Memorial Day

I found this Memorial Day Prayer on the website beliefnet.com. I thought it was perfect for today.

Thank you to all those who have sacrificed.

A Memorial Day Prayer – Heavenly Father, as our nation pauses today to remember those in the military who have given their lives for freedoms we enjoy, we pray you would have us all look to you for strength, comfort and guidance. Be with all who serve in our Armed Forces. Bless them and their families. Grant your loving protection. Let peace prevail among all the nations, O God. Especially let your mercy rest upon our land, even as we acknowledge with thanksgiving your past goodness on this country. If it is your will, preserve the lives of the men and women in uniform as they defend our citizenry. Most of all, we pray that you would turn the hearts of all – military and civilian – to your holy Word where we find the true peace for our sinful souls that surpasses all understanding. Keep us repentant of sin. Move us to know, take hold and treasure your saving grace. In the name of Jesus, our Savior and Your beloved Son, who alone gives this peace and hope for eternity, we pray. Amen.

_{From the Evangelical Lutheran Synod}

 

Have a blessed week,
Chris

Source:
https://www.beliefnet.com/faiths/galleries/15-inspirational-prayers-for-memorial-day.aspx?p=8

Forgiveness is Available For All Sinners

I’ve heard many people ask a similar question that often times is hard to answer or even comprehend for some Christians. The question is usually along the lines of, “How can someone who is in jail who did terrible things and repented go to Heaven while I haven’t done horrible things will go to hell for not believing in God?”

For years I struggled with an answer to this question but God showed me the answer through scripture. The reason is that person in prison has now paid twice for their sins.

First through earthly consequences, the person committed crimes, was punished and served their sentence or is serving their sentence. That is their physical judgment.

But what remains is their spiritual judgment and when one truly accepts Jesus Christ as their savior, it is He, Jesus who took on their spiritual punishment. God will know if they truly are remorseful and their repentance true, if God sees it as so then he will be forgiven.

So now that prisoner’s penalty has been paid on Earth and in Heaven.

Truth is we are all prisoners to sin and the only One who can change that is the Lord Almighty.

Some may say that it is unfair and I agree. But it is NOT unfair to you the person who rejects God.

It is unfair to God alone. We all don’t deserve salvation. It is a gift from God, if you reject it. You are choosing where you spend eternity.

I repeat YOU will chose where you spend eternity, so choose wisely.

Now a message to my Christian brothers and sisters, don’t blame others or worry about what others have done. Don’t focus on others sin remember what the Bible says.

Matthew 7:5, “5 You hypocrite! First take the beam out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”

Focus on how you can approve yourself in order to serve others.

Also I want to point out never think or tell someone who has gone to Hell, because the truth is you never know who spent their last moments confessing their sins to God.

We have the right to the Kingdom until our last dying breath.

Remember the Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard…

20 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. 2 He agreed to pay them a denarius[a] for the day and sent them into his vineyard.

3 “About nine in the morning he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. 4 He told them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ 5 So they went.

“He went out again about noon and about three in the afternoon and did the same thing. 6 About five in the afternoon he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, ‘Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?’

7 “‘Because no one has hired us,’ they answered.

“He said to them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard.’

8 “When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.’

9 “The workers who were hired about five in the afternoon came and each received a denarius. 10 So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius. 11 When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner. 12 ‘These who were hired last worked only one hour,’ they said, ‘and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.’

13 “But he answered one of them, ‘I am not being unfair to you, friend. Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius? 14 Take your pay and go. I want to give the one who was hired last the same as I gave you. 15 Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’

16 “So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”

That is a very powerful parable. We as Christians must remember this and just like the thief on the cross, salvation is available to the end.

Now back to those who haven’t accepted Jesus Christ as their personal savior, you may think, “Oh okay, I have time then.”

That may be true but you never know when your time on Earth will end, don’t risk it. Let Jesus in to your heart today.

Have a blessed week

https://biblehub.com/matthew/7-5.htm

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+20%3A1-16&version=NIV

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+23%3A39-43&version=NASB

 

 

 

Happy Mother’s Day

Hope all the mother’s out there had a good Mother’s Day.

Been a crazy weekend, posting an article from Bible Study Tools for my weekly post.

This is the 25 Best Mother’s Day Bible Verses.

https://www.biblestudytools.com/topical-verses/mothers-day-bible-verses/

Really nice read not just for women but men as well.

Have a blessed week,

Chris

 

One Enemy

We have one God but we also have one enemy. It is satan. All those who hurt you or others, those who lash out at our faith or do horrible things it’s not just them it is satan. He is using them as a vessel to bring evil into the world.

I am of course not saying that we people are blameless, unfortunately some allow him to take over their hearts. Some do it unwillingly, satan is cunning, he can trick a good Christian into thinking he is doing right when in fact he is acting against God.

Jesus knew this. That is why in Matthew 16: 23 when Peter rejected what Jesus said about His coming death He told him,  “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me. For you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.”

Jesus rebuked satan who was using Peter as a spokesperson to say what he wanted to happen. Peter didn’t realize this and thought he was doing the right thing, in fact he  going was against God’s plan.

God knows it is satan who is the enemy, he has been manipulating us since the beginning. That is why He sent His son to die for us, so we can be reconciled with Him and battle the enemy through the Holy Spirit.

If you encounter someone who has satan in their heart, counter it with kindness. Proverbs 25:21-22 says, “21 If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat, and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink. 22 For in so doing, you will heap burning coals on his head, and the LORD will reward you.”

Do what God would want you to do, counter hate with love.

God loves the person who is doing evil because he too is a victim of satan whether unwillingly or not, that is why we must love them as well.

Pray for their repentance so they too can be reconciled with God.

Have a blessed Week,
Chris

Jesus Was the Passover Lamb

Passover just recently ended on Saturday, it is a very important time of the year for the Jewish people but also for Christians. One of the most famous Passover traditions that is done each year is for the Jews to sacrifice a lamb in order to remember being freed from the Egyptians.

Jesus however freed the entire World from sin when he was killed during Passover.

Jesus of course rose again thus defeating both death and the grave.

One of the most compelling prophecies in the Bible is from Isaiah 53. It is clear that the chapter is about Jesus, if you read the scripture it is clearly about a man and perfectly describes what happened to Jesus.

Here is an article that explains this better and also shows how the Rabbi’s taught that this section of Isaiah was about the Messiah.

https://www.gotquestions.org/suffering-servant-Isaiah-53.html

Now however modern Rabbis have back tracked and attempted to claim this chapter to be about Israel as a nation. Take a look for yourself and decide…

Isaiah 53 New King James Version (NKJV)

The Sin-Bearing Messiah

“53 Who has believed our report?

And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?

2 For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant,

And as a root out of dry ground.

He has no [a]form or [b]comeliness;

And when we see Him,

There is no [c]beauty that we should desire Him.

3 He is despised and [d]rejected by men,

A Man of [e]sorrows and acquainted with [f]grief.

And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him;

He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.

 

4 Surely He has borne our [g]griefs

And carried our [h]sorrows;

Yet we [i]esteemed Him stricken,

[j]Smitten by God, and afflicted.

5 But He was wounded[k] for our transgressions,

He was [l]bruised for our iniquities;

The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,

And by His stripes[m] we are healed.

6 All we like sheep have gone astray;

We have turned, every one, to his own way;

And the Lord [n]has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.

 

7 He was oppressed and He was afflicted,

Yet He opened not His mouth;

He was led as a lamb to the slaughter,

And as a sheep before its shearers is silent,

So He opened not His mouth.

8 He was taken from [o]prison and from judgment,

And who will declare His generation?

For He was cut off from the land of the living;

For the transgressions of My people He was stricken.

9 And [p]they made His grave with the wicked—

But with the rich at His death,

Because He had done no violence,

Nor was any deceit in His mouth.

10 Yet it pleased the Lord to [q]bruise Him;

He has put Him to grief.

When You make His soul an offering for sin,

He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days,

And the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand.

11 [r]He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied.

By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many,

For He shall bear their iniquities.

12 Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great,

And He shall divide the [s]spoil with the strong,

Because He poured out His soul unto death,

And He was numbered with the transgressors,

And He bore the sin of many,

And made intercession for the transgressors.”

It seems clear to me and as a matter of fact many Jewish people accept Jesus as their messiah after reading this scripture.

Also I want to include an interesting video from Amir Tsarfati comparing the Passover celebration traditions to that of the story of Jesus.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-Vw4nk8sZ4

Have a Blessed Week,
Chris