" CHOICES "

Today is a new day, and therefore we will make numerous choices. It will remain to be seen just how good or bad these choices may have been. This weeks subject we will be " CHOICES." All of us make hundreds of choices every day. Most choices have no right or wrong attached to them - like what you wear or what we eat. But always face decisions that carry a little more weight. We don't want to do wrong, and we don't want to cause others to do wrong, so how can we make such decisions? " Making Choices In sensitive Issues " If I choose one course of action: (1) Does it help my Witness for Christ? (2) Am I motivated by a desire to help to know Christ? (3) Does it help me to do my best? (4) Is it against a specific command in scripture and would thus cause me to sin? (5) Is it the best and most beneficial course of action? (6) Am I thinking only of myself,or do I truly care about the other person? (7) Am I acting Lovingly or Selfishly? (8) Does it Glorify God? (9) Will it cause someone else to sin? Sin can be enticing because it offers a quick route to prosperity and makes us feel like one the crowd. But when we go along with others and refuse to listen to the truth, our own appetites become our masters, and we'll do anything to satisfy them. Sin, even when attractive, is deadly. We must learn to make choices, not on the basis of flashy appeal or short-range pleasure, but in view of the long-range effects. Sometimes this means steering clear of people who want to entice us into activities that we know are wrong. We can't be friendly with sin and except our lives to remain unaffected. LAST POINT: We all have choices in life and we must live with our decisions. God gave Adam a choice, and therefore the possibility of choosing wrongly. God still gives us choices, and we too, often choose wrongly. Now the wrong choices may cause us pain, but they can help us learn and grow and make wiser choices in the future. Living with the consequences of our choices teaches us to think and choose more carefully. Until Next Time... Jim,

" DECEPTION "

Good Day To You,

 Last week I experienced computer problems an I was offline for 7 1/2 days. Well I'm back and as usual I'm bringing forth the Word. The title of this weeks message is " Deception. "

Deception: The act of deceiving (2)The fact or condition of being deceived (3)Fraud,trickery.

The Bible addresses hypocrisy. You see many people claim to know God. So I'm of the mindset, how can we know if anyone really does? We will not know for certain in this life, but a glance at their life-styles will quickly tell us what they value and whether they have ordered their lives around Kingdom priorities. Our conduct speaks volumes about what we believe. What do people know about God and about your faith by watching your life? How can you be sure that you belong to Christ? If you do what Christ says and live as Christ wants.What does Christ tell us to do? We are to " Believe in the Name of His Son Jesus Christ, and Love One Another. "

True Christian Faith results in "Loving Behavior"; that is why the way we act can give us assurance that we belong to Christ. Now, to people who are feeling guilty and condemned, you know that you have sinned, and Satan ( called " The Accuser ") of the brethren is demanding the death penalty. When you feel this way, don't give up hope - the best Defense Attorney in the universe is pleading your case. Jesus Christ, your Advocate, your Defender, is the Judge's Son. He has already suffered your penalty in your place. You can't be tried for a case that is no longer on the docket. United with Jesus, you are as safe as He is.

Don't be afraid to ask Jesus to plead your case - He has already won it. If you are being deceptive about something in your life, and wearing a mask it's time to confess. True confession also involves a commitment not to continue in sin. We wouldn't be genuinely confessing our sins to God if we planned to commit them again and just wanted temporary forgiveness. I believe that we should also pray for strength to defeat temptation the next time we face it.

LAST POINT: When we come to Christ, He forgives all the sins we have committed or will ever commit. We don't need to confess the sins of the past all over again, and we don't need to fear that God will reject us if we don't keep our slate perfectly clean. Of course we should continue to confess our sins, but not because failure to do so will make us lose our Salvation. Our relationship with Christ is secure. Instead, we should confess so that we can enjoy Maximum Fellowship and Joy with Him. Now Confess your Sin and Move Forward.

Until Next Time...

Jim,

" FAILURE "

Good Day To You, Another week has come and gone which means that it's our time to share. This weeks subject will be about " Failure, " I'm sure that we all have experienced it a time or two in the past. Between you and and I failure will knock at our door sometime in our future. Lessons we all should learn about failure: (1) Confess your sins when God reveals them to you;(2)When you fail, refocus on God, deal with the problem, and move on. God wants the cycle of sin, repentance, and forgiveness to strengthen us, not weaken us. Now the lessons we learn from our failures should make us better able to handle the same situation the second time around. Because God is eager to give us cleansing, forgiveness, and strength, the only way to lose is to give up. We can tell what kind of people we are by what we do on the second and third attempts. Often we hide from important responsibilities because we are afraid of failure, afraid of what others will think, or perhaps unsure about how to proceed. Prepare now to step up to your future responsibilities. Count on God's provision rather than your feelings of adequacy. Peter wept bitterly, not because he realized that he had denied his Lord, the Messiah, but also because he had turned away from a very dear friend, a person who had loved and taught him for three years. Peter had said that he would never deny Christ, despite Jesus' prediction. But when frightened, he went against all he had boldly promised. Unable to stand up for his Lord for even 12 hours, he had failed as a Disciple and as a Friend. We need to be aware of our own breaking points and not become over confident or self-sufficient. If we fail him, we must remember that Christ can use those who recognize their failure. From this humiliating experience Peter learned much that would help him later when he assumed leadership of the young church. LAST THOUGHT: When nothing makes sense, and when troubles seem more than you can bear, remember that God gives strength. Take your eyes off your difficulties and look to God, now does this finally compute?

" JUDGING OTHERS "

Good Morning To You, Welcome and come on in,is all well in your camp? Life is surely interesting and definitely unpredictable. Are you doing a good job at surrounding yourself with good people, those in whom are of like-mind regarding the things of God? This week we will be looking into "JUDGING OTHERS. " OK, let's get started. Our Lord Jesus Christ has been given the authority to judge all the earth. Although his judgment is already working in our lives,there is a future,final judgment when Christ returns and everyone's life is reviewed and evaluated.This will not be confined to unbelievers;Christians too will face a judgment. Their eternal destiny is secure, but Jesus will look at how they handled gifts,opportunities and responsibilities in order to determine their heavenly rewards. At the time of judgment,God will deliver the righteous and condemn the wicked. We should not JUDGE OTHERS' Salvation; that is God's work. Now our Lord warns against judging by appearance alone. When we judge by outward appearance,we may overlook quality individuals who lack the particular physical qualities society currently admires. Appearance doesn't reveal what people are really like or what their true value is fortunately, God judges by faith and character, not appearance. And because only God can see on the inside, only he can accurately judge people. Most people spend hours each week maintaining their outward appearance; they should do even more to develop their inner character. While everyone can see your face, only you and God know what your heart really looks like. What steps are you taking to improve your heart's attitude? Until Next Time... Jim,