What You are Worth?

How much is a grill cheesed sandwich worth?  A couple slices of bread, a slice of cheese, some butter and then grill it for a couple minutes.  It might cost you $1.50 at a restaurant but actually, it is worth whatever someone will pay for it.  If no one buys that $1.50 sandwich than it is not worth $1.50.  If someone would pay $28,000 for it than that $1.50 sandwich is worth $28,000.  That is what someone paid to own a grilled cheese sandwich with the image of the Virgin Mary on it.

Was that sandwich worthy of $28,000?  Most people would say no but someone thought it was.  That is how everything is valued in this world.  Whatever you own is only worth what someone will pay for it.  We might not see it as worthy or perhaps as worth more, but the final decision on worth is the one who buys it.

What are you worth?  If you were kidnapped would someone pay a million dollars to get you back?  If you were to sell all you owned would that be your worth?  How do we know what we are worth?  Are we worth our annual income?  What is the price of a human life?

God is the one who determined what you are worth.  You are more valuable to God then your income or bank account.  All that you own, all your material possessions do not come close to your worth.  Look at the stars above.  You are more valuable than all of them put together.  Look at the animals and plants where you live.  You were made in the image of God and are more precious than all of creation here on earth.  There is nothing in creation which God values more than you.

To pay the ransom for you God gave His precious son, Jesus Christ. "For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect." 1 Peter 1: 18-19

Sin had you in its grip.  You were destined for that spiritually empty life which ended in the lake of eternal fire. God redeemed you with the most valuable item in this universe and every universe, dimension or existence you can think of.

Are you worthy of such a price to be paid for you?  Most people might say no but God knew you were.  Live your life with the humility of a chunk of dirt formed into a person, but also as one loved, cherished and found worthy by God.

It is a mystery how we can be so valuable to God, but He bought you.  All that you have and are, is His. Give Him all glory and honor and praise for He is the one who is actually the worthy one.

Who is the Jew?

Have you ever thought about what the word 'Jew' means?  In Hebrew, the word for the Jewish people is Yehudim.  It comes from the Hebrew word for praise, worship, and thanksgiving.  A person who is Jewish is meant to praise and worship God.  In fact, his very presence is a witness to the love and power of God.

If it had been up to the will of man, the Jews would have been wiped off the face of the earth long ago.  The name 'Jew' has been used as a curse word for centuries.  The Jew has been hated, cursed, murdered, and vilified throughout history.  Shakespeare used a Jew as the villain in The Merchant of Venice.  Martin Luther railed against the Jew in a language so vile that I would never quote it here.  Jews were scapegoats by Hitler, the Russians and almost every nation in Europe.

Strange that so many see the people of praise and worship to God as the vilest of people on earth.  Even today many see the Jew as the villain in the Middle East.  Anti-semitism is growing in Europe and around the world.  Even in the United States people are turning their backs on Israel and the Jews.

When Jesus was crucified a sign hung over his head saying "King of the Jews".  King of the Yehudim.  King of praise to God.  Everything Jesus did in his life brought praise and worship to God.  Even his death was praise and worship to God.

The people who follow Jesus must do likewise.  We who follow the way of Jesus must bring praise to God in our lives.  Jesus is king of the Yehudim.  He is king of those who praise God.  King of the worshippers of God.

The Jew owes his existence to God, just as the Christian does.  Satan is determined to destroy the Jew and the Christian.  We are both vessels of praise, worship, and thanksgiving to God.  We are Yehudim.

Photo Credit: Happy happy joy by Smoochi

Your Scroll of Days

Did you know that God has a book where all of your days have been written down?  The days and actions of your life were recorded long before you even existed.  That does not mean you do not have free will.  It means God knew what you would do from eternity past.

Psalm 139:16b says "...all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be."

The word for book is sefer, which is actually a scroll.  So God has written down on a scroll all the days of your life.  A scroll is not like a book in some ways.  You can not just flip to the back of a scroll and see how it ends.  You have to unroll the scroll through each day until you come to the end in order of what was written.  As you read through a scroll you unwind what you are reading towards and what you have read is rolled up behind you.  This way you can only see what portion you are presently reading and not the past or the future.

You are living that area of your life written on the scroll which is in the here and now.  You are not to go back to the past to relive it.  What has been done, is done.  We must accept that and trust God to use our past for good.  We can not look to the future.  To live in the future today is to live in a dream world of what we hope.  It accomplishes nothing except to take time away from today.

Focus on today.  Focus on the plan of God which He has opened up for you this day.  Live your life today to the fullness of God's will. Living in the moment will help lead you to what has been appointed for you in the future.  A future full of God's blessings and grace.

Photo Credit: Torah by Lawrie Cate

God makes the Sun Rise on the Evil

Could you imagine what the world would be like if the sun only shined down on what is good?  What would it be like if only the beauty of the world was illuminated and not the ugly?  What if the sinners and those who do evil only lived in darkness while the godly and righteous people of God were the only people who could live in the light of the sun?

It would change the world.  It would be so different that life would not be anything like it is today.  Not only would the world change, but the sun would also have to be altered. It would have to cease shining light to some degree.  The sun would require a bright light shining from parts of it while having dark areas with no light emanating from it.  It would no longer be the light of the whole world.

Matthew 5:44-45 says, "But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in Heaven; for he makes His sun rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain to the just and the unjust."

Just as the sun shines on the just and the unjust, the Christian is to be a light to the just and the unjust.  Those who persecute you will expect you to hate them, but when you return love for hate, they see the light of God in your life.  We must shine forth with the radiance of God's love so that the world will seek out that light.

Shine forth regardless of your circumstances.  Bring light into the darkness of evil.  God has made you a light to the world, a light to shine forth and draw all men to the presence of God.

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What We Must Do to Heal Our Land

My nation, The United States of America, is in trouble.  People are pointing their fingers at everyone else saying they are the problem.  The real problem, according to what I read in the bible, is the Christian.

2 Chronicles 7:14 says "If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land."

Too many Christians think that praying for this country is what is needed.  I couldn't count the number of times I have been in the presence of groups who prayed for this country.  Leaders are constantly telling their congregations to pray for the country.  Prayer is very important but it is not the first thing this verse says to do.  We ignore the words 'shall humble themselves'.

Humility is more than just giving God credit for our actions.  The Hebrew word for humble is 'rpk'  which is pronounced kaw-nah'.   It means to bring into subjection, subdue, be brought down and vanquish.

How many of us have brought their bodies into subjection?  Have we vanquished our own desires for comfort for Christ?  Have we truly brought down self from the throne of our lives and subdued our will for His?  I confess that I have fallen way short of true humility.

This means more than going to church or singing in the choir.  It means more than having prayer before meals or having a picture of Jesus hanging on your wall.  It means actual affliction of self.  It means following Christ to places and situations where you do not want to be.  It means to frustrate your own desires for God.

Does that sound harsh?  Humility is not some namby-pamby word that is easy to accomplish.  It can only be accomplished when we fully submit to God, allowing Him to fully work in our lives. We must follow Paul's example in 1 Corinthians 9:27, "But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest,....I myself should become disqualified."  In some versions, the word discipline is substituted with 'buffet'.

If we want this country to turn from its wicked ways, it is up to the Christian.  We are all called to preach the Gospel making disciples, not just believers.  We are called to sacrifice our lives, not simply to die but to live completely for Christ.

First, you must humble yourself for this verse to work and heal our land.  We in America do not know what true humility is.  We must learn humility if we want Christ to heal and reign in our country or in any country we might live in.

Photo Credit: Boy Scouts Retire Flags by Fort George G Meade Public Affairs Office

Within the Womb of God

Is it hard to imagine that God has a womb?  In the Hebrew language, the word for womb is "rechem".  Rechem comes from the word Racham which can mean womb, but it can also mean a deep, tender compassion, and mercy.

When Nicodemus came to Jesus, he was told that he must be born again.  Nicodemus was surprised by this statement. "Can a man enter his mother's womb to be born when he is old?"  Of course, it is physically impossible, but a man can enter the womb of God's mercy and be spiritually born again. 

Every birth requires a womb and a spiritual birth is no different.  It is that rechem of God, that spiritual womb of His love, protection, and compassion, where our lives are nurtured.  Within the rechem of God, we find His loving mercy.   How can we mature to become the person God planned without his rechem for us to develop and grow within.

The womb is a place of protection and nurturing.  This is where you are kept safe so that you can mature and develop into the person God planned.   With the help of God, you will emerge at last in His image.

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The Christian Faith is not Blind Faith

Blind faith is not Biblical.  Too often a Christian will answer a question about their belief with "Just have faith".  That is like saying a person has to commit intellectual suicide to become a Christian.  If you don't have an answer to a question about Christianity, you need to investigate and find the answer.

"...and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear;" 1 Peter 3:15b''

The Bible says trusting in Jesus for salvation is the only way to God.  Does it take blind faith to accept Jesus as savior?  No.  Read the Bible and you will find time and time again where God tells of future events which later happened.  Prophecies from God always come true.  Many are coming true today.  That is proof that the Bible comes from God who is outside of our limit of time.  God has the power to get His word to you perfectly and the prophecies show that the Bible is from Him.

Non-Christians think Christians are afraid of science and will deny science to follow their blind faith.  Christians never have to fear science. Science is of God.  He created it.  The Catholic Church demanded scientist to follow what the Church said was true because they feared the truth.  Christians should never fear the truth.  The truth is of God.

The Bible says that God hung the world on nothing. (Job 26:7) Others were saying it sat on the back of a turtle, but the Bible spoke the scientific truth.

The Bible is not a science book but it does contain scientific facts.  It says the earth is a sphere, waters cycle from the river to ocean to the sky and back to the land, and other scientific facts that many times man didn't know until just the last couple hundred years.

If the Bible says something that you do not understand, and you can not find the answer by investigating, never fall back on 'blind faith'.  Look to Jesus.  He has never lied to you.  He has never failed you.  He has always been with you and watched over you.  His promises are always kept.  To trust Jesus is not blind faith.  You are trusting someone who has a perfect past history of truth in your life.  Trusting Jesus is sure faith.

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