Built Upon

There aren't times in your life when you're just waiting; you're always on mission.  God is our one true comfort in any situation.  It's worth it to press pass resistance.  You say you have nothing in common with them, but they're heading towards hell just as fast as you were.  Everything you do for Christ will last forever. God isn't a tangible presence, but an all-encompassing presence.  The only way to be filled with the spirit is to empty myself of me.  sometimes we know the cost of everything and the value of nothing.  See the one and do something about it, instead of seeing the all and doing nothing.  "A belief, no matter how sincere, if not reflected, isn't a belief. It's a delusion." ~Kyle Idleman It's crucial to have hope and power beyond ourselves.  Don't focus on trying to change yourself, focus on God.  "True humility isn't thinking less of yourself, it's thinking of yourself less." ~C.S. Lew...

  God is like the focus mechanism on binoculars, without it pretty much everything is out of focus.  "He who prays as he ought will endeavour to live as he prays." ~John Owen While reading the Bible is beneficial, and indeed critical to the Christian walk, it is not the sole determinate of the strength of your relationship with God.  You can't live for Him without living with Him.  "Interpretation without application is abortion." ~Dr. Howard Hendricks If you wait till you 'feel' like it to change, you will never change.  "Our best havings are wantings." ~C.S. Lewis Live like someone died for you.  "If therefore anybody is lost, the blame is theirs, but if anybody is saved, the credit is God's." ~John Stott Hell is the most just place in all creation.  God's grace not only forgives us, but also transforms us.  "Dreams don't work unless you do." ~John Maxwell "At the day of judgement, we shall...

For he grew up before him like a young plant,      and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him,      and no beauty that we should desire him. 3   He was despised and rejected by men;      a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces      he was despised, and we esteemed him not. 4   Surely he has borne our griefs      and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken,      smitten by God, and afflicted. 5  But he was pierced for our transgressions;      he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,      and with his wounds we are healed. 6   All we like sheep have gone astray;      we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord ...

              What is prayer? Prayer isn't about us and what we get out of it or even about helping others. I've heard many times from people that you should try to pray less for yourself and more for others. So is that what prayer is about?          Let's pretend that you're a man named Billy and you live in a kingdom with a king who is willing to meet with you at any time. You go see him maybe once or twice a day. When you go, you say "Hey, how's it going?" no pause "So I have some issues, my wife's sick, one of my cows are lost, and my kids won't behave. Also my friend Joe has some financial troubles. So if you would help us out, that would be awesome. So thanks, bye, see you later, and you're pretty cool I guess."         Let's be honest. In this scenario, when you're in and out in less than three minutes, you don't really care about the king at all. It's all ...

Reject or add to parts of the Bible. "All scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work." (2 Timothy 3:16-17) The Bible warns in both Proverbs 30:5-6 (Do not add to His words lest he rebuke you and you be found a liar) and  Revelations 22:18-19 that His scripture is not to be added to or taken from, for it is breathed out by God in divine revelation. So if one proclaimed to know God and boasts a revelation for additions or subtractions from the bible, he lies.       Don't stay within the Church "They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us." (I John 2:19) If someone is a true Christian, they will stay within the body of Christ, His church. If someone leaves the ch...

          A general misconception among non-Christians and new Christians is that when you become a Christian, you have to change your way of life. Taking into consideration things we've heard all our life that a 'good Christian' doesn't do, we strive to discipline ourselves to conform to the ideal of a good Christian. In time, we general have a decent amount of success. Whether it be drinking, smoking, cussing, unfriendliness, bad influences, or any number of things, if we discipline ourselves, we are able to make our outward appearance more 'holy.'            However, the fact of the matter is, that this isn't what we're called to do. The Bible never says "When you believe in Jesus, discipline yourself to look more like Him." What it actually says is "And we all, with unveiled faces, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to...

        Sovereign is defined as "Being above all others in character, importance, excellence, etc." and "A person who has supreme power and authority." As we can see from the bible, God is sovereign in both of these aspects. Isaiah says in Isaiah 14:27 "For the Lord of hosts has purposed, and who will annul it? His hand is stretched out, and who will turn it back?" In Proverbs 16:9, Solomon says "The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps." The fact that God is sovereign means He has supreme authority over everything; not in the same way as a king or queen of earth but as the supreme Lord of all creation, with control of everything. The fact that He is sovereign also means his character is impeccable, unlike all of humanity.  "For my thoughts are not your thoughts,  neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.  For as the heavens are higher than the earth,  so are my ways higher than your wa...

        John 10:11- "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep." Jesus shows Himself metaphorically as a shepherd and us, His people, as His sheep.          Compared to the intelligence of the shepherd, sheep are not intelligent. They can't survive for long wandering on their own. It's upon the protection of their shepherd that they must rely. Indisputably, sheep are entirely undeserving of their shepherd's protection. However, a shepherd protects and fights for his sheep even to the point of death.         In Jesus' case, He fought for us and protected us by His death on a cross. As a sheep's understanding is minuscule compared to the vast perspicacity and intellect of his shepherd, so is Jesus' understanding of this world and life infinite beyond our imaginations. Without Christ, we can't survive for long. We're headed for death. Yet with Him, we can have protection and eter...

        After Jesus fed the 5,000, He crossed the sea to Capernaum. The next day, the crowd followed Him. When they found Him, they inquired "Rabbi, when did you come here?" Jesus answered them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs but because you ate your fill of the loaves." The crowd was merely seeking after Him for materialistic gain. He then says "Do not labor for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you." Jesus was rebuking them for only working for transient worldly gain instead of eternal gain. He goes on to say "I am the bread of life, whoever comes to me shall not hunger and whoever believes in me shall never thirst." What did Jesus mean by calling Himself the bread of life?         When Moses and the Israelites wandered in the wilderness for 40 years,  they were starving until God provided bread (manna) from ...

        What is grace? If you're a Christian, no doubt you've heard this word tossed about plenty of times. "It's all by the grace of God." "Just respond to His grace." Wait, what? By definition, grace is "The free and unmerited favour of God, as manifested in the salvation of sinners and the bestowal of blessings." To put it succinctly, everything good in your life is by the grace of God. As humans, we don't truly deserve anything from an almighty, all-powerful God of the universe. It is through His grace that He sent His son to die for our sins and make us new. Jesus is grace manifested.         In Jesus' sermon on the mount in Matthew chapter 5, He mentions that "Not an iota, not a dot has passed away" from the law. When I used to read this, I would become confused; thinking "Wait, what Jesus? I thought life wasn't just about upholding the law anymore because you died for us... right?" But now I realize...