1 Peter 2 - WWJD?

11Beloved, I urge you as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from the desires of the flesh, which war against your soul. 12Conduct yourselves with such honor among the Gentiles that, though they slander you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day He visits us.

"desires of the flesh, which war against your soul" I have to admit at times when I watch the news and see the resist campaign I get angry 😡 and my heart disease kicks in. I have to turn the news off and repent.

Verse 12 tells us what we need to do. "Conduct yourselves with such honor". 

WHY? "they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day He visits us."

The Word of God speaks to us and should guide our thoughts and actions. WWJD?

Blessings, David 

Please pray for Texas, our President, His administration and our country. Most of all pray for a revival!

First step in apostasy

I would rather tell someone the truth about Heaven and have them be mad at
me, then let them believe a lie and end up in Hell. There are different
types of believers when it comes to "The Word of God". Some believe that
the Bible is all truth, some say it is not, and others don't really care
one way or the other. *Psalms 33:4 For the word of the Lord is right, And
all His work is done in truth.* When it comes to the Scriptures, we must
believe that it was not just stories written by men, the Bible states it is
God's own words, *1 Peter 1:20 knowing this first, that no prophecy of
Scripture is of any private interpretation, 21 for prophecy never came by
the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy
Spirit.* Everything that Christian's do, how we live, who we are in public
and private, revolves around obedience to God's spoken word. We must also
be careful of those that say, God told them specifically something to do,
and can not back it up or it contradicts the Scriptures. Speaking the truth
is not always easy, but it is always best. Charles Spurgeon wrote, "This
would be the first step in apostasy, men first forget the true, and then
adore the false".

Douglas 

Just right. Genesis 1:1-2

I did a lot of reading yesterday and this morning trying to figure out how best to explain Genesis 1:1-2. In the end, David Guzik said it best.

"God created: Inherent in the idea of God is that He is an  intelligent designer. Only an intelligent designer could create a just-right universe, not “chance.” Our universe is a just-right universe. 

1) The universe has a just-right gravitational force. 

·  If it were larger, the stars would be too hot and would burn up too quickly and too unevenly to support life 

·  If it were smaller, the stars would remain so cool, nuclear fusion would never ignite, and there would be no heat and light 

2) The universe has a just-right speed of light. 

·  If it were larger, stars would send out too much light 

·  If it were smaller, stars would not send out enough light 

3) The universe has a just-right average distance between the stars. 

·  If it were larger, the heavy element density would be too thin for rocky planets to form, and there would only be gaseous planets 

·  If it were smaller, planetary orbits would become destabilized because of the gravitational pull from other stars 

5) The universe has a just-right polarity of the water molecule. 

·  If it were greater, the heat of fusion and vaporization would be too great for life to exist 

·  If it were smaller, the heat of fusion and vaporization would be too small for life’s existence, liquid water would become too inferior a solvent for life chemistry to proceed, ice would not float, leading to a runaway freeze-up 

We could conclude that there is  no chance that such a universe could create itself, apart from an intelligent designer. 

From https://enduringword.com/bible-commentary/genesis-1/

Genesis 1:1-  NLT 

The Account of Creation 

1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.   2 The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. 

Blessings, Cecilia

Encourage the Body of Christ!

I have heard it said that 90% of the work of the ministry is done by 10% of
the body. There are many Gifts of the Spirit, yet it seems as though at
times very little is getting done. Administration, Knowledge, Apostleship,
Leadership, Discernment, Mercy, Evangelism , Miracles, Exhortation,
Pastor/Shepherd, Faith, Prophecy, Giving, Serving/Ministering, Healing,
Teaching, Interpretation of Tongues, Tongues, and Wisdom. Every believer
has been given a gift, something to help the body. *1 Cor 12:1 Now
concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant 7
But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of
all 11 But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to
each one individually as He wills.* Brethren, we are ONE body, and each
part has a specific purpose to help the body grow and stay healthy. If you
do not know what your gifts are, pray and ask God to let you know. May we
desire to receive ALL that God has for each of us, and use what He has
given to strengthen and encourage the Body of Christ.

Douglas 

1 Peter 2 - Try Jesus

9But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, to proclaim the virtues of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. 10Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

Do you remember what you were like before you were called out of darkness? 

I do and I pray I can withstand the trials like Job and stay strong in the faith of Jesus Christ. 

The devil is crafty and tries to suck us back into the world, he wants all of us to go straight to hell with him. 

Remember, you are chosen, holy and Gods possession! 

Before you leave this world take as many as you can to heaven with you! Tell them about Christ, tell them about His mercy, tell them about His love ❤️!

Tell them how YOU received His mercy!

You can tell them.....

Like the bumper sticker on our car says;  

Try Jesus, if you don't like Him the devil will always take you back!

Blessings, David 

The Rest of the Story. Matthew 28: 16-20 NLT

There use to be a radio program Monday through Friday around noon. First the news was read by Paul Harvey. A short time later, he did a short, true story that always had a twist ending. David and I enjoyed listening and usually stopped what we were doing to pay attention. Paul Harvey always ended the segment with "And now you know the rest of the story. Good day."

Matthew wraps up Jesus's story rather quickly. The other Gospels give a little more information on what happened after Jesus rose. Doubting Thomas, the two men on the road to Emmaus, Peter on the beach with Jesus and the "Do you love Me" conversation. 

But Matthew ends a way the others don't, with a promise. "And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” That's an awesome promise. We are never alone, He is always with us. 

In Mark 16:15 Jesus tells us to "Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone." That's why I post these each day. I'm doing what Jesus tells me to do, preaching His story to all I can. 

And now you know the rest of the story.....

Matthew 28: 16-20 NLT 

The Great Commission 

16 Then the eleven disciples left for Galilee, going to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go.  17 When they saw Him, they worshiped Him—but some of them doubted! 

18 Jesus came and told His disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth.  19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.  20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” 

Good day, 

Cecilia

1 Peter 2 - Your faith in Jesus

7To you who believe, then, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe,

“The stone the builders rejected

has become the cornerstone,”b

8and,

“A stone of stumbling

and a rock of offense.”c

They stumble because they disobey the message—and to this they were appointed.

“Is Jesus precious to your soul? Remember, on your answer to this question depends your condition. You believe, if he is precious to you, but if he is not precious, then you are not believers, and you are condemned already because you believe not on the Son of God.” (Spurgeon)

In the thinking of many Jews of that time, God should not have built a new building with both Jew and Gentile. He should have simply renovated the present structure of Judaism (adding Jesus as the Messiah) and invited Gentiles to come into that structure. But God did something different, and it was a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense for many first-century Jews. (Guzik)

Is your faith in Jesus, “A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense.”?

Then;

With prayer and supplication, pray for them and ask God to soften their hearts.

Blessings, David