Conforming to the World

The world - those we know and deal with on a daily basis - is continually trying to conform us to its image. You see it everyday especially on TV and other media!  Hollywood decides what the morals of this country should be. The word conform means "to be similar in form or character; to behave in accordance with prevailing modes or customs." 

Romans 12:2 says, "Do not be conformed to this world, ." And 3 John 1:11 says not to imitate what is evil, but to imitate the good things of God.

In James it says, "You adulterers! Don't you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? I say again: If you want to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God."

People will always try to fit us into their mold, partly due to their own insecurity. It makes them feel better about what they are doing if they can get someone else to do it too. Very few people have the ability to be who they are and let everybody else be who they are.

Can you imagine how nice the world would be if we would all do that? If each person would be secure in who he is and let others be who they are? Then we would not have to try to conform and be imitations of each other. 

I want to encourage you today to believe you can be an imitator of Christ and break out of the world's mold!

Son of God movie

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The Power of Words

I'm not a man of many words. I'm not an eloquent speaker even though I'm asked to speak at various places and give my testimony. Some people just have that "gift of gab" and sometimes  you wished there was a shut off button! But as a Police Officer, I was always to the point. "Sir, I pulled you over for this reason. License, registration and insurance card, please". Right to the point.

Politicians, salesmen all seem to say much but with no substance but still convince you to do something. Some try to convince you that nothing is wrong and everything is OK yet some will make it seem like a country is about to nuke another country if not our country.

Yet words in music can be so appealing and bring forth much emotion. The same with poetry. The right words expressed can illuminate your mind with many visuals.

Look at TV commercials. Millions are spent to express a product or service and get you to buy it in 30 - 60 seconds! And do people buy? Sure! The power of words.

News reporters express many stories on TV and give visuals that help enhance what they are saying. In radio, words have to be expressed clearly to the listener will have a full understanding of what is being expressed. How many stories have you heard about being misled because what was expressed was not stated properly or truthfully? The power of words.

God has given of His words and warnings on what words can do. In James 3:6, "The tongue is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one's life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell." It's really not difficult to get the point here. And God give many more examples in the Bible.

I can delete or undo words here as I type but words that are spoken can never be deleted. Once they are out there, they can't come back. That's why we must be so cautious about what we must say to people. Has anyone ever said something to you that hurt? Do you remember those words? Probably because we tend to remember the bad words that people say to us and not remember the goods ones! Bad words cut to the heart and it takes a long time to heal those situations.

So today, take some time and think about how you speak to people especially at home to your spouse and kids. I have regretted too often what has come out of my mouth. Even as a minister, I am imperfect and let my anger get the best of me at times. We all do. Today, try expressing something positive to the people around you and then make a habit of it. What you sow, you will reap! The power of words.
www.chaplainbob.com

Future and Hope

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11

It's easy to understand why God spoke the words of Jeremiah 29:11 through the prophet to His people. Jeremiah wrote during the time when Jerusalem was under siege by the Babylonians. The Jews could see nothing but disaster on the horizon; they wondered if all God's covenant promises had become null and void. So God spoke through Jeremiah to tell the people that His thoughts were not evil toward them, that He had a hopeful future in mind. We may not look out our window and see invading Babylonians on the horizon, but we may see something that seems just as hopeless. We can cling to God's promise to Israel because it is a reflection of His character. God is the God of hope and the future. He "is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think" (Ephesians 3:20). We are called in those moments to "trust in the Lord with all [our] heart," to "lean not on [our] own understanding," and to "acknowledge Him" in all our ways (Proverbs 3:5-6). If you feel besieged by life today, lean on the God of peace -- the God of hope and the future. The same God who has a plan for Israel has a plan for you. - Dr. David Jeremiah

To trust in God requires you to give up your normal methods of trusting you. As a Police Officer, it was quite difficult to learn to trust God. But I had the DESIRE to seek the truth about what I heard about God. I learn that you make mistakes. He doesn't!
www.chaplainbob.com

Restoration

From the beginning of time, mankind has searched for peace. He has joined peace movements. He has marched for peace. He has awarded prizes for peace. He has even gone to war for peace. And when you hear of someone being arrested for disturbing the peace, you wonder where they found any to disturb.
There are people today who put bumper stickers on their car that say, “Visualize world peace.” Then they cut you off on the freeway.
One day there will be peace. But it won’t be brought about by the United Nations. It won’t be brought about by any nation. It will be brought about by God Himself. It will happen when the Creator Himself returns, takes possession of what is rightfully His, and hangs a sign over this war-weary planet that says, “Under new management.” Christ will return, and He will bring lasting peace.
God’s perfect plan, according to Ephesians 1:10, is to “bring everything together under the authority of Christ.”
Peter preached in Acts 3:21 that Christ “must remain in heaven until the time for the final restoration of all things, as God promised long ago through his holy prophets.” God is going to make earth into heaven and heaven into earth. Just as the wall that separates man and God was torn down as a result of the Cross, so too will the wall that separates heaven and earth be demolished.
Have you ever seen a completely restored classic car cruise down the street? It catches your eye. You think, That is awesome! That is beautiful! That is incredible! That is because you love to see something restored to its original condition.

  God is into restoration. He is into restoring lives. He is into restoring bodies. And He is even into restoring our planet.

What is Faith?

Faith is a word that we use a lot, but sometimes we can make it too complicated. Faith simply means 'belief or absolute trust'; the word also implies loyalty and commitment. 

Faith isn't a huge, complicated concept that we have to stress over. Genuine faith in God simply acknowledges that the message of Jesus' death and resurrection is absolutely true. It happens when we say, "Not only does it make sense to me, but I'm willing to stake my life on it."

The Bible says that the uncompromisingly righteous shall live by faith and faithfulness. One way to think of the uncompromisingly righteous is to think of those who are made right by the death of Jesus Christ on the cross. 

Through faith we are made right, and God treats us as His own beloved children.

I encourage you to get back to the basics of faith. Know that when you put your faith in Him, you are made right. Live by your trust in the God who reaches out to you with loving and open arms, ready to receive you and love you just as you are.

WWIII

If you run out of topics to talk about at your next gathering, just ask this question: What currently known conditions could trigger World War III? North Korea or Iran firing at someone? The collapse of a nuclearized state like Pakistan, with atomic bombs going to the highest bidder? Militant groups using weapons of mass destruction? A global economic crisis that emboldens an adversarial nation? The Middle East erupting in conflagration? An assassination? An errant missile?

The world is held together by fragile threads, and Jesus predicted that wars and rumors of wars would characterize the last days. But unrest in the world will eventually come to an end. Christ is coming for His Church, the Great Tribulation will run its course, the Battle of Armageddon will be won by the King of kings, and the peace of God will rule in our hearts forevermore. Without God, our world would be doomed and our lives would be pointless. But He is in complete control, Christ is coming, and His agenda is unfolding every hour

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