The Christian Life...

Then Jesus said to the disciples, "If any of you wants to be my follower, you must put aside your selfish ambition, shoulder your cross, and follow me. Matthew 16:24

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To be a Christian means to be a follower of Christ and to turn over our will and desire to Him. The first thing that we are supposed to learn when we become Christians is that we are now owned by Jesus Christ. This is what we call, "Lordship. We don't just call Him Lord. He really is Lord of our entire lives. Many people don't want to come to Christ because they believe that the sacrifice of self is too big of a price to pay, when the truth is yielding completely to the Lord won't cost you anything. It will only cause you to live life to its fullest. Jesus came for you to have life, more abundant life (John 10:10). Most people don't believe that God said what He meant and meant what He said.

"My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge" Hosea 4:6. When you turn over your being to the world, you are trading your diseases, your, lacks and worries for a life of health, prosperity and peace. How important would a lifetime of pleasure seem when compared to an eternity separated from God and all the blessings of life with him? How foolish will it be to seek comfort and riches of the world while ignoring the issue of our soul's eternal salvation? Some people want to wait until they are older to follow Christ but the truth is some of us don't get to grow old. People die at all ages, waiting for tomorrow might be the biggest mistake one can ever make; besides, it is better to start living in perfect harmony with Christ now, if we are going to spend eternity with Him, it is wise to develop a relationship with Him right here on earth. While Jesus called his followers to deny themselves, take up their crosses, and follow, He also promised awesome rewards:
Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it." (Matthew 16:24-25)

God is such a Great Father. He sent His son to die for our salvation. He is the creator of all. He has it all, but your life is the only thing that God cannot have unless you give it to Him. God gave you life so that you would have something valuable to give to Him. I don't want you to give up your life for opportunities. Give up your self simply because you love Him. Look into yourself and decide once and for all to follow Christ.

Praise the Lord!

Psalm 54

1 Save me, O God, by your name;
vindicate me by your might.
2 Hear my prayer, O God;
listen to the words of my mouth.

3 Arrogant foes are attacking me;
ruthless people are trying to kill me—
people without regard for God.

4 Surely God is my help;
the Lord is the one who sustains me.

5 Let evil recoil on those who slander me;
in your faithfulness destroy them.

6 I will sacrifice a freewill offering to you;
I will praise your name, LORD, for it is good.
7 You have delivered me from all my troubles,
and my eyes have looked in triumph on my foes.

Psalm 47

1 Clap your hands, all you nations;
shout to God with cries of joy.

2 For the LORD Most High is awesome,
the great King over all the earth.
3 He subdued nations under us,
peoples under our feet.
4 He chose our inheritance for us,
the pride of Jacob, whom he loved.[b]

5 God has ascended amid shouts of joy,
the LORD amid the sounding of trumpets.
6 Sing praises to God, sing praises;
sing praises to our King, sing praises.
7 For God is the King of all the earth;
sing to him a psalm of praise.

8 God reigns over the nations;
God is seated on his holy throne.
9 The nobles of the nations assemble
as the people of the God of Abraham,
for the kings[c] of the earth belong to God;
he is greatly exalted.

Psalm 48

1 Great is the LORD, and most worthy of praise,
in the city of our God, his holy mountain.

2 Beautiful in its loftiness,
the joy of the whole earth,
like the heights of Zaphon is Mount Zion,
the city of the Great King.
3 God is in her citadels;
he has shown himself to be her fortress.

4 When the kings joined forces,
when they advanced together,
5 they saw her and were astounded;
they fled in terror.
6 Trembling seized them there,
pain like that of a woman in labor.
7 You destroyed them like ships of Tarshish
shattered by an east wind.

8 As we have heard,
so we have seen
in the city of the LORD Almighty,
in the city of our God:
God makes her secure
forever.[c]

9 Within your temple, O God,
we meditate on your unfailing love.
10 Like your name, O God,
your praise reaches to the ends of the earth;
your right hand is filled with righteousness.
11 Mount Zion rejoices,
the villages of Judah are glad
because of your judgments.

12 Walk about Zion, go around her,
count her towers,
13 consider well her ramparts,
view her citadels,
that you may tell of them
to the next generation.

14 For this God is our God for ever and ever;
he will be our guide even to the end.

Psalm 51

1 Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion
blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash away all my iniquity
and cleanse me from my sin.

3 For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is always before me.
4 Against you, you only, have I sinned
and done what is evil in your sight;
so you are right in your verdict
and justified when you judge.
5 Surely I was sinful at birth,
sinful from the time my mother conceived me.
6 Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb;
you taught me wisdom in that secret place.

7 Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
8 Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones you have crushed rejoice.
9 Hide your face from my sins
and blot out all my iniquity.

10 Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
11 Do not cast me from your presence
or take your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation
and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
so that sinners will turn back to you.
14 Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God,
you who are God my Savior,
and my tongue will sing of your righteousness.
15 Open my lips, Lord,
and my mouth will declare your praise.
16 You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it;
you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.
17 My sacrifice, O God, is[b] a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart
you, God, will not despise.

18 May it please you to prosper Zion,
to build up the walls of Jerusalem.
19 Then you will delight in the sacrifices of the righteous,
in burnt offerings offered whole;
then bulls will be offered on your altar.

How About the Children?

Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one's youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate. Psalms 127:3-5

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My parents were the single (most important) factor in leading me to pursue a relationship with Jesus Christ. They did not have to force me to follow Christ, but their example of godly living, their challenges and triumphs convinced me at early age, that God was indeed real. Even their defeats and constant efforts to walk in the Word made me want to read my Bible, attend church, and know more about God and more importantly encouraged me to open up my heart to Christ. It is important to remember that children have been given to parents for a few short years so that they might help them to mature into the image of God. Parents have to do everything in their power to mold them into the image of God. Being part of a large family, children have always been a major part of my life. Along with the joy that each child brings into our lives, comes the challenge to raise each of them according to God’s guidelines. A huge part of that challenge is passing on the faith to kids whose priorities are all the High-Tech gadgets (cellular phones, Ipods, video games, sporting events, and the latest trends in clothes, without forgetting the ultimate influence that television has become). And let's not forget the ever dangerous peer pressure that offers temptations of drugs, alcohol and sexual promiscuity. Today's children are faced with an obvious absence of godly examples and moral living in a society that is moving toward "freedom from religion" instead of "freedom of religion. It is imperative that we all remember that successful parenting always begins within the parent's own relationship with God.

“You shall have no other gods before me” (Exodus 20:3). What most parents tend to forget is that children see them put everything in the world ahead of God. It may be money, a career, a spouse or friend, etc. Whatever comes ahead of God in your life and mine is an idol and it sends a message to our children. We are telling them, by our actions, that this thing we love comes ahead of our love for God. Children need to know that no one or no thing comes before our relationship with God. He must be our focus. If we teach them that God is just for Sundays, we are going to raise a generation of hypocrites. We have to live our faith. We cannot teach our children one doctrine while we apply a different to our daily living. And we start when they are young. Many parents fail to teach the children valuable lessons at early age and while they are waiting for them to grow up, they often regrettably found out that it is too late. Proverbs 22:6 tells us to train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it. By following God's word we can raise children who resist and serve God faithfully.

Friend, raising children is challenging but it is also one of the most awesome responsibilities any human being can face. The teaching in addition to the conduct of parents will influence children, not just for their immediate future, but for eternity. You and I will largely determine how our children live their lives and more importantly where they will spend eternity.

Praise the Lord!