MY BLOG CLOSES IN ON THE CENTURY MARK

As I approach the 100,000th hit on my devo blog I am humbled by the thought that someone somewhere has been touched in a positive way by something I have written. To God be all the glory, honor and praise for he is the source of my writing. There is nothing I could ever write that could match what he places in my heart. I am thankful to the Lord for choosing to use me in this small way. May his kingdom grow and may I continue to have a part in it. rlkeller

The whole world is watching ...

     People say and do things thinking they cannot be seen or heard, but trust me, the whole world is listening and watching us very intently to find the littlest of flaws. Especially if they know you’re a Christian. It is critical for us to stay focused and connected thru the Holy Spirit and the Lord will see you thru your troubling times. rlkeller

A look at 2 Corinthians 5:16-17

"So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now! This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!"

     "Paul emphasizes spiritual judgment and spiritual insight into people’s lives and situations. Our experience of Christ’s love moves us to stop viewing others according to worldly standards and to learn how to view them from the standpoint of God’s great act of salvation in Jesus Christ. When Christ was regarded from a worldly point of view, men rejected and crucified Him as a blasphemer and troublemaker. But from the divine viewpoint, Christ is the Messiah and Son of God, in whom the new creation and reconciliation with God is given."

Resource: The footnote for verse 16 in The Life Application Study Bible.

AN INVITE TO MEET ST NICHOLAS & READ THE HISTORY OF THE CHRISTMAS TREE

https://rlkeller4291.wixsite.com/mysite ... go to my ministry website for a history of St. Nicholas & of the Christmas Tree. Once on the website, you can simply click on the web address to the right of the colorful St. Nicholas banner and click on the menu tab titled History of the Christmas Tree to go to page 2 of my website to read the tree's history courtesy of DeLong's Farm of Nova Scotia.

Don't wait because it will be taken down once the new year comes.

FLAWED!

"We're flawed - broken - a total mess -- instead of looking for restoration we spend valuable time creating alteregos and facades to conceal our brokenness." - rlkeller

Hell

I liken hell to several things: 1) Hell is like being in an endless free fall in total darkness and you never, ever land; 2) Hell is like having every lustful pleasure you have ever fantasized just out of arms reach. You can see it but never touch it. It calls to you, but you can never go to it; 3) Hell is like being in a maze that goes around and around with no end and no beginning. No matter what direction you go in your end up in the same, exact place you started ... forever.

Think about that when you say there is no God. You better be real sure. As Brad Stine puts it: "If we all die & there is no God, then it's just eternal unconsciousness, you'll never know, but if you're wrong, you're know forever." Think about that ... rlkeller.

Consequences & the Missouri Senator

     I avoid political comments in my postings. I am not looking to create a firestorm. However, what I am about to say, though it involves a political figure, has a deeper, more significant meaning than having anything to do with politics. 

     The Missouri Democratic State Senator who stated she wished the president would be assassinated has been asked to resign. She is refusing. They may vote to have her removed from the State Senate and she may in fact be removed by her peers. My point in this matter is that anything and everything we say or do comes with associated consequences. Once she wrote what she did on her Facebook page she set in motion a set of consequences that cannot be avoided. She wrote what she wrote and no apology will correct the situation. As it turns out, she is a Christian woman or at least declared that "My judge and jury is my Lord Jesus Christ." Yes, she admitted she made a mistake. Yes, she admitted she failed and specifically apologized to the president, his family, the people of Missouri and her colleagues. That is all well and good but the universal law of consequences has been set in motion and it shall be fulfilled. What those consequences will be remains to be seen. Perhaps God will be merciful to her and spare her any dire consequences. Perhaps she should have thought her actions thru before she posted that incendiary message. 

     I want to stress that consequences are not a God thing. Consequences come attached to our words and actions. It's unavoidable. That is why we should never allow ourselves to be ruled by our emotions. We must think before we speak. Then think again. What we say and do can have an impact on a lot of people. We can't take back what we've said or done. It's out there and there is no delete key in life. rlkeller