Thoughts from a Random Mind

          Have you ever noticed how the world has trivialized LOVE? Even the word has been made to be so commonplace it hardly holds any meaning anymore. Oh it does to many, probably the majority of people, but Satan is hell bent on destroying anything that is pure and decent in this world. His desire is to make love into a sexual thing when true love is far from that. True love is defined in 1 Corinthians chapter 13, also referred to as “the Love Chapter”. You should read it to see what true love really entails. 

While true love can lead to a physical love when two people fall in love and become one, it doesn’t always have to. Parents can truly and deeply love their children in the Biblical sense; so can friends, even friends who are the opposite gender. I believe the key to loving another completely is tied up in the word “unconditional”.

 

UNCONDITIONAL (def):  Without conditions or limitations; absolute; total.

 

Without limitations; without conditions. God places no restrictions on the depth or breadth of His love for His creation. There is nothing this side of heaven to compare with it. Being flawed creatures, we try but fail so often as we attempt imitate what we see and feel love really is. This world’s version of love is a cheap imitation. It is nothing like the real thing. 

True unconditional love is absolute and total. It is a complete package. It doesn’t HAVE to include the physical part, but it can. It is forgiving and pure. True love is not a dirty thing. It is a beautiful emotional experience. God defines it in His power and purity. Jesus reflects it in His words and actions. God loves us with ‘agape’ love; a love that is spiritual, not sexual, in its nature. In it we find peace, comfort, and hope.  The most amazing thing about all this is that He loved us with this type of truly perfect and incredible love before we ever gave Him a thought. No matter what we can or will ever think, say, or do, His love for us never changes. It is enduring. It is eternal. THAT is the type of love people are clamoring for. They don’t recognize it when is appears, so Satan imitates it with a cheap, tawdry version of it which is physical and erotic and not at all what the real thing is. People accept it because it feels good, but that feeling passes as soon as the encounter is over. God’s love shall always remain and never fail … ever.  

Would you like to know this type of never-ending love? You need to embrace God and surrender to Him. He will escort you into joys unspeakable over time. Give your life to Him today. Why wait? 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 is not always God’s will to heal a person physically. A person may sincerely pray and truly have faith that God can heal, but if it is not God’s will to provide the healing at that time, then no healing will come (see 1 John 5:14). Sometimes God’s blessings come in other ways besides physical healing.

If it were always God’s will for people to be healed, then everyone would be healed every time he or she became ill. If good health were always God’s will, then Christians would never die. We can’t blame someone’s malady on a lack of faith, for we know, biblically, that God sometimes uses illness to accomplish His will. Also, it’s not just wayward believers who get sick. Paul “left Trophimus sick in Miletus” (2 Timothy 4:20), and Paul himself had a physical ailment that the Lord declined to heal (2 Corinthians 12:7–9).

Often, Christians have an over-simplified idea of healing. They think that, if they are sick, they have only to ask God to heal them and, because God loves them, He will heal them straightaway. Healing is seen as proof of a person’s faith and of God’s love. This idea persists in some circles in spite of the truth that every mother knows: a parent does not give her child everything he asks for every time, no matter how much she loves him.”

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

In His Name & for His Glory,

RL Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

Resource:  https://www.gotquestions.org/God-heal-everyone.html

Thoughts from a Random Mind

ABSOLUTE TRUTH

            Is there such a thing as an absolute truth? Let’s look at this. To say there is NO GOD is an absolute statement, but there is no way of proving that statement. Therefore, it is not an absolutely true statement. The statement is based on various factors that may or may not happen to come into play. The same is true of the converse statement; there IS A GOD. That also cannot be proved. The whole nature of faith never demands proof. 

            I cannot actually SEE GOD, but I can see the evidence that a Supreme Being exists simply by looking at nature, and other aspects of creation. Don’t believe in CREATION? You believe in EVOLUTION? The THEORY of Evolution is NOT FACTUAL. It is scientific theory and conjecture that cannot be proven without a shadow of a doubt. Is it possible that the BIG BANG was in actuality the exact moment when God said, “Let there be light”? That is what some creationists are saying. No one was there when it happened, so you are back to the notion that coincides with the statement, “If a tree falls in the woods and no one is there to hear & see it, does it make a sound?” How would you know? You wouldn’t. So therein lies the conundrum we are faced with.

            We believe much of what we know by faith. We take it for granted that our history is true, but what if it was a pack of lies? How would we know? We wouldn’t. Even eyewitnesses would have their own version of past events, which may or may not correspond with another person’s version. Proof. It can be somewhat sketchy at times. It’s based on interpretation.  

            You can’t always believe what you SEE. Unless you personally experience something, you should automatically look at that THING with a jaundiced eye. To think like this can make someone CYNICAL.

So, what do you believe? I would guess you would believe and subsequently trust that which you find reasonably plausible. We choose to believe that which makes the most sense to us.  Consider placing your faith and trust in Almighty God. Do an investigation. While you will not find proof, you may just begin to understand what this whole ‘God thing’ is all about. 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

TIME

            Time is a relevant topic. Some think time goes fast, some slow. It depends on what you’re doing. Time at work goes slow. Time on vacation goes lightning fast. I’m turning the BIG 7-0 next year and it boggles my mind … I find myself asking the all too familiar question: “Where did the time go?”

            How we spend our time is equal to what we get accomplished in this life. Lazy folks get little accomplished. Energetic folks get more than their fair share accomplished. What you do with your time tells what is on your heart; what is most important to you. What do you spend quality time doing? Who do you spend it with? Family? Friends? Work? Play? What is it? Are you an under or over achiever? Why? Is it to please yourself or to please others? Do you follow the Golden Rule by treating others the way you’d like to be treated? 

            What’s your take on God? Does He exist? Doesn’t He? Why? If you believe He exists how much time do you spend with Him? Does He feel distant to you? If so, who moved? Does He feel close? Time is an expensive commodity. You can only spend it once. Here today and gone tomorrow. Time keeps on rolling, no matter what the situation. Some think time stops when you die. Is that literally true? Those who don’t buy in to the whole Christian scene may think that is the case. Is there a heaven? Is there a hell? 

            With all the “religions” in the world, why would you think Christianity is the only valid one? How can you prove it? Can You? Proof negates faith and it is faith, combined with belief, that is needed to believe in an unseen God. How can you trust in someone you cannot see? It’s a choice. A free will choice. Believe or don’t believe; it is at your own discretion. 

            Regarding God and the whole of Christianity, no proof is coming. The existence of God cannot be proven, though Christians believe that evidence is all around us in His creation. That is all well and good unless you happen to be an Evolutionist. 

            It all comes down to faith – believing something unseen as if it CAN be seen. The clock keeps ticking and time shall one day be no more. The eternity question will be answered either by action, one way or another, or by ignoring those thoughts that have been presented to you. Someone has to pay the piper. Christ paid for those who believe. For those who do NOT believe, the offer is there. It’s an individual choice that HAS to be made or it will be made for you. God sends NO ONE to hell. Their silence on the issue of God speaks volumes and brings about a self-determination that will lead to regret because that person never considered the seriousness of the issue at hand. Once the final trump sounds it will be too late. Use your time wisely; choose wisely as well for your future destination after death is at stake. 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 hard to know what level of spiritual maturity people are at. Even after you’ve talked to the person you may not have a clue. There’s a lady security guard who said to me she had a lot going on in her mind. It was a difficult time for her. I asked her what she is going to do. “Organize and pray” was her response. I said, “GOOD! Good for you. God loves you very much you know.” She said she knew that and smiled. The interesting part of that brief encounter was that she was born and raised in Egypt. I have no idea what the level of faith and believe she has.  My aim is not to have people replicate my faith and belief, but rather to encourage and uplift the spirits of the people I encounter whether they know Christ or not. Perhaps this lady prayed only when she needed help, maybe she prays all the time. It’s irrelevant really because I’m not her judge anyway.  I try to treat people as equals spiritually speaking. I find that most of the South Americans are mostly Catholics. Whether they are practicing, or non-practicing Catholics is not known to me. For the most part Cubans appear to be atheists, in that churches under Fidel Castro regime were not allowed to exist. 

The Gospel message is one for the ages. It works in all situations. No matter how much or how little you have the message is the same and the God of the message never changes. 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

                        The term “hollow heart” came to my attention the other day. Here are some thoughts I pulled together regarding that topic of being HOLLOW.

                  What IS a HOLLOW HEART? It is a heart that is insincere; deceitful; treacherous; void of emotion. What about HOLLOW LOVE? How’s about it is when you love someone who will never love you back. Empty. Void. HOLLOW EMOTIONS would be when we feel emotional emptiness, we feel hollow–like there is simply nothing inside of us. This feeling can be very different from the “heavy” and overwhelming feelings of depression, panic, or anger, which weigh us down because they seem to permeate every aspect of our being.

                  Many people describe empty feelings as numbness, detachment, chronic or deep boredom, or a sense of being hollow inside. It’s like something is missing inside of you. If you have ever felt that way, it’s important to know that you are not alone. Emptiness is a difficult emotion to understand and process.

                  What is a HOLLOW PERSON? A HOLLOW PERSON' is often used metaphorically to describe someone who appears to lack depth, substance, or genuine emotions. This term can refer to individuals who may seem superficial, disconnected from their feelings, or lacking in meaningful connections with others.

                  How’s about a HOLLOW COMPLIMENT. It would be a compliment without any real or significant worth; meaningless: a hollow victory. Synonyms: pointless, futile, empty, vain. insincere or false: hollow compliments.

                  HOLLOW WORDS are things like words and/or promises a person utters although he doesn’t intend to keep them.

                  This hollowness can be defeated, because 1) we know it doesn’t come from the Lord, 2) it comes from the devil.  The devil is a DEFEATED FOE. He is a toothless lion. He can do nothing to God’s children without the Lord’s foreknowledge and allowance.  We don’t need to feel this way. God is far greater than any issues or problems you may encounter. It’s a matter of focus. Focus on negative thoughts or imaginings and you will feel, and act defeated but refocus on that which is positive and godly, and you will begin to snap out of it. Negativism isn’t where you want to be. It’s a dead end road.

                  Spend time praising God for your life and ask Him to guide you into a more positive mindset, so that you will be a blessing to those around you. You don’t have to carry the weight of negativism with you. It can be dropped right where you stand. 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

The Frailty of Life

 

                  This last night I heard a story about someone who died unexpectedly. This morning at work the Holy Spirit said to me, “write on the frailty of life”. I said “alright”, so here it is.

                  While I don’t remember all the details, like names, ages, etc., I do remember that the victim was a woman. I remember she was sitting in her car at the exit of a local McDonalds. She either just ate breakfast or just picked up breakfast and was heading to work or back home. I’m guessing when she woke up that morning she didn’t think she’d be dying that day. The story goes that while she sat innocently waiting to pull out onto the main road, the driver of a pick-up truck lost control and T-Boned the woman’s car, killing her instantly. I’m guessing she didn’t think she’d be dying that day.

                  Scripture tells us we do NOT know what tomorrow will hold for us. Frankly, we don’t even know if we’ll wake up in the morning. A certain mild arrogance boastfully says, at least internally, that ‘nothing bad ever happens to me’. I was related to someone who used to say that all the time. I wonder if that woman ever said that to herself. Are you aware that your life, the one God gave you, can end in a split second without warning. To think otherwise is foolhardy. I’m not advocating living in fear of dying, not at all. But we must respect life...our own and the lives of others. Look at what the Bible says: Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” - James 4:13-15 Also, “Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring.” - Proverbs 27:1

                  “Life is fragile, handle with pray” is a slogan I’ve seen before. It’s so true. Time flies and that’s a fact. Seems like yesterday I was in school. I’m now 69 years old and I am astonished at how quickly my life has gone by with a whoosh. And I have no idea when my life on earth will end. 

                  All this begs the question: Have you made your peace with God? Going to church / mass every day wouldn’t make you a Christian. Scripture tells us we must be Born Again of the Spirit of God. Jesus came and died for all our sins. When we receive Christ into our hearts we become a new creation. Our lifestyle is supposed to change. We are supposed to begin an exciting journey to become more like our Savior and Lord. Are you a Christian in name only, and have done nothing with your faith? God doesn’t need anyone of us, but instead has chosen to use us to spread His gospel to our portion of the world. Believing in Jesus means nothing if it hasn’t profoundly changed your life. Scripture says behold, old things have passed away and all things have become new. You are a new creation. You’ve died to self and should now be living for Him. Are you? If you were arrested for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence for a conviction? 

What if your last day on earth was tonight ... do you know without question or hesitation that you’d spend eternity with the Creator of the Universe?? You can absolutely know that for sure. Ask the Lord to do with you whatever He wishes and watch the sparks fly. Watch God’s will manifest itself in your life. Have you made your peace with God? If your answer isn’t a resounding YES, then search your soul and take a spiritual inventory of yourself. This is important and is to be taken seriously. God loves you and died for you ... He’s asking you to live for Him. To borrow Nike’s marketing slogan ... “JUST DO IT!”

In His name & for His glory,

RL Keller

Bread of Life Ministries