God Is In the TRUTH Business

"What is truth?", asked Pontius Pilate.  This famous question was posed to Jesus shortly before Jesus hung on the cross and died for the sins of the world.  Unfortunately, we live in a culture today that is not much different from then.  There are many people today with the same attitude about 'truth'.  Skeptical of the world, they ask, "What is truth?" as if there is no real answer.  Thankfully for the Bible, we DO have answers.  Jesus is that answer!

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (John 14:6).

You see, Jesus IS the answer to that question.  Some may ask..."What is truth?", but really the question should be "Who is truth"?  Jesus makes it clear in the Bible, that He is THE way, THE truth, and THE life.  The word 'THE' implies singular, meaning that there is NO OTHER WAY, except through JESUS!  Wow...what a remarkable statement we have from our LORD.  

Not only in this testimony from Christ, but we have reassurances all-throughout the Bible, making it clear that our God is a God of truth.  He is not a God who lies, but goes out of His way to reassure us that what He is claiming and stating in His Word is the truth.  This is why we as believers, need to trust Him on His word and learn to take His word over the word of fallible mankind. 

Here are just a *few* places in our Bible, where God declares Himself to be the Truth:

• Exodus 34:6 -- God describes Himself as "The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,"
• Deuteronomy 32:4 -- "He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he."
• Psalm 86:5 -- "But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth. "
• Psalm 119:151 -- "Thou art near, O LORD; and all thy commandments are truth. "
• Zechariah 8:3 -- "Thus saith the LORD; I am returned unto Zion, and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and Jerusalem shall be called a city of truth; and the mountain of the LORD of hosts the holy mountain. "
• John 17:17 -- "Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. "
• 3 John 1:4 -- " I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth."

Again, those are only very few examples of verses about truth in the Bible....there are plenty of others.  Search the Scriptures for yourself to know that you can count on God to tell you the truth!

So the next time you hear someone try to argue that we cannot know what truth is...let them know that we CAN and DO know what truth is!  Our Bible is Truth...and we can point them to the LIVING TRUTH we have in Jesus Christ. We can be assured of that...you don't have to doubt God on His Word being true to us throughout all time!

Pass on the truth of God to others, and God bless!

Are You EVIL and BITTER? Read On To Find Out

Your wickedness will punish you;
your backsliding will rebuke you.
Consider then and realize
how evil and bitter it is for you
when you forsake the LORD your God
and have no awe of me,”
            declares the Lord, the LORD Almighty.  (Jeremiah 2:19 -- emphasis mine)
Did you know that God says it's EVIL and BITTER to forsake Him and to have no 'awe' of Him?  But that's precisely what Jeremiah 2:19 is saying.  What an amazing rebuke we have from God in this one verse.  But sadly it is very true, even to this day.  Do you give thought to God?  Or do you no longer have any 'awe' of Him.

God says to consider (stop and think) about how evil and bitter it really is to not give Him any thought.  'Forsake' means to 'quit' or 'leave entirely', and to have no 'awe' of God means to no longer 'fear or dread' or to not have an 'overwhelming feeling of reverence'. 

Look around the world, watch people as they walk along the road, drive along the freeway, or listen to the things they are talking about.  Turn on the TV, the radio, or look at a newspaper, how much 'chatter' is going on about God and giving Him respect and glory?  Probably very little....what a sad state of affairs. 

Here we have the Creator God, Maker of Heavens and Earth, the people that were His creation, all going about their day without even a single consideration of the God that gave them life.  Or considering what God has done through Jesus Christ.

The Bible is pretty clear that God must be our number 1 priority.  There should be no second.  The Old Testament is clear in Deuteronomy 6:5 "Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength."  How much? -- with ALL your heart, with ALL your soul, and with ALL your strength!  Just some of our strength, or just some of our heart?  No ALL.  God desires your best, everything you have! 

Jesus reiterated this in Matthew 10  (fuller passage below) when He says in verses 37-39:

37 “Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 38 Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.

While this doesn't mean we should not love others around us, the idea must be that however much you love your father or mother, how much MORE should our love for God be!  We must love Him first above all else.  That is the kind of love God desires.

Are you committed to Him?  I pray you can be -- forsake those things around you and focus firmly on Him.  There is nothing in this world of more value that our God and His Son Jesus Christ!   I pray that you will not lose that 'awe' of Him and what He has done for you.  I encourage you to read the Word yourself and learn and see what God desires.  Grow in Him!

God bless!

Matthew 10:32-39

 32 “Whoever acknowledges me before others,

I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven.

33 But whoever disowns me before others,

 I will disown before my Father in heaven.

   34 “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth.

I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.

35 For I have come to turn

   “‘a man against his father,
   a daughter against her mother,
a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law—
   36 a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.’

   37 “Anyone who loves their father or mother

more than me is not worthy of me;

anyone who loves their son or daughter

more than me is not worthy of me.

38 Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me.

39 Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.

God Has An 'Open Door' Policy -- But Not Forever!

In many of our places of work, employers will say they have an 'open door' policy.  Meaning that you are free to walk in and talk freely with your supervisor/employer.  Interestingly, this is similar to what we have with God today.  God has an 'open door' policy and He is inviting all who will come to know Him to ask repentance and believe in His Son Jesus Christ for salvation from their sins.  Won't you come into Him today while you have the opportunity?  Unfortunately the Bible makes it clear that that 'open door' policy will some day come to an end.

Paul writes about this in 2 Corinthians 6:2 when he says,  "I tell you, now is the time of God's favor, now is the day of salvation." [emphasis mine].  Here we can see that there is some sense of urgency in what Paul is saying.  Each day we have is an opportunity to come to Him, and God is keeping this door open for an unknown period of time.  While we have a chance, it is in our best interest to come to Him, because there is a day of judgement that is coming.

Jesus confirms this when His disciples ask Him about the end of the 'age' and what will be the signs.  He parallels it to the days of Noah.  He says in Matthew 24:37-39 (fuller passage posted at the end):

36 “But about that day or hour no one knows,

not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.

37 As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.

38 For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking,

 marrying and giving in marriage,

up to the day Noah entered the ark;

39 and they knew nothing about what would happen

until the flood came and took them all away.

That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.

 

You see, while Noah was building the ark, people had the opportunity for salvation, but there came a point at which the ark was sealed, and all who did not get on the boat perished in that great flood. Jesus says that the end of the age in which we live in will be extremely similar to the days of Noah.

God has now 'opened' the door of salvation through His Son, Jesus Christ, and is commanding that all mankind repent of their sins and trust His Son for salvation from the judgement that is to come. Today is that day. Now is the time, as Paul writes. For believe this that God will certainly come to judge the world in righteousness. The Bible is very clear.

I pray that if you have not yet taken advantage of God's 'Open Door' policy that you would do so. Because there will be a day when God closes that door and those who have not accepted will be cast into hell. But God is gracious and is giving us all an opportunity for salvation today.

Won't you consider what God has done before the time is too late? I pray you will. But don't take my word for it, read all about it for yourself in God's Word.

God bless.

Matthew 24:36-51

 36 “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven,

nor the Son, but only the Father.

37 As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.

38 For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking,

 marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark;

39 and they knew nothing about what would happen

until the flood came and took them all away.

That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.

40 Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left.

41 Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.
   42 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know

 on what day your Lord will come.

43 But understand this: If the owner of the house had known

at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch

 and would not have let his house be broken into.

44 So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour

when you do not expect him.

   45 “Who then is the faithful and wise servant,

whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household

 to give them their food at the proper time?

46 It will be good for that servant whose master

finds him doing so when he returns.

47 Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions.

48 But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself,

‘My master is staying away a long time,’

49 and he then begins to beat his fellow servants

and to eat and drink with drunkards.

50 The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him

and at an hour he is not aware of.

51 He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites,

where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

 

Israel Will Survive! The Bible Tells Me So

One of the great parts of the Bible that people often neglect the prophecy.  Did you know that the Bible is roughly 25% prophecy?  Prophecy is the foretelling of an event before it even occurs. It is sad that many churches often neglect prophecy and many people no longer study and teach prophecy from the Bible.  Let's take a look at one prophecy today regarding a very relevant topic in news today...Jerusalem.

In recent news, with all of the struggle in the Middle East, there is a growing concern of what will happen to Israel and Jerusalem.   However, as we read in Zechariah 12:1-9 (posted in full below), God will preserve Jerusalem and will someday come down and save it Himself...even though all of the nations rage against the city of God. 

Zechariah speaks that God will "make Jerusalem a cup that sends all the surrounding peoples reeling", and that when all hope seems lost "when all the nations of the earth are gathered against her, I [God] will make Jerusalem an immovable rock for all nations."  Finally in verse 8 & 9 it talks that "the LORD will shield those who live in Jerusalem."  Amen!

First of all it is amazing that when Zechariah was written (520-470BC according to some internet sites), which is over 2000 years ago! Yet God foretold of a struggle about a city called Jerusalem -- it is *very* interesting that we see Jerusalem/Israel/and the Middle East a major focal point in our news to this day.  Couple that with the fact that Israel as a nation ceased to exist for many centuries and only recently reappeared on the scene during the 1900's, I find this further confirmation of how true God is.  He told us many years ago that Jerusalem would be a stumbling block for all nations...and that is exactly what we see today.  What a great and mighty God!

I hope you continue to study the Bible and grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ! 

Zechariah 12:1-9

¹ A prophecy: The word of the LORD concerning Israel.

   The LORD, who stretches out the heavens, who lays the foundation of the earth,

and who forms the human spirit within a person, declares:

² “I am going to make Jerusalem a cup that sends all the surrounding peoples reeling.

 Judah will be besieged as well as Jerusalem.

³ On that day, when all the nations of the earth are gathered against her,

I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock for all the nations.

All who try to move it will injure themselves.

⁴ On that day I will strike every horse with panic and its rider with madness,”

declares the LORD.

 “I will keep a watchful eye over Judah,

but I will blind all the horses of the nations.

⁵ Then the clans of Judah will say in their hearts,

‘The people of Jerusalem are strong, because the LORD Almighty is their God.’

 ⁶ “On that day I will make the clans of Judah like a firepot in a woodpile,

like a flaming torch among sheaves.

They will consume all the surrounding peoples right and left,

but Jerusalem will remain intact in her place.

 ⁷ “The LORD will save the dwellings of Judah first,

so that the honor of the house of David and of Jerusalem’s inhabitants

may not be greater than that of Judah.

⁸ On that day the LORD will shield those who live in Jerusalem,

so that the feeblest among them will be like David,

and the house of David will be like God,

like the angel of the LORD going before them.

 ⁹ On that day I will set out to destroy all the nations that attack Jerusalem.

Believing in God -- It's a Rational Faith!

Many skeptics will try to make the claim that believing the Bible takes 'blind faith'.  While that may seem 'wise' on the surface, it couldn't be farther from the truth.  In fact the Bible provides the best answers to understanding why things are as they are today.

A blind faith requires that you believe in something without *any* evidence.  This is definitely NOT the type of faith that God desires us to have.  In fact, He has provided much evidence that He exists. Evidence that we can definitively rely on.  Even though we don't physically see Him now (although one day we will), we can have full confidence of the hope He provides us through His Word.  In fact, Hebrews 11:1-3 (below) speak of this type of faith when it says "Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see." [bolded words by me]  Do you have confidence in the Bible?  Do you have assurance about the words God provides through the Bible?  According to Him...we ought to.  There is no reason to doubt what He says.

Here are just some reasons to have hope and full assurance in the Bible as truth:

• The Bible itself as a book.  Unlike most books has withstood the test of time..throughout history.  This is just as God said it would.  
• The Bible has been carefully preserved.  Study the findings of the Dead Sea scrolls and you will see that one of the greatest things they show is that the Bible translations we have today are very faithful replications to the original ancient manuscripts from centuries ago.  We don't have to wonder if people have 'changed' the versions over time...we can compare what we have today with what the ancient manuscripts say.  They match very closely.
• Archaeology has confirmed the Bible over and over.  Whether it be confirming the reality of Pontius Pilate (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pontius_Pilate), or confirming historical references to cities of ancient times such as Jericho (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jericho)..those are just a few of many examples of archaeology confirming the truth that's found in the Bible. 
• Observations of creation:
• We observe animals reproducing after their own kinds.  Cats produce cats, dogs produce dogs, etc.  This is just as God said it would be way back in Genesis 1.
• We observe that there's death, disease, & suffering in this world.  Again, this is just as God said it would be back in Genesis due to the 'fall of Adam' and sin entering the world. 
• The Bible affirms itself as truth.  Therefore you can poke around and test it to see if it holds up.

It would be easy to go on and on.  I rejoice in the fact that God has given us a 'rational' faith.  Faith that fits what we see around us.  Faith that is validated by what we read in His Word.  It is NOT a blind faith...it's a rational faith, an 'observational' faith.  It's a faith we can have confidence and assurance in.  Faith that points us to the great hope that we have in Him. We can know that the things God has promised will also come true.  What a blessing!
 
The bigger point in all of this though, is not "IF the Bible is true", but that "SINCE the Bible is true"....what are you going to do?  Are you going to believe God?  Are you going to choose to follow Him and His desires?  Will you start looking for His wisdom instead of relying on your own?   I hope you can.

Be blessed!

Hebrews 11:1-3

 ¹ Now faith is confidence in what we hope for 

and assurance about what we do not see.  

² This is what the ancients were commended for.

 ³ By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, 

so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.

The Heavens Declare The Glory Of God

The Bible makes it clear that everything we *see* around us in creation declares and testifies to the God of the Bible.  The majesty of creation, the complexity of life, the design of nature.  It truly is amazing.  In fact, Psalm 19 (below)  shows us that the heavens and skies are "pouring forth speech" and "knowledge".  All you need to do is stop, look around and ponder the creation that you see. The color of the sky, the vast dimension of space, all of these wonders are put on display by God for all of us to know that He does exist.

I'm amazed and saddened by the fact that so many people can look all around at this creation, and all the 'systems' we see in life and believe as so many evolutionists do, that it 'just happened'.  I truly believe it takes more faith to believe that all of this complexity of life 'just happened', than to understand and know...truly know, that it was created/designed by the God of the Bible. 

Don't believe the hype of the world...God is the true voice...and so is His Word.

Until next time..stand firm in the Word & be blessed!



Psalm 19:1-6

 ¹ The heavens declare the glory of God;
   the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
² Day after day they pour forth speech;
   night after night they reveal knowledge.
³ They have no speech, they use no words;
   no sound is heard from them.
⁴ Yet their voice goes out into all the earth,
   their words to the ends of the world.
In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun.
 ⁵ It is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber,
   like a champion rejoicing to run his course.
⁶ It rises at one end of the heavens
   and makes its circuit to the other;
   nothing is deprived of its warmth.





God Has Spoken You Into Existence

First post!  And welcome!  My prayer is that this site will bring glory and honor to Him and that it will be an encouragment to those growing in their own walk. 

God's Word...what an amazing thing we have.  For most people it sits idly on their bookshelf collecting dust.   Some are too preoccupied with the 'busyness' of life, enjoying their ipods, internet, tv, radio, etc. to understand what God has done through His word.  Some have dismissed it as irrelevant...a collection of fables/myths/moral stories. How sad!

Genesis 1:3 stars off with the words "And God said", throughout the beginning of creation we see God using his word to literally 'speak' the universe into existance. "And God said...", over and over throughout the first book of Genesis.  By the power of His Word, God spoke everything we see in creation...from nothing...right into existance.  That means even you...humanity was spoken into existance by the power of God and His Word.  Even people that doubt God or don't believe in Him...it matters not...even they have been spoken into existence by Him.

If you read the Bible, you will come to see that God makes it clear that He speaks and things happen...in fact, He makes it clear that there is nothing that He speaks that does not come to pass.  It is really amazing.

So what do we have in this Bible?  We have an accurate history of what happened in this world...why things are the way they are.  We don't have to grope blindly around in this world like we have no answers....God himself has provided the answer and coallated it into a nicely packaged 'book'..we call the Bible. 

What the Bible is NOT:

• It is NOT a collection of fables.
• It is NOT a collection of moral stories.
• It is NOT fiction.

What the Bible IS:

• It IS...written by God Himself (through men).
• It IS...truth.  Man will be wrong, but God is never wrong.  Men can misunderstand the Bible, but the Bible is not wrong.
• It IS...accurate history.  The events depicted in the Bible literally happened.  There was a real Adam and Eve, there was a real global flood, etc.
• It IS...answers to many 'questions' people have life.  "Why are we here?"...answered  "Why do we die?"...answered, "Why do I get sick?"...answered. 

You see, God has provided a way through the Bible to definitely know Him...who He is, what He desires, how can we come to Him, who is His Son, why did Jesus die on the cross?  All of these answers can be found in the Bible. 

So maybe slow down in life for a second, turn off your computer, turn off your ipod, tv, etc and go dust off that Bible and take a look at who is this Creator that has given you life. 

And don't be swayed when you hear others dismissing this great book...for know this:  That this Holy Bible and the Words God Himself has spoken...will *never* fade away...it's truth will remain forever.  Jesus said in Matthew 24:35 "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away."

So read it for yourself...it is a book like no other.

Be blessed.