CHASING ELEPHANTS

Have you ever asked God to let you be half as good as your dog thinks you are?

FOCUS ON GOD; NOT THE ‘I GOT YOU QUESTIONS’

There are so many perplexing questions facing us in life. Such as, “Which came first the chicken or the egg?” GOD came first, creating the chicken with the ability to lay eggs.

Have you ever asked God to let you be half as good as your dog thinks you are? Well, I want to be greater than great; in fact, I am leaning toward being the greatest. Our pride is astounding at times.  So concerned with our self-image, what others have, and what we do not. God is not impressed with how your self-esteem is feeling but how bright the Image of Christ reflects in your life.

Many things in life are not worth the time invested, questions we entertain have no redeeming qualities, and our positions on earth are fleeting at best. Our eternal posts and crowns must have our complete and undivided attention. For this reason, James tells us to, “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.”

When you think about all the “Got You” questions in life, it is amazing what people come up with, especially concerning God. “Since God is love, why would He send anyone to Hell?” HE DOESN’T! Those who deny Christ will, by that decision alone, determine their eternal state. Free choice can either be a gift or a curse. Recall the fall in the garden and stay obedient to God’s Truth.

Here is a ridiculous question asked of me, “If God is so great, can He make a rock too heavy for Him to pick up? WELL YES, HE IS GOD. But then He could reduce the weight and toss the rock across the universe. Silly little “Got You” Questions that only comfort those who would debate and deny God anyway. GOD DOES NOT PLAY THAT GAME!

When David killed Goliath, was he great, his aim greater or the rock greatest? His faith was more significant than the men of war; however, the God he served was the greatest. The Lord’s strength was the greatest of David’s weapons. He humbled himself before God for such a time as this.

“WHAT’S-IN-IT-FOR-ME?”  ASKED THE CURIOUS BELIEVER

The WII-FM question is for you and you alone to answer. If you are living for Christ, then the answer would be, ALL ETERNITY!

However, separation from God through sin has ramifications on the individual, their circle of family, and friends. Justly, we do reap what we sow. Sin has consequences that affect us momentarily, seasonally, generationally, and in some cases, eternally. Since we have free choice, we must choose our decisions in life wisely. We need faith in God to begin anything we try to do.

Hebrews 11:6 states, “But without faith, it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” Notice, we first believe in the existence of God, then we must believe that God is good and rewards those who diligently seek Him. Faith is critical to our new life in Christ. Faith saved us; therefore, we walk in faith; we live by faith, and we bring glory to God when we grow in faith.

If we are to count it all joy during the fiery trials of life, it is critical to our understanding “What’s-In-It-For-Me,”; so, we know why we are pressing on. We must get it right here on earth, so to be right when we arrive in Heaven. Remember, there are no do-overs once we leave this life behind.

HOW HIGH DOES A FLY FLY, BEFORE TURNING OVER TO LAND ON THE CEILING?

LET’S CHASE THIS ELEPHANT OUT OF THE ROOM!

The Unpardonable Sin is Blasphemy Against the Holy Spirit. The longer you sin, the easier it is to reject Christ. That is the road to the unpardonable sin. Continual rejection of the call of the Spirit will leave you hard and calloused. Eventually, as you continue the path of denial, it will be too late. You will die without Jesus, and pardon will be impossible. If you care and worry about if you have blasphemed the Holy Spirit, then He is still working on you. You have not committed the unpardonable sin. If you do not care, who knows?

The UNPARDONABLE SINis the rejection of the Holy Spirit’s Testimony concerning Jesus Christ, the Messiah, Lord, and Savior of the World. If we repent of our sins and receive Christ Jesus, we will inherit Eternal Life. Rejecting the Holy Spirit’s Testimony concerning Christ will separate us from God for all Eternity.

This Unpardonable Sin can only become a Forgivable Sin up to our last breath on earth. If our final words are asking for forgiveness, then we have made a death-bed confession, and God will receive us into His Kingdom. Remember, the First Fruit of Jesus’ Labor was the one thief on the Cross that confessed and entered Paradise with Him that very day. 

The free choice is ours to make, to faithfully believe, and receive unto salvation or reject and deny unto eternal damnation. Remember, God does not send anyone to hell; we make that decision alone. There are NO-DO-OVERS once we have left this earth.

IT IS ALL FINISHED, PAID IN FULL!

The Christ who died on Calvary’s Cross, will not have to die again for our new sins or to offer a new atonement for any transgressions we may yet commit. The fulfillment of all things happened when Jesus became the target of God’s wrath and judgment of sin, when, “He who knew no sin became sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21).

God the Father laid upon God the Son all the guilt and wrath our sins deserved, and He bore it in Himself perfectly, totally satisfying the wrath of God for us. He successfully offered Himself as a substitute sin offering for all humanity. He then prepared to yield His life and die, having finished the work.

Christ has offered himself, and died and suffered in our stead, and gone into His glory in heaven. If we cannot depend upon Him, what more would we have him do? Shall He come and die again? If we rejected Him once; would we reject him if He died twice?

So, when Jesus had received the sour wine, He spoke three words, “It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His Spirit. John 19:30. He had finished the eternal purpose of the Cross. His finished work became the foundation of all believer’s faith, grace, hope, peace, and Eternal Salvation.

So, having begun, He continues His work in our lives. He is the author, the finisher, the beginning, the end. He said, “I am the Alpha and the Omega; the beginning and the end.” This is true of God’s faithfulness in completing His new creation in us. He is the author of it, and He is the finisher of it.

Pressing Toward the Goal: “Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me” (Philippians 3:12).

Who invented toast and why?

DO ALL ROADS LEAD TO GOD? WELL YES AND NO.

“I AM THE WAY, THE TRUTH, AND THE LIFE”

 Jesus rules out every other religious system. He is not “a” way but “the” only way to the Father. Thomas said unto him, Lord, we do not know where you are going; and how can we know the way? Jesus said unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man comes to the Father, but by me (John 14:5-6).

He is declaring He is not one of many ways, but the one and only way. He is also “the truth,” not “a truth,” and “not a way but the way to life eternal.”

The greatest and most deceptive lie conceived by man is that “ALL ROADS LEAD TO GOD.” This eternally destructive lie states that since God is love, and you are a good person, God will never send you to hell. The whole and complete truth is, that all roads do lead to God but for distinct reasons and different ends: believers for their rewards and non-believers for judgment.

Furthermore, God does not send anyone to hell. We alone choose between heaven or hell according to our belief in or rejection of Jesus Christ. Those who accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior will receive eternal life. Those who deny Christ will be judged, and by that decision alone, be separated from God for all eternity. Free choice can either be a gift or a curse. Recall the Fall in the Garden and stay obedient to God’s Truth.

IT LOOKS LIKE THE ELEPHANT IS BACK IN THE ROOM

Eternal Security: Only you can move this elephant (of eternal security) from the room. Remember, “work out your salvation with fear and trembling…” (Philippians 2:12)

Searching the Scriptures, you will find passages supporting both views. An EXCELLENT PERSONAL STUDY you might want to spend time on for your peace of mind. What does the Word of God tell you about both views?  The appeal of Peter will serve you well, “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to answer every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear” (1 Peter 1:5).

Our positions on various Scriptures that are not related to Doctrine will not interfere with our Salvation. For example, many debate the Rapture of the Church. When does Christ come for His Church? Pre-Tribulation, Mid-Tribulation, or Post-Tribulation.

Our position does not matter in God’s Plan of Salvation. God will take His Bride out in His time. It will happen when it happens; we only need to be ready. Not even Jesus knows the day or the hour.

Where it’s right to hold an opinion, it is not right to let that opinion hold you. The pessimist sees the glass half empty, the optimist sees the glass half full, but the Psalmist proclaims, “My cup runneth over…” (Psalm 23:5). Our views on reality might be different from mind to mind, but our opinion doesn’t give us a pass on eternal matters. We must still have our Salvation worked out before the coming of the Lord.

Here is an effective way of thinking when contemplating the rapture:

• If it is Pre-Tribulation, then praise God and be ready.

• The Mid-Tribulation camp should be ok because they need not fear the mark of the beast during the first 3 ½ years.

• But Woe unto the Post-Tribulation believers because all hell is going to break out. Please remember that 666 is not your friend, no matter how bad it gets.

When believers live according to God’s purpose and will, they should find security in their Salvation. For those who commit spiritual suicide by walking away from the Lord, should be much concerned. “They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us” (1 John 2:19). If you are in Christ, He abides in you.

THANK GOD, the Spirit of God is conforming us into the image of Christ as He works within us day by day. The finished work of the Holy Spirit in my life will have me thoroughly conformed into the image of Jesus, “I shall be satisfied when I awake in Your likeness” (Psalm 17:15). On that day, we will see him face to face, and again be what Adam was when God first created him. So, we diligently surrender to His Spirit working within us. Putting-off and putting-on.

FROM GLORY TO GLORY: The reflection of His glory will shine forth in us even in this life, also as we share His agony and bear His Cross. From glory to glory, to even closer conformity with the image of the Son of God. “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, [even] as by the Spirit of the Lord” (2 Corinthians 3:18).

Because we are destined to be like Him, He is the only “pattern” we must follow.  And because He lives His life in us, we too can “walk even as he walked” (1 John 2:6), and “do as he done” (John 13:15), “love as he loved” (Ephesians 5:2; John 13:34, 15:12), “forgive as he forgave” (Colossians 3:13), “have this mind which was also in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:5).

WHY WAS BABY JESUS BORN IN A STABLE?

My wife has always been concerned about where baby Jesus was born. Foremost, there was not even “Room in the Inn” for this precious child. After all, wasn’t He God’s Son and our Redeemer? Though He is the King of Kings, He was born in a stable filled with the smell of livestock. The fulfillment of the prophecy was satisfied in this stable. Thus, preparing the way for our salvation.

Sometimes we feel there’s “No Room in the Inn” for us. Our life takes a direction we had not planned. The trials of life consume us to the point of wanting to give up. A Five-Star Hotel is not in the budget. We begin listening to all the lies from our enemy to end up questioning God Himself. 

Satan’s greatest weapon is man’s ignorance of God’s Word!  Additionally, half of the truth is the worst part of the lie. With every temptation, there is a lie involved. (1) The Prove It Lie, (2) The “For It Is Written” Lie, and (3) The Short Cut Lie. The devil deceived Eve in the garden with these lies while Jesus was victorious in the wilderness.

God is setting up His eternal kingdom, and He uses the fiery trials of life to build our faith, mature us, lead us, deliver us, and develop character within us. Foremost, tests are one-way God’s plan can merge with His purpose for our lives.

So, it’s critical to understand the purpose of trials so to know what to do, how to do it, when to do it, why we are doing it, what happens if we don’t do it and what are our rewards for doing it right?  A great insight is we embrace trials while resisting temptations. We must get it right here on earth, so to be right when we arrive in heaven. Remember, there are no do-overs once we leave this life behind.

Absolute belief in God’s Word is mandatory for every believer. From receiving Jesus Christ, having your sins forgiven to taking part in His promises, and receiving eternal life. The Bible is God’s revelation of Himself to man. The only way to know the truth about God is through His Word-JESUS. Scripture should always be at the threshold of every decision we face because the Bible Is God’s Mind Written Down. Jesus is reciting Himself.

Discerning the origin of trials helps formulate the proper response to them and uncovers God’s purposes behind them. Are they from the devil, our carnal mind, imposed by a fallen world and the people around us, or something God would have us embrace?  Discovering the purpose of trials, how to overcome them, how to be obedient during them, how to grow because of them will lay the foundation to “. . . Count it all joy” when these fiery trials appear.

Jesus is dead serious about His Word; in fact, He died to keep His Word. He says that we must be born again of the Spirit, enter the fellowship of His suffering, conformed into His image, and live in the power of His resurrection. We’re also told to do good works on earth, lay our treasures up in heaven, and seek the kingdom of God more than anything else. Knowing that the truth will set us free, we will rely on the author and finisher of our faith (Jesus) to teach us the doctrinal truth in everything.

Since faith is our lifeline to God, we will believe the good news that God is for us and not against us. He can use any situation in life to bless us. For example, because Mary and Joseph endured the “No Room in the Inn” trial, our Savior was born to die on the CROSS for WHOSOEVER would in faith believe, receive, and be saved eternally. Although salvation is free, we must repent of our sins and give God control over our lives. Our sojourn begins at our conversion, and He has much to do through us in this lifetime. 

Finally, there was “No Room in the Inn” for Jesus, yet that didn’t stop Him from fulfilling His purpose!  Because Jesus endured the trials on earth (but without sin), He can promise that we will be moving out of our stables here on earth into the Father’s house one day. “. . . In my Father’s house are many mansions, And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself. . .” (John 14:1-4).

“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

Moreover, whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.

What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?” -Romans 8:28-31

“Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6).

Have questions search the scriptures. Need God, reach out.