The Originator [in my best Arnold voice]

I know it goes without saying that God is both beginning and end, top and bottom, left and right, first and last, Alpha and Omega, the one that was, is and always will be. Colossians 1:15-17 describe Jesus as the image of the invisible God, that all things that are created in heaven and earth, both visible and invisible, throne and dominions, principalities and powers were created through Him and for Him. He is the all and all, the great I AM. If you ask, “is He” His answer is, “I am”. He is the I am healer, the I am strength, I am provider, I am grace, love, life, peace… Basically any problem, any situation or storm, He is the “I am” answer. There is not anything that you’ve been through, are going through or will ever go through that Jesus is not the answer to. He has already accounted for all possible outcomes and has planned every contingency. He has taken into account every sin and mistake you have, are, or will ever commit and has paid the price… IN FULL!!!

That being said, may I encourage each of us to examine our hearts and thoughts? There are many in the body that feel as though their life of service to God is a favor. As though they go to church so now the Almighty owes them. They worship and praise… I mean they even tithe and because they do all of these “favors” for God then God better do what they want, when they want and how they want. Some may even feel that because they said a prayer that this entitles them to salvation.

Listen bud, that’s just not the way it is. Salvation is not a favor given to God. It is a body that was broken and blood that’s been shed. All is all and can’t be any more then all.

Romans 11:33-36 Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out! ³⁴ “For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has become His counselor?” ³⁵ “Or who has first given to Him
And it shall be repaid to him?” ³⁶ For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen.

 

There are no favors done for God, not praise, not worship, not tithing, not attendance, not service, not love, not nothing! (double negative, I know) My point is this: even the things we do for God, the love we give to God, began with Him and it is Christ’s sacrifice at Calvary that enables us to access the grace it takes to love the Lord and to do His will.

Act Now!!!

''This is a limited time offer''... ''You must act now''... ''If you call in the next 5 minutes''... ''Today only''...
Faith must be acted on in the now, if you don't you probably won't and the longer you wait the more you hesitate the greater the chances are you won't act.
As a kid growing up on the Weeki Watchi river we would spend many Saturdays tubing down the river. The Weeki Watchi is a crystal clear spring feed river in central Florida, its best known for it's mermaids. Towards the end of the 5 hour tubing trek there was a place called Hospital Hole. Hospital Hole is a Huge hole in the river that opens to a series of caves. Above the hole was a tall, tall oak tree. We'd jump into the river from a branch that was 60 feet from the surface. Once hitting the water we would scramble to the surface. It was the eeriest feeling when you would swim over the hole and only the bravest would try to swim in. It was as though the abominable river monster would reach up and drag you into its layer. I can remember so vividly climbing the old slippery cut pieces of two by four that had been nailed to the tree. To climb up was likely the most dangerous. Once you got to the branch I'd look down at nothing but a vast amount of air between myself and the river. Some would look and freeze, thy would just stop moving, some would attempt a climb down. Once you've climbed to the top, gotten all the way up the easiest way down is often the scariest... JUMP. One thing I learned from that old oak and eerie cave in the river was that longer you stood there and starred down the more your courage drained. The more your courage drained the better the chances were that you would chicken out. It's that way with faith, if you don't act and act now then slowly the courage to act drains. Occasionally a crowd would gather and begin to chant, ''jump, jump, jump,''. There are times in our faith that God will send individual's into our lives as faith starters. We may not like these people but they push us forward, forward into faith. So today let me be that person, the person that is chanting up to you, jump, jump, jump... JUMPED NOW!!!

Love ya

PJ