Category Archives: Religion

Hold to God’s Unchanging Hand

Last week, Jack Scott, mentioned in his comment Romans 8:31-39, which in some Bibles is titled “God’s Everlasting Love” says:

Romans 8:31-39 (KJV)

31 What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?

32 He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?

33 Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth.

34 Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.

35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.

37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,

39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

I was doing some research about this passage and God’s everlasting love as a way to expound on these verses and I came up with two things, on is a song that I dearly love to sing in church:

Hold to God’s Unchanging Hand
Time is filled with swift transition,
Naught of earth unmoved can stand,
Build your hopes on things eternal,
Hold to God’s unchanging hand.
Refrain:
Hold to God’s unchanging hand,
Hold to God’s unchanging hand;
Build your hopes on things eternal,
Hold to God’s unchanging hand.
Trust in Him who will not leave you,
Whatsoever years may bring,
If by earthly friends forsaken
Still more closely to Him cling.
Covet not this world’s vain riches
That so rapidly decay,
Seek to gain the heav’nly treasures,
They will never pass away.
When your journey is completed,
If to God you have been true,
Fair and bright the home in glory
Your enraptured soul will view.

The other thing I found is from Dr. Charles Stanley, of InTouch Ministries. The problem is that though Dr. Stanley’s sermon about God’s everlasting love is inspiring (you can read it yourself by following this link: http://www.intouch.org/you/article-archive/content?topic=the_eternal_love_of_god_article) I could not bring myself to put it on my blog. There are too many beliefs of Dr. Stanley and the Southern Baptist Convention that I find so very wrong. Yes, he may speak wonderfully about God’s love, but then he turns around and shuns those (especially GLBT) people who do not believe what he believes. I find it hypocritical and abhorrent. God’s love is God’s LOVE and some so-called Christians do not get to decide who God loves, because God loves us all. His love is eternal, everlasting, and unchanging.


Psalms 23

Psalm 23 
King James Bible 

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. 
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: 
He leadeth me beside the still waters. 
He restoreth my soul: 
He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, 
I will fear no evil: For thou art with me; 
Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. 
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: 
Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. 
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: 
And I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever. 
Thankfully He is always with us!

Why Do "Christians" Hate Gays?

In last Sunday’s post, Jay responded by writing, “Why is it that the very people who could benefit the most from these are the very ones who use hate and bigotry under the guise of pointing out others’ sins so resistance to hearing this very true message of love for one another and giving the glory to God? Perhaps an analysis of what turns people who most likely started out as Christians in the true sense of the word into hate-mongers and thoroughly despicable people might help those of us who are almost ashamed to call ourselves Christians because of them understand where the disconnect lies.”  So I began to do a little research about why so many so-called “Christians” hate gay people.  I came across this essay by a gay man named Larry from Michigan.  It makes a lot of sense, though I don’t know if I agree with all of it, Larry certainly makes some valid points.  I have long believed that one of the reasons for homophobia lies in the need to propagate the species.  In smaller groups in which larger populations were harder to maintain, (such as Native Americans) homosexuality was seen not as an evil, but as a natural part of civilization. Without further comment, I hope you find this essay as interesting as I did.


At some point, you have no doubt wondered why so-called “Christian” churches and their members behave in the most un-Christ-like ways toward God’s gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender children. The Savior they falsely claim to “follow” and “worship,” Jesus Christ, commanded all of humankind to treat each other with perfect love, and to do unto others as we would like them to do unto us. Considering Jesus’ commands to them, their behavior therefore presents a contradiction in terms. How can this be explained? It’s quite simple — this essay will expose the truth so-called “Christians” don’t want you to know.

Mind you, modern-day so-called “Christians” didn’t invent the hatred, rejection, and disapproval of gays and lesbians. Until the advent of semi-modern medicine within the last few hundred years, mortality was high and life-spans were short; in order to have a sufficient number of offspring to keep the species propagated, people often had to have as many as 15 children during their fertile years. Since purely gay and lesbian people by definition do not reproduce, the gays and lesbians of those times were not contributing to the further propagation of the human species. It is primarily for this reason that the societies of those times heaped scorn upon gay and lesbian people; this has carried forward to the present day, despite the modern world’s over-population.

Also, at some point along the time line of human civilization, people began to figure out that a huge percentage of mankind is, for want of better terminology, intractably stupid. Specifically, the smarter people — the elites — figured out that the ignorant hordes could be easily controlled by exploiting their fear of things they didn’t know. This fear of the unknown is a natural, instinctual human reaction, evolved over many thousands of years by our cave-dwelling ancestors, but it is a significant weakness in civilized societies. Without regard to what is absolutely moral or immoral, the elites of these ancient societies invoked fear in the masses by citing some kind of a higher power as an authority; whatever the elites chose became the “moral” codes of those societies. For reasons discussed in the previous paragraph, homosexuality was often one of the things these ancient elites condemned. Later on, this hatred of homosexuality was attributed to God as a means of keeping control in the hands of the elites.

This ancient hatred of gay people has filtered down through the millenia into modern society, despite modern medicine’s obviation of any purported social “need” to “prevent” homosexuality. Nowadays, more gay people might actually be a good thing, in order to control a world population that is already too large for its own good. However, so-called “Christians” obviously still haven’t moved out of the Dark Ages, considering the unprecedented levels of hatred they hold toward gay people — despite the lack of any logical motive for such hate. Their motives, in fact, are far more dark and sinister than they would ever let on.

Jesus Himself said that “you cannot worship both God and mammon (money).” Some two thousand years after He walked the earth, His words are oh-so-prophetic today. What is ultimately at the root of everything these so-called “Christian” churches do is not Christ’s example, but rather the pursuit of earthly power — money. The elite leaders of these churches know that their followers’ fear of the unknown — in particular, their fear of death and what happens after death — can be easily played in such a way that makes the elites fabulously wealthy. I will prove this over the next several paragraphs.

In the early part of the second millenium, the Roman Catholic Church became known for its granting of “indulgences.” The idea was that a person could make a “sin offering” to God, in the form of a monetary payment to the Vatican, that would render his/her sins “forgiven” and leave him/her “pure” in God’s eyes. Needless to say, this idea was so horribly abused by the wealthy to justify almost anything over the centuries, until one priest decided he had seen enough of it. Martin Luther posted his 95 Theses on a church door in the year 1520, and in so doing forever changed the course of Christendom — no longer did all of the world’s ecclesiastical authority derive from Rome. The Church in Rome fought the 95 Theses, branding Luther a “heretic,” but eventually realized that Luther was right and ended the practice of indulgences. One would think that Christianity had been returned to its proper place as the worship of God, not an earthly money pit.

Sadly, this is not the case today. Our so-called “Christian” leaders of the 21st century haven’t learned a thing from the 16th century. Actually, they have learned one thing: they’ve learned how to be more slick about it than the Roman Catholic Church of the 16th century was. “Christian” televangelists (who are more accurately known to God as minions of Satan) appear on programs designed to play to the fear of the unknown among their blind-sheep followers, saying things like, “If you support our work in opposition to the ‘homosexual agenda,’ won’t you please send us a small donation of $25? Would you please support us as we protect the unborn children of God? Even $50 will do! God will remember on the Day of Judgment who did and did not help us carry out ‘His’ work!” This implicit threat of eternal damnation causes the largely stupid flock to immediately and reflexively reach for their checkbooks, thereby fattening the bank accounts of the televangelists.

An examination of the history of “Christian” churches tells you a lot more. For example, the Roman Catholic Church had a well-known role in the European exploration and conquest of the New World — rumors in Europe in the Middle Ages had it that the New World was full of valuable earthly treasures like gold, silver, turquoise, and other minerals and metals not known or in limited supply in Europe. European countries’ fortunes changed rapidly when these rare, valuable items were found in their New World colonies; Spain, for example, became the most powerful nation on earth for over 100 years after discovering and plundering the gold-rich civilizations of the Aztecs, Mayas, and Incas. Often times, the monarchs of these European countries sought the permission of the Vatican for these explorations, frequently kicking some of the proceeds back the Pope’s way.

Even today, the Roman Catholic Church still maintains a “Vatican Bank” with billions upon billions of dollars in holdings. Granted, it is not nearly as powerful and rich as it was before scandal rocked it in the 1970s and 1980s, but it was bailed out by the secretive, ultra-conservative Catholic cult Opus Dei. Why does the Vatican still maintain its own bank, when Jesus explicitly said that it was easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God?

So-called “fundamentalist” churches of modern times, like the Southern Baptists, are just as morally culpable as the Vatican. It is well-known that “fundamentalist ‘Christian'” preacher Pat Robertson took the donations of his “flock” and used them to enrich himself by buying a diamond mine in the west African nation of Liberia. The purchase of the diamond mine has made Robertson a billionaire, and he has put some of that money back into his “Christian” broadcasting empire, which he then in turn uses to further his own wealth. Many “fundamentalist” or “charismatic” preachers are at least multi-millionaires, and their churches frequently are amazingly extravagant, opulent testaments to their wealth. In many cases, they use the boatloads of money to construct graven images, such as giant crosses and statues, in direct defiance of God’s Ten Commandments.

The Mormon church is also well-known for its love of money. Much like the “fundamentalist” mega-churches all throughout the South, Mormon temples are huge, opulent structures that cost tons of money. They won’t even let non-Mormons visit the main temple in Salt Lake City, Utah. Islam, which forbids non-Muslims to visit Mecca, is the world’s only other religion that does this. Could they both be hiding huge amounts of material wealth? Additionally, the LDS Church is alone among “Christian” churches in expecting its missionaries — you know, those cute, well-dressed boys who come knocking at your door, while you plot how to get them into the missionary position  — to cover their own expenses while doing missionary work; they are the only church too cheap to support their missionaries! Perhaps the money is going to line church leaders’ pockets?

It is this love of money that causes so-called “Christians” to hate gay people. More accurately, it is the leaders’ never-ending hunger for money that causes them to demonize gays, in the process fostering identical attitudes in their flock. In fact, this very same love for money is also at the root of so-called “Christian” opposition to any kind of birth control, from condoms to birth-control pills, to the “morning after” pill and especially abortion. Obviously, they are dead-set against any kind of non-procreative sexual activity, or anything that prevents procreation from occurring. Why is this?

In order to keep the money flowing, these churches ultimately rely on their flocks to participate in a sort of reproductive pyramid scheme. That is to say, these churches are counting on all of their followers of child-bearing age to have as many children as possible, who when they become adults will in turn all proceed to have a bunch of kids, and so on and so on. If one couple coming into the church today has eight children, and each of those eight children has eight of his/her own upon reaching adulthood, that’s 74 members of that church who will at some point in the next 50 years feed the church’s money machine! This is exactly what the elite church leaders want; it keeps them fabulously wealthy for a good long time to come. The reason they so hatefully condemn gay people is because our lack of reproduction doesn’t fit into the scheme whose continued existence they need to stay rich and powerful.

Unfortunately for them, that’s not what God wants — nor is all the hatred of His gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender children, nor is the extreme opposition to any form of population control that leads “Christians” to murder people at abortion clinics. God sees right through what they are doing, and He knows they are truly worshipping money — temporal earthly power — instead of Him and His universal, timeless Power. He will punish their worship of earthly power in the most horrific ways when the Day of Judgment arrives, while at the same time allowing His gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender children who follow Him to enter into His heavenly kingdom.

My fellow gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender children of God, pay very close attention to what I am about to say. Whenever you hear so-called “Christians” condemning, harassing, and slandering you, throwing out their insane, Satanic, thoroughly false accusations of pedophilia, feces ingestion, universal HIV/AIDS infection, and certain death by the age of 42, you must always bear in mind that they are absolutely not speaking for God. Instead, they are merely demonstrating their unrighteous, Satan-motivated anger at our Godly non-participation in their pyramid scheme. What they are doing angers God greatly, and He will have his righteous vengeance upon them when the Day of Judgment arrives.

Do not under any circumstances listen to these money-worshipping “Christians” when they open their Satan-occupied mouths to speak out about homosexuality or abortion — God will reward you for staying true to Him and avoiding the traps these so-called “Christians” lay in front of you. Carry on as a GLBT child of God, doing whatever you can to better His creation and His other children here on earth, and do not fall for their meaningless, empty threats of eternal “hellfire” and “damnation.” (Their claims have zero bearing on anybody’s eventual salvation or damnation — God makes that choice, based upon how closely one has emulated Jesus’ perfect example of universal love, and He will punish those “Christians” who are trying to fool you into thinking they share that power.) By doing this, you will earn the rich bounty of eternal life in the Kingdom of Heaven, and avoid the fate of spending eternity in Hell that most assuredly awaits the vast majority of so-called “Christians.”

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Someone thinks you’re sinning. Now it’s your move.

We Christians have a lot of debates.

To those on the outside, it may seem that we’re always arguing with each other about various points of belief.  And no arguments get quite as heated as the ones about sin.

It always seems to start when one person calls another person’s behavior into question.  “You shouldn’t do that,” they say.  “That’s a sin.”

In modern times, the gay issue has become one of the catalysts for these debates.  We who are gay and Christian get accused of sin just for being who we are, when we aren’t even doing anything!  But it’s nowhere near being the only subject of the sin debate.  Live life for long, and eventually someone will say that something you’re doing is wrong.

One of the biggest debates of Paul’s day centered on the question of meat that had been sacrificed to idols.  Christians were divided on whether this meat was okay for them to eat.  We also looked at Paul’s initial response to this question.  Believers, he said, should not do anything that might link them symbolically to pagan sacrifice.

But the issue was a bit more complicated than that.  Much of the meat available in the marketplace had been previously involved in idol worship.  How could a Christian know whether or not a certain piece of meat had been used in a sacrifice?  And furthermore, what about the idea that for a Christian, everything is permissible, since we’re no longer under the Law?

Paul addresses those questions and more in this week’s passage.
1 Corinthians 10:23-11:1
“Everything is permissible” – but not everything is beneficial. “Everything is permissible” – but not everything is constructive. Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others.
Eat anything sold in the meat market without raising questions of conscience, for, “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it.”
If some unbeliever invites you to a meal and you want to go, eat whatever is put before you without raising questions of conscience. But if anyone says to you, “This has been offered in sacrifice,” then do not eat it, both for the sake of the man who told you and for conscience’ sake – the other man’s conscience, I mean, not yours. For why should my freedom be judged by another’s conscience? If I take part in the meal with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of something I thank God for?
So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God – even as I try to please everybody in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved.
Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.
Here Paul reaffirms a characteristic message in his letters, that Christians are not bound by the old “written code” restrictions on how to eat and behave.  But he also reminds us that our actions do have consequences, and we must use common sense in examining the impact our actions may have on others.

Christians shouldn’t be involved in pagan sacrifices, but when meat is being sold in the marketplace, how can you possibly know where it’s been?  Paul says, go ahead and eat it in good conscience.  Everything on this earth – including that meat – belongs to God.  Similarly, if someone invites you to dinner, eat what they have to offer you.  You have nothing to fear.

But what if someone tells you that the meat has been involved in a sacrifice?  Then, Paul says, you should abstain, but “for the sake of the man who told you.”  Why?

Let’s put this back into the perspective of the debates that face us today.  As Christians, we have a tremendous amount of freedom, due to the fact that we are not under Law anymore.  When someone accuses you of sinning, remember what Paul said: “Why should my freedom be judged by another’s conscience?”  We are each individually accountable to God; you don’t have to justify your freedom to anyone else.

But Paul also wants us to use our freedom wisely.  We can choose to do almost anything we want, but Paul encourages us that “whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”  We should not use our freedom in a way that will cause others to “stumble,” including believers and unbelievers.  That sometimes means that even though something is okay for us to do, we should still abstain from it, simply because our goal isn’t to indulge ourselves but to bring glory to God.

How might our actions cause others to stumble?  There are many ways, depending on the situation.  For example, think about the use of strong language.  I can find no passage in Scripture that says that it’s a sin to use certain words.  I believe that our freedom in Christ gives us the right to use words that others may find offensive.  But, at the same time, what if your use of those words turns someone else off to the message you’re trying to convey?  What if you are a less effective witness for Christ because your language offends the person you’re trying to reach?  Shouldn’t you then voluntarily abstain from exercising your freedom, so that you can bring glory to God?

This requires a lot of prayer, humility, and self-reflection.  There are times that we must do things that others don’t like; for instance, I think that being honest about our gay identities is something that helps the church, even though some people may be offended by it.  Other times, we may choose to refrain from a behavior in order to be more effective.  Either way, our own focus must be not on what we want to do, but on what will bring the most glory to God in this situation.

“For I am not seeking my own good,” Paul reminds us, “but the good of many, so that they may be saved.”

And why should we go to all this trouble?  Because, as Paul says at the end of this passage, we have the example of Christ, who went through more pain, suffering, and inconveniences than any of us ever could, in order that he might reach us.

So next time there’s a debate about sin and Christian behavior, stop and think.  How can you best glorify God in this situation: by drawing upon your freedom in Christ, or by voluntarily limiting yourself to avoid causing trouble to someone else’s conscience?

Only you can answer that question – with God’s help.


Psalm 112

Psalm 112

Praise ye the LORD. Blessed is the man that feareth the LORD, that delighteth greatly in his commandments.
His seed shall be mighty upon earth: the generation of the upright shall be blessed.
Wealth and riches shall be in his house: and his righteousness endureth for ever.
Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness: he is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous.
A good man sheweth favour, and lendeth: he will guide his affairs with discretion.
Surely he shall not be moved for ever: the righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance.
He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the LORD.
His heart is established, he shall not be afraid, until he see his desire upon his enemies.
He hath dispersed, he hath given to the poor; his righteousness endureth for ever; his horn shall be exalted with honor.
The wicked shall see it, and be grieved; he shall gnash with his teeth, and melt away: the desire of the wicked shall perish.

Reflection

Those who respect God, those who follow the Lord, and love God do not need to live in chronic anxiety of bad news. Gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered Christians do not need to live in constant, debilitating fear of the unknown, of being discovered.

The pslamist tells us that God has given to the poor. Compared to straight people, gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered people have little power. The God who reigns over the earth is pouring out blessings on the poor, on the powerless. God’s blessings are being poured out on the Creator’s gay, bisexual and transgendered children. Just one of those blessings is salvation. 

Blessed Assurance

Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.

Hebrews 10:22 (KJV)
Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!
O what a foretaste of glory divine!
Heir of salvation, purchase of God,
Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood.

This is my story, this is my song,
praising my Savior all the day long;
this is my story, this is my song,
praising my Savior all the day long.

Perfect submission, perfect delight!
Visions of rapture now burst on my sight;
Angels descending bring from above
Echoes of mercy, whispers of love.

This is my story, this is my song,
praising my Savior all the day long;
this is my story, this is my song,
praising my Savior all the day long.

Perfect submission, all is at rest!
I in my Savior am happy and blest,
Watching and waiting, looking above,
Filled with his goodness, lost in His love.

This is my story, this is my song,
praising my Savior all the day long;
this is my story, this is my song,
praising my Savior all the day long.


Blessed Assurance” is a well-known Christian hymn. The lyrics were written in 1873 by blind hymn writer Fanny J. Crosby to the music written in 1873 by Phoebe P. Knapp.

Crosby was visiting her friend Phoebe Knapp as the Knapp home was having a large pipe organ installed. The organ was incomplete, so Mrs. Knapp, using the piano, played a new melody she had just composed. “What do you think the tune says?” asked Knapp.
“Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine”, answered Fanny Crosby.
The hymn appeared in the July 1873 issue of Palmer’s Guide to Holiness and Revival Miscellany, a magazine printed by Dr. and Mrs. W. C. Palmer of 14 Bible House, New York City. It appeared on page 36 (the last page) with complete text and piano score, and indicated it had been copyrighted by Crosby that year. It is not certain that this was the first printing of the hymn, but it certainly helped to popularize what became one of the most beloved hymns of all time.
Because of Crosby’s lyrics, the tune is now called “Assurance”.

Judge Not

“Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven;  give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”
Luke 6:37

5 Goal for the New Year

Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.  Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.  Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you.  Only let us hold true to what we have attained.
Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us.  For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ.  Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things.  But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.
Philippians 3:13-21 
Now that 2013 is almost here, many of us are in the process of making New Year’s resolutions. The concept of making New Year’s resolutions is commonplace in our society; however, we all know how difficult it is to actually follow through. This list of Bible verses is designed to help you more specifically approach your New Year’s resolutions. The purpose of providing Bible verses is to establish a biblical grounding for the goals you set out. Moreover, rather than merely compiling Bible verses for New Year’s resolutions, I’ve included practical ways that you can use these verses to achieve your New Year’s resolutions. With all of that said, here are 5 Bible verses for New Year’s resolutions.

#1 of 5 Bible Verses for New Year’s Resolutions 

Colossians 3:12-13 – New Year’s Resolution: Mend a Broken Relationship

“Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.”

Practical Application: When we make New Year’s resolutions, it is common that we first look to ways that we can improve ourselves. Chances are, however, there are broken or severed relationships in our lives that we’ve given up on. Maybe you’ve been hurt by a loved one or close friend. The concept of forgiving and forgetting isn’t one you’ll find in Scripture, but forgiveness is. Consider making it a New Year’s resolution to forgive someone who’s hurt you or seek forgiveness from someone whom you’ve pained.

#2 of 5 Bible Verses for New Year’s Resolutions 

Matthew 25:34-40 – New Years Resolution: Actively Seek Out to Help the Poor, Homeless, and Needy

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.  For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’. Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink?  And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you?  And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’. And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.'”

Practical Application: The Bible continually reminds us to take care of the poor, the widowed, and the less fortunate. Make it a New Year’s resolution to consciously go out and help those in need. Whether you decide to serve at a soup kitchen or visit the elderly, this New Year’s resolution is all about serving. 

#3 of 5 Bible Verses for New Year’s Resolutions 

1 Corinthians 19:19-20 – New Years Resolution: Improve Your Physical Well-Being

“Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.“

Practical Application: Ever considered that God actually wants you to take care of your body? While in context this verse is actually dealing with sexual immorality, the overarching theme is often missed. We ought to honor God with our bodies through everything that we do; thus, taking care of bodies physically falls under this umbrella and ultimately is a matter of good stewardship. If your New Year’s resolution is to get in shape, use this Bible verse to remind you that you’re working to improve something that you ought to make the best anyways.

#4 of 5 Bible Verses for New Year’s Resolutions 

Matthew 14:22-24 – New Year’s Resolution: Consciously Set Aside Time to Spend with God

“Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds.  And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone,  but the boat by this time was a long way from the land, beaten by the waves, for the wind was against them.”

Practical Application: Jesus understood the value of time spent with God in solitude. If you do not currently devote time to being alone with God, make it a New Year’s resolution to set aside some period of time to God. You can spend this time in prayer, reading your Bible, journaling, singing a worship song, etc. While this can definitely be a difficult New Year’s resolution, we have to remember that being in tune with God requires of us to actually spend time investing in the relationship.

#5 of 5 Bible Verses for New Year’s Resolutions 

Mark 12:29-31 – New Year’s Resolution: Loving God = Loving Others

“Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.  And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’. The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”

Practical Application: You’ve may have read this particular verse before on this blog, but have you ever considered what it is really saying? The concept behind these commandments is twofold. One, loving God requires loving Him with all that you are. The second is a direct result of the first: if you love God, you will love others. The practical application here is very open because this Bible verse and corresponding New Year’s resolutions take all the previous options into account. All of the aforementioned New Year’s resolutions and Bible verses are essentially summed up through this passage. The question then is whether or not we are going to make these New Year’s resolutions much more than annual attempts to better ourselves, but daily convictions that stem from a true desire to love the Lord.


Christmas


What CHRISTmas Means

C- Stands for The Christ Child that was born in Bethlehem.

H- Is the Heavenly Father who sent His son for mortal man.

R- Means our Redemption plan, this Christ Child’s birth did bring.

I- Is Intercession for our sins from Christ Our King.

S- Says the brightest Star that led the wise men on their way.

T- Stands for this Treasured babe God sent to us, that day.

M- Proclaims the Meaning that this Christ Child’s birth conceived.

A – Means His Atonement, with Grace, that saves those who believe.

S- Is God’s greatest Sacrifice, His son’s life, for you and me.

~**~

Matthew 1:25 (KJV)

And knew her not till 

she had brought

forth her firstborn son: 

and he called his name Jesus.

~**~

May you have the gift of faith,

the blessing of hope and the peace of
His love at CHRISTmas;

and throughout the New Year !

Merry CHRISTmas!

What a Friend We Have in Jesus

What a Friend We Have in Jesus

Text by Joseph M. Scriven 
Music by Charles C. Converse 

What a friend we have in Jesus, 
all our sins and griefs to bear! 
What a privilege to carry 
everything to God in prayer! 
O what peace we often forfeit,
O what needless pain we bear, 
all because we do not carry 
everything to God in prayer. 

Have we trials and temptations? 
Is there trouble anywhere? 
We should never be discouraged; 
take it to the Lord in prayer. 
Can we find a friend so faithful 
who will all our sorrows share? 
Jesus knows our every weakness; 
take it to the Lord in prayer. 

Are we weak and heavy laden, 
cumbered with a load of care? 
Precious Savior, still our refuge; 
take it to the Lord in prayer. 
Do thy friends despise, forsake thee? 
Take it to the Lord in prayer! 
In his arms he’ll take and shield thee; 
thou wilt find a solace there.

Someone has well penned this statement, “A Christian’s practical theology is often his hymnology.” Many of us could attest to this truth as we recall some deeply moving experience – perhaps the loss of a dear loved one-and a simple hymn which has been used by the Holy Spirit to minister to our spiritual need. Such a hymn is “What a Friend We Have in Jesus.” Though it is not considered to be an example of great literary writing, its simply stated truths have brought solace and comfort to countless numbers of God’s people since it was first written in 1857. So relevant to the basic spiritual needs of people are these words that many missionaries state that it is one of the first hymns taught to new converts. The very simplicity of the text and music has been its appeal and strength.

“What a Friend We Have in Jesus” is a Christian hymn originally written by Joseph M. Scriven as a poem in 1855 to comfort his mother who was living in Ireland while he was in Canada. Scriven originally published the poem anonymously, and only received full credit for it in the 1880s. The tune to the hymn was composed by Charles Crozat Converse in 1868.

“What a Friend We Have in Jesus” has long been one of my favorite hymn.  Some songs you just sing in church, but this one truly speaks to your soul and it is something that I believe in living by.  I hope it gives each of you some inspiration today as well.

“Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” ( John 15:13)