God as Teacher & Guide

“This is what the Lord says – your Redeemer, the Holy One of Isreal: ‘I AM the Lord your God, who teaches you what is good for you and leads you along the paths you should follow.’” – Isaiah 48:17 NLT

            What can we learn from this statement? God is like a Father to us. He wishes to teach and guide us each day. When we listen to Him and obey His words, peace & hope will come to us. It’s God’s wish to bless His children and not hurt us.  If we refuse to listen to the instruction(s) of Almighty God, we invite disruption, and chaos into our lives. It may not be immediate, but it will come because we have decided that we know better than God how to run our own lives. In all honesty, we are incapable of doing ANYTHING of any eternal value without Him.

            What do you think you could learn from someone who knows all that can be known? I’d say a bunch, but you have to pay close attention in order to correctly decipher the information that is being disseminated.

            We all should know that there are any number of tools we can use to find out how to get from one place to another; MapQuest & Google Maps are just two. But those tools will never clue you in regarding where God wishes you to go. Using spiritual discernment will. 

To achieve that level of understanding it helps to remain quiet before the Lord; having your mind focused on Him. The definition of discernment is “to have keen perception & judgment”. ^[1] While it is possible for a person to have discerning abilities, to grasp the deeper meaning of God’s Word we definitely need the assistance of the Holy Spirit. Spiritual discernment needs spiritual representation; namely God’s involvement.

Always remember Jeremiah 29:11; "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." If God didn’t love and care for you, then why would He say that His plans for us are “to prosper us and not harm us”. This isn’t a promise to prosper us in a monetary way, but rather to have us prosper in a spiritual way. Money tends to disappear faster than an ice cube in the hot sun, but prospering spiritually will be with you for all eternity. Weigh your options carefully so you make wise choices.

Until next time, walk with the King & be a blessing.

In His Name & for His Glory,

RL Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

^[1] The Common English Dictionary.

Trusting God

When you don’t understand something, you don’t suddenly stop believing in it, or at least you shouldn’t. Just because you don’t understand something doesn’t automatically make it untrue. People are lazy when it comes to researching something. I know because I can at times be a little lazy in that regard as well. Just because something doesn’t seem correct or fair doesn’t mean it’s not so. It would seem to me that we all have underestimated just who God is and what He is able to do. Just because He heals some and not all doesn’t discount His existence, and it doesn’t make Him mean. Like the owner of a company can run it the way He’d like, so God, the creator of the universe and man’s first breath, can do as He so pleases as well and that is simply the way it is. If you think that’s unfair, then you don’t understand the basic concept of ownership.

If I own something, anything really, I can do with it whatever I want. God is essentially the same way though that is admittedly a gross oversimplification. Something we need to understand about God is that He is more powerful than anything in His created world. He also is able to be everywhere at the same time by His spirit. And finally, there is absolutely NOTHING that can be known that He does not know. On top of all that He loves His creation, flaws and all. He will never stop loving any of us. Some folks blow that off as a myth or fairytale. They refuse to exercise their mind and think thru the immense spiritual and as a result, eternal ramifications. It’s as if they don’t want to think about anything regarding God, Jesus, the devil, heaven, hell, sin, eternity ... none of it. It’s as if they can make it all become surreal in their own mind, so they don’t feel bad or wrong casting it aside. 

Face it. Some folks simply do not want to know Jesus. You can’t force it down their throats. And you don’t want to have them agree with you just to make you go away. If they are hell bent on side stepping the whole issue, then we must let them, for Christ seeks willing followers, not those who feel pressured into converting to something they have no desire for. 

In closing, if you are seeking to find the truth, then ask God to reveal both Himself and the truth from His Word to you. Then have your eyes and ears open, for we will never learn anything new if we are doing the talking. Pray in Jesus name for clarity and understanding. God wants you to know the truth more than you do. 

Until next time, walk with the King & be a blessing.

In His Name & for His Glory,

RL Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

Christianity & the Remedy for Sin 

 

Christianity is often described as the only religion that teaches salvation solely by grace, which is seen as the remedy for sin. According to some Christian perspectives, this unique teaching sets Christianity apart from other religions, which are generally said to teach salvation by works. The Bible emphasizes that the only remedy for sin is the atonement of Jesus Christ, who is viewed as the only way to God and eternal life. This is supported by passages such as Acts 4, which states, "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved." Additionally, the concept of original sin, which is central to Christian theology, suggests that humans are inherently separated from God due to the sin of Adam and Eve, and that only through the grace of God, made possible by Jesus Christ, can this separation be overcome.

However, it is important to note that not all Christian denominations hold to the doctrine of original sin, and the idea of original sin is not unique to Christianity. Some sources indicate that the concept originates with Augustine of Hippo, and that not all Christian traditions accept this doctrine. Furthermore, while some Christian teachings emphasize the uniqueness of Christianity in offering a remedy for sin, other religious traditions also offer their own solutions to the problem of sin, though they may differ in their understanding of the nature of sin and the means of redemption. 

Christianity stands out among the rest for it deals with a heaven and a hell. It deals with judgment. That is what makes it controversial and more than likely why it is despised. A heaven-like existence can take place in the here and now in your own mind, soul, and spirit, by submitting to God’s will for you. You can experience peace now, by adhering to what scripture teaches. You don’t have to, but you can. That, in and of itself, is a wonderful blessing, because YOU make that choice. Nothing is forced on the Christian. Nothing. Choose to follow God and experience all that He affords a child of His or go your own way. That is any individual’s choice. Understand the choices you have and the ramifications of said choice ... choose wisely. Until next time, walk with the King & be a blessing.

In His Name & for His Glory,

RL Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

Thoughts from a Random Mind

                  “Lord, silence my thoughts so I can hear your voice.” That’s a prayer Toby Mac ^{(Contemporary Christian singer)} posted recently. Let’s look at those words.

                  Okay, so Toby is petitioning the Lord and asking that He quiet the noise that is in his mind. Outside noise can tend to be relentless in our minds. If you have an active mind like mine you can definitely relate to what is being said here. 

                  Toby wishes to hear the Lord when He speaks to him; however, it sounds like his mind is a very busy place that needs to settle down and remain silent so he can discern God’s voice. He can speak to any one of His children at any time. This should be considered an aid to the believer. If it weren’t so why would Toby seek it. 

                  I’ll illustrate this principle with a personal example. I’m living thru a trying set of circumstance in my life at the moment and have been asking the Lord to give me patience and a spirit of calm. During the day at work this past week Philippians 4:11 came to me. I looked it up and it was where the apostle Paul said, “I have learned to be content in all circumstances.” I immediately knew that was the Holy Spirit speaking to my spirit with the answer to my prayer, albeit a difficult answer to achieve because of our humanness. So now I remind myself regularly what that verse says. 

To me that was the Lord offering a solution to my situation. I choose to believe that, just like I choose to believe in the existence of God, the deity of Jesus, His substitutionary death, the forgiveness of all sin, Christ’s resurrection, and the person of the Holy Spirit. We all believe in something. I choose to believe in a loving, benevolent God who has our best interests in mind. 

You can join me in believing that, or you can turn a deaf ear to it. It matters little to me. You’re rejecting God, not me. Until next time walk with the King & be a blessing.

In His Name & for His Glory,

RL Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

Thoughts from a Random Mind

            Christianity isn’t about being perfect; it’s about being transformed. It’s a progressive thing; like sanctification. Some things are instantaneous, like salvation ... forgiveness is yours once you confess Jesus as your Lord & Savior. 

To make progress with our faith we need to do some things. We should read the scriptures frequently; daily if at all possible. It is your guidebook regarding how to live this life in Christ. This is the nature of sanctification. By definition sanctification means: "to set apart for special use or purpose". We are being prepared to be used by God with any and all gifts that He bestows upon us.

Once redeemed, the transformation begins. We must lean of the Triune God for all things eternal and worship Him for who He is; the Creator of His own Master Plan for mankind ... Almighty God. 

To not allow the sanctification process to take place is like going day after day without drinking a drop of water as a means of hydrating yourself. You will dehydrate, become weak, and eventually, over time, cease to exist. No rational mind to purposely do that to themselves, so why to that to yourself spiritually? Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing.

In His Name & for His Glory,

RL Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

Thoughts from a Random Mind

Fragile: easily broken, damaged, or destroyed. Lacking physical or emotional strength; delicate. ^[1]

 

            The first thing I think of when I see the word FRAGILE is something made out of glass. I don’t think most people think of themselves as being fragile but based on our society and how emotionally charged everything currently seems to be, mankind has in many cases become emotionally fragile. Our world thinks putting on a tough façade will get you thru life better than being passionate and caring. Those are two traits that are generally viewed as weak by some sectors of society. 

            There definitely is a fragility to life. The circle of life involves being born, living a certain number of years, and then dying. We are physically fragile when we are little children and physically, mentally, and emotionally fragile the older we get.  It’s part of life. We cannot escape this never-ending cycle. 

As we become older we begin to ponder those things that we consider to be most important to us. We become increasingly more aware than ever that life is fragile. Tomorrow is never guaranteed. Everything we have in this world could be taken away in an instant. Still, we often believe we have some amount of control over our lives. A sense of overwhelming fear invades when reality confronts us, leaving us frantically grasping for control we do not have. The harder we work to hold it together; the more fear threatens to enslave us. Life Is Fragile: Make time for what matters and let go of what doesn’t.

            Until next time, walk with the King & be a blessing.

In His Name & for His Glory,

RL Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

[1] The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition 

Thoughts from a Random Mind

                  I have always found it curious how many unsaved people think they know more how a Christian should live then the Christian themselves. They point out when we cuss, when we have an alcoholic beverage, whenever we slip up somehow, all when compared to their skewed system of morality. I guess to them we’re supposed to be perfect. A “little goodie two shoes” ... someone who is excessively or even annoyingly well-behaved. Hey, guess what, we’re not all that different then the unsaved. We’re very human. We sin, albeit not continuously, and when we do we seek forgiveness from our Heavenly Father. We follow that with our desire not to repeat said offense. That’s very much different than the actions of an unregenerate soul. 

                  We’re different in the respect that we seek to imitate our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ each day. Yeah, we fail and do so often; even daily. But if a true believer in Christ, we have a dogged determination to please God with our life. The unregenerate soul simply doesn’t think like that. The unregenerate soul, in some (hopefully) isolated instances, wish Christians would just disappear, so they won’t have to hear what is being said to them. Their thirst for autonomy will condemn them in the end, for they only live for the moment and have a massive tendency to never look too far ahead, unless it’s to the next party, vacation, or planned misadventure. 

                  This post doesn’t apply to everyone, you know who you are. You identify with what I’m saying here. We are human beings who have chosen to place our faith and trust in someone different than you do. That doesn’t make us any type of threat. We aren’t dangerous, domestic terrorists who wish to take over the world by force. We are people who love God and are trying to love and be kind and merciful to those millions of people who don’t understand us. You don’t HAVE to agree with us, and because of that you certainly don’t have to try, come hell or high water, to shut us up but trying to eliminate us one at a time. Spread love, not hate and ignore those who are judgmental and in your face. That is not the Jesus Way of doing this thing called Christianity. I wish non-believing people would just look into what we believe just like you would with any other belief system. It costs nothing but could just change your life. Until next time, walk with the King & be a blessing.

In His Name & for His Glory,

RL Keller

Bread of Life Ministries