Monday the 30th

1 John 7-8

⁷He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. ⁸He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.

 

The voice calling out form the wilderness……. Most of the “enlightened” and “educated” people did not know how to take John. He did not testify for profit, or for personal gain, or notoriety. To look at him…..well to say he was less than worldly would be an understatement. John had one driving, unyielding purpose, to tell the world about the light coming into the world. Today each one of us are the “Johns’” of our day. We too have a very specific purpose, we are to be witnesses to the light and the life of Jesus Christ. Much like John, you will meet with resistance, you will meet many who would rather not believe, than to put the work in to change their lives. As Chesterton said “Christianity has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and not tried.” As John lived his life telling the world what was to come, living a simple life, surviving off what God provided him; we too should strive to live that life in the modern world. Let our lives be the example that shows those around us that while changing our lives might be difficult, it can be done. Let people look at our lives to see the blessings that come from putting in the work. As we draw closer to the time of the remembrance of the birth of Christ, let us remember the dedication of John, let our lives and our words testify to the greatness of God, the compassion of Christ, and the Love that pours out from the Trinity upon us everyday. Let our voices be the new voices calling out, reminding the world of the Savior, the sacrifice, and the world to come.

 

Peace,

Brian

 

 

Wed the 25th

Psalm 118: 1

 

¹ Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.

 

550 BC (for the sake of argument) is when this Psalm was written. Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good…… Fast forward  to 1621 in a little colony in what is now Massachusetts, we again see people gathering together to give thanks. Who were they giving thanks to? Did they throw the celebration as thanks to the Indians for not killing them? Was it done to show the people back in England and Holland how successful they were in the new colony? Maybe they did it as a way to share recipes and showcase the latest trends in fine colony dining……. No of course not. The remaining Pilgrims gathered together to give thanks to God! They gathered together as a group to lift their hearts and voices in prayer, song and joyful thanks for the blessings God had poured out upon them. Moving even further ahead to tomorrow, who will we give thanks to? Each other? What will our cause of celebration be? Our football team won? We don’t have to go to the office?  Tomorrow as the turkey cooks in the oven, the pies cool on the counter, and the houses are filled with family, and friends, let us all remember to give thanks to God, not for the simple things in our lives, but for the important ones. Our family, our friends, the bountiful meal that will be enjoyed, the time that we have set aside to revel in the blessings that the Lord has given…..Tomorrow let us lift our voices in prayer, song, and joyful thanks; just as the pilgrims did a couple hundred years ago, just like the Psalmist did a couple of thousand years ago. For what was true then is still very true now. Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; His love endures forever!

 

Have a Happy Thanksgiving, be blessed, and thank God,

 

Brian

Tuesday the 24th

John 1: 4-5

⁴In him was life, and that life was the light of men. ⁵The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.

 

“Understood it”, the Bishops’ Bible from 1568 and the King James both read that “the darkness comprehended it not”, the ESV reads that “the darkness has not overcome it.” You really can’t have one without the other can you? You will never overcome something if you do not understand it. This Light has never been understood by the darkness. I believe that the darkness will never understand. The birth of Christ was the beginning of the end for the darkness, the resurrection of Christ was the death blow (pun fully intended). Yet the darkness does not understand that it has been defeated. Christ won, he was the one time sacrifice that cleansed the world of sin, and in doing so gave each of us the offer of salvation. Therein lies the catch, and the reason why the darkness is still around. We were offered the gift, it is up to each of us to grasp it. The darkness is hoping that you don’t. Before we let the light into our lives we are all very much in the dark, and controlled by the darkness. We were living for one thing, and one thing only…..ourselves. It is only when we reach out into the light of Christ, and pull ourselves out of the darkness that we can see the beauty that surrounds us. The light continues to grow as long as we continue to look for those hands reaching out from the darkness, and pulling them into the light. Christ is the light of the world, yet that light can only reach as far as we are willing to take it. Around the globe, to the other end of town, maybe just into a neighbors house; wherever you go, carry the light of Christ with you. The darkness might understand you, but it will never defeat the light of Christ, it cannot defeat it, because it does not understand it. Let us all give thanks to God this week for sending the light to the world.

 

Peace,

Brian

 

 

Monday the 23rd

John 1: 3

³Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.

 

From the beginning, to the end, and all points in between, Christ has been there. He was a part of it all, and that means that He took part in your creation as well! Take a look around at all that HE and His Father created. The perfection in each flower, the majesty the mountain ranges, the great expanse of our sky and universe. Think of all of that perfection, appreciate the intricate uniqueness in each and every thing, then look at yourself. You are just as perfect as that flower, your potential is just as limitless as that universe. As we approach Thanksgiving let us give thanks to the Lord, for our lives, for our blessings, but let us not forget to give thanks to our unique place in this world. We were created in their image. The One who made all things made us with every ounce of painstaking work that they put in to everything else, and then went a step further, and gave us his image, He gave us a piece of the spark, a sliver of the light, we were given a soul; a soul that will give us eternal life if we so choose. Let us give thanks to the Lord this week and everyday after for giving us some of His perfection, let us show that thanks by making our lives examples of His love. Let us give thanks for His love, because through Him we are closer to perfection everyday. Let us thank Him, let us praise Him, let us love Him.

 

Peace,

Brian

 

 

Friday the 20th

Philippians 4:6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus

 

Today is my birthday, I turned 25……..ok well add 14 more and that might be right!  As the week has gone on I have had one thing on my mind. Peace. I went a long way through my life with no peace, I did not even know I was missing it! I have read, and studied, and read some more, it took many years to find it, but what I have learned is right after you let Christ in, you have to work on peace next, peace in your life, peace in your relationships, peace with yourself, in short you need the peace of God, and it is up to you to let that in. Without peace the world is still too loud, and that noise drowns out the voice of the Lord. That noise causes confusion, and the confusion leads to panic, and uncertainty. These verses are favorites of mine concerning peace of God. Paul makes it very clear where to look, and how to find peace……. On a bended knee. It is in prayer that we can quiet the noise of the world, it is in prayer that we give the Holy Spirit the room to search our souls. It is in prayer that we will find the Peace of God. Once you find it, once you let it in, the world will fall away. You will see that nothing is impossible with Christ at your side. When God is guarding your heart and mind, with Christ at your side, and peace in your heart you will be unstoppable! Be anxious for nothing, let the peace of God fill your life, and guide your steps.

 

God bless, and have a great weekend,

Brian

 

 

 

Thursday the 19th

3 John: 5

 

 ⁵Dear friend, you are faithful in what you are doing for the brothers, even though they are strangers to you.

 

As I was reading this letter this morning this verse really stuck with me. Paul points out to Gaius that he is faithful for what he is doing ( going out to spread the truth of Christ) even though those people are strangers to him. How powerful this one line is. Preaching to those you know, witnessing to those of a like mind is easy, but going out and carrying the word (in word and deed) to those you do not know really gives us the opportunity to show our faith. How often do we bend over backwards for those that we know, yet brush aside the people that we do not? Have you ever noticed how simple it is to convey compassion to those that are close to us, yet our hearts so easily turn cold when we see strangers in the exact same situation? This is really the meat of this letter (and to warn of Diotrephes party). Paul is encouraging Gaius to continue on, fight the good fight and spread the word. Why would Gaius need encouragement? Because Paul knew all to well just how hard that it can be to try and bring light to darkness. So let us each continue to encourage each other, let us remind each other that the great commission is for all of us, and while it might take you around the globe, or just down the street, we must remain faithful. We must continue to spread the truth of Christ in word and deed, when it is easy, but especially when it is difficult. When we are challenged, when we find it difficult, those are the times that we are most closely watched by others. Those are the times that in our weakness we allow God to break through and show His strength. Let us continue to pray for and encourage each other, for the strangers that watch are our brothers and sisters as well!

 

Peace be with you,

Brian

Wed the 18th

2 John: 8

 

⁸Watch out that you do not lose what you have worked for, but that you may be rewarded fully.

 

In our daily life we work very hard to keep what we have. When we talk about selling something, or giving something away, or even mention the prospect of letting something go, the typical response is “I worked too hard to just give that away”. Do we guard our salvation as closely? If someone was to ask you to name something so precious to you that you could not imagine giving it up, would your relationship with Christ be first on the list? It might be a knee jerk reaction to say, well my spouse….or my kids…..maybe for some it is the security they find in a bank account or some other asset…..we must remember that all things flow from the vine. Without Christ in our life we will never be fully rewarded, all of the relationships in our life will never reach their full potential, and all of our tangible things that we care so much for……well they were never going to last anyway. Hold on tightly to your salvation, cleave to Christ; there you will find your full reward, you will find that when the Lord is the one thing that you cannot imagine setting aside, your life is brighter, your peace is deeper, your relationships are fuller, in short when you take care of the one most important thing in your life, everything else falls exactly where it is supposed to be. Allow yourself to be fully rewarded here, and in the next life. Do not let all of your hard work slip through your fingers because you have set the important to the side so that you might chase the meaningless.

 

Peace,

Brian

Monday the 16th

1 John 5:3

 

³This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome.

 

Where have we heard that before? How about Matthew 11: 30 when Jesus urged his followers to pick up his yoke and follow Him, for His yoke is easy, and His burden is light…..It is not a burden to follow the Lord…..has man made it more difficult that it should be? Without a doubt! Christ came and fulfilled the ritualistic parts of the Mosaic law. As a result we are left with two things that will encompass all that is expected of us. Faith, and love. Faith in Jesus, his life , his sacrifice, and his resurrection, and Love for the Lord, and our fellow man. I will let you in on a secret this morning………it is easier to live with love, and faith, than it is to live without it. Have you ever tried to withhold love? Have you ever tried to get a feeling for what it would be like to believe that we are just floating around aimlessly in this life, everything a random set of events that end in a bed of dirt? Loneliness, despair, isolation, self worth that is dependant on your bank account, your “toys”…..no thank you! I will never say that following Christ is not challenging, it is, some days it might even seem impossible, but I will tell you this. Since I gave my life to Christ, I have not had a day where I did not want to get out of bed. I have not had a challenge set in front of me that I thought I could not accomplish, I no longer feel the need to evaluate those I come in contact with to decide who gets love, and how much. Since the spirit of the Lord has taken up residence in me, I no longer feel the weight of the chains of the world, all of the rules, all of the expectations, they are gone. What is left is peace, love, and faith. Are you hanging onto the world today? Have you let yourself become a slave to the trappings of the world? Maybe you are trying to balance a little of both, one foot in the world and one foot with Christ (that is the heaviest burden of all). As we start this week off, I urge you to take that step, let the Lord fully into your life. Allow yourself to feel the freedom that comes from following the commands of God. You will indeed find that the yoke is easy, and the burden is light. Commit to God, not half way, not just next Sunday, let Him in, and let Him  reside in you daily. When you do you will see that It is never a burden, it is the most freeing thing that you can do.

 

Peace,

Brian

 

 

Friday the 13th

1 John 3:11

¹¹This is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another.

 

A very simple message….a message that has been carried throughout the Bible, and is still the driving force behind the Word today. Love one another. As it rolls off the tongue it sounds easy enough, but when we try to put it in to action, we see that it can be a daunting task. Who gets loved? Everyone….that is a lot of love, and the very reason that it is repeated so often in the Bible. For most of us it is a struggle to love the ones in our life that we really love, let alone love those that are indifferent, or even have ill feelings toward us. Yet that love must be extended. That is why it is important to realize that love, like so many things in life, is a choice. We choose who we show love to; we choose how those around us effect us. No one can steal our love, our hope, or our faith, but we can easily choose not to share it. Once again we are forced to look within ourselves. It is not the world around us and the way we are treated that makes us love less; it is the fact that we allow those around us to manipulate our feelings. People around us do not cause us to not show them love. We choose not to do it. We justify it with phrases like “they don’t deserve my love”, or “they are to mean, or spiteful, or hateful to love”.  Is this how Christ shows us love? Is this the example He left the world? I think not! Christ did not allow the world to dictate his actions, and we should strive to emulate that example. Don’t let the world rob you of the greatest gift any of us can give, Christ’s love. We will be hurt in this world, but that is no cause to withhold love. Christ gave his very life in the ultimate expression of love, let us each work to live a life of love. Let us work to show love to all of those around us. We choose, we decide, the gift is ours to give, or to lock away. Make the choice to love. Love the Lord, love life, and most importantly, let us love one another.

 

Have a great weekend, and God bless,

 

Brian

Thursday the 12th

1 John 3: 1

 

¹How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.

 

 

I find it no surprise that I come to this verse this morning. I had a suspicion confirmed last night that a friend of ours just does not believe in God, in any way shape of form…..The same thought kept crossing my mind as the information was relayed to us, I thought “well, they just don’t know” They don’t know the love, the peace, the fulfillment that comes form having God in their lives. They don’t get the idea of salvation, and forgiveness that can only come from Christ. So, I look inward, what can I do, what can I say to make a difference and change this person? I always come to the same conclusion that Spurgeon did. I cannot change anyone, that is the work of the Holy Spirit. I can put the information out there, I can extend the offer, I might change a persons  mind, but I cannot change their heart. So what do we do when we are faced with people who will not listen? The only thing you can do with anyone who is convinced of something……show them otherwise. All of this talk of loving others, of serving others, this talk of loving God, and loving our neighbor as ourselves, it has a very specific purpose, it shows the world God’s love. It gives the people who do not know God a glimpse of what true love looks like. I am reminded of St. Francis of Assisi who said “go out and proclaim the Gospel of Christ to everyone; use words if you must.”  We might frame our Faith in Christ with words, but it is our actions that speak the loudest. It is easy to spot an active family member in Christ. They are the ones everyone says “man, I want some of what they got!”  Let us all strive to be that type of person. Not just because it makes us feel good (and it does), not just because it allows us to radiate God’s love onto the world (and it does), let us do it so that others who do not know God might have a chance to open their hearts to Him. Let us be the ones that people want what we have! May we all have the strength to let our actions be our words instead of trying to make our actions fit our words!

 

Peace,

Brian

 

Tuesday the 10th

1 John 1: 9

⁹If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

The saving Grace of God. Sin is something that it constantly looking for a way into tour lives. Maybe I dwell on it to much sometimes, but feel compelled to bring it to the forefront because it is a struggle that we deal with daily. It seems the more righteous we grow, the more devout we become, the more the temptations of sin bombard us on a very personal level. However here the writer reminds us that there is always hope, there is always a lifeline. There is a way for us to right our wrongs, and find shelter in the storms of life. That lifeline is the forgiveness of the Lord that comes from the confession and repentance of sin. Have you ever felt like you are just making one bad decision after another? Maybe you feel that your life that was clipping along so well has turned for the worse? Maybe you see that the choices you are making today, are not the choices that you once would have made……one transgression easily leads to another. It is all too common to look up and ask “just how did I get here so quickly”. We must remember to ask for that forgiveness as soon as we realize we have stepped off the path, not tonight, not tomorrow, not Sunday in church. Ask for that healing forgiveness to enter your life right now. You will find yourself purified, you will give yourself the opportunity to feel the grace of God surrounding you. While it would be easy to say don’t sin, we know that we all miss the mark form time to time. Grab a hold of the promise that the Lord has given you, accept daily the gift that was given by Christ at such a high price. Let us all confess our sins and receive the healing gift of forgiveness from God.

May the Lord strengthen and protect you,

Brian

Monday the 9th

1 John 2:1

 

¹My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.

 

It is Monday and I am reminded of a sign that hung in a friends kitchen when I was a kid. It read; Lord today is a good day, I have not raised my voice in anger, I have not belittled, or deceived anyone, my heart is full of joy, and I am thankful for this day……..but Lord, I am about to get out of bed, and I am going to need your help after that!

 

We are not going down this path alone, we have a companion that walks beside us, sometimes even carries us. When we sin, He is there, not looking down upon us, not pointing His finger saying I told you so, He does not shout at us in frustration “ you will never learn”. HE patiently waits for our repentance, then speaks to His Father on our behalf. It is a comfort to know that all of our shortcomings, all of our inequities, when laid at the foot of the cross, are forgotten. Honestly it is that knowledge that gets me out of bed in the morning with a smile on my face. You see, with Christ as our mediator we are victors. We are winners today, tomorrow, and every day that follows. We have our strength and our salvation in Jesus Christ. We are not perfect, but with Christ at our side we find redemption from this world. Sin is everywhere, it hunts us down relentlessly, however with our Savior at our side through this journey, we are strengthened, our resistance to sin is elevated, and in the event we do stumble, Christ is there, dusting us off, and helping us up. How blessed we are to have such a gift, how much must God love us to give us His Son, not as a lawyer, not as an advisor, but as a brother, and friend! We all might stumble here and there, but those of us that walk with Christ will always find forgiveness through Christ; he is our defender, our brother, our friend, and our salvation. Won’t you call on him today? Ask him to walk with you, ask him to heal you, ask him for the forgiveness that you so desperately want and need. After all, He is the Righteous One!

 

Peace,

Brian

 

 

Friday the 6th

1 John 1: 8-10

 

 ⁸If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. ⁹If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. ¹⁰If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.

 

I have never understood the people, especially self-proclaimed Christians who say they are without sin. Sin is an everyday struggle, and we might not like to admit it, but none of us make it through the day without having at least one instance (if not several) where we fail to hit the mark of Christ, and as a result we sin. We are not Christians because we are so strong, and impervious we can withstand anything, we are Christians because we understand that we are weak, and without Christ we will never find the strength to survive. Christ did not freely give his life on the cross for a few sinners……he gave his life for everyone of us…..because we are all sinners.  When we march through life as if we are perfect, as if we have no sin, we are telling the world, “well Christ died for a lot of people, but not for me, I am good to go” It is the very real fact that we are all sinners that makes the blood of Christ so precious. We just are not as important as we think we are, and we are not as perfect as we often think we are. As the old saying goes, if you think you are someone of importance, try bossing someone else’s dog around. It is though our admission of sin, our acknowledgement of our struggles daily with the flesh, that we find our humbleness. Through that humbleness, we make room for Christ. Remember he did not come for the righteous, but for the sinners (Mark 2:17) It is our struggle with sin that makes us human, it is that same sin, and our repentance form it, that ties us to Christ. He is our mediator, and our savior. To say we are without sin, is to say that Christ died in vain. Let us all carry the word on our lips that yes we are sinners, and much like any other recovering addict, we will struggle with that addiction daily. With Christ we will be victorious in our lives, without him we have little if any hope for recovery.

 

God bless,

Brian

 

Thursday the 5th

2 Peter 3: 9

 

⁹The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

 

In a keystroke this post will be sent far and wide. In a matter of seconds it will be in people’s inbox and on the web. It is little wonder that many people might think in this day of instant access everything that the Lord is slow in delivering. I would like to point out that God is anything but slow. Through Moses he moved an entire sea on demand, through His Son an entire world was given the opportunity of salvation in the matter of a weekend. No, God is not slow to make anything happen. What we must realize is that there are things that must be done before He can act. The Israelites were enslaved and  His Son was hunted and persecuted before God could reveal His strength. This is the point that we as humans have a problem with. It is not the execution of God’s blessings that seems slow, it is our inability to exercise patience that proves to be the sticking point. God is not slow, He is patient. He showers us with love, with grace, and most of all, with the time we need to get our lives right. The Lord has plans to prosper each of us, we are reminded of that in Jeremiah 29:11, however we have to work to get our lives in position to receive that blessing. If we are sitting around waiting on the Lord to deliver, well, we might be sitting there for a while. Conversely, when we busy ourselves with living our lives for the Lord, it often seems like it is one blessing after another falling into our lives. When that starts to happen we see that God is anything but slow, he has just been waiting on us to get our act together. God is not looking for spectators, He is looking for those that he calls His own.  He is looking for the people who are working at living their lives as an example of His Son’s. Love, faith, compassion, hope, these are not idle words, they are very big verbs; They are best displayed by people in action. If you are standing on the sidelines waiting for the Lord to show up in your life, if you are thinking “ God, come on already!” Quit waiting, duck under the spectator tape and join the race for the crown. I promise you, God can hit a moving target……..you are easier to see when you are running.

 

May you be blessed, and be a blessing today,

Brian

Wed. the 4th

2 Peter 3: 3-4

 

 ³First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. ⁴They will say, "Where is this 'coming' he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation."

 

1500 years, that is the span of time the Bible covers, over 400 hundred years between the old Testament, and the New……..What was true back then, is still very true now. God is still God. He has not changed, He is still the God of Abraham, Christ is still the Savior to the world. However, While the Lord has not changed, and never will, Humans are…..well human. We are always changing, there are those among us who are always looking for the next big thing, or the easiest way from point a. to point b. So yes today we have our scoffers, the T.V. is full of them, the talking heads go to great lengths to try and convince the world that their way is the way to go. They often cite this very point that Peter makes “where is this coming”, or if He is so powerful, why doesn’t He show himself. The Lord is just as present today, as He was in the days of Abraham, and the days of the Apostles. The thing that has changed is that most people don’t ask God to come around as much. They don’t invite Him and His Son into their living rooms, their families, their jobs, or their lives. More and more people are beginning to believe the scoffers. However, God is still God. He still speaks through the scriptures, and through His people today, HE still answers prayers, He still repairs broken lives, and Christ still walks with us all everyday, trying to guide, and protect. It is not God that has changed, or left, it is society that has hardened it’s heart to the Lord. It is the warped belief that the Lord will help us through the hard times, but we don’t need him during the good times. Since the beginning of time the Lord has worked for the good of the people He loves, yet just like some of the Israelites, people today say it is not enough, it does not count. I encourage everyone, don’t listen to the scoffers, instead go the opposite direction, dedicate your life to looking for God, search out Christ. If you want the promise, if you want proof, if you want to see just how present the Lord is in the world today…….then quiet the scoffers, and turn to the Lord. He will show up in your life, but you have to invite Him, you have to search for Him, and you have to be willing to follow Him. If you want to see Him, you have to open your eyes, your heart, and your mind. When you search for him, you will find him, just as Christ said,  ask and it will be given, seek and you shall find, knock and the door will be opened. Search for him, then show others the way.

 

Peace,

Brian

 

 

Tuesday the 3rd

2 Peter 3:19

 

¹⁹They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity—for a man is a slave to whatever has mastered him.

 

To quote my favorite line from Bob Dylan “you’re going to have to serve somebody, it might be the devil, or it might be the Lord, but you are going to have to serve somebody”. So today, I ask one question, what are you “given” to? Whatever you fill into that blank, is what has mastered you. Is it what is your driving force in your life. Is it money, power, tangible items, maybe it is friends, family, your online connections? Maybe you are given to several things all at the same time. Whatever the answer there is only two people that know for sure, and that is you and the Lord. We can have only one master, all things in our life flow from what we hold most important. This is why it is imperative to place the Lord, not just high on that list, but at the very top. After all isn’t that what following Christ is all about? Giving our lives to Him, so that the world can see us as a living example of His love. Don’t allow yourself to be enticed by the world. The trinkets that it offers will rust and vanish, the power is only temporary, as it is so often said in Ecclesiastes, this too is meaningless. Without the Lord as our master we will be dammed to a life that is only as long as we draw breath on this planet. We can be given to anything, but there is only one thing worth our time, our effort, and our praise; that is our Lord and Savior. By placing him first we find that goodness, and peace flow from our lives. While it is not a remedy for an easy life here in this world, it is a recipe for a life that lasts beyond the grave. So I urge everyone, search your soul, find what it is in your heart that you allow to be your master. It is my prayer that you find it to be the Lord. Don’t follow the world to death, choose to live a life eternal, with the Lord as your master. When you do, you will see the beauty, the grace, and the power, that surrounds you. Become a slave to the truth.

 

Lord Bless,

Brian

 

 

Monday the 1st

2 Peter 2:1

¹But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves.

 

There always has been, and there always will be people employed by the devil to creep in and chip away at the foundation of the church. They will tell you that you are not righteous unless….or you must wear this, or you can’t do that. It starts off small, chipping away by way of regulation, until the goal of worshiping God, and spreading the good news of Christ is secondary, and the goals of the man are first. If it is allowed it will kill a church more efficiently than any other way possible. Let us not forget the simplicity that is found in Christ. We follow Christ, we cleave to the truth that is found in the life, death, and resurrection of our Lord, and Savior. This is the focal point, and the starting point of our faith. Without Christ as our cornerstone, all religion is useless. Religion has been, and will continue to be used in a way the perverts the very concept of Christ. Let us all make it a point to read the Word of God daily, so that we might arm ourselves with the truth. It is there we will find the true answers, and protection from false teachings. Don’t wait for the book report on Sunday. The false prophets, and the false teachers will only be exposed if the people they are talking to are versed in the truth.  

 

Peace,

Brian