'Of The Spirit" vs Spirituality

Have you ever talked to someone you know about your own faith and belief in the Bible, to then have them respond something like, "Oh, I don't believe in religion but I am spiritual." What does that mean exactly, "I am spiritual." I think it is a non-biblical viewpoint people embrace who don't want "religion" in their lives, but they still want to believe and hope they have enough good about themselves to get to heaven. Look at this definition of spiritual: Being a spiritual person is synonymous with being a person whose highest priority is to be loving to yourself and others. A spiritual person cares about people, animals and the planet. A spiritual person knows that we are all One, and consciously attempts to honor this Oneness. A spiritual person is a kind person. Notice the highest priority was to self? Is there a difference between religion and being spiritual? Google notes that religion is a set of texts, practices, and beliefs about the transcendent shared by a community, and involves a relationship with God. Spirituality, on the other hand, is about a person's relationship with the transcendent questions that confront one as a human being. This may or may not involve relationships with God.

The truth is, "religion" and "spirituality" are not the same as, not even close to, being of the Spirit the New Testament addresses. Several years ago I knew a lady, a former employee, a very kind, benevolent woman, that said she believed there was a God, was convinced she was going to heaven but did not believe she needed Jesus to arrive at her eternal bliss (as a reminder to the reader: Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.") She, like so many including Oprah Winfrey, believes there are many ways or paths to God and define their "spirituality" as such.

Today I want us to think of the word “spiritual." What is it to you? I can tell you what it is not. It’s not something you “get”; it is not some kind of faucet that one turns on, and then turns off. Biblically, it has to do with being “of the Spirit” in the New Testament application. It is one who is “of the Spirit” in that, he or she abides by the instructions given from the Spirit in the Word of God (2 Peter 1:21). The faithful child of God is “of the Spirit” in that he or she has obeyed the gospel – that instrument God uses to call a man from sin and darkness and unto Himself (2 Thessalonians 2:14). We can choose to walk according to the flesh or according to the Spirit. We can only walk IN THE SPIRIT when we are OF THE SPIRIT. Those of the Spirit are “led of the spirit” (Gal. 5:18) because they are directed by that Word the Spirit has given. They walk, then, not after the flesh (Romans 8:1). The dangers of walking after or according to the flesh are discussed by Paul in his letter to the Romans. He had great concern for all the churches, praying and teaching that they would not walk in the flesh because of the consequences which include the wages of death (Rom 6:23). He warned, "For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God" (Romans 8:5).

Think of that if you will. The mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law. It's simply saying, those who do not follow biblical law/principals are hostile toward GOD. Their minds are contrary to God's way ... they serve themselves, their wants, their desires, their flesh. They love themselves more than God and have virtually made a god of themselves, serving their flesh. These are the opposite of those born of the Spirit. The child of God IS, then, spiritual! Spirituality is not something you “get” in reaction to something else. It is something permanently A PART OF THE BELIEVER! It is amazing how time and men take their toll on plain Bible teaching. Among words and expressions abused, misused, perverted, bent, and twisted are such as “born again … spiritual … saint … sanctified … holy … converted…,” etc. It is little wonder that in a nation filled with Bibles men still have little concept of the will of God. And in a time and society wherein virtually everything has been placed on the altar of materialism, goods, fun, etc., very little thought is even given to being spiritual. But time does not change the Word, and it is still required that men obey the truth, and live by the truth, and thus, in life, to be born of the Spirit. For the child of God, the challenge is, again, to BE SPIRITUAL and not to just drift through life unguided and then, when faced with some situation, to “GET SPIRITUAL.”

In conclusion, though the following is never popular to say to others, my duty as a Christian is to inform you that if you have never been born again (John 3:3) then you have the wrath of God abiding on you (John 3:18, 3:36) and not one of your best efforts can ever please God because “Those who are in the flesh cannot please God” (Rom 8:8). Since you have rejected Christ, if indeed you have, you reject your only hope of eternal life and have standing before you the eternal state of the wages that you have earned - death (Rom 6:23). Because everyone has sinned, including me (Rom 3:23) Jesus came to earth and was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life but became sin for us so that when God the Father looks at those who believe, He doesn’t see our sinfulness but He sees the righteousness of Christ and He imputes His righteousness to us (2 Cor 5:21) making us worthy through His shed blood being born of the Spirit. Today, if you have heard His voice in this message, repent and trust in Him because today can be your day of salvation (2 Cor 6:2). If not and Jesus returns before you are born again, you face a Christ-less eternity and the everlasting wrath of God (Rev 20:11-15).
Until next time,
-Pat-

Will Being Good Save You?

As a Christian, it is always disheartening to hear a person assert that being morally good will save them on Judgment Day (2 Corinthians 5:10; Ecclesiastes 12:14; Hebrews 9:27; Revelation 20: 11-15.) It's one of the hardest worldly opinions to dispute. And it is just that - an opinion. I'm not being personally judgmental when I say being morally good will not save you. In fact, that was my mantra for the first 22 years of my life! I was born, raised, and baptized into the Catholic faith. Trust me when I say I was morally good in every sense of the word. I was taught and believed if I remained untouched (at least until marriage) remained lawfully unscathed, obeyed the 10 commandments, was a "good" person, and always went to church on Sundays, I would be certifiably "good enough" and qualified to enter the Kingdom of Heaven when I died. The real question is, will being morally good in any or all areas of your life save you? Will being kind, avoiding or never committing "big" sins save you? Is devotion to a life of selflessness or helping others enough to save you? Though all these things are respectable and good, they are not qualifiers for salvation. You see, it's not what you DO that saves you from hell, it's what you DON'T DO! It's not all the good or wonderful things you've done in this life that redeems you, it's most likely what you haven't done to this point.


The Scriptures tell us that we cannot be saved by our own merit, our own righteousness, or personal works (Ephesians 2:8-9; 2 Timothy 1:9; Titus 3:5; Romans 10:3). To be in a saved state, we must be “in Christ” where all spiritual blessings reside (Gal. 3:26-27; Ephesians 1:3). As an example, when the following morally good individuals obeyed from the heart the saving gospel of Christ (Romans 6:17; Romans 1:16), they were in a saved state “in Christ” (Romans 8:1). We know from the biblical record regarding Cornelius (Acts 10), that even though he was a good moral man, he was lost until he obediently responded to the saving gospel message that Peter preached (Acts 10:44-48). You may be good. You may be moral. You may even be the nicest person you know, BUT, have you responded to the saving gospel message? Are you IN Christ?


The Ethiopian eunuch of Acts 8:26-40 was a worshipper of God (Acts 8:27), a reader of the Scriptures (Acts 8:30), and a trusted treasurer of the queen, yet he was lost until he was obedient to the saving gospel preached by Philip (Acts 8:35-39). You may go to church each week. You may occasionally read the Bible. You may even be the treasurer of your church, BUT, have you responded to the saving gospel message? Are you IN Christ?

Saul of Tarsus was a very zealous and religious man, thinking that he was doing right (Acts 26:9), yet he was lost until he was obedient to the Lord’s will contained in the gospel (Matthew 7:21; Acts 9:1-18). You may faithfully attend church, sing in the choir, volunteer for every overseas mission, BUT, have you responded to the saving gospel message? Are you IN Christ?

You may be a person that is more secular, never attending church a day in your life! You may be a church unto yourself. Maybe you are of the notion to "live and let live" thus avoiding a judgmental spirit. Perhaps you give your free time to humanitarian organizations and believe that type of charity equates with salvation. BUT, have you responded to the saving gospel message? But have ave you invited Christ into your life? Are you IN Christ?
Remember, it's not what you DO or have done on this earth that saves you from hell, it's what you DON'T DO! Here's why.

If we depend upon our morality alone, our goodness or perceived self-righteousness to be saved, we bypass the redeeming blood of Christ — the blood (and the only way) through which our sins are forgiven (Ephesians 1:7; Acts 2:38; Acts 22:16). When we willingly obey the commands of the saving gospel of Christ (John 8:24; Acts 17:30; Romans 10:9-10; 1 John 4:15; Acts 2:38; Gal. 3:26-27; Romans 6:3-4), we are then “in Christ” and the Lord adds us to His BODY- "the Church" (Matthew 16:18; Acts 2:47), the church that is comprised of the saved (Ephesians 5:23).
The answer to the question, 'if I am a good person will it be enough to save me on judgment day' is a definite “no” according to the inspired Scriptures "for ALL have sinned and FALLEN SHORT of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). If we all have sinned, sin cannot enter or reside in heaven. Therefore, we cannot enter in because our own merits do not erase sins. Many people DO good things, admirable things, and actions worthy of man's praise. What they DON'T DO is truly commit their lives to Christ in the way the Bible teaches and is required to be saved! Jesus Himself specifically told us John 3:5 NKJV "Most assuredly, I say to you unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter the Kingdom of God." Observe the exact words of Jesus here. He used the words MOST ASSUREDLY. That leaves no doubt He was not only serious but unquestionably, beyond a shadow of a doubt, telling us the bare, basic truth of how to be saved. Which is:

1. BELIEVE JESUS IS THE ONE WHO SAVES.
John 1:12 - But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, [even] to them that believe on his name

2. BE HONEST ENOUGH TO ADMIT YOU'VE SINNED AND CONFESS IT. BE SORRY. THAT'S REPENTANCE.
Acts 2:38 - Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

3. BE RENEWED IN YOUR MIND BY HIS WORD IT IS THE LIVING WATER- READ IT!! BE IMMERSED IN IT.
1 Peter 1:23 - Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever.

4. TURN FROM YOUR SIN. REFUSE TO GO BACK AND BE ENTANGLED AGAIN.
Romans 6:6 - Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with [him], that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin any longer.

5. HE LOVES YOU AND WILL SAVE YOU. ASK HIM TO COME INTO YOUR HEART AND TO HELP YOU LIVE AS HE WANTS.
John 3:16 - For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

6. YOU WILL BECOME A NEW PERSON WITH A CLEAN SLATE, A SPIRIT BORN MEMBER OF HIS CHURCH
2 Corinthians 5:17 - Therefore if any man [be] in Christ, [he is] a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things have become new.

The Word of God is powerful! It has the power to renew the mind. It cleanses your thinking which in turn changes your actions. The Word of God baptizes you because it is the Living Water that teaches you, guides you, and changes you from a man of sin into a new creature of righteousness powered by the Holy Spirit which comes to live in you after you believe and respond. It's the simplicity of being born of water and of the Spirit! If you have any questions feel free to contact me at MarioJaxxMom@gmail

Until next time,
-Pat-

Those Subtle Snakes

One day many years ago, my father-in-law and I were out in a field directly behind his farmhouse looking for morel mushrooms. I was bent over at the waist with my eyes focused on the ground when suddenly my father-in-law let out a gentle but drawn-out, "Shh, don't move." Slowly and gingerly I raised myself up to a rigid standing position and locked my knees. "There's a rattler by your right foot," he said. When anyone in Missouri uses the term "rattler" as opposed to just saying the word snake, they mean a venomous RATTLESNAKE. In general, I'm not one that fears snakes. However, when it comes to the poisonous ones, let's just say I respect them! Refusing to even exhale my father-in-law unholstered the pistol he always carried on his hip. With one precise shot, that 7-foot snake was dead.

He was quite the outdoorsman, my father-in-law. I always enjoyed listening to the many hunting and fishing stories he shared because there was always something to laugh about in each and every one. He told me when he was a boy growing up on a farm, he and his grandad killed ten rattlesnakes in one day. He said a rattler can easily be killed if you know where it is and how far it can reach when it strikes. He never worried about the rattlesnakes he could see, but he was genuinely concerned about stepping on a subtle one he couldn’t see. I'm sure glad he saw that one by my right foot or I might have stepped backward on it and things would have turned out differently.

Sometimes we don't realize there are subtle, "spiritual" snakes ready to strike us all the time. We are, of course, aware of obvious serpents and we avoid them. Serpents such as adultery, murder, sexual perversion, and drunkenness. We basically know by instinct these are wrong and avoid them since they do not replicate the character of Christ. But what about the little serpents, the poisonous "snakes" that aren't so obvious? Things we don't consider like pride, self-reliance, selfishness, buying into worldly fads, hatred, judgment, materialism, lust, or secular music whose lyrics exceed the realm of decency. As an example, in the Old Testament, King Hezekiah was subtly “bitten” by a hidden temptation — NOT seduced by an obvious evil. He allowed a measure of pride and self-reliance to blight his career. He should have put his full trust in the Lord for protection from his enemies, but instead sought safety through an alliance with idolatrous men (2 Kings 20:12-13; 2 Chronicles 32:25; 2 Chronicles 32:31). It’s sad to realize that this otherwise good king marred his reign by this sin. We need to be on guard lest we allow pride to build up in our hearts until, like Hezekiah, we succumb to the wiles of the enemy.

Scripture tells us: "A man's pride will bring him low, but the humble in spirit will retain honor" (Proverbs 29:23). We may be prepared to stand against obvious temptations that would bring dishonor to our name, but we may not be ready for life’s “subtle” temptations. We need to beware of those “hidden rattlers” — they are the most dangerous of all! Jesus taught that evil originates in the heart. It is not the product of a bad environment or a dysfunctional family or a below-poverty rating or the construction of one’s genes or an inferior education. Jesus said, “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander”(Matthew 15:19). His words affirm what the prophet Jeremiah proclaimed to the nation Judah, “The heart is deceitful above all things . . . .” (Jeremiah 17:9). His teaching also recalls the Lord’s indictment of the human race in the time of Noah: “The LORD saw how great man’s wickedness on the earth had become and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time” (Genesis 6:5). Clearly, God knows our thoughts and emotions, and if they offend Him, we need to regard them as sin. They may be subtle, but they are as odious to God as murder and adultery. Struggles with our subtle, wayward desires arise chiefly because we have kept Christ outside the door. The best way to protect our souls, then, is to keep Christ in.

Until next time,
-Pat-

Saving The Lost Stray

Every time I see an ASPCA commercial on television it tears my heart apart. If I could, I would rescue every lost, lonely, abused, dumped or cast away dog or cat beside the four I already have right now. Several years ago, while out driving on my way to the grocery store, I saw a very skinny, scraggly stray dog in an open field. Desiring to help, I got out of my Jeep and pursued it for over an hour in an attempt to call it to come to me. Unable to do so, I concluded I should drive to the store and buy some hamburger for the starving animal. After leaving the meat where the stray could find it, I waited, and waited, and waited, but the dog still declined my offer. In frustration, I cried out, “I’m trying to save you! You’re going to starve to death or be killed out here!” Later I thought to myself, 'That dog had no idea it actually needed me but it refused my offer of food so that I could help it.' I was so hurt and frustrated knowing the bleak future as a stray. Today I still wonder whatever happened to that poor, lost dog.


Reflecting on that experience today, a spiritual application is so very clear and I wish to share it. Wanting to save that dog reminds me of the Lord — how He lovingly works to call people to come to Him so that He might save them (Matthew 11:28-30), yet so many refuse. Many do not even believe they need Him at all. They do not realize their souls are starving!” My experience should be a powerful reminder to us as to how God sees our true, pitiful condition: Lost, starving, headed for danger, and in need of His help and comfort. Isaiah the prophet once stated regarding our spiritual condition: "All we like sheep have gone astray, we have turned, everyone, to his own way, and the Lord has laid on Him the sins of us all" (Isaiah 53:6). Just as desperately as I wanted to rescue that pitiful stray dog, God wants to rescue us! It's true. God reaches out to rescue us by calling us through the saving message of the gospel (2 Thessalonians 2:14), but many still refuse His offer, unaware of their perilous spiritual condition.


On one occasion, Jesus looked upon the city of Jerusalem, saw their spiritual condition, and wept over it, saying: "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!" (Matthew 23:37; Luke 19:41-44). JESUS WANTS TO RESCUE US! Jesus went to the cross to make our salvation possible! He took your sins and my sins upon Himself and paid the price for our redemption (1 Peter 2:24; Hebrews 9:28). He invites all to come to Him for salvation: “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls, For My yoke is easy and My burden is light“ (Matthew 11:28-30).


How can we be saved? Our Lord has revealed five basic conditions of acceptance into His spiritual body, the Church (Matthew 16:18; Romans 12:5; Ephesians 1:15-23; Colossians 1:18). They are:
Faith (Hebrews 11:6). Believe He is the Savior.
Repentance (Acts 17:30-31) Be truly sorry for the wrongs you've committed in your life and desire real change.
Confession (Romans 10:9-10) Ask for His forgiveness. He'll do it.
Baptism (immersion) for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38; Acts 22:16). Be baptized in water as a symbol of your sincerity.
A life lived in dedication to the following of His will (Matthew 7:21; James 1:20-27; 1 John 1:7). Vow to follow His will as spelled out in His Word.
Just like my experience of desperation to save that dog, Jesus sees us in our true, pitiful condition: Lost, starving, headed for danger, and in need of His help and comfort (Luke 15:11-24). He calls each of us to come to Him for salvation (Revelation 3:20). You have to realize, even though you don't feel lost, without Jesus, you are! Even though you may not believe you're in danger, without Jesus, you are! Jesus' passionate desire is to rescue you from your lost condition. He wants to comfort you, love you, fill you with hope, and give you a secure home in heaven (not unlike our desire to give rescued dogs the same!). Please do not reject His call for another moment, but come to Him in willing obedience today! (2 Corinthians 6:2). If you have any questions regarding coming to Christ, please leave a comment or you may email me directly at MarioJaxxMom@gmail.com

Until next time,

-Pat-

Don't Touch Me

As I was listening to my Wonder Bible this past week from the book of John, something stood out that I've never heard before. Actually, I have heard it audibly but have never really "heard" it until now. So, I asked the Lord to enlighten me. In short, after His resurrection, Jesus appears before Mary Magdalene and He tells her, "Touch me not for I have not yet ascended to the Father" (John 20:17). Okay, well enough. I always assumed Jesus was telling Mary not to touch Him because of His 'risen state' -- that He was now a holy and pure body and therefore should not be touched by her earthly flesh. Right or wrong it is what I have always assumed. I never gave His statement much thought until this past week. And here is what struck me. Remember doubting Thomas? Thomas was not present when the eleven disciples first saw Jesus after His resurrection and announced to Thomas that they had seen the Lord. Thomas, as recorded in verse 25, boldly pronounces, "Except I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into His side, I will not believe." Eight days passed since Thomas said this. Thomas was with the disciples this time when Jesus appears in their midst. Verse 27 tells us Jesus had a different reaction to Thomas than He did Mary. He told Mary "Touch me not" but to Thomas, he said, "Reach hither thy finger and behold My hands, and reach hither thy hand and thrust it into my side." Hadn't Jesus just days prior told Mary NOT to touch Him, but to Thomas, He gave permission to touch Him? I found that very curious! Why the two differences?

I asked God to reveal what this could mean, not from a contradictory standpoint, but from what seems to be an unfair position or even favoritism. Obviously, I had to begin with and understand the meaning of the word 'touch' so I went to the Greek dictionary as I so often do. In John 20:17, the word "touch" (in Greek is Haptou) means "to cling to, to lay hold of." Because Jesus used the word touch in this sense, this wasn't just a touch or a tap; it was a grip. The meaning of this verse has the idea then of "to stop clinging," "grasping tightly," or to "stop fastening onto." It wasn't that Jesus was telling Mary not to physically touch Him, rather, not to cling and prevent Jesus from moving or leaving and Jesus let her know He must leave. So we must understand, the issue is not about physical touch at all, but that He could not remain with her or anyone. If you read Matthew 28:9, you will see the women in this verse were holding Jesus' feet. "And behold, Jesus met them and greeted them. And they came up and took hold of His feet and worshipped Him" (NASB). INTERESTING! Think of that. They were on their knees holding His feet! "Taking hold" (Haptou) of His feet sounds as if He was nearly held hostage by very emotional women. I probably would have done the same!

Mary's reaction (Haptou) was motivated by several things. One, of course, would simply be her loving devotion to the Lord. Mary had to have been overwhelmed by recent events: seeing Jesus scourged, carrying a heavy cross, whipped, crowed, nailed, crucified, put to death, placed in a tomb, then he suddenly appears and is alive in a matter of three short days! Her grief that morning turned to sudden joy seeing Him alive so she naturally embraces and clings to Him, savoring the moment, not wanting Him to leave. She had lost Him once and she wanted to make sure she didn't lose Him again -- she wanted to keep Jesus with her always. It might even be possible that Mary thought it was the fulfillment of Jesus' promise to return (John 14:3), in which case He would take her (and all the followers and believers) with Him back to the Father in heaven. However, we know by reading this account and where we are in history today that it was not Jesus' plan to stay in this world, and He told Mary He would have to eventually leave by returning to heaven and to the Father where He belonged. He made it clear that His resurrection was not to be seen or misconstrued as His promised return. In fact, that's why He told Mary of the ascension. His plan was to ascend to the Father and then send the Holy Spirit (John 16:7; 20:22; Acts 2:1-4). Fellowship with Jesus would continue, but it would be a spiritual communion, not a physical presence. In loosening Mary's hold on Him, Jesus was, in effect, saying: "I know you desire to keep Me here, always present with you. I know you want everything to be just the same as it was before I died. But our relationship is about to change. I'm going to heaven, and you will have the Comforter in My place. You need to start walking by faith, Mary, not by sight."

And then there's Thomas. When Jesus spoke to Thomas, it was not to counter a misplaced desire but to rebuke a lack of faith. Thomas had said that he would not believe until he had touched the living body of Jesus (John 20:25). Jesus, knowing all about Thomas' prior statement, offered His body as living proof of His resurrection, and something He did on another occasion (Luke 24:39-40). So in conclusion, the Lord answered and revealed to me that both Mary and Thomas needed more faith. Mary needed faith enough to let Jesus go and believe she would never be alone because the Comforter He promised would come, and Thomas needed faith enough to believe without seeing or needing physical proof. Mary needed to loosen her grip and Thomas needed to strengthen his! Amazing, huh? If you read the Word you'll understand you have been given faith to understand all these things for "Faith comes in hearing and hearing by the Word of God" (Romans 10:17). Believe it! Exercise it!
Until next time,
-Pat-

A Fresh Start For 2020

One of the tragedies of the twentieth century is that people go to church and learn about God but they do not know God. You can know about God without knowing God, and if all you do is know about Him, then indeed, you're going to be lost, you're going to die, you're going to perish. KNOWING GOD is of utmost importance. Remember Jesus' Word in Matthew 7:21-23? He gives us something to think about. Many were knocking at the door of heaven for Jesus to let them in because they thought they were acceptable in their own eyes by the deeds they did, and they learned enough about Him that they called Him Lord. But was He their Lord? They believed because they had done many good things on earth, even prophesying and casting out demons (which indicates they believed these were works/actions worthy of salvation), do you recall Jesus rejecting them at the door of heaven? More importantly, do you remember WHY they were rejected? Jesus proclaimed He never knew them! These did not do the will of the Father and thus were turned away. In other words, those who really KNOW God, love God. And when you love God you obey Him. No amount of goodness or good works will purchase your salvation. Let me say that in a different way. If you KNOW God, then you're going to love God, because no one can truly know Him without loving Him because God is love (1 John 4:7-21). And if you love God you're going to trust God, because when you see how much He loves you (John 3:16), it will be easy for you to trust Him. And when you trust Him you're going to obey Him, for we cannot fully obey someone we do not trust. And when we obey Him we're going to be blessed, for the Bible says ''if you know these things, happy are ye if you do them.'' Do you want to be blessed? Then you have to obey. Do you want to obey? Then you have to trust. Do you want to trust? Then you need to love. Do you want to love? You need to know. YOU NEED TO KNOW GOD. I'm asking, do you know Him? Do you really down in your hearts know God?

God created you. Not only that, He loves you so much that He wants you to know Him now and spend eternity with Him. Jesus said, "For God so loved the world that he gave His only Son so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life." Jesus came so that each of us could know and understand God in a personal way! Jesus alone can bring meaning and purpose to life. Do you feel separated from God as if He is a gazillion miles away? Do you know why you feel like that? I'll tell you. You sense that separation, that distance from God because of your sin. The Bible tells us that “All of us like sheep have gone astray; each of us has turned to his own way” (Isaiah 53:6). Deep down, our attitude may be one of active rebellion or passive indifference toward God and His ways, but it’s all evidence of what the Bible calls sin. The result of sin in our lives is death -- spiritual separation from God. That's the distance you feel, that gap between you and God. Although we may try to get close to God through our own effort, we inevitably fail. Our efforts to reach God...doing good for others, religious rituals, trying to be a good person, etc. are just that; efforts. But the problem is that none of these good efforts actually cover up our sin or remove it! Our sin is known by God and stands as a barrier between us and God. Further, the Bible says that the penalty for sin is death. We would be eternally separated from God.


Instead of trying to reach God, He tells us how we can begin a relationship with Him right now. Jesus says, “Come to me.” “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink...out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” It was Jesus’ love for us that caused Him to endure the cross. And He now invites us to come to Him, that we might begin a personal relationship with God. Just knowing what Jesus has done for us and what He is offering us is not enough. To have a relationship with God, TO KNOW HIM, we need to welcome Him into our life. The Bible says, “Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the power to become the sons of God." That "power" is His Holy Spirit! We accept Jesus by faith. The Bible says, “God saved you by His special favor when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done or will ever do in the future, so none of us can boast about it” (Ephesians 2:9). Accepting Jesus means believing that Jesus is the Son of God, then inviting Him to guide and direct our lives. Jesus said, “I came that you might have life, and have it more abundantly” (John 10:10). And here is Jesus’ invitation. He said, “I’m standing at the door and I’m knocking. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in.”

As 2020 begins you can receive Jesus right now and KNOW God rather than just "learn about" Him through a church service. Remember that Jesus said, “I’m standing at the door and I’m knocking. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in.” Would you like to respond to His invitation and start this year anew? Here’s how. The words you use to commit yourself to God are not important. He knows the intentions of your heart. If you are unsure of what to pray, this might help you put it into words: “Jesus, I want to know you. I want you to come into my life. Thank you for dying on the cross for my sin so that I could be fully accepted by you. Only you can give me the power to change and become the person you created me to be. Thank you for your forgiveness and for giving me eternal life. I, in turn, give my life to you. Please do with it as you wish. Amen.” If you sincerely asked Jesus into your heart just now, then He has come into your life as He promised in His Word... it will be a one on one personal relationship! To get to know Him, read your Bible. Amazing knowledge is contained in His Word.
Until next time,
-Pat-