John the Baptist – The Early Years
This is very cute! Share it with someone who needs a good laugh.
Matthew 18:4-5
“Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
And who ever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me.”
Johnny’s Mother looked out the window and noticed him “playing church” with their cat. He had the cat sitting quietly and he was preaching to it. She smiled and went about her work. A while later she heard loud meowing and hissing and ran back to the open window to see Johnny baptizing the cat in a tub of water.
She called out, “Johnny, stop that! The cat is afraid of water!”
Johnny looked up at her and said, “He should have thought about that before he joined my church.”
Answered Prayer: Beautiful
Today I was listening to a song and part of lyric is: Tell me something beautiful. So I prayed “God, show me something so beautiful that it will make me cry at how beautiful it is.”
As I sat there in my chair and my eyes closed, I saw myself falling to my knees and worshiping God. When I saw this, I started to cry, not because it was me worshiping God but because He showed me that something so beautiful is me worshiping Him.
Some of you, like me, feel awkward to worship in church. Maybe you know your singing is off key and doesn’t sound all that great. Remember this, it is so beautiful for God to hear your voice raise up and praise His Name.
So go ahead, sing off key, God is not hearing your awkward singing voice. He is hearing your heart give the worship and praise and that is so beautiful to Him.
John 4:24 - For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.
Praise God!
How people sin
To understand the process of how we sin can be very powerful. If we know that we are being tempted and have mentally moved passed the desire to have something into the intent to have it, we have moved one more step 
closer to sinning. There are five points of a person goes through when they commit a sin. We will use King David as an example who committed a sin by having sexual relations with a married woman named Bathsheba. As we look at David, we will understand more of how the process of sin works. (2 Samuel 11:1-5)
So how do we sin?
- A desire for something – When you see something that you have a desire to have. When David desired Bathsheba, who was bathing on her rooftop. He saw her body and desired to be with her.
One evening David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of the palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing. The woman was very beautiful
- An intent to have the object of your desire – David got it into his mind that he wanted her, so he sent his messenger to find out more about who she was.
and David sent someone to find out about her. The man said, “She is Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite.”
- A game plan to get the object of your desire – When you have made it up in your mind that your going to get your heart’s desire. You start to formulate a strategy of how you will get what you want. At this point David already knew what he was going to do to get Bathsheba.
- Putting your plan to work – You are starting to put some action into, up until now, what has just been thoughts and planning.
Then David sent messengers to get her.
- Obtaining the desired object – By this point, you now have the object that you desired to have.
She came to him, and he slept with her.
Something that we must understand with the above example, is at the first point when David had already a desire for Bathsheba, He already committed a sin. By the thought of wanting a woman or having a lust for her, he committed a sin (by today’s standards). Something else to consider, is during David’s time by our perspective it was in the Old Testament, which means Jesus’ teachings was not known yet. In Matthew 5:27-28 we see what Jesus said about lust:
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”
As far as David knew, he had not yet committed adultery by desiring Bathsheba, when Jesus came He taught that we shouldn’t have lust for each other and if we do, we have already committed the sin in our hearts.
Not every sin is created equal
So you may be asking yourself, why did I use that example? I used it because the points above only act as a guide. There are certain situations, such as lust, where a person doesn’t have to go through all those steps to commit a sin. This why it’s important as a Christian to know the Bible and to know what God has said about certain things.
David was a man after God’s heart, yet he still sinned. What should we take away from that? No matter how good we are, we still fall short and are sinners. But the good news is that God’s grace is sufficient for us. When we sin, if we come before God and ask forgiveness, He has promised that our sins will be forgiven.
Please comment your thoughts and share! Thank you!
7 reasons to follow Jesus
What are the reasons to follow Jesus? As a Christian, I have personally witnessed times in my life where God has been there and helped me. I know that God is with me always, even when He is doing “behind the scenes” work in my life. I have those times when He answered a prayer or where I even felt His Spirit as a way to look back and tell myself that He is with me.
Here is the main idea: If someone came up to you and asked: Why do you follow Jesus? Why are you a Christian?
What would you say?
If someone came and asked me, Why follow Jesus? I would have an answer.
- This has to be numero uno in reasons to follow Jesus Christ. Salvation. Jesus Christ died on a cross so that mankind (every single one of us) could have a personal relationship with God. The good news that’s all throughout the Bible, is that we now can be in a relationship with God. Everyone of us has sinned in some way and missed the mark but Jesus took everyone’s sins upon Himself and if we just believe in Him, we will have eternal life with God.
- He brings purpose into your life. I remember before I came to Christ, I didn’t have a purpose. I was always wondering: Why am I here? I feel like I’m just floating around in life and not doing anything. I think God was watching me have that internal struggle during all those years because as soon as I gave my life over to Jesus, God clued me in on what He wanted me to do with my life. I have a purpose. God has a plan for every single one of us.
- God’s unending love. You know, it’s nice knowing that God loves me, for me. I’m not that attractive, I’m a pretty big guy and my wife says I have a weird laugh. But God loves my weird laugh. He loves me. Even when I sin, God still loves me. I have seen signs and posters of things like “God hates sinners”. That is WRONG. God loves people, He loves us so much that He sent His only Son to die on the cross, to take our place and restore His relationship with mankind. God loves people, He just hates the sins people commit.
- Forigveness. Yep, this ties in with number three. God’s love for each one of us is so strong that no matter what we have done, He will forgive us. You may think you’re the most horrible person in the world and that there is no way God wants anything to do with you. God will meet you where you are. If you are in jail, doing drugs, killed someone, lied, stolen stuff, or all of the above….Guess what? God will forgive you and RESTORE you. Jonah tried to run away from God and God had a huge fish swallow him up. Don’t be like Jonah and run away from God, instead, run towards God. The Apostle Paul persecuted many Christians before he became a Christian himself. Paul was responsible for the killing of Stephen, the first Christian martyr. God forgave Paul and restored him. Paul went on from that encounter with God and wrote parts of the Bible among many other things.
- We have God’s peace. When we follow Jesus, we have His peace in our lives. Again, I can see this from my own life. I had such anger before I came to Christ. When I started to follow Jesus, He took my anger and gave me peace. What normally would have made me beyond angry or mad, now it just doesn’t seem as bad as it used to be.
- God has our best interests at heart. If we trust God we will come out in victory. Because God has a plan for all of us, His plans include the best. We must trust in Him and do what He wants us to do. It’s like looking through frosted glass. You can see general shapes and outlines but you don’t see the clear picture. That’s how we are. While we are viewing life with our distorted vision, God sees things clearly and can help us avoid some pitfalls in life.
- Blessings. God is always looking for ways He can bless us. He wants to overflow blessings in our lives. I have received many blessings and things God has helped me with. For example, just recently God has provided me a way to buy a camera to use on this blog, to do video and take pictures to put into my articles. The peace I have received from Jesus is a blessing. Me being in a warm home with food in my tummy is a blessing. With my physical condition, God has blessed me to still be able to walk. So many things God does for us. It’s just part of God’s awesome love for each one of us. He is like a Father who helps his kid. The Father teaches his child how to go through life. The Father helps the child as they grow up and become more mature. The Father always loves his kid and no matter how old that person is, he is still special to his Father. You are that kid and God is the Father.
Only 7 reasons to follow Jesus?
Now, you may be asking yourself. Hey wait a minute, aren’t there supposed to be 10 reasons to follow Jesus? There are way more than 7 reasons to follow Jesus, way more than 10 reasons. But each one of us will have several special reasons we choose to follow Jesus and be a Christian. These are just the ones I thought of. If you have some more, leave a comment below and share!
Lord’s prayer explained
The Lord’s prayer. It’s the prayer Jesus told the disciples to use when they asked Him how to pray. A question some people have is: should I pray the Lord’s prayer verbatim? The answer is: you can pray the Lord’s prayer word for word but if you know what the Lord’s prayer is asking for, then you can word your own prayer to God following the guidelines Jesus laid out for us to use.
The Lord’s Prayer – Seven Petitions
- Our Father, Who are in heaven – You are acknowledging the closeness of your relationship to God through Jesus Christ. You’re recognizing God’s status, He is in heaven and you are here on earth.
- Hallowed be thy name – Giving praise and worship to God. You should start your own Lord’s Prayer by giving praise to God. We are made to give Him glory and worship Him. You also acknowledge that God is holy and deserving of your praise and worship.
- Thy Kingdom Come – You’re asking God to bring His kingdom to earth. This petition is asking for God to bring His kingdom down to you on a personal level, a local level, and a global level.
Personal: You’re inviting God to rule over your heart and life. So that His laws may be placed in your heart so that you may not sin against Him.
Local: You’re asking God to bring in His lost sheep. There are people who don’t know Jesus Christ in your city and maybe in your neighborhood, by saying this part of the Lord’s prayer, your petitioning God to help bring them into the light and out of the darkness.
Global: You’re asking God for Him to help bring His lost sheep in on a global scale. You are asking God for Jesus’ second coming and for Jesus to rule here on earth and bring His peace. - Thy will be done – You’re submitting to God’s will to be over your life and for His will to be done around the world.
- Give us this day, our daily bread – This is a petition for God to provide all your needs for the day. Spiritual needs, food, clothing, whatever you may need during the day.
- Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors – This is where we ask for forgiveness for the sins we commit.
- Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one – You’re asking God to not allow you to enter a situation that would be too much for you to handle without providing a way to get out of it. You’re also asking God for protection against the devil’s attacks and traps that he may lay for you.
What else should I know about the Lord’s Prayer?
I already explained that you can say the Lord’s prayer verbatim or you can use what you learned about the seven petitions and make your own Lord’s prayer. There are some other points that are important to know as well
Below is the Lord’s Prayer and I will go through some points I think are important for us to know.
This, then, is how you should pray:
“‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.
“Our Father” – Ever wonder how you never end the Lord’s prayer with the phrase “in Jesus name, amen”? It’s because we are in prayer with Jesus while we are praying this. He is praying with us. “Our” means you and Jesus are praying for your needs to the Father.
“Give us this day” – We do not earn God’s provisions. We are praying the Lord’s prayer to ask God to give us what we need, not because we earned it but because He loves us. Just as a father loves his child here on earth and wants to provide for them, so does our Father in heaven want to provide for our needs.
“Daily Bread” - the Lord’s prayer should be prayed everyday. People are made to communicate with God and Jesus set an example for us to follow; He was always in constant communication with the Father.
“as we also have forgiven our debtors” – The Lord’s prayer realizes that we need to forgive others in order for God to forgive us. In Matthew 6:14-15 we see this:
For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
“Lead us not into temptation” – Jesus is the good shepard, we are His sheep. He leads us to safety, cares for, and protects us.
John 10:14-15 – I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me—just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep.
Applying the Lord’s Prayer to everyday life
When I first started praying the Lord’s prayer, I remember having a hard time to remember it. I then wrote my own personal prayer to God. After a little bit I came back to saying the Lord’s prayer verbatim because I felt, for me, it covered what I wanted to ask God for my day. I still pray throughout the day about different things, but a practice I feel that has helped me in my walk with Christ is every morning before I get out of bed I always say the Lord’s prayer and thank God for the day. To me, it’s one more day I am alive and breathing, it’s one more day I can enjoy my life and give Him glory in my own small ways.
I hope that this review of the Lord’s prayer has helped you understand how much God wants to be in our lives. Jesus was giving us a way to ask for all our needs to be met by saying the Lord’s prayer. We must trust and have faith in Him to provide for us and help us with our day.
Please comment and share! If you have created your own Lord’s prayer, I would love to see it!
Forgiveness: A Christian’s perspective
Sometimes it can be hard for us to show forgiveness towards another person. But why? Maybe because we feel we have been wronged in some way or hurt deeply by that person. It is quite possibly the most destructive thing a Christian can do to themselves. You’re not hurting the other person as much as you’re hurting yourself and you’re relationship with God.
Showing forgiveness towards others
Unforgiveness is like chains, holding a person down. A weight that we carry around in our hearts, bitterness and resentment towards another person. When we don’t forgive others, we are putting a wall between us and God. In Matthew 6:14-15, Jesus gives us a sobering thought, if you don’t show forgiveness towards other people God will not forgive you.
“If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.”
Forgiveness is part of who you are as a Christ follower. Stephen, the first martyr showed his forgiveness to the men that was stoning him to death. As they threw stones at him, he asked God to forgive them for what they were doing. God constantly shows His grace, mercy, and forgiveness towards His children. Since we are given God’s constant forgiveness, we are to show the same love and acceptance towards each other.
How else does forgiveness help me?
God is love. He is slow to anger, full of love, and gives forgiveness to people who come to Him and ask for it. It doesn’t matter what you have done, if you ask Him to forgive you from your heart, He is faithful to do so. Since we have His Spirit inside us, helping to shape us more in Christ, we start showing His qualities. Being shaped into the image of God’s Son never stops while we are here on earth. It’s a continual process that we must work at (like showing forgiveness towards other people).
We are called to love one another, just as God loves us. Love in itself, shows forgiveness. We see this in 1 Corinthians 13:4-5:
“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.”
Another reason I believe God puts so much emphasis on forgiveness is because He wants our quality of life to be better. It simply does not feel good to hate someone. I have personally dealt with that in my life. At one time I hated everyone and everything for any reason. Forgiveness was not in my vocabulary. One day, I couldn’t handle it anymore, I had had enough with all my anger and unforgiveness towards others. It wasn’t bothering them that I held that in my heart, but it sure did mess my life up. Since then God has changed me with His awesome love and power. I now ask Him to help me show forgiveness towards others in my life and I feel like He is faithful enough to do that. If you honestly want to forgive someone, you can ask Him for help with it.
What does the Bible say about forgiveness?
The Bible talks about loving and showing forgiveness towards other people:
Romans 15:7: Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.
By showing forgiveness towards one another, we bring glory and praise to God.
2 Corinthians 2:5-11 (NLT):
Forgiveness for the SinnerI am not overstating it when I say that the man who caused all the trouble hurt all of you more than he hurt me. Most of you opposed him, and that was punishment enough. Now, however, it is time to forgive and comfort him. Otherwise he may be overcome by discouragement. So I urge you now to reaffirm your love for him.
I wrote to you as I did to test you and see if you would fully comply with my instructions. When you forgive this man, I forgive him, too. And when I forgive whatever needs to be forgiven, I do so with Christ’s authority for your benefit, so that Satan will not outsmart us. For we are familiar with his evil schemes.
Showing forgiveness towards others keeps satan from creating a stronghold in our lives. It helps keep us from the evil one.
Ephesians 4:32: Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
Colossians 3:13: Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.
Again, we are forgiven our debts and so we should show the same forgiveness to others.
If you’re having problems with forgiving someone, ask God for help. He is faithful enough to help you if you are sincere about you’re request. Please post a comment and share the times God has helped you show forgiveness towards someone in you’re life!
