The Scars of Sin.

Scars: the remants of past battles, or the signs of former stupidity.

Sin will always scar your life. Not just your sin, but the sin of others will leave scars (some of them very deep). We must always remember that scars do not just disappear, they remain and usually forever. The decisions of our parents will always leave some scars in our lives. Divorce, death, and general decay in a family will produce scars that make excuses for bad behavior in the lives of children throughout the rest of their lives. Poor money management, anger issues, deceit, lies, treachery, and many other forms of sin will damage, and even destroy the tender tissues of the growing mental processes of a child. Our own mistakes, battles, and stupidity will scar our lives to the degree that every time we look at something (or unfortunately someone) the pain of the scars will come back, and often we will find ourselves fighting the same battles over again. We must be careful of how we act, and of how we react to all situations. SIN WILL ALWAYS SCAR YOUR LIFE.

The good news is, however, that God and serving and trusting Him will always heal the wounds, mend the pain, and cover the scars. However, we must be willing to have that intimate, and consistent walk with God that is required to let the wounds and scars heal.

Mary

Luke 1:26 And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,

27 To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.

28 And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.

29 And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be.

30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.

31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.

32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:

33 And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.

34 Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?

35 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.

36 And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren.

37 For with God nothing shall be impossible.

38 And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.

It is just interesting at this time of year to consider Mary. First of all, Mary was a virgin. The Bible is very clear about this. In a day when so many laugh and mock at purity, Mary is a wonderful example of living the right kind of life. The fact that Mary was physically pure is the only first requirement for here being able to be the mother of Jesus. People who mock at purity are stupid. Physical purity is sanctioned and encouraged, really it is commanded, by God. God honors pure people (virgins). Second, Mary was favored of God. How would you like to be one of God's favorite people? Throughout the Bible people are mentioned who God favored above other people. These "favorites" of God were always the people who were doing right, and the people who would go the extra mile to serve God. Third, Mary was pure in her thoughts. She could not comprehend that God would favor her, and this showed an attitude of humility. Pride comes from an impure thought pattern which makes you the most important person, and makes you feel that you deserve something more in this life. Also, she could not fathom the fact that she would have a baby. She knew her body was pure, and therefore her mind could not comprehend that she could be with child. The angel had to explain that this was a miracle, and that God was the One who had placed the baby inside her. So often we live a "clean" life on the outside, but our thoughts are so full of wickedness and sin that we are really very dirty people. Fourthly, Mary was willing to do whatever it took to serve God. The discovery that she was with child could have been a death sentence for her, but she was willing to do what God said in spite of the risks. She had to endure the ridicule of ignorant people for the rest of her life because she carried the Lord. She was called a fornicator by the Pharisees, yet she was willing to bear reproach for the sake of the Lord. Finally, Mary saw the greatest miracle of the ages performed in her life, simply because she was qualified, due to the reasons above, to be the mother of Jesus. What kind of miracle would God work in our lives, if we only had the characteristics of Mary?

Christmas

What a wonderful time of year.
People are full of laughter and cheer.
The carols are playing the people are singing.
The anthems of Christmas are gleefully ringing.

Sometimes we miss the meaning of the season, its sad.
Even though people are laughing in people are glad.
The meaning of Christmas is simple you see.
Jesus was born in a manger for you and for me.

So this holiday season remember this well.
Jesus is the reason, I just want to tell.
The Lord of all glory came down to the earth.
Born of a virgin, so that all may have a new birth.

IMMANUEL

Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.   "God with us," the meaning of immanuel.  What a wonderful revelation, that God was going to send His Son to be with us forever.  Forever? Yes. Jesus was born in Bethlehem, died on Calvary, rose from the Garden, and is coming again for His saints.  The prophecy was fulfilled, a VIRGIN bore a Son, and He truly was "God with us."  But even more wonderful, if you are a Christian, He is still "God with you," each and every day.  What a wonderful thing that JESUS came to save us.  Merry CHRISTmas Joshua Barkley Psalm 37:5 John 1:12 The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God.Ps. 53:1a

This is the day.

It has been a while.

Thanksgiving, What a wonderful time of year! Here are some thoughts on the subject, and then some verses that go along with the thoughts.

Thanksgiving.

Nehemiah 12:44 ¶ And at that time were some appointed over the chambers for the treasures, for the offerings, for the firstfruits, and for the tithes, to gather into them out of the fields of the cities the portions of the law for the priests and Levites: for Judah rejoiced for the priests and for the Levites that waited.
45 And both the singers and the porters kept the ward of their God, and the ward of the purification, according to the commandment of David, and of Solomon his son.
46 For in the days of David and Asaph of old there were chief of the singers, and songs of praise and thanksgiving unto God.


Mayflower Compact.

In the name of God, Amen. We, whose names are underwritten, the Loyal Subjects of our dread Sovereign Lord, King James, by the Grace of God, of England, France and Ireland, King, Defender of the Faith, e&. Having undertaken for the Glory of God, and Advancement of the Christian Faith, and the Honour of our King and Country, a voyage to plant the first colony in the northern parts of Virginia; do by these presents, solemnly and mutually in the Presence of God and one of another, covenant and combine ourselves together into a civil Body Politick, for our better Ordering and Preservation, and Furtherance of the Ends aforesaid; And by Virtue hereof to enact, constitute, and frame, such just and equal Laws, Ordinances, Acts, Constitutions and Offices, from time to time, as shall be thought most meet and convenient for the General good of the Colony; unto which we promise all due submission and obedience. In Witness whereof we have hereunto subscribed our names at Cape Cod the eleventh of November, in the Reign of our Sovereign Lord, King James of England, France and Ireland, the eighteenth, and of Scotland the fifty-fourth. Anno Domini, 1620."

America is not a thankful nation.

Our thanks should be directed toward God.

There are two steps that I would like to look at about thankfulness.

I. Recognize who you are. You and I are insufficient.

A. Notice the different attitudes of the people who left Christ, and those who stayed.
It seems that the ones who left had the attitude of, “I am healed.”
The others had the attitude of, “I was a leper, or I was possessed.

B. Focusing on yourself will produce an attitude of pity, anger, and will render you useless.
Elijah--one of the most powerful prophets.
Jonah--preached possibly the greatest salvation meeting ever.

II. Realize Who God is. God is all-sufficient.

A. Seeing who God is will change your life.

1. Produces worship. Both people fell down before Jesus. Look at Isaiah 6.

2. Makes you realize you are nobody. Again Isaiah 6. The maniac was completely willing to give his life up to go with Jesus.

3. Makes you desire to witness. The maniac went out and told everybody.

B. Seeing who God is will make you come back to Him with an attitude of thankfulness.
The leper came back and thanked Jesus.
The maniac was so grateful that he wanted to stay with Jesus,but(even though he didn’t get his way) instead went and reached a whole area with God’s message.


Matthew 8:28 ¶ And when he was come to the other side into the country of the Gergesenes, there met him two possessed with devils, coming out of the tombs, exceeding fierce, so that no man might pass by that way.
29 And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time?
30 And there was a good way off from them an herd of many swine feeding.
31 So the devils besought him, saying, If thou cast us out, suffer us to go away into the herd of swine.
32 And he said unto them, Go. And when they were come out, they went into the herd of swine: and, behold, the whole herd of swine ran violently down a steep place into the sea, and perished in the waters.
33 And they that kept them fled, and went their ways into the city, and told every thing, and what was befallen to the possessed of the devils.
34 And, behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus: and when they saw him, they besought him that he would depart out of their coasts.

Mark 5: 1 ¶ And they came over unto the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gadarenes.
2 And when he was come out of the ship, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit,
15 And they come to Jesus, and see him that was possessed with the devil, and had the legion, sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid.
16 And they that saw it told them how it befell to him that was possessed with the devil, and also concerning the swine.
17 And they began to pray him to depart out of their coasts.
18 And when he was come into the ship, he that had been possessed with the devil prayed him that he might be with him.
19 Howbeit Jesus suffered him not, but saith unto him, Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee.
20 And he departed, and began to publish in Decapolis how great things Jesus had done for him: and all men did marvel.

Luke 17:11 ¶ And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee.
12 And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off:
13 And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.
14 And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed.
15 And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God,
16 And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan.
17 And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine?
18 There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger.
19 And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.


Jonah 4: 1 ¶ But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry.
2 And he prayed unto the LORD, and said, I pray thee, O LORD, was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country? Therefore I fled before unto Tarshish: for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repentest thee of the evil.
3 Therefore now, O LORD, take, I beseech thee, my life from me; for it is better for me to die than to live.
4 Then said the LORD, Doest thou well to be angry?
5 ¶ So Jonah went out of the city, and sat on the east side of the city, and there made him a booth, and sat under it in the shadow, till he might see what would become of the city.
6 And the LORD God prepared a gourd, and made it to come up over Jonah, that it might be a shadow over his head, to deliver him from his grief. So Jonah was exceeding glad of the gourd.
7 But God prepared a worm when the morning rose the next day, and it smote the gourd that it withered.
8 And it came to pass, when the sun did arise, that God prepared a vehement east wind; and the sun beat upon the head of Jonah, that he fainted, and wished in himself to die, and said, It is better for me to die than to live.
11 And should not I spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle?

I Kings 19:10 And he said, I have been very jealous for the LORD God of hosts: for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.
14 And he said, I have been very jealous for the LORD God of hosts: because the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.
18 Yet I have left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him.

Psalm 50:7 ¶ Hear, O my people, and I will speak; O Israel, and I will testify against thee: I am God, even thy God.
8 I will not reprove thee for thy sacrifices or thy burnt offerings, to have been continually before me.
9 I will take no bullock out of thy house, nor he goats out of thy folds.
10 For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills.
11 I know all the fowls of the mountains: and the wild beasts of the field are mine.
12 If I were hungry, I would not tell thee: for the world is mine, and the fulness thereof.
13 Will I eat the flesh of bulls, or drink the blood of goats?
14 Offer unto God thanksgiving; and pay thy vows unto the most High:
15 And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou

Isaiah 55

Chapter 55


1 Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.

2 Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness.

3 Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David.
Acts 13:34

4 Behold, I have given him for a witness to the people, a leader and commander to the people.

5 Behold, thou shalt call a nation that thou knowest not, and nations that knew not thee shall run unto thee because of the LORD thy God, and for the Holy One of Israel; for he hath glorified thee.

6 Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:

7 Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.

9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

10

For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater:

11 So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

12 For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.

13 Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree: and it shall be to the LORD for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.

So much in here. Come ye that thirst (Jesus is the water of life).v.1 How often our labors are in vain. v.2 Look unto Jesus (while He may be found). v.6 God will pardon those who come to Him. v.7 God's thoughts and ways are far abov ours. v.8-9 God's Word will not return void. v. 10-11 The people of God will be blessed. v. 12-13 This is really a self explanitory chapter, but oh how full it is!!

Prayer

Heavenly Father, Thy Name is exalted above all names. Thy Word is more precious than the finest of Gold or Silver, and is quick and powerful above all forces in the universe. Thou Who didst stretch out the Heavens with a single span of Thy infinite Hand, and Who measured the Seas in the Hollow of Thy Almighty Hand. Unto Thee be glory and honor, praise and exaltation both now and forever more. All thanks be given unto Thee for thy wondrous works. May the inadequate love that my feeble flesh now feels for Thee never diminish but only ever increase. May I ever obey Thee, and with Thy permission, be allowed to offer up my inadequate praises both now and forever. Amen.

This is the day.

John Chapter 3*
3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:
15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
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.
17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.






Hello, it is a true statement "Jehovah is Salvation" I am so glad and honored that God, the God that created the universe, the God that is talked about in the King James Version of the Bible, loved me so much that He sent Jesus to die for me. Praise His Matchless, Holy, Wonderful Name. "Jesus Saves"!!!!!!!!!!

This is the day.

1Samuel 26:21 Then said Saul, I have sinned: return, my son David: for I will no more do thee harm, because my soul was precious in thine eyes this day: behold, I have played the fool, and have erred exceedingly.

How often do we act like fools? I know that sometimes I act foolishly, like Saul, by making a rash decision based on false information. How aweful it is that we think thoughts that are off base, and that we act upon those bad thoughts in a way that is not pleasing to God. Our foolishness will not only hurt our lives, but it will also effect the lives of others. Saul admitted that he was acting like a fool, when will we admit that we are acting the same way.?

This is the day.

Deuteronomy 9:4 Speak not thou in thine heart, after that the LORD thy God hath cast them out from before thee, saying, For my righteousness the LORD hath brought me in to possess this land: but for the wickedness of these nations the LORD doth drive them out from before thee.

Sometimes we tend to make people more than they really are. This passage is very enlightening. Here we are told that the blessings of God on these people are due not to their righteousness (see Isaiah 64:6), but it was rather because of the extreme wickedness of others. Sometimes we see people getting spiritual victories and think that they must really be something because they are gettin ahead. God may just be exposing the extreme wickedness of those around them, and they shine due to the fact that they aren't so bad. We need to be wary of having the attitude that God is blessing us because we are doing so much for Him. He can use a prophet who has a bad attitude, and hates the people that he is preachin to, to preach a message that sees over 100,000 souls repent.(Jonah) So let's remember, God doesn't need us, He simply chooses to use us. Thank God for His mercy toward me.

Are YOU a Christian?

This is the day. for 10/21

Deuteronomy 8:17 And thou say in thine heart, My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth

What a sad, yet true, picture of America today. Everywhere we look we see so many "self-made men/women" who do not realize that they are only breathing because of the grace and mercy of God. God is the one who allows life to begin, and He controls when life ends, yet so many people are idolized because of their so-caled success. We, as Christians, must avoid these thoughts and attitudes that "we" are the successful ones, and must relize that without God we are nothing.

Are YOU a Christian?

This is the day.

Deuteronomy 8:14 Then thine heart be lifted up, and thou forget the LORD thy God, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage;

Here is a real problem for most of us. We tend to be lifted up, or proud, about who we have become, and forget to consider Who it was that brought us to where we are. God, just like with the children of Israel, brought us out of bondage. Ours was a spiritual bondage, and a pitiful state it was too. Fear, doubt, anger, worry, depression, and so many other things plaged the life. However, God stepped in and with His great power, and by His wonderful grace, broke the chains of that bondage, and released us to a glorious freedom, that is described as the "peace that passeth all understanding." How could we then be so lifted up in pride as to forget what God did for us, and to have an attitude like we have done everything all by ourselves? May God help us to be humble, and honest about who we are, and about where we have come from!!

This is the day. for 10/19

Deuteronomy 8:5 Thou shalt also consider in thine heart, that, as a man chasteneth his son, so the LORD thy God chasteneth thee.

Sometimes we as Christians think that we have gotten away with things, and if we read this verse, (at first glance) it would appear that we are able to. You see a man cannot always catch his children when they do wrong. However, understanding that God is all-knowing, we soon realize that not only can we not get by with things, but also that God will chasten us for the sins that we commit. It is a solemn thought indeed to realize that God knows everything we do, and that He will punish us for each of those things. Let us consider that carefully as we live each day. May each day be for God's honor and glory rather than for our own fleshly endeavors.

This is the day. for 10/16

Deuteronomy 8:2 And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no.

Does it seem like sometimes things in your life are not what they should be? The children of Israel wondered forty years in the wilderness, because God was proving their loyalty to Him. During that time every one who was twenty or older at the beginning of the treck died, except for Joshua and Caleb. Each new child that was born, and all of the people who were twenty or under at the beginning had to be proved over that period of time to show their hearts toward God. Each of these people had to be endowed with a humble attitude toward God. When God is dealing with us, we can do one of two things, we can either become proud, and rebel against God, or we can be humble and let God lead us in the way that we should go. Our reaction will determine whether or not God can use us. I think I would rather be humble. May God always find me useful for Him!

This is the day. for 10/3-10/15

Romans 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.
12 ¶ For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.
13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?
15 And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!

What is the primary purpose of preaching? So much of what is called preaching today is focused on the minds of men, but is this the purpose of preaching? From this passage we can see that the primary focus and instrument of salvation is the heart. The heart is the key to salvation! The heart is also the key to the growth of a Christian. It is pretty clear in the Bible that problems of the mind stem from heart problems.
When people who have the "heart" problem of not being saved, get a change of heart what happens? Their mind changes! The way they thought and felt about things in their lives changed. The Bible says that old things pass away, and all things become new.
What about when a person is not yet saved? Many people focus on changing their minds about sin, but we can clearly see that the heart is the key to salvation. Belief and repentance come from the heart. Many souls have been led to an alter and led through a profession based on their thoughts that they needed to change, but have come away from the altar the same as when they went down on their knees because their heart was not in it.
What about when a Christian has trouble? Some Christians go through "mental" problems such as depression and anxiety. Why? Saul in the Old Testament seemed to go through a tough mental struggle, but what was actually happening was that his heart was not right with God. We see the mental struggle of dealing with the flesh in Paul's life in Romans, but he soon tells us that his problem is acutally a spiritual problem. Even Jesus in Gathsemane seemed to go through a mental stuggle, but His struggle was really about the spiritual issue of becoming sin for us.
My surmising is this: Is preaching about the mind or the heart? So many men try to incorporate pshycology, and the dealing with the mind into preaching, but is this the focus? God's Word shows us that the heart is what is dealt with in preaching, and I honestly believe that in so many circles that is why "preaching" seems to accomplish so little today. The focus is on the wrong area. God would focus on the heart, not on the mind.

This is the day. for 10/2

Deuteronomy 7:17 If thou shalt say in thine heart, These nations are more than I; how can I dispossess them?

18 Thou shalt not be afraid of them: but shalt well remember what the LORD thy God did unto Pharaoh, and unto all Egypt;

The book of Deuteronomy is a remembering book. Moses here is telling Israel to remember how God had provided for them before, and to learn from those experiences. Remeber what God did for you before. God has not changed. Often we have things in our lives that happen, and we whine and complain about them, but who has changed? It is not God. There are countless masses of men and women in this world that will not realize that they have rebelled against God, or someone He has given authority, one too many times, and that He will not accept them any more for what He once would have allowed them to do. These people are often sad, and miserable in their lives, not even realizing that they have a problem. They will not, however, turn from their ways, give up "their" ambitions, and realize that they can no longer be what they want to be. If only they would let God work in their hearts. He might allow them to actually do something for Him (though not the original work), but so many will go on their own way, and be a curse rather than a blessing, always trying to shipwreck someone else's life. How sad to be out of God's will!!!

This is the day. for 10/1

Deuteronomy 6:5 And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.
Deu_6:6 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:

This is the first of the ten Commandments that God has given us. It is a very sober thought really. How much do we love God? He loves us infinitely, and I am afraid that we often do not return His love in the right way. If we would dedicate our affections to serving Him, He has promised that He will give us manifold blessings. "The world has yet to see what could happen to one man who would give himself wholly to God." This quote from D.L. Moody still stands true today. Would to God that someone would stand up and say, "I'll be that person." It could change this ungodly world in which we live!!! It would definitely change that person's life. Who will be that person?

This is the day. for 9/30

Deuteronomy 5:29 O that there were such an heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever!

Listen to the greif of a Holy God! He is longing and yearning for His people to give themselves to Him in complete service. God does not want to have to punish erring children, He would much rather bless the service of those who claim His name. His desire is that we fear Him, and keep His Law. If we would only do that He would bless us and ours forever. What a wonderful God!!

This is the day.

Deuteronomy 4:39 Know therefore this day, and consider it in thine heart, that the LORD he is God in heaven above, and upon the earth beneath: there is none else.

Wow! There is only one God! The God of the Bible. The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is the only true God. There is no other God. The human race has imagined, and invented, and engineered so many "gods" that it is not even funny. Men have worshiped the sun, and the moon, the stars, and comets. People have bowed down to freshly carved images made from stone and wood, and gold or silver. Generations have prayed to their ancestors, or have gravelled at the feet of some wise man or woman. Countless multitudes have committed suicide, or sacrificed children or other humans to appease the anger of a mountain or various other made up "gods." However, the truth is clear. There is ONE God, and that is the God of the Bible. The God of Creation, Jehovah, El-Shadai, and the many other names that He is called in the Word. He is the only true God, manifesting Himself in three persons, and is the God not only of creation, but also of redemption. His sacrifice on the cross of Calvary has forever settled the sin question. Only His Blood is sufficient to pay the atonement for sin. There is truly only one God!! Do you know Him? He has provided the way for you to be saved. That way is through accepting Jesus Christ as you Saviour.

This is the day. for 9/28

Deuteronomy 4:29 But if from thence thou shalt seek the LORD thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul.

This passage reminds each of us that we should put for an effort. If we live a half-hearted life toward God, and put forth a mediocre effort to serve and trust in Him, the life that we live as a Christian will be shallow, and dull. However, if we seek Him with our whole heart, and we show the world that come-what-may we are going to stick with the stuff and serve God, we will see fruit for our labors, and will experience the blessings of God on our ministries and lives.

This is the day. for 9/21-9/25

Deuteronomy 4:9 Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and thy sons' sons;

Here is a reminder from God's Word to keep our thoughts on spiritual things. We need to watch what we do, and to keep ourselves pure so that we don't forget the important things that God has done for us. If we remember where we have come from, and teach others about where they can be spiritually then we can live a joyful, and fulfilled life before the Lord.

This is the day. for 9/18

Deuteronomy 2:30 But Sihon king of Heshbon would not let us pass by him: for the LORD thy God hardened his spirit, and made his heart obstinate, that he might deliver him into thy hand, as appeareth this day.

What an intersesting passage! Here we see that Sihon was against God's people, and he was trying to discourage them. Even more important is the fact that God let him do this thing, and God even allowed his heart and spirit to get worse so that he would do it. God was trying to teach His people a lesson through this bad circumstance. We must all learn these hard lessons, and it is always a comfort to realize that God is still in complete control!!!!! The main reason that Sihon had risen up against Israel was so that God could tear down Sihon. Sihon would not turn to God, therefore, God allowed Sihon to mess with the wrong nation, and even "encouraged" him to do so. But when the time was right, God stepped in and destroyed Sihon, and allowed His people to go on and live for Him. Problems will come to our lives, but we must always step up, and allow God to direct us so that we may boldly overcome these problems. May God help ME and YOU to be able to do just that with our lives.

This is the day.

Deuteronomy 1:27 And ye murmured in your tents, and said, Because the LORD hated us, he hath brought us forth out of the land of Egypt, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us. 28 Whither shall we go up? our brethren have discouraged our heart, saying, The people is greater and taller than we; the cities are great and walled up to heaven; and moreover we have seen the sons of the Anakims there. The question for today is this.  Do we trust God?  Have we let the naysayers, and the skeptics discourage our hearts, with their mistrust of God?  God has never failed, and He will never fail.  He wants us to serve Him.  He offers us a victorious Christian life, and so often we simply doubt Him and live defeated.  What would happen if we would give ourselves wholey to Him?

This is the day.

Numbers 32:9 For when they went up unto the valley of Eshcol, and saw the land, they discouraged the heart of the children of Israel, that they should not go into the land which the LORD had given them.   Here is a warning!!!! Your attitude will affect others.  This is a reminder by Moses of the attitudes of the ten spies who were afraid to go into Caanan.  These ten men would not trust God, would not honor Moses, and tried to kill Joshua and Caleb, and because of their attitude caused a whole generation to be destroyed.   The attitudes of these men stank, and, therefore, they caused others to have bad attitudes as well.  These men had seen the promises of God, they had seen the land of promise, they had experienced the bounty of the land, and they had marvelled at the ablility of God to provide in this land of promise.  However, because of a perceived weakness on their part, they decided that they could not claim God's promises.  Their decision caused ALL of the adults of the nation of Israel, but two (Caleb and Joshua) to miss out on the blessings of God, and to ultimately be destroyed in a state of cursing rather than blessing.  YOUR ATTITUDE AND YOUR ACTIONS DO AFFECT THOSE AROUND YOU.

This is the day. for 9/15

Numbers 32:7 And wherefore discourage ye the heart of the children of Israel from going over into the land which the LORD hath given them?   The background: Gad and Reuben decide as individual tribes that they like the land on the east of Jordan better than the actual land of Caanan. The message: The land of Caanan was the land of promise, Gad and Reuben were part of those to whom God had promised the land west of Jordan, yet they wanted to settle for second best. The application: Moses told these two tribes that their decision would discourage the otheres that were with them.  These two tribes (and ultimately half of another one) settled for a little less than God's best, and that could have easily discouraged Israel.  Secondly, if they had decided to not lend a hand in the battle, it would have weakened the army and the ability to take what God's promise was.  As it happened, these tribes went ahead and fought, but there always seemed to be a little bit of trouble coming from that side of Jordan.  SETTLING FOR SECOND BEST IS ALWAYS A BAD CHOICE IN THE WORK OF GOD. God may bless second best, but not as much as He would bless his very best.

This is the day. for 9/14

Numbers 15:39 And it shall be unto you for a fringe, that ye may look upon it, and remember all the commandments of the LORD, and do them; and that ye seek not after your own heart and your own eyes, after which ye use to go a whoring: Here, God commanded His people to put a fringe on their garments in order for them to remember the Word of God.  We need to set up things in our lives so that we may remember what God has done for us.  The fringe here was to protect their hearts and minds from going back into a life of sin and denial of God.  How do we protect ourselves from wandering away from God?  We need to decide to hide God's word in our hearts, and to set up ways for us to remember Him in our lives.  Let us guard our hearts, and be pure before God.

This is the day.

Leviticus 26:13 I am the LORD your God, which brought you forth out of the land of Egypt, that ye should not be their bondmen; and I have broken the bands of your yoke, and made you go upright.

14 But if ye will not hearken unto me, and will not do all these commandments;

15 And if ye shall despise my statutes, or if your soul abhor my judgments, so that ye will not do all my commandments, but that ye break my covenant:

16 I also will do this unto you; I will even appoint over you terror, consumption, and the burning ague, that shall consume the eyes, and cause sorrow of heart: and ye shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it.

The thing that I want to focus on here is that not serving God will bring sorrow to our hearts. He may bring judgment on us like death or sickness, or pain or suffering, but when we go away from Him we can always count on one thing, sorrow. We must strive to live in a way that pleases and obeys God. Let us always resist the decision to disobey Him, and remember to follow Him, so that we may live joyful lives before Him and not have to endure the sorrow that will come if we disobey

This is the day.

Leviticus 19:17 Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart: thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour, and not suffer sin upon him.

It is intersesting to note that this command not to hate your brother is given all the way back here in the Law. Jesus tells us later that this is the same as murder in God's eyes. We are emotional beings. It is so easy for us to allow hatred and anger and evil thoughts into our lives. This is sin, however, and God HATES sin!! By allowing God to put His love in our heart, we can avoid disobeying one of His commandments, and also avoiding the sin of having murder in our hearts.

This is the day.

Exodus 36:2 And Moses called Bezaleel and Aholiab, and every wise hearted man, in whose heart the LORD had put wisdom, even every one whose heart stirred him up to come unto the work to do it:

A very simple post for today. These are the kind of men the church needs for the Lord's work. Those men (and women) in whom the Lord has put wisdom. The world is full of knowledgeable and "wise" people, but those in whom the Lord has put wisdom are the ones that will be able to do a work for God. These are the kind of people who will have a desire to do God's work, and to do it right. Only God can truly prepare a person's heart to do a spiritual work!!!

This is the day.

Exodus 35:34 And he hath put in his heart that he may teach, both he, and Aholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan. Exo_35:35 Them hath he filled with wisdom of heart, to work all manner of work, of the engraver, and of the cunning workman, and of the embroiderer, in blue, and in purple, in scarlet, and in fine linen, and of the weaver, even of them that do any work, and of those that devise cunning work. God had equipped these men to be workers in the building of His house.  Each one of them had a specific talent and ability that would make him useful for the work.  Even today, each Christian has a specific function and ability in the house of God.  Some may only be able to provide refreshments for those who do the work, but that is still what God has for them.  it is alway right to stay in the place that God has you.  So often, however, we seem to want to have a job that we cannot do.  God will bless each of us, if we stick with doing what He has equipped US to do.

This is the day. for 9/8

Exodus 35:26 And all the women whose heart stirred them up in wisdom spun goats' hair. Exodus 35:29 The children of Israel brought a willing offering unto the LORD, every man and woman, whose heart made them willing to bring for all manner of work, which the LORD had commanded to be made by the hand of Moses.   Each of these passages again shows a willing heart to participate in the Lord's work.  Willingness on our part is always a proper responce to a call to work for God.  Even if we can't do everything, we should still be willing to do what we can do.  The women here were simply spinning the goats hair, but it was to be used for God's house, and their willingness is what made the work of God go on.

This is the day.

Exodus 35:21 And they came, every one whose heart stirred him up, and every one whom his spirit made willing, and they brought the LORD'S offering to the work of the tabernacle of the congregation, and for all his service, and for the holy garments. Wow, these people were stirred up about giving to God.  How often are we excited about giving?  For that matter how often are we stirred up about serving God?  Are we really stirred up about God's services in the church, and about the singing and preaching?  The Bible says that these people were stirred up.  May God stir us up to serve him.

This is the day. for 9/3

Exodus 35:5 Take ye from among you an offering unto the LORD: whosoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it, an offering of the LORD; gold, and silver, and brass,

Here, again we have the admonishion to come to the Lord with a giving heart. God doesn't want us to be stingy, or to be grudging of giving to Him, He wants us to be willing and bring our increase to Him. Do we really love the Lord enough to Love giving to Him.

This is the day.

Exodus 28:30 And thou shalt put in the breastplate of judgment the Urim and the Thummim; and they shall be upon Aaron's heart, when he goeth in before the LORD: and Aaron shall bear the judgment of the children of Israel upon his heart before the LORD continually. The thought today is this, how do you judge?  Many people want to say, "judge not," and go about their merry way as though they can do what they want and never be wrong.  The Bible does teach of judgment, however.  Aaron had the oversight of judgment in Israel, and he judged from his heart.  The tools of judgment came from Aaron's heart, and were guided by the Lord.  When Aaron judged he had God's direction and the right tools which came from his heart.  When we judge others, we must also have the right tools.  People do tend to do wrong things, and, therefore, judgments must be made.  However, if we are to judge others, it should be from our own hearts, and through the leading of God.  If we allow God to guide our hearts, and to direct our judgments, then those judgments will always be righteous, and will be pleasing to God.

This is the day.

Exodus 28:29 And Aaron shall bear the names of the children of Israel in the breastplate of judgment upon his heart, when he goeth in unto the holy place, for a memorial before the LORD continually.

The thought today is this. Are you bearing any names on your heart? Aaron bore the names, as a spiritual leader, on his heart, and those names represented each of the tribes of Israel, and of course by default, bore each of the members of that tribe on his heart. When he went before God, into the holy place, (my what a picture of intercessory prayer) he bore the children of Israel on his heart before God. What kind of change would it make if we would begin to bear names on our hearts? Aaron is a picture for us that we should pray and interceed for those we know, and get a burden on our hearts for people. May God give us a burden, or at least, increase our burden for those we know.

This is the day.

At Calvary


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Years I spent in vanity and pride,
Caring not my Lord was crucified,
Knowing not it was for me He died on Calvary.
Refrain

Mercy there was great, and grace was free;
Pardon there was multiplied to me;
There my burdened soul found liberty at Calvary.

By God’s Word at last my sin I learned;
Then I trembled at the law I’d spurned,
Till my guilty soul imploring turned to Calvary.

Refrain

Now I’ve given to Jesus everything,
Now I gladly own Him as my King,
Now my raptured soul can only sing of Calvary!

Refrain

Oh, the love that drew salvation’s plan!
Oh, the grace that brought it down to man!
Oh, the mighty gulf that God did span at Calvary!

Refrain

Thank God, this is my story. God has done everything for me, and I only hope to be able to give my life to Him. Thank God for His love and mercy.

This is the day.

Exodus 25:2 Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring me an offering: of every man that giveth it willingly with his heart ye shall take my offering.   How do you give to God?  So many people just kind of tip God, or put money into the offering with a grudging or stingy attitude.  They think they have done a great thing, and "helped God out" with their meager and half-hearted gift.  God is the Creator of the universe, He does not need money, He does not need their "tithes."  We are told here to give out of a willing heart.  It should be a pleasure to be priviledged to be able to give back to God a portion of what He has provided for us.  This, like so many other things, is a matter of the heart.  Do you squeeze the pennies you toss into the offering and start to cry, and mourn for your money, or do you give it to God willingly, and with a pure heart, not to be seen, but because of what God has done for you?  Do I give that way?  The principle is there, be thankful for what God has done for us.

This is the day. for 8/27

Exodus 23:9 Also thou shalt not oppress a stranger: for ye know the heart of a stranger, seeing ye were strangers in the land of Egypt.   Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.  That is a very popular statment, but it is also a Biblical command.  God is telling the children of Israel here that they need to remember how they were treated, and then, because of those memories, treat others in a right way.  Christian, do you remember where you came from?  Can you see that there are others all around you who are where you were?  Why would you be hateful to them, and try to "shove religion down their throats?"  Why would you act like you are so much better than they are?  Hey, if you are that way, maybe its because you forgot where you came from.  God said to Israel, "don't forget where you came from."  You and I can be oppressive to those around us, and make them feel useless and worthless, or we can remember how it used to be with us, and do our best to treat them with the love of God, showing them the goodnes of God that will lead them to repentance.

This is the day. for 8/25

Exodus 8:32 And Pharaoh hardened his heart at this time also, neither would he let the people go. Exo_9:7 And Pharaoh sent, and, behold, there was not one of the cattle of the Israelites dead. And the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the people go. Exo_9:12 And the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had spoken unto Moses. Exo_9:14 For I will at this time send all my plagues upon thine heart, and upon thy servants, and upon thy people; that thou mayest know that there is none like me in all the earth. Exo_9:34 And when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunders were ceased, he sinned yet more, and hardened his heart, he and his servants. Exo_9:35 And the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, neither would he let the children of Israel go; as the LORD had spoken by Moses. Exo_10:1 And the LORD said unto Moses, Go in unto Pharaoh: for I have hardened his heart, and the heart of his servants, that I might shew these my signs before him: Exo_10:20 But the LORD hardened Pharaoh's heart, so that he would not let the children of Israel go. Exo_10:27 But the LORD hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he would not let them go. Exo_11:10 And Moses and Aaron did all these wonders before Pharaoh: and the LORD hardened Pharaoh's heart, so that he would not let the children of Israel go out of his land. Exo_14:4 And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, that he shall follow after them; and I will be honoured upon Pharaoh, and upon all his host; that the Egyptians may know that I am the LORD. And they did so. Exo_14:5 And it was told the king of Egypt that the people fled: and the heart of Pharaoh and of his servants was turned against the people, and they said, Why have we done this, that we have let Israel go from serving us? Exo_14:8 And the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued after the children of Israel: and the children of Israel went out with an high hand. All of these passages deal with the hardness of Pharaoh's heart.  We have dealt with this quite a bit in recent posts.  So I just wanted to provide this warning.  Make sure that you live such a life that will be open and humble before God.  By living such a life your heart will remain tender to the "still small voice" (see I Kings 19) of God, and you will not have to get into the position that Pharaoh was in, the position of fighting against God.

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This is the day. for 8/26

Exodus 15:8 And with the blast of thy nostrils the waters were gathered together, the floods stood upright as an heap, and the depths were congealed in the heart of the sea.     The word heart as used here refers to the center of the sea.  The heart is the center of our lives.  Out of it come all the issues of life.  Out of the heart the mouth speaks.  Out of the heart comes lusts and envyings, and, thereby, wars and strife.  Out of the heart comes the repentance that is necessary for salvation.  From the heart comes the desire to serve God, and the desire to live a life that is honorable to God.  Because the heart is the center of our being, it is vitally important to insure that the heart stays right with God.  Daily prayer, Bible reading, and an attitude of worship and praise will keep our hearts where they need to be, and will keep us on the right track to pleasing and serving God.

This is the day.

A Prayer to God. Thursday 7/23/09 - jpb Heavenly Father, Thy Name is exalted above all names.  Thy Word is more precious than the finest of Gold or Silver, and is quick and powerful above all forces in the universe.  Thou Who didst stretch out the Heavens with a single span of Thy infinite Hand, and Who measured the Seas in the Hollow of Thy Almighty Hand.  Unto Thee be glory and honor, praise and exaltation both now and forever more.  All thanks be given unto Thee for thy wondrous works.  May the inadequate love that my feeble flesh now feels for Thee never diminish but only ever increase.  May I ever obey Thee, and with Thy permission, be allowed to offer up my insufficient praises both now and forever. Amen.

Song and statment.

I love to tell the story of unseen things above,
Of Jesus and His glory, of Jesus and His love.
I love to tell the story, because I know ’tis true;
It satisfies my longings as nothing else can do.
Refrain

I love to tell the story, ’twill be my theme in glory,
To tell the old, old story of Jesus and His love.

I love to tell the story; more wonderful it seems
Than all the golden fancies of all our golden dreams.
I love to tell the story, it did so much for me;
And that is just the reason I tell it now to thee.

Refrain

I love to tell the story; ’tis pleasant to repeat
What seems, each time I tell it, more wonderfully sweet.
I love to tell the story, for some have never heard
The message of salvation from God’s own holy Word.

Refrain

I love to tell the story, for those who know it best
Seem hungering and thirsting to hear it like the rest.
And when, in scenes of glory, I sing the new, new song,
’Twill be the old, old story that I have loved so long.

Refrain

I really like another song, that is somewhat along these lines. It is "A song the Angels Cannot sing." It tells, of "Amazing Grace" and says the Angels cannot sing about that, they can sing about creation, about the fall, about the lives of the patriarchs, about the resurrection, and about so many other things, but they cannot sing with a personal knowledge of Salvation. Won't it be interesting in Heaven, when the saints of God go marching down the street singing, and the angels have to pause, because the just don't know the words. God has been so good to us, He never gave the fallen angels a second chance, but He gives us countless opportunities to come to Him, and still some reject Him. Hey, that is a blessed "old, old story" and it is true "Jesus Saves."

This is the day. for 8/19

Nailed to the Cross


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There was One Who was willing to die in my stead,
That a soul so unworthy might live;
And the path to the cross He was willing to tread,
All the sins of my life to forgive.
Refrain

They are nailed to the cross,
They are nailed to the cross,
O how much He was willing to bear!
With what anguish and loss Jesus went to the cross!
But He carried my sins with Him there.

He is tender and loving and patient with me,
While He cleanses my heart of the dross;
But “there’s no condemnation”—I know I am free,
For my sins are all nailed to the cross.

Refrain

I will cling to my Savior and never depart—
I will joyfully journey each day,
With a song on my lips and a song in my heart,
That my sins have been taken away.

Refrain

This is a great song, and one of my favorites. My sins were nailed to the Cross,because Jesus loved me so much He died for me. Hallelujah, what a savior Jesus is. He will take away all of your sins if you will ask Him to.

This is the day.

Exodus 8:19 Then the magicians said unto Pharaoh, This is the finger of God: and Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had said. Here we see that even the Devil's servants (which by the way magicians, witches, warlocks, wizards, sorcerers, and etc. are) tell Pharaoh that God is bringing judgment.  They warn Pharaoh to give in to God, because they realize that God is too powerful to fight against.  Still Pharaoh hardens his heart, and will not give in.  Are you fighting God about something?  If you are, realize this.  Even if you would happen to "win" and stop God's convicting power on your life, if you aren't saved you will go to Hell, if you are saved you will either become useless in the work of God, or God will kill you.  Here's the point even if you "win" you are still the loser in this situation.

This is the day. for 8/18

Exodus 8:15 But when Pharaoh saw that there was respite, he hardened his heart, and hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had said.   How foolish Pharaoh was here.  He saw a little relief from the judgment of God, and decided to get even harder against God.  So often, we think that our lives, and the things we do are ok.  Convincing ourselves that God is going to overlook us because of who we are, or what we do.  Then when God sends judgment, we get hard because we think God is being unfair to us.  Then when God in His mercy gives us a little break from judgment, instead of repenting we get harder against Him.  I have said it before, and will continue to say it, may our hearts always be tender toward God.

This is the day.

Exodus 7:22 And the magicians of Egypt did so with their enchantments: and Pharaoh's heart was hardened, neither did he hearken unto them; as the LORD had said.
Exo_7:23 And Pharaoh turned and went into his house, neither did he set his heart to this also.

I just wanted to focus on the statement, neither did he set his heart to this also. Simply put, Pharaoh did not care what God was doing. He had let his heart get so hard toward God that he no longer cared what God was doing. He just walked away from God, and the work of God, and went about his own way. It is dangerous for any of us to develop and "I don't care" attitude, but especially it is dangerous for those of us who are or may be leaders. God wants us to be concerned about His work, and about Him. Pharaoh was not a Christian, but we Christians can be the same way, God is working, and we just don't really care. Hey, the heart can be hardened to a point of no return for either a Christian or a sinner. May God help us to have tender hearts.

This is the day. for 8/14

God is Great.

I don't even know how to say it, but God is the Greatest Being in the Universe. It is almost impossible for me to even begin to comprehend how Wonderful God is! He does not consume us because of His Mercy. He Saves us by His Grace. He Loves us even though we have done nothing to merit His Love. He measured out the Seas in His Hand, He formed the creatures incorporating mind boggling design into each of them, and adding delicate details that we may never fully understand. Then He created a man and, even though He knew man would fail, placed that man in charge of all creation. God is so infinite, so holy, so omnipresent that the human mind could spend twenty life times trying to figure out just one aspect of Him, and still fall short. Then there would be so many other aspects to try to figure out that it would simply be an impossible task. This is just random, but I believe that God deserves all the glory, praise and honor that we have. God IS great!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is the day.

Exodus 7:3 And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and multiply my signs and my wonders in the land of Egypt.
Exo_7:13 And he hardened Pharaoh's heart, that he hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had said.
Exo_7:14 And the LORD said unto Moses, Pharaoh's heart is hardened, he refuseth to let the people go.
Exo_7:22 And the magicians of Egypt did so with their enchantments: and Pharaoh's heart was hardened, neither did he hearken unto them; as the LORD had said.

The prevailing theme of all of these verses is that Pharaoh's heart was hardened. It doesn't take a whole lot for someone to harden their heart against God. It only takes a measure of unbelief, a measure of rebellion, and some self-will. Its hard to tell how many people have, at one time, been tender toward the Word of God, and have decided not to take an opportunity to trust in Him. The next time it got even easier to shy away from God, until finally their heart was hard against the Lord. We should strive to be tender to every nudge of God, and to be close to Him so that we don't develop that hardness that Pharaoh had. Yes, even a Christian can get hard against God. May we always be toward God as little children, and endeavor to never get as "wise" as Adam and Eve decided that they wanted to be. Your heart does not have to be hard! God will give us a chance to accept what He has for us if we will only be tender toward Him.

This is the day. for 8/12

Exodus 4:21 And the LORD said unto Moses, When thou goest to return into Egypt, see that thou do all those wonders before Pharaoh, which I have put in thine hand: but I will harden his heart, that he shall not let the people go. This passage is a sad one.  The heart of Pharaoh was hardened.  God's judgment was certain on Egypt, and God was planning to plague that great land, and basically destroy all of its wealth, and its great army.  Anyone who knows the story should know that Pharaoh should have been so affected by the plagues that he should have changed his attitude toward God, but he decided to resist God, and God allowed His heart to get harder, and harder.  Pharaoh's wealth was destroyed, and his nation was destroyed because he would not give in to God.  How sad it is to see so many people in this same basic condition in the day in which we live.  Why don't they understand that God is in control, and that He is the only way to true happiness.

This is the day.

Exodus 4:14 And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Moses, and he said, Is not Aaron the Levite thy brother? I know that he can speak well. And also, behold, he cometh forth to meet thee: and when he seeth thee, he will be glad in his heart.   This is a very interesting passage.  I have a couple of simple thoughts on it.  First, God was angry with Moses because Moses was making excuses for why he could not serve God.  How often we are guilty of the same thing.  Even worse, we make excuses for why we "can't" hold a certain standard, and why it would be "impossible" to make that particular sacrifice for the Lord.  Wow, what a weak bunch of lilly-livered Christians we are.  When I ponder how the early Christians would not even fight back against lions, torches, whips, and certain death, all while having the knowledge that if they denied Christ verbally they could be set free, it almost makes me sick at my own feeble attempts to serve Christ.  Then I look around and see so many other professing Christians who don't even try as hard as I do.  It becomes easier and easier to see why the forces of Satan seem to have such a grip on our society.   The young people who are coming up, seem to fall into one of three categories.  First, those who try to be something they are not.   Some may be surprised to find out that a high percentage of young people who go to Bible College, or who graduate from Accademies aren't even saved.  Yes, that is correct, there is an ever-growing number of young people in "Christian service," who are not Christians.  What a shame that easy-believism has deceived so many into a false sense of salvation.  Second, there are those who don't  really give a care, this, unfortunately is the category into which the majority of young Christians fall today.  They have cell phones and e-mails, and Facebook and MySpace, and they just don't really need God.  So many of our young "preachers" are so consumed with the things of the world like movies, internet, chat rooms, and the entire entertainment industry.  The pursuit of money and fame and so many other things drag Christian young people down, and make them completely complacent about the work of God.  The final category is the few, (and that number may even be an exageration) who are really dedicated to serving God.  Oh, for young men and women who would skip a meal, or not eat all day, or take thirty minutes, or an hour to be alone with God.  What could happen if Christians would consistently read their Bibles, if we would ferverently pray for sinners,  if we would willingly sacrifice our comforts, our pleasures, and our talents and abilities into the service of God.  Men like David, and Paul did not "just happen," they spent time with God.  They were not complacent about their service in the King's army, they fought with vigor.  Most of us would have quit when it came to the Goliaths and the beatings that these two men took on.  How could they suffer so much?  God was with them!!  They walked with Him, and He blessed their lives.   My Second thought is this.  (Going back to the theme of the heart.)  Aaron was coming to meet Moses, and God said Aaron would be glad in his heart. Why?  It could be that Aaron already knew that God was going to use Moses to be the deliverer of Israel.  Just think about it, Israel has been in bondage for 400+ years, and Aaron knows that Moses is a very special person.  Now Aaron has come to find Moses, and to join him on this very special mission, delivering Israel from bondage.  Most of this is conjecture, but do you remember the time you came looking for a deliverer?  Do you remember how you left?  I know there was great joy "in my heart,"  when I finally met my Redeemer.

Interesting Statement

Thought for Today: "A pessimist is a man who looks both ways when he's crossing a one-way street." — Laurence J. Peter, Canadian-born educator and author of "The Peter Principle" (1919-1990).



We often tend to be just this way with our Christian lives. We are looking for God to work in a direction that we are not even headed in. We tend to look to the right when the danger is on the left, and vice versa. Just a thought, the road to heaven is a one way road. How often are we looking the other way when we are supposed to be travelling toward Heaven?

This is the day.

Genesis 45:26 And told him, saying, Joseph is yet alive, and he is governor over all the land of Egypt. And Jacob's heart fainted, for he believed them not.   Here we see Jacob's heart fainting.  He had believed that Joseph was dead, and had mourned for Joseph for years, but now his sons were telling him that Joseph was alive.  Naturally, unbelief was Jacob's first reaction.  Jacob had made Joseph his favorite son, and had lost him because of his other son's jealousy, now Jacob had the opportunity to see him again.  How sad it is that, as Christians, often when the things we would like to happen the most, happen, we doubt that God has actually allowed this to happen to us.  We faint in our hearts and wallow in unbelief, rather than just enjoying the blessings and provision that God has given us.  Human nature is to expect the worst, but, as Christians, our new nature should begin to be programmed to expect great things from God.  We sing songs like, "There's nothing my God can't do." and then flounder and dobt His power.  Oh, that our relationship with God would become one of faith and trust, rather than one of doubt and fear!  Truly, God can do anything, anywhere, at any time, and any way that He wants to.  What a wonderful God we serve!  Do you know Him?  Has He done the greatest work of all in your life?  Have you accepted Him as your Lord and Saviour?  If not, He is waiting to do something wonderful in your life.  Why don't you accept Him today?

This is the day.

Romans 8:8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.   What a powerful verse this is!  God will not be pleased with us if we are in the flesh.  In the Bible we are told of three basic categories of sin: the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life.  Isolating the lust of the flesh, and applying it to this verse, we can say that "flesh" would apply to the sensual elements of live.  Our touch, smell, hearing, and tastes would therefore be included in this category.  Again, using this verse we can say that if what we are doing primarily feeds our sinful appetites, feelings, or sounds it cannot please God.  I was even thinking about what we listen to in the form of gospel music, if we are listening to this to feed our fleshly desire for music, are we pleasing God?  When we follow our feelings without consulting God about the answer, are we pleasing God?   When we give in to fleshly appetites, are we pleasing God?  According to Romans 8:8, no!  Our desire should be to please God.  May God help us to remember that we are citizens of anouther country, and that we can be free from the flesh if we will only submit to God, and let Him work through us.

This is the day.

Jeremiah 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? We can be deceived in our motives(practices).  Annanias and Sapphira probably thought they were doing a good thing by giving money to the church, when they were really lying to God.    Often we tend to think that we are "serving God" for all the right reasons.  We dress right, act right, talk right, and walk in the right direction.  However, when we examin ourselves in our hearts, what is our motive?  Do we follow God to be seen of men?  Do we go to church where we go, in order to be seen, or to be able to say that we go to church?  Do we give to the church just because that is the thing to do?  Why do we do what we do?  If we find it easier to skip church than to go, we probably have the wrong motive.  If we grudgingly give our money in the offering, we probably have the wrong motive.  If we enjoy the controversy of identifying with a strong church, and like to argue with others about our stand, we probably have the wrong motive.    Our motive for serving God should be two-fold.  First, it should be out of gratitude for what He has done for us, and to be pleasing to Him.  Second, we should desire to see souls saved for God's glory.  Many of our other motives are simply wrong, and should be removed from our lives.   The heart will deceive you, if you are not careful.  May we always strive to be close to God so that He may have supreme control of our hearts.  If He has control of our hearts, our hearts will not deceive us, rather they will direct us into a walk that is pure, and consistant.

This is the day. for 8/5

Jeremiah 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?   The heart can deceive you in your perception.  Think of Saul the King of Israel.  He was not right with God, and began to think evil of David.  David loved Saul, fought for him, and even kept his own men from killing Saul.  However, Saul made up his mind, because his heart was not right with God, that David was out to get him.   As Christians, we should be very careful not to allow ourselves to fall in this trap.  We can look at someone, and think that they have a problem with us, or that they are out to get us when their intentions are completely innocent.  We can say, "I know what they are thinking.", but we really don't.   When we get out of sorts with God, we tend to start thinking that people are out to get us.  We should try to maintain the attitude that Jesus preached in the gospels.  The attitude of turning the other cheek, and of loving even our enemies.  David was soothing Saul's soul with music the first time Saul tried to kill him.  David was not standing against Saul, but was rather trying to help him.  We should all try to be "wise as serpents, and harmless as doves."     We need to bring our minds into subjection to God, then we can have a real relationship with Him, and we will be able to think good things about others.

This is the day.

Jeremiah 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?

Following Yesterday's Post, I thought this would be a good time to give my own personal testimony of salvation. I was born into a home where my parents were really trying to do right. Both my parents were in church and were trying to serve the Lord, my Dad was even "preaching." My parents were not saved when I was born, but got saved only a few years after my birth. I do not remember unsaved parents. However, God does not have grandchildren! At the age of four years old, I realized my sinful condition, and went forward, was dealt with, and made a profession of faith in Jesus Christ. I did not, however, get saved at four years old. Although many young people in my position at that time would have always been told they were really saved, I thank my Dad and Mom for emphasizing the importance of having assurance of salvation. I went on in a state of doubts and fears for eleven more years, not knowing whether or not I was saved, and never being free from the conviction of the Holy Spirit in my life. During this time I made numerous "professions," and tried to sooth my nagging conscience by pinpointing dates and times, and trusting in them to take care of my conviction.
When I was fifteen, things changed! On a Tuesday in September, my twelve year old sister began to complain with severe stomach pain. Wednesday, a week and a day later, she had passed away. The awful realization that I was not saved, sunk in, and I became consumed with fear, and began to have anxiety attacks when I was left alone. I ended up going through counselling to learn to cope with these fears. This worked, to a point, but there was a much greater need in my life than learning to cope, I still needed to be saved.
On May 31, 2001, my aunt called my brother, who was already saved, and me inviting us to a revival meeting at Nimitz Missionary Baptist Church in Nimitz, WV. I went with them, though reluctantly. J. Bennett Collins was preaching that night, and he preached on Adam and Eve, and why the were saved. At the end of the service, I raised my hand, and then go up to leave. Mr. Collins met me at the back door, and asked if he could help me. I broke down and went to the front with him. He began to talk to me, and then showed me John 1:12. I realized that I was a sinner, and accepted Jesus Christ as my Saviour that night. Almost immediately the fears and anxiety left my life, and I have been able to deal with it ever since.

Please, do not fall into Satan's trap of accepting a false profession. If you have no assurance of salvation. You probably are not saved and need to let God give you the power (John 1:12) to become His son.

This is the day.

Jeremiah 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?

Again, speaking of the deceitfulness of the heart. Another thing that comes to my mind about how the heart deceives so many, is in their profession. So many people have gone to the altar, and said a prayer, only to get up in the same condition that they came in. The heart of man has an element about it that allows it to be religious, and therefore convince a sinner that he/she is ok. How sad the passages are in the New Testament where Jesus says He will tell many in the day of judgment, "I never knew you." Even though these people will claim to have lived right, and to have done mighty and wonderful works in the name of Jesus, they will have missed the most important thing of all, that is, repentance and true acceptance of the Saviour. Friend, please don't let your heart deceive you into thinking you are saved when you are not. The Bible says you believe with your heart, and that you will have the witness of the Holy Spirit in your heart, if these two things do not add up in your life, then you need to examine your heart, and see if you are really a child of God. If you don't have assurance, you more than likely need to really do business with God, and quit pretending to be a Christian.

This is the day. for the week of 7/27-7/31

Jeremiah 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?

God truly blessed in this week of Family Camp! The preaching from God's Word was awesome, and God only knows what will come as a result of His people being saturated with His Word all this week!

That was a kind of side note.

My thought for this devotion is that the heart will deceive you. There are numerous areas in which this can happen, but I would like to deal with one particular area today. This area is purity. The world today is an exceedingly impure place. Ungodly thoughts, imaginations, and actions run rampant in our society, and greatly affect our young people, as much as, or more than the older people. Some Biblical examples of this attitude can be seen.

The example that comes to mind, and that I will use for this devotion, is that of Amnon, David's oldest son. He had allowed lust to consume him over a young woman, and then a friend of his convinced him to wickedly take matters into his own hands. Amnon had been allowing his heart to over-rule his head. As Christians, Christ is our head, and His Word is the Law for our lives. When we begin to "follow our hearts," we often disregard our Head (Christ) and allow ourselves to think or do impure things as a result. We must always do our very best to submit to Christ, our Head, and those who He has put over us (parents, pastors, etc.), so that we may remain pure and spotless before God and man.

This is the day. for 7/23

THE HEART OF MAN

Genesis 42:28 And he said unto his brethren, My money is restored; and, lo, it is even in my sack: and their heart failed them, and they were afraid, saying one to another, What is this that God hath done unto us?

Their heart failed them. These men (the brothers of Joseph) were already in a state of fear because they felt they were being punished for their sins. They had sold Joseph, and had no idea where he was or what he was doing. They were now being treated roughly by the governor of Egypt, and thought that this must be God's judgment on them. When they opened their sacks heading home, they found all of their money restored. This made their hearts fail. We must realize that the way we act will not only affect the immediate situation. If we do someone wrong, God will repay us for what we have done. May we always strive to live a life that is pleasing to God, demonstrative of Christian principles, and right with our fellow man.

This is the day.

THE HEART OF MAN

Genesis 27:41 And Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing wherewith his father blessed him: and Esau said in his heart, The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then will I slay my brother Jacob.

We find out in the New Testament that, in God's eyes, Esau was guilty of murder at this point. Jesus said if we hat our brother, we have committed murder in our hearts, having our hearts right with God is so important, because everything we do in our hearts directly affects who we are, and how we live. God wants us to be right in our hearts. We should try to be close to God, and we should do our best to keep our hearts right with Him. We could easlily get to the point of being murderers or adulterers in our hearts, if we don't react to situations in the right way with the right attitude.

This is the day.

Genesis 24:45 And before I had done speaking in mine heart, behold, Rebekah came forth with her pitcher on her shoulder; and she went down unto the well, and drew water: and I said unto her, Let me drink, I pray thee.

This passage tells of the prayer of Abraham's servant. The example of Abraham toward this servant had taught him to pray, and to seek God, now he was seeing the result of faith toward God. God had answered the prayer of his heart, and he saw the work of God completed in his life. What kind of example have we given to those around us? Do others see the kind of faith in us that would make them want to serve God also? Are we falling short of what God wants us to be? God help us to be the right kind of Christians.

This is the day.

THE HEART OF MAN

Genesis 20:5 Said he not unto me, She is my sister? and she, even she herself said, He is my brother: in the integrity of my heart and innocency of my hands have I done this.
Genesis 20:6 And God said unto him in a dream, Yea, I know that thou didst this in the integrity of thy heart; for I also withheld thee from sinning against me: therefore suffered I thee not to touch her.

This passage is interesting. Here the heathen king had more integrity than the man of God. Abraham had lied, and Abimelech had inocently taken Sarah as his wife believing that she was Abraham's sister. God even says that Abimelech did this innocently. Hey, as Christians, you and I had better watch what we do. People are watching us, and if they see something in us that doesn't add up, they will use this as an excuse to live a life of sin. Will there be blood on our hands in the day of judgment because we lived an inconsistent life?

This is the day. for 7/16

THE HEART OF MAN

Genesis 17:17 Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him that is an hundred years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear?

Still looking at the heart, we see here that even good men have problems with there hearts. The Bible tells us later that man's heart is deceitful and wicked, and we can see this in this passage. Abraham believed what God had said about making him a great nation, yet when God tells him that He is still going to make this happen, Abraham laughs. Abraham was old, and his wife was old, the natural man could not have made either of them able to have children. Because of this Abraham mocked God in his heart. Our hearts don't really understand the workings of God, but He is not bound by our lack of belief. God can do whatever it takes to get the job done, and He doesn't need us to tell Him how to work. Abraham went so far as to ask God to fulfill His promise through Ishmael. When God says something is going to happen. MARK IT DOWN!! IT WILL HAPPEN! EVEN IF WE DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW GOD WILL WORK, HE WILL FULFILL EVERY PROMISE TO US COMPLETELY.

This is the day.

THE HEART OF GOD.

Genesis 8:21 And the LORD smelled a sweet savour; and the LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake; for the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done.

This is the second time God's heart is mentioned in the Bible, and we can see that He has been satisfied by the sacrifice of Noah after the flood. This is a great thought! God's heart is pleased by sacrifice. Read Romans 12:1-2 for a New Testament challenge to the way we are to sacrifice to God! God promised the world He would never again judge the earth by destroying all living things. What a difference a sacrifice will make! God has stated that all men are wicked, and that there is no hope for mankind outside of Him, yet He has also prepared the way for each and every one of us to be reconciled to Him. The step we must take is to offer a sacrifice to Him (ourselves). God is merciful, and if you want to touch his heart present yourelf as a sacrifice to Him. Half-heartedness on our parts will send the world around us to Hell. God is great, we should put forth an effort to serve Him with our whole hearts!

This is the day.

THE HEART OF GOD.

Genesis 6:6 And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.

What a statment is made here! God saw man's great wickedness, and His holiness was grieved. God's heart is a wonderful thing to think about, considering that it is the most tender, loving heart in the universe. How sad it is to think that our wickedness will grieve God, and make Him regret the creation of man. Many will say that the wickedness of man is even worse today than in Noah's day, so just think how much more God must be grieved if this is the case.
Let's even get more personal with this thing. Is God grieved at us because of our wicked hearts? Do we constantly dwell on thoughts of sin, and figure out ways of indulging ourselves in that sin? Is thy heart right with God? We all need to do a whole lot more self-examination, and we neeed to do all we can to stay close to God. THE SOULS OF MAN DEPEND ON CHRISTIANS WHO WALK CLOSE TO GOD!!

SONG: IS THY HEART RIGHT WITH GOD

Have thy affections been nailed to the cross?
Is thy heart right with God?
Dost thou count all things for Jesus but loss?
Is thy heart right with God?
Refrain

Is thy heart right with God,
Washed in the crimson flood,
Cleansed and made holy, humble and lowly,
Right in the sight of God?

Hast thou dominion o’er self and o’er sin?
Is thy heart right with God?
Over all evil without and within?
Is thy heart right with God?

Refrain

Is there no more condemnation for sin?
Is thy heart right with God?
Does Jesus rule in the temple within?
Is thy heart right with God?

Refrain

Are all thy pow’rs under Jesus’ control?
Is thy heart right with God?
Does He each moment abide in thy soul?
Is thy heart right with God?

Refrain

This is the day.

THE HEART

Genesis 6:5 And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

The first time the heart is mentioned in the Bible, it is in this light. Man's heart is evil. In the world today, everybody tells us to "follow our hearts," or they tell us "I felt it in my heart." We can clearly see from this passage, that our hearts cannot be trusted. We are warned about the wickedness of man's heart throughout the Word of God. The only type of heart that can be trusted, is the one that has been surrendered to God. The heart is the key to belief in God, and, therefore, a key to salvation. Once we are saved, we can then begin to slightly trust our hearts, but we still must be careful, because there are two natures working within us, and the one that has controlled our hearts the longest is very, very wicked.

This is the day.

I Timothy 4:1 I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom;
2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.
3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;
4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.
5 But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.

The charge of Paul is simple: keep in the fight! Keep doing the work of God, and keep serving Him. Fight against those who would pervert the truth, and challenge them through the power of sound doctrine. Be ready to reprove (2. To charge with a fault to the face; to chide; to reprehend. Luke 3.), rebuke (1. To chide; to reprove; to reprehend for a fault; to check by reproof.), and to exhort (1. To incite by words or advice; to animate or urge by arguments to a good deed or to any laudable conduct or course of action). In the days in which we live we must be ferverent with the fight for truth and righteousness.

Keep on the firing line

If you’re in the battle for the Lord and right,
Keep on the firing line;
If you win, my brother, surely you must fight,
Keep on the firing line;
There are many dangers that we all must face,
If we die still fighting it is no disgrace;
Cowards in the service will not find a place,
So keep on the firing line.

Refrain:
Oh, you must fight, be brave against all evil,
Never run, nor even lag behind;
If you would win for God and the right,
Just keep on the firing line.

God will only use the soldier He can trust,
Keep on the firing line;
If you’ll wear a crown then bear the cross you must,
Keep on the firing line.
Life is but to labor for the Master dear,
Help to banish evil and to spread good cheer;
Great you’ll be rewarded for your service here,
So keep on the firing line.

When we get to heaven, brother, we’ll be glad,
Keep on the firing line;
How we’ll praise the Savior for the call we had,
Keep on the firing line;
When we see the souls that we have helped to win,
Leading them to Jesus, from the paths of sin,
With a shout of welcome, we will all march in,
So keep on the firing line.

This is the day. for 7/9

PICTURES OF SALVATION

Genesis 7:1 And the LORD said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation.

God provided a way to escape from judgment. The ark that God provided was a beautiful picture of the provisions made by God through Jesus Christ. The ark was big enough to hold all who would come in. The servants of God invited everyone they could to come into the ark. The ark had only one door, Jesus Christ said that He is the door into heaven, and that He is the only way into heaven. There is only one door to salvation. There was only one window in the ark. As a picture of salvation, the purpose of the window was to look up. Jesus said He would draw men to the Father, therefore, pointing their focus UP to heaven, and God the father. The ark was a bastion of safety from the troubles and the destruction of the World, Jesus is our saftey, and our strong tower. The ark was lifted up by the forces of the world, and being lifted up saved the people who would come in from the effects of sin. Jesus was lifted up one day, on a hill called Mount Calvary, so that anyone who GETS IN may be saved from sin. The ark came to rest on a place of blessing. In the end of this thing, we will all be settled safely, BY OUR ARK (JESUS CHRIST), in that place of blessing (heaven) to forever be SAVED from sin. Hallelujah!!

This is the day.

PICTURES OF SALVATION

Genesis 5:21 And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah:
22 And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters:
23 And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years:
24 And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.

Some may consider this a stretch under the title "Pictures of Salvation," however, there are a couple of important things here about saved people. First, there is a walk with God. Enoch walked with God for 300 years. If your salvation is real, you will do everything that you can to consistently walk with God. God's way is the right way, and only by walking in His way will your salvation be worth anything more than a ticket out of Hell.
Second, Enoch is a picture of the rapture. One of these days, Jesus WILL come again, and when He does come all of the saints who are alive at the time will go to heaven to be with Him in that glorious event known as the rapture. Can you say with the Apostle John, "even so COME, Lord Jesus?"

This is the day.

PICTURES OF SALVATION.

Genesis 4:3 And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD.
4 And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering:
5 But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.

Here we have a striking reminder that only throug God's prescribed method will man be justified. Cain tried to please God, Cain's way, and was not justified in God's sight. Abel came in God's prescribed manner, and was justified. God had to banish Cain, after the murder of Abel, after giving him ample time to repent. YOU WILL ONLY EVER BE ABLE TO BE SAVED THROUGH THE BLOOD OF JESUS CHRIST, THAT IS GOD'S PRESCRIBED METHOD. ANYTHING ELSE, ANY OTHER WAY, SIMPLY WILL NEVER WORK, AND YOU WILL END UP IN HELL. YOU ONLY GET TO HEAVEN GOD'S WAY,NOTHING ELSE WORKS.