Luke 11:27-28 - While Jesus was saying these things, one of the women in the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, "Blessed is the womb that bore You and the breasts at which You nursed." 28 But He said, "On the contrary, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it." NASU
Well, there you have it. I believed the Bible was filled with contradictions because another person said it was and I had never read it for myself. Wow! That sounds really stupid now that I have stated it that way. If I might make a suggestion to you if you are ever in a conversation with someone and they say the Bible is full of contradictions, politely say to them, "Name me one." If you have your Bible with you, hand it to them and say, "Show me where." Chances are they are repeating what they heard someone else say.
It has been 47 years since I started reading the Bible and I still have not found any contradictions.
I was reading the book of James in the King James Version. James 1:13 says, "Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: KJV I remember saying to myself, "Wait a minute that is a contradiction." I remembered reading in Genesis where God had tempted Abraham. It says in Gen. 22:1- And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am. KJV Well, I thought I had actually found a contradiction in the Bible. Can you see how much reading I had done to find that one? I had read from Genesis all the way through the Old Testament (39 books) and in the New Testament from Matthew to James (another 20 books), and I finally found one, or so I thought. I remember going to Dave Berresford, a preacher, where I was worshipping God at that time and showing him my find. As I recall he let the air out of my sails with a lot of Christian grace. He showed me in the Hebrew the word "nacah" can actually be better translated "to test". God wasn't tempting Abraham to do evil. God was actually giving him a test to become stronger in his faith. God still gives us "tests" to strengthen us in our faith.
Let God's Word continue to perform its work in you. You will be glad you did. Think About These: Poverty is no disgrace, but ignorance is. It is not necessary for some people to put out the light to be in the dark. The only thing more expensive than education is ignorance. Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word
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Galatians 6:7 - "Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap." NASU
The apostle Paul informs us it is very clear whatever a man sows this he will reap. So the decision is ours. What crop do we want to harvest? We all know you can't plant corn seeds and expect radishes to grow. Everyone knows that it is simply a no brainer.
I was one of those morons. I tell people I have made a lot of bad decisions or, in other words, I have sowed a lot of wild oats and mostly while under the influence of alcohol. Before I was converted to Christ I thought laws were for everyone except me. MORON! I remember people would say, "Gary, why do you believe we have laws?" My answer was always the same "We have laws so they can be broken." I was a MORON!
One person that comes to my mind is Robert Downey, Jr. From the years 1996 - 2004 he thought he could abuse alcohol and drugs and everything would be okay. He not only was fired from the Ally McBeal show, but he was also arrested numerous times, ordered to rehabs by the courts, and incarcerated in a California state prison. Finally, he woke up and decided to start sowing a different type of seed and his career and personal life have skyrocketed to new heights. How many people do we know not as famous as Robert Downey, Jr. have followed the same lifestyle only to end up wrecking their lives as well?
Here is what you want to do before you plant. Ask yourself, "What will be the outcome of this action?" If you are not sure ask for someone else's opinion. Listen to what is written in Proverbs 12:15 - The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, But a wise man is he who listens to counsel. What you sow will it produce shame and embarrassment? Or will it bring blessings and honor? If you were to die right after your planting produced a crop, how would you be remembered? How is it that you would like to be remembered? Then always remember to plant the type of seeds that will bring blessings and honor. Think About This: It isn't by a man's wealth, but by his character, that makes him rich or poor. Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word 2 Corin. 1:3-5 - Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 5 For just as the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant through Christ. NASU
2 Corin. 1:3-5 - All praise to the God and Father of our Master, Jesus the Messiah! Father of all mercy! God of all healing counsel! 4 He comes alongside us when we go through hard times, and before you know it, he brings us alongside someone else who is going through hard times so that we can be there for that person just as God was there for us. 5 We have plenty of hard times that come from following the Messiah, but no more so than the good times of his healing comfort… (from THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language © 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved.)
WOW! I don't know about you I can only speak for myself, but many times when I've gone through hard times I thought God wasn't there. It was like God had gone on a vacation, and I was left to handle the mess by myself. I was wrong. God was there. In fact, the verse says, "He comes alongside us when we go through hard times." We need to memorize this verse and never forget it. He is right beside us. He has not abandoned us. When we needed Him the most He will be there. In the book of Hebrews 13:5-6 it says, "for He Himself has said, "I WILL NEVER DESERT YOU, NOR WILL I EVER FORSAKE YOU," so that we confidently say, "THE LORD IS MY HELPER, I WILL NOT BE AFRAID." NASU
"…before you know it, he brings us alongside someone else who is going through hard times so that we can be there for that person just as God was there for us." We get to be the shoulder a person can lean on as they go through their difficult time. We get to share with them how God was there for us and that God is there for them. God isn't in the business of bailing out on us when we need Him the most.
Patience and trust are the key ingredients that are needed when going through hard times. The next time you are going through a hard time, you will want to remember God is with you and you will use your experience to help someone else in the future. My suggestion is to take good notes because you will be called on in the future to share your experience with others. Think On These: This would be a wonderful world if men showed as much patience in all things as they do in waiting for a fish to bite. Patience is often bitter, but its fruit is sweet. Patience is the ability to count down before blasting off. Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word John 1:18 - No man has seen God at any time; the only begotten God, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him. NASB
Moses was told this by God in Exodus 33:20-23: God said, "You cannot see My face, for no man can see Me and live!" Then the LORD said, "Behold, there is a place by Me, and you shall stand there on the rock; and it will come about, while My glory is passing by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock and cover you with My hand until I have passed by. "Then I will take My hand away and you shall see My back, but My face shall not be seen." This was the closest any man has come to visibly seeing God.
Jesus, as He will be known on earth was known in Heaven as The Logos, came for a few reasons and one of those reasons was to explain to people what God was really like. There were a lot of misconceptions and Jesus was here to reveal God's grace and truth.
It is by knowing Jesus Christ. The more you know Jesus the more you will know God the Father. Look what Jesus says about His relationship with the Father: John 10:30 - "I and the Father are one." And look what He says a few verses later John 10:36-38 - "…do you say of Him, whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, 'You are blaspheming,' because I said, 'I am the Son of God'? " If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do them, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, so that you may know and understand that the Father is in Me, and I in the Father." Jesus is speaking very clearly. He is One with the Father, the Father is in Him and He is in the Father. So, if you want to know the Father then I highly recommend reading everything you can about the Son, Jesus Christ.
Here is how I have seen God. I have seen men and women confess Jesus to be their Lord and Savior and be baptized into Christ and I have witnessed God change their lives. I have seen God at work in people's lives. I have seen drunks never take another drink. I have seen drug addicts stop using drugs. I have seen God at work in people's lives to the point where some didn't even want to attend a worship service but came reluctantly. Then after they heard the gospel their hearts were changed when they learned what Jesus did for them. I have seen God at work in people's lives. I pray you will allow God to work in your life today so other people can see God at work in you. Luke 6:45 - "The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what isgood;…" Be like Jesus and allow the good to come out of your heart and in so doing you will be like God. Think About This: A Christian is one who makes it easier for other people to believe in God. Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word Luke 24:1-5 - But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared. And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men suddenly stood near them in dazzling clothing; and as the women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, "Why do you seek the living One among the dead? NASU
Every week as I partake of the Lord's Supper I am able to give thanks for my sins being forgiven but in order for that to have happened Jesus had to be resurrected back to life. He warned the disciples what was going to happen in Mark 8th, 9th, and 10th chapters. He told them He would be killed and rise again. Therefore, He had to be resurrected or He would have been a liar, a false prophet. Yes, the women were looking for Jesus but He was not in the tomb. He was alive.
In fact, you don't have to wait until you can't find something, do it now. Stop! Look up! And say, "Thanks to God for the resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ."
The apostle Paul said it this way: Romans 6:4-5 - Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection,… If you have not symbolically died to sin and been baptized in that watery grave please consider doing it today. If you need someone to assist you contact me I will be glad to help you. Think About This: People always get in trouble when they think they can handle their lives without God. Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word |
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