Not of works for Heaven

We are reminded once again.

“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.” (Ephesians 2:8-9).

OUR DAILY BREAD

Sunday
November 29, 2009

The Galatia Church

Read: Galatians 3:1-12

Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh? —Galatians 3:3

I was driving through the countryside when I spotted a church building whose name surprised me. It said, “The Galatia Church.” The name caught my attention because I was certain no one would choose to name a church this unless it was a geographic necessity.

A study of the biblical book of Galatians reveals that it is Paul’s most fiery letter—criticizing the people for legalism, self-effort, and the exchange of grace for a different gospel. Galatia was not exactly the kind of church that you would see as an example to be followed.

This is true because the Galatians were trying to please God through their own efforts rather than by reliance on Him. Paul’s charge against them was this: “Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?” (3:3).

Just as we cannot earn a relationship with God by our works, neither can we develop spiritually through our own strength. Paul’s reminder to the Galatians (and us) is this: Dependence on God through the work of the Spirit in our lives is at the core of our walk with Christ.

If we think we can become like Jesus by our own efforts, we are, like the Galatians, fooling ourselves. —Bill Crowder

Cast your futile efforts down,
Down at Jesus’ feet;
Stand in Him, in Him alone,
Gloriously complete. —Proctor

The Holy Spirit is the Christian’s power supply.

Today’s Our Daily Bread can be found at
http://www.rbc.org/devotionals/our-daily-bread/2009/11/29/devotion.aspx Copyright © 2009, RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI 49555 USA. Written permission must be obtained from RBC Ministries for any further posting or distribution. RBC Ministries produces a variety of Bible resources, which are available for the asking. RBC Ministries is not funded by any group or denomination, and support comes voluntarily from its members and friends. Write rbc@rbc.org for more information.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. This message was sent by: RBC Ministries, 3000 Kraft Ave, Grand Rapids, MI 49512,

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Ask God for Wisdom

“My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.” (James 1:2-8).

Cannibalism in the bible

Have I posted this before? Anyway, worth exploring further.

http://bible.cc/leviticus/26-29.htm

Above URL gave references in the Bible that described cannibalism.

De 28:53-57 2Ki 6:28,29 Jer 19:9 La 2:20 4:10 Eze 5:10 Mt 24:19 Lu 23:29

2 Kings 6:29 “So we boiled my son and ate him; and I said to her on the next day, ‘Give your son, that we may eat him’; but she has hidden her son.” (NASB ©1995)

“And I will cause them to eat the flesh of their sons and the flesh of their daughters, and they shall eat every one the flesh of his friend in the siege and straitness, wherewith their enemies, and they that seek their lives, shall straiten them.” (Jeremiah 19:9).

“Behold, O LORD, and consider to whom thou hast done this. Shall the women eat their fruit, and children of a span long? shall the priest and the prophet be slain in the sanctuary of the Lord?” (Lamentations 2:20).

“The hands of the pitiful women have sodden their own children: they were their meat in the destruction of the daughter of my people.” (Lamentations 4:10).

“Therefore the fathers shall eat the sons in the midst of thee, and the sons shall eat their fathers; and I will execute judgments in thee, and the whole remnant of thee will I scatter into all the winds.” (Ezekiel 5:10).

Good News in Christ

http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking%2BNews/SE%2BAsia/Story/STIStory_387517.html

Kaing Guek Eav, better known by his nom de guerre Duch, is on trial for overseeing the torture and extermination of 15,000 people who passed through the hardline communist movement’s notorious Tuol Sleng prison.

I thought I recalled some time back, he is now a Christian. Confirmed.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/21/world/asia/21cambo.html

He may have repented, converted, born again, everything! But that does not deny the fact that he is probably guilty as far as the eyes of public is concern, he’s horrendous acts of sin, crime, murder, killings. Pardoned, forgiven by God. However, the crimes on earth has to be accounted for.

Which reminds myself of the 2 thief that were crucified with Christ. Christ was crucified sinless, crimeless. The 2 thief were for their crime. 1 thief taunted Christ and challenged Christ to save himself and save the thief if he be God. In contempt Mockery if you asked me. While the other thief chastised the mocking thief that his current state is due to crimes commited… alas Jesus, who has commited no crime is crucified. Then he turned himself to Jesus, in full humbleness, Lord, remember me when you are in heaven. “My goose pimples coming out as I wrote this”. Jesus turned to the humble thief and said to him, “Today (Present tense) you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43). This thief was neither baptized nor partook of the Lords supper he believed and was promised to be with Jesus.

How true it is!! In Humbleness, we come to God and accept him as Christ! Spiritually, we are saved! Physically, that thief died for his crimes. In his repentance, and acceptance of Christ, spiritually, he is saved and is with Christ in Paradise. How wonderfully great is this Salvation! Hallelujah.

Jesus, our mediator, daily intercedes for us before God the father. As long as we are in this weak flesh, we will always be sin.

Born in Sin, Die in Sin. Born in Sin, Die in Christ who died for our sin. Christ who rose again 3 days victorious over death. What a wonderful truth God has promised to us who comes to him.

Let us go forth and spread this good news. I am not good in speech. I have decided I can spread the word of God in writing. I want to share the good news. This is the 1st good news I supposed in my blog.

Glory and Honor be to God forever, Amen.

Bitterness, Wrath, Anger, etc

Ephesians 4:31-32 (King James Version)

31Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:

32And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.

Psalm 103:12 (King James Version)

12As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.

Our God is a wonderful God isn’t he? We always speak and share about forgiveness. Somebody usually will respond “Yes, I have forgiven him, but I will never forget.” Frankly, if one has forgiven, and not forgotten, then what that could not be forgotten should never ever be mentioned again.

I know it is only human to remember, but one can choose never to mention the event after forgiveness. Personally, I do remember the wrong things that people that have done to me, although I have forgiven them, I still remember. I hold no malice or anger against them. However, I have grown smarter when dealing with these people.

Everyday, somebody will cross our paths. Is it not easier to forgive a stranger than somebody than somebody whom we know? Ironical is it not?

May God help us to forgive, and put away all malice from us.

Final Events – Moral Degeneracy

Dears,

What have you read today about Christ? Or rather what have God spoken to you about from the bible?

Everbody are obsessed with the end time these days. So let’s have an excerpt from the bible, Doctor Timothy.

1 But understand this, that in the last days difficult times will come.
2 For people will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy,
3 unloving, irreconcilable, slanderers, without self-control, savage, opposed to what is good,
4 treacherous, reckless, conceited, loving pleasure rather than loving God.
5 They will maintain the outward appearance of religion but will have repudiated its power. So avoid people like these.2 Timothy 3:1-5

From www.dictionary.com
re⋅pu⋅di⋅ate   [ri-pyoo-dee-eyt]
–verb (used with object), -at⋅ed, -at⋅ing.
1.to reject as having no authority or binding force: to repudiate a claim.
2.to cast off or disown: to repudiate a son.
3.to reject with disapproval or condemnation: to repudiate a new doctrine.
4.to reject with denial: to repudiate a charge as untrue.
5.to refuse to acknowledge and pay (a debt), as a state, municipality, etc.
Origin: 1535–45; < L repudiātus (ptp. of repudiāre to reject, refuse), equiv. to repudi(um) a casting off, divorce (re- re- + pud(ere) to make ashamed, feel shame (see pudendum ) + -ium -ium ) + -ātus -ate 1

http://www.finalevents.com/Event1/Sign11.asp?p=O

Remember Lot’s Wife – Luke 17:32

Remember Lot’s Wife – Luke 17:32

A reminder of obedience to God’s instruction.

 

This is a reference of an event recorded for us in Genesis 19.

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+19&version=KJV

 

When God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah for all the sins, evil, perversions therein.

God almighty remembers Lot’s family, and sent Angels to deliver them away from the destruction.

 

Gen 19:17 Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed.

Gen 19: 24 Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven;

Gen 19: 26 But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.

 

This is indeed a reminder for us to remember and obey God’s commandment. There are many incidences recorded for us in the bible where people were struck dead by God on the spot for disobedience. Do a google for it, you will find it.

Beautiful Morning. Thank God!

iPhone tripod app

Supposedly make the picture free from vibration by using the accelerator. After u hit the camera shoot button, a little bar will appear below. When there are least motion, the camera will snap. In bothe using this on the move. The picture will never snap as your hands are constant moving.

Can tell which picture was taken by Tripod?

photo

photo 2

4 Steps to God

I saw this on the iPhone Fast Web Free version. Pretty useful. I want to use this to share the Gospel.

1. God Loves You!
The Bible says, "God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life"

The problem is that

2. All of us have done, said or thought things that are wrong. This is called sin, and our sins have separated us from God.
The Bible says "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." God is perfect and holy, and our sins separate us from God forever. The Bible says "The wages of sin is death."

The good news is that, about 2,000 years ago,

3. God sent His only Son Jesus Christ to die for our sins.
Jesus is the Son of God. He lived a sinless life and then died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins. "God demonstrates His own love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us."

Jesus rose from the dead and now He lives in heaven with God His Father. He offers us the gift of eternal life — of living forever with Him in heaven if we accept Him as our Lord and Savior. Jesus said "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except by Me."

God reaches out in love to you and wants you to be His child. "As many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe on His name." You can choose to ask Jesus Christ to forgive your sins and come in to your life as your Lord and Savior.

4. If you want to accept Christ as Savior and turn from your sins, you can ask Him to be your Savior and Lord by praying a prayer like this:

"Lord Jesus, I believe you are the Son of God. Thank you for dying on the cross for my sins. Please forgive my sins and give me the gift of eternal life. I ask you in to my life and heart to be my Lord and Savior. I want to serve you always."