November 19, 2022

God help me; I may be stepping on toes today. What if the “once saved, always saved” teaching is wrong? I’ve been suspicious of this for a long time, but what if the enemy has soiled the instructions so more people would end up in hell? And here we are, believing everything we were taught, only to find out in death that it was wrong. I can no longer ignore what the Bible says. 

In Revelation 3:11, Jesus says: “I am coming soon. Hold fast what you have, so that no one may seize your crown.” Then, in 2 John, he warns a woman who is true to the faith to be careful. “Watch yourselves, so that you may not lose what we have worked for, but may win a full reward.” 2 John 1:8. It’s not only John who writes these things; he also quotes Jesus! Paul also tells us to “hold fast” more than once, and the writer of Hebrew says it too. 

Are we victims of wrong teaching, or are there different rewards in Heaven that depend on our faithfulness? We are sinners, and God is full of grace; our only hope is his forgiveness. Compare the words of man with what the Bible says. You must do everything you can to hang onto Jesus. Turn to him for everything. Keep him in the forefront of your mind as much as possible. Cling to him. Love him will all your heart and soul. Hold fast, my friends.

November 18, 2022

We have been experiencing a lot of activity surrounding the upcoming car auction. With it only two weeks away, there is still much to do. We’ve resolved most of the title issues, and now we need to get them cleaned, cranked, and ready to roll. The detail guy has started cleaning, and the mechanic was contacted and is prepared to take on that task. The auctioneer is fervently working on getting photos and videos uploaded to his website and cataloging every item that will get sold. He has diligently promoted it, is fielding calls from all over the world, and keeping all the parts moving. Imagine if he was the only person doing everything. He can do a lot by himself, but he needs the help of others to complete the tasks. 

Jesus taught us everything we need to know to continue his ministry, but it takes all of us doing our part for the mission. If anyone slacks at their job, someone else must be appointed to complete their task. If a person was a car and God told you to put gas in it, fill it up. If your assignment is to get it running, use whatever gifts he has given you to get it cranked. If he tells you to get in the car and drive, then make every effort to drive it home to salvation in Jesus. 

As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace: 1 Peter 4:10

November 17, 2022

We have begun tearing down walls in our house. It’s incredible how different it looks. It takes a sledgehammer to disassemble what seems to be a perfectly good wall, debris gets scattered, and the dust settles on everything. Light beams from every window that is now exposed. I love being able to see the outside. My third-grade teacher called me a daydreamer because she always caught me peering out the window; she hit the nail on the head! Some want windows covered, so they feel secure, but not me!

The walls you put up to protect your feelings are only imprisoning you. We’ve all experienced hurt, so we develop shields to prevent such things from happening again. It’s understandable, but as we grow in Christ, some of those barriers will crumble and can become useful in helping build the confidence of others who might be experiencing the same type of pain. Tear down those walls and share your freedom in Jesus with someone who might need a bit of sunshine. It’s a great way to bring light and joy into the life of someone struggling.

For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. Galatians 5:13

November 16, 2022

One good lesson we’ve learned by moving into an estate after the death of a loved one is that you can’t take your earthly belongings with you because everything my father-in-law had was still here. I’m sure he would have taken his cars with him if he could have. However, there is another vital lesson; some things that go unused tend to lose value because time has left them behind. While cleaning the house, I found a brand-new outdoor speaker in the box. I thought it would be great to put it to use, but it required an MP3 player, which we no longer have. The technology has improved since he bought it. 

The same thing will happen as you grow in Jesus; things that were useful to you initially have evolved into something more. You’re now off the bottle and have moved on to solid food. If you continue feeding on milk, its value will decrease, and you will become stagnant and your growth stunted. That’s why it’s essential to continue to grow your faith; you don’t want it to deteriorate because you never used it. The technology of your mind continues to increase as you grow older, so your faith needs to grow with it. The way to do that is to trust Jesus with everything, continue to fill your mind with the things of God, and communicate with him daily. Then, peace, comfort, and joy will abound in your life.

for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil. Hebrews 5:13-14

November 15, 2022

Don’t you love to eat? I do, but I’ve discovered that not everything is safe. I learned as a teenager that shrimp makes me itch, and lobster will close my airways, but I love the taste of both. I pushed it one time and nearly ended up in the hospital. I had giant welts all over my body and could barely breathe. I’ve also had to eliminate wheat and sugar because they cause me to swell up and get brain fog. Eating them impacts my writing, and I need clarity to hear the Lord! Each of us knows what’s best for our body, but if we don’t, we end up at the doctor to find out what to do to fix our illness. 

God has put into place a system to help us stay safe and free from harm mentally and physically, but the only way to know that system is to read the Bible, particularly his commands. He didn’t put those stops in place as a suggestion; he gave them to us to keep us from harm. What you eat can affect your health, but so can sinful behavior. We have a loving Father who has told us not to touch that burner on the stove, but sometimes we don’t listen and touch it anyway and end up hurt and in pain. Read your Bible and talk to the Father; he will guide you in the direction you should go.

For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. 1 John 5:3-4

November 14, 2022

The world has gone mad, and it seems like more and more people are worshipping the devil. Remember, there is no middle ground; you are either with God or against him. You can’t dance with the devil all week long and be a Christ-follower; it doesn’t work that way. God expects his children to toe the line, keep his commandments, and make him our priority. We’re not perfect and will sin occasionally, but we will feel the full force of condemnation because we know we’ve disappointed the Father. That’s the difference between a true Christ-follower and a liar. There is something else; if you follow Jesus, there is protection from the devil. I find that comforting. The Holy Spirit resides within us, so the devil cannot penetrate our hearts, and we are protected from eternal demise. The critical point is to make God your priority, and everything else will fall perfectly into place.

We know that everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning, but he who was born of God protects him, and the evil one does not touch him. 1 John 5:18

November 13, 2022

We went to the local county fair last night and watched the 4-H and FFA sell their market pigs. Where I grew up, we didn’t show sheep and goats, so I watched the youth exhibit them for sale along with the pigs for the first time. When I think of a lamb, I think of a small animal, but these were over 100 pounds. I had no idea that a year-old lamb could be so big. 

There is a lot of symbolism in the picture I’ve attached, more than I will touch on today. I don’t know the girl in the photo, but she was an excellent showman and proudly displayed her lamb for all to see. As cute as it is, it is doomed to be slaughtered and will be on someone’s table for Christmas dinner. The pigs, goats, and lambs, all selling at the same market, will go to the slaughterhouse together but end up in different places. That’s not unlike the mix of people here on earth. On judgment day, the sheep will end up in Heaven with Jesus, while the rest go to a different place. 

Know that the LORD, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Psalms 100:3

Did these animals choose who they became? No. They were born to be what they were. For us, God knew, before we were born, who we would become, and by faith, we became the sheep of his pasture and overcame the world. 

For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. 1 John 5:4