Thoughts from a Random Mind

Be a Balm, Not a Bomb 

“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”   ^{(Ephesians 4:29)}

            There are many ways to shed the old nature and put on the new. Paul addresses some of them in this letter.  One sure fire way to show the world you have changed for the better is to not let unwholesome, unconstructive, undesirable talk come out of your mouth.  If you are in right relationship with God, there should be a guard at your mouths door; that guard is the Holy Spirit.  You should feel a check in your spirit whenever you feel you must cuss or make a derogatory comment.  Nothing positive comes out of unwholesome talk.  It cuts and stings and once it’s out there it can never be retrieved.  A hundred “I’m sorry’s” can never repair the damage.  The wound has been inflicted and the Lord must provide the healing.  Expedite that healing by at least vowing to curb your tongue rather than “tell it like it is” all the time.  Build people up with encouraging words for they are like a spring of cool water to a thirsty soul.  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

What is salvation?

            Salvation is the saving of the soul from sin and its consequences, namely spiritual death, and permanent separation from Almighty God. It’s considered a personal experience because each person in existence must receive forgiveness for all the wrong they have done according to God’s Law. It is an individual event in that each individual must receive salvation for themselves and no one else.

                  A person’s life is changed the moment they seek forgiveness with a heart that is pure, sincere & filled with regret for past sins. God then cleanses you from the inside out. Your outward appearance means nothing to God, he looks upon your heart. It is what’s on the inside that is changed and that causes the outside to change. How you feel after this personal event is different for everyone, because we are all created uniquely different. No two people are exactly the same. Even identical twins are different in some small way. People that know you will begin to notice a change in you and will usually tell you. To maintain your spiritual growth you must feed your spirit man or woman. Otherwise you will slowly slide back into old worldly habits. 

                  All this is tied to faith and trust. You must believe in the existence of an unseen deity who created you and loved you enough to have a payment plan set up at the dawn of time … a one time permanent blood sacrifice in the form of his Son, Jesus Christ. Blood is required to pay for sin. The OT used the blood of goats, bulls and lambs to COVER sin. Christ’s NT blood sacrifice was meant to CLEANSE or REMOVE all sin once for all time. That is what salvation truly is. Once we’re saved we become a new creation. All old things pass away, all things become new. Without question THAT is something to get excited about!

                  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

Throughout our lives we make choices.  With each choice come consequences that are tied to it. There’s one choice that many people don’t like to think about.  It’s the question of eternity in relation to God.  Whether we like it or not we will need to make a choice regarding whether we will place our faith in an unseen God or not.  It’s not enough to simply believe in Him, for frankly, He didn’t give us that option.  

Man has the tendency to compare themselves to others around them, especially when it comes to eternal issues.  Surely they must be bound for heaven for they are a good person; certainly better than Joe or Bill or Jane.  In Paul’s letter to the Romans he says we have all sinned and fallen short of God’s glory (Romans 3:23).  That’s who we are to compare ourselves to, our Creator, not another created being.  

God offers forgiveness for all our sins.  What He asks in return is for us to enter into a personal relationship with Him that will last for all eternity.  Without His forgiveness we will die and be separated from Him for all eternity with no hope of a reprieve. Christ is the bridge which reestablishes the relationship with God that was broken in the Garden with Adam & Eve.  Where do you stand with God?

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

Here’s a valuable life lesson:  If you make a mistake, no matter how big or small, take ownership of it. Don’t pass the buck or make excuses. Own it. Hopefully it won’t be treated like a life or death situation, but even if it is, still own it. By doing that you build up your trustworthiness and integrity among your peers. Sometimes we don’t realize how important personal integrity is to a person until you have none. 

            Whenever I make a mistake, and I make my fair share for sure, I definitely feel bad. It’s never intentional, but I don’t like to make mistakes. We live in an unforgiving world; so I try to learn from the situation, and then put it behind me. I typically don’t continually make the same mistake. My next mistake is always fresh and new. 

            So establish integrity, thus building trust. These attributes are worth their weight in gold and speak volumes about your personal character. 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

 

The Bible teaches us that God is not limited by physical space. In fact, King Solomon acknowledges this in 1 Kings 8:27, saying, “But will God really dwell on earth? The heavens, even the highest heaven, cannot contain you. How much less this temple I have built!” Even the grandest temple cannot contain God. He is too big, too powerful, and too vast to be confined to a physical place. Also, the Bible describes God as being omnipresent, meaning that God is present everywhere at all times. In Psalm 139:7-10, King David writes, “Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.” This passage makes it clear that there is no physical place where God is not present.

                  Our finite minds cannot possibly comprehend the verses shown above. God has no limits. None. It’s almost as if He is an immense blanket that is able to cover all things. He is simply all places at the same time. I don’t know about you, but my mind shorts out when I think about someone being ubiquitous in nature. All places at the same exact time. I am incapable of understanding that. So if He can be everywhere in the now, why would I question His ability to steer my ship in a favorable direction that will provide the greatest benefit for me? 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

It’s Not a Contest

 

“So why do you condemn another believer? Why do you look down on another believer? Remember, we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. For the Scriptures say, “‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘every knee will bend to me, and every tongue will declare allegiance to God.’”- Romans 14:11 NLT

                  Christianity isn’t a contest to see who can save the most unregenerate souls, like notches on our belt. We don’t do the saving in the first place. Our approach is lacking on many fronts due in large part to our general lack of understanding of what God’s will for each of us is. It should be obvious to us that being uplifting and encouraging to the general populace is paramount, but LIVING our faith is more important, in my opinion, then talking about it. We all know talk is cheap unless it’s followed up by action. We’d be much better off leading with action. There’s no room for selfish, condescending behavior. 

                  There are enough people in the world today who have no time for Christians. Some of us are responsible for this rejection due to our bullyboy approach regarding the way we share the gospel. Scripture here in Romans is very clear; we will ALL stand before the judgment seat of God. Believers in Christ will be there for what we’ve done with Christ. It is not to determine our eternal destination. Those who stand before God without Christ as their advocate will answer for their sins all on their own. Those who stand condemned due to their rejection of Christ will find that they will be compelled to bend their knee and declare that which they had never believed. Christ’s Lordship will be evident and impossible to deny.

                  Many are convinced that, because of cataclysmic world events, we are in the last days, but the fact of the matter is that ‘the last days’ began right after Christ’s ascension told in Acts. From that viewpoint we can see that man has been waiting for Christ’s Return for a very, very long time. Too many of us are heavily reliant on social media and the Internet for our news with the notion that if it’s on the Internet it must be true. That is a fallacy. Reports of microchip installation under ones skin that is being done (I believe) in Sweden has some calling it the ‘Mark of the Beast’ as prophesied in the Book of Revelation. They do not realize that the Beast must first be introduced into the timeline of history before there can be a Mark of the Beast. Don’t believe everything you read. Test your sources. Believe scripture. Don’t waste your time on frivolous endeavors. You can count on the fact that one day time WILL be no more and there WILL be a new heaven and a new earth. Hold fast to that which is true and let the rest go. If you do that you will have nothing to be concerned about when you stand before Almighty God. 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 

                If someone you didn’t know offered you a gift, would you take it? That is essentially what Almighty God has done. Millions of people say they believe in God, but do they KNOW Him? When you say you know God, is it the way you know Cousin Tim that lives across the country or the Uncle you only see at family weddings and funerals? Or is it a close, intimate relationship? You know, you can know God in a close, intimate way by drawing close to Him thru the written & spoken Word of God. This is what a genuine Christian is. Someone who accepts Christ in their heart and life and then, begins to emulate Jesus in thought, word, and deed. To say you believe in something or someone and not allow that experience to change the course of your life is like slapping God in the face. You have not seen or understood the importance of embracing your newfound faith and allow it to grow thru future life experiences.

                Do you HAVE to seek a close, intimate relationship with this unseen deity? Absolutely not, but every decision in life involves consequences from our resulting actions. It’s really quite simple. You accept Christ, He accepts you. You reject Christ, He will reject you on the day of reckoning. You DO NOT have to follow Jesus, but there is a major difference from HAVING & NEEDING. You NEED Jesus. He is the only One who paid off man’s sin debt. YOU can’t do it. No one else can do it. Only Jesus willingly gave up His life in exchange for yours. I know you didn’t ask Him to, but He did it because He loves you. You may not know Him, but He knows everything about you. In spite of that He still and always will love you UNCONDITIONALLY. 

                It grieves the Lord when folks reject Him. Too many have the devastating combination of ignorance and stubbornness. In other words, you don’t know, but you will fight to the death to NOT KNOW. Open your heart to His words. Embrace the forgiveness and subsequent peace and hope that comes with it. Christ is holding the door open for you, waiting for you to walk thru into His presence. Don’t miss out on accepting the greatest gift known to man. Complete forgiveness for all sin.

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

In His Name & for His Glory,

RL Keller

Bread of Life Ministries