Posts Tagged ‘repentance’

You Deserve to Die

Dec
1

Ephesians 2:4-10 But God, being rich in mercy, because of his great love with which he loved us, 5even though we were dead in transgressions, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you are saved!— 6and he raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7to demonstrate in the coming ages the surpassing wealth of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8For by grace you are saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9it is not from works, so that no one can boast. 10For we are his workmanship, having been created in Christ Jesus for good works that God prepared beforehand so we may do them.

You Need to Apologize

Feb
3

Say you’re sorry.

Sk8 or Die

Dec
13

Hosea 4:1-6 Hear the word of the LORD, O people of Israel!  The LORD has brought charges against you, saying: “There is no faithfulness, no kindness, no knowledge of God in your land. 2You make vows and break them; you kill and steal and commit adultery.  There is violence everywhere—one murder after another. 3That is why your land is in mourning, and everyone is wasting away.  Even the wild animals, the birds of the sky, and the fish of the sea are disappearing.

4“Don’t point your finger at someone else and try to pass the blame!  My complaint, you priests, is with you. 5So you will stumble in broad daylight, and your false prophets will fall with you in the night.  And I will destroy Israel, your mother. 6My people are being destroyed because they don’t know me.  Since you priests refuse to know me, I refuse to recognize you as my priests.  Since you have forgotten the laws of your God, I will forget to bless your children.

A Walk Through the Book of Romans: Chapter 2

Jan
4

CHAPTER TWO – I Surgery

I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase, “You reap what you sow.”  Did you know it’s really true?  It’s not just a saying.  If you live a good life and help others and always do what’s right and obey God in everything you do, then you will reap the good fruit of integrity and character and peace and joy.  But if you sow dishonesty and gossip and sinfulness, you will reap judgment and punishment and death.  Do you believe it?  Do you believe it enough to change the way you live?

Either way you’ll end up believing it.  On that day when you stand before the Great Judge of the universe, you’ll believe you reap what you sow because you’ll experience it in a deeper reality than you’ve ever experienced before.

My suggestion: get right with Jesus today.  Change your life and ask God to forgive you so that you can start living for him now and reap a good fruit rather than a bad harvest.

Virus

Dec
29

What could be worse than a virus that destroys your organs and causes you to bleed from your eyes and ears and other openings and eventually killing you in extreme physical agony?

How about something that causes you to be in agony without the possibility of finding relief through physical death?

And how many people will wash their hands multiple times a day to keep from getting sick, but won’t think twice about sinning against God and dooming themselves to an eternity in Hell?

Find Freedom and Break Bondage

Dec
23

One of the things Americans value (or at least claim to value) is freedom.  We’re so glad for our freedom and the people who defend our freedom and our ability to say what we want and worship how we choose and travel from state to state without restriction, etc.  But how much do people really value freedom?

How many people aren’t involved at all in the election and supervision of our political leaders?  If you don’t care about politics, you don’t care about freedom because you allow those who are elected to make decisions about your life without your consent.

How many people live on welfare for months and even years sometimes?  If you are happy to live as a baby sucking on the breast of government instead of working for a living, you don’t care about freedom because you are trading your own independence to live as a dependent of taxpayers.

Those who value freedom are willing to work to keep it and maintain it.

In the same way, if you want spiritual freedom, you have to live a life that values that freedom and maintains that freedom.  Want to find freedom today?  Turn to the leader who can set you free from your sinful past, and then stop living for self indulgence and start working to be the best you can be.

Practical Atheism

Jun
16

Sometimes people talk about God’s grace as if it’s something they can manipulate.  They think saying a prayer will force God to forgive them for whatever they do.  But no words can convince God to forgive an unrepentant person.  We don’t choose God and close a deal on a ticket to Heaven.  God also has to choose us.  If it weren’t for God’s grace we wouldn’t even be given the opportunity to seek his face.  And only those who truly repent  will be accepted by God.  It’s not about just being sorry or feeling bad or having an emotional experience.  It’s a practical change of mind that results in a practical change of behavior through the power and grace of God.  We aren’t forgiven of our past to get us a free trip to Heaven.  God grants forgiveness so that we can live new and holy lives that please God.  We are saved so that we can do good works and be righteous people.  It’s not some ethereal spiritual condition.  It’s a real way of life.

But some people think they can earn God’s grace, and that once they do they are better than everybody else.  In fact, some people think once they pray a particular prayer that they can use God’s grace like it’s a limitless get-out-of-Hell-free card and go on living a life full of sin and get away with it.  But the true Christian, who actually loves God, is not only changed by God’s grace, but in God’s grace they also choose to live a life of obedience to God.  We don’t change into different people when we die.  We simply change forms.  And if your heart is still enslaved by sin on Judgment Day you will be cast out.  But if your heart is pure, you will continue on the path you have already found in Christ.

Whadaya think of that?