BLOOD!

Blood. That one simple word can cause such drastic and different responses from people. Some can simply donate or have some drawn and have no issues. Others on the other hand can simply see blood, either their own or someone else's and pass out or faint. I have seen this on many occasions, unfortunately. I have no problem with it. I can see my blood being drawn. I can see a cut or an abrasion and it does nothing to me.

I donated some blood last week, and it got me thinking about the blood of Jesus. If the same blood that I am donating is compatible with another persons blood, and we are two different people, and can save their life, what more can the blood of Jesus do? His blood covered all of our sins!

Romans 5:9 The Voice (VOICE)
⁹ As a result, the blood of Jesus has made us right with God now, and certainly we will be rescued by Him from God’s wrath in the future.

Leviticus 17:11 The Voice (VOICE)

¹¹ You see, the life of the body is in the blood, and I have directed that you are to take blood and offer it on the altar to atone for your lives and cover your sins. It is the life flowing in the blood that atones for you and covers you.

 

So by donating blood the other day, I was picturing what Jesus had done for me/us. He laid down His life for us. He shed His blood for us. So that we may live.

 

Mark 12:31 The Voice (VOICE)

³¹ The second great commandment is this: “Love others in the same way you love yourself.”^[a] There are no commandments more important than these.

 

What better way to show love to our brothers and sisters than donate blood. It literally can save someone's life.

 

John 15:13 The Voice (VOICE)

¹³ There is no greater way to love than to give your life for your friends.

 

I want to imitate Jesus. Be His hands and feet, when ever I can. Amen!

Why Do You??

It is a question I am asked quite a bit. What is it you may ask? "Why do you volunteer so much?"  "What do you mean?" I reply. People want to know why I volunteer so many hours for the Feed My Starving Children mobile pack event. That answer is an easy one. First, God called us to do it. It says so in His word.

Isaiah 58:10(NLT)

¹⁰ Feed the hungry,
    and help those in trouble.
Then your light will shine out from the darkness,
    and the darkness around you will be as bright as noon.

 

Then people want to know why I volunteer handing out food to people in our community with Northern Illinois Food Bank. Once again, God tells us in His word.

 

Matthew 25:35-40(NLT)³⁵ For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. ³⁶ I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’
³⁷ “Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? ³⁸ Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? ³⁹ When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’
⁴⁰ “And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’

Now I'm not calling the people coming to pick up food 'the least of these'. They could be down on their luck, or just having a rough season of life right now. If handing them a bag of food shows them the Love of Jesus and that He cares about them by using me, then use me. Here I am Lord! I am Yours. Do what You want. Have Your way!

Why do you do all these walks? Because I believe in what we are walking for, the cause. I believe that a cure can be found for C/F. Breast cancer. Cancer in general. Raising money for all of these causes, will help doctors and scientist discover a cure that God will provide.

Jeremiah 30:17(NLT)

¹⁷ I will give you back your health    and heal your wounds,” says the Lord.

 

So that's why I 'do' all this volunteering. I not posting this to say or look how good Keven is, cause I'm not. I'm just trying to be the dude that God wants me to be. If He says it in His word, then I want to be a doer, not a watcher.

 

James 1:22 (NLT)²² But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.

Thank You Lord!

 

 

 

 

Have You Ever Felt....................(adjective)?

Have you ever felt _________ fill in the blank. Down, disappointed, frustrated. Depressed, upset, anxious. Hurt, lonely, forgotten, unwanted? If we are honest, we've all been here before. Maybe even more than one at a time. I know I've sure been there before. Even as an adult. It still happens to this day. People say unpleasant things to us, or do mean things. Try to take away our joy, our happiness. Sometimes we really give people this kind of power over us. We try to please everyone, and we just can't do it. There will always be somebody who is upset or mad with you, because you didn't do something exactly they way that they wanted. That is when I really dig into God's word. Look to Him for comfort in these situations.

Galatians 1:10(NLT)
¹⁰ Obviously, I’m not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ’s servant.

When I'm at my job, obviously I want my boss to be happy with my work. I want my co-workers to know that I am giving my best and will be there for them. Although, what  I am really doing is seeking God's approval above all else. He is the one that I am trying to please. I want my work, my attitude, my speech and actions to be a pleasing aroma to my God!

Colossians 3:23-25(MSG)
^22-25 Servants, do what you’re told by your earthly masters. And don’t just do the minimum that will get you by. Do your best. Work from the heart for your real Master, for God, confident that you’ll get paid in full when you come into your inheritance. Keep in mind always that the ultimate Master you’re serving is Christ. The sullen servant who does shoddy work will be held responsible. Being a follower of Jesus doesn’t cover up bad work.

Aren't you glad that you aren't defined by people. People will let us down, time after time. Our identity comes from Jesus Christ. He alone is whom I want to be identified with.

1 Peter 2:9-10(MSG)
^9-10 But you are the ones chosen by God, chosen for the high calling of priestly work, chosen to be a holy people, God’s instruments to do his work and speak out for him, to tell others of the night-and-day difference he made for you—from nothing to something, from rejected to accepted.

So if the enemy comes calling and starts whispering in your ear that you're not good enough, smart enough, whatever enough. Tell him that you are a child of The Most High God. He alone tells me what I am, in Him.

Take Back.

It's time we as Christians take back. Take back our Christianity. Take back our faith. Our boldness for The Lord. We have become sugar coaters of His Word. Telling people what they want to hear instead of what they need to hear. When did we become so sissified in our faith. So afraid to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I'm tired of being told I can't say something about Jesus, you might stir the pot. Well if talking about Jesus and proclaiming His Gospel is stirring the pot, than I am going to stir away!

Romans 1:16 (NIV)
¹⁶ For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.

Matthew 10:33 (MSG)
³² “Stand up for me against world opinion and I’ll stand up for you before my Father in heaven."

Jesus is calling us to stand up for Him no matter what the world brings against us. Christianity is being attacked on all fronts. Seems like the whole world is against us.

John 15:19 (MSG)¹⁹ “If you find the godless world is hating you, remember it got its start hating me. If you lived on the world’s terms, the world would love you as one of its own. But since I picked you to live on God’s terms and no longer on the world’s terms, the world is going to hate you.

We need to stand together, stronger than ever before. Keep speaking the truth. Stop worrying about if we are going to offend anyone. I don't think that Jesus cared if he offended anyone. He told it like it was. He loved all and cared for all, but He let them know that there is only one way to Heaven.
Not many or several, just one. Through Him.

John 14:6 (NLT)
⁶ Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.

We need to repent of our sinful nature. Jesus will be coming back soon. We need to get right with Him.

Matthew 3:2(NLT)

² “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.

 

We need to keep telling others about the reality of hell. The Devil is real and isn't playing around. He wants your soul. This isn't a game with a reset button on it, or a do over. It's a matter of life or death.

 

Ezekiel 3:19 (NLT)
¹⁹ If you warn them and they refuse to repent and keep on sinning, they will die in their sins. But you will have saved yourself because you obeyed me.

 

Heaven is real and Jesus is wanting us to spend eternity with Him. We need to start living for Him, obeying Him.

 

2 Peter 3:9 (MSG)

⁹ God isn’t late with his promise as some measure lateness. He is restraining himself on account of you, holding back the End because he doesn’t want anyone lost. He’s giving everyone space and time to change.

 

I pray that we as Christians stand up and take back everything that has been taken from us. Continue to be bold for Christ. He died for us, so that we may live for Him. Let us not water down or diminish the work that He has done for us.

They Had Time.

It's amazing what God will reveal to me when having conversations with co-workers. A guy was telling us a story of something that happened the other night. He was talking about how he witnessed a car going down the road when it came upon a family of ducks crossing the  road. The mom, dad, and all the little ducklings were trying to cross. The driver had plenty of time to stop, but instead, the driver floored it and proceeded to mow down several of the ducklings and one of the parents. All my co-workers were abhorred by this. They could not believe that someone would do this intentionally. I thought the same thing, but also started thinking, "how come they're not this upset when a women aborts her baby?" The intentional ending of her pregnancy. They were all upset about these ducks being run down, which is indeed sad, but a woman having an abortion is just another normal day. That makes me sad.

Just like this driver had plenty of time to stop from hitting the ducks, a woman has plenty of time before deciding to end the life of her baby. I don't believe that she just wakes up one morning and decides to end her child's life. When a woman becomes pregnant she has three options.
1. Parent. She could choose to carry the baby to term and be a parent.
2. Adoption. Maybe knowing that she can not give her baby the life that she would like, she could choose adoption.
3. Abortion. She can choose to end the life of her unborn child. This what the enemy wants. The first part of John 10:10 tells us,

John 10:10 (NLT)
¹⁰ The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy.

Some of our states are doing very well at proving this verse true. Passing pro-abortion bills that allow late term abortions or even partial birth abortions. The state of Illinois just passed one of the most extreme abortion bills in the country.
Gods word says this to us,

Psalm 82:2-4 (MSG)

^2-4 “Enough! You’ve corrupted justice long enough,
    you’ve let the wicked get away with murder.
You’re here to defend the defenseless,
    to make sure that underdogs get a fair break;
Your job is to stand up for the powerless,
    and prosecute all those who exploit them.”

He wants us to be a voice for the voiceless. To stand up and defend the unborn. He wants us to pray for abortion minded women. Pray that they choose life over death. Pray for those who have aborted and now may have some regrets about it. Pray continually.

1 Thessalonians 5:17 (NLT)
¹⁷ Never stop praying.

This is what I intend to do!

 

God Still Loves You.

This is my encouragement for you today. No matter what has happened this past week, or even today. God still loves you. I know a lot of people are thinking that with what they have done, there is no way that God could still love them. I have had a rough week and half myself. I have yelled at someone and said some not so nice things. It definitely was not pleasing to God, and it did not lift up or encourage whom I was interacting. I apologized to them, and then asked God for forgiveness for my attitude.  At work we use a acronym for certain products that are still being worked on. (WIP) Work in Progress. I see that I am a WIP with The Lord. I am still a work in progress. He isn't finished with me yet. So I turn to His word for direction and instruction. What better place to go for guidance.

Psalm 119:105(NLT)
¹⁰⁵ Your word is a lamp to guide my feet
    and a light for my path

Romans 3:23(ESV)
²³ for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

He knows that we all sin, and fall short of what He wants for us. Everyone of us. There isn't one person better than the other. God loves us all.

Romans 5:8(ESV)⁸ but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

That's right. God knew that we would still sin, but He still sent His son to die for us. So that we may spend eternity with Him. How awesome is that!! When we stumble and fall, we just need to ask for forgiveness and repent from our sin. Once God has us in His hand, no one can take us out of His grasp.

John 10:28-29(NLT)²⁸ I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me, ²⁹ for my Father has given them to me, and he is more powerful than anyone else.^[a] No one can snatch them from the Father’s hand.

Although we still sin and do stupid things, we have a Father who loves us unconditionally. He will never leave us or forsake us.

Nehemiah 9:31(NLT)
³¹ But in your great mercy, you did not destroy them completely or abandon them forever. What a gracious and merciful God you are!

Thank You Lord, for Your Grace and Mercy towards us sinners! Amen!

Ending Up on The Floor.

I was drying dishes the other night like I have many, many, many times before. When I was finished drying, I did something that I have done a million times ever since I was old enough to do chores: I threw the drying towel towards the counter. Like 1/2 million or even 3/4 million times before, it hit the edge of the counter and ended up on the floor. I grumbled under my breath a little saying, "so I see how this is going to go tonight." Sure enough, a few minutes later, I tossed a piece of paper towards the garbage can. You guessed it. It ended up on the floor. Except these two times were a bit different than all the other times. I could sense God trying to tell me something. He was saying to me that He wants all my life, not just my feeble attempts to get near Him. He wants me, just like when I pick up the towel or garbage, to take the extra step to make sure I get to where I need to be. He wants me to place my life in His ever loving arms, not to just throw some of myself His way and hope that I connect but end up on the floor instead. He wants me to intentionally seek Him in everything I do.

Romans 3:23(NLT)
²³ For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.

That's what I felt when the towel & the garbage fell to the floor. That I know that I still sin and fall short of God's glory. No matter how much we work and try, we can still end up on the floor.

 But there is good news.  

Ephesians 2:8-9(NLT)
⁸ God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. ⁹ Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.

That's right. No matter how hard we work or try to attain our salvation, it's only by God's grace that we achieve it. We can not take credit for it or boast about it. It is a gift from God.

 Romans 8:38-39(NLT)
³⁸ And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. ³⁹ No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Once I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior, I am His forever! Nothing can separate me from Him & His love for me. One of these days, I will no longer have stuff ending up on the floor.