Advocate for Christ

The best life is a God First life

Month: December 2021

NOT EVEN 10, Maybe toleration led to apathy

December 27, 2021 / / 1 Comment

Not even 10 Righteous were found in Sodom and Gomorrah.

1. “And the LORD said, “The outcry of Sodom and Gomorrah is indeed great, and their sin is exceedingly grave. I will go down now, and see if they have done entirely according to its outcry, which has come to Me; and if not, I will know.” Genesis‬ ‭18:20-21‬ ‭NASB

2.” Far be it from You to do such a thing, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous and the wicked are treated alike. Far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth deal justly?” So the LORD said, “If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare the whole place on their account.” Genesis‬ ‭18:25-26‬ ‭NASB

3. “Then he said, “Oh may the Lord not be angry, and I shall speak only this once; suppose ten are found there?” And He said, “I will not destroy it on account of the ten. Genesis‬ ‭18:32‬ ‭NASB

‬‬Ever wonder how many righteous built the cities?

What happened?

Maybe toleration led to acceptance followed by apathy till no one cared about doing what was right, All the way to the point they convinced themselves there were no absolutes to right and wrong. Void of God maybe they relied on their wisdom rather than following God’s.

Sounds eerily familiar to the attitude of many today.

God First!

Why Rules Daddy?

December 24, 2021 / / 0 Comments

As loving parents, why do we create rules? Is it for the fun of it? No, we initiate rules to help keep our children safe while teaching them to discern what’s right and wrong, safe or dangerous. However, if we don’t hold our children accountable for their actions, are we truly showing them, love? Are we really demonstrating love if there is no consequence for disobedience? Love is much more than hugs, kisses, smiles, jokes, and fun times.

Since the beginning, God has shown love and exhibited what love truly is. In Scripture, we find many examples that although God’s Love includes all kinds of blessings and kindness, punishment and expectation are not mutually exclusive of that love.

Meeting expectations helps build confidence, and punishment helps us make better choices on our lifelong paths. Godly punishment is not done out of meanness but out of love. Righteous punishment helps us learn and understand that we are accountable for our choices and, thus, deserve their consequences, whether good or bad.

Our Heavenly Father gave us free will that we might follow His instructions found in God’s Word (The Bible). His Son (Jesus) became flesh and demonstrated that love to the point of extreme pain and anguish when He was sacrificed for us. Jesus is the only sacrifice that could give us eternal life in heaven if we follow Him.

We may be adults in this world, but we should remember we are God’s children as Christians. I recently heard the point made that God has no Grandchildren. We are all his children, and he wants the best for us, similar to how we want the best for our children.

Since God created mankind, He has blessed, punished, and sacrificed that we might live eternally with Him. Therefore, God gave us every word of the bible, The God-breathed absolute truth for our benefit. God is Love, His precepts show that love, and in my humble opinion, our gratitude should make us want to excel in adhering to God’s Will by truly doing our best to put God First!

  • Proverbs 22:6
  • Ephesians 6:4
  • Hebrews 12:5-17
  • 1st John 4:16
  • John 14:6
  • Romans 8:12-17
  • Galatians 4:1-8‭‭
  • 1 Thessalonians‬ ‭4:8‬ ‭
  • 2 Timothy 3:16

God First!

Children need interaction more than a distraction.

December 22, 2021 / / 0 Comments

Our children are the future! So we need to invest in the next generation. Help them be better than us. The investment needed most is our time. Children need our time. We need to teach, lead, listen and pray with them. Children learn not only by our words but largely by our examples. They need to see Christ in us all the time.

In our high-tech world of conveniences and distractions, money is often thrown at children at a very early age instead of our time—money for electronic games and entertainment. Some electronics are marketed and purchased in the name of education. Unfortunately, many adults fall prey to using these electronic gadgets as child sitters. When this happens, what the child learns most, is “how to be alone,” – distracted from human interaction.

Children need us to invest our time. They need us to have listening ears. They need our attention and direction. Of course, we all enjoy games and entertainment, but our play needs to be balanced, not all-consuming.

Children need interaction more than a distraction. They need our personal efforts as much as possible, helping them learn how to study and the importance of balancing priorities. This hands-on effort helps our children realize they are loved.

Children need our time and discipline in love to learn to share it with the next generation and build a better tomorrow.

God First!

Taken back in time

December 9, 2021 / / 0 Comments

Imagine you are taken back in time as an outsider, yet, unseen by any, and walking right beside Jesus as He carries the cross, to “Golgotha.”

Imagine witnessing firsthand all the hatred. Seeing the blood and torn flesh. Seeing Jesus mocked, ridiculed, and spat upon.

Imagine the sign smugly placed above His head in laughter “THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.”

You watch helplessly, as you see the spikes driven through His hands and feet; You hear the heart-wrenching thud of the cross as it is stood up and dropped into its hole. You see the body of Jesus, torn and bleeding. You find yourself listening intently to the few words He speaks, and you understand them all. Then, just before He proclaims, “It is Finished,”

Imagine Jesus looks directly at you! Tears in His eyes and says: I’m doing this for you! will you; love me, and keep my commandments?

Today, God’s Word is at our fingertips. Shouldn’t we try our best to live according to God’s will? Through God’s wisdom, everything we need to know to keep the commandments of Jesus is found in the God-Breathed Words of the Holy Bible.

Let’s put our wisdom aside and pursue the Wisdom of our Creator. It’s not found in one verse or chapter; it’s found in the 66 inspired books God gave us!

“If you love me, keep my commands.”

John 14:15

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life

(John 3:16)

Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him.

1 Peter 3:21
  • 2 Timothy 3:16
  • Matthew 27:1-66
  • Ephesians 5:15-21
  • Isaiah 5:21

God First!

Thank you for your help!

December 8, 2021 / / 0 Comments

Everywhere I turn, I see God’s help extended to our family.

I see what I believe is God’s providence working in our lives and prayers answered. I’ve prayed many times that God would put people in the lives of loved ones to help them on their journeys. I’ve then heard some remarkable stories on how some friendships came to be. Sometimes, unlikely friendships grow into the best kind of friendship; The iron sharpens Iron kind of friendship. I have no doubt that God hears our prayers. I also have no doubt that God has compassion for our pain and comforts those who love Him as only the God of all comfort can and will do.

Without God, we are nothing; Without love, we are nothing; we all need help from time to time and should be humble enough to realize it, pray for it, and remember just to say; thank you!

God’s answer to prayers is not always evident immediately, but sometimes, when you pause later in life, you can view the bigger picture and become aware of uncountable blessings.

So for my family and me to God and all His loving servants! Thank you!

God is Love!

  • 2nd Corinthians 1:3-5
  • James 5:1-20
  • Proverbs 27:17 (iron sharpens)
  • Romans 8:28
  • Philippians 4:8

God First!

What is the only gift we can give God that God Wants?

December 7, 2021 / / 0 Comments

Jesus tells us; the greatest “commandment” is to love God with all our heart, soul, strength, and mind. In other words, we are to love God with all of our beings, with everything we have to offer. Jesus goes on to tell us the 2nd greatest “command” is to love others as ourselves. Jesus added a new command “…Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.”

Did you notice these are not request?

They are commands. Why are they commands? One thought is because they are good for us. God does not force us to love Him or others. He leaves that to our choice. However, God has given us overwhelming incentives and reasons to love Him and absolutely no reason not to love Him.

Jesus tells us, “if you love me, you will keep my commandments.” So this is our opportunity to show our love and gratitude by doing our best to keep His commands.

“IF we love him…” The word “Love” is so loosely defined in our cultures today, it’s often confused with all sorts of selfish temporal feelings, desires, wants, and infatuations. Jesus’s command to love is not a pill we take for temporary uplifts; no, It’s the kind of love God has demonstrated to us, one that never ends. It’s unchanging and committed. It’s lifelong. In fact, it is never-ending, eternity long.

God first loved us and gave His son for us. So why would we hesitate not to do our best to show our love for Jesus in return by keeping his commandments?

I can think of only one thing we have to offer God that God cannot give himself; what would that one thing be? _ _ _ _

  • Mark 12: 30-31 (Greatest commands)
  • John 14:15 (keep His commands)
  • John 13:34-35 (new command)

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you had known me, you would have known my Father also.[a] From now on you do know him and have seen him.”

John 14:6-7

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Matthew 11:28-30 ESV

God First!

We NEED TO “ARM OUR CHILDREN!”

December 2, 2021 / / 0 Comments

We need to arm our children; We need to arm them with the teachings of Jesus Christ that they may learn love, strength, honor, respect, compassion, humility, and thankfulness. As our children and we grow in the knowledge of God’s love, it creates a natural zeal to Love and serve our creator. To keep His commandments with all their Hearts, Soul, Mind, and Strength, and Love others as Christ loved us.

Arming our children with the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the spirit, which is the Word of God, is the best way to help them protect themselves. As parents, we strive to protect our children, teach them right from wrong, caution, and self-control, how to be strong yet humble so they can achieve success in life’s challenges. There is no better foundation to provide them than the foundation of God.

Loving God and having His Word in their hearts as their guide helps provide our children with the knowledge they need to make better choices throughout life. It helps them know where to turn to find answers and seek help from Scripture and through prayers. In addition, God’s Word helps them make the right choice when they encounter situations where bad choices may have lifelong, negative impacts.

Our children need to see the adults around them demonstrate how to love one another as Christ loved us in all our actions. They need to see us show respect for authority, respect for others, love, and compassion. Our children need to understand that actions have consequences; if we want good consequences, we need to input good actions.

  • 3 John 1:4
  • Ephesians 6:17
  • Proverbs 22:6
  • Ephesians 6:4
  • Isaiah 54:13
  • Deuteronomy 6:7
  • Psalm 78:6
  • Romans 9:8
  • Matthew 22:37
  • John 13:34

God First!

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