ONE'S OUTWARD APPEARANCE

I'm finally back after running the gauntlet of 10 straight work days for a total of 97 total hours.  I'm one whooped puppy. lol.  Anyway, God is still good, He is still on His throne and prayer still changes things.  Taking some time off ... will be incognito for a few days towards the end of next week.  I am blessed!!  

Something struck me just yesterday.  As much as women try to make themselves look alluring, there is something much more important that ones outward appearance.  I am using the women from my work place as my sole example, but this observation spills over into the world at large.  If you don't have a godly heart, your outward appearance will be tarnished.  Being pretty outside, yet ugly inside is very unappealing.  It is the godly woman who knows how to place her focus on that which is most important.  There is nothing wrong with looking your best, but using up an inordinate amount of time accentuating certain aspects of one anatomy with less than pure motives will not serve you well. Trust God to fulfill His promises to you and live for Him with purity, kindness, love, mercy, patience and grace.  No matter what your outward physical appearance may be, you will look beautiful to those who see you due to the godly radiance that shines forth from your heart thru your eyes. rlk.

ARIAN FOSTER DOESN'T BELIEVE IN GOD

     Arian Foster, star running back for the Houston Texans, proclaimed in a published interview last Thursday that he didn't believe in God.  Ok, he's entitled to that choice.  He has started campaigning for the group Openly Secular. He claims secular people are widely misunderstood.  Perhaps, but I know what the issue is.  It's no different than being an atheist or an agnostic.  They want to call the shots.  I think the openly secular don't have an understanding of who God is or what becoming a Christian is truly all about.  Perhaps it is partly because so many believers misrepresent Christianity.  Arian said the question he gets from teammates is "Do you worship the devil then?"  His response is simply "If I don't believe in God, why would I believe in the devil."  A fair answer.  The real issue at hand here is man's autonomy.  He doesn't feel he needs anybody's assistance, he can go it alone and do just fine.  While I don't know Mr. Foster's take on Christians, some non-believers see us as weak, in need of a crutch, which in this case would be Jesus. I don't believe Christians misunderstand secular people at all.  I just think Arian Foster is trying to justify his non-belief by making an issue of it. That's his choice and because of the free will we believe God gives each man, Arian absolutely has the right to believe whatever he wants.  So does everyone.  If my faith is misplaced and I am wrong, that there is no God, then I will live my life out, die and rot in the ground.  People like Arian Foster have a whole lot more to lose if they are mistaken. rlkeller

MY TAKE ON THINGS

       I read a brief article that had been emailed to me the other day.  One line caught my attention.  The writer said we were “in the midst of a hostile take over in America.”  It essentially said the modern day terrorists are using unmitigated violence in the name of religion and it was already here in the US.  I don't see it that way.  While I do see middle eastern looking individuals all over, I find it hard to believe they are all going to one day collectively rise up and take all free men as prisoners.  Am I naïve?  I hope not.  But if God is greater than any force known to man.  No terrorist or nuclear attack can stop God when he decides to move on our behalf.  I have chosen not to fret or become fearful.  I simply refuse to live in fear!  We are called repeatedly throughout scripture not to fear.  If I must someday die for my faith then it is God’s will and I cannot stop it from taking place.  I have decided that while I will make myself generally aware of what is transpiring around the world, I will not immerse myself in it, but rather continue to learn of the things of the Lord and attempt to imitate Christ in my daily life.  That is how I can be the most productive for the kingdom.  Planting and watering seeds is my mission.  Being a conduit for the Lord is my aim.  Let the devil do his worst, I will stand tall on my convictions believing that in the end I will be with the Lord for all eternity. rlkeller

HOLD FAST TO YOUR FAITH

       A word from the Lord was given to me that I would be writing 5 more books.  Since I love to write and feel it is a gift to be able to do so, I was thrilled to hear that.  I will leave the details, like where the money will come from, to the Lord. I was told it would be coming from an unexpected source.  I will not speculate or waste time thinking about it.  My gift is to write on behalf of the Lord, not predict future events.  Having said that, one thing I can predict with assurance is that when the time is right and the Lord fills me with words, 5 more books will be written and published for human consumption.  May God's will be done in my life and may I always honor and glorify His name with my thoughts, words and actions.  Amen!!

       In todays devotional I ask the question, do we fully comprehend the magnitude of the personal relationship we have with Almighty God?  Do you?  I believe I may be uncovering the tip of the iceberg, but as with icebergs, the greatest mass is beneath the surface.  So it is with God.  There are far deeper insights that we can uncover as we draw closer to Him.  He desires for us to know Him more.  Wisdom and discernment are there for the asking. Dig deep into the treasure trove that is the Lord.  Drink deeply from the pool of life.  Allow the Holy Spirit to take you places you never dreamed of.  Release yourself into His care and see how much of a blessing your relationship with Him can be.  The devil wishes us to be pathetic weakling Christians, when the reality is we are mighty lions just waiting to roar.  Unfurl your banner and march forth in the grace of God.  He will never fail you.  Proclaim what you know to be true and hold fast to your faith.  rlkeller

DO YOU KNOW MY CHRIST?

Nice day outside for a change.  Cool & breezy, not hot and muggy.  Out back writing with my pups lying around by me.  As I reflect on the day I realize that there are so many folks that are lost and don't even know it.  I wore my Albert Camus quote shirt the other day to work (see below) and received 3 comments, not that I was looking for any comments at all.  I just wore it to make people think.  That's what I'm all about, not shoving the Bible down people's throats, but saying or writing things that make people think.  One comment was sort of poking fun at it.  The person who said it says he is a Hindu, but displays no characteristics that sets him apart from anyone else in the world.  He lies and flirts with the young girls just like most of the other guys there.  Apparently he isn't a practicing Hindu.  My dear Kenyan brother Alex, who loads the trucks, told me something very encouraging.  He said, "Only God knows who may have read your shirt and not said anything to you about it."  I was successful in my mission ... 

... what about you?  Have you given your life to God?  Have you considered all He has to offer you?  Do you realize the amazing gracious gift of forgiveness for past sins?  Do you understand that no amount of good acts in this life can earn your way into heaven?  Do you know that Christ bled and died on a cross willingly to pay the price owed for your sins?  Think about it, then ask God if He is real and if what I've written is true.  Open your heart to the Holy Spirit and allow Him to come in.  You will never be the same. rlkeller

"I would rather live my life as if there is a God and die to find out there isn't, than live my life as if there isn't and die to find out there is."

THE STATE OF THE WORLD

     With all the persecution in the world today, how are American believers to act and/or react?  Scripture teaches that persecution of those who are faithful to Christ will take place and in the last days it will be amplified.  Should we care? Of course.  But what can we do?  We can pray for God's mercy, but better still, that the faithfulness of those martyred for Christ's sake would have such a pronounced effect on their murderers that they would turn their lives over to Christ as a result.  THAT is what we should pray.  Persecution is here to stay.  It will no doubt only get worse and very likely will take place in the US at some point in the future.  If you don't believe that Google Anti-Theists and see what their agenda is.  They are evangelistic Atheists who preach in concerts (as with anti-theist proponent Enos, psychedelic rocker who hates all forms of religion and isn't afraid to say so) or in any public forum.  They might be in the minority, but they are vocal and brazen in what they say.  We should be so brazen for we hold what we believe is eternal truth.  Live for Christ with pride for we are His ambassadors to this perverse & dying world.  His power and might is behind our efforts.  May God be praised & every man proven a liar.  In Jesus' name ... amen. rlkeller

THIS WORLD IS DYING

     The world we live in is crazy!  Tolerance & intolerance ride side by side and it is an ill matched pair to say the least.  The ungodly factions in this world tolerate sinful practices while at the same time are supremely intolerant of those with religious affiliations.  "Live and let live" seems to be the battle cry for this age.  The world's seeming insistence to ride a speeding bullet to hell is only topped by their efforts to irradiate all religious belief.  Why do thy care what others place their faith in?  Could it be conviction?  The gnawing, nagging thought in the back of their minds that perhaps they are wrong in their rejection of all things godly?  Perhaps; not that you'd ever get any of them to admit that.  Sadly, without Christ's blood to wash them clean of the stench of their own sins, they are like walking dead men without hope; just waiting to die.  Without forgiveness, the payment shall be theirs to make and they can ill afford to make it.  I will continue to live my faith to the best of my ability with the help of God's Holy Spirit and pray that others see Christ in me.  May God in all His mercy reveal Himself to those who are lost and confused regarding what to believe.  rlkeller