THOUGHTS FROM A RANDOM MIND

            The Lord dropped a little nugget of truth in my heart today. Nothing extraordinary, but it did cause me to ponder it for a bit. 

                  When we are single we tend to be selfish. We only think about what we need or want. We have no one else to look out for or provide for. When we begin dating we find that our selfish ways no longer work. We may view it as being asked to change who we are and in a way we are. We bristle at that because we like who we are, just the way we are. 

                  Christians are not immune to this. As we dig into scripture we come across Ephesians 5:25 where it states very clearly, “Husbands, love your wives [seek the highest good for her and surround her with a caring, unselfish love], just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her,…”. ^{[Amplified Bible]} If we resist we will run into big trouble somewhere down the road.

                  Our priorities must shift. From ME – GOD -OTHERS to GOD – OTHERS – ME.  We should have no problem adhering to this if we understand the meaning of the name JEHOVAH JIREH. It means “the God who provides”. We can become selfless with our spouses because our needs will never go unmet.  We need to believe that and then trust God to fulfill his promise in that regard. 

                  It has taken me a very long time to learn this lesson myself. In my mind I was the victim of character alteration most of my adult life, when in reality, it very well may have been God nudging me to allow change to take place in my life. I suppose you could say this falls under the category of “Better Late Than Never”. 

                  Husbands, if you want a harmonious home with a wife who loves you for all the right, godly reasons, then make a self-assessment and allow the Holy Spirit to make the necessary changes. Change may not come instantaneously, but a willing heart is fertile soil for spiritual growth. 

                  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

My wife told me a sad story. What I’m about to write is all I know about the situation, but what I know is enough to make me shake my head in disappointment.

There was a young girl with bright pink hair, multiple tattoos and body piercings. She was dressed provocatively. She was sitting in the pew of a church. The first time she’d come.

The church completely ignored her the entire service. 

            I have ONE question: Is THAT what Jesus would have done?  The congregation did the exact opposite to what they should have done. So what if that girl NEVER darkens the door of a church ever again? That church lost a golden opportunity to win a soul for Christ. 

            Again, I know nothing about the situation or the person this happened to. I just know that it happens throughout the world a lot more than we know or would like to admit. Think long and hard regarding how you treat strangers. Treat them the way you’d like to be treated. Treat them the way God treated you prior to your conversion. 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            

            Over the last few years I have encountered more and more people with the apparent mindset that it is easier to get forgiveness then permission. They do whatever, knowing it is not morally or ethically acceptable and when they are found out they simply say they’re ‘sorry’. Those who do such things out of total ignorance will tend to not only say they are ‘sorry’, but that ‘it won’t happen again’. Those trying to get away with doing what they want will not state such intentions. It’s a curious thing. The discerning mind picks up on this fairly quickly. I can’t believe it would be pleasing to the Lord because in matters of the heart and its motivation their intention is hazy at best. With Christ as our example, I cannot imagine any scenario where Jesus would act in such a way. You can be sure Jesus Christ would have never used diversionary tactics to get what he wanted. Ethics and morals are two columns of integrity that must be honored and exercised to establish a general trustworthiness among the brethren and those outside the faith. Once you are not trusted you have lost ground to the enemy that will be very difficult to regain. Keep your motives pure and your actions unmistakable so your faith is never questioned. While some will scrutinize, looking for any reason to discredit you, at least you have not given them a reason gift wrapped and on a silver platter. 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

                  There I sat at a high school graduation just a few hours ago and I was thrown back to my own college days. At that time in my life I had no money to speak of so I would go to the mall and people watch. I wasn’t a believer at the time, so my thoughts were all over the place regarding people’s appearance, the way they were acting or something as simple as the way they walked. I would critique and categorize each one who passed by. I found that interesting. It wasn’t that I was making fun of people or determining which ones I was better than. It was just a hobby of mine, people watching. Well, I was doing it at the graduation this evening, some 43 years later. 

                  There’s a saying that goes something like this: “The more things change, the more they stay the same.” I still analyze people passing by. But today I looked hard at them and said to myself, God loves those people just as much as he loves me. I wonder if they know the Lord. I also wonder what their back-story is. Who were their parents, where did they go to high school, did they go to college, where was their first job, what do they do now, how many times have they been married, is or was it a harmonious union, do they go to church? I think to myself, that person was once someone’s little baby. How were they raised? Were they raised in church? When you think like that other people watching takes on a whole new perspective. We begin to look upon them with compassion and mercy. 

                  People are a lot more than the ones others can laugh at on a “People of Wal-Mart” video on YouTube. I’ve been guilty of judging by people’s appearance for a long time, but now I am slowly beginning to see them differently. I believe it began when I asked the Lord to let me see others thru HIS eyes and not my own. We must learn from our mistakes and shortcomings, or we are no different than the world we seek to change.  Until the 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

 

While we certainly CAN dispute biblical doctrine and debate their validity, we cannot go around making up our own rules based on what we feel should be true. Okay, well you can do that, but it only breeds doubts, questions, and unbelief. Quasi*-Believers think they are Christians just because they believe in God & Jesus. Sadly not being sold out for Christ allows their doubts and questions to negate their faith. That is like floating in the open sea with a life saver within reach, yet never reaching for it. You believe you can survive on your own and while you certainly CAN survive, is that truly living to the fullest extent? Christ died a horrific death so mankind could have the opportunity to actually live our lives to the fullest. It has nothing to do with our abilities or potential. It’s what is given to us when we give ourselves over to the will of God for our life. Check out these verses:

 

"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." – John 10:10

 

"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." – Jeremiah 29:11

 

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom. Instead, fear** the Lord and turn away from evil.” – Proverbs 3:5-7

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

In His Name & for His Glory,

RL Keller

Bread of Life Ministries 

*Quasi – apparently, but not really ** In this case “fear” means reverence & respect. Therefore, this verse is telling us to show the Lord His due respect and reverence.

Thoughts From a Random Mind

            I was sitting outside in the backyard one afternoon last winter enjoying the cold, clean air when I thought of something I found interesting. As I look about I saw the barren, lifeless trees all around me. It reminded me of the barren, lifeless heart of an unsaved man. Without Christ in one’s life there is nothing worth living for if you want to be honest about it. Everything in this world either breaks down or dies at some point and there’s nothing any of us can do about it. The barren trees also symbolize a dying, decaying world that is mired in sinfulness, which is a festering sore on humanity.

                  It is no surprise to me that Easter or Resurrection Day is in the springtime. It’s the time when trees sport their new buds and flowers begin to bloom. This is representative of new life, just as Christ rose to new life and we rise to new life when we receive the forgiveness of God.  The new life all around gives us all reason for hope. The beauty of the blossoming trees and the blooming flowers shows us what that new life looks like. 

                  Once in full bloom we represent all that is good and right about God. The thought of all this made me smile for I realized that I was loved deeply by my Heavenly Father, and nothing would ever change that. I am no longer a barren tree. I am alive and well and living as his vehicle to teach and write about godly living in an ungodly world. May God bless me that I might be a blessing to others and may he do the same for you. 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

Possessions

            To possess something is to own it. People accumulate a multitude of possessions in a lifetime. Some are worth keeping, some are expendable. Those would be the things that have little to no value. Other possessions have intrinsic value, in that they are essential to one’s life and well-being.  

            There are things that we need and things that we want. Desires do not equal need. Our desires are driven by what we feel we must have. We must come to the understanding that all things that we desire are not essential to life. Take salvation ... it is essential to ones existence both now and in the future, but many have no desire for it because they don’t understand their need of it. 

            The most important possession is something that we cannot own, but rather something that owns us. God created the heavens and the earth and everything in it. He seeks to possess your heart, for in possessing your heart He will be able to mold you more into His image. 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

            What is truly important in life? I know when I get perturbed about something at work I complain to myself about it and then come to the ultimate conclusion that it’s really not important & not worth being upset about so I promptly dismiss it. I wasn’t always like that. I would stew about things for hours. It affected my countenance and my attitude. People could look at my face to see how I was feeling; I projected negativism. As I have grown in the Lord over the years (and trust me it took a while) I have more of a tendency to overlook things or let them slide. Oh, I still get upset about some things, but the Holy Spirit helps me to allow the anger to dissipate, like water as it evaporates as steam.

                  How do you handle situations that arise in your life … at home, at work, at school, during sports competition?  Do your emotions get the better of you? Do you lose control and allow the worst parts of your old nature to surface? In the heat of the battle we can say and do very uncharacteristic things. When this happens in a Christian’s life the only thing we can do is ask the Lord for forgiveness, which surprisingly is the easy part. Facing strangers, peers or family members can be very difficult. It’s called ‘eating crow’ in some circles and can be very humiliating. I know because I’ve had to come forward and ask forgiveness for overreacting to a given situation far too many times. 

                  Let me conclude this by saying in this world both believers and non-believers are rarely allowed the luxury of being human … of being themselves. In those cases everyone seems to become either a critic or a judge and jury. Isn’t it funny how others seem to know better than you how to live your life? Do yourself a favor and follow God’s lead and regardless of how you are perceived, you’ll be alright. I’d rather be favored in God’s sight than man’s any day of the week. 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

                  I’m not sure if I am the only one who thinks this way, but have you ever considered the idea that because we know what we know and not what others know, we are inclined to make assumptions about another person’s faith and/or walk with God. I have had a tendency to discount someone’s faith in God because they smoke or go to bars. That’s arrogant of me because I don’t know exactly where they stand with Christ. Maybe they are brand new believers. Maybe they are believers only have multiple weaknesses that they are struggling with. Our job is not to judge. Everyone is at a different stage in his or her spiritual maturation. We do not … we cannot know the condition of a persons heart. Only God can. This is why HE is the judge and not us. He judges based on what we cannot know. At times we don’t even know our own heart and mind re: matters, so how could we ever fairly judge the matters of someone else’s heart and mind? For those believers struggling with detrimental habits, addictions or compulsions, we are to offer comfort, consolation, encouragement, mercy and prayer. Edify … don’t eat them alive. Never forget where you came from and what you came out of. We don’t know everyone’s back-story. Be Christ to others by offering hope thru love. 

                  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

While there is only one way to get to heaven, there are a myriad of ways for it to take place. Your spiritual transformation can take place anywhere on this earth … it doesn’t have to be in a church. There doesn’t have to be a clergyman present. It doesn’t matter what posture you happen to be in when it takes place. The wonderfully special thing about salvation is that God will meet you wherever you happen to be. You don’t have to clean up for him, for the only necessary cleansing takes place within your heart.

Once forgiven by Almighty God, your spiritual maturation is up to you. While the Holy Spirit does the inner surgery, we must allow him to do his work in us. God doesn’t go where he is not wanted and will not do that which you do not want done. We must submit our will in favor of his so that we might become all he knows we can be in his name. This is the path of the Christian. 

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

“It’s not easy to outrun your demons …” ^[1]

            This message is for those who think they have their life all together. It’s for the backslidden believer who has gotten entangled in the darkness once again. It’s for the quasi-believer who says they believe in God, but doesn’t feel the need to incorporate him into any part of their life. It’s for the atheist who thinks he understands all that he needs to understand and sees an unseen spirit deity as unreal and therefore an unnecessary ingredient to his life. No matter who you are you have secrets. Lies you’ve told, things you’ve either done or left undone. An unspoken past that you swept under the rug a long time ago. I’m here to tell you, you can never outrun your past. You cannot outrun your demons. They will dog you; they will overrun you and they will make you pay for your past mistakes. Those are called ‘sins’ and you cannot outrun them. One day payment will be expected, and you won’t have what you need to make it.

                  Christ willingly went to the cross and shed his blood to make that payment for you. Scripture says “But if you reject me, I will tell my Father in heaven that you don’t belong to me.”[Matthew 10:33; Common English Version] Have you rejected Christ? Do you feel the need of proof? Faith requires no proof. Facts can be fudged. Man’s word means very little. God’s word is truth. Because we don’t understand it doesn’t make it false or questionable. If you turn your life over to God for restoration you will live under his umbrella of grace and because of his grace you shall no longer be defined by past mistakes. Think on these things … 

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

In His Name & for His Glory,

RL Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

 

I leave you with two quotes … 

“If we all die and there is no God, then it’s just eternal unconsciousness, you’ll never know, but if you’re wrong … you’ll know forever.” – Brad Stine

 

“I would rather live my life as if there is a God and die to find out there isn't, than live as if there isn't and die only to find out that there is.” - Albert Camus

^[1] Chicago P.D.; Season 5, Episode 19; April 11, 2018; final scene.

 

Thoughts from a Random Mind 

            We are all painfully human. Whether Christian or non-Christian, we feel pain, we get confused, depressed, irritated, aggravated, frustrated, angry, sad and perplexed. In spite of everything God has done for us and means to us we still allow ourselves to suffer great angst when it comes to situations that confront us. Our focus becomes easily skewed causing our first reaction to be negative until the Holy Spirit reboots our thought processes. 

                  In Paul’s letter to the Roman believers he expressed frustration at doing what he knows he shouldn’t do and not doing that which he knows he should be doing. He ends this section by asking the question “Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death?” Romans 7:24             

                  This is one way we can definitely relate to the unbeliever, thru the associated pains of living life. We mustn’t sequester ourselves away, afraid to face the unknown that lives next door or down the street.  Aside from salvation we are all very much the same, cultural differences notwithstanding. Our basic needs are the same, though our likes and dislikes are different, molded by outside influences.  Living out our faith can speak much louder than the words we say. I feel like people no longer what to hear about Christ, they was to see our faith in action. We must BE Christ to them.  Too often the world has seen words turn hypocritical in light of our contradictory actions.

                  By the way, Paul doesn’t leave his readers hanging … he answered his own question by proclaiming, “Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 7:25 

In His Name & for His Glory,

RL Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

Thoughts From a Random Mind

 

Latent - Present or potential, but not evident or active.

            I encountered the word “latency” in an email from the IT Dept. on the job a while back. I was curious as to it’s meaning so I looked it up. The root word is “latent” and the definition is listed above. It got me to thinking that some Christians fit the definition in that they have incredible potential based on God’s grace, yet it is not yet active or even evident in their lives. We all need to take the time to tap into the spirit within and allow him to direct us in the way we should go. We must also allow him to bring to the forefront our God given gifts and abilities that the Lord has given to us. If fruit is ready for the picking yet is left untouched it will eventually rot on the vine. Ask God to show you your special gift(s) and then use them for the glory of God.

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

In His Name & for His Glory,

RL Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

Definition from the American Heritage Dictionary.

Thoughts from a Random Mind

Not knowing WHAT you believe and/or WHY you believe opens you up to false teaching. My fear is that too many believers in Christ only THINK they are safe in the folds of grace, when they are outside the hedge of protection provided for true followers of Christ. They have a skewed understanding of basic doctrinal issues which can lead them down some hairy paths. Is it laziness or a lack of interest? Peoples ignorance can be remedied by taking your faith head on and diving into a veritable sea of sound biblical teachings that are readily available to all of us.  

Faith is serious business. You are essentially leaving the path you were on in favor of a path that has been established by God. You either choose to believe that and follow or you dismiss it as false and go your own way.

Without God there is no absolute truth. What you have are a plethora of unproven theories, speculations, and innuendoes. You can choose to place your belief in THAT, but you will still have those unanswered questions hanging over your head. Whether God is real or the object of someone’s keen imagination will NEVER be known. You see, faith and facts do NOT go hand in hand. If you KNOW something to be true without a shadow of a doubt, then to believe it doesn’t require faith. You have a choice to believe whatever you want. For those who choose to believe in the existence of God, welcome to the family. 

God gave us all the right to choose which path we take in this life. Just because someone doesn’t choose to follow along doesn’t make it false, they either weren’t ready to make that decision in the affirmative just yet, or they simply never do, they have that right. Then they will reap the consequences of that decision, good or bad.

To say you are a Christian and not know what or why you believe should be a humiliating experience for the one who is lacking in that regard. Those who don’t know decide to avoid “religious” interactions with others. I was like that back in the ‘70’s, when I received salvation. I had determined that “religion” was a personal topic I didn’t care to discuss with anyone. However, God had different ideas. 

                  I’ve walked with the Lord for over 45 years and don’t feel the least bit confined as I live out my life. If you’d like to walk with Jesus, following Him going forward, then the opportunity is available to you. Just believe in God / Jesus and submit your will over to Him. His has a plan of greatness designed with you in mind. It’s not an easy road, but the reward at the end makes the trip well worth it. 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

            When you live in an ungodly world it can be very easy to fall into bad habits. This world pushes itself on us thru media outlets, such as TV, Cinema, Magazines, Music, Books and so on till we start to waver ever so slightly. We get lulled to sleep by borderline things that seem good but truly are not.  Our behavior begins to look more like those around us instead of Christ. Spiritually weak believers who are easily influenced by what is popular at the moment have compromised our message. We end up ingesting shows we ought not watch on television and every other venue at the expense of feeding our spirit man. We seem less likely to pray when things are going well. Is it possible that we are being influenced, or dare I say, seduced far more by the world then we are influencing the world with our beliefs? Could it be time for another spiritual assessment? Where do we stand with the Lord? Compare your behavior to that of Jesus, not mortal men.

            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

                  There are constant temptations that attempt to infiltrate our minds and steer us off course on our walk with the Lord. There are times when it seems like everywhere we look there is some sort of temptation staring us right in the eye. And don’t you know the devil, who is the author of all temptation, knows exactly where we are most vulnerable. He will keep banging away that the weak link in our chain until we either strengthen that area or it breaks. This is why we must feed our spirit man and not our flesh. We need God’s counsel because as Solomon says in Proverbs, “There is a way that seems right to a man, whose way leads to destruction.” It doesn’t have to be that way. Starve your old man and feed your spirit man. The result will be the peace found from a clear conscience. 

                  Guilt is a hard taskmaster. It gnaws at your subconscious mind day and night. It can create paranoia. Your peace is buried under a bevy of fiery darts that keep you off balance, all because you gave in to temptation. The enemy uses your slip up against you continuously. You must forge a new, stronger chain that will not break. What you need to accomplish is found in the Bible and from the Holy Spirit within you.  

                  It’s a curious thing this reference to chains. There are the chains that bind us up due to sin, chains forged in the hardships of life that weigh us down, chains that bind us together with bands of love and harmony and chains that represent spiritual fortitude.  Which chains are you forging?  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

            We all have failings and shortcomings. They come from our influences growing up. There is one thing we must do for our own well being and the health of our relationships, whether they be with our parents, a girlfriend, a spouse or our children and that is to take ownership of our failings and shortcomings.  If we deny them, we negate the chance to overcome them.  

                  If someone you trust, perhaps a spouse, mentor or close friend, points out that you are selfish, don’t fluff it off. Take it to heart. Do some soul searching. Ask the Lord to reveal your flaws to you so you can lay them down and have the Holy Spirit remove them. Ask Him to teach you how to proceed. It will take you one step closer to becoming selfless. You have to WANT to change your behavior. You have to WANT to imitate Christ in your daily walk with God.

                  Perhaps you are a habitual liar or addicted to something that is harming you and by extension those you interact with?  Reach out to God. You can’t do it, but God can. We cannot do this thing called life alone. God is willing to help, but we must be willing to accept his help. He forces himself on no one. Remember, arrogance is for fools. Let down your guard and allow God in to rearrange your heart and life. God never disappoints. 

                  Don’t think for one second this word is meant for non-believers or those new to the faith. Even the most dedicated believer has issues and problems even they may not be totally aware of.  Keep yourself in check.  Assess and reassess your walk with the Lord regularly. Pleasing him is your goal, not pleasing yourself or anyone else, for if you please God with your life, you will end up pleasing those closest to you as well. 

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

In His Name & for His Glory,

RL Keller

Bread of Ministries

Thoughts from a Random Mind

Apostasy - No longer just an individual problem.

            Individual’s become apostate due to unanswered questions and doctrinal doubts. But what happens when whole churches preach & teach socially acceptable thoughts instead of sticking to scripture?

            It’s so simple to just deny God’s existence or the infallibility of His Word. Question everything and base your set of beliefs on how you feel about various subjects. People get hooked up to a charismatic preacher, teacher, or traveling evangelist who speaks authoritatively on cultural, and / or socially acceptable topics to bring doubt to the masses that engage with them. 

            Things like homosexuality, gender-neutral wording, and evolution, when spoken with the proper authoritative rhetoric, can sway many to believe that which they had been told was ungodly isn’t at all. People can be spiritually lazy, in that they rely on others to spoon feed them biblical doctrine rather than dig for the truth on their own. Doubts regarding the existence of God or the validity of scripture are no doubt common, but that doesn’t scare or concern the Almighty One. That’s what our free will allows. 

            One thing that Christians need to learn is not to dog those who believe differently than us. We MUST reflect the true nature of Christ and not free wheel our approach based on anything other than love, compassion, and mercy. Making people aware of what we consider to be the truth is our mission. They have every right to reject what we, and by extension, God, has to say. But it behooves those seekers to diligently search high and low for the correct answer and not just AN answer. 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

 

            We all have failings and shortcomings. They come from our influences growing up. There is one thing we must do for our own well being and the health of our relationships, whether they be with our parents, a girlfriend, a spouse or our children and that is to take ownership of our failings and shortcomings.  If we deny them, we negate the chance to overcome them.  

            If someone you trust, perhaps a spouse, mentor or close friend, points out that you are selfish, don’t fluff it off. Take it to heart. Do some soul searching. Ask the Lord to reveal your flaws to you so you can lay them down and have the Holy Spirit remove them. Ask him to teach you how to proceed. It will take you one step closer to becoming selfless. You have to WANT to change your behavior. You have to WANT to imitate Christ in your daily walk with God.

            Perhaps you are a habitual liar or addicted to something that is harming you and by extension those you interact with?  Reach out to God. You can’t do it, but God can. We cannot do this thing called life alone. God is willing to help, but we must be willing to accept his help. He forces himself on no one. Remember, arrogance is for fools. Let down your guard and allow God in to rearrange your heart and life. God never disappoints. 

            Don’t think for one second this word is meant for non-believers or those new to the faith. Even the most dedicated believer has issues and problems even they may not be totally aware of.  Keep yourself in check.  Assess and reassess your walk with the Lord regularly. Pleasing him is your goal, not pleasing yourself or anyone else, for if you please God with your life, you will end up pleasing those closest to you as well. 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

“Look,” they told him, “you are now old, and your sons are not like you. Give us a king to judge us like all the other nations have.” Samuel was displeased with their request and went to the Lord for guidance. “Do everything they say to you,” the Lord replied, “for they are rejecting me, not you. They don’t want me to be their king any longer.” 1 Samuel 8:5-7 New Living Translation

 

            1 Samuel 8:1-22 tells the story of Samuel, his sons & the people of Israel wanting a King like the surrounding nations. This falls under the category of ‘be careful what you ask for, because you just might get it’.  

                  Samuel was very old and his sons were not at all like him, in that they were greedy, accepting bribes & corrupting justice. The people saw this and instead of turning to God, asked Samuel for a King to rule over them just like the nations that surrounded them. This King, they reasoned, would rule over them and lead them into battle.  Samuel would not at all pleased with their request, considering it a major slap in the face. God recognized what was happening here and essentially said to Samuel give them what they want for they do not wish to have me rule over them any longer. 

                  The point of my looking at this portion of scripture from the Old Testament is that there are things and circumstances that we all wish to have or take place. We don’t pray about it, we just want it to happen so badly they we assume God would surely honor our request. I mean, why wouldn’t he? Doesn’t the Bible say God gives us the desires of our hearts? It is at that precise moment that we lose sight of what God may want for us and replace it with our own selfish wants.  The fact of the matter is that we cannot know all that God knows about our life. He created us and therefore knows us more intimately than we could ever know.  This is why it is imperative to lay everything before the Lord and wait.  God’s best is far greater than our biggest wants, desires and dreams and that is what he has planned for us, nothing but the absolute best.

                  So when you feel like there is something you either must have or a situation that you must have take place, remember the Israelites from 1^st Samuel and seek to determine what God’s will is in the situation. God has no particular timetable when it comes to what we want or don’t want. He knows the best time for his will to manifest itself in your life. So put your desires aside and rely on God to know what you truly need in this life. If your desires line up with his desires for you, then you can be confident it will come to pass. You have never been, nor shall you ever be short changed and some day you may be glad you never received what you felt you had to have. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing!  Until next time, walk with the King & be a blessing.

In His Name & for His Glory,

RL Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

Resource: www.biblegateway.com

Thoughts From a Random Mind

“It’s not easy to outrun your demons … “^[1]

            This message is for those who think they have their life all together. It’s for the backslidden believer who has gotten entangled in the darkness once again. It’s for the quasi-believer who says they believe in God, but doesn’t feel the need to incorporate him into any part of their life. It’s for the atheist who thinks he understands all that he needs to understand and sees an unseen spirit deity as unreal and therefore an unnecessary ingredient to his life. No matter who you are you have secrets. Lies you’ve told, things you’ve either done or left undone. An unspoken past that you swept under the rug a long time ago. I’m here to tell you, you can never outrun your past. You cannot outrun your demons. They will dog you; they will overrun you and they will make you pay for your past mistakes. Those are called ‘sins’ and you cannot outrun them. One day payment will be expected, and you won’t have what you need to pay.

                  Christ willingly went to the cross and shed his blood to make that payment for you. Scripture says “But if you reject me, I will tell my Father in heaven that you don’t belong to me.”[Matthew 10:33; Common English Version] Have you rejected Christ? Do you feel the need of proof? Faith requires no proof. Facts can be fudged. Man’s word means very little. God’s word is truth. Because we don’t understand it doesn’t make it false or questionable. If you turn your life over to God for restoration you will live under his umbrella of grace and because of his grace you shall no longer be defined by past mistakes. Think on these things …

 

I leave you with two quotes … 

“If we all die and there is no God, then it’s just eternal unconsciousness, you’ll never know, but if you’re wrong … you’ll know forever.” – Brad Stine

 

“I would rather live my life as if there is a God and die to find out there isn't, than live as if there isn't and to die to find out that there is.” - Albert Camus

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

In His Name & for His Glory,

RL Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

^[1] Chicago P.D.; Season 5, Episode 19; April 11, 2018; final scene.

Thoughts from a Random Mind

                  I have people close to me who have checked out on their faith. My one daughter said about 8 or so years ago that she is hanging up her faith for a while to just live. Was she not living before that decision? I have a brother in the Lord I met in Bible school who became the Pastor of a church in his home state of Illinois. After a few years of disappointment at the helm with little to no response from his small congregation he elected to renounce his faith in Christ & even wrote a thesis paper on why there is no God. Concentrating on sources outside of the Bible, instead of relying on THAT source as your key source will do that to a man. Yet another, a casual friend from a former church, wrote me an email saying he no longer believed; that God was nothing more than a tyrannical dictator who must be stopped. If that were actually true then who in the world could ever stop Him? 

                  It seems to me that these folks didn’t truly buy in to this whole Christian thing to begin with. Not believing with all your heart, soul, and mind will cause doubts. God’s not afraid of our doubts. Neither is He afraid of our questions. But to not take the time to investigate an answer to your own doubts and/or questions does yourself a disservice. You are shortchanging yourself in a huge way. Without an earnest search into the things of God you wind up being ignorant of the facts, ergo the truth.

                  I wonder if those folks mentioned above ever feel like something’s missing? Feeling like they were unplugged from the very source of life? Feeling separated from something they couldn’t see. Make no mistake about it. Apostasy is a real thing [Hebrews 6:4-6]. The renouncing of one’s faith in God. The Bible predicts it in the New Testament. No one ever said a person HAS to believe in God or follow His statutes. But without Him you’ll die in your sinful state and that won’t end you up in heaven. Thinking you can tackle this life on your own is laughable to me, especially when I consider my own inabilities. Fortunately, God is patient in the face of man’s ignorance and disrespect. He knows man’s heart and the sincerity with which he speaks. Scripture says those who turn away from God cannot be redeemed again, for that is like crucifying Christ all over again. Is that literally true? Have they punched their ticket to another destination with no ability to return? Only God knows that. Until next time, walk with the King & be a blessing.

In His Name & for His Glory,

RL Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

Hebrews 6:4-6 – “For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt.

Thoughts From a Random Mind

            I think we all know the attraction of temptation. It is either something that we’ve done in the past that we enjoyed or something we hadn’t done before that looks inviting. Perhaps it’s something we’ve never done that we’re feeling the pull to do. Whenever this takes place within our heart and mind we must learn to mentally play out the scenario to its conclusion. In reality, the pay off is far more damaging than any benefit that comes from it. The benefit is always temporal, while the damage is perpetual. It is critical that we avoid sin by emulating Christ in our daily life. Our focus must be on the things of the Lord and not what we feel our own needs may seem to be. Trust me when I tell you that no matter how wonderful that thing looks in the beginning it ends up being a very dark and lonely road in the end. 

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

In His Name & for His Glory,

RL Keller

Bread of Life Ministries