Have You Heard This One Before?

"If you can't say something nice about a person don't say anything at all?" If you are my age (67) then our generation has heard it plenty of times.

Actually the principle of this saying is found in the Bible. I have three different Versions that I would like to share with you.

Ephesians 4:29 (King James Version)
"Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers."

Ephesians 4:29 (New Living Translation)
"Don't use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them."

Ephesians 4:29 (Easy-to-Read Version)
"When you talk, don't say anything bad. But say the good things that people need--whatever will help them grow stronger. Then what you say will be a blessing to those who hear you."

So if you are a person who swears, put down people the Bible tells us we are to put these things aside and become new. Some people can do it right away, some can't do it all at once. But allow the Holy Spirit to work in your life and He will help you to overcome the bad language and help you to be an encouragement to others that hear your words.

Heart For Jesus

Between listening to Charles Stanley and my own Pastor preaching I pretty much got the same message, Having A Heart For Jesus. What does this mean? Between the two I learned that having a heart for Jesus is to have a personal relationship with Him. I accepted Christ as my personal Savior and Lord.

The second thing that I learned was to obey Him. How do I do that? By reading the Bible and studying it and searching out the truth in it.

The third thing is sharing what I have learned. That is what I am doing here. My prayer is that as I learn you do can learn maybe new things or be reminded of the things that you already know.

I personally like sharing things. So today I have shared what I heard and learned. Putting into practice having a heart for Jesus.

Christ Wants Us To Know Him

At the time of this writing it is December 26, the day after Christmas. It is always a sad time for me as there has been such a built-up time before Christmas. Some stores even start in July or August. We hear the songs, see the declarations and hear the story of Christmas then the day comes. In a few minutes gifts are opened, food is eaten, then the people leave. All the hustle and bustle for what? Maybe a half-day of pleasure.

What Jesus wants is for us to know is story of His birth, His life, and later we will be celebrating His death, burial and resurrection. He wants us to know Him. What He did, how he felt daily, how He handled problems that came His way. He wants us to read His Word and know it.

What a wonderful gift to Jesus at the end of this year and the throughout the new year is to really  start to walk with Him. And He also wants us to share with others what we are discovering in our walk. It is an exciting adventure to say the least. It can be a slippery walk, a smooth walk at times, we might come across some rocky roads and sometimes we might even get stuck. Some parts of our journey may be painful but others may be oh so joyful.

So why don't you come along with me and share in the journey of walking with Jesus and share what is going on in your life. I would love to have you make comments. It is easier when doing something with someone else.

Have a great journey as you walk with Christ in the New Year.

The Christmas Event

I was listening to a radio program last evening on what the Christmas story, or in this case, the speaker called it an event.

 Luke 2:1-7

"And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria. And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. and Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazaeth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; because he was of the house and lineage of David: to be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.  And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

Of course this is an account of a baby being born like any other baby. Mary went through labor pains and so forth. But in other ways what is so different about this birth is that after the birth shepherds came and worshiped Him. And then they went off and told others that the Messiah was born. Later on wise men came and gave gifts to the young child. Also Mary and Joseph were visited by an angel telling of the birth. And Mary was a virgin and in Luke 1 we read in verse 31, " And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS." Verse 32 reads, "And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever, and his kingdom there shall be no end." Then the Holy Spirit came upon her and the power of the Highest overshadowed her: therefore also that holy thing which would  be born of her would be called the Son of God.

So this is the great Christmas Event! It is so simple and yet so great and wonderful.

Clean Then Dirty

The other day I was going to my car which was in the parking lot and I saw how dirty it was. My husband and I just bought our car in the summer time so the weather was good. The car has a sparkle red color to it so it shines and stands out among other cars. Now, in our area, it is the starting of winter. And the other day we had been behind the salt truck. So you can imagine what the color of the car is now.

This reminded me of our lives as a Christian. Our old self (car) may be worn out, dirty, and scratched up. Then we heard the gospel message which is simply is that Jesus, the Son of God, died for our sins just as the Scriptures said, He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day. If we believe this then we can have Christ come into our lives and we are no longer separated from God and He forgives us and makes us clean.

So now we are a new person (car) and we are bright and shining and we stand out in the crowd because of our glorious message of the gospel. But as time goes on we may slip backward and we start to get dirty. Then what do we do?  The answer is found in I John 1:9 "But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from every wrong." Then we can again become bright and shining and stand out in our crowd so that others can know who Jesus is as they will want to know why we are so different.

So remember first, the gospel message, then if you do slip and fall confess your sin(s) and God will forgive and you will be right with Him again and can be a blessing to others.