Godlythinking         

The Absolute Truth

It is safe to say that in God’s creation that no two persons think exactly alike.  However, mankind has a problem with pride that affects the outlook and disposition on life. You would think that an education would improve man’s disposition when their decisions affect other people. However, it is easy to command when you don’t have to do the work required to implement your plan.

With or without an education every person does what is right in his or her own eyes. The things such as education, wealth, and social position that raise your stature among men doesn’t affect what is right in the eyes of the elite. What’s true of the elite is true of the poor, there are people that you can trust with your life and other people you can not.

People who do what is right in their eyes also take pride in being correct. However, add self-centeredness to their decisions and their outlook on life ends up with the question, what do I do to get out this. With this outlook on life, the self-centered person doesn’t care about the rights of other people. To them the end justifies the means.

Truth doesn’t play an important role in the lives of people in the world. For the most part, the majority of people tell each other what they want to hear and resort to telling the truth should the situation demands it.  Everyone lives according to the truth and according to what is right in his or her eyes. However what is right is right in man’s eye is not what God sees as right. To God, truth is absolute principle that establishes the person’s integrity and develops a character of moral excellence. What is right in God’s sight is right for the other person. Truth is an important issue to every Christians because it lacks deceit and brings harm to another person, therefore living by the truth is a moral issue. Anyone, who wants integrity, adheres to the truth that will make you a person of noble character and counted worthy of salvation.

Knowing and accepting the value of truth can make the difference on the day you stand before your creator. It has been said that you are your own worse enemy. Everything you do and say is a deed defines your moral character before those who witness your life. Deeds are the reality of truth that you create. When you consider that your words and what you do is a deed and every deed committed shapes the truth about your life impossible to deny.  Christians who understand that your deeds create the means by which God can judge your life with accurately will change the way they live. Just as those who are known as liars – lie those who steal as thieves and those who kill as murderers and those who sin as sinners, your deeds tell God whether your nature is good or evil.  

Therefore, knowing how to determine the truth for the Christian is an absolute necessity. Truth is exactly how things are without deception, truth does not change and it is impartial. Truth exposes the lie as false and when uncovered the truth will prove the guilt of those responsible. Truth is also verifiable, because the truth can be corroborated by other sources.  

What does honoring your parents in their old age and a personal trust in God say to God? The honest to God truth is that there are as many truths as there are people in this world. While no man has a monopoly on truth God has the truth that counts. There are billions of people in this world that God has given the right to think independently of each other.  However, this gift of independent thinking has created a major hurdle within relationships everyone must learn to overcome. For example, within the marriage the husband has a different outlook on life than his wife has. These differences create a war zone that affects the family unit.     

With or without an education every person does what is right in his or her own eyes. The things such as education, wealth, and social position that elevates your stature among men doesn’t affect what is right in your eyes. What’s true of the elite is true of the poor, there are people that you can trust with your life and people who are not worthy of your trust.

People who do what is right in their eyes also take pride in being correct. However, add self-centeredness to their decisions and their outlook on life ends up with the question, How do I do to get my self out this mess. With pride, the self-centered person doesn’t care about the rights of other people, as the end justifies the means.

Truth doesn’t play an important role in the lives of people in the world. For the most part, the majority of people tell each other what they want to hear and resort to telling the truth should the situation demands it.  Everyone lives according to the truth and what is right in his or her eyes. However what is right is right in man’s eye is seen as a double standard in God’s eye. To God, truth is absolute principle that establishes the person’s integrity and develops a character of moral excellence. What is right in God’s sight is just, fair and right for the other person. Truth is an important issue to every Christians because it lacks deceit and shows an concern for the well being of another person, therefore living by the truth is a moral issue. Anyone, who wants integrity, adheres to the truth that will make you a person of noble character and counted worthy of salvation.

Knowing and accepting the value of truth can make the difference on the day you stand before your creator. It has been said that you are your own worse enemy. Everything you do and say is a deed defines your moral character before those who witness your life. Deeds are the reality of truth that you create.

You may want to consider that your spoken words and what you do is a deed that shapes the truth about your life impossible to deny before God.  Therefore, Christians who understand that your deeds create the means by which God can judge your life with accurately will change the way they live. Just as those who are known as liars – lie those who steal are thieves and those who kill are labeled as murderers and those who sin become sinners. The reality is that your deeds tell God whether your nature is good or evil.  

Therefore, knowing how to determine the truth for the Christian is an absolute necessity. Truth is exactly how things are without deception, impartiality or change. Truth exposes the lie as false and when the truth is uncovered will prove the guilt or innocence of those responsible. Truth is also verifiable, because it empowers man to know the truth when truth can be corroborated by other sources.  

Top of Page

Top of Page

Truth Of Deception.  

Unfortunately, life does not come with a label, warning anyone about being deceived concerning the way men live. We do know the human body is so fragile that a single mistake in judgment can result with pain and suffering the rest of your life. Through experience the adult human being has knowledge of the dangers that he or she is continuously exposed to. The dangers outside your home are such that the mother typically says – be careful – when you are going out the front door for work or school.  

A second of carelessness may cause an injury that will affect the left of your life, but danger in this world is not completely unknown. The reality of life tells us that every labor saving device designed for the comfort and ease of mankind, but the device does not consider the well being of the person using it. The real danger is caused by those who do not know how to use the device, uses the device for something it was not designed for and does not properly maintain the device.  

Today workers are trained when working around machinery, a second of safety precaution means you can go home to your family with all of your limbs intact. How many times have you heard of a crane operator that died because he struck overhead electrical wires? On the other hand, how many people are arrested while driving under the influence? Accidents are not entirely preventable or related to the work place. Man is capable of making good decisions as well as poor ones. The reality of life is that there is a consequence for every decision whether good or bad. Another reality is that you are not always in control because other people make decisions that affect your life.

Thousands of people die from being wrong mostly from ignorance, arrogance, and neglect along with carelessness. Regardless of one’s occupation, nationality, age, or beliefs people do what they believe to be right in their own eyes. For example, most of us have seen the arrogant driver that shakes their fist as they pass your car. Their faces and gestures show anger because they have places to go and things to do while they pass you uttering words not fit to be heard.

In spite of vocation, loyalty to country, maturity, faith or the knowledge, there is a God that knows millions of people die in their sin from ignorance, arrogance and from neglect.  The danger of being deceived is greater in spiritual matters than in the world where we can observe the dangers of life. Someone once said that everything has a purpose and every purpose has a reason. The world is so busy acquiring its luxuries that they fail to pay attention to the reason they are on earth and why God created them.

If everything has a purpose and every purpose has a reason than it is up to each of us to decide what our purpose in life is. Everyone on the face of the earth knows that God exists because he made it plain to them (Romans 1:19.)  We also know that God created the heavens and the earth, but overlook that the earth was designed to support human life. If man is the reason God designed the earth to sustain, why did he create us, what is the purpose we serve in his plan? In addition if were to think logically, we can deduct that if God is able to create the earth to support human life, he is also able to create an environment hostile to mankind known as hell.

God has embedded in man the knowledge of his existence, but man has ignored God. God explains the problem man faces in this manner.

 I reared children and brought them up, but they have rebelled against me. The ox knows his master, the donkey his owner's manger, but Israel does not know, my people do not understand." Isaiah 1:2-3

The man that God created has rebelled and denied his authority over them. Man knows about the invisible qualities, eternal power and divine nature of God, therefore he is without excuse.

Since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities — his eternal power and divine nature — have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. Romans 1:19-20

Why isn’t the world dumbfounded to understand that the world’s population is rebelling against God?  To this day, the world hasn’t a clue how or why man is in rebellion to God. Although they understand that God rules over his creation, they are distracted and overwhelmed with the things of this world to consider that they are a part of God’s creation and subject to his rule.

In addition, millions of people live their entire life in hope that God will find them worthy of being accepted into heaven when that day comes. The earth’s population has a better knowledge of how their car, computer, television and X-Box work than they know about God. Men and women are intoxicated with things and allow the craving to own these things to govern their lives. Because of the world wants you to buy the things it produces the world will lure you by making things attractive and easy to obtain. In the long run, these things rob its owners of relationships with other people and allow them to withdraw to hide from the problems of the world.

The truth concerning success in life is found in the abundance of life. Men have learned to depend on doctors to live longer, but they also know that they will eventually die. Death is so revolting to men that they seldom think about dying and live as if there is no tomorrow.  God on the other hand, created man to be accountable to him for what they have done and he is concerned about the life you’ve made.      

Its time to say we have had had enough of things that does not satisfy the needs of our life and focus our attention on living. God doesn’t make junk. You are not a misfit, a freak of nature, or an accident looking for a place to happen. God created you for a purpose and the real purpose is found in the realm he created for you to dwell in the hereafter.

In this creation God created man male and female so you would have a mate and a relationship with another person and eventually with other people. His creation was an example of the relationship God wants man to have with him. However, our nature is self-destructive in every form of relationships.

The majority of human beings in the world understand that God is the supreme authority of everything he created. Still, people do not consider that the ultimate sin is refusing to submit to God’s authority. Man inherently knows what to expect from the things they create, but cannot grasp the idea that God created them. Hasn’t the human race been deceived when we fail to seek why God created man and learns enough about him to comply with what God created us to do?

The truth about deception is we find out too late that we have been deceived. Normally, the outcome of being deceived is finding our body dangling from the mouth of the lion on his way to the den or up the creek without a paddle. Then its too late and there is no way out, but face the consequences.

The human race is unaware that God is a spirit since he rules our world from the spiritual realm. Because our eyes are designed for the physical world, therefore, it is impossible to know what is going on in the Spiritual realm without trust in God’s wisdom and guidance.

The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. John 14:17

We live by faith, not by sight. 2 Corinthians 5:7

Our flesh was not designed to function by faith but to see, touch and smell the things of earth.  This is the most probable reason why no one has seen God or the angel called Satan. The history of God and his kingdom is understood by faith. Mankind would be surprised to know there is a war in heavenly realm spilling into our realm. In this war a leading angel, Satan, rebelled against God and was cast out of heaven to the earth.

Determined to become like God this angel found himself in the world God loved. Knowing that he could not defeat God, Satan chose to make war on the men and women of this world. In this war, he is determined to prevent men from having a relationship with God and if possible sever any kind of relationship men has with God.

Unknown to man, Satan has a history of suppressing the truth and inciting the human race to sin against God. He has filled mankind with a craving for the things of the world that consumes their time and keeps their mind on things of earth rather than knowing what God wants from men.  

The majority of the human race is completely unaware that they are living in an environment Satan is oppressing by intimidation and deception. Oppressing because he is ruling the human lives of countless people without the authority to do so. He rules by deception and intimidates his subjects to sin against the God they recognize as the Supreme ruler of the universe.

This rebellious angel is known by several names of which the better known names are Satan and the Devil. God has provided a profile on Satan’s skills, character and goals within his word to make everyone aware of the dangers of being corrupted. In God’s word, Peter likens Satan to a roaring lion looking for someone to devour and Proverbs likens a roaring lion to a ruthless leader.

Like a roaring lion or a charging bear is a wicked man ruling over a helpless people. Proverbs 28:15

No matter how one looks at the roaring lion it poses a picture of an animal that uses his skills in a deliberate and deceptive manner. The lion is a predator of the territory he assumes and attacks the weakest available target to survive.

When the lion roars he is sending an intimidating, but threatening alarm to those who can hear him. He covertly pursues his prey in secret by dragging his belly on the ground and quietly sneaks up on his prey until he is spotted by the victim. Then the victim’s race for life begins, but because the lion is merciless the victim is eventually devoured.   

Satan is like the thief that comes in the night and like the snake strikes suddenly. He reigns in terror and like a criminal that intimidates his victim to ensure they do what he wants.  He comes to kill, to steal and destroy and then laughs at the pain and suffering he leaves behind. To add insult to injury, Satan then points his finger at you and says it’s entirely your fault, because he’s a perfect angel.

Satan works like the cars in the passing lane going twenty miles an hour over the speed limit that compels you to drive over the speed limit. You join the crowd because you see the advantage of going places and doing things at a faster pace. Eventually the man with the badge pulls you over, gives you a ticket for speeding and summonses you to court. You tell the judge that you were only doing what everyone else was doing. The judge said you had a choice, but you also told me that you chose to speed.  Then with the knock of the gavel the judge renders the guilty verdict and a heavy fine.

Men don’t understand that the ticket would be in the court’s hands before you arrived to face the judge? Doesn’t this give you the time to hire an attorney and prepare a defense?  In the same manner a record of your deeds will reach God’s throne long before Jesus takes his seat to judge. The trouble with your deeds is that it will cling to your life and you will never know if or when it will reveal itself in this life, but on the day you stand before Jesus you may be sure that your sins will find you out.

The sins of some men are obvious, reaching the place of judgment ahead of them; the sins of others trail behind them. In the same way, good deeds are obvious, and even those that are not cannot be hidden. 1 Timothy 5:24-25

The biggest deception of life is that the world has the knowledge of God, but will not take the time to find out what God expects from them or prepare for that day. Being proud of their behavior the world makes uninformed and has an unwarranted hope why God will accept them into heaven. Instead plan on going to heaven because they lived a moral life without the understanding that God will have compassion on those he finds worthy.

If everything has a purpose and every purpose has a reason what is God’s reason to purposely create the human race? The mistake people make is to tell others that the world and everything on it came from a single cell or from a big bang. Take your pick, but neither one explains God as a Supreme Being or why you are alive. God gave wisdom to Solomon who became known in the nations surrounding Israel for having great wisdom. He pondered and searched out many subjects to impart knowledge. Solomon said that the words of the wise are like goads, like firmly embedded nails that weary the soul.  After much soul searching he concluded,

Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole [duty] of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil. Ecclesiastes 12:13-14

Men make time in this world planning to learn the sciences of the world for the benefit of the income they receive the rest of their lives.  God has made it plain to the world that he exists, but man is satisfied with rumors and knowing very little about God.   

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline. Proverbs 1:7

Fools lack the prudence to use the wisdom and disciple given to them by God. This same fool is better prepared for the trip to Hawaii next week than to meet God in person. Everyone on earth has twenty-four hours a day to use in any way they see fit. The goals of this fast paced world should never overcome the need to take time out to ask about God and his plans?  Solomon also wrote,

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: Ecclesiastes 3:1

He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end. Ecclesiastes 3:11

God has given you the right to eternal life and the choice to accept it. There is nothing under the sun keeping you from seeking knowledge about God when he has made it available to you. It is a choice of your own making to reject the knowledge that can save you. No one can fathom the heartbreak that God will have, on the day he calls you into account for your life. What good will come of your life to have gained the whole world at the cost of forfeiting your soul?

Top of Page

Truth Of Worth

Men and women of integrity consider that truth is priceless and for that reason nurtures a deep respect for the truth. They understand that the truth provides them with a desirable quality of life, the assurance of success, the hope for the future, the opportunity to succeed in life and the ability to prosper. On the other hand, Christians also know that Satan is a good example of deception, as someone who couldn’t care less about the truth is as long as you don’t believe or trust in God. Following the example of Satan, the children of this world abuse the truth to con or deceive others for their personal gain. In the long run, those who cherish the truth are held in honor while the double standard of the world reprimands those who abuse truth.

Truth is like a sword, those who know how to use the sword survive to live another day, but those who handle the sword without training or practice get injured or lose their life. If there was a moral to this statement knowing how to handle the truth increases your chances of surviving this world. For example, the indiscretions of notable politicians are kept quiet, covered over and past deeds are put in the closet to be forgotten. When you think about this example, you will notice that the hidden indiscretions became the very thing that ended their political career. The average person has to wonder what truth is when truth is suppressed or manipulated to one's advantage on a regular basis?  One truth can not be denied, the majority of humanity does not plan for the day they face his or her creator. Like the hidden indiscretions of the politician most people don’t know that their deeds provide the evidence of his or her worth and influences God’s decision of where they will spend eternity.  

When God created the heavens and the earth he made his existence known to mankind being understood through the work of his hands.

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.  Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard.  Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world. In the heavens he has pitched a tent for the sun, Psalms 19:1-4

Anyone can see for their self the evidence that a belief in a god is universal when they travel from one country to another. The existence of God is a no-brainer, even among fools who say there is no god.  Since they deny God his existence the fool is a god of his or her own making. There are hundreds of beliefs in God throughout the world with each saying that they worship the true God. While some religions worship a representation of their god, no one has ever seen the God that created the heavens and the earth.

On the most part, mankind believes that God is a Supreme Being who is far superior to man in intellect and power. God is able to do what’s unimaginable and impossible for the human mind to conceive and therefore worthy of worship. By design, the God of creation created man to be autonomous being and able to worship the God of his choice. However, God has forewarned mankind that he would allow the god you serve to save you. Elijah, the servant of God asked the same question God is asking of you.

How long will you waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him." 1 Kings 18:21

According to the beliefs of Christianity, God gave man the authority to govern over the creatures of the earth with the right to determine his own destiny.  A destiny governed by a personal choice.  God gave man the choice of life and death – with eternal life in the presence of God and death separated from God’s presence in the lake of fire.

Throughout the word of God, God urged man to choose life and warned man what to expect if he chose to reject God. Unfortunately the majority of the world is seeking the things of life rather than the one who gives life.

Those who believe in the God of creation understand that God has a code of conduct and is very serious about the moral behavior of his children. In addition God has a name that he is particularly fond of which speaks of the authority and origin of the family. The name “Father” speaks of man’s origin, the beginning point of life and to the person who sired the human race. Like a parent, God wants his children to properly mature and live prudently in a world where his child’s decision affects the lives of other people. Parent’s demands respect and expect obedience from their children and relate obedience with love. Normally parents do not demand obedience because they have the authority, but because they don’t want their children to be harmed. Overall, children who love and respect their parents are ready to face the world armed with one specific truth. They want to hear these words. This is my child whom I am well pleased with, When Jesus comes for his elect.

Pilate asked “what is truth” while trying to restore order in the midst of a religious riot. The Pharisees accused Jesus Christ of blasphemy and found him worthy of death under Hebrew law. However, the Roman Empire governed with a different standard of morality and would not allow the Pharisees to put anyone to death. Under Roman law, Pilate found no basis to condemn Jesus to death and was ready to release him. However, Pilate passed the buck by sending Jesus to Herod who also refused to pass sentence on Jesus and returned him to Pilate. Faced with an angry mob Pilate’s decided to sacrifice one of his subjects rather than face an open rebellion. Pilate washed his hands of the matter, overlooked Roman law and conceded to wishes of the mob.  

Neither Pilate nor Herod the Great wanted to abuse their authority to condemn someone to death without good reason.  At the same time, the question about life is too important to wash your hands of it or compromise the truth. Pilate and Herod the Great merely took advantage of the situation to temporarily ignore the truth. Still the truth Jesus spoke about differed with the Roman and Hebrew law. From this situation we could deduct that truth is what we perceive of it and how it affects our personal life.  However, in the trial of Jesus Christ, the truth was manipulated and everyone but Jesus appeared to smell like a rose.

From hindsight we can objectively see that Jesus Christ upset the established beliefs of the Jewish religion by working on the Sabbath and speaking of God as his father. The Pharisees saw Jesus as a man, the son of the carpenter whose mother was Mary. They also saw a Jewish rabbi who associated frequently with sinners. Christ did not live by the Levitical laws the Pharisees found acceptable, instead Christ revealed the true nature of God’s love. Jesus spoke a truth that undermined the Pharisees, which gave the Pharisees a determination to regain their rightful position as leaders of the established church of Christ’s day. The nature of government, religion, mankind and God collided at the Praetorium in Jerusalem, but when everything was said and done the truth was sacrificed on the cross of Calvary and resurrected three days later by a plan God designed before the beginning of time.

Everyone wants to know the truth and while truth is discernible, the truth does not openly proclaim itself as the truth. Therefore knowing how to ascertain the truth is important to the Christian because the truth can influence the way you live and how to overcome the lies of Satan. Like a sword, those who know how to use the word of truth will live another day in heaven, but those not interested in the truth are going to end up like trash in a very uncomfortable fire – either way the reality of truth will endure forever.

Today within the church there is a large number of doctrines that differ from one denomination to the next. In addition each church denomination has a main theme in which every doctrine of the bible is centered around. In the eyes of church leaders some churches are considered to be cults. We should all ask, what is truth, when every church worships God differently and considers their church the only scriptural church? What is the truth when eternal life has predetermined conditions that God and Jesus Christ have made known to man? Those who worship the God of creation must worship him in Spirit and in truth. Before men can live by the truth men must diligently seek the truth and determine with certainty what God wants you to know as truth.

When you look for advice from men don’t you look at their character before you accept any advice from them? The fact is that most congregations are like sheep that blindly follows whatever the shepherd of the flock believes. God advises us to test all things, because in this world so many people are deceptive and truth is something that they expect from others, but only tell the truth when it is beneficial to their well being.  This generation is especially deceptive and spends a considerable amount of their time devising plots to gain the upper hand. Their idea of success is anything goes as long as you win and in the process of winning, don’t get caught.

In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as he saw fit. Judges 17:6

Everyone did what was right in his own eyes because they had their own truth, Truth becomes a matter of convenience when people place God on the back burner or don’t see a need for God. In addition, selfish people are too important and too busy to be concerned with friends or other people. On the other hand, Christians share a different view, as they are responsible to God to love one another.

Asa did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, as his father David had done. 1 Kings 15:11

For Christians there is a noticeable difference between the people of Israel when they had no king and Christians that are guided by the King of Kings and the laws of God. Christians that have respect for God find out what pleases the Lord (Ephesians 5:10) and do the good works, which God prepared in advance for his children to do. The good works God requires of his children demand discipline combined with a change of heart to place limits on what they do.

  Christians learn what God considers to be soon may not come to pass in his or her lifetime. One thing is especially noticeable about the thought life and the life span of thinking beings.  God’s thought life is based on a life without an end and man’s thought life is temporal based on less than a hundred years. God considers how his decisions may affect his life a hundred million years from now, where man may consider what his decisions may cause in a week from now. In other words, men think in temporal terms and God thinks in terms without time. Those in this world without god think in terms of right now and do what they consider right in their eyes, but Christians inherit eternal life and are expected to do what was right in the eyes of the Lord.

Christians need to consider that they will live forever and need to change their reasoning skills to adjust to eternal life. In heaven, plans for the immediate future will affect your life a hundred million years from now. Therefore, Christians must understand and face that their life will never end.

The truth of this world will fade away just as the flower withers and falls to the ground. In this world, man lives by the food that comes from the dust of the earth. However, the life of man is not dependent on the food grown by man, but by the word of God.   Eternal life calls for absolute set of principles to live by and truth is a primary principle of life. The bible tells us that truth is forever,

 The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever." Isaiah 40:8

According to the dictionary truth conforms to fact or actuality, and free from deceit or distortion of fact.   The bible also states that truth can be established and proven by a thorough examination the evidence.  

"Every matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses." 2 Corinthians 13:1

The study of God’s word gives man the opportunity to gather the evidence and with meditation a prudent man takes the time to examine and consider the entire mass of evidence within his mind. Truth is always in harmony with facts and consistent with what actually happened.

Lies deceive because lies are presented as being as true statements with the intent to deceive or present the wrong impression. However, lies lack reliability and genuineness of a person’s character. Lies are misleading, a diversion leading you to believe incorrect and unverifiable information. Deceptions contain enough truth to trick you into believing the lie, but truth reveals the accuracy of the matter and exposes the lie for what it is.

God’s word is described as the sword of the Spirit, because it is the only weapon in the Christian arsenal used to support to our beliefs and set the patterns of our life. Truth is the strongest weapon that the Christian has for spiritual warfare because truth overwhelms and exposes the deception of evil used by Satan. It quenches the fiery darts of the devil and when we submit to God by standing on his word rather than admit his deception Satan chooses to run for his life. Satan will challenge your knowledge of God’s word so reinforcing God’s word in your heart is done through memorization of his word.

Truth is unchangeable and described in the Bible as the rock of our salvation. When we look at the reliability, honesty, straightforwardness, sincerity, genuineness and the assurance of God’s word we find the very nature and character of God.  The reason God does not change is that truth can not be changed.

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. James 1:17

The unchanging character and immutability of God are seen in Malachi 3:6, Hebrews 6:16-20 & Hebrews 7:21. The character of Jesus Christ is seen as -  

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Hebrews 13:8

Christ spoke openly about his attribute of truth.

Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:6

God speaks of himself as a father who as strange as it may seem, wants to adopt you (a human being) into his family.  The Bible also speaks of a God of love who desires a personal relationship with people like you. Personal relationships demand communication between two individuals and in the course of time both of you develop an intimate knowledge of the other person. Consider the following verses as it shows Jesus Christ’s personal involvement with his father.

For I did not speak of my own accord, but the Father who sent me commanded me what to say and how to say it. I know that his command leads to eternal life. So whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say." John 12:49-50

Christ’s devotion to his Father is without a doubt was greater than most Christians can understand. Still Christ subjected himself to the plan of God.

During the days of Jesus' life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered Hebrews 5:7-8

In the verse above the reason for establishing a personal relationship with God the Father and with Jesus is emphasized. Jesus also said

Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. John 17:3

"If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him." John 14:7 Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. John 14:9   

What happens to those who do not have a relationship with God?

"Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!' Matthew 7:23

The truth is very important for its accuracy and reliability. The knowledge of truth gives you the assurance that stabilizes your life by following ways that we know to be true. Living by the truth gives everyone that observes your life honor and respect and the dignity you desire.

Why is it important to know the truth? Your deeds create a by-product that God knows to be the truth about your life and God knows that your deeds are the reality, the truth of how everything in your life works. That is the reason you will receive an eternal reward according to your deeds.

Top of Page

Truth Of The Ambassador

As God’s elect, you have become one of many Ambassadors of Christ and have been given the ministry of reconciliation. You are to take the message of Christ to the world to give the world the opportunity to be reconciled to God. God has anointed each of his elect with authority and the power of the Holy Spirit to be the witness that carries God’s message to the world.  

Before God’s ambassador can be effective he or she must first study the gospel and apply God’s word to your life just as Christ did. God’s message is just as important to Christ’s Ambassador as it is to the sinner, as God wants everyone to find salvation through Jesus Christ. The Ambassador’s job is to communicate God’s word to everyone who is willing to listen. Although the Saint is firmly established in the truth, the ambassador must regularly refresh his or her memory by reading the word of God. Reading God’s word enables the ambassador to present the gospel story accurately in a number of ways and that salvation is only given through the name of Jesus.

Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved." Acts 4:12

The problem with promoting the gospel is that nearly everyone has a version of his or her own truth that hinders the unity of faith from being firmly established. Of all the doctrines, salvation is the most unified doctrine in the church. Sanctification has five versions, the Lord’s Second Coming has three versions, and baptism has two or more versions. We like to think that the church we attend as being scriptural, but if we were to take a serious look into what is being taught we would find the beliefs of men are intertwined with the word of God. The outcome is the number of versions for each doctrine making one wonder if you are hearing the gospel of Jesus Christ accurately.

Your citizenship as God’s ambassador is in heaven and spiritually speaking you are living a foreign territory we know as the world.  As the personal Ambassador of Christ your task is to take God’s word and the gospel message to the people of the land where you live. Keep this in mind as we primarily represent God and cannot take a message of our own, what we think God said or what we’ve heard in church. In conveying God’s message our words must agree with those of our Lord and Savior. If the world is to accept God’s message it must be credible and presented in a verifiable manner. To be a credible witness you must be prepared to show the chapter and verse that you are using.  Your duty as a prudent ambassador is to:

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. 2 Timothy 2:15

You are the personal representative of the Lord Jesus Christ. You are also a person used to communicate the directions of your leaders to the nations where you have been assigned. Presenting God’s word takes time and an effort to understand the written word of God and putting God’s word to use in your own life. Every Christian will have an opportunity to give the salvation message to someone who doesn’t know God. Accurately communicating God’s message demands that you learn to handle the word of God in a proper manner.

Understanding what truth is and how to discern the truth is something Christians seldom study or understand. Everyone has his or her own version of truth because what is true to him or her usually what they believe. Truth for the majority of world is choosing the right facts that fit their way of life.    Someone once said,  

You can bend it and twist it... You can misuse and abuse it... But even God cannot change the Truth.”

Truth is an absolute treasure of life worthy of being held in sacred trust.  On the most part, the world honors the truth, that is, when it is convenient or beneficial to them. However, when people are confronted with their mistakes, truth is no longer a sacred issue. Instead, men and women resort to deception to keep a fragrance of roses surrounding their person and appear to be righteous to everyone. They use one set of weights to weigh the world and use another to consider the truth about their own life.

The problem with truth is that it can be compromised violated and distorted, bent and twisted, therefore - misused and abused, but no mater how the truth is handled you can’t hide from the truth or get around it. Truth does not know the difference between right and wrong, it is impartial, and available to anyone with a desire to know the truth and use it correctly.

Truth is always beneficial to you when you hold it in high esteem and sacred to your way of life. You will never willingly compromise or violate the truth with a personal commitment to establish morals similar to God’s. Everything you admire about of God’s character is derived from a harmony of truth, love and grace. God’s word is held in high esteem by many because truth is a key to his righteousness. As a father, God has a reason for asking his children to worship him in Spirit and in truth.

God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth." John 4:24

God will train you to behave in the way he finds right to him, just as you teach own children to do what is right in your eyes. Just as you expect your children to look and act like you, God has the same expectations of his children. God expects that you to honor and respect his ways and then embrace them as yours. When you learn to respect his ways you can easily join in one accord and be the advocate of God’s way of life. God has also said,

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the Lord. Isaiah 55:8

God thinking process is much higher than that of men. As we said earlier, Truth does not know the difference between right and wrong, so truth can be handled for the wrong purposes. In the world truth is more often compromised violated, bent, twisted, misuse, abused, distorted and used to deceive, hide imperfections and cover wrongdoing.

On the other hand, truth can be honored, revered and held sacred by those who understand the nature of truth to establish integrity in his or her life. Those who honor the truth and live a life of integrity and truth will honor his or her life.

Consider the golden rule to do unto others as you would have done to you. Isn’t God saying what is truth for you is still a truth to other people. Doing anything other than what is right to you would be a double standard.

Truth is also the facts you establish by every thing you do or say and your deeds can not be changed once they have been created. In other words, you can not go back to change what has been done, instead your deeds become public record in God’s hands. Truth becomes an important issue when you consider your deeds create factual evidence that will determine the value of your character to God for good or evil. Your deeds present the way you think and tell God the type of choices (good or evil) that were made during your lifetime. Just as we judge people by observing their deeds, God will judge your life according to what you have done.

Human beings live by what they see as right in their own eyes.  However, God is dealing with the thought process of his children. Consider this, immature people make poor decisions because their thoughts have a direct bearing on how they behave. The Christian must see what is right in God’s eye because he not only represents God as his ambassador, but he or she is God’s child as well. Our obedience shows respect for God whether we have the role of God’s ambassador, his child, his servant, or as a believer.

Human beings are raised in an environment where the thought life of the individual is geared to one's self-interest. Making it hard for Men to rule in a world of millions where there is no restraint to consider the needs of others.  To be a king, an ambassador of God and God’s child we must consider how our actions influence the lives of others. One wrong word can alienate too many people. Therefore, handling our lives in a prudent manner requires right standing before those we serve, whether it is God or man. We cannot serve God properly without conforming to God’s ways by putting evil thoughts and ways behind us.

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is. Romans 12:2

The Ambassador of God’s Kingdom must know the perfect will of God to effectively communicate the word of God to the people he was sent to. In the world there is a lot of misleading information about God that is outright deceiving. You must be able destroy the arguments that are deceiving the world.

We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 2 Corinthians 10:5

In most cases those deceived have strong reason to oppose the truth of God’s word. God’s word appears to confront everything they believe and have learned from the world since they were born. To them the gospel is foolishness.  Since God’s word is the truth, God’s word will demolish every argument the world can produce. As God’s ambassador we must understand that it is not the weapons of this world that prevails.

No weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and this is their vindication from me, "declares the Lord. Isaiah 54:17-18

When combined with greed and lies the evil one has subdued large numbers of people through the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth. God’s word gives the insight of truth and offers a better way to live with the freedom to serve the living God. Truth when used as truth is indestructible, undeniable and unbeatable.

For we cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth. 2 Corinthians 13:8

Truth is timeless, changeless and ever present. It is the only weapon that destroys the arguments by exposing lies and deception. Truth allows the man or woman who is willing to be humble before an almighty God with the dignity to change his or her way of life to begin life again as a new creature created in Christ Jesus.

 The bible tells us that eternal life is not based on how we think, or any reason man can conjure up, but by a plan God has chosen. God has said that he will have compassion on the person he determines to have compassion upon. This means that we as men can not tell God how to think or dictate to God the reasons why he should reward them for man’s idea of good moral behavior. Moral behavior is not the key that will take you through the pearly gates of heaven. Eternal life is based on a personal relationship with God through our Lord and Savior.

Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. John 17:3

Many people have gone to church all of their life and do not know that Jesus wants to have a personal relationship with them. That relationship starts right after you ask him into your heart and he comes to make his home in you. Through the consistent reading of God’s word and many prayers, we spend time with God with the outcome of a changed heart and character to please our father. Jesus said.

"I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me" John 10:14

The relationship between you and God is a two-way relationship developed over time. If you are to yield your life to Jesus Christ in service as promised, then you must learn what Christ wants from you. In other words, you must establish a way to communicate with your Lord.  You learn to talk to God through prayer and God speaks to you through his word. The changes you make in your character are due to the truth, your love for God and a desire to please him. This two-way relationship is demonstrated by faith in good deeds on man’s part and answered prayers on God’s part to meet your needs.

Being a gentile, Luke came to know the Lord after his death and was a great example of what an ambassador should be like in today’s world.  Luke is known to have written one quarter of the New Testament through extensive research gathering testimony from eyewitnesses and his own experience of working with Paul. After carefully investigating everything he heard he wrote a letter to his friend Theophilus so that he would know with certainty the things he was taught about Jesus.  

Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. Therefore, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, it seemed good also to me to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught. Luke 1:1-4

In the first Chapter of Luke, he tells about another man who was sent to prepare the way for the Lord.

And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous — to make ready a people prepared for the Lord." Luke 1:17

As John the Baptist was sent ahead to proclaim the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, so is the modern day Ambassadors of the kingdom of God. We are to make people aware that Jesus Christ is coming soon and he will reward everyone according to the deeds they have done. God does not anyone to perish and it is the ambassador’s assignment to lead men and women to Christ prepared for his coming.

Accepting the plan of salvation is not our concern, but accurately handling the word of truth is. Making a careful investigation of God’s word to know the certainty of truth is to your benefit as well. Spreading the gospel to the world is to fulfill God desire that no one perish and give those in the world the opportunity to be saved. Spreading the good news allows every person in the world to have the correct knowledge that through Jesus Christ’s name they have the only way to eternal life and the absolute assurance of their salvation.

No one knows when God will return with Jesus Christ and gather his elect from the Four Corners of the earth. As God’s ambassador, have you prepared the people of the world for what happens after Jesus comes? The bible tells us that,

"Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out — those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned. John 5:28-29

Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. Matthew 24:45-46

For the Lord will carry out his sentence on earth with speed and finality." Romans 9:28

The ambassador should never feel comfortable in his or her salvation for there is always someone who hasn’t heard that salvation is a gift of God or that the sinner can choose to become the children of God through repentance. Ask yourself this question. Will you be busy spreading the gospel when we meet our Lord and Savior in the air?

Top of Page

But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD." Josh 24:15

Top of Page

Truth of Life

How can we neglect so great a salvation?  God has given man a choice to accept eternal life on his terms or death by rejecting him all together.  Because God is life, God holds the monopoly on eternal life. Since God created mankind it is easier to understand that human power or expertise cannot obtain eternal life, but it is a gift of God.

On judgment day everyone will come face to face with the fact that God does not think like man. Everyone will be judged by the truth that God has seen about your life and the way you lived. In short your deeds tell the story of your life.

"Do not judge, or you too will be judged.  For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Matthew 7:1-2

Don’t we as men discern the character and trustworthiness of other men? Your relationships with other people will expose the true character of men by the way they handle their lives. In the same way God observes what you have done in the flesh. Your deeds of your life form a mass of evidence that reveals the true nature of your being. God will examine your deeds to decide whether they are good or evil.

The bible says that every man does what is right in his own eyes.  Meaning that everyone has a truth of his or her that they believe and live by. It does not mean that the truth is the same for everyone or that the truth can be disputed.  We find truth is always disputed in relationships, for example, in the relationship called marriage his way is not her way and the difference of opinion is always as long as your arm.

Truth comes into dispute in every relationship especially when personal beliefs differ. God is aware of this specific condition that men can not understand. When you don’t believe the way I do, men often say “what’s wrong with you?’ “The fact is that we are self-righteous, stubborn and demand that other people think as we do.  What makes this condition worse is that men refuse to listen to another man’s beliefs, especially when it doesn’t agree with your belief.  Therefore people are often condemned as being stupid.

God is aware that men do not think along the same lines as he does, for he said.

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. Isaiah 55:8

With in the church there is a common belief that we can learn to agree to disagree with each other. Is this a way to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace? Doesn’t agreeing to disagree place a barrier between them?

Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. Ephesians 4:2-3

Do we create an atmosphere of peace when we agree to disagree? Do we honor another man above our own or do we give him a label that separates and makes them different? Are we really teachable when we refuse to listen to completely different thoughts and ideas? It takes two things to listen to opposing ideas, one is humility and the other is prudence. Listening may prove them to be right and you may learn something of value that will change your mind. You may come even into agreement with the other person.

Is it easier to learn to agree to disagree with each other? When I thought about this concept I thought of what I say, that is, “You have every right to be as wrong as I am.”  Do you still respect the other person when you know he is wrong? Regardless of what you think being wrong is a part of the process of overall development of our reasoning. Just as I tend to be self-righteous and can justify the way I live, so can you.

Are your own thoughts any better than God’s thoughts?  Why would God say?

"As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:9

In our world a college education makes men and women more qualified to make decisions. However, the college education does not keep those who follow their advice or plans from paying the price for the blunders they create. Regardless of the amount of education a man has decisions are based upon how you see life. Still, we have to pay the penalty of our decisions, fortunately decisions improve with experience and age. That being the case we may want to consider the age of God against our own and understand that we will always make immature decisions compared to those of God.

All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. Philippians 3:15

Despite our maturity level, all of our decisions are hinged from our outlook on life. The majority of decisions are self-centered and motivated by what we get in return? From this outlook on life there is only me, my family and those I love. Within this self-motivated disposition there is little or no concern for the people that our decision affects.

God knows that anyone becomes insignificant when you fail to see other people in the same boat and trials of life that we are in. God created everyone with the same human nature without favoring one person over another. However, every human being can become so engrossed in what they are doing that their environment vanishes from their sight. Your carelessness robs the person of his or her dignity and worth. Therefore, you may not consider how your decisions affect the worthiness of other people that may help you later in your life.

Decisions can create conflict between you and other people. For the most part, before others can help you they need specific information that will help them to meet your needs. However, if you fail to cooperate through some sort of agreement, they will not be unable to comply with your needs.

The same principle is true of God, as you must find out what pleases him before God will respond to your needs.

"Come now, let us reason together," says the Lord. "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.  If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the best from the land; but if you resist and rebel, you will be devoured by the sword."  For the mouth of the Lord has spoken. Isaiah 1:18-20

God is willing to serve your needs when you recognize him on his terms. God is the creator of everything within the universe even though the created things do not recognize his or her creator. As a human being we go to those who have whatever it is we want, but before we can obtain what we desire we must agree with them before there is any exchange. In every relationship there is a standard method of conducting relations with other sovereign beings. Conducting relations with other beings can be liken to a business deal they exchange what you have for the things you want.

When you want a loan you recognize the Bank’s need by completing the loan application. In the same way, God requires you to recognize his authority by accepting Jesus Christ by faith as your Lord. Faith is the means of transacting business with God because without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 13:6).  Faith without accompanying works keeps the exchange from taking place just as not paying at the checkout counter stops you from taking the item you wanted to own home.

The plan of Salvation requires your faith because becoming a Christian is more than a process of saying Jesus Christ is Lord. Living a Christian life requires you to gather information to know what God wants you to do and completing every step of God’s plan to reap the benefits of your faith. Successful people place their confidence in plans with feasible steps that when enacted guarantees the desired goal. Christians place their confidence in God and in the truth of his word. God’s word guarantees that if they do everything written in the book of law that they would prosper and have success. Doing everything written in the plan of Salvation demands that you obey your father in heaven through the exercise of your faith.

The first step God has commanded requires you to forsake your evil thoughts and ways.

Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon. Isaiah 55:7

Forsaking your thoughts is not easy but it gives you a completely new outlook on life where your thoughts turn to God’s way of thinking. Repenting is the process of turning from an evil life bent on destruction, to God and life eternal. Repenting demands a changed life that everyone can see especially God. Paul wrote,

I preached that they should repent and turn to God and prove their repentance by their deeds. Acts 26:20

John said,

Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. Matthew 3:8

Repentance is a lifetime process as is learning what pleases the Lord. If anything repentance works hand in hand with the time we spend with God. Time spent with God builds our personal foundation of knowledge and truth about him. We also learn something happens when God hates what we have done.  We become aware that we have sinned and learn to ask to be forgiven.

Our sin leaves a trail of evil deeds that needs to be dealt with. Repentance is turning from sin, but forgiveness is having the evidence and the remembrance of evil, expunged from our record as if what we did – never existed. Repentance depends on you turning from your former practices when you learn about them.  God loves you and quietly waits for you to repent and reap the benefits of being right with God.

Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation - if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel. Colossians 1:21-23

Repentance is not a once in a lifetime deal, but a lifetime experience. Turning back to our wicked ways is easier than you think as we live influenced by a world of evil and deceit. Evil is all around us drawing on our way of thinking and flirting with our minds to entice us to sin one more time. The things (sin) we don’t want to do become the things we will do again unless we focus our minds on Christ. Therefore repentance must accompany a steady and planned advance goal of pleasing our father in heaven.

When those in the world say that’s not how the real world works they’re telling the truth from a personal knowledge of the methods the world employ.  They see a corrupted world where crime goes unsolved, people are intimidated to do things they would not do otherwise and angry people inciting others to anger.  On the other hand, the world has a double standard that hates those who steal from them but it doesn’t stop them from taking their employer's belongings home saying he won’t miss it. No one likes a liar because he can’t be trusted to tell the truth, but at the same justify their fibs by saying white lies never hurt anyone. The world approves what they do to others and raises the roof when the same things are done to them.  

If Christians are to grow and mature with a life pleasing to God we must develop a singleness of mind and rid our life of double standards. We must have an absolute set of core values that God approves of. We must show our love for one another enough to be concerned about the things we say and do to others.

Ultimately our life on earth is the opportunity to accept an open invitation from God to choose where and whom we want to spend eternity with. If you only hope to go Heaven or Paris, someday there will always be something to stop you from going. Everyone can reach his or her destination with a plan, preparation and the will to do what it takes to get there.

God has given every person on the earth an equal amount of time to consider the things he created. Man has no excuse, the very things God created declare his glory making man aware of his existence and coming wrath. There is a widespread knowledge embedded in the creation that God, heaven and hell are real, leaving mankind without excuse.

It’s common knowledge that God rules the entire universe. However man is not ready to relinquish his part of the universe. Ultimately, men cannot escape the day his life is spent, the day of reckoning, and the reward God will give.

While most men and women prepare for their death, they draw up a last will and testament to divide our possessions among the living. However, most people are better prepared to go to Paris than to meet their maker.

If we are to advance our relationship with God our relationship with God must have a high priority in our daily lives. God has given mankind a glimpse of him through the things he created. Paul writes, what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them (Romans 1:19). We often take for granted the very things God created that tell us about his eternal power and nature. Still, God chose to make sure man had a written record of his dealings with man.

Within the written word of God are his personal instructions to his children. Through the practice of reading and meditating on God’s word you can gain wisdom to develop restraint and acquire foresight for moral behavior. Just as human fathers are to train their children in the instruction of the Lord, God’s word instructs his children into the ways of our Lord and father.

You may think that God does not speak to his children through his word, but nothing is impossible to God. Being weighed down by the pressures of this world, being in a hurry, reading without purpose become hindrances in hearing what God has to say. God will speak to his children when they are willing to listen. So make every effort to hear what God says even if it requires you to force yourself to listen to God’s word.

The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? Jeremiah 17:9

Should you listen to the opinions of men you may run into trouble for men can be wrong. Those opinions may not agree with God’s word and hinder you from knowing the truth.  If you want to agree with God than you must take a hard look at God’s word to see for yourself what God said exactly.  Then ask God questions pertaining to what he said.

As long as man can be tempted to sin he can be deceived.

So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall! No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it. 1 Corinthians 10:12-13

For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. Romans 15:4

You have God’s Holy Spirit within you and the promises of God to keep you safe. At this time we should ask our self, are we fully committed to God? Do we want to hear his voice on a regular basis? Is he our all in all? Do we lean on him constantly?  

Being fully committed to God is a dedicated effort over a lifetime to remain in good standing with God. The same is true with every relationship whether it is with a spouse or friends, you have to make an effort to keep good standing with them. If you want them to be your best friend you have to be their best friend.

When man forsook God through disobedience in the garden he suddenly lost his greatest privileges of life, communion with our father.   Since then, God developed a plan to restore communion with man.   God sent his one and only son to atone for our sins. Whoever chooses to believe in him will not die but will have eternal life in heaven.  

Not one person on earth is without excuse for God has made himself absolutely clear to everyone. Everyone knows God created and rules the universe. Everyone knows enough about Hell that they do not want to go there. They consider the gospel of Christ as foolishness, but at the same time refuse to look at the options God has given to all men. If God created and rules the universe then there is no other option.

There are thousands of gods that men worship across the world, but there is only one God that created the heavens and the earth. Do we worship a God that responds to our needs? Every one wants to know that they are loved. God is willing to love you in the same manner as he has asked you to love him. God demonstrated his love for us in that he sent his son into the world, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8).

This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Deuteronomy 30:19-20

Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. John 17:3

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

We, as men have a choice between life and death. The Lord is your life, and he will give you a life man can not obtain by his knowledge, power or expertise. Everyone knows that there is a day when we will die. We make out our last will and testament to divide our possessions among the living. The problem is that most men and women do not prepare for meeting our maker and father of mankind. On that day God will have the final say and will choose your destination based on what you did with your life. Are you preparing for that day? God asks that you choose life so you and your children will live. The way you live shows God the choice you made to live by.

Top of Page

Truth of Rewards

In Job we find the words, Should God then reward you on your terms, when you refuse to repent? Job 34:33. In other words, will God reward you when you’ve done nothing to form a relationship with him? These words pose a question that the world has not considered instead, the world hopes that God will give them the reward they want. How can man dictate the rewards God will give when God has a mind of his own? Whether a man accepts or ignores God, God will reward each man and women according to their deeds.

As parents we reward our children with good things when they do the things we ask of them. On the other hand for unruly behavior the reward is not as favorable. Pain is the teacher serving to remind the child what will happen in the future if they act that way again. Those who spare the rod spoil the child.  

No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. Hebrews 12:11

Should your children continue to be unruly the discipline becomes more intense and the punishment progressively increases in severity.  When the child continues to disobey under severe punishment, the stress can become more than the parent can endure. When the parents have given the child ample opportunity to obey but they still stubbornly refuse to obey the parents can let the child fend for itself and disown them. No one knows why children stubbornly refuse to obey their parents, but it does happen.

The children of God, Adam and Eve were warned not to eat the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.  However in the course of time Adam and Eve ate the fruit God had warned them about. When God determined that Adam and Eve had disobeyed him, he quickly frustrated all of creation and drove Adam and Eve out of the garden.

For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God. Romans 8:20-21

However men increasingly grew wicked and during the days of Noah had grieved God to the point he wished he had not created man. Man had increasingly rejected God and had backslid to the point God rejected them and decided to put an end to the perverted ways of man. Therefore, God commanded Noah to build an ark to save the righteous from the flood and once they entered the ark it began to rain.

In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, on the seventeenth day of the second month — on that day all the springs of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens were opened. And rain fell on the earth forty days and forty nights. Genesis 7:11-12

Ten generations later God visited Sodom and Gomorrah to see if the outcry concerning Sodom and Gomorrah was correct.

Then the LORD said, "The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous that I will go down and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached me. If not, I will know." Genesis 18:20-21

The Lord found one righteous man (Lot) in Sodom and Gomorrah and commanded him to earnestly flee with his family to the mountains. Once Lot reached the city agreed upon it began to rain torrents of burning Sulfur.

In a similar way, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion. They serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire. Jude 7

The events surrounding Noah a preacher of righteousness and Lot who chose the wealth of this land occurred before God’s Law was given. Both serve as an example of God’s wrath. Without limitations the wickedness of man flourished.

Moses grew up in a system dominated by the use of slaves. God chose Moses to deliver his people out of slavery and to unify his people under a covenant.  The Ten Commandments described the expected behavior of God’s people and served as a teacher to identify the nature of sin. The words of you shall and you shall not were stipulations that placed limitations on anyone entering a covenant with God.

God’s chosen among the covenant were given the promise of blessings and curses.  The blessing was applicable to those who obeyed God’s command and the curses for those who did not. The first fifteen verses of Deuteronomy 28 explain the blessings while the remainder sixty-eight verses explain the curses. These blessings and curses explain the rewards that you could expect depending on your compliance.

The commandment that was intended to make you aware of sin actually brought death as no one could obey the law to the letter. While men were powerless God came to the rescue by sending his Son.

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

God demonstrated his love for mankind who was unable to satisfy the justice God required. God sent his son as a Lamb who could shed his blood as a substitute sacrifice for the sins of mankind and therefore, justified man before God.  Atonement is not a reward but a gift to anyone who is willing to accept Jesus Christ into their life as Lord.

And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. Hebrews 11:6

Salvation is a gift that comes through faith but rewards come through a steady effort to faithfully seek, obey and serve God. It’s the gold watch after twenty-five years of loyal service to an employer. It’s the ice cream cone and the pet you received for the good behavior your parents expected from you. Rewards are something given to honor worthy behavior just as much as it is a penalty for evil acts. A worthy reward for murder is execution or a life sentence without parole.

Rewards reflect the worth that other people have for your deeds. As parents we reward our children for doing the little things we ask of them and punish them for conduct below our standards. Rewards are something given to honor worthy behavior just as much as it is a well deserved penalty for evil acts. Among the things people are rewarded for are: service to the community, years of faithful service, giving generously, charitable acts, rescuing or saving a person’s life, returning lost or stolen items, serving as a good example, acts of bravery, being reliable, and outstanding achievements. God gives rewards in the present age and in the age to come just as rewards are given while you are alive and posthumously.

"I tell you the truth." Jesus replied, "no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age (homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields - and with them (persecutions.) And in the age to come, eternal life. Mark 10:29-30

John 5:29 gives us a brief example of what to expect as typical rewards.

 Those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned.  John 5:29

Jesus gave another analogy of the rewards.

"Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city. Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood. Revelation 22:14-15

Rewards are not the most expensive things or the things that you really want or think you deserve. Occasionally, rewards come with more responsibility and headaches.  Rewards are given by those in authority to honor and recognize an effort on your part to make a difference and for using your skills to accomplish the goals of those you are associated with. Rewards are primarily a token of accomplishment and a reminder to improve your efforts in the future. Most rewards have no monitory value but are a recognition of your talents and praise for a job well done. However, rewards show appreciation for your life and establishes a frame of mind called dignity boosting your ego.  

The rewards to be given to the angels who rebelled.

And the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their own home — these he has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day.  Jude 6

The one thing men can count on is the reward God chooses to give will be deserving of the deeds that you alone chose to accomplish. God gave men the choice of life and death and pleaded with man to choose life. The rewards being those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be separated from God’s presence forever.

They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power 2 Thessalonians 1:9

On the other hand,

However, as it is written: "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him"— 1 Corinthians 2:9

One can only dream of the good things God has created when all we have is a glimpse of Heaven. The sufferings we faced in life will be no more as there will be no more tears, no more death, no more crying, no more pain. We will live in an environment that is not subjected to frustration and the deceiver will be in the lake of fire.  

He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." Revelation 21:4

 We will receive a new name and a mark of distinction upon our forehead, the seal of our God.

They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. Revelation 22:4

 I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on him my new name. Revelation 3:12

You will be called by a new name that the mouth of the LORD will bestow.  You will be a crown of splendor in the LORD 's hand, a royal diadem in the hand of your God. Isaiah 62:2-3

We will reign with Christ for a thousand years.

Blessed and holy are those who have part in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years. Revelation 20:6

What exactly will men reign with Christ over?

But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." Matthew 8:12

In the parable of ten talents, the servants gave an accounting to their master when he returned after becoming King. Those who did well with the talent given to them were rewarded with a larger responsibility.

"'Well done, my good servant!' his master replied. 'Because you have been trustworthy in a very small matter, take charge of ten cities.' Luke 19:17

The servant who did nothing with his talent was reprimanded and thrown outside into outer darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Jesus said that there is a reward for giving a cup of cold water.

"He who receives you receives me, and he who receives me receives the one who sent me. Anyone who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet's reward, and anyone who receives a righteous man because he is a righteous man will receive a righteous man's reward. And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward." Matthew 10:40-42

Christians run the race set before them to receive a crown that will last forever, but would they run the race for a crown of thorns? The bible speaks of a crown of righteousness, 2 Timothy 4:8, a crown of life, James 1:12, and a crown of glory that will never fade away. 1 Peter 5:4.

Since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.  Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for his wrong, and there is no favoritism. Colossians 3:24-25

We know that there is a reward of eternal life with our name down in the book of life. We also know that these rewards depend on what we do in the flesh.  However, are we running our race to win a prize that will last?

His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. 2 Peter 1:3-4

For those who endure the race and remain faithful to the end Jesus promised to him who over comes the world the following.

To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God. Revelation 2:7

 I will give you the crown of life. Revelation 2:10

will not be hurt at all by the second death. Revelation 2:11

I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it. Revelation 2:17

I will give authority over the nations--'He will rule them with an iron scepter; he will dash them to pieces like pottery'-- just as I have received authority from my Father. I will also give him the morning star. Revelation 2:26-28

will be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, Revelation 3:5

I will make a pillar in the temple of my God I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem and I will also write on him my new name. Revelation 3:12

 I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, Revelation 3:21

 I will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels. Revelation 3:5

Are you living is such a way to please God to win the prize called life eternal? Remember that God gave every man the choice to choose life.  Those who do not choose life will be placed in the lake of fire with the fallen angels – forever.

This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the LORD your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the LORD is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Deuteronomy 30:19-20

Top of Page

Truth of The World

A world of truth is found in the burdens of life and seen through the struggle of living from one day to the next. Everyday presents a new challenge to overcome and we wonder why the bad things always happen to us.  Life has been made tougher because the men and women of the world live in a state of opposition. However, to believe that God created the heavens and earth is to believe everything was created by the principles of truth that God him self lives by.

The people of the world are the children of Satan who is better known as the deceiver, live by a set of rules contrary to the truth. The nature of truth has qualities the majority of the world admires and demands from other people.  While truth is open to scrutiny, the majority of people don’t want the world to know what his or her true character is really like. The truth about one’s character after it has been smoothed over becomes hidden and never revealed to anyone. With so much secrecy and deception the only person who really wants to know about your faults is the person that benefits from them.

When you look long enough, everything that God made allows you to see his nature and the principles of truth God lives by. This truth perpetuates and preserves the creation for the past six thousand years and has the potential to continue forever. From a human standpoint we take it for granted that the sun will rise in the east tomorrow morning.  Within this daily experience we see the eternal nature of God and become aware of God’s existence even when we cannot see him. We know that God has made everything we can see because the divine nature of God has made the work of his hands plain to everyone leaving no one without excuse.

For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities - his eternal power and divine nature - have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. Romans 1: 20

A belief in the creation leaves no room for the scientific explanation for our existence. It is impossible for the scientific community to come up with a verifiable explanation of how or when life began.  The only verifiable record of creation comes from the person of God who was present to see it all happen. When confronted with the truth and the theories of experts in the scientific field we have to consider what the facts conclude. The facts about creation contain truth that overrules the feasibility of scientific theories and establishes the person of God.

God’s divine nature is seen in his creation whom God gave man the right to rule over the birds that soar through the air, fish that swim in the deep and the creatures, which move over the surface of the earth. God is seen as the divine ruler of the universe and the being who made man in his image. In comparing God with man in this light both, God and man have the ability to rule, but man is limited to ruling over the environment he lives within and his own destiny.

Eventually man began to populate the earth and found that man does not have the right to rule over his own kind except by consent and mutual agreement. Even then men and women want to be in charge and often usurp the existing authority to take charge. Furthermore, men have learned to work together for the common good of everyone concerned. They give consent to others to rule over them as long as the alliance with leadership benefits their life. Forming a coalition requires that our leaders live up to the standards of what is just right and fair to the entire group. Unfortunately, when the leader is corrupt, the person under his rule is intimidated to do the dirty work and caught in the fallout of his decisions.

The majority of man’s tribulation is due to sickness and the kind of relationship they develop with God and other people. Our outlook on life develops naturally as we mature and the circumstance of how we have been treated in our past influences the way we handle relationships in the future.

Its unfortunate that men fail to investigate God’s outlook on life to learn why he is so concerned about the decisions we as human beings make. More often, our decisions are not on based what God wants, but on what we see with our eyes and the way others handle the truth. The self-centered decisions of men more often result in deeds that are beneficial for them and take from those who do not have the capability of defending themselves.

 The world is like a magic show where the trick is to deceive the audience while they are spellbound by what is happening on the stage.  The show continues by distracting everyone from the reality of life because the audience’s has the knowledge that what they see on center stage, does not happen in everyday life. What the world doesn’t know is that sin is deceptive, but their uncontrolled cravings distract them from making the right decision. It is not generally understood that sin corrupts everyone that commits sin.

Divorce for example was despised in 1940, but because divorce has become common it has become acceptable behavior when it is still unacceptable in God’s eye.  Sin dissipates into obscurely because the world has not been educated about the harm of sin. The reality is that the world sees other men sin regularly and nothing bad appears to happen to them. They appear to flourish without a concern over the consequences of their sin. However, today the sin covered over and quietly hidden in your closet and the sin the world accepts becomes a merit badge to boast about.

The world is more concerned over the behavior of other people more than about their own. If anything goes wrong it is easier to point the finger than accept the blame. Its all because they have done what is right in their eyes so the fault has to lie somewhere else. Even when the fault falls into their lap, they will deny that they were at fault. The world shares a rather high opinion of the way they live rather than to recognize that all have sinned and fallen short of God.

However, perfection is in the eye of the beholder and the beholder is rarely ready to cut any slack. They have a custom of making rules that they want the rest of the world to employ with but are not willing to be first to set the example. It is a system of double standards that looks after its own interest, without a concern for other people. The world allows each person to have a standard suited to his or her needs.

The world is geared to provide you with things that use your time and keep you coming back for more. No sooner than you acquire everything you need to be happy you’ll become unsatisfied with the things that gave you a false sense of happiness. When you become tired of being entertained with one thing, the world comes out with something newer and better saying you must have it to keep up with the times. It becomes an endless cycle to keep up with the Smith’s, to have the latest and the greatest to remain up to par with our friends and neighbors.

The world equates you to loaf of bread and a night on the town. Eventually the need or love for money compromises your personal sense of right and wrong and the average person will find a way around doing what is right for their benefit. It becomes as simple as not correcting the cashier who gave you too much change back or not trying to find the owner of a twenty dollar bill you found in the parking lot. The outcome is what is good for the goose is good for the gander and they develop the same attitude with other people.  Eventually almost everyone is corrupted by the methods the world uses to deal with them. In this trap they sin against each other, not realizing that their deeds create a domino affect trickling down to the people who are really in need. Sin affects your life and the more you think about your problems the more it provokes revenge, but exacting revenge makes you as bad as the person that sinned against you.

The role of deception plays in the individual increases with his or her position in life. The higher the position the practice of deception becomes more skilled. The deception is hidden from the eyes of those who are affected and the leaders pass the buck leaving the middleman up the creek without a paddle. Meanwhile the leader is credited with finding an expendable person to take the blame.

When asked what is going on these leaders use another form of deception called rhetoric. Rhetoric is the art of discussing a subject using information that is generally known, but without saying anything pertinent on the subject. Rhetoric often employs ambiguous wording combined with highly technical wording that only a few people understand to add to the confusion. The outcome of rhetoric becomes the disclaimer for the person who learns to use it. While he spoke volumes about the subject, he can say that is not what he said when things go wrong. Still he can take credit when everything goes as planned.

The consensus is that you have to be crooked to be a politician, but that is not true. The perception of the public is that all politicians are so crooked that when they die you don’t have to give them an elaborate funeral, just screw them into the ground. While can make fun about the general characteristics of these leaders, the truth of the matter is that the public elected them into office. All it takes is a dishonest leader of self-importance to see that crookedness crosses the line into every vocation. Even in the corporate world it is not uncommon to see businessmen leave their job with an enormous retirement or a severance package that the average man can live for the rest of their life in luxury.

 People don’t have to be a leader to possess deceptive qualities, but these personal characteristics develop with the knowledge that the outcome of their decisions will benefit their life in some way. Anyone can take pride in their accomplishments, but when they boast about their accomplishments to belittle others they become overly proud of themselves and become arrogant towards other people. The lack of foresight in what the future may bring produces a carefree life and whatever happens we’ll pay for it later. Unfortunately, the decision is not only costly to the self-centered leader, but someone else pays for his or her choices.

The person who lacks wisdom doesn’t take time to consider how his actions affect the lives of other people. There are some people that talk without engaging their mind or have their foot in their mouth. There are people who know everything on every subject under the sun and use that information to outdo other people, but all they are doing is showing how stupid they really are. In addition, the world is full of people that seldom attend church, haven’t read God’s word in ages and unknowingly lie about the God who cares for them.  

Again people use their tongue as if it had venomous poison to harm or belittles other people. The words that come out of the mouth openly speak of the character and opinions held sacred by the speaker and those treasured words show that man can tame everything except his tongue.  A former English teacher once said profanity is the effort of a weak mind trying to enforce itself.  Words may not break bones but the poor choice of words openly attacks the dignity of another person. Unfortunately, what people say about another person becomes the ammunition for the victim to hold a grudge.

What makes man unfit to his fellow man is the motivation that supports the reasoning and forms the decisions he lives by. Man deems his self worth important enough that he demands to be treated with respect. With that purpose in mind, people have united for the common good and formed a constitution by which they agree to live by. Inappropriate behavior by anyone is considered unlawful and subject to a penalty. Needless to say a few with in this society say it is only wrong if you are caught and sadly a large portion of crimes goes unsolved and unpunished. Because of this, people continue to do things under the table until they are caught in the act and punished.

The world does not encourage placing limits on your life, but the reality dictates what your perception of life should be. The world actively stimulates the desire for things and furnishes the logic that will motivate you to participate in its activities.  However the truth is that the consequences for the decisions you make will always find the path you are taking. Ultimately, your decision shapes your destiny where there will be no one to blame, but you

For the most part, the majority of men and women of the world think that they live an acceptable life among their peers. The irony is they haven’t done anything they haven’t seen their acquaintances do and some say they wouldn’t be caught dead doing what their friends have done. They are appalled at what goes on in the world and among friends becomes quite verbal on the subject. However those who complain about wrongdoing have the excuse that what they do is not done in the same degree, besides, everyone else is doing it. They consider their actions harmless when done to others, but when it happened to them its disastrous and makes the sparks fly.  

While indulging in the things of the world you became a captive and a slave to the system that dictates your reason to live becomes reason to buy the things it produces. Jobs with the wages to pay for the things you need are skimpy and then the world is swift discard and tramples you into the dust because you are not keeping up with everyone else.

Every person on the face of the earth has the knowledge of good and evil because they know how they want to be respected and considered by others. The means that justifies its end doesn’t demonstrate a concern for the people you are commanded to love and respect. Instead people become a target of the bottom line and something to discard when the world achieves its goals. In an environment of people that are self-motivation it becomes logical to assume this attitude about life. Who’s going to look after my interest if I don’t?

The truth about the world is hidden like truth that is growing in the cracks of the world’s sidewalk. There has to be more to life than the things the world to make you happy. These things never satisfy the desire to know why was I born, what purpose does my life have and how can I influence others enough to leave the world better off when I leave it behind. With the attitude of who’s going to look after my interest if I don’t, you’ll never find the answers to what life is all about. Jesus Christ said.

So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Matthew 6:31-34

Top of Page

Truth of Faith

For the people of this world the name of the church denomination where you attend is what your faith is.  Rather faith is a way of life for men and women that have the confidence to believe in God to supply their needs with the expectancy of receiving their requests. This faith is a firm confidence built up over time by spending time with Jesus Christ getting to know him as a friend. Christians believe so strongly in Jesus Christ that they have a personal relationship with God. Still it is one thing to know that God exists and another to seek a relationship with a person no one has ever seen. In addition, the way of life God wants his believers to adopt is completely foreign to the common life that men live in day to day life.  Ultimately the truth about faith is found your confidence in God to rescue you in times of need.

Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Hebrews 4:16

What is the cause for Christians around the world to seek and have a fulfilling relationship with a being that man cannot see or touch, but can speak and hear from? Why should Christians believe God incarnate came in the person of Jesus Christ born of a virgin and dwelt among men? Why believe the testimony of the disciples who had a face to face encounter with this Jesus and developed a close relationship with God?  Why would this relationship with Jesus Christ compel the disciples to leave their comfort zone to go into the world, be persecuted for the name of Jesus Christ and eventually die for their faith.  One of his disciples named John had this to say of his Lord and Savior.

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched — this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. 1 John 1:1

John went on to write five books of the new testament testifying to what he had seen and heard of Jesus Christ and confirmed the good news Christ brought to mankind. Convinced in what he believed John wrote, I write 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. This sentence testifies to those read it of his faith in a compassionate and caring person of Jesus Christ. This good news was not from Jesus Christ alone because God the father sent Jesus with the message of salvation. John and the disciples taught that salvation is for everyone that is willing to place their trust in the name of the Lord.

And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. Joel 2:32 and Acts 2:21

Why should you believe in God? What is so compelling that men and women in every culture of the earth would consider that God exists? For the average person the first ten words of the bible give a satisfactory explanation of his or her origin.

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth Genesis 1:1.

However, the first ten words of the bible require the faith to believe God is capable of creating the world and everything understood by our human senses. On the other hand the origin of the earth is major mystery to scientists who are trying to discover the origin of the physical world, how it came about and why men exist. Scientist has looked at the physical evidence and has drawn their conclusions on scientific fact for over a hundred years.  The outcome is theories of how the earth originated. The Christian and scientist use similar methods to derive the truth, but the conclusion is often different. Scientists live by factual evidence and derive explanations that can be proven, but at the same time, their conclusions will vary from one scientist to the next. Every Christian lives by faith in God’s word and a deep conviction that the word of God is the absolute truth.

And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. Hebrews 11:6

The bible tells us that man is without excuse and what may be known about God has been made it plain to everyone on the face of the earth. (Romans 1: 19) Although it may be plain to men and women of every culture, it is still a choice to believe in God by faith when you never seen him face to face. However, from a Christian perspective, only those lacking prudence could choose to say there is no God. Within the world there are men that understand God exists, but see little need for a relationship with God since they don’t see or understand the benefits of trusting God. Hebrews 11:6 tells us that God has rewards for those who earnestly seek him, but for the most part, God is sought when men and women become desperate and have no other place to go. Those who seek God for selfish reasons will not gain the attention of God and those who seek God for the right motives receive the salvation of their souls.

Seeking God for salvation and the hope of eternal life changes your relationship with God. Why would God give us eternal life unless he received some sort of benefit himself? The relationship God wants from you is a commitment that involves Jesus Christ as Lord of your life and the promise of serving him the rest of your life. This commitment is more than becoming a child of God, you become a member of the royal family in God’s kingdom. Once the child of God learns about the generosity and goodness of God he or she develops the desire to serve God of their free will.

Most of us have heard of the golden rule, but didn’t know that faith in God is a two way street or that God has faith in you? In your prayer when you asked Jesus to come into your heart, you made a committed effort through faith to serve God.  God chooses to believe your commitment to him by faith. The prayer of faith is an open demonstration that you expect God to respond with an answer corresponding to what you’ve asked for. God has a expectation of you to keep your commitment to serve him the rest of your life even when that includes eternity.

Immediately on accepting Jesus as Lord, we have the absolute knowledge that we will go to heaven should we die. God adopts us into his family as his children and he opens our eyes to his love and begins to share things found in the realm of truth. God opens the floodgates of heaven and sends his Son to dwell in our hearts filling us with his Holy Spirit. Our citizenship within the Kingdom of God has been established and we become sojourners in the earth looking for a home not made by human hands. We gain unlimited access to the throne of God and the wisdom, mercy and grace that he generous provides when you need it.  

God‘s mind is not subject to change and has made his promises irrevocable.  His promises are so deeply fixed that they give you the ability to remain upright and additional stability in a corrupt world. In addition, everything God does reveals a concern for your well being, you have the confidence to believe that the promise of things to come – will come in God’s time.

 Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. Hebrews 11:1

Men and women want the assurance that God’s plan gives them, but they also design a feasible strategy to acquire the things of this life through an intelligent effort. For Christians, faith is the way to obtain the hope we have in Jesus, the hope of glory. Our hope is in God’s promise of eternal life and while that life is off in the future eternal life started on the day we committed our life to Jesus Christ. On the other hand, the faith of some becomes a desire to reach a hundred million people with the truth of God, which is virtually impossible for the average person. Christians go to God for help because God says there is nothing too hard or impossible for him to do. God opens doors and makes things happen to where it becomes possible to reach billions of people for Christ.

While nothing is impossible to God, placing your trust in God for divine help is still a way to make the impossible feasible. Faith is the confidence that if you ask God to do the impossible the outcome will simply overwhelm your mind. The certainty we have in God to obtain goals is mutually advantageous to a relationship with you, which is God’s priority. So how does this all work out when everything is said and done. Our relationship with God has one major objective. God wants us to form a solid dependence on him to help you to achieve your goals while he depends on you to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Where is the truth or the likelihood of achieving your goal if you don’t apply an effort on your part to accomplish them? James tells us faith without works is dead. You may have a stack of lumber, the blueprints in your hand and the knowledge to assemble a house, but unless you apply an effort to fasten and assemble the lumber in its proper place you will fail every time.

Where is the truth when we ask God to help with our plans if we are not willing to lift a finger to carry out God’s plan? Children want things such as toys to play with, but after they played with the toy for a short time they loose interest in it. Then they turn their attention to a more expensive toy and demand it. You begin to realize that all they want from you as a parent is the toy when you are demanding responsibility and respect in return. The things your children ask of you show that they know where things come from, but what they do in return shows the extent of their love for you. In the same way the willingness of his children to do what God asks of them shows the respect for their heavenly father.

Most Christians have aspirations or the initiative for great and noble tasks. Its not that they lack the gumption to work for them, but they are afraid of failure.  For some their mind is filled with doubt and the job suddenly becomes more than what they are capable of doing. To others the job becomes impossible while others have not developed the perseverance needed to be successful.  We’ve often heard that “where there is a will there is a way.” Those who exercise their faith for the first time learn what Jesus meant when he said “the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak”(Matthew 26:41). Although you want to walk in faith at the last second change your mind to do things the in way of the world. Doesn’t your faith in God give you the desire to attempt the impossible? Doesn’t God teach us that faith must be allowed to mature to overcome the weakness of the flesh?

Because God is able to do more you can imagine or conceive in your mind, faith demands a determined and dedicated effort on your part to implement. You must train yourself to exercise your faith in God. Learn to rely on God for things other than toys, expect God’s help and understand that matured faith may take the rest of your life to acquire.  Faith is the capability of seeing the light at the end of the tunnel when it is so far off that it only seems to be nothing more than a speck of light barely visible to the eye. Yet as we travel through the tunnel toward that light and as the end of the tunnel becomes closer the brighter the light becomes.

Matured faith does not come over night or in a blink of an eye. Your confidence in the person of Jesus Christ is developed as your relationship with Jesus Christ grows. Faith begins with trusting Jesus Christ to deliver you from the penalty of sin. As your relationship with Jesus Christ grows you will begin to tell Jesus about your desires while Jesus shares his desires with you. As your faith in Jesus grows you will make a unified effort to please Jesus Christ by applying your time and effort to see the desires of Jesus are met.

Do we not naturally return good for the good that has been done to us? Isn’t it human nature to love those who love us? Doesn’t God draw closer to us when we seek him and want his attention? The compassion we show for others is returned to us like the principle of sowing and reaping. The seed you sow is the fruit that grows and the faith you sow in Christ will be harvested later in life. Kindness begets kindness just as easily as those who smile at you when you smile at them.   

Man explains this occurrence in this way, for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. The Christian explains faith as a confidence in God that we will reap what we have sown today and in the future.

Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Galatians 6:7-8

Do our deeds reflect a desire to please Jesus Christ? We have become a new creation in Jesus Christ and our eyes have a new view of what true life is all about. We have become a new person and have begun to see life through the eyes of Jesus Christ. This relationship with Jesus Christ affects our attitude and the perspective of how we see life.

Through our relationship with Christ we have a greater acceptance of the principles God lives by. Our day to day contact with Jesus becomes the experience that we remember and count on when the world interrupts our way of life. However, it is these trials that bring us closer to Jesus as we adopt the ways of God and learn to walk in a way that is prudent and pleases God.

We also learn that we can’t avoid trials by going around them. Nor can we escape them either, but going through the trials of life with Jesus makes you a better person that the world will see and admire. Through the trials of life you will see the integrity of God and his constant concern over your well being that develops your loyalty to him.

Faith is not just a set of principles that guides your life, but a way of life that trusts in God and his wisdom completely. What you know and understand about the nature of God increases your zeal for life and the successes you acquire following his advice deepens you relationship with God.  God does not find fault in the person who asks for wisdom, but God’s wisdom demands a personal relationship.

But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does. James 1:6-8

The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. 1 Corinthians 2:14

The world does not trust things that they can not see or touch and loose the certainty of knowing God’s trustworthiness. They have refused to seek a truth that is of no use to them or fathom would benefit their life. They see life in difference to truth and the truth about their integrity is thrown to the ground in an attempt to bury the deeds that they are ashamed of doing. They don’t realize that everything they have done will be laid bare before the Lord and he will judge every man according to their deeds.

Through the confidence that other Christians share in God, you became aware of the truth. Men of faith came proclaiming the word of life and you were persuaded to accept Jesus as your Lord. Since the day Jesus became Lord, have you grown to know Jesus as a friend who is seeking what is best for your life and is actively working with you to help you to live the abundant life. Ultimately your confidence in Christ is due to the experiences that you have faced with him and have overcome. Jesus overcame the world with God’s help and God will help you so you can overcome the world too.

Top of Page

Truth Of Morals

One of the favorite excuses of those in the world is that the truth of God’s word is not how the real world works. It’s not that the world doesn’t know the truth, but the world wants to do as they see fit in their eyes.  They live by sight and they themselves reflect a corrupted world. The world suppresses the truth by concealing their faults to avoid personal embarrassment and avoids the shame of being caught red handed. While they attempt to hide their faults, they make sure the faults of everyone else are known when they are not around to defend themselves.

So widespread is this cover up of human immorality that the majority of the world has chosen to do what everyone else appears to be getting away with. The world has grown accustomed to a system that is geared to deception and mistrust. It never fails that people have alternative reason behind everything they do. When this happens the facts have a way of becoming exaggerated and the person telling the story becomes the hero that saved the day. When all the negative stuff is known it appears as that in this world is only looking out for his or her personal interest.  

Someone once said if you have more than five friends during your lifetime that you can consider yourself lucky.  What would you do if all your friends were straightforward and completely honest with you? The world knows that there is something different about Christians and admires Christians for the way they live. Being straightforward and completely honest with others in a world that is based on deceit is not easy. The world is consistently knocking on your door influencing you to join in what they are doing. It even gets tougher when they advance up the ranks faster, have more money to spend and have the things you only dream about, but you are left behind wanting.

What would life be like if everyone adopted the moral principles of God? Certainly life for Christians who are attempting to become more Christ-like would be better. However, the world is not likely to change until Christian’s become the moral leader that displays the moral fiber of Jesus Christ. Developing Christ’s character takes a disciplined, deliberate and determined effort on your part dedicated to learn and apply godly principles by the way you live.

The world does not teach relationships or how men are to deal with other people. Rather they legislate and enforce law concerning relationships through the court. Teaching your child to respect other people is left solely to the parents.  The law restricts the parents so that you can no longer spank your child. By law spanking is considered to be abusing your child.  Consequently, you may have to explain every suspicious bruise on your child’s body to teachers, doctors, social workers and a judge. It seems that we are living in a world with a double standard, one that punishes the parent for training their child to be well behaved.

Morals teach you a way of life to deal with people properly in a just and fair manner. However without the limitations, the world is a lover of self, of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than people with disciplined lives. (Paraphrased 2 Timothy 3:2-4)

Immorality is on the increase as more and more men and women are resorting to deceit to obtain the desires of their heart. They practice idea that the end justifies the means and anything goes as long as you're not caught. As long as the world doesn’t end up with the short end of the stick little will be done to prevent such practices from occurring again. The cause for immorality can be reduced to a common factor of pure selfishness, a trait every person on earth has. No one has the initiative to deny his or her desires for the betterment of the rest of the world including the person that they married to.

The grounds for divorce is more often caused by the lack of denying ones personal needs to serve the needs of one you committed with an oath to love. How can your spouse feel secure in a relationship if there is no demonstration of concern over how they feel? Then again, are you working for the common good or well being of your spouse and marriage?

 Denying your personal needs to serve others has to be taught because you receive benefits from your relationship with other people. The most important asset of the world is people, but due to self-centeredness, the world is only interested in the well being of their own life. Even within the family there is a struggle among the family member to be the center of attention. No one ever takes time to think, where would this world be without other people?

In America couples marry the person they love, in other countries, marriages are arranged years in advance. What makes arranged marriages last a lifetime? Whether the marriage was arranged or being married to a person, who loves you, marriages endure for one reason. One must serve the needs of the spouse and show a concern for the their welfare. These concerns give your spouse a sense of security and demonstrate your love for them. Love takes a disciplined, deliberate and determined effort on your part dedicated to be the person your spouse wants spend the rest of their life with.

The reality of this world is that if there were no other people on this planet you would have no reason to live. However the world also believes as long as you don’t protect your assets you will end up alone with nothing. What good did it do to acquire things that you can’t take with you, when you leave this world?  If the most important asset of the world is its people, what are we doing to protect the assets available to you?

What makes our social world work is the communication between one another and what we do to other people. Do we know how our decisions affect other people that are our assets? The value you place on your assets depends on your ability to serve and protect the importance of other people. The only way to develop an importance to other people is through your character.

 When one looks at the Ten Commandments you can see the fundamental way God wants his creation to respect one another. The reality of the Ten Commandments doesn’t sink into your being immediately just by reading them. You need to comply with each commandment to understand that these commandments concern the needs and respect other people demand. The condensed version of the Ten Commandments is to love our creator with our entire being and to love his creation the way you would want to be loved.

The road to sound relationships with other people can only begin with a sacred respect for your creator. Becoming accountable to God is no worse that becoming accountable to the law of the land and the people who enforce them. You are also personally accountable to your partner in marriage, your children and to your personal integrity. Your concern for someone you love and respect will make you change the way you deal with the people they love.   

As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another. Proverbs 27:17

Ultimately what you do to other people affects their lives and will come back to either serve your needs or hinder them. This corresponds Newton’s law that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction the principle of sowing and reaping.  God has placed within us a desire to be successful, but he is also concerned with how we treat other people on the way to success. Successful people know that it’s the people around you that make you successful not your aggressive attitude. How you respond to the needs of other people often returns in the effort that they make to please you. If you treat other people with respect they will respect you.

Treating others with respect is not always easy to do, but in the long run respecting others will make them inclined to be friendly and considerate when you need their help.  Even if you never need their help they will speak well of your life. On the other hand, businessmen such as your employer will demand that you treat his customer with professional courtesy. To them professional courtesy is being polite and exercising a rigid and controlled behavior, one that brings the customer back to keep his or her business.

Your behavior is controlled by the rules of engagement that that limits your conduct to respect the needs of other people. Violating these rules by lying or belittling are the easiest way to hurt the personal feelings of other people. For this reason, any time you oppress the dignity of other people, the injured party will lose respect for you. Honoring anyone above you is an open demonstration showing that you have love and respect for him or her as a person of worth.

Your self-esteem is the most fragile part of the human nature. Within the self-esteem of people is a sense of worth that is desired and valued by them known as dignity. The loss of self-esteem can be enough discouragement to the soul that you lose interest in living. Some have a desire to get even and seek the opportune moment for revenge.

Your self-esteem can be crushed when you allow others to dictate how you feel through what they’ve said or done. Although it is easier said than done, you can govern your worth to others and take pride in being right, just and fair to other people by exercising the methods that God teaches.

It seems as if everyone wants to rule his or her life like a king surrounded by an army. While very few in the world have an army to command they still demand that everyone think of them as a king that has the right to rule the life of other people.  In reality everyone is a king that rules over the lives of other people as long as they are willing to submit to your demands. However, if everyone was a king and could command other people, where are those who will obey his commands? When everyone is a king shouldn’t we be treating them as one?

Respectability is the value that others place on your life based of the way you serve their needs. Everyone judges you by your behavior and places a value on your worthiness as a friend.  Life teaches you that very little can be successfully done without the support of other people. Therefore, morals demand that you to conform to actions socially acceptable by everyone.   

God’s word speaks volumes on the subject of behavior of the human race. God speaks through Paul and John about the intolerable behavior that will not be accepted in heaven and teaches what is expected of God’s children. The way of life Jesus taught the beatitudes on the mount speaks of spiritual aspects of acceptable behavior by God. God also gave easy to remember sayings within Proverbs through the Wisdom of Solomon.  From the scriptures we learn the ways to establish acceptable behavior of a gracious father with warnings of what to expect if we do not meet his standards.

God placed in us the knowledge of good behavior by the way we expect to be treated by other people. Do we as human beings treat others as we want to be treated? Most people have a double standard, they want to be a king that demands everyone to serve their needs without giving anything in return. Who's left to serve your needs? God created you be a king, but a king that serves the needs of his fellow man. In the long run you will reap what you sow, not everyone will do for us what we did to them, but that doesn’t excuse us from doing what we want done to us?

Why do our mates demand us to be honest with them? How do we deal with a person who exaggerates everything to look good, for personal gain and is only faithful to their word when it benefits their need?  Its easy to discern those who are two-faced and are self-centered? The moral standard that one conducts their life is the benchmark that people use to rate your worth to them. Our lives are constantly at center stage where anyone can see our concern for the well being of other people.

What is the truth and where do we stand on certain issues? The world is the stage where people present a moral truth about his or her character. The truth we produce is a balance act of meeting the needs of others while meeting our own needs.

Falseness and deception are everywhere you look in this world and as a Christian you are not to conform to the pattern of this world. God wants you to separate yourself from the pattern the world and choose to live by the truth. The pattern set by Jesus Christ was of one of being united to God and completely devoted to his needs. Jesus was completely faithful over God’s house and made atonement for the sins of the people God is concerned with.

The moral standard of God meets an acceptable manner of dealing with other people by showing respect, love, honor and concern for the good of others. When we apply the moral standards of God to the way we live, God will approve of our right standing with men. Changing your moral standard to be right with God changes how we deal with other people. God opens our eyes to see that other people are in the same boat as we are and that God loves everyone.

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

In understanding the nature of God, we learn to admire the love that God has for his creation. The truth of John 3: 16 is that Jesus Christ was sent by God into the world to atone for the sins of mankind. His blood shed on the cross became the ransom price for those held captive by sin.  Christ’s death on the cross displayed his concern for mankind to be reconciled man to God drove Christ to the cross to serve the needs of mankind. Without reconciliation, man would be separated from God and thrown in dungeons prepared for fallen angels. Christ’s death on the cross was a moral choice because his decision to die would benefit everyone who would accept his death as payment for their sin.

Salvation is the plan God has chosen to apply to all of mankind and no one is excluded. God does not want you to perish and therefore wants everyone to find salvation through Jesus Christ. Christians believe that Christ’s death displayed his concern for our well being and lived a sinless life to provide the perfect sacrifice, something man could not do for himself.

When we refuse to lie or steal, obey authorities, and take a stand to do what is right before God we pose no threat to the self-esteem of other people. Rather doing good to other people is beneficial to both parties in every relationship. When you honor another person above your self and consider them worthy of being loved you make them feel safe and secure. Feeling safe and secure allows you to live at peace with God and your fellow man.

The golden rule and the spiritual law of sowing and reaping should be a foundation that motivates you to do good things for your fellow man. Newton’s law of motion is contained within the phrase for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.  Morals can be called rules of engagement that would limit preventable hostility and the retaliation to the evil that has been done to us.  Morals limit its user to do what is just, right and fair regardless of what has been done to them. Morals help you to keep you dignity and integrity intact.  Ultimately if we sow actions that lead to peaceful relations, peace is the crop we will reap.

Morals have the purpose of building relationship by conforming to standards that are considered to be right by everyone. Adam and Eve ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and we inherited the knowledge of right and wrong from them. Therefore moral standards of God are embedded within our minds, because of Adam and Eve. Every person on the face of the earth is without an excuse because man wants to be treated with respect.

A deed is an act we perform and a public record of assets within a system of law. As Human beings everything we do and say becomes a public record within the universe that God rules. Time and time again a righteous God has promised to reward every man according to his or her deeds. Ultimately the choices you make will shape the evidence God will judge you by. Those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned.

Within his word, God has instructed everyone to be true, honest, sincere, and love one another as you want to be treated. Your behavior is important to God. The truth about morals is that you have choice and the knowledge to control the way you treat others with the same love and respect that you demand from them. However, consider this - Morals define the standards accepted within the land where you live. Therefore, we should live by the standards accepted as just fair and right where we have our citizenship - in Heaven.

Top of Page

Truth Of The Cross 

The story of the cross reveals the truth of God’s love for his creation. The truth of the cross discloses the grace of God and his plan of salvation for anyone that chooses to believe in Christ. Sin had separated man from a Holy God, but God devised a way to forgive and reconcile man to him. In his mercy he unveiled a plan throughout the Old Testament foretelling hundreds of years before he sent his son as the Lamb of God.  The life and death of Christ fulfilled everything written about him in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.

"Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms." Luke 24:44

The story of the cross is God’s plan for justice, but it is also the way God chose to openly display his love for mankind and demonstrate his mercy to the man who sinned. Because of its self-destructive nature God hates sin and is harsh towards its cause and those who indulge in it. God will not allow the presence of evil in his sight. In his court sin is a deed on record of a moral quality owned and possessed by you and that deed is a barrier preventing you from obtaining eternal life.  No man on earth is without sin and all have fallen short of the glory of God. Thank God for his forgiveness and the grace to pardon the sins of the world. There is one condition, however, without exception everyone must enter a covenant with God to have his or her sins forgiven through the sacrifice of Christ.

Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people. Hebrews 9:27-28

The history of sin begins with Adam and Eve when they disobeyed God by eating forbidden fruit. Adam and Eve were placed in its midst creating of the Garden of Eden and were instructed by God that they could eat anything in the garden, except the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. A serpent enticed Eve into believing that when she ate the fruit she would become like God and know good and evil. Eve struggled with that temptation for a brief moment remembering God said that she would die if she touched or ate of the fruit. As Eve considered the fruit and what she would get in return, the fruit became appealing and beneficial to her needs.  

When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Genesis 3:6

Adam was with Eve when she ate the forbidden fruit and shared the fruit with him. Something happened when they ate that exposed their nakedness and made them feel ashamed. Being ashamed and afraid of God, Adam and Eve hid among the garden foliage as he came to talk during the cool of the evening.

Immediately God determined that Adam and Eve had eaten from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. God in his mercy was able to forgive the sin of disobedience, but subjected man to a harsh world in order so man may learn from his choices. Death had entered into the physical realm as God drove Adam and Eve from the garden and placed a guard at the entrance to prevent Adam and Eve of ever returning.

When God drove Adam and Eve from the garden we learn that sin separated man from God. God removed Adam and Eve from a favorable environment and subjected all of creation to frustration. Being driven out of the garden is a type of hell where the condition of creation was much worse than God had planned for mankind.  

God tells us that the lake of fire is the second death, a horrible place of torment separated from God with no escape. God placed an angel to guard the entrance making it impossible to reenter the garden of God. Being separated from God is a choice through seeking the person who is able to give you life. Through God’s infinite grace, God has given man the choice of life or death.

Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. John 17:3

Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:6

Death comes from overlooking the choice to accept the promised life God is willing to give. The majority of the world does not know that they have a choice and must accept God’s terms for eternal life. If anything they assume that because God is love and he will accept everyone who lives a sensible and moral life. However, the hope of men is based on conceit and human reasoning not about the person who will be making the final decision.  

Those who seek God learn that God instituted a plan so that sins could be forgiven and a relationship with God can be reconciled and restored. We learn that God established the penalty of death when he said when you eat the fruit you would surely die.  Adam and Eve’s death did not die physically then as they lived several years after the original sin. They were driven out of the garden to separate them from the tree of life and they spent their life in the world of suffering. Under God’s plan, forgiveness required the shedding of blood but in this story we have to ask why was it necessary to clothe Adam and Eve with garments of skin?

The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them. Genesis 3:21

Adam and Eve tried to hide their shame, but the fig leaves began to dry and crumble. The drastic change within the minds of Adam and Eve revealed that by hiding from God’s discipline knowing that they were guilty of something they weren’t supposed to have done. While Adam and Eve tried to cover their sin with the temporal use of fig leaves, God covered their shame with clothing that was more permanent. God didn’t exactly say get out of my garden and don’t come back but he did drive Adam and Eve out of the garden and placed a guard to prevent them from coming back. Still, it is evident that God informed Adam and Eve how to make the right kind of sacrifices and that knowledge was passed down to their children.

But Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast. Genesis 4:4-5

Because God loved his creation he chose the sacrifice of animals to atone for the sin of his creation. Before the law was given through Moses, we see men like Job and Noah making sacrifices for sin.

For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one's life. Leviticus 17:11

Abraham was sent to Mount Moriah by command of God to sacrifice his one and only Son as a burnt offering. On the way his son Isaac asked where is the lamb?  Abraham answered by saying that God would provide the lamb.  As Abraham raised the knife to slay his son, he heard an angel of the lord saying do not lay a hand on your one and only son.  This particular sacrifice is a prophetic picture that foretells that God would provide the lamb, his one and only begotten son.

Sacrificing animals was also used to establish covenant or agreements between men. God used this particular method to bless Abram and guarantee that he would be the father of many nations.  In Chapter fifteen of Genesis God asked Abram to bring a heifer, a goat a ram a dove and a young pigeon. Each was to be three years old. Each animal except the birds was cut in half and arranged so that the blood of the animals would drain to a trench made between the carcasses of the sacrificed animals.

 When the sun had set and darkness had fallen, a smoking firepot with a blazing torch appeared and passed between the pieces. On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram. Genesis 15:17-18

Tradition says that those entering a blood covenant such as this one took an oath saying may this be done to me if I fail to keep my part of the covenant. Those who entered this covenant understood they had the right to tread the blood of person who failed to keep his part of the covenant into the ground. Many enter into a covenant with Jesus Christ for eternal life, but few will be chosen because they fail to take their covenant with God seriously.  This covenant requires you to be faithful in keeping your part of the covenant. The prophetic scriptures present a triumphant Jesus Christ riding upon a horse in the blood of those who did not make or keep a covenant with God.

They were trampled in the wine press outside the city, and blood flowed out of the press, rising as high as the horses' bridles for a distance of 1,600 stadia. Revelation 14:20

The rest of them were killed with the sword that came out of the mouth of the rider on the horse, and all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh. Revelation 19:21

The atonement sacrifice was made once a year by God’s command to cleanse men of unintentional sin. In this particular sacrifice two goats were presented to the High Priest who cast lots to decide which goat would be sacrificed to the Lord and which one would be taken out of the camp and released in the desert, hence the term scapegoat. Before the man who released the scapegoat in the desert could return to the camp he had to wash himself and his clothes.

The trial and crucifixion of Jesus Christ presented a similar picture of the scapegoat by releasing Barabbas a known criminal and crucifying Jesus who was without sin and in whom no basis for a crime worthy of death was found. The priests struck and slapped his face laying sins of world on the chosen lamb that was to be sacrificed.  When the trial of Jesus ended Pilate washed his hands of the matter saying that he was innocent of Christ’s blood. Like the man who released the scapegoat in the desert took a bath when he returned to camp.  The crowd responded with these words.

All the people answered, "Let his blood be on us and on our children!" Matthew 27:25

The sin of man has always been a major issue that separated God from man even in its earliest stages. God covered the shame of Adam and Eve with skins taken from an animal that died so that Adam and Eve may live.

But God does not take away life; instead, he devises ways so that a banished person may not remain estranged from him. 2 Samuel 14:14

For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one's life. Leviticus 17:11

God instituted the sacrifice of animals to reconcile man to God. The evidence of death was in the blood that was poured out and trampled into the ground around the altar. But the sacrifice of animals was just a forerunner of the perfect sacrifice made once for everyone.

Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people. Hebrews 9:27-28

Jesus Christ came into the world as the Lamb of God who would take away the sins of the world. (John 1;29 and Hebrews 9:28).  His life’s blood was the atonement for our life. Paul wrote.

The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, "This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me." In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me." 1 Corinthians 11:23-25

Today we celebrate Passover in the form of communion where we remember the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  The elements are symbolic of Christ’s death, the bread representing his body that was broken for all men and the wine representing the shed blood of Christ. In taking communion we partake in the sacrifice of Christ remembering the elements represent the life and death of Christ who was sacrificed once for all. His blood became the blood of a new covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins, Matthew 26:28. Because Christ’s blood cleanses man from sin this sacrifice was for your sin.

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

God sent his son through the Virgin Mary to become the savior of the world, to deal with the sins of man. On the cross Jesus reconciled mankind with God by becoming the sacrificial Lamb of God. He was the lamb that Abraham prophesied God would provide to take the sins of the world away.

The person of Christ fulfilled the words of Isaiah 53.

 He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.  He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.  Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. By oppression and judgment he was taken away. And who can speak of his descendants? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was stricken. He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth.  Yet it was the Lord's will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the Lord makes his life a guilt offering, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand.  After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light [of life] and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities. Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors. Isaiah 53:1-13

Isaiah 53 speaks of ultimate price that Jesus Christ paid after a 3-½ year ministry that led to becoming the sin offering for all of mankind. It reveals the corrupted methods of unbelieving Priests that justified the death of Jesus by the laws of God. The scriptures about Jesus were fulfilled in his trial, the brutality and the suffering of Christ on Calvary. There on the cross Jesus said father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing.

The plan of Salvation would be nonsense without cross of Calvary as the whole of scripture foretold the life and death of our Lord. The choice between life and death and to love the world by laying his life down for all was at the core of God’s plan. Christ died so we may become the children of God and live with him forever in his kingdom. Still the plan of salvation requires you to do more than acknowledge Jesus Christ’s death on Calvary. Those who believe – respond to their belief in learning to obey God their father. The truth of Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection conforms to actual event of human history all because Jesus Christ desired to fulfill his father’s plan.

Top of Page

Truth Changes  

Solomon was one man among many that asked God for wisdom to rule the people of Israel. The bible tells us that Solomon gained fame because his wisdom was well known throughout the surrounding nations of his time. The royal advisers of Kings from these lands were sent to Jerusalem for the opportunity to hear the wisdom of Solomon. He was capable of speaking three thousand proverbs and was known for over a thousand songs. Even the Queen of Sheba from the southwest end of the Red Sea heard of the fame of Solomon and went to Jerusalem to test his wisdom. Nothing was too hard for Solomon the king to explain.

Solomon was credited for writing a book of wisdom of the Old Testament known as Ecclesiastes. Ecclesiastes tells us that Solomon searched the wisdom of the world only to find that there was a time and a season for everything, but nothing was new under the sun. Solomon saw the effort of men to live and thought life was pointless as if trying to catch the wind. After years of searching for wisdom he came to this conclusion about life.

 Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole [duty] of man.  For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.   Ecclesiastes 12:13-14.

Like Solomon we are surrounded with the wisdom of the world. The wisdom of the world is to drink eight glasses of water, a glass of milk, take an aspirin every day and then brush our teeth after each meal. In addition you need direct TV, telephone and Internet service from the same company and a specific automobile to have the woman of your dreams. The wisdom of the world is endless, but it all boils to things you must do. The cloud of worldly witnesses is so free with its perception of the truth that if we were to apply the entirety of the world’s wisdom to our lives, it would leave no time to read a book or worship God.

The truth of the world adds to our stress as we attempt to keep up with the ever-changing truth that it says you need to acquire. Worldly truth about success has become a perception of acquiring wealth and possessions, but this reality adds to the stress we inflict on ourselves to obtain the things of this world. When we own them, we are forced to buy a security devices to protect our possessions from thieves and those who deliberately destroy the things we own. Is there anything that can give relief from the stress of life?

The constant hustle and bustle have gotten me about wore out and it seems as if I haven’t time for coffee unless get it on the go. Everyone has the same problem with too much to do and not enough time to get it all done. Something has to give because you are afraid that you are going to have a mental breakdown. How long does it take to understand that the effort of chasing the things of this world is like trying to catch a greased pig?

The man who said life is too short was not talking about the gift of life that God wants to give to every person. 2 Peter 3:9 tells us that God does not want anyone to perish, but he wants everyone to turn away from the sin that corrupts his or her heart and restricts his access to God. Still, eternal life is God’s gift that changes your outlook on life because it starts right now and will never end.

Sin is evil act that will destroy the person enslaved by its nature. Guilt and shame accompany the act of sin and because of the shame of sin most people will commit to another act of sin to hide their guilt. Everyone on earth struggles with acts of sin and when they consider he pro’s and con’s of what they plan to do would rather do what is right, but allows sin to take advantage of their selfish nature. Sin is an invader, an oppressor of men or women that masters the desires and cravings of the individual, enslaving those seduced by sin. Because the human race is ignorant of sin, everyone has sinned and fallen short of God’s glory.

Sin normally harms your life, but sin is really a selfish act that temporarily benefits the person who chooses to sin. Although the immediate effect from sin benefits its perpetrator, in the long run sin does more harm to you than good.  God calls what one gains from sin as wages and has forewarned mankind that the wages of sin is death. God hates sin and anyone choosing to sin is not worthy to enter the kingdom of God.

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23

Sin is a crime against God and the person you hurt. Sin may be seen as a merit badge in the world, but God has a different view of sin.  As the supreme ruler of the earth, every person in the world is accountable to God for his or her actions. In advance of judgment day God has promised to impose a penalty of death for sin accredited to you. God is a person who knows what sin is capable of and reveals his regard towards sin in a harsh manner. However being a just person God has made it known that he will punish everything that causes sin and all who do evil in a lake of fire separated from his presence forever.

God devised a way so that a sinner may not remain separated from his presence, but allow him to regain access to the throne of God. God’s plan to forgive and to totally restore you to his presence as if you had never sinned. His plan included adopting you as his child, the privilege of citizenship in God’s kingdom and a room in his mansion in heaven. In the long run, God wanted to give everyone the gift of life and eternal happiness. God demonstrated his love for mankind when he sent his Son Jesus, the lamb of God to die in our place so man would not perish.

During the Paschal meal the night before his crucifixion, Christ told his disciples that he was going away. He would return to them so they would not become orphans, and that they would live because he lives. Christ also said he would send another counselor to help them live in the same manner as God had enabled him to live a sinless life. Christ pointed to a specific principle, if his disciples loved him they would obey his teaching and his Father would in turn love them. Together they would come and make their home with the disciples because his or her obedience is a demonstration showing that they loved Jesus.

Because I live, you also will live. John 14:19   I have told you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe. John 14:29

Jesus led the disciples across the Kidron valley to the garden of Gethsemane where Jesus took advantage of the foliage to teach another valuable lesson. As the vine provides the life giving substances to produce fruit on the branches, Christ would also provide life-giving words so the disciple may live and produce fruit for the kingdom.  Anyone who remains in Christ will live but those apart from Christ are like the branches the farmer prunes off and throws into the fire.

"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing John 15:5.

There at Gethsemane under the influence of Satan, Judas led the Temple guard to arrest Jesus and take him away. The Sanhedrin convened during the hours of darkness as Jesus stood silently while many scoundrels came forth and falsely accused Jesus of wrongdoing. The law required that two or three witnesses agree before the truth of guilt could be established, but none of the testimony agreed. Jesus remained silent until the High Priest asked, are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?

  "I am," said Jesus. "And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven." Mark 14:62

On hearing Jesus Christ’s answer the High Priest tore his clothes and asked the court, Why do we need any more witnesses, you have heard blasphemy with your ears. The court was resolved to put Jesus Christ to death, but they could not execute Jesus by Roman law. In the mourning hours that followed Jesus was taken to Herod and back to Pilate, both finding him not worthy of death. Pilate conceded to the demands of the people offering them a choice between a man that was a notorious murderer with the knowledge that Jesus Christ was innocence of any wrongdoing.  The crowd demanded the death of the Lamb of God and Pilate consented.

Pilate handed Jesus over to his execution squad of sadistic soldiers trained to scourge the accused and then Pilate sentenced him to die on the cross. Those soldiers mocked him all the way to the cross where they raped him of his dignity, nailed him to a cross lifted him up so his death could be seen by all. No one ever was taken down from a Roman cross before they died.

After the death of Jesus Christ, Joseph of Arimathea a prominent member of the council went to Pontius Pilate and requested his body. When he learned that Jesus had died, Pilate gave the body of Christ to Joseph who took the body of Jesus Christ down and prepared for burial according to the custom for Jews. Then he placed the body of Christ in a tomb he had cut out for himself.

The Roman government and members of the Jewish Sanhedrin publicly recognized the death of Jesus Christ. However, the High Priest asked Pilate to post guards at the tomb of Jesus, thinking that the resurrection of Jesus Christ would be a greater deception than at first.

In the three days that followed Christ’s death life began to take on a sense of normality. The people of Jerusalem began to accept the death of their Savior and went back to living as they did before they knew Christ. It was the realization that the person alleged to be Israel’s deliverer was dead and no one ever came back from the grave. The disciples mourned the death of Jesus Christ and were taking his death hard. During this time they retold the events about when how he healed the lame, cured people of leprosy and raised people from the dead. They spoke of his humor and how he showed love and respect for everyone he met.

On the third day after the Passover and Christ’s death, the women who provided for his needs went to the tomb of Jesus to care for his body. When they arrived they found the Stone rolled away, the soldiers guarding the site were petrified from fear and unable to move. Looking in, the women found the tomb empty.

They came expecting to care for the body of Jesus, they did not expect to find a tomb empty. They were convinced that Jesus was really dead and that someone had moved his body. Off to the side stood a gardener and frantically Mary ran to him asking where her Lord had been taken. The gardener turned and said Mary. Instantly the bleakness of the day, the grief and despair of losing a loved one changed when she recognized her Lord.

Relief and excitement overwhelmed Mary as she recognized the voice of her Lord and Savior. Jesus had risen from the dead as he had said. In her excitement she reached out to embrace Jesus with all her might. However Jesus was more concerned that his disciples knew that he was alive and they would see him again.

Jesus sent these women to the upper room immediately where the disciples discouraged over the events of the last week were grieving. Bursting with excitement, the women told the disciples that the tomb was empty and Mary had not only seen the Lord, but had talked to him.  The good news was unbelievable but wonderful. How could Christ be living, since the disciples witnessed his death? His resurrection was verified in the disciple’s eyes and on going to the tomb all they found was the cloth his body was buried in.

Meanwhile, Cleopas and his friend were on their way to Emmaus with faces that showed sadness revealing how they truly felt. As Jesus joined them they were discussing the events of the Passover week and how the chief priests had handed Jesus over to be crucified. These two men hoped that Jesus would be the one who was going to redeem Israel. Then they said, something amazing may have happened this morning. Some of our women were at the tomb of Jesus and saw a vision of angels telling them that Jesus was alive.

On the path to Emmaus, Jesus began to open the scriptures that explained that Jesus had to suffer these things and then enter his glory.  They wanted to know more and asked him to join them for the evening meal. As Jesus broke bread Cleopas and his friend recognized their rabbi as he faded from sight.

Overwhelmed with joy and unable to contain themselves they returned to the upper room in Jerusalem. On arrival, they told the disciples gathered in the upper room that they had seen and spoken to Jesus. While they were speaking about their encounter with Christ, Jesus appeared in the midst of the room and greeted them. After Jesus had calmed the fear of the disciples, the number of witnesses that could testify about a risen Jesus Christ who had died but was alive, grew. Jesus offered proof that he was living and they saw and touched his nail pierced hands and feet. Then he ate some broiled fish in their presence and responded to their questions.

This same Jesus, the man the world hated, had been beaten, had been persecuted and killed on the cross – was alive. Jesus opened the minds of the disciples to understand what was written in the scriptures.  They had witnessed prophecy unfold before their eyes and Jesus was sending them into the world with the good news that God does not want anyone to perish.

For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Thessalonians 5:9

God has offered man a choice between life and death and both are eternal. How shall we escape if we ignore such a great salvation?

God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ." Acts 2:36

Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved." Acts 4:12

How do we inherit eternal life? The bible tells us

That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. Romans 10:9-10

It is the truth of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ that changes the lives of mankind because it is verifiable. Millions of people have heard the story and have accepted it just as many have rejected the gospel story for one reason or another.  The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ can be historically verified nine ways to Sunday. What changed lives and converts ordinary people into Christians is the truth that gives a determined effort to serve Jesus Christ.

Once people make a determined choice to believe in Christ’s death and resurrection the reality of God enters their life and their eyes are opened to the spiritual realm. Men and women become a new creation through believing the death and resurrection of Jesus and confess Jesus as Lord. This is an open confession accepting the atoning sacrifice of Christ to reconcile them to God. The experience of becoming a child of God gives everyone an assured knowledge that when they die they will go to heaven to be with Jesus Christ. The truth that changes lives comes with a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and allowing him to reign as Lord and Savior.  

Top of Page

Truth's Nature

From the scriptures we learn that Pilate asked a similar question on the day that the Pharisees brought Jesus Christ to him to be crucified. We’ve also learned that each person has a different truth that they live by. We know from our own experiences that truth could be distorted to fulfill the needs of those that plot and scheme. There is a truth concerning your friends and again another truth for the government where laws are enacted to regulate the behavior of the masses. Finally there is another truth for those who are seeking God and what life is really all about. While the world’s truth is different for each occasion, God’s truth has a single standard that is universal and absolute in nature.  God’s truth fits every occasion and places limits on our behavior for the common good of everyone. This truth is the way God lives and the approach to life that everyone with a relationship with God will agree is better for everyone concerned.

It has been written those who truly worship the Father will worship him in spirit and truth. Therefore it is important to understand the truth that God accepts and values highly. It’s obvious that those who worship God must know the truth so they can worship in him in a manner that God desire. It’s also obvious that the people of the world are inclined to ignore God and the way he lives.

People who pretend to be Christians often separate religion from their business or work activities by not taking God or God’s ways into their work place. From their mouth they praise God in church, but use his name to curse everything under the sun. They look like Saints in the church, but in the work place they take advantage of their fellow man and become one of them. From this you can deduct that you can honor God with your mouth and abuse men when it is to your advantage. However, God’s eyes are not the only eyes that are focused on your life. If your fellow man can see the mockery of your worship, what do you expect God to see?

Truth is accurately communicating facts and actual events. It is a spoken statement without the intent to deceive or leave a false impression and when left unspoken, truth remains in its dormant stage as an existing fact. When speaking in general terms, truth is a sincere declaration that is verifiable or accepted as true due to your trust in the person who said it. However what is not generally known is that truth is also impartial, won’t take bribes, and has the stability similar to that of a rock that never changes. Truth is the reality behind life with an authentic existence, but you have to stop to examine everything up close to see the truth or you will take the truth for granted.

Kings take pleasure in honest lips; they value a man who speaks the truth. Proverbs 16:13

The majority of men understands the value of the truth and when given the choices prefer to live according to the truth. The general public respects the person that is truthful ever his and earns his dignity among his enemies. Ultimately, living according to the truth demands the discipline for a dedicated effort to be true in everything you do.

Life is such that it is impossible to live without friends and you have to trust the information they give you. Everyone demands accurate information from their peers to base their decisions upon. When one looks at the population of the world, no one on the face of the earth can survive without rubbing elbows with another person. Since relationships are based on trust its virtually guaranteed that your friends will insist that you are truthful to keep the relationship in good working order.

Being betrayed by the words of your mouth is difficult when it is filled with truth. Because truth is loyal to fact, speaking the truth will enable you to live without the shame and disgrace of being full of empty words or a liar. When people compare your words to your deeds your words may disagree with how you live. The People who observe your life will see through you, questioning your advice since you live contrary to the advice you give to others. Therefore you must understand that people observe how you live and evaluate your life. Then they relate to you according to how they evaluated your life. How you judge the worth of other people determines whether you want to hug them, be polite by shaking their hand or say hello as you pass by.

 There are as many choices to make, as there are options to choose from. However, the decision you commit to may benefit your life, but harm others. Over time you make the same kind of decisions forming habits and those habitual decisions affected the lives of other people. Those habitual decisions serve as a guide for friends and relatives to decide how things are accomplish by the way you have reacted in the past. Needless to say the outcome of your relations in the past will show the attitudes (good or evil) people expect from you in the future. The need for decisions will always come, but the manner you carry out your choices affects your relationship with God and with other people.

There are people that are indecisive and constantly change their mind while they look for a solution. Some bear a grudge seeking revenge but everyone forms an opinion about the nature of other people by what they do. The average person is more apt to do things that worked in the past than try something new. When planning the next day out in bed people are only concerned with what they need accomplish and more often do not consider how their decisions affect anyone else before implementing them.   We also find that people are so preoccupied with what they are doing that they overlook the person next to them.

Taking a look closer to home, you don’t have to be a Christian to make promises with good intentions that are not kept. When Christians fail to keep their word they were unfaithful to God, to themselves and other people. While their decision was based with good intention, the person expecting you to honor your word now considers you to be unreliable and untrustworthy. Not keeping promises changed the credibility of your character that was thought to be genuine.  The stature of your relations with other people also changes, as you become unfaithful, unreliable and someone you wouldn’t trust as far as you could throw them. Worse of all, not keeping your promises makes you a liar.

Truth is essential to the moral character of God’s children not only for his or her earthly life, but also the heavenly life they hope to obtain. Therefore, it becomes imperative to have a better understanding of the truth so that we may be acceptable to our Father in Heaven. Through expanding the definition for the word - truth - with synonyms we find the characteristics of God and the attributes that he wants his children to develop.

Truth is the quality of being factual and free of deceit or distortion.  Depending on the thesaurus the synonyms for truth are; accuracy, actuality, authenticity, candor, certainty, exactness, fact, fidelity, frankness, genuineness, honesty, integrity, reality, reliability, sincerity, uprightness, veracity, verity and virtue. These synonyms have one thing in common, they are attributes directly related to the personality and character of God. This list of attributes, traits, or abilities is desired and honored by men, but for the same reason the characteristics God wants each of his children to possess.

Having these attributes develops a life of virtue and complete integrity that will be confirmed by those who observe your life. God is concerned about your state of mind and the attitudes you use to make decisions. Eventually you will be judge for your worth when he looks at the deeds of your life. Your deeds reflect the decisions you made and create the facts that show God how you are orientated towards good and evil. These synonyms for truth are characteristics are admired by all and can be developed with a dedicated effort with God’s help. As you grow in your relationship with God, your heavenly father will insist that you develop these characteristics for your well being.

 Truth is a quality of being factual and free of deceit. For the Christian every event in his or her life becomes a deed God will examine and reward accordingly.  The discipline that God applies as his children mature into men and women advocates sound and lasting decisions based on truth.  Just as you and I raise our children to govern their lives by what is true in our eyes, God also teaches his children to see the truth through the consequences of sin.  God knows that every one of our deeds affects the lives of other people. Each event in God’s child comes under scrutiny to improve the decisions you make in the future. God ultimate goal is that you become the image of Christ, the son he was well pleased with. But because of our stubborn human nature the song “God is still working on me” still applies to our lives today. God knows if the truth has any influence over you, you will change, but he also knows that it will take time and discipline to accomplish those goals.

Human behavior is legislated by the laws of the land, but laws do not make people respect or obey them. Unless there is a consequence for violating the law, the law would have little benefit or effect. The behavior of people places a label on the individual that classifies them for the kind of person they are. For example, those who live by God’s law are called Christians and those who do not are called sinners, those who lie are know as liars and those who steal as thieves. However, because of the good and evil nature of men, laws do not always protect those who obey the law. Even when the law has consequences designed for those who violates the law.  On judgment day, everyone who violates God’s law will see the justice of God and will receive a just reward according to his or her deeds.

Deeds expose the true nature of man exclusive to the person who made the decision. Deeds are a physical commitment to the plans you’ve chosen to carry out and a record of possessions owned solely by you.  Ultimately God will examine the nature of your deeds and judge its nature for sin, therefore, you will not be held responsible for the sins that other people commit.

"Things that cause people to sin are bound to come, but woe to that person through whom they come. Luke 17:1

The person who stirs man to sin will not escape the wrath of God. The kings of Israel who worshipped the gods of surrounding nations, gods that were made of wood, stone and metal were told by God’s prophets to stop. When they continued their practices God warned them that the god they worshipped would deliver them out of the disasters that would come on them. The King’s that practiced idolatry made idol worship acceptable to the common person, which spurred Israel to worship false gods and sin against a jealous God. Balaam son of Beor advised the Moabites to intermarry with the Israelites causing Israel to worship the idols of Moab. Those who intermarried and Ballam were put to death for their sin. The person who stirs another man to sin is responsible of conspiracy, for undermining God’s laws through deeds that enticed others to sin against God.

The right standing of man is not based on what is right in your own eyes. To have right standing with the community of men you must agree with the standards of the group. The right standing before God is established with obedience and deeds that agree with God’s way of life. In the long run, having right standing with God will give you right standing within your community and peace of mind knowing that you have done what is right.

Regardless of the nature man has everyone makes their decision based on two things, how they benefit and what believe to be right. Nearly everyone has heard these two questions “what do I get from doing that?” and “what do they want now?” These two questions reveal the desire to protect your self-interests. No one should make a decision without a plan and God has given man a plan within his word called the truth.

For we cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth. 2 Corinthians 13:8

Many have attacked the truth and found themselves on the losing end of the stick. Truth can be trampled upon, suppressed and distorted, but truth cannot be killed or destroyed. Truth can be distorted by telling part of the truth combined with deceit. Truth can be suppressed and smoothed over, hidden in hope that the outcome will never be seen by anyone else. Truth can be driven into the ground when everyone ignores the truth and does what they want to do regardless of the consequences. Truth can be lost like that old softball you are tired of playing with and put away. Truth may get old but like the softball the truth can be taken off the shelf and be used by your children. Like the softball the life of the truth is endless and can be used time and time again. The nature of truth is resilient because truth rebounds quickly and becomes stronger with abuse. We are powerless to do anything against the truth because the truth will stalk your life until it becomes known. Truth when distorted suppressed or trampled into the ground becomes your enemy that will haunt your life and strike back when least expected.  Then its too late and you are on the losing end of the stick.

Truth can be your best friend or it can be ruthless depending on how you use it. While you may try to avoid or neglect the truth, truth is always available to the person who is prudent enough to search for it. Truth is a basic staple of life and without we would never see the really that sustains life. Everything we can smell, see, touch, and hear, the physical things we use during our life on earth present the truth to us in living color. Truth affects what we believe and the decisions we make, but truth will also show its fury when we do things that are contrary to its nature.

The veracity of truth is found in the Christians desire to discover the truth and agree to live by it. Once Christians find the truth, they find ways to conform to it and make the truth a part of their normal routine. They know that whatever they do in word and deed becomes the evidence that God uses to establish the truth about their disposition. For Christians, the truth becomes known through their personal relationship with their heavenly father and his son. Through adhering to their teaching you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. (John 8:31-32)

We don’t see the word probity used very often even when it pertains to Christian life. Probity speaks of your integrity, the completeness, correctness or righteousness of the individual Christian. It also speaks of a moral purity affecting your day to day life and the decency in which you deal with other people. What it boils down to is a personal respect for other beings and the applying golden rule to serve others in the way you yourself expects to be served.

Everyone has the knowledge of truth even though the truth will vary from one person to the next. However, a personal relationship with anyone demands common grounds that can be agreed upon to establish a behavior accepted by both persons. At home parents discipline their children to obey them, but when we accept Jesus as Lord, God becomes our father who teaches his children how to behave. Both our earthly and heavenly fathers have the authority and responsibility to teach his children to behave properly. When we don’t obey our father we demonstrate that we don’t accept his authority in our lives.

"The Lord knows those who are his," and, "Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness." 2 Timothy 2:19

Our deeds present the truth about our lives to God because our deeds provide factual evidence about the decisions we made and the quality of our nature to God. In the garden man become like God knowing good and evil when they chose to eat the forbidden fruit. Those who read the Bible learn early on in the book of Genesis God spoke to Cain while tormented by the acceptance of Abel’s sacrifice over his, saying these words.

If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it." Genesis 4:7

God advised Cain to master his thoughts and his intention before it became a decision that he would regret. Without telling Cain that Satan was going to urge him to kill God said, sin is crouching at your door and it desires to rule your mind and life. Its difficult to forewarn men filled with uncontrolled anger with a desire to get even. Despite the warnings God gave to Cain, Cain lured Abel into his field and killed him shortly thereafter.   

Human parents raise their children to make sound decisions to properly survive in this world. Parent’s incorporate into their child’s eyes what is right in the their sight. Our heavenly father trains his Children to do what is right in his eyes. When we listen to God’s plans, we learn about his ways, his desires, his wisdom, his grace, and his love contained within a pattern of truth.  Every facet of truth can be seen in God’s character and his plan to develop your character within a pattern of truth. It is well worth the effort to learn God’s truth and apply his truth to the way you live.

Top of Page

 include_once "path_to_search_engine_folder/includes/results.php";         }          ?>