" JESUS CHRIST THE MAN "

Good Morning All,

 This week we will be looking at Jesus Christ the Man. Do you think that you would you have the courage to do what Jesus did for his fellow man (that's you and me)? My dictionary defines Manhood as: The condition of being an adult male (2) manly qualities: courage (3) an adult male servant or employee.

OK lets get into it; because Jesus was born of a woman, he was a human being.  But as the Son of God, Jesus was born without any trace of human sin. JESUS IS BOTH FULLY HUMAN AND FULLY DIVINE. Christ alone holds the answers to the meaning of life, because He is Life. Christ is the unique source of knowledge and power for the Christian life. No Christian needs anything in addition to what Christ has provided to be saved. We are complete in Him. Jesus is like us because He experienced a full range of temptations throughout His life as a human being. We can be comforted knowing that Jesus faced temptation and He can sympathize with us. We can be encouraged knowing that Jesus faced temptation without giving in to sin. He shows us that we do not have to sin when facing the seductive lure of temptation. Jesus is the only perfect human being who has ever lived.

As alluded to earlier, because Jesus lived as a man, we know that He fully understands our experiences and our struggles. Because He is God, He has the power and authority to deliver us from sin. It's OK to tell Jesus all our thoughts, feelings, and needs. He has been where we are now, and He has the ability to help. In the garden Jesus was agonizing, do you believe that He was trying to get out of His assignment? It is never wrong to express our true feelings to God. Jesus exposed His dread of the coming trials, but He also reaffirmed His commitment to do what God wanted. The cup He spoke of meant the terrible agony He knew that He would have to endure. Not only the horror of the crucifixion but, even worse: the total separation from God that He would have to experience in order to die for the world's sins.

The Book of Luke tells us that Jesus' sweat resembled drops of blood. Jesus was in extreme agony, but He did not give up or give in. He went ahead with the assignment for which He had come. Please keep in mind that Jesus is fully man and fully God. Now the cup that Jesus was referring to was also the agony of alienation from God, His Father at the the cross. I can't shake the thought of, could I love someone or something so much as to sacrifice as Christ. Jesus' prayer emphasizes the terrible suffering He had to endure, an agony so much more magnified because He had to take on the sins of the world.

I Praise God, for " Jesus Christ the Man. "

Until Next Time...

 Jim

" THE NEEDY "

Good Morning All,

This week has truly been an eventful one. I received many requests for prayer from many hurting people. I sincerely believe that we are in the End Times and therefore we must be prayed up. My heart breaks just hearing of your hurts. I believe that we should be aware of our surroundings and not take anything for granted.

Our responsibility is to care for the needy. Our Father insists that the poor and the powerless be well treated and given the chance to restore their fortunes. As children of the King we should reflect God's concern for the poor by helping those less fortunate than ourselves. My Bible tells me that our attitude when we give is more important than the amount we give. Many times we do nothing, not because we lack compassion, but because we are overwhelmed by the size of the problem and we don't know where to begin. God doesn't expect you to eliminate poverty, nor does He expect you to neglect your family while providing for others. He does expect us to be Christ-Like especially when we see an individual in need. We should reach out with whatever help that we can offer, including our hospitality. GOD SAYS THAT NEGLECTING THE POOR IS A SIN. John 12:8 " YOU WILL ALWAYS HAVE THE POOR AMONG YOU, BUT YOU WILL NOT ALWAYS HAVE ME."

If you're familiar with the Word of God then you're aware that the Bible supports organized system of caring for the poor. Imagine if our country followed the teachings of the Word of God. Now the Lord told His people to use their tithe every third year for those who were helpless, hungry or poor. Now just imagine if we had the courage and love for our fellow man to do the same. I am aware of such men, in fact men in my inner circle. These men care much for their fellow man, their love spills out where ever they go. Now God's directions were designed to prevent the country from sinking under crushing poverty and oppression. Hello, could that be happening in our near future? Imagine if we all accepted the responsibility to care for those less fortunate than ourselves. Families were to help other family members, and towns were to help members of their community. Now back in the day the national laws protected the rights of the poor, but helping the poor was also an active part of religious life. The Father counts on believers to provide for the needy, and we should use what He has given us to aid those less fortunate.

Look beyond your regular giving and think of ways to help the needy. There are some who conclude that people are poor through some fault of their own. This kind of reasoning makes it easy to close their hearts and hands to the needy. Never be ashamed of how much you can give or in what manner. God is concerned about how we give from the resources we have. God gives us resources to use and invest for Him, so remember to listen for that small voice.

Until Next Time...

Jim,

ARE YOU A WORLDLY CHRISTIAN ?

In the 60's one might say "Are You For Real"? In other words are you serious.It's time for us to be transparent about our Christianity. Listen, don't be fooled, the world hates Christians' our values differ from the world's. There is nothing more repugnant than a halfhearted, in-name only Christian who is self-sufficient. We need to be intentional about our walk with the Lord. Don't settle for following God halfway. Let Christ fire up your faith and get you into action. I'm reminded of what the Word Of God says: " I KNOW YOUR DEEDS, THAT YOU ARE NEITHER COLD NOR HOT; I WISH THAT YOU WERE COLD NOT HOT. (16) SO BECAUSE YOU ARE LUKE WARM, AND NEITHER HOT NOR COLD, I WILL SPIT YOU OUT OF MY MOUTH " (Rev 3:15-16).

God's way of living contradicts the world's. If you want to live for God you must be ready to say and do what seems strange to the world. Now as Christians we must be willing to give when others take, to love when others hate, to help when others ill-treat. Listen up, by giving up your own rights in order to serve others, you will one day receive everything God has in store for you. Here's another word from the Lord, now it's up to you to believe or not. Those who are tied to the world's system will loose everything when it collapses. What they have worked for a lifetime to build up will be destroyed in one hour. Those who work only for material rewards will have nothing when they die or when their possessions are destroyed. What can we take with us to the New Earth? Our faith, our Christian Character, and our Relationships with other believers. These are more important than any amount of money, power, or pleasure.

Satan offers the world to us, in fact he offered the whole world to Jesus. His terms were for Jesus to fall down and worship him the devil. Today the devil offers us the world by trying to entice us with materialism and power. We can resist temptations the same way Jesus did. If you find yourself craving something that the world offers, quote Jesus' words to the devil: " Worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only." We must learn to defeat the devil by using the Scriptures as our weapon, just as Jesus did.

Until Next Time...

Jim,

" WHAT'S UP WITH YOUR UNBELIEF "

Hey, thanks so much for stopping by, today we are talking about Unbelief. Are you ready, I mean are you truly ready to face the truth.

Now is the time to totally trust God in all things and in all ways. We must not wait for great calamities to drive us to God, but must open our hearts and minds to his direction now. In times of trouble trust in God, and don't look to your own understanding. Unbelief is the root of many sins as well as our problems. When you feel lost, it may be because you're looking everywhere but to God for your help and guidance.

The attitude of trust and confidence that the Bible calls unbelief of faith is not something we can obtain without help, after all faith is a gift from God. Regardless how much faith we have, we never reach the point of being self-sufficient. Faith is not stored away like money in the bank. Growing in faith is a constant process of daily renewing our trust in Jesus.

Christians are to be on guard, and remember that there is nothing worse than an unbeliever. Almost everyone of us has relatives, family of some kind. Family relationships are so important in the Father's eye's, Paul said, that a person who neglects his or her family responsibilities has denied the faith. Now, are you doing your part to meet the needs of those included in your family circle? It just might behoove you to find out where they stand in Christ. Being an unbeliever puts one on the trail to Hell (the lake of fire, or Gehenna)the place of punishment after death for all those who refuse to repent. Gehenna, or Hell, was prepared for the devil, his angels, and all those who do not believe in God. This is the final and eternal state of the wicked after the resurrection and the last judgment. Now when Jesus warns against unbelief, he is trying to save us from agonizing punishment. How many times have you heard an unbeliever say that he/she is just not ready for the Good News. It's breaks my heart to hear that as we are not guaranteed 5 minutes from now.

Until Next time...

Jim,