Thoughts From a Random Mind

 

            Is the way a Christian behaves important regarding how an unbelieving world sees Christ? Yes. The unbeliever sees Christians with a jaundiced eye to begin with, so when they see what to them seems hypocritical, they are massively turned off. We are supposed to be a reflection of Christ, not a reflection of the world we live in. 

Now we’re not perfect... never will be, so if they have a mind to look at us with distain then nothing we could ever say or do will change their mind. Still, we are to try, with the help of the Holy Spirit within us to behave as God has intended us to regardless of how we’re received.

            The Bible mentions hypocrisy many times. A prime example in scripture is the Pharisees. Jesus says in Matthew 23:4 of the Pharisees, "They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger". 

            Because of our behavior, “the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you” (Romans 2:24) As Christians, we often think of ourselves as “a guide to the blind” or “a light to those who are in darkness” and if we share with them the gospel then we are. But if we give them nothing but our own prideful opinions, while disobeying scripture, is it any wonder unbelievers make fun of us, and make fun of Jesus Christ?

Believers don’t get into heaven by the things we do; in other words, we don’t get into God’s good favor thru our good conduct. If our conduct reveals whether or not we truly believe what we say, what we say may come across as nothing more than lip service. The only way for any of us to be saved is by God’s gift of redemption to us thru Christ (Ephesians 2:8-9). If we don’t speak or act any different than the world, then why would unbelievers believe in our God? Why should they follow and obey Him?

How many of us live according to the principle: "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. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself'" (Galatians 5:13–14). As Paul said to the Corinthians, "Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves." (2 Corinthians 13:5). Do you practice righteousness, or do we practice sinning? (1 John 2:29, 3:4–8). Christian conduct is vitally important regarding how the unbelieving world sees Christ. That should be of paramount importance to us all, because it tells us something very important about ourselves.

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

In His Name & for His Glory,

RL Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

Resource: www.compellingtruth.org

Thoughts from a Random Mind

            Christ is the hand that pulls you back into the boat before you drown. He is the great “I AM THAT I AM”. He is the rescuer of life, soul & spirit that has lost its way. He is the One who has kept you from calamitous events.

He is the rescuer of mankind, yet mankind is oblivious to His presence. Their spiritual eyesight has been blinded by this world, yet God’s glory is the light that shatters all darkness. Still they announce their own prowess to all who would listen. Mankind is doomed to relive mistakes, never learning lessons from them.

            God rescues us all who have a mind to submit to his loving grace. Forgiveness – I love the sound of that word. It’s like having millions of dollars in financial debt expunged. Clean slate. In essence, a ‘do over’. How much should we all appreciate that? That is love, front and center. That is a rescue. You were due for execution, but you received a last minute reprieve. How grateful are you? Living for God; being His ambassador to the world? That is one of the things that He expects from us who have partaken of the ‘new wine’ of Christ’s teachings and incorporated them into your daily life.

           There is only ONE WAY to heaven and that is thru Christ’s blood. The blood He willingly shed for you and me. Think about that. Blood shed for you. FOR YOU!!! He had no regrets, no hesitation... it was personal. He knew what HAD to be done. It was for you. 

            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

                  Did you realize that as the creation of God we have NO legitimate right to judge anyone else? The key to this thought is that only God is able to judge a person’s heart. In our heart lies our motivation for that which we do or don’t do. It is prideful and presumptuous to assume we would have the right to judge anything or anyone, for if it’s a person, we have no idea what the individual is dealing with in their life. In other words, we don’t know any person’s “back story”.  We’re all sinners against God, but some are former sinners who have been redeemed and now walk a straighter path. That doesn’t make Christians better than anyone else, not at all. We still trip up and sin; however, we now have an advocate that is with us always. Jesus represents us to the Father. Plus we don’t or at least shouldn’t make a habit of sinning any longer. We’re imperfect in every sense of the word and need help to get by in this life. For those who feel they can go it alone without any assistance, they are making it much harder on themselves then it needs to be. Submission is the key.

                  Some folks have this attitude “No one is ever going to ‘get over’ on me.” That is short-sighted thinking. For the men it might be considered ‘macho’ thinking. ‘I can handle my own business’, type of thinking, but why? It may have something to do with their upbringing, and/or their circle of influence. Think for yourself. Compare yourself to God and no one else. 

Judging others is allowing the enemy to manipulate your mind, making you think you’re better than others around you, but we are all the same inside. We all have a body, soul, & spirit. Can we get ourselves to heaven? No. Do we even have a desire to go to heaven, or are you of the mindset that we are born, we live, we die, and we rot in the ground... end of story. What if that weren’t true?

What if there IS a God? What if there were a devil? What if there is a heaven and hell? What then? How do you think your life will turn out if you keep the status quo, without trying to process this as either reality or fiction? Don’t pass up the offer of a lifetime. Seek forgiveness from Almighty God and watch what happens. Oh it may not be instantaneous, but just submitting to the will of God for your life will change your trajectory in life. You’ll be on the upward path, rather than scrambling on a hamsters wheel for all of your days. Think about it.

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

In His Name & for His Glory,

RL Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

Quote Contemplations

 

“Sometimes God’s refusals are His mercies.” – Elisabeth Elliot *

 

How many of you have prayed for someone, only to see your prayers go unanswered? How many have prayed and end up giving up because of how long it’s taking for an answer to come. Trust me when I tell you that God hears our prayers and will respond, but He will do so in His timing and within the parameters of His will for you. We mustn’t become deflated or discouraged. We need to believe that God WILL answer when the time is right, and only HE can know that.

            Prayer is the most precious way of communicating with our Heavenly Father; yet, when we pray or speak to Him there are times when He seems not to answer. We must understand and accept that God does indeed answer every prayer with either a “yes,” a “no,” or a “not yet.” In every case, though, Scripture suggests that our prayers ARE being dealt with and our patience is required.

It should be understood that sometimes, but not always, prayer is unanswered because of unconfessed sin. You know what it is, yet try to hide it from the divine entity who sees and knows all things. No one is able to mock or deceive God for He is omniscient, in that He knows all that CAN BE KNOWN (Psalm 139:1-4). If we harbor enmity in our hearts toward a brother or sister in Christ then we are asking for things with the wrong motives (such as from selfish desires), and our prayers can be negatively impacted (2 Chronicles 7:14; Psalm 66:18; James 4:3). Sin hinders our ability to be in fellowship with God, and it hinders our prayers. Unbelief (Proverbs 15:8) and hypocrisy (Mark 12:40) also negatively impact our prayers.

Another reason why prayers seems to go unanswered is that the Lord is attempting to draw out of our faith a deeper reliance and trust in Him. That should bring out of us a deeper sense of gratitude, love and humility. In turn, this causes us to benefit spiritually, for He gives grace to the humble (James 4:6; Proverbs 3:34). 

God may seem silent to us, but even if prayer has not been answered, we must rely upon God to do so when He knows the time is best. Even the exercise of prayer is a blessing to us. Our faith stirs us to persist in prayer. It’s our faith that pleases God (Hebrews 11:6), for He hears our cries in earnest for help. Our persistence is the key.  Let us hunger for the things that are after God’s heart and let us walk in His ways and not our own. If we are faithful to pray without ceasing, then we are living in the will of God, and that can never be wrong (1 Thessalonians 5:17-18). Until next time, walk with the King & be a blessing.

In His Name & for His Glory,

RL Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

* Elisabeth Elliot (December 21, 1926 – June 15, 2015) was an American Christian missionary, author, and speaker.

Resource: www.gotquestions.org

Quote Contemplations

 

“God uses valleys to mold our character.” – Lee Stroble *

            Trials promote growth. How could our faith and trust in God ever be cultivated if we never experience troubles. God allows troubles to come our way because they are character builders. They test our faith. They raise doubts in our mind about the nature of God and why certain things happen to us. God never minds being doubted or questioned, because such situations enable us to dig deeper into the mind of God thru His Word.

            It’s the people who feel that once they become “saved” life’s problems vanish. Nothing could be further from the truth. Once saved you are under God’s umbrella of grace, but with that comes a target that is not only affixed to your back, but your front as well. You have now become an enemy of the devil, who had been your master, unbeknownst to you. 

            It is the enemy of your soul who will now continuously take pot shots at you as you struggle to cling onto your faith and trust in the Lord. THAT is the reason why we are to invest our time spending it in God’s Word and in prayer, so we build an arsenal of weapons to ward off God’s greatest nemesis as he attacks our faith. 

            If you are serious about your faith in God, strive to grow your relationship with Him a little more each and every day.  No one’s going to do it for you. It’s up to you to take on the challenge of seeking your own spiritual maturation. God wants you to succeed in this battle. Do you? Until next time, walk with the King & be a blessing.

In His Name & for His Glory,

RL Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

* Lee Strobel (born January 25, 1952) is an American Christian author and a former investigative journalist.

Quote Contemplations 

 

“The way to conquer sin is not by working hard to change our deeds, but by trusting Jesus to change our desires.” – David Platt *

            It stands to reason that if Christ can erase your sins, then He can alter your desires.  All you need to do is be discerning and compliant. Yield yourself to the leading of the Spirit within you. Seek assistance regarding those sinful practices that you happen to struggle with. God is more than happy to oblige.

            The same people who feel they have to step up their personal efforts may possibly be the people who believe that they can work their way to heaven. Just sayin’... Since you CAN’T work your way into heaven, what would ever make you believe that you can work yourself into a place where you could defeat sin in your life without God’s help. Do you understand that the enemy of your soul is working overtime to trip you up, thus making you less effective for the Lord. God is infinitely more powerful than Satan, but we are no match for the devil. We NEED the Lord’s help to be successful in our spiritual quest to share and spread the gospel. How do I know this? In John 15:5 Jesus says, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” He’s talking about your spiritual progression. Oh, you can function as a human being, but you will be unable to do anything of any significance spiritually speaking. 

            Since Christ’s death erased all your sins, He is more than capable of altering your desires, so they become pleasing to the Lord. It’s all part of the faith/trust connection. You have faith in God and therefore trust Him to do that which He has declared in scripture He will do. Never lose your faith and trust in the Almighty, for He is the only entity who is entirely perfect in every way and never changes. He only does that which He knows will be best for you. Until next time, walk with the King & be a blessing.

In His Name & for His Glory,

RL Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

*David Platt (born July 11, 1978) is an American evangelical Baptist pastor.

Quote Contemplations 9

 

“I do not always feel His presence, but God’s promises do not depend upon my feelings, they rest upon His integrity.” – R.C. Sproul *

 

            Have you ever prayed and felt your prayers simply bounced off the ceiling in your room? Are there times when you feel like God is a million miles away instead of right next to you as He promised? The standard follow-up question is, “Who moved?” To clarify, God is ubiquitous, as in everywhere at the same time. He is a Spirit being. While God interacts with the physical world, He Himself is not bound by physical limitations. 

            Almighty God is the epitome of integrity. He is the apex; the pinnacle of all love and righteousness. Believing in the living God is the beginning. Accepting the Bible as God’s inherent word is another initial step. Believing in His Son, Jesus Christ is vital. Accepting your need to have all your transgressions erased is necessary. In the midst of all this transpiring, you must develop a basic trust in God, that is to be combined with your faith in Him. Trusting someone with a HIGH level of integrity, or moral / ethical correctness allows you to realize that though YOU may not feel His presence, He is indeed there with you based on His immutable word, which declares in Matthew 28:20, "And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." And in Deuteronomy 31:6: "Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you."

            So in conclusion, if you don’t feel God’s presence, remember what He has said in His Word to us all. HE WILL NEVER LEAVE OR FORSAKE YOU!!  Whether you feel His presence or not, He is there. Until next time, walk with the King & be a blessing.

In His Name & for His Glory,

RL Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

* Robert Charles Sproul (February 13, 1939 – December 14, 2017) was an American Reformed theologian, Christian apologist, and Presbyterian pastor.