What do I need to do?

 

“You made him a little lower than the angels; you crowned him with glory and honor and put everything under his feet”. - Hebrews 2:7

 

What does the Bible say is the basic nature of man? He was created in the image and likeness of God, God breathed into him the breath of life, and man became a living soul. Put it all together and you find a person with a moral nature, intellect, and the ability to make decisions- a will that enables him to say yes and no.

 

When God created man, He used both visible and invisible material. He used both dust and the breath of life. The New Testament refers to this in 2 Corinthians 4:16: "Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day." Earlier in the same chapter, Paul spoke of the glory of God, "a treasure in jars of clay" (4:7). The material part of man -the jars of clay- house the treasure of the life of God. While the body quickly returns to dust, man's soul and spirit is immortal. The awesome thing about this is that you and I are called upon by the Lord to help bring the immortal souls of others back to God who made them. We are to help direct our friends and neighbors back to the arms of a loving God who, in turn, yearns for their love.

 

God has done His part. He sent His Son to die on the cross to redeem the lost. Now He turns to us and charges us with the commission to help people find the way home, that their souls might find eternal rest.

 

TLS ®

A Tale of a Man- Part 2

 

“But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand:  and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall." Matthew 7:26-27 (NKJV)

 

I met this young man a year or so after the first one. He was gifted and talented. He was outgoing and obviously self-confident. He was able to express himself very well and was well educated. He later supposedly made a profession of faith and began attending church. However, he came to a fork in the road in his life where he could have taken the narrow way or the broad way and he chose to take the broad road. He has followed that road practically all of his adult life. He became self-absorbed and self- seeking . He had it his way for awhile. He too was given a sentence of death with an incurable disease and has been carrying that around in his body . He has sought help from multiple sources and when God or others did not come through for him, as he wanted it , he cast off God, as he thought he knew Him and continued on the broad road. He has been in the darkness instead of lighting a candle. He is lonely, despairing and depressed. He lives in pain and disillusionment and faces death alone. We all make our choices in life.

 

A wise man or a foolish man, we do have a choice.

 

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The First of Two

 

“Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock:  and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.” -Matthew 7:24-25 (NKJV)

 

Many years ago I encountered a young man who had no interest in spiritual things. He was literally playing church, going through the motions. I will never forget the day I met him, he gave me no more than a glance, if any. He seemingly cared less about God. The Lord all of a sudden got a hold of him and his life change dramatically. He began to dig into the Word of God; he wanted to be discipled and to follow the Lord. We became very good friends and began to do some ministry together. He went off to college, studied, got a Masters degree and then he felt called to go to medical school after all this time. This he did and got a medical degree. He strongly desired to serve God and to help mankind.  He went on medical mission trips and he even interrupted his medical career to go to Africa and serve there for a period of time, working with children. His whole life has been one of giving. Well, this year after having some discomfort and pain, he was diagnosed with a terminal case of cancer. This was surprising and devastating to his family, however his whole desire is to honor God whether living or dying. Through his pain he praises God. Through his weakened state he shares the love of Christ. His Savior is coming for him and will take him in his arms and deliver him into the presence of God.

 

His philosophy of life as was the Apostle Paul’s,” To live is Christ and to die is gain.” His life has not been wasted but worthy.

 

 TLS ®

He sets the captives free

 

“When He had come to the other side, to the country of the Gergesenes, there met Him two demon-possessed men... they cried out, saying, ‘What have we to do with You, Jesus, You Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time?’” Matthew 8:28-29 (NKJV)

 

Demons can attack people mentally, physically and spiritually. Spiritually they oppose true Christianity, promote the false, deny the truth and they control the occult. Intellectually they advocate false ideologies, insanity and masochism. Our Lord always recognized demonized people as being victims of powers beyond their control and in need of deliverance, not condemnation or exhortation. Our Lord delivered those he encountered with demons. He set the captives free.

 

Demons despise everything about God and His Son. However there is coming a day that Paul writes about that, “every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Phil.2:10-11) Those blasphemous tongues will lift their voices in acknowledgement of who Christ Jesus really is.

 

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God’s timing

 

“I have seen the God-given task with which the sons of men are to be occupied.  He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.” Ecclesiastes 3:10-11 (NKJV)

 

“Is all this labor really worth it?” In the light of “new evidence,” Solomon gave three answers to the question.

 

First, man's life is a gift from God.

 

In view of the travail that we experience from day to day, life may seem like a strange gift, but it is God's gift just the same. We “exercise” ourselves in trying to explain life's enigmas, but we don't always succeed. If we believingly accept life as a gift, and thank God for it, we will have a better attitude toward the burdens that come our way. If we grudgingly accept life as a burden, then we will miss the gifts that come our way. Outlook helps to determine outcome.

 

Second, man's life is linked to eternity.

 

Man was created in the image of God, and was given dominion over creation; therefore, he is different from the rest of creation. He has “eternity” in his heart" and is linked to heaven. This explains why nobody (including Solomon) can be satisfied with his or her endeavors and achievements, or is able to explain the enigmas of life. God accomplishes His purposes in His time, but it will not be until we enter eternity that we will begin to comprehend His total plan.

 

Third, man's life can be enjoyable now (vv. 12-14).

 

The Preacher hinted at this in 2:24 and was careful to say that this enjoyment of life is the gift of God. Why some do not enjoy life now is because they have not found that joy that is in Christ Jesus. The joy of the Lord is my strength.

 

TLS ®