Lent

40 Days of —-

The Calibration of LENT is NOT found in Scripture – See Lent in the Encyclopedia. As one can see by reading about LENT, it’s a work religion.

Salvation is based on Faith in the Gospel:
1 Corinthians 15:1-4 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
And the only thing we can do is found in:
Romans 10:9-13 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Gospel = Death, Burial and Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ
Confess = to admit
With thy mouth = tell others
The Lord Jesus = that He is God
Believe = to accept (as fact)
THOU SHALT BE SAVED = Going to Heaven (after death or in the Rapture).

Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.

Titus 3:5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;

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Time – One Year

Ecclesiastes 3:1-11 To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace. What profit hath he that worketh in that wherein he laboureth? I have seen the travail, which God hath given to the sons of men to be exercised in it. He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end.

52 weeks … 365.4 days … 8760 hours … 525,600 minutes … 31,536000 seconds … ONE YEAR!
Time is a gift from God!

Although God is NOT time orientated, His Word has much to say about TIME.
Some yea ago a great scientist made a very important discovery, relating to the universe and its beginning and structure. He stated that there are five basic conditions of the physical universe and these had to be in order to have an existing universe:
TIME FORCE MOTION SPACE MATTER
This was a tremendous discovery. An important basic truth, hailed as a great step forward in man’s knowledge and understanding of where he came from and where he was going.
At first it seemed like a great blow to Bible believers … What about God? Didn’t He just create it all? Didn’t He know about the five basic principles? If He did, why didn’t He tell us about them?

⇛ continue reading Time – One Year Part 2
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Christmas

The Spirit of Christmas

Honoring God for His Gift 1 Corinthians 1:7 So that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ:

Making room for Him Luke 2:7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

Singing His Praises Luke 2:13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

Inquiring of Him Matthew 2:2 Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.

Accepting His Gift Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Cheerful giving 2 Corinthians 9:7 Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.

Remembering the poor Proverbs 28:27 He that giveth unto the poor shall not lack: but he that hideth his eyes shall have many a curse.

Sacrifice for others Romans 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

Thanks Giving 2 Corinthians 9:15 Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.

Have a very, merry Christmas. Put Christ in your holiday.

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God’s Christmas Gift

Isaiah 9:6 For unto us (Jews) a child is born…
When man fell God promised a redeemer(Genesis 3).
Adam and Eve understood he was to be born of a woman
(Eve thought it would be her son)
The Hebrew word for Child used here is Male
Not an angel, not a spirit, but flesh, blood and bone.
A CHILD IS BORN
Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
Answers all the questions, How, Why, When, What, Who:
HOW— the Lord Himself
WHY —for a sign
WHEN –the virgin shall conceive
WHAT –a son (will be born)
WHO —His name Immanuel (God with us)
Where did all this happen?
Luke 1:34 Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?
Luke 1:35 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.
Luke 2:7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.
Isaiah 9:6unto us (Jews and the world) a son is given: …
He’s the Son of Man …
born after the likeness of man who was created in the image of God.
He’s the Son of God John 3:16
Consider the word GIVEN.
God gave unto us (and for us) HIS SON.
1 John 4:9-10 In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
This is what Christmas is all about — Not what we give to each other, BUT what God gave to us, HIS SON. All we have to do is believe.

Thought: How foolish is a person who just admires all the decorations but doesn’t open his gifts.

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Time is at Hand

“The Time is at Hand”, this phrase is used twice in the Revelation of Jesus Christ. Once in the beginning: Revelation 1:3 and again at the end Revelation 22:10. Like a set of parentheses.
Revelation 1:3 Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.
A few things to consider concerning this passage:
This book is a revelation (revealing) of Christ
It’s to show us things which must come to pass.
John, the writer, was to write of all the things he saw.
The person who reads, hears and keeps these things written will be blessed.
“FOR THE TIME IS AT HAND”.
Time (according to Webster) a measure of duration, a system for identifying a moment. Our system includes words such as: millennium, century, score, decade, year, month, fortnight, week, day, hour, minute, second, millisecond, nano second, half-a-second, split second. No matter how we define time, how we categorize it, use it or misuse it, WE CANNOT STOP IT.

It does seem that the older one gets the faster time flies, but this is not true.
There are still 60 seconds in a minute, 60 minutes in an hour, 24 hours in a day, 7 days in a week …
The Bible teaches us that everyone must give an account of our time here on earth, and one day we will hear: “For the time is at hand”.

Every year at the end of December, we are faced with a New Year, and it’s time to evaluate what WAS accomplished this past year, as “the time is at hand”. How we evaluate our past year depends on our standards. Some time in January you will receive a form in the mail, a form that wants you to evaluate your year in terms of money. That’s right, INCOME TAX TIME. The time is at hand to evaluate what we’ve accomplished dollar wise thru out the year so we can support our Federal Government by paying taxes. And depending on the State you live in, it will also want a report so it can collect it’s share.

We are also to take this time to take stock of what’s happened in our lives over the past year. If we are honest with ourselves, we will admit our short comings. RESULT: many will make resolutions, hopefully for the best. The resolves will be to quit doing such and such, saying this or that, going here or there, being this or that, etc. The effort is to change the outside in hopes it will change our feelings inside.

“For the time is at hand”.

⇛ continue reading Time is at Hand Part 2
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Time – A Radio Message

This was a series of 5-minute radio Messages delivered a long time ago, but still applies for today.

HAPPY NEW YEAR …
Today the new year has already begun, in fact it’s the 3rd day and there are only 362 ½ days left … 8,703 hours … 522,180 minutes … 31,330,800 seconds ….
TIME SURE DOES FLY!
How much TIME do you give to God?
1 hour a week only comes to 52 hours a year, that’s only 2.1 days a year.
3 hours a week, only 6 1/3 days a year.
4 hours a week, only 8 ½ days a year.
How much TIME do you give to God?
We can’t say that WE’LL GIVE TOMORROW TO God, because tomorrow never comes, yesterday is past. All we have is TODAY.
Let me share some thoughts of how we can use TODAY.
TODAY IS HERE 2 Corinthians 6:2 (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)
How much TIME do you give to God?

⇛ continue reading Time – Radio Message Part 2
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Tis the Season

Christmas Season is here. Tis the Season to be Jolly! Good Will, Peace on Earth to all men!
For most of the people this peace, good will, time to be jolly comes STRAIGHT FROM THE BOTTLE.

During two to three weeks during this season, hundreds of people will die, simply due to Drinking.
Thousands of others will be crippled, maimed, seriously injured.
WHY? Because someone thought the way to be happy was to get soused … drunk … blasted!

As many will visit family and friends during the holidays, many (most) will be offered a drink (alcohol).
Just to be sociable … many will accept it …. Just to be sociable …
Well, what does one little drink hurt?
Intoxicating drink is the devil’s best friend.
If you are a Christian, that one little drink will at best ruin your testimony for the Lord and bring reproach on His name. At worst it can turn you into an alcoholic … “Oh pooh” says you. I DEFY YOU to show me an acholic who never drank and all of them will say “it was just one little drink”.

Now, let’s see what the Bible says about drinking:
Wine, in the scripture was (if alcoholic) a natural fermentation ….
Alcohol, hard booze, wasn’t invented until 1790 (after Bible Printed)
The Bible records the sins of men, and drink is one of those sins:
It never condones Sin.

Deuteronomy 21:20 Punishable by death (under the Law)
Proverbs 20:21 Makes FOOLS of men
Proverbs 23:20-21 Rewards for drinking … Poverty
Proverbs 23:29-35 More results of drunkenness
Proverbs 31:4-5 Not for kings (righteous)
Proverbs 31:6-7 Only for those without hope

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Thanksgiving

WHO SHOULD GIVE THANKS?
The upright … Psalm 33:1 Rejoice in the LORD, O ye righteous: for praise is comely for the upright.
All who love the Lord … Psalm 22:23 Ye that fear the LORD, praise him; all ye the seed of Jacob, glorify him; and fear him, all ye the seed of Israel.
Poor and needy … Psalm 74:21 O let not the oppressed return ashamed: let the poor and needy praise thy name.
WHEN TO GIVE THANKS:
Often … Psalm 34:1 I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
When entering HIS presence … Psalm 100:4 Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.
Before meals … Acts 27:35 And when he had thus spoken, he took bread, and gave thanks to God in presence of them all: and when he had broken it, he began to eat.
Before eating anything … 1 Timothy 4:4-5 For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving: For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.
WHAT TO GIVE THANKS FOR:
His deeds … Psalm 105:1 O give thanks unto the LORD; call upon his name: make known his deeds among the people.
His mercy … Psalm 106:1 Praise ye the LORD. O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.
His goodness … Psalm 107:1 O give thanks unto the LORD, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.
His kindness … Psalm 117:2 For his merciful kindness is great toward us: and the truth of the LORD endureth for ever. Praise ye the LORD
Revealing His word to us … Daniel 2:23 I thank thee, and praise thee, O thou God of my fathers, who hast given me wisdom and might, and hast made known unto me now what we desired of thee: for thou hast now made known unto us the king’s matter.
His unspeakable Gift … 2 Corinthians 9:15 Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.
All HIS benefits … Psalm 68:19 Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah.
Using me in HIS Service … 1 Timothy 1:12 And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry;
For each other … 1 Corinthians 1:4 I thank my God always on your behalf, for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ;
All Things … 1 Thessalonians 5:18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
Victory over death … 1 Corinthians 15:57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
HOW TO GIVE THANKS:
With your mouth … Psalm 66:16-17 Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what he hath done for my soul. I cried unto him with my mouth, and he was extolled with my tongue.
Living Faithfully … Psalm 119:7-8 I will praise thee with uprightness of heart, when I shall have learned thy righteous judgments. I will keep thy statutes: O forsake me not utterly.
By attending Church … Hebrews 10:24-25 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.
In unison with other believers … 2 Chronicles 5:13 It came even to pass, as the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the LORD; and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of musick, and praised the LORD, saying, For he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever: that then the house was filled with a cloud, even the house of the LORD.

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Halloween


Halloween is a holiday celebrated each year on October 31,. The tradition originated with the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, when people would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off ghosts. In the eighth century, Pope Gregory III designated November 1 as a time to honor all saints. Soon, All Saints Day incorporated some of the traditions of Samhain. The evening before was known as All Hallows Eve, and later Halloween. Over time, Halloween evolved into a day of activities like trick-or-treating, carving jack-o-lanterns, festive gatherings, donning costumes and eating treats.

Brought into the Church (Catholic) and called All Saints Day. It was done trying to bring the Celts into the Church. The Celts, who lived 2,000 years ago, mostly in the area that is now Ireland, the United Kingdom and northern France, celebrated their new year on November 1. This day marked the end of summer and the harvest and the beginning of the dark, cold winter, a time of year that was often associated with human death. Celts believed that on the night before the new year, the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead became blurred. On the night of October 31, they celebrated Samhain, when it was believed that the ghosts of the dead returned to earth.

As you can see this HOLIDAY has NOTHING to do with the death, burial and resurrection of the Lord Jesus (the gospel) and getting saved (Romans 10:9).

To participate it as a fun day or not, remember what Paul wrote to the Romans:
Romans 14:1-12 Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations. For one believeth that he may eat all things: another, who is weak, eateth herbs. Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not; and let not him which eateth not judge him that eateth: for God hath received him. Who art thou that judgest another man’s servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand. One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind. He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks; and he that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God thanks. For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself. For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord’s. For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living. But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.


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Children’s Day

the first Sunday in June

Children’s Day dates back to the 1860s or even earlier when Children’s Day was first celebrated in America. In 2000, President Bill Clinton declared October 8th to be celebrated as Children’s Day thereafter. But in 2001, President George W. Bush announced June 3rd as National Child’s Day and the commemoration of this day on the first Sunday in June every year. In researching this, it is very confusing. Isn’t Christmas children’s day? What about Easter? And their Birthday? Seems we have a lot of days that are Children’s Day! Do we really need a National Children’s Day?
Yes, we should cherish and love our children. See what the Scripture says:
Psalm 127:3-4 Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth.
Psalm 128:3 Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine by the sides of thine house: thy children like olive plants round about thy table.
This even includes grand children:
Proverbs 17:6 Children’s children are the crown of old men; and the glory of children are their fathers.
And we should instruct them:
Psalm 34:11 Come, ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of the LORD.
Proverbs 4:1 Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding.
Proverbs 5:7 Hear me now therefore, O ye children, and depart not from the words of my mouth.
Proverbs 6:20 My son, keep thy father’s commandment, and forsake not the law of thy mother:
Proverbs 7:24 Hearken unto me now therefore, O ye children, and attend to the words of my mouth.
Proverbs 8:32 Now therefore hearken unto me, O ye children: for blessed are they that keep my ways.
When father and mother cherish, love and instruct their children:
Proverbs 1:8 My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother.
Proverbs 20:7 The just man walketh in his integrity: his children are blessed after him.
Proverbs 31:28 Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her.

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