The best life is a God First life

Tag: God First (Page 1 of 13)

Include God; He offers so much!

We know from scripture that we are made in the image of God; we know that God has feelings, God loves, He hates sin, He is righteously jealous, etc., So, here’s a couple of questions to ponder:

It’s obvious from Scripture that God wants to be included in our lives; He wants us to love Him as He loves us. This said, why would we not want to include God in all that we do?. After all, Jesus told us to: ask, seek, and knock.

Our very breath is dependent on our creator! By embracing God’s love and keeping his commandments, we secure God’s promise of eternal life. In other words, we can obtain the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, that will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. If we are truly In Christ, serving Christ, our hearts are filled with joy and the comfort of God.

Therefore, it seems unwise to exclude God when he offers so much to our lives both in this world and for eternity.

  • John 1:1-18 (The Word is Jesus, with God from the beginning)
  • John 14:15 – How to show our love to Jesus
  • Ephesians 6:18 – pray often.
  • Matthew 7:7-11 – Ask, Seek, Knock
  • James 4:8 – How to get God to grow closer to you
  • James 5:16 – Prayers of the righteous avail much
  • Philippians 4:7 – Peace beyond understanding
  • 2 Corinthians 1:3-5 – God of all comfort
  • John 15:1-16 – Joy

God First!

Satan’s workshop or God’s? our choice

Social media turns off many people because freedom of speech is abused with disrespectful, attention-grabbing rants, gossip, foul language, crude and distasteful images, etc.; I’ve heard many refer to social media as “the devil’s workshop.” Well, this may all have some truth to it;  however, it will be what we make of it.

It doesn’t have to be just Satan’s workshop. No, when good, righteous-seeking people who love Jesus decide to post, share, like, and love only good things, we help make social media a better place. The simple truth is that Satan is in this world, his actions are all around us, and we can’t make a difference if we hide rather than let our light shine and try to make a difference (Mathew 5:14-16). Jesus charged His disciples with sharing the gospel with the whole world; we are to plant the seeds of Truth. So, when we choose to walk away from farmland we could cultivate and plant, we leave it wide open for Satan to spread seeds of weeds and destruction.

Why not be engaging instead? We can use social media platforms to encourage and share the soul-saving truth of a better life with Christ. We don’t have to write articles, but we can support those who do with LIKES, LOVES, and encouraging COMMENTS. We can share articles and memes of truth and uplifting thoughts.

On social media, the seeds of truth will be cast on all types of soil; so spread them, God will provide the growth, even if you never see the results. Trust God (1 Corinthians 3:7).

When you encounter negative statements, and you will, don’t take them personally; be compassionate, understanding, and try to be helpful; they stem from the ignorance of God’s Word. Jesus and his disciples cast numerous seeds, and when they were rejected, it was in far worse ways than a negative or hurtful comment.

  • Mark 4:1-20
  • 1 Corinthians 3:6-11
  • Mark 16:15–20
  • Matthew 28:19–20

God First!

Rather than break a habit, Change it!

It’s almost impossible to break a bad habit. However, it’s very possible to replace it! For example, when I was young, my dad suggested replacing any profanity that surfaced in my mind with his made-up word: Snackelfrackle.“

Admittedly, this has gotten some strange looks from people, some questions, and a few laughs, all of which are better than any profanity or using the Lord’s name in vain. However, it also sends the soft message that I don’t use that type of language.

In today’s world, a large percentage of people use, condone, and even defend their use of profane language and taking the Lord’s name in vain. However, so far, most are respectful of my stance when they realize that I do not appreciate its usage, and I very much appreciate their efforts to control their language at least when around me or children.

I personally don’t understand the need to use vulgar or profane language, and I know what God’s Word says about it. So, whether it’s one word that has become a bad habit or a slew of them, I know “if a person wants to,” they can replace these habits with good ones.

“But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator” (Colossians 3:8-10)

Ephesians 5:4
Matthew 12:36-37
James 1:26
Exodus 20:7
Romans 12:2
Romans 12:21

God First!

Do not be confused, be wise instead

With God’s help, today’s challenges are tomorrow’s victories!

Do not be confused, be wise instead; study and pursue the will of God as if your soul’s future depends on it because it does. You cannot follow Jesus if you don’t understand the conditions. “Then Jesus told his disciples, 

You cannot do God’s will if you don’t know His will.

Satan wants us to believe that good is evil and evil is good.

Through the study of God’s Word, we gain understanding, and with understanding, faith, and discernment and how to obtain eternal salvation and help our loved ones to do the same.

  • Matthew 16:24-26
  • Romans 12:2 
  • Ephesians 5:17
  • Psalm 119:105
  • Proverbs 3:5-6
  • Isaiah 5:20
  • Proverbs 13:20
  • Proverbs 15:21
  • Philippians 1:9–10
  • Hosea 14:9
  • Romans 10:17

God First!

Alzheimer’s and change

The point to the attached meme is not lost on me. However, I have also discovered that things may not be what they seem on the surface. My wife once had issues with her “pew seat” as her Alzheimer’s progressed. You see, for such patients, small changes can be big issues; even a simple change, like having to sit in a different location, can be a problem as they are losing their ability to understand the change.

This was during an earlier period of the disease; where she would sometimes say loudly, “They’re sitting in our seat or some other irritated remark, and she would sometimes become discombobulated when she couldn’t find and sit in her usual seat. I would then try to get her to understand it’s not a big deal and sit elsewhere with her.

Alzheimer’s or other dementia-type diseases don’t always stand out in appearance. For a very long time, people would talk to my wife occasionally and have no idea she was on this downward journey.

My reason for addressing the message behind this meme is to draw attention to the possibility that, before we assume rudeness is intentional or unchristian-like, maybe we should consider that there may be more to the situation than we see on the surface. Maybe it would help to assume there is such an issue and draw on our compassion rather than frustration or judgment in such a situation. I’m sure that if a Christian knows there’s a reason like this behind someone’s attitude, they would be more than happy to accommodate them.

Today, because of the progression of this disease, that issue is gone as we are not able to attend services as we used to.

I hate Alzheimer’s

  • Colossians 3:12
  • 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

God First!

Money is not evil

According to Scripture, “the love of money” is the root of all evil” (1 Timothy 6:10)

Acquiring or having money is not evil; As the scripture states its the LOVE OF MONEY at the root of evil. Evil comes from how we pursue the money. Do we lust after it? How do we use it? We can use money for good things that glorify God or selfish things that glorify sin; what’s really important is where our hearts reside.

Jesus tells us:  “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” Luke 12:34

 “And you shall love the lord your god with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength”  Mark 12:30

“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.  Matthew: 6:24

Scripture also states: “For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body. 1 Corinthians 6:20

God First!

Be closed-minded to Mankind, not God

Are we willing to unlearn to learn more? Sometimes, this is precisely what we need to do because sometimes, we derive conclusions without realizing we don’t have all the facts. Those very conclusions can keep us from accepting and recognizing that there is more to consider. We may think of ourselves as open-minded, but are we really?

When it comes to God’s Word, we owe it to ourselves and those we influence to always seek the truth in our studies and be willing to unlearn and let go when we find evidence in scripture (not our feelings) that shows us there’s more.

Are we able to embrace and replace incomplete thinking at the expense of admitting we were wrong? We need to be.

Is it not crucial that we stand firm on the evidence of scripture, not be swayed by our own wisdom or the ideas of others, but instead rely on God’s Word as our standard for discernment? (Philip 1:9-11, Matt 10:22) God and” God’s Word” are unchanging. The destiny of souls is at stake, not to mention the power of our influence, which can lead others to truth or misinformed, dangerous ideas.

  • Romans 16:17-20
  • Isaiah 40:8
  • 2 Timothy 2:15
  • James 1
  • Psalms 119:89
  • Malachi 3:15
  • Genesis 13:15
  • Hebrews 12:7-8

God First!

Praying and drawing closer to God

Pretty much every night before I go to sleep. I thank God for our blessings, both seen and unseen; I humbly pray for family, friends, and any specific needs I’m aware of; I often pray for forgiveness and mercy and ask for help with my understanding and faith. I pray for those who don’t know God and the dangers many face, especially children in harm’s way. I pray for fellow Christians and God’s help in their struggles and sicknesses. I pray for the Eldership, Deacons, Teachers, and Preachers in our congregation and worldwide that the truth is taught according to God’s Word.

I pray for my wife and God’s help with our situation. I often pray for help in my efforts to bring Glory to God through what I write and share in hopes of planting the seeds of eternal salvation.

As a child, I learned memorized prayers to help me learn to pray. Today’s Prayers are not memorized or rattled off as if I’m in a hurry because I truly relish this time with God and want to demonstrate respect for His Holiness.

Admittedly, there are times when my eyes are extra heavy so that I may shorten my prayers. But prayers are not about their length or eloquent words but about our hearts, and for those who are in Christ, we have the Holy Spirit to intercede for us. (Romans 8:26–27)

When possible, I like to pray on my knees, as this practice helps me stay focused in the moment. Once my prayer is over, I may do other things before sleep, but it’s not uncommon for me to say, “Goodnight, Heavenly Father,” just before sleep or “Good morning, Father,” when I awake. To improve my prayer life, I have also worked on the practice of morning prayer with coffee. It’s a great way to start the day.

Prayer life is truly something that brings us closer to God, and Scripture tells us the closer we draw to God, the closer God draws to us. I LOVE THE IDEA OF BEING CLOSER TO GOD

  • James 4:7-10
  • John 15:7
  • 1 John 5:14
  • James 5:13-16
  • John 14:13-14
  • Matthew 7:7
  • Ephesians 2:18

God First!

250 years later

Our forefathers (for many, these are distant relatives) suffered, fought, and gave their lives in battles for independence, and for “Liberty and justice for all,” and in 1776, America was born. “We the People” celebrate America’s independence on the 4th of July each year.

Fast forward 250 years, and it seems almost half the nation wants to give away the independence our forefathers fought and died for; half the nation appears “Ok” with the idea of socialism, even communism, and would rather whine and have government be our babysitter than take personal responsibility for their role in Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.

Our country did not become great from our ancestors sitting on their tushes and wallowing in self-pity, expecting a government to provide for them.

NO, our country became great as our ancestors met overwhelming struggles head-on. Dreaming and working to make those dreams a reality. Legal immigrants became Americans, and those Americans came together, working and striving to better their lives through hard work and big ideas. Americans of all shapes, sizes, colors, and beliefs made the seemingly impossible possible. They forged wilderness into this country of vast convenience that our families enjoy today.

Our American ancestors worked hard to give us freedom, and we must work hard to maintain it. It’s hard to understand, knowing freedom and wanting to be chained to Socialism.

Sitting on our tush and expecting others to provide for us will destroy our nation. Let’s honor the lives of those who fought and died to give us freedom; let’s take pride in the work we each do as One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Our constitution is under attack, our freedom of speech is under attack, our voting system is under attack, and our freedom of religion is under attack; the list keeps mounting.

While it’s true that the Christian’s ultimate home is not of this world, those of us who live in America have been blessed to live in the land of the free, allowing us to share God’s Word according to God’s Word.  Let us pray, study, learn, and spread the seeds of Christ that God may provide the increase before our children suffer the consequences of only having Satan seed the land. We are so blessed to live in today.

A country with God is a country blessed; A country without God is a country lost.

God First!

Does your thinking call God a liar?

Sometimes, we let our smarts get in the way of the obvious as we seek hidden meanings behind simple words rather than accepting them at face value. Sometimes, we do this with each other, and it causes issues; sometimes, with God’s word, and it causes issues. However, with God’s word, we can be certain there is only one perfect answer, one answer that will not conflict with other parts of God’s word. God cannot lie, and all scripture is God-breathed, so the Bible will not contradict itself.

“God is not the Author of confusion…” 1 Corinthians 14:33 ESV

“Be not wise in your own eyes; …” Proverbs 3:7 ESV

“Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and shrewd in their own sight!” Isaiah 5:21 ESV

“…God, that cannot lie…” Titus 1:2 KJV

“All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.,” 2 Timothy 3:16-17 NASB1995

  • Hebrews 6:18
  • Titus 1:2
  • 2 Peter 1:20-21
  • Galatians 1:8

God First!

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