays the same. Every mountain top needs a valley. AND Every valley needs a mountain top. We can be sure that if we are going through a "rough patch" that sooner or later we will be back on top of things again and the rough patch will smooth out. I always say that "things will work out" or "it'll all be okay" I don't mean that everything that happens is "good" or "bad" or whatever, BUT it will always "work out". Bad things or "bad" days WILL END just as surely as the really "good" days will also end. Change in and of itself is neither "good" or "bad" it is inevitable! AND that my friends IS a sure thing and we can depend on it. We, as believers in God and Jesus Christ, can also be sure of one thing and that is that whether or not "good" or "bad" things are happening to us or to people we love it is that God, through His Son Jesus, IS ALWAYS with us! It is because of our FAITH in GOD that we can survive! We can thrive! Philippians 4:13 has been one of my favorite verses of new testament scripture. It states; "I can do ALL things through Christ which strengthenest me." Good, bad or whatever happens, Christ gives me the strength to bear it all, and to be able to move ahead in my life. I have also found out that I am nothing without HIM! It has been so long now that I have been a believer that it is hard for me to remember when I did NOT have Christ in my heart or my life. I do remember that without Christ I was NOT a very nice person. I was truly lost in sin! My life was "garbage" but I thought it was great. The trouble was that I was always filled with guilt and often depressed because of the evil things I was doing and had done. Illicit Sex, drugs and alcohol could NOT "fill me up". I was "empty" inside, lost and in pain 99% of the time. Tormented at times because of the things I had done. It was ONLY with Jesus in my life that I REALLY found true fulfillment and true happiness. I know some of the folks who might read this do not have Christ in their hearts and will probably think I am nuts, but remember I was where you all were at one time in my life and I would have, probably, have thought the same thing. Any of those who read this and already have Christ as their savior will know what I am writing here is TRUE! For those of you who are NOT believers and are feeling that "emptiness" that I wrote about above . . . PLEASE believe me, it does not have to be a permanent condition. You do not have to remain in that sinful state. How can it all change you ask. It is EASY to decide BUT is definitely the HARDEST choice you will ever make. All you have to do is to ADMIT you are a sinner! TRULY repent of those sins, and ASK Christ to come into your heart, forgive you and CHANGE your desire to sin! It is a simple prayer. Pray this way: Jesus, I am a sinner. I am truly sorry for committing those sins and I ask you to come into my heart now, fill me with your Holy Spirit and cleanse me. Thank you Jesus. Amen . . . If you have prayed that prayer and REALLY mean it, it is a "done deal". Then find your Bible and start reading it. Try Romans or Hebrews to begin with and move on to James or to a book that may come into your mind. Read it and believe it! It is God's word. The change you feel may be immediate or it may take time. For me it was like a strange heat that moved through my body and then an icy cold that flushed through me and I knew I would NEVER be the same! God can work miracles. He can change you and your desires IF you let Him do it. Study His word every day, ask questions of someone who you know to be a true believer if you don't understand something. OR you can email me at poppatom1948@yahoo.com if you like. I am NOT and expert or a theologian but I have been around the post a few times and I may be able to help, and if I cannot answer your questions I can put you in touch with someone who might be able to. God bless you, and keep you, and may His face shine upon you and give you peace. Yours in Christ; Poppa Tom