Tag Archives: Salvation

Good And Evil

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Sometimes I wonder why Father God allows evil to exist.  I wonder why He allows evil people (people with evil intentions) who are found at all levels of society (including local and national community leaders, nation rulers, world rulers, religious leaders, thieves, liers, rapists, murderers, and deceitful people) to prosper in their evil deeds.

Why are they allowed to take advantage of God fearing, good hearted, loving people?  And why do evil people prosper?

Psalms 73:1-11

But I almost stumbled and fell,
because it made me jealous
to see proud and evil people
and to watch them prosper.

They never have to suffer,
they stay healthy,
and they don’t have troubles
like everyone else.

Their pride is like a necklace,
and they commit sin
more often than they dress themselves.

Their eyes poke out with fat,
and their minds are flooded
with foolish thoughts.

They sneer and say cruel things,
and because of their pride,
they make violent threats.

They dare to speak against God
and to order others around.

God will bring his people back,
and they will drink the water
he so freely gives.

Only evil people would say,
“God Most High cannot
know everything!”

It is something that is hard to understand.

I absolutely believe Father God is good, and He is love, and He has all power, authority, and dominion forever.  He is the Alpha and Omega and He knows the beginning from the end.  He knows who is evil and who is good.

He knows the entire story.  He knew you before you were knit in your mothers womb and watched each and every cell and fiber in your body form.  He is always with you.  At all times, He will answer you when you call on him. He loves you and waits for you to love and obey him.

He will never leave nor forsake you until you stand before him on Judgement Day, and he separates those who are evil from those who are good.  At that time, the books of people’s deeds will be opened and read, and Father God and His Son will either say something similar to “well done, you cared for my needs, you kept your first love, enter in to the eternal joy” or he will say something similar to “depart, be cast into eternal damnation, you wicked servant, I never knew you”.

So why does He allow good people to suffer, yet also allows them to draw near to him, and evil people to he allows to prosper and fall away from him in this life on earth?

I don’t know why.  He is a loving God.  He wants us to walk in his ways and be like him.  He is always with us through the good times and the bad times.  He gives each one of us a choice to do good or do evil with our life.

Sadly, I have heard some people say they won’t trust in Father God, mainly because they believe He allows human suffering, inequality, and injustice.  They don’t deny that Father God exists, and they don’t deny he has the power to stop the terrible events from happening, but they refuse to accept Him as their personal God whom they put their trust in.  They would rather trust in their ownself and direct their own path, or put their trust in scientists, doctors, and government for safety, healing, and answers to life’s dilemmas.

But they are missing out here on this earth and will miss out for eternity because of their lack of faith.

They are missing out on being in relationship and loving the only True God, Creator of the Universe, the true light, our loving Father who gives good gifts, who sent His only son, a part of himself as a sacrifice to redeem them from their sin, to rescue mankind so they can have eternal life with him where there is no more evil, no injustice, no murder, no lying, no jealousy, no crying, no hate, no sickness, no diseases, no famines.

I was reading about good and evil rulers in 2 Chronicles the other day.  I spent three hours reading through several chapters, covering several generations, and I was able to see a big picture in the lives of these men and their families.  Everything they ever did was written down in several books for future generations to know.  It was amazing to me how one ruler would love God and serve him, but his son or grandson would turn out to be horribly wicked rulers. Some were so evil and wicked that they murdered all their brothers and relatives and many innocent people.  Some of them went to war and killed thousands and stole women and children and stole all of the wealth and land from the groups they invaded.  Some of these men served as ruler a short time and some for a long time.  But eventually they all came to an end and their deeds (both good and bad) were written down.

Someday they will be called, just as we all will be called, to stand before Father God and His Son and give an account of how we lived our lives and all of the good and bad things in our lives will be exposed.  The only way to escape the consequences of that day are to accept the sacrifice of God’s son, his sinless life he willingly gave in our place, and his shed blood offered to cover our sins so that Father God will forgive, and blot out our sin from the book.

John 3:15-21

“Then everyone who has faith in the Son of Man will have eternal life. God loved the people of this world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who has faith in him will have eternal life and never really die.

God did not send his Son into the world to condemn its people.
He sent him to save them!

No one who has faith in God’s Son will be condemned.
But everyone who doesn’t have faith in him has already been condemned for not having faith in God’s only Son.

The light has come into the world, and people who do evil things
are judged guilty because they love the dark more than the light.

People who do evil hate the light and won’t come to the light,
because it clearly shows what they have done.

But everyone who lives by the truth will come to the light,
because they want others to know that God is really the one doing what they do.”

 

Romans 13:9

In the Law there are many commands, such as,
“Be faithful in marriage. Do not murder.
Do not steal. Do not want what belongs to others.”
But all of these are summed up in the command that says,
“Love others as much as you love yourself.”

The advice in the scriptures is clear.

Walk away from evil.

Walk away from evil deeds and people who are determined to do evil.

Believe in and trust Father God,

Believing he sent His Son for your salvation,

Ask for forgiveness of your sin,

Obey His command to love Father God with all your heart and love your neighbor as you love yourself,

Because this the only way to escape damnation, enter into heaven and spend eternity with Father God.

Be wise and be blessed!

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You Are The Temple

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Why worship God in temples made by human hands?

As I have gotten older, and hopefully wiser, I have come to understand that the scriptures in the Bible point to the human body as the true temple of our Heavenly Father, not the church building or any other building.  We are instructed to care for his temple, our body, and care for others because they are also his temple.

“God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands;

Neither is worshipped with men’s hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things;

That they (men of all nations in the earth) should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us:

For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.

Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man’s device.”  Acts 17: 24 – 25; 28-29

 

“Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.

Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days?

But he spake of the temple of his body.”   John 2:19-21

Buildings made by human hands might impress people, but they don’t impress God our Creator, our Heavenly Father.  Money donated (or taxed) to build buildings (or anything else) doesn’t impress him either.  He said a poor widow’s penny offered is more impressive than a rich man’s offering.  He also said it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.

From the scriptures we can clearly see that HE wants an intimate daily walk with us and for us to recognize a special day each week that we acknowledge him, and do good to others in his name, that special day he calls the Sabbath.  The Sabbath means the 7th day when God our Creator rested from his work.  He has asked us to do the same and keep it special for him.

The day of the week the Sabbath is on changes each year and sometimes even during a certain month of the year.  How you find the day is to learn when the barley is ready for harvest in the spring and the correlation with the first sighting of the moon during that season.  This then begins the year, and the Sabbaths of that year are on the seventh day and every seventh day there after.  This pattern of seven days should follow a 28 day rotation, with the full moon falling on the second Sabbath of the month.  Every once in a while it will be on a 29 day rotation with an extra day added at the end if the next sliver of the moon wasn’t seen until the following night.  If the month had 29 days, then the next pattern of “first day” and “seventh day” will shift forward by one day and then continue forward on 28 days again with each month having 4 Sabbaths and then repeating.   Today in our modern society, few people keep the true Sabbath of Father God, but instead they set a certain day such as Sunday or Saturday or Friday as their day of worship when they go to temples made with human hands.

What blesses Father God is pure worship and love for him from our heart and caring for the needs of our fellow humans.

Check out these verses from Isaiah 58 about what pleases God the Father:

“Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins.

Yet they seek me daily, and delight to know my ways, as a nation that did righteousness, and forsook not the ordinance of their God: they ask of me the ordinances of justice; they take delight in approaching to God.

Wherefore have we fasted, say they, and thou seest not? wherefore have we afflicted our soul, and thou takest no knowledge? Behold, in the day of your fast ye find pleasure, and exact all your labours.

Behold, ye fast for strife and debate, and to smite with the fist of wickedness: ye shall not fast as ye do this day, to make your voice to be heard on high.

Is it such a fast that I have chosen? a day for a man to afflict his soul? is it to bow down his head as a bulrush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? wilt thou call this a fast, and an acceptable day to the Lord?

Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?

Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?

Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the Lord shall be thy reward.

Then shalt thou call, and the Lord shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am. If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity;

And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noon day:

And the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.

And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in.

If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words:

Then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.”   Isaiah 58

May we have the desire to draw near to HIM, our Heavenly Father, through faith and forgiveness found in his only begotten son Jesus who has shown us the truth and the way, and seek his face and learn his ways, and obey and be found faithful.

Be blessed!

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Where Are You Going?

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Have you ever considered where your spirit will go when your physical life on earth has ended?

There is only one way that leads to eternal life with Father God.  It is through faith in Jesus as the only begotten son of God.  He asks us to repentant of our sins and offenses, and give obedience to him by loving Father God with all our heart, love our neighbor as we love ourselves, meeting the needs of our neighbors and family, and confessing our faith in Jesus before men and forgiving any offense.  Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life.  No man comes to Father God unless he has come through faith in Jesus and made him Lord and Savior of his heart.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.  For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.  He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” John 3:16-18

I recently heard this song Wayfaring Stranger recorded by Sounds Like Reign.  The song is about traveling through this life as a stranger, redeemed by Jesus and looking forward to heaven and being with Father God.  It is a beautiful song.

“Then said Jesus unto his disciples,  If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.  For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?  For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.”  Matthew 16: 24-27

Give your life to Jesus today.  Believe Jesus is the son of God who died and paid for your salvation with his own life, and rose again defeating the powers of sin and death.  Accept him as Lord of your life, confess your sins to him now and be saved.  The choice is yours.  Chose this day whom you will serve.  I pray you will chose life in Jesus.

Be blessed!

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Noah and the Lego Ark

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Got building blocks, Legos, or craft supplies?

Then get your kids busy reading, building, and re-telling bible stories!  Check out The Beginner’s Bible, or another youth bible you have on hand, for an easy to use resource for kids.  This is a great way to build family time together and a great way to incorporate daily devotions into your kids learning.  Your kids will have so much fun interacting with the bible stories and building props and seeing the stories come to life!

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Noah’s Ark is a great story to retell with Lego’s because just like your child building with blocks of different sizes, Noah was also a builder and he built a big boat with different sizes of wooden boards.  In addition to building the largest boat ever created, called an Ark, Noah was also a husband, a father, and the “ultimate prepper” and “homesteader” and he had to store feed and safely house and care for a huge amount of animals as well as his whole family for an entire year on the floating zoo-boat /house-boat called the ark.  The story of Noah and the ark can be found in Genesis 6, 7, and 8.    As they read the bible, kids will learn about the man called Noah, his faith in God, and also about righteousness, judgement of sin, and God’s plan to save a pure remnant of the human race that were willing to put their faith in him.

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God told Noah it was going to rain, and it would become a flood that would wipe out every living thing on the earth.  Noah was instructed to build a big ark (boat) and he was given the blueprints with detailed instructions to create it.  He built different size pens inside the ark and he was given instructions to save two pairs of every wild animal, three pairs of every “clean” animal,  seven pairs of animals that were to be sacrificed, and to also save his family including his wife, three sons, and their wives, by loading them all onto the ark before the start of the worldwide flood.

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God told Noah that people had become evil and violent and he must cleanse the earth and wipe them out with the flood.  He could no longer stand to live with mankind and watch their evil deeds.   God caused the earth and sky to give forth water for 40 days and nights to flood the earth.  But God promised to protect Noah’s family and anyone righteous who had faith to believe in God.  God gave Noah the plan.  He gave him the specific dimensions, told him what wood to use, and how to build it and save his family and the animals.  His sons helped him build the ark, but the rest of the world mocked him as he worked and preached and did not help him.

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Noah preached and preached to the people about God and the coming flood, but no one believed him and they did not turn from their wickedness and did not worship God. They had never seen rain or a flood before.   They did not care about doing right.  They did not turn away and repent of their wicked sins.  They did not want to trust that Noah had heard the truth from God.  They thought Noah was out of his mind to believe a God they could not see, and believe in a flood and rain that had never happened before, and work so hard to obey God and build a big boat.

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If you don’t have Lego’s on hand, make your boat with paper, or other recycled materials you have on hand, or use other toys your kids might have in their collections.  Besides building a boat, they might have mini characters, and animals, trees, etc. they can also use.  Perhaps they can also create items to represent the weather changes, the flood, and make a rainbow too.   You can use as many props as you want to add to the effect of retelling the story.

Another wonderful way to use this learning opportunity is Language Arts (have the kids read, re-write the story), Science (weather, engineering, physics), Arts and Crafts (create Noah’s Ark themed art and craft projects), Math (how many legos?,  build to scale, use grid paper and draw their own blueprints to scale, etc), Geography (draw or color a map of where Noah was from and where the ark landed), Movie Making (use props and make stop motion animation), Unit Study and LapBook, and have the kids Share their project with Grandparents, Neighbors, and Sunday School class too.  There are lots of ways this method of learning can be used and incorporated into your curriculum.

Your kids will really enjoy this activity.  In addition to building up their faith as they read the bible, kids can relate in a hands on way as they put the story in action and retell the story with their own mini-size boat.

Here are a few Noah and the Ark themed videos we found:

Noah and the Ark Bible Story Animated by Beginner’s Bible

Noah’s Ark Lego Movie Trailer

Arts and Crafts

Noah Preschool Paper Plate Craft and Story

 

Online Bible

If you don’t have a printed copy of the bible, check out Bible Gateway for a digital online version.  You can read it from your computer and your phone and digital reading devices.

You can choose from several languages and several versions to use.   They also offer free bible studies and a free verse of the day they will email you if you desire.

Lapbook and Unit Study

will update more soon.

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