Monday, March 28, 2011

The Jesus Filter

Hello Everyone,

We are continuing with the series The Jesus Filter. It will be a little bit of a journey but trust me we will get to the point where The term Jesus Filter will have more meaning.

Last week we looked at why we were created this week we will dive into just exactly where things changed, in the garden.


Genesis 3:1-7
1 Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?”
2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; 3 but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’”
4 Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings.


Adam and Eve were in paradise but could not fight the temptation to do things on their own apart from God. Today we are born into doing the same thing because of what was done in the very beginning. We go through our lives thinking that unless we do it on our own we have not accomplished anything. That is not the way we were intended to live our lives. We were intended to live our lives in fellowship with God.

That was all changed with one seemingly harmless piece of fruit. But it wasn't the apple it was the action that changed things.

Some people see it as relying on God to meet our needs, I see it more as including God in our lives and letting Him meet all our needs. He has plans for us beyond anything we can imagine we have to open our hearts and allow him to reveal those plans to us.

This week set aside time, even if it is just fifteen minutes in the morning to be still in a quiet place and listen to what he has to say.

Have a blessed week!

Billy

The Jesus Filter

Hello Everyone, Over the next several weeks we will be going on a journey of discovery. Discovering who we are, what we were created for, and discovering our salvation through our faith and the love giving grace of God. The first question: Why were we created ? This is a question that has been posed many times over the years and can only be answered by going to the source; Our Creator. In Genesis 2:26 God says, "Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." I see this as we were made to be in fellowship with God. He made us to be in charge of everything he made. He wouldn't make us in his image and in his likeness and then not have anything to do with us. How many of you have had a difference of opinion with your child and then decided to never talk to them again? It just doesn't happen that way. God made us to be close to him he wants us to call on him the same way we would call and talk to our closest friend. This week don't just pray, open up your heart and have open coversations with God. Let him know your joys, your pains, and even your doubts. He is there for us, he has been since the beginning of creation. Have a blessed week! Billy

Sunday, March 13, 2011

A year ago this past Thursday my Dad passed away from his long fight with cancer.

I bring this up as it along with God's prompting is what led me to start this weekly ministry. I found myself worrying about his salvation and whether he had accepted Christ in his heart. 19 years earlier my Mom had passed away suddenly without the chance to tell her how much I loved her and without us discussing Christ.

Her death is what led me to accept Christ as my Savior. I can't say at that point that I understood what being saved meant. I stumbled many times since then but seeing my Dad, the man that I looked up to and thought could whip anything in such a vulnerable state made me realize we can't do things on our own. We were never meant to we were meant to give it all to God.

Over the last year with the guidance of our pastors and the leading of Christ I know the true meaning of being saved. I know that as followers of Christ we have already won the battle over death our bodies may be beaten and broken but we are alive in Christ.

1 Corinthians 15: 50-58
50Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.
51Behold, I show you a mystery: We shall not all sleep; but we shall all be changed
52in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
53For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
54So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: "Death is swallowed up in victory."
55"O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?"
56The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law.
57But thanks be to God, who giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!
58Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, for ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.

Have a blessed week,

Billy

Monday, March 7, 2011

Seek God in all things

Hello Everyone,

Over the last several weeks we have been looking at how life throws us the proverbial curveball. Whether be on our own accord or by something that nature or someone else has done. I have often thought and heard the questions why? Why does God permit these things to happen? Why does God allow evil in the world?

Saturday morning while driving into work I was praying/ arguing/ asking for things from God when it came to me. We always ask the questions that you see above when it is not God causing these problems.

God gave us freewill to choose what paths we will take, we are the ones who choose to go it alone without seeking him first. Bad things happen because we choose to live our lives without God and his love.

Adam and Eve lived in paradise but chose to do the one thing God told them not to do. All the trees in the garden but they chose to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. We do the same thing with our lives. We chase after earthly things and make decisions without involving God in our plans.

Seek his counsel and pray about everything.


Have a blessed week!

Billy



Philippians 4:6,7

6 Fret not about anything, but in everything, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God.

7and the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.


Matthew 6:33

33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.