" A LIFETIME COMMITMENT "

Good Morning To You All,

This weeks subject is one that might just hit a nerve with some of you. Please understand that I am not judging but touching on a subject that has long term consequences. The decisions that some of us make in life are regrettably made when we are in an emotional state of mind. I truly have to work on God being in the decision making process for everything. We are accountable for our every word, action and deed in our life. It's high time that we purposed to truly act like disciples of Jesus Christ. We all have made mistakes and I'm sure that we will stumble and fall in the future. It's vital that we pick ourselves up dust ourselves off and seek the face of God. People divorce for a host of reasons and as I said earlier I'm not here to judge, but I am here to hopefully invest in your life.

Jesus says in no uncertain terms that marriage is a lifetime commitment. Much to often we find that couples enter into marriage with an escape plan. Once upon a time when a man took a wife in marriage, and discovers some indecency in her he was allowed to divorce her. God allows divorce as a concession to people's sinfulness. Now, please take note, divorce was not approved but it was instituted to protect the injured party in a bad situation. Don't enter into marriage with the option of getting out when and if it becomes hard. I understand that living with another can at times be stressful even challenging, just ask my wife of 40 years. We have had our ups and downs, and yes our disagreements, more than I would care to admit. But we've weathered the turbulence of life and marriage. All that to say, your marriage is more likely to be happy if from the outset you and your spouse are committed to permanence. It's been suggested that we should be hardheaded in our determination, with God's help, to stay together. Husbands should not break faith with their wives and ignore the bonding between the husband and a wife that God instills ( the two become one person), as well as his purpose for them (raising children who love the Lord, "godly offspring"). Guys you should not break faith with your wives, and don't ignore the bonding relationship and spiritual purpose of being united with God.

When we know we've done something wrong, we want to downplay the error and relieve some of the guilt we feel. As we minimize our sinfulness, we naturally shy away from making changes, and so we keep on sinning. Sins involving sex are not innocent dabblings in forbidden pleasures, as is so often portrayed, but powerful destroyers of relationships. They confuse and tear down the climate of respect, trust, and credibility so essential for solid marriages and secure children. Let your marriage grow strong by protecting your relationship from too many outside pressures and distractions. Divorce is as hurtful and destructive today as in Jesus' day. When we enter into marriage, people should never consider divorce an option for solving problems or a way out of a relationship that seems dead. Are your actions today helping your marriage grow stronger, or are you tearing it apart? Those who discover that their spouse has been unfaithful should first make every effort to forgive, reconcile, and restore their relationship. We are always to look for reasons to restore the marriage relationship rather than looking for excuses to leave it. Don't be one of those who purposefully abuse the marriage contract, using divorce to satisfy their lustful desire to marry someone else. TO LEAVE YOUR SPOUSE FOR ANOTHER PERSON MAY BE LEGAL, BUT IT IS ADULTERY IN GOD'S EYES. One should not divorce their spouse on a whim. Divorce in most cases is a permanent and final act for a couple.

Let's work on checking with God before we make any decision. " In everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus" (1 Thess. 5:18). Even when evil strikes we can still be thankful that the Lord is right their with us as he will never leave us nor forsake us. Please remember that even in the midst of turmoil, God is in control, so rejoice always.

Until Next Time...

Jim

" APPEARANCE vs CHARACTER "

Good day to you all and I lovingly wish you the very best that my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ has to offer. Well the holidays are truly upon us and I believe that we must go the extra mile to share the Word of God with others. Because of commercialism this time of year has truly become stressful for most, when it should be a time of Love and worship.
What do you see when you look at another, I've even heard some say that they can size up another on sight. Then there's another saying out there, that you can't judge a book by it's cover. I believe in learning about one's character.

Now, a person's character is often revealed by how he or she reacts to the unexpected.
But the Lord said to Samuel, " Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." You know God will test us. Is your character one of moral fiber or do you have tendencies to explore the things that are not of God? Are you a person of moral character? A lack of integrity can result into family strife and deception. Integrity and wise choices reflect godly character and I'm a firm believer that one's reaction to the unexpected should be God centered. We should not hate or resent times of inner testing, because through them God can strengthen our character and teach us valuable lessons. Temptation is bad for us only when we give in. How many times have you looked at a person for the very first time and made an instant judgment? God warns us about judging by appearance alone. When we judge by outside appearances we may over look quality individuals who lack the particular physical qualities society currently admires.

People tend to do what ever it takes to be appealing. We diet, hire trainers, join the gym across town, we go under the knife for surgery and we even get total make-overs. News Flash: appearance doesn't reveal what people are actually like or what their true value is! To one's delight, God judges by faith and character not appearances. Maybe it's time to allow the Father to do His supernatural surgery on one's heart.

God will test us, not to trip us and watch us fall, but to deepen our capacity to obey God and thus to develop our character. As purification through fire as fire refines ore to extract precious metals, God refines us through difficult circumstances. When we're going through a time of testing we can complain, or we can try to see how God is stretching us to develop our character. Our faithfulness can be rewarded with blessings greater than you or I might imagine. Remember only you and God know what your heart really looks like. Maybe 2010 will be a great time to work on your character. Just maybe your reaction to the unexpected will change in the upcoming year. MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY " CHRIST-CENTERED NEW YEAR ".

Until Next time,

Jim

" FAITH SHOWN BY A ROMAN CENTURION"

Greetings to you all,

May the good Lord be with you in all you think, do and say. Have you ever wondered why some people can say something and it comes to pass and another nothing happens? Today I have just a word for you and it's about believing or having the same kind of authority in your words, in your prayers and in the way you carry yourself. This man knew that all he had to do was to speak and his words would be honored.

" Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see" (Heb 11:1). Faith is the confidence based on past practical knowledge that God's new and hot off the press surprises will undoubtedly be ours.

A centurion was a career military officer in the Roman army with control over 100 plus soldiers. Now, it was a known fact that Roman soldiers, of all people, were hated by the Jews for their oppression, control, and ridicule. This man came to Jesus not as a last resort of superstition or magic charm, but because he believed Jesus was sent from God. Go figure a man of authority disregarding his own teachings and life experiences. This centurion could have allowed many obstacles to stand between him and Jesus -- self-glorification, mistrust, shekels a means of communication, distance, time, self-sufficiency, power and race, but he didn't. If this man did not let these barriers block his approach to Jesus, we don't need to either. Now, what keeps you from Christ? This man's genuine faith amazed Jesus! This hated Gentile's faith put to shame the inactive duty of many of the Jewish religious leaders.

This Roman centurion didn't come to Jesus, and he didn't expect Jesus to come to him. Just as this officer did not need to be present to have his orders carried out, so Jesus didn't need to be present to heal. The centurion's faith was especially amazing because he was a Gentile who had not been brought up to know a loving God. What's your faith like, is it limited or unlimited. All one has to remember is that all things are possible with God.

Until Next Time, Keep The Faith...

Jim

" PITFALLS OF IMMORALITY "

So how was your day and how did you fair out this past week ? Are you remembering to put on your armor daily, please know how important it is not to get side tracked. When we don't armor up we open the door for unforeseen troubles.

It seems that every time we turn around, we're hearing about some celebrity who has broken his or her marriage vows. They get in front of some networks television camera and or a journalist and apologize, but for what, getting caught? How many times have you heard about someone in your community separating and then divorcing? We are in a world that lacks moral probity, we seem to have no center. My Bible says: " My son, keep my words and store up my commands within you." Are you strong in the Lord? Are you depending on the strength of God? We do this by putting on the full armor of God, we must be able to withstand the schemes of the devil. " The one who commits adultery with a woman is lacking sense; he who would destroy himself does it" (Proverbs 6:32). Listen, Satan may have you believe that nobody gets hurts in sexual sin, but somebody always gets hurt. Spouses are laid in waste, children are frightened and the family security is shaken ed. God's laws are not arbitrary, they warn us against destroying ourselves through unwise actions which can take us off of God's prepared way. Sex is a gift God gives to married people for their mutual enjoyment. We are instructed " To drink water from our own cistern" Translation Faithfulness in Marriage. Proverbs covers many warnings against illicit sex for several reasons. Sexual immorality of any kind was and still is extremely dangerous. It erodes a person's ability to love, It degrades human beings and turns them into objects, and yes it destroys families. The word of God tells us in proverbs 3:6 to " Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding".

Listen we all want to be loved and looked up to by our family and all that we come in contact with. We all must be on sentry duty in life and guard against those who use flattery and smooth speech. Smooth talk can lead us into sin, I mean immorality. Just look around you, it seems that everyone has an excuse for their actions. In the 70's there was a comedian named Flip Wilson and one of his trade mark phrases was " The devil made me do it". Listen, we can't blame the devil for every thing, our Lord God gave US free will. For our every action there is a consequence. God wants us to assist our friends and the penniless, but he does not promise to cover the costs of every unwise commitment we make.

In conclusion, the best time to learn the dangers and weakness of going after forbidden sex (or anything else that is detrimental) is long before the temptation comes. Withstanding sin is easier if the decision has already been made.

Until next Time...

Jim

" INDIFFERENCE "

Good Morning To You All,

I want you to know just how much I care about you and it is my privilege to pray for you when I'm made aware of your dilemma. Last week the topic was "Anger " and one of you was concerned about suppressing anger and how it turned into "Indifference". It is all right to be angry about injustice and sin; it is wrong to be angry over trivial personal matters.

Have you ever shown indifference to anything or in a life situation? As a husband of forty years of marriage I confess that there have been times when I showed indifference. How many times has your wife asked you to choose between this or that for dinner? Indifference is " Of no importance one way or the other ". The Word of God suggests that lukewarm water makes for a repulsive drink. It's vital that we don't become like the church of old in Laodicea . You see they had become lukewarm and therefore unsavory and repulsive. The believers didn't take a stand for anything; their indifference led to idleness. By neglecting not to do anything for Christ, the church had become hardened and self-satisfied, and it was destroying itself.

The Israelites failed to enter the promised land because they did not believe in God's protection, and they did not believe that God would help them conquer the giants in the land. So God sent them into the wilderness to wonder for 40 years. This was an unhappy alternative to the wonderful gift he had planned for them. Lack of trust in God always prevents us from receiving his best. Indifference turned out to be a form of isolation in the desert for 40 years.

God gave his people many rituals and instructions to follow. All the rituals in the book of Leviticus were meant to teach the people valuable lessons. But over time, the people became indifferent to the meanings of these rituals and they began to lose touch with God. Meaningless rituals, try rediscovering the original meaning and purpose behind each. Your worship will be revitalized. Being indifferent truly has no place in life as I believe that we must have an opinion one way or the other. We were also told in Ephesians 4:26 " BE ANGRY, AND yet DO NOT SIN ".

Have a great week in the Lord, until next time.

Jim