Who Do You Really Choose?

What the object of the love of the heart is object of the choice of the will. And such as is the choice of your wills such are you. If you choose the world before Christ, I dare boldly to call you a worldly man! If you choose pleasures before Christ, I dare confidently to declare you a voluptuous man! But if Christ is chosen before all other things I may term you to be a truly holy man. 

Suppose then the world, and all the riches thereof, and all the honors and the pleasures of it, were set on the one hand and Christ on the other hand. Which would you really choose? It is an easy thing to say that you would choose Christ, and not the world. But my question is: Which you would really choose? 

Can you say, and appeal to God who knows your heart: "Lord, you who know all things You know that I choose Christ before riches, Christ before pleasures, liberty, life, or anything that is dear unto me in this world. You know that I would rather have Christ without the world than the world without Christ. You know that I would rather have the Lord Jesus with disgrace, with poverty, and with the cross than all the treasures of the world!" This must be a man's choice, or he cannot be said to have sincere love to Jesus Christ. If Jesus is not loved above all, He is not sincerely loved at all! 

[Thomas Doolittle]

Matthew 6:24 ... No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

Isaiah 41:10 ... Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. ❤

Pick The Right Side

The Bible will keep you from sin. 

 OR 

 Sin will keep you from the Bible. 

 [D. L. Moody]

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Deuteronomy 30:15 ... See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil;

Isaiah 7:15 ... Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good.

Amos 5:14 ... Seek good, and not evil, that ye may live: and so the Lord, the God of hosts, shall be with you, as ye have spoken.

Joshua 24:15 ... And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. ❤

Salvation ...

A true Christian would want every single person to know the LORD Jesus Christ and to be saved!

Acts 13:47 ... For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth. ❤

Religion vs. Gospel

The Bible is a living, breathing document. How you read it will determine how you see Christ. 

[Christopher Gregory]

2 Timothy 2:15 ... Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. ❤

This Cheating and Deluding Scene!

A form is seen coming up from the wilderness; but not alone, not unsupported. There is another form near the first, and on Him all weight is laid. The truth is clear. We see the Christian deriving support from his Lord. They proceed together along a path leading up from the wilderness. The believer is called to leave all for Christ; to come out from a fallen and polluted world; to shun its pleasures; to turn from its smiles; to disregard its frowns; to close its ear to its enticing voice; to reject its fascinating cup; to trample on its principles and maxims; to feel that the world in its every aspect is opposed to Christ. Such views are the true teachings of the Spirit. 

The believer, a pupil in this school, arises and departs. But there is no profit in what he abandons. The world, when truly seen, is a waste wilderness. It is no fair garden of Eden, fragrant with beauteous flowers. It is no vineyard, in which grapes hang down in luxuriant clusters. It is no peaceful meadow, free from incursions of devouring beasts. It is no lovely grove, in which the melody of cheerful birds delights the ear. It is no pleasant path, in which surrounding prospects give enchanting views. It is a desert wild, dismal, and unsatisfying! 

Here no manna falls, and no refreshing streams trickle by the side. Its food is poison. To taste is to imbibe death. What is its produce? Thorns! Thistles! Briers! It yields no nurture but disappointment, misery and woe. It is an enemy's land, beset with perils and encompassed with malignant foes. The believer is called to come up from this cheating and deluding scene! 

But how can the Christian obey? He is weak and powerless in himself. But a mighty arm is nearby! Jesus says: "Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will hold on to you with my righteous right hand!" (Isaiah 41:10) He extends the arm of His omnipotence and cries, "Come, lean on Me!" 

As without Jesus the first step cannot be taken, so without Him advance cannot be made. But He is ever near, willing, and able. The heavenward path is a steep ascent. It requires strong limbs to climb. But leaning on Jesus, the upward race may be run without loitering. The path also, through life's course, is slippery. Our feet are liable to slip. Snares and pitfalls are before us. Our feet are liable to stumble. But leaning on Him we are upheld, and safely guided. 

Thus, let us pass through life leaning on our Beloved. Let us lean on Him as we pass through the valley of the shadow of death. His rod and staff will surely comfort us. Let us enter Heaven leaning on the same arm. "Who is this coming up from the wilderness, leaning on her Beloved?" 

[Henry Law] 

Song of Solomon 8:5 ... Who is this that cometh up from the wilderness, leaning upon her beloved? I raised thee up under the apple tree: there thy mother brought thee forth: there she brought thee forth that bare thee.

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How Will I Vote?

 I will vote for the most pro-life candidate, because God hates the shedding of innocent blood. 

(Proverbs 6:17)

I will vote for the most Pro-Israel candidate, because God blesses those who bless Israel and He curse those who don't. (Genesis 12:3)

I will vote for the most pro-debt reduction candidate, because the borrower is the servant to the lender. 

(Proverbs 22:7)

I will vote for the most pro-wok candidate, because God says if a man won't work let him eat not. 

(2 Thessalonians 3:10)

I will vote for the most pro-marriage candidate, because God is for marriage defined as between one man and one woman. (Genesis 2:24)

I will vote for the candidate who most closely believes that government's purpose is to reward good and punish evil. (Romans 13)

I will vote based as close as I can on the Word of God. (2 Timothy 3:16)

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The Scariest Verse!!

Since Halloween is said to be the scariest day of the year, I was asked to create an image of what many believe to be the scariest verse in the Bible.

                                                        www.ChristianPhotoshops.com

Matthew 7:21-23 ... Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.❤

5 Steps to Voting as a Christian

 Yes, VOTE.

But always keep your focus on the Lord.

Hebrews 2:2 ...  Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Five Steps to Voting as a Christian by Roger Sappington

5 Steps to Voting as a Christian | Next Step Disciple

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Service and Meekness

If I actively labor for Christ I can only find rest in the labor, by possessing the meek spirit of my Lord. For if I go forth to labor for Christ without a meek spirit, I shall very soon find that there is no rest in it, for the yoke will gall my shoulder. Somebody will begin objecting that I do not perform my work according to his liking. 

If I am not meek, I shall find my proud spirit rising at once and shall be for defending myself; I shall be irritated, or I shall be discouraged and inclined to do no more, because I am not appreciated as I should be. A meek spirit is not apt to be angry and does not soon take offence.  Therefore, if others find fault, the meek spirit goes working on and is not offended it will not hear the sharp word, nor reply to the severe criticism. 

If the meek spirit be grieved by some cutting censure and suffers for a moment, it is always ready to forgive and blot out the past and go on again. The meek spirit, in working, only seeks to do good to others; it denies itself; it never expected to be well treated; it did not aim at being honored; it never sought itself but purposed only to do good to others. 

The meek spirit does not look to be exalted it is fully contented if it can exalt Christ and do good to his chosen ones. Your labor will become very easy if your spirits are very meek. It is the proud spirit that gets tired of doing good if it finds its labors not appreciated. 

[Charles Spurgeon]

Matthew 11:29 ...  Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. ❤

Five Sharp Stings!

Many love sin, more than God. What is there in sin that any should love it? Sin is a debt. "Forgive us our debts." (Matthew 6:12) Sin is a debt which binds over to the wrath of God! And will you love sin? Does any man love to be in debt? Sin is a disease. "Your whole head is injured; your whole heart is sick. From the sole of your foot to the top of your head there is no soundness-only wounds and welts and open sores, not cleansed or bandaged or soothed with oil." (Isaiah 1:5-6) And will you love sin? Will any man hug a disease? Will he love his plague sores? Sin is a pollution. The apostle calls it "filthiness." (James 1:21) It is compared to leprosy and to poison of asps! 

Sin is a hideous monster. Lust makes a man brutish-and malice makes him devilish! What is in sin to be loved? Shall we love deformity? God's heart rises against sinners. "My soul loathed them!"(Zechariah 11:8)  

Sin is an enemy. It is compared to a "serpent". Sin has five sharp stings: shame, guilt, horror, death, damnation! Will a man love that which seeks his death? Surely then it is better to love God than sin. God will save you, but sin will damn you! 

Is he not a fool who loves damnation! But love to God will never let sin thrive in the heart. The love of God withers sin. The flower of love kills the weed of sin! How should we labor for that grace of love to God-which is the only corrosive to destroy sin! 

[Thomas Watson]

Romans 1:28-32 ... And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them. ❤

The Sins of The Saints

Bernard of Clairvaux once mentioned an old man who, upon hearing about any professing Christian who fell into sin, would say to himself: "He fell today; I may fall tomorrow!" The apostle Paul commended the same mindset when he wrote, "let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall." (1 Corinthians 10:12) 

There is great wisdom in not trusting our own ability to stand. When I was a boy, my father would often say, "The person I trust least of all is myself." It should shock us to hear a professing Christian say, "I would never do that," or "How could anyone do that?" Consider the following: 

If Adam, an innocent man, could choose a piece of fruit over the infinitely valuable God (Genesis 3:6);  if Noah, the most righteous man of his day, could get so drunk that he passed out naked before his sons in his tent (Genesis 9:21);  if Abraham, the most faithful man of his day, could father a child with his wife's handmaiden (Genesis 16:1-4) and twice hand his wife over to other men (Genesis 12:11-15; 20:1-2);  if Sarah, the mother of promise, could laugh at the words of the God of promise and then lie to Him about doing so (Genesis 18:9-15);  if "righteous Lot" could greedily pick the most materialistic and sexually depraved place for himself and his family to live (Genesis 13:8-13), and could hand his daughters over to the sexually perverse men of the city (Genesis 19:4-8);  if Isaac, the son of promise, could show partiality to his oldest son because he liked his hunting skills (Genesis 25:28), and he, too, could hand his wife over to another man (Genesis 26:6-11); and if Jacob, the namesake of Israel, could swindle his brother for a birthright (Genesis 25:29-34), then so could I. 

If Moses, the meekest man on the planet, could act in such sinful anger and unbelief that God would not let him into the Promised Land (Numbers 20:7-12);  if his successor Joshua, could disobediently covenant with pagans (Joshua 9);  if Gideon, the mighty man of valor, could fall into idolatry at the end of his life (Judges 8:22-27); and if Samson, the strongest man who ever lived, could be defeated by wine and women (Judges 14-16), then so could I. if David, the man after God's own heart, could commit adultery and premeditate the murder of one of his mighty men (2 Samuel 11);  if Solomon, the wisest man, could foolishly allow his heart to be led astray by a thousand women to worship foreign gods (1 Kings 11);  if Jeremiah, the weeping prophet, could charge God with deceiving His people (Jeremiah 4:10); and if Elijah, a prophet of Israel, could self-righteously run from the mission of God (Jonah 1-3), then so could I. 

 If John the Baptist, the forerunner of Christ, could doubt the identity of the One to whom he bore witness (Matthew 11:2-3); and if the Apostle Peter could try to stop Jesus from going to the cross (Matthew 16:21-23), deny Jesus (Luke 22:54-61), argue with the Lord about the gospel and its implications (John 13:6-10; Acts 10:9-16), and support division in the church over the doctrine of justification by faith alone (Galatians 2:11-21), then so could I. 

If James and John could use Jesus to get to the top (Mark 10:35-37) and could want to call fire down from Heaven on those who did not believe the gospel (Luke 9:51-55); and if the Apostle John could twice fall down to worship angels (Revelation 19:9-10; Revelation 22:8-9), then so could I. 

We must resist the temptation of thinking that we can stand in our own strength. We must depend on the grace of the One who said, "Apart from Me you can do nothing" (John 15:5). The greatest believers are subject to great weaknesses. In no way do these truths give a license to sin; instead, they give a sober realization that by nature, "nothing good dwells in us." (Romans 7:18) 

We must distrust ourselves, bear with the weak, and hold fast to Christ. We must flee to our Great High Priest, who was tempted in all points as we are, yet never sinned. We must go to Him for grace and mercy to withstand temptations, and we must go to Him for grace and mercy if we fall.

[Nick Batzig]  

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1 Corinthians 15:10 ...  But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.

Psalm 119:117 ...  Hold thou me up, and I shall be safe: and I will have respect unto thy statutes continually. ❤