Never Too Careful

Greetings:

 

There was an unexpected knock at the door, Mrs. Smith first opened the peephole and ask, “Who’s there?”

“Parcel post, with a package for the Smith’s.” “Where’s the package?” she asked suspiciously. The deliveryman held it up. “Let me see some ID,” she said, still not convinced. “Lady,” he replied wearily, “If I wanted to break into your house, I’d probably just use these.” And he pulled out the keys she had left in the door.

Satan’s at the door, he is ringing the doorbell. A lot of folks without any consideration of consequences opens the door to their lives to Satan. He stands at the door of every human being who lives or ever lived. From the least to the greatest, he has stood at the entrance of our lives smiling, and cajoling so he may find our weakness and allow him entrance.

Satan presents himself as the most wonderful salesperson there ever was. He’s the perfect being with the perfect solutions to our problems. Satan is called the angel of light in 2 Corinthians 11:14, why is that? Why can a being we portray as hideous and ugly be described in a completely different way in scripture? Once he or one of his ministers are through the door, they bring death and destruction into our lives.

We, on the other hand are less and less mindful about who’s at the door. Our eyes rarely gaze through the peephole of spiritual discernments. Those who do, rarely see the real being standing just outside their lives, they’re eyes only see wonder and beauty, and the allure of the package. They often time are mesmerized with his promises, becoming overwhelmed by his presence.

They’re a few who see and ask the right questions; the door is locked with keys in hand and until they truly know, the door won’t open. They know the illusion portrayed just outside is there for no other reason but harm. They see him though the peephole of their hearts for what he truly is, the destroyer of worlds. Don’t accept the gifts of evil, don’t leave the keys to your life in the hands of Satan, and don’t open the door of your heart to anyone but Christ!

 

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Do You Know Who I Am?

Greetings:

There is a story that goes around the Internet about Jane Fonda and Ted Turner going to a steak house to eat in Montana. The story goes, there was a packed house on a Friday night and as a result, forty-five minute wait to be seated. In came Ted and Jane for a meal and not wanting to wait like everyone else proceeded to ask the staff, “Do you know who I am?” This continued without making an impression on the staff who continued to insist they wait like everyone else. As reported, they asked for the manager but got the owner of the establishment and continued to ask the same question expecting better results, “Do you know who we are?” His reply was, “Yes, I do,” and he went on to say, “I’m a Vietnam veteran and not only will you not be eating in front of my friends and neighbors, but you’ll not ever eat at my restaurant, period.”
Snoops says this story is false, but it does serve to illustrate an attitude that is pervasive throughout this world. Recognition from others drives our egos to the point we forget who we really are. No one’s perfect, but there’s no lacking of folks who’ll give you the impression they are flawless. Most of us have seen this very thing happen in restaurants; some reading this, may have even participated in the, “Do you know who I am,” game. If we’re really truthful, it feels good to have others accommodate us simply because, we are us.
Depending on who you really are in life, this game will often work in your favor. Yes, you’ll get the accolades and the atta-boys until one day; it all will end with your last breathe. No more front of lines, no more yes sirs, its just plain judgment day for you. And, if you think you will stand in front of Christ and ask, “Do you know who I am,” expecting to get the kind of response your use to. You may have different question thrown at you from the being that created the universe, “Do you know who I am.” If you say, “Yes, I do,” Christ last question to you may be, “If you knew me; then, why didn’t you keep my commandments,” hmmm?
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Free

Greetings:

 

            I opened the mailbox yesterday to find we had received a free vacation in the Caribbean. I was overjoyed as I read on and discovered they were going to give us a thousand dollars spending money as well. As I continued to read I became heartbroken to read I had to buy a car from them to receive this free gift.

I went back to the house decided to read my e-mails and there was a message stating I was a Grand Prize Winner of a million dollars, WOW!

I was excited beyond belief; all my trials and troubles have finally come to an end. As I read on I became concerned, it seems to collect my winnings, I had to send them a thousand dollars. I guess if I went and bought the new car and collected the thousand dollars there, I could use that thousand to collect the million dollars. My mind was swirling like a water vortex, what can I do?

            It only got worse form there, about that time the phone rang, the person on the other end informed me I was eligible for a free lifetime healthcare, WOW again, that couldn’t have come at a better time. I was about to need some really good mental health from all the excitement. The voice on the other end continued to explain all I had to do to receive the gift; I was sign up for their life insurance policy. You guessed it, the insurance was outrageously expensive and I had to be in perfect health to qualify.

            At this point I was furious, I was stamping my feet and whaling my arms and shouting, “Is there nothing really free when they say free!” All of a sudden, it hit me like a ton of bricks. I could hear my Fathers words ringing in my ears, “Son, there is nothing truly free in life, except salvation.” I was exhausted but relieved at this point, a calm came over my mind and the revelation that even salvation wasn’t free. It cost the life and blood of our savior; he paid for our sins with his precious blood. So, nothing is free, nothing at all. There will always be scams, tricks, and enticements to lure us into believing, we are getting something for nothing. Everything comes with a price, the question becomes; can we afford the cost? Now, if I can only find those free movie tickets I won on the radio.

The Right Answer

Greetings:

 

            A man was at the bakery and as the cashier was ringing up his sale he joked, “do you guarantee these don’t have any calories?” Straight faced’ the clerk responded, “Absolutely no calories.” “You know where you’ll go if you lie like that?” the man teased. “Yes,” said the cashier, “”to congress.”

            The vast majority of us won’t wind up in Congress if we go about our daily lives lying, but we certainly can and will loose the respect of those around us. Neither will we wind up going to hell in the preverbal sense, seeing that’s a myth. But, we may wind up creating a hell on earth for ourselves. No one wants to deal with someone who is notorious for untruthfulness.

            With the scandals rocking the current administration on an almost daily basis, we are left to wonder just how much trust we have left to invest. We are asked to trust folks who seem to give little thought to giving false answers to straightforward questions. It’s worrisome when you consider the ramifications of the results for us all in the months and years ahead.

            God gave the guidelines he did for us to be able to live side-by-side with one another. In the past, cultures excluded folks from being acceptable leaders in society if they were known to be liars. We aren’t supposed to advance someone because he or she can give a better political answer than someone else. A political answer is just a lie wrapped in verbiage made to look good. We expect more from our leaders, friends and family members than dishonesty.

            Stop and consider, will God accept a political answer when we stand in front of him and he asks, “Why?”  You better have a good answer, the right answer, and you better not try and blame lying on anyone, but yourself.

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Person of the Year

Greetings:

 

It seems everyone in the entertainment or news business these days gets to have a man or women of the year. They pick celebrities or high profile folks they admire. Most often it someone we don’t agree with on a personal level and a lot of the times, folks we in fly over country never heard of.

In many case, you have to ask yourself, why him or her, what is it they did that was so great? Aren’t honors such as these supposed to be reserved for people that truly do exhibit great leadership and stand out among their piers? But we see honors going to those that contribute the most money to the causes held dearly by the award givers, not because they are special in any other way.

Their awards make headline news in all the major newscast and front pages of major newspapers totting their lifetime of achievements. Don’t get me wrong, they have a right to their opinions and who they give awards. But, I have an opinion as well; I would like to pronounce, my person of the year. I know it won’t be in all the major news outlets, Fox news won’t announce it, nor will any other channel. Nonetheless, my selection is based upon worthiness not how much money they donated to certain causes.

It’s actually two candidates, the first is all the men and women who have served in our armed forces and come home wounded. These folks don’t receive hardly any recognition for their sacrifice. They donated life and limbs for the cause of liberty and freedom for the rest of this country and we rarely mention them. They are my pick for man or woman of the year, and not just this year, but every year. I know my next pick won’t make the covers of Time magazine but Jesus Christ makes my list. It’s because his sacrifice meant so much to the world we have a country like this where we can have freedom of religion.

You may have figured out the two picks are tied together for the benefit of us all. The solider fights for the principles of the constitution which are based on the laws of God, which were written by the finger of Christ and given to the people. Both were willing to give everything for folks they never knew. Ones sacrifice gives us all a better life on this earth; the other gives us eternal life. My picks won’t be popular around many places these days, but they are my picks, my reasons, what are your picks?

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A Moral People

Greetings:

Aristotle once wrote, ‘Moral excellence comes about as a result of habit. We become just by doing just acts, temperate by doing temperate acts, brave by doing brave acts.”
We can’t be a moral person without practicing morality, it isn’t something we can drink, smoke, or get from a magazine. For most, morality comes with a strong belief in God and the bible. Its basis is on how to do good to your other people and gives us guidelines. Using those guidelines everyday makes a moral person.
Morals have to be recognized within ones self-however. How can you be a moral person if you don’t understand what morals are? How do you know you aren’t supposed to steal if you don’t understand why? Or committing murder, honoring parents, or any other commandment from God. There is a movie called the, “Time Chasers,” that explores this very issue and shows very eloquently the flaw in believing, you can have morality without God.
God tells us to practice keeping his will, and this in turn, makes a moral person. Just doing good, only makes you a good person, not a moral one. One must have principles, ethics, and standard of living beyond reproach. This nation is full of good people, but unfortunately, shy on moral folks. With morals comes the love of God, that is the one ingredient missing from everything else. Love of God brings about the desire to do right and the willingness to practice God’s will.
How can that change? How can we become a moral people again? It begins with each person and a need to change. We each must put into place within our own lives ethics, standards, and principles that are Godly driven and inspired. And, as Aristotle said, we must do them everyday, and every chance we get. We then may understand the importance of being a moral people.
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A Bicycle Built For Two

Greetings:

 

Two men were riding a bicycle built for two when they came to a big steep hill. It took a great deal of struggle for the men to complete what proved to be a very stiff climb. When they got to the top the man in front turned to the other and said, “Boy, that sure was a hard climb.” The fellow in the back replied, “Yes, and if I hadn’t kept the brakes on all the way we would certainly have rolled down backwards.”

Do you ever feel this way at work, school or somewhere else? You may feel life just seems to be working against you, no matter how hard you try. You continue with all your might to go forwards but others it seems are dragging you continuously backwards. At times, it may even seem unfair that you are required to do the heavy lifting with friends or family, but you modestly keep those thoughts to yourself.

You may feel others get the easy ride in life, the back seat with fewer worries. Everything it seems, works out for them, no matter what. Life comes with few price tags and little else to do but enjoy life for those just coasting.

Wouldn’t it be great if everything was equal in life, everybody pulled their weight and everyone was on the same page? But, that isn’t how it works in life, because God challenges his people. God’s people are the ones that are different; the rest of the world is on the same ride, all heading downhill with no brakes. He puts his people in the front seat of the bike to build strength of character and leadership, even to show the way for the others. Those on the back may try and hold God’s people back from his holy mountain, but God will give his people the power to overcome all obstacles. Rejoice in your trials, when satan is trying to thwart your forward momentum. It means you’re on the right road and the finish line is not too far ahead.

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An Unusual Risk

Greetings:

In today’s world we are expected to meet certain criteria or risk being labeled an odd duck. There is little in the way of risk taking that is acceptable compared with a century ago when risk taking was an everyday event. Some of risk taking is acceptable in the Military and the sports world but not within most other areas of society. It is something that has been regulated to conform everyone into the good-neighbor syndrome. There is nothing wrong with being a good-neighbor, I want all my neighbors to be wonderful and nice people, but there is something missing in people’s lives today.

Amusement parks have exploded in popularity around the world willing to fill in the need for excitement. The adrenalin rush we experience on a roller coaster fills a need we don’t realize within our minds.

Susan B. Anthony once wrote, “Cautious, careful people, always casting about to preserve their reputation and social standing, never can bring about a reform. Those who are really in earnest must be willing to be anything or nothing in the world’s estimation.”

Risking everything isn’t something most folks are willing to do, most folk’s wish a comfortable life, going willingly into a regulated life with little risk. Is that what God wants? Is the Christian message Jesus gave to the world, “Go ye therefore into the world, and make as many as you can comfortable.” We must be willing to be

Just like the first Christians, who were willing to risk everything, including their lives. So we should have the same convictions, even within our daily humdrum lives. How, you ask? Read your bible again for the very first time, believe what you read and take it into your heart. It will change your world unlike anything you have ever experienced. It will take you on a journey out of the comfort of this world and into the Kingdom of God.

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Fork In The Road

Greetings:

            Someone once said, “I’m came to a fork in the road, so I took it.” We are that people, especially when it comes to doing God’s will. We are willing to follow any path of least resistance; avoiding the path God is on at all cost. God says in John 14, “If you love me, keep my commandments.” Why do we find that so hard to do as humans. Is it, we as humans this day and time don’t know God’s will? We certainly know mans will, we are inundated with mans ideas everyday leading into infinite forks in the road.

            We have one road and one map, the road is God’s way, the map is the bible. We wouldn’t look on a map for a route to Washington from Texas, then turn and go to California. We simply read the map and travel east and if we’re not sure we’re on the right road, we look again and verify our path. But, when it comes to the bible, it will plainly say one thing and go entirely the opposite way, remarkable isn’t it?

            It is also said,” Do not follow where the path may lead. Follow God, instead, where there is no path and leave a trail.” You may not see God’s path now, but it’s there and rarely used. It may be a path covered with the grass of unrepentance and vines of ambivalence, but its there. If we blaze the trail and help clear the path for others, we are doing God’s work. If we show the right forks in the road, we are doing the mission we were all given. But, if we turn aside and take the easy roads, we must know, they lead away from God. So, we each must ask ourselves, “Is the journey worth the struggle, or are we just sight seers on a highway created by Jesus.

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