The Programmer

Your brain is a very fast and highly intelligent computer with an enormous memory capacity.  Your brain puts any supercomputer to shame.

What if you had a supercomputer for your own use?  Think of the number of kitty pictures and videos you could store on it.  If your playing a video game there would be no waiting or buffering before you could start that game of Pong.  Everything and anything you ever hoped for in a computer would be right there for your use.

But what if no one programmed it before you got it?  No operating system, no graphics program, no anything except a blank empty memory on your supercomputer.  That wonderfully made supercomputer would be just one large paperweight, useful for nothing.

Your brain also would be worthless without someone programming it.  Your heart wouldn't beat, your lungs would never breathe.  Every organ in your body would just sit there with no knowledge of what to do.  Your body needs to have information sent to each organ, gland, nerve, and muscle in order to function.

A programmer is necessary to input the proper programs into your brain so that your body will function properly.  That program is so fast, intricate and multitasking that only a master programmer could ever come close to accomplishing such a marvelous work. 

God is not some old man who doesn't know how the computer age works.  He invented the greatest computers and perfectly programmed them at the beginning of time.  Birds can fly because he programmed them too.  Monarch butterflies after many generations fly back to the same places in the south because God programmed them too.

There is just one problem with your programming. The Sin Virus is constantly trying to destroy God's programming.  Every time we sin, the virus is eating away at the perfect program God created within you.  Sin is the destroyer of the mind.  Sin will slowly consume the mind unless we seek the programmer to restore our programming and renew our minds.

"And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable perfect will of God."  Romans 12:2

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Your Apocalypse

Someday you will see the apocalypse.  You will be there and so will everyone else.  When we think of The Apocalypse, we think of terrible and awesome judgment from God upon the earth.  We think of death and destruction.

The word apocalypse comes from two root word. "Apo" means to remove or take away. The other root word "Kalupsis" means a veil or covering.  Together they mean "The removing of the veil" 

For the Christian, the apocalypse is talking about the wedding between the bride of Christ and Jesus, the bridegroom.  In Revelation 19:7-9 we find at the end of the Tribulation period when Jesus comes back on a white horse to rescue mankind, the Bride of Christ is revealed.  The veil which hid who she was has been removed for all to see.  The apocalypse of the bride, the removing of the veil, is accomplished to reveal her to the world.

For the Non-Christian, the apocalypse of Judgment is in their future.  All their sins and rebellions against God will be revealed to them.  Every careless word, every lie, every dishonest and evil act will be seen by them and they will finally realize the error of their ways.   They will then look upon the God who they have denied and realize that He truly is LORD.  The veil will be removed from their eyes and they will know their sins and who they have sinned against.

In a way, every Christian has already had an apocalypse.  Each one has already realized that they have sinned against God.  They have recognized Jesus as Lord and now follow him instead of rebelling against him.  The veil of sin which blinded them has been removed and now they will never face judgment.

What apocalypse will you see?  I hope and pray it is not of Judgment for your sins.

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Are We Promised Tomorrow?

I attend a small house church and yesterday Bill, one of our members, died.  He knew Jesus as his savior and today he is in Heaven enjoying the face to face presence of Jesus Christ.  I am happy for him and yet sad because people here will miss him.

I hate to think how tragic it would have been if Bill had not trusted Jesus as savior.  Today he would be in eternal torment, shut out from the presence of God.  Every day, all over the world, people are dying without Christ.  Many think they will have tomorrow but tomorrow never comes.

If you were to die today, what reason would you give God to allow you into Heaven?  Good works? Your family?  Everyone will get into Heaven?  Jesus said, "He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him." John 3:36  It is faith in Jesus alone that saves.

You who know Jesus as your savior, do people around you know Jesus?  How will they know if you never tell them?  Will tomorrow be too late for them?

"For 'whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.'  How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed?  And how shall they believe in Him whom they have not heard?  And how shall they hear without a preacher?"  Romans 10:13-14

Eternity is just a breath away.  No one is promised tomorrow.  No one is promised even another heartbeat.  Are you ready?  Are your friends and family ready?  Who will tell them if not you?

If you want to accept Jesus as your Savior Click Here for more information.

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Sheep are DUMB!!

The 23rd Psalm talks about the Lord being our Sheperd.  We are God's sheep and He cares for us.  What do you know about sheep except that they have a warm wooly coat and look cute?  Let me tell you, being called a sheep is not a compliment.

Sheep are D. U. M. B. DUMB!  They are not like most animals who can care for themselves in the wild.  You turn a sheep loose anywhere on its own and it will die.  Sheep require more attention than any other livestock.  If they did not have a shepherd to watch over them, they would soon be pushing up daisies.

They are not hunters who can bring down prey.  They have no speed or strength. They do not have claws or fangs to defend with. They can not climb trees or swim across rivers. They can not dig tunnels to hide in.  They have no camouflage. Their white wool sticks out like a sign saying "Here I am. Eat me."

Sheep are easily frightened.  They are literally scared of their own shadows.  They are stubborn animals and ornery as a mule.  If you were to try to help them to get to safety, they would resist and rebel against you.

Sheep have a notoriously poor sense of direction.  When it gets lost, it will simply lays down on the ground.  It will not even try to find its way home.  If the shepherd doesn't go out to find that sheep it will die.

"Oh, I am not like that at all!"

Yes, you are.  You are exactly like that when it comes to the spiritual realm and the spiritual realm is more important than the physical because it is eternal, and it also has effects upon your life in the physical.

You have no sense of direction of where to go spiritually.  Where is it safe? Where is there spiritual food? How can you defend against that roaring lion Satan?  How do you find your way home to Heaven?

Follow the Sheperd.

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Why was Jesus Born in Bethlehem?

Why Bethlehem?  Jesus could have been born in Jerusalem or any of a hundred other towns, but God chose Bethlehem.  Why?  God could have prophesied Jesus' birth anywhere, so why Bethlehem?

I usually just read the Bible and not think much about why God would choose this person or place, but I have come to realize that every detail in the Bible has a purpose.  All my life I never thought twice about Bethlehem.  It just was what it was.

Bethlehem is more than just the small town that King David came from.  In ancient days the rabbis declared that the only place where one could shepherd a flock was in the wilderness.  The only exception to this was for the lambs which were specifically destined for the Temple sacrifices.  These lambs had to be kept close to the holy city so the supply was right at hand.  This one location that was not in the wilderness, but in the hills and valleys just outside of Jerusalem was Bethlehem.

The Bethlehem flocks were the only sheep used as sacrificial lambs.  They alone became the sacrifice for the sins of the people.  This small insignificant town is where Jesus was born because he was to become the ultimate sacrifice for the sins of the world.

Even from his birth, Jesus' life pointed toward the cross.  He was destined to be the sacrificed lamb.  The very place of his birth spoke of him as dying for our sins.

Do you think every detail of Jesus's life, being so important to God, is surprising?  What about every detail of your life?

Luke 12:7 "But the very hairs of your head are all numbered...."

Proverbs 16:9 "A man's heart plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps."

Ephesians 2:10  "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, wich God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them."

God is interested in every detail of your life.  He has plans for you.  You were not born in just any place.  Your spouse is not just someone you happened upon.  How much money you have, the house you have, the car you drive was all known by God from eternity past and God planned every step to bring you where you are today.

God loves you and cares about the minutest details so that you will have a full and abundant life within His will and within His plan of serving with Him.

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What is Meant for Evil Against You

One of the potentially most frightening aspects of being a Christian is knowing that all of Hell is set out to destroy you.  It is a fact that you no longer are on the sidelines of a spiritual war, but an integral part in the battle of good against evil.

Every Christian must have the attitude of trust in God, in order to fully fight the good fight.  Trusting in God does not mean God will bless you with riches for being a good soldier.  It means even when things go terribly wrong, when sickness strikes or you lose a loved one in your life, you still trust God. Your Job, money, house, car and everything you own could be lost because of your following God.  The one thing no one can take from you is God in your life.  You must hold on to Him, trusting that He is still with you and good will come out of your loss.

Does that sound harsh?  Does that sound like something that only happens to others and will never happen to you?  You do not know what tomorrow will bring into your life.  Satan and his horde of demons are out to get you.  The unredeemed of this world are also out to get you.  Satan has set the world against all who follow Christ.

When evil occurs in your life, remember one thing, God is working it for good.  Throughout scripture, God takes the evil in peoples' lives and creates good.  Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers, but God took that evil and used Joseph to save the lives of millions of people, including his own family.  Joseph told his brothers, "But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive." Genesis 50:20

Another example of what man meant for evil but God using it for good is when Jesus was before the Sanhedrin and after they condemned him to death, the priest repeated struck his face with their hands. Matthew 26:67 

What we don't realize is that the priest slapping Jesus in the face was required in order that the sacrifice of Jesus for our sins be properly done.  It is required that the one offering the sacrifice touch the head of the sacrifice.  There is also an ancient rabbinical writing stating that when more than one person offers up a sacrifice, they must all take turns touching the head.

What the priest meant for evil and an insult to Christ, God used for good.  Jesus had to have his head touched by the priests in order that he might be the sacrifice for the sins of the world.

What hardships or evil is in your life that God can turn into good?  Trust God to work wonders in your life.

Photo Credit: Hand by Randy Auschrat

And on the Eighth Day...

In the scriptures, numbers have different meanings.  Two is the number of division. Six is the number of Man.  Seven is the perfect number.  Ten is the number of completion. Forty is the number of testing, as in 40 years of the Hebrews wandering in the desert or Jesus fasting in the wilderness for 40 days.

The Bible holds many deeper meanings in its words and even in the numbers.  It is amazing how much God is able to say in the Scriptures.  There are layers upon layers in such simple things, even in the numbers.

Eight is the number of new beginnings.  When God destroyed the world with a great flood, He began the human race with Noah, his wife, three sons and their wives.  Eight people survived the flood to create a new beginning for the human race.

A week is seven days and on the eighth day (Sunday), a new week begins.  Jesus was crucified. and rose from the dead on a Sunday.  Resurrection Sunday is the new beginning of not just a new week but a new spiritual era for the world.

On that eighth day, we are taken from being under the law to being under grace.  We are brought out of separation from God because of our sins, to being part of His family.   We are all given a new beginning of hope, joy, peace, and love.

Today every nonbeliever is given the opportunity for a new beginning.  Every Christian who has fallen away has an opportunity for a new beginning.  Just as Jesus was resurrected from the dead on that eighth day, we can be resurrected from our sins because of that day.

Photo Credit: Easter-EmptyTomb by Donut_Diva