When I Consider The Work Of Your Fingers

This picture was taken of the moon last night with my new camera and zoom lens.  I was amazed that the moon's topography could be seen.

"When I consider Your heavens,

the work of Your fingers,

the moon and the stars,

which You have ordained."

Psalm 8:3 (NASB)

Please Your Neighbor

"Each of us is to please his neighbor

for his good,

to his edification."

Romans 15:2 (NASB)

This is my neighborhood at Christmas time. Yesterday morning at 7:30 AM, I woke up to the sound of a vehicle stuck in the snow. When I looked out the window, I saw my next-door-neighbor who was on her way to work, struggling with the recent heavy snowfall. Unfortunately, she didn't have winter tires on her vehicle, only all-seasons.

I quickly got dressed, grabbed my snow shovel, and yelled at my sons who were all sleeping at the time, for one of them to help. I suspected I would need the extra strength to help push her vehicle out.

No amount of shoveling helped. Her tires were useless in deep snow and ice. Her vehicle would get unstuck, only to get stuck again a few yards up the road. 

Wisely, she gave up, turned her vehicle around, and went back home. Then got stuck again in her slanted driveway. This is when my son Chris came out. With his help we were able to push her vehicle back in her garage, where the car was safe from hurting her and other drivers on the road.

Hopefully the experience will cause her to realize the importance of winter tires in Alberta winters and buy a set. Winter tires here are more valuable than oil! And neighbors are more valuable than sleeping in.

Choose This Day Whom You Will Serve

"But if serving the Lord

seems undesirable to you,

then choose for yourselves this day

whom you will serve."

Joshua 24:15a (NIV)

Today, I watched the movie "God's Not Dead" with three of my sons. It was an excellent movie! I cried several times throughout while watching it.

It is sad to think people today who call themselves Christians would not hesitate to refuse to defend Jesus and His righteousness if they knew their decision would result in them suffering pain and humiliation, or having to give up loved ones or long-desired dreams. When the choice is given, most people would choose self or other people they love over God, and yet God chose us over His only begotten Son Jesus Christ.

The Bible says, the apostles rejoiced when they were flogged for speaking in the Name of Jesus because it was a joy to them to be considered worthy to suffer shame for his Name. Even after the apostles were released by the Council and ordered not to speak further in the Name of Jesus, they continued each day to teach and preach Jesus as the Christ..

"They took his advice;

and after calling the apostles in,

they flogged them

and ordered them not to speak in the Name of Jesus,

and then released them.

So they went on their way

from the presence of the Council,

rejoicing that they had been considered worthy

to suffer shame for His Name.

And every day,

in the temple and from house to house,

they kept right on teaching and preaching

Jesus as the Christ."

Acts 5:40-42 (NASB)

Forget Not And Bless The Lord

"Bless the Lord,

O my soul,

and forget none of His benefits."

Psalm 103:2 (NASB)

Well, winter is here and is making up for lost time. The snow has been falling since yesterday and at times it is is heavy. My son Tim and I have to shovel many times through out the day just to keep up with it. It is days like these, our souls must remember the benefits of knowing the Lord. When we do not forget, we can endure anything, even Edmonton winters.

It is With The Heart A Person Believe

God loves us, not because we love Him.

"In this is love,

not that we loved God,

but that He loved us

and sent His Son 

to be the propitiation for our sins."
1 John 4:10 (NASB)

The Bible says God loved us while we were yet sinners, and He demonstrated His love towards us by sending His only Son Jesus Christ to die for our sins.

"But God demonstrates His own love toward us,

in that while we were yet sinners,

Christ died for us."

Romans 5:8 (NASB)

However, salvation is a gift from God, and this gift is received through faith in Him and not of ourselves.

For by grace

you have been saved through faith;

and that not of yourselves,

it is a gift of God."

Ephesians 2:8 (NIV)

And if we believe in God, we must also believe in His Word because the Word is God. Just believing there is a God is not enough. We must believe His Word, as well. 

"In the beginning was the Word,

and the Word was with God,

and the Word was God."
John 1:1 (NASB)

We can't believe in God and His Word halfheartedly either.  We must love and believe in God and all His Word with our whole hearts.

"That if you confess with your mouth

Jesus as Lord,

and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead,

you will be saved;

for with the heart a person believes,

resulting in righteousness,

and with the mouth he confesses,

resulting in salvation."

Romans 10:9-10 (NASB)

It is with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he/she confesses, resulting in salvation. The gift of salvation starts with the heart of God, but it is received by the hearts of man. God gave up His life for us so that we may be saved, but we must now give up our hearts to Him to receive this salvation from God.

We Don't Live; Christ Lives In Us

When we become a child of God, our old self is crucified with Christ. We no longer live, but Christ lives in us. We now live in our earthly body by trusting, not in ourselves, but in the Son of God who now lives inside of us.

"My old self has been crucified with Christ.

It is no longer I who live,

but Christ lives in me.

So I live in this earthly body

by trusting in the Son of God,

who loved me

and gave Himself for me."

Galatians 2:20 (NLT)

When we give our hearts to God, we now have a desire to live for Him because God now lives inside us. The Christian life isn't trying to obey a bunch of rules. It simply means, we breathe for Him and this changes everything we say and do. This is why the commandments of God can be summed up to one: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind."

A Helper To Abide With You Forever

God sent His only Son Jesus Christ to die on the Cross because He loves us, not because we love Him. However, in return God commands us to love Him back. Jesus Christ dying on the Cross does not save everyone in the whole world from damnation. In order to be saved, people must first give their whole hearts and lives to Him. When we do this, God sends His Holy Spirit to reside in each of us as our Helpmate, and it is the Holy Spirit we rely on to be transformed into the image of Jesus Christ.

"I will ask the Father,

and He will give you another Helper,

that He may be with you forever;

that is the Spirit of truth,

whom the world cannot receive,

because it does not see Him

or know Him,

but you know Him 

because He abides with you 

and will be in you."

John 14:16-17 (NIV)

The Holy Spirit is described in Scripture as the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and strength, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.

"The Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him,

The Spirit of wisdom and understanding,

the Spirit of counsel and strength,

the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord."

Isaiah 11:2 (NIV)

We are not alone. We have God's Holy Spirit to give us the wisdom, understanding, counsel, strength, knowledge and fear of the Lord, so we can live for God and be His witnesses.