When You Remove God, Family

Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.

A new Pew Research Center report confirms that marriage continues to lose ground to other arrangements. Living together outside of Marriage and even not Marrying. Some just chose living alone.

"According to census data cited in the report, barely half of adults ages 18 and older are married– 51% in 2010, compared with 72% in 1960. This decline is especially notable for young adults: 20% of 18- to 29-year-olds were married in 2010, compared with 59% in 1960."

Couple this with the decline in Traditional Families,,,

"In 1950 80% of US households were the traditional 2 parent & kids nuclear family. Now the figure is 47%."

All the research shows that a Child does far better, when they have a Mother and Father in the house. Fathers seem to become the most powerful influence, especially with the Male Child, in both the positive and negative sense. Not chauvinistic, just plain fact. If the Father is abusive and an Alcoholic, chances are, they will birth those negative traits in their Sons. If they are good, and hard working, those will be passed on. Remember, children learn far more by observation than they ever do listening to what you say.

If the Father is not there however, they lack this influence. They do not learn how to treat Women, responsibility, and how to be a God fearing Male. Study after study shows, that most of the troubled youth, did NOT have a Father in the home. Without that influence, and the Sexualization of the American Culture, Hooters. Paris Hilton. Britney Spears. Wardrobe malfunction. Online pornography. Girls Gone Wild. Viagra. Erectile dysfunction ads. "Neighbor Bob." Rap Music, ETC, these fill the void. They grow and learn, it's all about them. They need not care about anyone or anything. If some "Bitch" wants to live in their world for a bit, so be it. Girls without Dads, go "OK. I will be your doormat." They have kids, and the Man leaves, cycle continues to get worse.

Here is a true story for ya. This is something that you Fathers out there, need to fully get. Your Children will become YOU. I did not grow up with a Father in the House. I did not meet my Dad until I was 21 years old. When I did, I found out something amazing to me. I AM him. My personality. My attitude. The way I am. I AM him. I look like, talk like, walk like, and share the same traits.

My whole life, if I walk into somewhere more than two times, I become like family to those there. There are Delis in NY where I made my own sandwiches. Restaurants where I actually have my own Table. The people there know what I want when I walk in. One Bakery will never accept a penny from me, despite my protest, for anything I ask for. When I walk into Mini-Marts, some will literately jump the counter to make me a fresh pot of Coffee. Who am I?

One day, I was visiting my Dad. He said to me, "Grab the VCR Son. We are going to the Butcher." "Uh, OK." So I did. We walk into the Butcher Shop, and the Butcher says "Hey Percy. There is no denying that's your Boy." My Dad says "Yeah. This is my youngest, Peter. Give him the VCR Son." So I did. "You know where everything is Percy. I'll get this going and be right back,." My Dad then went behind the counter and cut his own meat. The Butcher came out of the back and gave us back the VCR and said "All fixed. Did you get what you needed?" My Dad told him yes, and thanked him. We walked out.

My point is, to all you Fathers out there, your Children will become you. How they turn out is up to YOU. Women, keep this in mind when selecting a Father for your future children. Now do not get offended. I understand there are a lot of single Moms out there. Am I saying that you are doing a bad job raising your kids? Nope. I am simply stating fact. My Grandmother DID put a positive Male Role Model in my life. Minus a Dad, Grandma put God.

You see, God's Plan for Family is simple.

Genesis 2:

23 And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.

24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.

Jesus quotes this verse.

Matthew 19:

3 The Pharisees also came unto him, tempting him, and saying unto him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause?

4 And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female,

5 And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh?

6 Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.

Over 50 percent of Marriages end in Divorce. Some even go into it thinking, and some even saying, this is my first Marriage. If it does work out, eh? Get a Divorce. Who cares. Better to live alone than unhappily Married.

This is not God's Plan. God's Plan is simple. "For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder." You get Married to STAY Married. There are Three, Biblically acceptable, pardons of Marital responsibility, or acceptable reasons for Divorce.

Death {Matthew 22: 23-30}
Adultery {Matthew 19: 3-9}
One becomes a Child of God, the other leaves. {2 Corinthians 6:14 and 1 Corinthians 7:12-16}

Once Married,,,

Ephesians 5:

21 Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.

22 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.

23 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.

24 Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.

25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;

26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,

27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.

28 So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.

29 For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church:

30 For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.

31 For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.

32 This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.

33 Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.

In days gone bye, Divorce was not only frowned upon, those that got Divorced were even shunned. Now in today's culture, not only is Divorce no big deal, but it is accepted, and in some cases, expected. As a matter of fact, Marriage itself is becoming frowned upon.

Here is another true story. A young couple, I am friends with, got pregnant. The Woman doesn't work, and the Man works a job that pays very little. They go to the Government for assistance. The Woman is told by the nice smiling lady taking her request for assistance this. "We would love to help you. We will pay for the Birth, all the Baby stuff. Food for you and the Baby. We can even help you with the Rent and bills." My friend said, "That's GREAT! Such a relief." The lady said, "Oh wait. Does the Father live there?" "Yes." "Oh, I'm sorry. There is nothing I can do for you. If the Father was not there, we would take care of all your needs. But with him there, there is little I can do. It most likely will not be approved."

I have another Single Mother friend that told me she was told by a Government Assistance person, "Need more money, have another kid." These are not some made up stories, or scenes from Hollywood or TV. This is the really real world. The Government tells Women, "WE will become Daddy to your Children. We will Educate your Children. Just make sure that they do not wear a shirt that says Jesus on it, or Pray in School , or anything dumb like that. We will meet your needs, and teach your children what they need to know. You just know your role and make sure you do not allow the Father to stay in the home. We are the Father now."

Why? Simple. He who controls the youth, controls the future. The kids grow up knowing that Government is god. Government is the answer to all things. They have kids and the cycle goes on. I've use this example, I think, before. You live up on top of a mountain. Just you and your family, and let's stay another family. You raise your kids from birth teaching them the Sky is Red, Grass is Blue, and two plus two equals five. You teach them Trees are Holy. They grow up, and even though this is all a lie, it becomes a truth to them. It becomes THEIR reality. They have kids and so on. Soon you have generations on the mountain that KNOW the Sky is Red, Grass is Blue, and two plus two equals five. Some of them, zealots, may even kill you if they ever saw you cut down a tree. Trees are Holy you know.

We will talk more about what happens when you remove God from Society next time, but it all starts in the Family. When you remove God from the Family, something else takes His place. Generations later, many do not even know who God is and what role He places in a Marriage and a Family. Government and other things take Gods place. Why do you think people are actually writing to the President, asking him to change actors in movies. Why do you think people call 911 when Fast Food Restaurants run out of Chicken Nuggets. Because they know no better.

God's Plan for Family is simple. Get Married. Stay Married. Have Kids. Teach the Kiddies the ways of God. When time, and if needed, Kids take care of your Parents. Be a Family. Love and Honor each other. Teach each other. Share God's Word with each other.

Used to be that the Church and others, would come together, and assist and take care of those in need. It was the Church and others that would come together and care for the Widows and her Children. Now, it is the Government. now we have what we have. Keep God in the Family. Fashion your Family in the way of God's Plan. Allow Him to be the answer to all things. You will have a far better and happy Family.

Do you know Jesus as your Savior? Have you been adopted into the Family of God? Can you allow God to be the head of your Family? If not, say this Prayer. Right now. Wherever you may be. Say it in your own words, and do not doubt in your heart. God will hear you. He will send the Spirit of Life to you. Let us Pray..

"Oh heavenly Father, Lord God. I am a sinner. I know this. I know there is nothing I can do to change that. But I know you can. I accept Jesus's sacrifice for me. I repent my sins. Please send the Spirit of Adoption into my life. Help me to get to know the real you. Save me. Please. In the name of Jesus, Amen!"

That's it. It really is that simple. Now go tell someone what you have just done. "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." {Romans 10:9} You need to find a Church that God leads you to, and be Baptized the way Jesus said to be. You are now a Child of God. A new Creature. You "have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him." {Colossians 3:10}

If you want to tell me, or comment, question, give testimonials, or just say "Hi," the Email is opntalk@gmail.com

Until next time, be blessed, be a blessing, and Jesus IS Lord of all!

When You Remove God? Personal Life.

Something else ALWAYS takes His place.

It always happens. Something is always there. When God is present, His Righteousness and the fruit of the Spirit are present. When He is not, the fruit of the flesh is present. The devil is present. His ways and his unrighteousness rule the day. We are going to look at this very real truth a bit more in depth. The evidence is clear and all around us.

From Families, to Public Schools, to Society and America itself today, you can clearly see the difference with God and minus God. From Healthcare, to Businesses, to everyday life, if God is not present, something else IS. God makes it very clear....

God is Love. The devil is hate. God is Righteous. The devil is evil. God gives you the Spirit of Life, which if you walk in the Spirit, you receive the fruit of the Spirit. The devil is lord of the air, and he is one the feeds the flesh, and if you walk in the flesh, you will receive the fruit of the flesh.

Romans 8:

5 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.

6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.

8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.

Galatians 5:

16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.

17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.

Where the Spirit of life is, the spirit of death must flee. They cannot occupy the same place at the same time. the are completely contrary to one another. What are the fruits they produce?

The flesh:

Galatians 5:

19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,

20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,

21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

The Spirit:

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,

23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

Which fruit would you rather be receiving on a daily bases? This is a Spiritual Law. This will happen. Minus one, get the other. When you reject the Wisdom of God, you start to rely on the Wisdom of the world.

1 Corinthians 1:

17 For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.

18 For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.

19 For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.

20 Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?

21 For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.

22 For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom:

23 But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness;

24 But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.

25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

26 For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:

27 But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;

28 And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are:

29 That no flesh should glory in his presence.

The Wisdom of God is always better.

James 3:

17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.

If you allow the wisdom of the world to be your guide through life itself, you will receive what the world will give you. The world tells you "There is no God. There is nothing greater than you. Live as you will. There is nothing after. You simply cease to exist. You come to nothing."

This "wisdom" is full of evil. It will allow others to come in and take control of your life. It will cause you to be fearful of all things. Where is my next meal coming from? Where will I live. What will I do if I get sick. How can I survive? "Don't worry. We got ya. We will take care of you cradle to the grave. Just know your role and shut your mouth and let us rule over you."

You know folks, I will never forget two incidents that I witnessed. The first was this man who makes high end Suits. You would know the name. He was standing in the back of one of his Stores and his employee said, "I have to stop and get milk on the way home. I hope I got enough." He heard her and came over to her and took out the wad of cash. He handed her some money and said, how much is a gallon of milk? Like what Twenty Dollars?" He had no clue.

Then another time I was in the Hotel Lobby when I heard these two guys talking about being delayed by a construction crew. One man said "Can you believe that? Why do they not do these things at night.?" The other said "Oh don't give them such a hard time. What do they make? Like Twenty to Thirty Dollars an hour? They make nothing." The other "Yeah I guess you right." They had no clue.

You see, the Rich have no clue. They do not shop. They do not have to rely on a paycheck. They do not have to pay bills. They have no clue. The world could fall apart around them, and as long as they got theirs, all is fine.

However? The poor have no clue either. Seriously. Think about it. If someone came to me and said, "Pete, come live in my house. You have full use of everything there. Electric, TV, Phone, Meals, everything. You want to go somewhere, no problem. The car will take you there.I'll even give you some money to buy things." So I go and live with the man. "All I ask is that you say yes, every two years. Others will come and try to take over my house, but they can't as long as you say yes to me staying here. If you say no, then your free ride is over." So all I have to do, is live. I do not have any money of my own, but I don't really need it do I? All I have to do is make sure that the Master of the House stays the Master of the House.

So someone say to me, "Have you seen the price of gas?" Nope. I get free rides. "Have you seen the price of milk?" Nope. I get free milk. "Do you see how bad it is getting out there?" Nope. As long as I am getting mine, I'm fine. All I have do to is do what the Master of the House says, and I'm good.

I have kids, and the kids grow up in this mentality. It becomes the norm for them. They actually know no better. They want nothing more. They are content. So a few generations pass, and my decedents simply do whatever the Master says and they keep the Master in power over them. They do so happily.

I just read this article in the UK Daily Mail, where this Psychologist has made a prediction that by 2041, I love how they always come up with dates, but by 2041, Religion could disappear. Dr Nigel Barber says:

"Research has shown that religion declines not just with rising national wealth but also with all plausible measures of the quality of life, including length of life, decline of infectious diseases, education, the rise of the welfare state, and more equal distribution of income.

Clearly, there is less of a market for religion in societies where ordinary people feel secure in their daily lives. In the most developed countries, such as Japan and Sweden, the quality of life is so good that the majority is already secular."

We will talk about how Government is replacing God in Families and Society next time, but this is WHY we can easily fall into this trap and bondage of others. As long as our needs are met, and we have some stuff, we do not need to look anywhere else.

But these are false promises. Your needs might be met for a time, but then there will come a time, that for whatever reason, the Master of the House either can or no longer wants to meet your needs. Then you are left on your own, without any knowledge of how to fend for yourself. Now what?

Remember, the works of the flesh are "Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings." These WILL come into your life if you walk in the flesh. If you remove God and the Spirit, this is what you are left with. They will come. God told us, after the Flood, that He saw that the heart of man is evil.

Genesis 8:

20 And Noah builded an altar unto the Lord; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar.

21 And the Lord smelled a sweet savour; and the Lord said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake; for the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done.

It really is not a conscience choice. It is Human Nature. Either you receive the Spirit of Adoption, The Holy Spirit, walk in the Spirit, or you will walk in the flesh. You will reap those things you sow, if you know what it is you sow or not.

Galatians 6:

7 Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.

Be mindful that you do not live your life of the rewards of this world. For you shall have your reward in the end. Remember the story Jesus told us of the Rich Man?

Luke 16:

19 There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day:

20 And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores,

21 And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.

22 And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;

23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.

24 And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.

25 But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.

26 And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.

27 Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house:

28 For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.

29 Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.

30 And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent.

31 And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.

It really is simple to understand. If you rely on yourself, or on the world, you will receive the things of the world. If you rely on God, the things of God. You know what I tell people that tell me I'm wasting my time believing in God. That there is nothing after. We all just come to nothing? I tell them the truth. "I would rather believe in God, and come to nothing, than believe in nothing and come to God." In the end, Every knee shall bow, and every tong shall confess. I would not want to stand before the White Thrown and hear the Lord say 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’" {Matthew 7}

Do you know Jesus as your Savior? Have you been adopted into the Family of God? If not, say this Prayer. Right now. Wherever you may be. Say it in your own words, and do not doubt in your heart. God will hear you. He will send the Spirit of Life to you. Let us Pray..

"Oh heavenly Father, Lord God. I am a sinner. I know this. I know there is nothing I can do to change that. But I know you can. I accept Jesus's sacrifice for me. I repent my sins. Please send the Spirit of Adoption into my life. Help me to get to know the real you. Save me. Please. In the name of Jesus, Amen!"

That's it. It really is that simple. Now go tell someone what you have just done. "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." {Romans 10:9} You need to find a Church that God leads you to, and be Baptized the way Jesus said to be. You are now a Child of God. A new Creature. You "have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him." {Colossians 3:10}

If you want to tell me, or comment, question, give testimonials, or just say "Hi," the Email is opntalk@gmail.com

Until next time, be blessed, be a blessing, and Jesus IS Lord of all!

A Healthy Regret by Max Lucado

There is an old story about the time Emperor Frederick the Great visited Potsdam Prison. He spoke with the prisoners, and each man claimed to be innocent, a victim of the system. One man, however, sat silently in the corner.

The ruler asked him, "And you, sir, who do you blame for your sentence?"

His response was, "Your majesty, I am guilty and richly deserve my punishment." Surprised, the emperor shouted for the prison warden: "Come and get this man out of here before he corrupts all these innocent people."

The ruler can set us free once we admit we are wrong.

We do ourselves no favors in justifying our deeds or glossing over our sins. When my daughter Andrea was five or six, she got a splinter in her finger. I took her to the restroom and set out some tweezers, ointment, and a Band-Aid.

She didn't like what she saw. "I just want the Band-Aid, Daddy"

Sometimes we are just like Andrea. We come to Christ with our sin, but all we want is a covering. We want to skip the treatment. We want to hide our sin. And one wonders if God, even in his great mercy, will heal what we conceal. "If we say we have no sin, we are fooling ourselves, and the truth is not in us. But if we confess our sins, he will forgive our sins, because we can trust God to do what is right" (1 John 1:8–9).

Going to God is not going to Santa Claus. A child sits on the chubby lap of Ol' Saint Nick, and Santa pinches the youngster's cheek and asks, "Have you been a good little girl?"

"Yes," she giggles. Then she tells him what she wants and down she bounds. It's a game. It's childish. No one takes Santa's question seriously. That may work in a department store, but it won't work with God.

How can God heal what we deny? How can God touch what we cover up? How can we have communion while we keep secrets? How can God grant us pardon when we won't admit our guilt?

Ahh, there's that word: guilt. Isn't that what we avoid? Guilt. Isn't that what we detest? But is guilt so bad? What does guilt imply if not that we know right from wrong, that we aspire to be better than we are, that we know there is a high country and we are in the low country. That's what guilt is: a healthy regret for telling God one thing and doing another.

Guilt is the nerve ending of the heart. It yanks us back when we are too near the fire. Godly sorrow "makes people change their hearts and lives. This leads to salvation, and you cannot be sorry for that" (2 Cor. 7:10).

To feel guilt is no tragedy; to feel no guilt is.

How God Measures Our Lives. One word.

What makes one great?

We often think of someone as great, due to the accomplishment of their lives. What did they do? How did they do it? Did they create something? Did they do something? Why should we recognize someone as Great? What measuring stick should we use? Job title? Bank Account? He with the most toys at the end wins? Seriously. What is the formula? How do we determine if one is or was great? How do we strive for Greatness ourselves in our own lives?

Well, if you want to know how God measures our lives, you need only think of one word. Love.

See God doesn't care what you have. Where you came from. God doesn't care about what's IN your Bank Account. Your position in the Company. He doesn't care how big your House is.

Matthew 22:

36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law?

37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

38 This is the first and great commandment.

39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

John 13:

34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.

35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

See, God does not care about anything else. Did you love? Do you Love? He is not talking about loving your Spouse. He is not talking about loving your Kids. Or others that Love you totally. Jesus also tells us this...

Luke 6:

35 But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.

36 Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.

37 Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:

38 Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.

You see, Love is the most powerful force in the Universe. It's the most powerful Gift God gives through the Holy Spirit.

1 Corinthians 13:

13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

Through Love God created all that is, was, or ever will be. Out of Love, God spared Noah, and the entire Human Race. Through Love God promised Noah to never destroy all of Creation again. Out of Love, God laid down His Godliness and came to Earth to died for us. Out of Love, Jesus suffered many things including torture, and death. He did so even though we were yet Sinners. Even though we rejected Him. Out of Love, we were given Eternal Life.

John 3:

15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

Jesus also put it this way.

John 15:

9 As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.

10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.

11 These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.

12 This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.

13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

14 Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.

15 Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.

16 Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.

17 These things I command you, that ye love one another.

Do you truly Love. If you do, you will do God's Will. You will do His work. You will Love one another and others. You will feed the hungry. You will cloth the naked. You will give sight to the blind. You will give hearing to the deaf. You WILL share the Gospel Of Christ. The Truth. Life itself. If you love, you will NOT Lie, Cheat, and Steal. You will NOT dishonor your Mother and Father. You will NOT covet your neighbor's possessions. You will not commit Murder, nor Adultery. If you love, you will honor God, who IS Love, with all your heart, soul, mind, and body. If you have love, you will truly fear nothing.

1 John 4:

15 Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God.

16 And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.

17 Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.

18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.

19 We love him, because he first loved us.

20 If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?

21 And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.

In one of his letter to the Believers in Rome, Paul said this...

Romans 5:

6 For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.

7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.

8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.

10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.

11 And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.

Paul also echoed Jesus when he said this...

Romans 12:

17 Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men.

18 If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.

19 Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.

20 Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.

21 Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.

So? How will God measure your life, when the time comes, for you to stand before Him? You can say all you have accomplished. You can plead your case. Look at me God. I'm a CEO. Look at me God. I'm a Billionaire. Look at me God. I gave a million dollars to Charities. Look at me God. I built a Children s Hospital. Look at me God. I kept your Commandments and lived a quiet and peaceful life. Look at me God.

What is God going to say to you? Does He have to ask you, "Yes, but where was your Love?" Do you have the love of God in you? Love IS the measuring stick that God will measure your life with. How much love do you have? How do you manifest it in your daily life? First thing you need to make sure of, is that you DO have the Holy Spirit in you. For in Him, is Jesus, in Jesus, God, and all, in you.

Do you know Jesus as your Savior? Have you been adopted into the Family of God? If not, say this Prayer. Right now. Wherever you may be. Say it in your own words, and do not doubt in your heart. God will hear you. He will send the Spirit of Life to you. Let us Pray..

"Oh heavenly Father, Lord God. I am a sinner. I know this. I know there is nothing I can do to change that. But I know you can. I accept Jesus's sacrifice for me. I repent my sins. Please send the Spirit of Adoption into my life. Help me to get to know the real you. Save me. Please. In the name of Jesus, Amen!"

That's it. It really is that simple. Now go tell someone what you have just done. "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." {Romans 10:9} You need to find a Church that God leads you to, and be Baptized the way Jesus said to be. You are now a Child of God. A new Creature. You "have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him." {Colossians 3:10}

If you want to tell me, or comment, question, give testimonials, or just say "Hi," the Email is opntalk@gmail.com

Until next time, be blessed, be a blessing, and Jesus IS Lord of all!

Traveling Through Your Day, At The Speed of Life - Repost From 12-5-12

Slow down, notice everything.

So many times, myself included, we travel through our everyday at the speed of life. We get up. We eat breakfast, or don't. We drink our coffee, watch the morning news, or whatever. We get dressed and head out the door. We, most of us, have a routine. We stop here or there. We get stuff, we head off to work, or school, or whatever. We complete our assigned tasks. We head home. We wonder what we will eat for dinner. We miss our loved ones. We think of Birthdays or Holidays coming up. We plan trips. We pay bills. For the most part, we live in our happy little bubbles.

What is the persons name that sold us the coffee? What is your Mail Person's name? Why is there that thing there? What is this over here? Did you see that person on the corner? What were they doing? Did you know that the person that just cut you off in traffic was on their way to the Hospital? Did you see the old person on the bench? What did you miss? You would be surprised.

I started, a long time ago now, to slow down. I try to notice everything. Whenever I am dealing with someone, I notice their face. I notice their body language. I ask them "How's your day going?" You would be surprised how this simple question throws so many people off. Especially since I actually wait for the answer. Example? A girl named Nancy says "That will be $9.62." Me "Hey Nancy. Hows your day going?" Nancy stops thinking whatever she was thinking, looks at the register, looks up at me, thinks about it, then notices that I do not have my card or money ready to hand her. "Uh, OK." Then if the body language tells me she is happy, I tell her something fun. If tired, I say something like, "It's almost over." Or sad, I might even ask what's wrong. Nancy doesn't know me, nor may she ever see me again, but for that moment, we connect. Someone really cares about her. She is no longer just a Cashier and I am no longer just a Customer. We become two people having an actual conversation that means something.

I'm serious. Try this. Do it for a week. Especially with the people you actually see everyday. Watch what happens. See what you learn. Why is that old person on the bench everyday. Go ask. Say "Hi." Did they just lose the love of their life for the past 40 years? Do they simply enjoy the fresh air? Feeding the Squirrels? What is their story?

Think about this. Here are some people that did just what you do everyday. They woke up, went to work.

Matthew 4:

17 From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

18 And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers.

19 And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.

Now I want you to picture this. Here you are, working, doing whatever it is you do. Some strange person comes by and says, "Follow me, and I will make you Fishers of Men." Would you go? They could have been so focused on their Jobs. Feared losing their Jobs, and so concerned with getting the money to pay their Bills, they could have completely missed this strange guy standing there. But they didn't. They didn't question Him. They just followed.

20 And they straightway left their nets, and followed him.

21 And going on from thence, he saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and he called them.

Again, here are people in the middle of their day. These are solving problems that have arose in their work place. Yet, they still noticed Jesus. They even left their own Father.

22 And they immediately left the ship and their father, and followed him.

23 And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.

24 And his fame went throughout all Syria: and they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatick, and those that had the palsy; and he healed them.

25 And there followed him great multitudes of people from Galilee, and from Decapolis, and from Jerusalem, and from Judaea, and from beyond Jordan.

Then, you got Matthew. Again, Matthew woke up this morning, ate, got dressed, headed off to work.

Matthew 9:

9 And as Jesus passed forth from thence, he saw a man, named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he saith unto him, Follow me. And he arose, and followed him.

Would you notice some strange man if He were to come up to you in the middle of your day and say "Follow me?" If you are not a Child of God, He actually is. Right now. Wherever you may be reading this, He, The same Jesus IS looking YOU in the eyes, saying, "Follow me." Will you follow?

For a Child of God, it is even more important that we slow down. That we notice everything.

Hebrews 13:

2 Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.

Let me share with you two personal stories that happened to me. The first was a long time ago, when I first got Saved. I bought this car from a co-worker. It was a little blue Chevy Chevette. It was soon after I bought it, It broke down. Timing Chain went on it. I "somehow" managed to coast through a busy intersection on a busy four lane highway, into a Gas Station Mini-mart. There I stood, angry, to say the least, with the hood up. Looking at the engine, which is all I could, and still can, do. A Mechanic I am not. When all of a sudden, up walks this man.

"Won't start huh?" Thinking to myself, "Seriously?" "Are you a Moron?" "I'm standing here, angry, with the Hood up." "Really?" But what I said was, "Yeah." He then asked me a question that threw me completely off. "So? You a Christian?" To my surprise, I did not hesitate. "Yes." He said "Then I have to help you. Don't I?" He then walked away.

I looked up to see him walk over to a truck pulling a shinny new, red, sports car. He backed it up to the side of the Gas Station Building, and dropped the new shinny red sports car off the trailer, then drove around to where I was. He put my piece of, uh, junk, Chevy Chevette on his trailer, looked at me, and said, "Where do ya want to go?" I had him take me to my Job where the guy was that sold me the car. He dropped it off, and then asked me "You going to be OK?" I said "Yes." I offered him the little money I had and he just waved it off and drove away. I notice he had out of state plates.

Standing there, trying to digest what just happened, I noticed that my new Bible was sitting in plain sight, on my seat in my car. Was this guy a Good Samaritan? Was he a fellow Christian? Was he an Angel, send to help me in my time of need? I have no idea. Never saw him again.

The second story I want to tell you just happen this year. Was Thanksgiving Eve. Wednesday. I went into a Mini-mart to, yes, I spend a lot of time in Mini-marts being on the road all the time, get a couple of things. I met this older, very well dressed Black Gentleman. Looked to be about Seventy. Dressed all in Black. First impression was that this guy was a Minister. He said "Hello my friend, how are you making out?" I said "Hi" back and asked him, say it with me, "Hows your day going?" "Oh getting along. Keep your head above the waters, all you can do. Right?" I said, half joking, "Yup. Problem is, those waters keep on rising." A spot opened up and I told him to go ahead. He said, "No, no, my friend, you go."

So I paid, wished him a Happy Thanksgiving, and went to leave. He said, "Now hold up there my friend." I said "Uh, OK." "Do you have kids?" I said, "Yes Sir. Two Boys, Joshua Seven and Elijah 22 Months." He said, "You know, I grew up without a Father. I can tell by looking at you, you love your boys and you are a good Dad." He takes out this envelope full of money, takes out a $20.00, and hands it to me. "You go buy them a treat. Happy Holidays to ya." And walks away.

Who was he? Why did he do this? What was his motivation? I wasn't wearing Jeans and a Tee Shirt. He saw how I was dressed. He saw me just buy a couple of things. Yet, he handed me a $20.00 bill to "Buy a treat for" my Boys. I did. They both got a little toy from a Store just a day or so ago.

Now if I blew this guy off, or worse yet, didn't even see him, this encounter would have never happened. They would never have the little toys they just got. I would not be sharing this story with you. It happened because I was open to it. Why? I have no idea. For all I know the guy is a Millionaire. Or? Perhaps the guy had his last amount of money in that envelope. I have no idea. But it was a great moment in time, that made the rest of my day.

Even we, the Children of God, have to be wise enough, to slow down. To notice everything around us. Look at what happened AFTER Jesus was Crucified. You doubt that the Disciples were average, everyday people? Look at this. 

John 20:

1 The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre.

2 Then she runneth, and cometh to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and saith unto them, They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid him.

3 Peter therefore went forth, and that other disciple, and came to the sepulchre.

4 So they ran both together: and the other disciple did outrun Peter, and came first to the sepulchre.

5 And he stooping down, and looking in, saw the linen clothes lying; yet went he not in.

6 Then cometh Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulchre, and seeth the linen clothes lie,

7 And the napkin, that was about his head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself.

8 Then went in also that other disciple, which came first to the sepulchre, and he saw, and believed.

What did he believe? He believed Mary. That they, the Jews or the Romans, came and took away Jesus's body. Not that He raised from the dead. But that the Body was stolen.

9 For as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead.

10 Then the disciples went away again unto their own home.

11 But Mary stood without at the sepulchre weeping: and as she wept, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulchre,

12 And seeth two angels in white sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain.

13 And they say unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? She saith unto them, Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him.

14 And when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus.

15 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou? She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away.

16 Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master.

17 Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.

18 Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that he had spoken these things unto her.

So Mary had this experience because she was there. Looking. The other Disciples did not. They looked, and saw nothing, and went their way.

19 Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.

20 And when he had so said, he shewed unto them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord.

21 Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.

22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost:

23 Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.

24 But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came.

25 The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe.

26 And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you.

27 Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing.

28 And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God.

29 Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.

This is where we get the phrase "Doubting Thomas." Still to this day, there are many "Doubting Thomas"s. They do not believe in God, because they have not seen Him with their own eyes. But Look what Jesus said here. "Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed."

30 And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book:

31 But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.

Then in the next Chapter....

John 21:

1 After these things Jesus shewed himself again to the disciples at the sea of Tiberias; and on this wise shewed he himself.

2 There were together Simon Peter, and Thomas called Didymus, and Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee, and two other of his disciples.

3 Simon Peter saith unto them, I go a fishing. They say unto him, We also go with thee. They went forth, and entered into a ship immediately; and that night they caught nothing.

Now think about this. These are the same that walked with Jesus. Saw Jesus do miracles. Peter's Shadow healed people and he walked on water WITH Jesus. Jesus just showed Himself to them AFTER death. What do they do? Well, Jesus is gone. That was interesting. Let's go fishing. Really???

4 But when the morning was now come, Jesus stood on the shore: but the disciples knew not that it was Jesus.

5 Then Jesus saith unto them, Children, have ye any meat? They answered him, No.

6 And he said unto them, Cast the net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall find. They cast therefore, and now they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes.

7 Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved saith unto Peter, It is the Lord. Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he girt his fisher's coat unto him, (for he was naked,) and did cast himself into the sea.

8 And the other disciples came in a little ship; (for they were not far from land, but as it were two hundred cubits,) dragging the net with fishes.

9 As soon then as they were come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid thereon, and bread.

10 Jesus saith unto them, Bring of the fish which ye have now caught.

11 Simon Peter went up, and drew the net to land full of great fishes, an hundred and fifty and three: and for all there were so many, yet was not the net broken.

12 Jesus saith unto them, Come and dine. And none of the disciples durst ask him, Who art thou? knowing that it was the Lord.

13 Jesus then cometh, and taketh bread, and giveth them, and fish likewise.

14 This is now the third time that Jesus shewed himself to his disciples, after that he was risen from the dead.

So even after all they went through, once it was over, so they thought, they went back to their routines. Their daily grind, if you will. They were so involved in their Fishing, they did not even notice that it was Jesus talking to them. If these can completely miss the fact Jesus was back again, after all they been through, how much more do you think you may miss?

Truth is, when you travel through your everyday, at the speed of life, you miss so very much. Slow down. Take your time. Notice everything. You will be surprised. You may find someone being a true blessing to you. You may find yourself being a true blessing to others. Every moment in time is appointed to pass us by once. Never again. Once gone, gone forever. You have to decide if you want these moments to pass you by, or if you want to simple go through them. See what's there. Experience the moment. Truly live life. In all it's aspects. Especially if God is with you.

Do you know Jesus as your Savior? Have you been adopted into the Family of God? Is He able to work in your life? If not, say this Prayer. Right now. Wherever you may be. Say it in your own words, and do not doubt in your heart. God will hear you. He will send the Spirit of Life to you. Let us Pray..

"Oh heavenly Father, Lord God. I am a sinner. I know this. I know there is nothing I can do to change that. But I know you can. I accept Jesus's sacrifice for me. I repent my sins. Please send the Spirit of Adoption into my life. Help me to get to know the real you. Save me. Please. In the name of Jesus, Amen!"

That's it. It really is that simple. Now go tell someone what you have just done. "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." {Romans 10:9} You need to find a Church that God leads you to, and be Baptized the way Jesus said to be. You are now a Child of God. A new Creature. You "have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him." {Colossians 3:10}

If you want to tell me, or comment, question, give testimonials, or just say "Hi," the Email is opntalk@gmail.com

Until next time, slow down, be blessed, be a blessing, and Jesus is Lord of all!

Fear

Fear is a powerful emotion.

Fear can bind you. Fear can make you Lie, Cheat, and Steel. Fear can cause you to commit Murder. Fear can give others power over you. Fear can enslave you. Fear can rob you of your very life. Fear is very real. In the Psychology Field, Fear is so predominant that they have named it a Phobia. From Arachnophobia, to Acrophobia {Fear of heights}, all the way to Pantophobia. One of my favorite lines, EVER, in Doctor Who is this "That's what it's called. Pantophobia. Not fear of pants though, if that's what you're thinking. It's fear of everything. Including pants, I suppose. In that case... Sorry. go on."

But Fear is a very real and very powerful force. I will never forget back in the days when I was a Hotel Manger, I met this Woman and her soon to be Husband. They were asking me to host their Wedding Guests and the Wedding itself they wanted to have in the Lounge. Well, that's not possible I told them because the Lounge is a Night Club and we would not be able to shut it down for a Private Function, and I offered to show them other Rooms and put them in touch with my Sales person.

Well, the Woman said, "I really need to speak with you privately." So we went into my office and she told me that her Sister has been Diagnosed with Agoraphobia, Anthropophobia, and Ochlophobia. I said, understandably, "What?" So she explained it to me. Agoraphobia - Fear of open spaces, Anthropophobia - fear of people or the company of people, and Ochlophobia- Fear of crowds. She believed that she also suffered from Xenophobia - Fear of strangers. Now setting aside my wondering how Anthropophobia, Ochlophobia, and Xenophobia, are any different, and what would that difference really matter, I said "Please go on."

She said, "Well, the lounge has that Green House Dinning Room attached that can be seen from the Rooms, and my Sister could stand outside it and watch the wedding. This way she would not miss it." So I agreed. She is going to have the Wedding in the Lounge. But she was not done. "Can I ask you a HUGE favor?" I thought, "You already did." But what I said was "Sure." Then she said, "I need you to meet my Sister. She cannot go outside by herself, and she really wants to see me get Married. If you meet her and spend some time with her, she may trust you enough to go outside and stand with you for the Ceremony." "Uh, OK."

So I did. I met her. Through the door. I went to the room often for two days. She eventually opened the door. To my surprise, here is this absolutely stunning young lady. I mean it. She was Beautiful. I kinda pictured an Igor looking person. I know, I know, not nice. But it's the truth. I thought she would be homely, and mousy. But here stood this Model looking young lady.

At first, she would not make eye contact. But we talked and I spend time listening to her. Then she asked if I would bring her something to eat. So I did. After sometime, she looked up and into my eyes. "Will you come and get me right before the Ceremony?" "Of course I will." Was my response.

So there it was, time. I went and got her. She opened the door and was all dressed up. She was wearing what she would wear if she could go in. It took her a little bit to step outside. I had to remind her that the Ceremony was about to start. To my absolute shock, and even startled me for a second, she took my hand. We walked together to the outside of the Greenhouse and she watched her Sister get Married. She asked if we could stay a bit longer so she could watch the dancing and stuff. To my surprise and without thought, I said "We can stay here all night if you want." She smiled. We only stayed for about 30 minutes and she felt she needed to go back to the room. So we went back and I brought her some food and cake from the Wedding with her Sister.

I saw first hand, call it what you will, how Fear can rob you of your very life. This absolutely beautiful Woman was a prisoner to her Fear.

However, you, as a Child of God, have NOTHING to fear. Seriously.

Fear of Death? Death itself is nothing.

Ecclesiastes 3:

1 To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:

2 A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;

3 A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;

4 A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

5 A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;

6 A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;

7 A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

8 A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.

Death itself is as natural to life as living. Death is not a punishment. It just is. It is only appoint for us to die one time.

Hebrews 9:

27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:

28 So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.

This is why Jesus tells us...

Matthew 10:

28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

Then Jesus tells us that He will be there to greet us. He tells us that all will come before Him..

Matthew 25:

31 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:

32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:

33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.

34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:

35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:

36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.

37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?

38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?

39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?

40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:

42 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:

43 I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.

44 Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?

45 Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.

46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.

It tells us of this time in,,,,,

Revelation 20:

11 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.

12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.

13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.

14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.

15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

"Wait right there Pete. You see, this is one of those contradictions that fill that book you love so much. You just said it is appointed onto man to die once, and now you say this is the second death. So? Which is it."

When you leave this world, that is not truly death. As you just read, when you die in the flesh, you stand before Jesus Himself. If you have accepted Jesus and been adopted into the Family of God, you allow Him to be your substitute. He died for you. You died already. If not, then you truly die. You are cast into the lake of fire. That is your true death. Most see our departure from here on earth as death. So if you are rejected by Jesus after, many see this as your second death. But it really isn't. You only truly die once. Either here and now, so that you may live, or then, after you made your choice. However, if you are a Child of God, then you have been there and done that. Your life is no longer yours to give, nor, anyone's to take. So why fear?

Fear losing your job? Your needs will be met. {Matthew 6: 25-34}
Fear anything else related to it? Bills, Debt, Food? Same thing. Your needs will be met.
Fear God? He is now your Daddy? {Romans 8}
Fear the Devil? He has no power over you. Look at Job.

Job 1:

6 Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also among them.

7 And the Lord said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the Lord, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.

8 And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?

9 Then Satan answered the Lord, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought?

10 Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land.

11 But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face.

12 And the Lord said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the Lord.

Again....

Job 2:

1 Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the Lord.

2 And the Lord said unto Satan, From whence comest thou? And Satan answered the Lord, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.

3 And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? and still he holdeth fast his integrity, although thou movedst me against him, to destroy him without cause.

4 And Satan answered the Lord, and said, Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life.

5 But put forth thine hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse thee to thy face.

6 And the Lord said unto Satan, Behold, he is in thine hand; but save his life.

Remember Peter?

Luke 22:

31 And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat:

Satan can do nothing to you without permission from God. He cannot take your life. He can do nothing. He can only whisper, encourage, entice. The Sins you fall into are by your own hand. Job remained faithful and was restored so much better than before. Why fear Satan?

So if we should have no fear of Death, our needs being met, God, or even the Devil himself, then what is left to fear? Open spaces? There is nothing in them that can harm you. Strangers? They are fields you should be attempting to Sow in. Or, they are people who have made their choices and there is nothing they can do to you. If the Devil himself cannot touch you without permission from God, what can Joe Schmo do to you?

Fear is completely irrational, and has no place in your life, when you come to the full realization of who you are as a Child of God. Who your Daddy now is. Do not allow the fear of anything to place you into Bondage. To rob you of your very life itself. "Greater is He in you, than in all the World." {1 John 4:4}

Do you know Jesus as your Savior? Have you been adopted into the Family of God? If not, say this Prayer. Right now. Wherever you may be. Say it in your own words, and do not doubt in your heart. God will hear you. He will send the Spirit of Life to you. Let us Pray..

"Oh heavenly Father, Lord God. I am a sinner. I know this. I know there is nothing I can do to change that. But I know you can. I accept Jesus's sacrifice for me. I repent my sins. Please send the Spirit of Adoption into my life. Help me to get to know the real you. Save me. Please. In the name of Jesus, Amen!"

That's it. It really is that simple. Now go tell someone what you have just done. "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." {Romans 10:9} You need to find a Church that God leads you to, and be Baptized the way Jesus said to be. You are now a Child of God. A new Creature. You "have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him." {Colossians 3:10}

If you want to tell me, or comment, question, give testimonials, or just say "Hi," the Email is opntalk@gmail.com

Until next time, be blessed, be a blessing, and Jesus IS Lord of all!

Special Guest RC Sproul, Original Sin

Original Sin

It is commonplace to hear the statement, "people are basically good." Though it is admitted that no one is perfect, human wickedness is minimized. Yet if people are basically good, why is sin so universal?

It is often suggested that everybody sins because society has such a negative influence upon us. The problem is seen with our environment, not with our nature. This explanation for the universality of sin begs the question, how did society become corrupt in the first place? If people are born good or innocent, we would expect at least a percentage of them to remain good and sinless. We should be able to find societies that are not corrupt, where the environment has been conditioned by sinlessness rather than sinfulness. Yet the most dedicated-to-righteousness communes we can find still have provisions for dealing with the guilt of sin.

Since the fruit is universally corrupt we look for the root of the problem in the tree. Jesus indicated that a good tree does not produce corrupt fruit. The Bible clearly teaches that our original parents, Adam and Eve, fell in sin. Subsequently, every human being has been born with a sinful and corrupt nature. If the Bible didn't explicitly teach this, we would have to deduce it rationally from the bare fact of the universality of sin.

Yet the Fall is not simply a question of rational deduction. It is a point of divine revelation. It refers to what we call original sin.Original sin does not refer primarily to the first or original sin committed by Adam and Eve. Original sin refers to the result of the first sin—the corruption of the human race. Original sin refers to the fallen condition in which we are born.

That the Fall occurred is clear in Scripture. The Fall was devastating. How it came to pass is open to dispute even among Reformed thinkers. The Westminster Confession explains the event simply, much in the manner that Scripture explains it:

Our first parents, being seduced by the subtlety and temptation of Satan, sinned, in eating the forbidden fruit. This their sin, God was pleased, according to His wise and holy counsel, to permit, having purposed to order it to His own glory.

Thus, the Fall occurred. The results, however, reached far beyond Adam and Eve. They not only touched all mankind, but decimated all mankind. We are sinners in Adam. We cannot ask, "When does the individual become a sinner?" For the truth is that human beings come into existence in a state of sinfulness. They are seen by God as sinful because of their solidarity with Adam.

The Westminster Confession again elegantly expresses the results of the Fall, particularly as it relates to human beings:

By this sin they fell from their original righteousness and communion with God, and so became dead in sin, and wholly defiled in all the parts and faculties of soul and body. They being the root of all mankind, the guilt of this sin was imputed, and the same death in sin, and corrupted nature, conveyed to all their posterity descending from them by ordinary generation. From this original corruption, whereby we are utterly indisposed, disabled, and made opposite to all good, and wholly inclined to all evil, do proceed all actual transgressions.

That last phrase is crucial. We are sinners not because we sin. Rather, we sin because we are sinners. Thus David laments, "Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me" (Psalm 51:5, NIV).

Robert Charles Sproul, Essential Truths of Christian Faith

Live In Today, In The Moment

Take no thought of the Morrow. Today

Alright. We have talked about how we can be bound in Yesterday. Did you allow God to bring you out of that Bondage? We talked about the Fear of Tomorrow, which can bind you Today. Have you have let Tomorrow go? Have you have come to understand, and accept, that Tomorrow is never guaranteed? So what is left? Today.

James 4:

13 Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain:

14 Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.

15 For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.

We talked about Tomorrow. What if this is your last day on Earth? How would you spend it? Think about this. If we were to put God in our terms, a thousand years to us, is but one day to God. {2 Peter 3:8} By the time God has his first cup of coffee, you were born, grow, hope and dream, live your life, and pass on. Wars are fought, and won. Wars are fought, and lost. Saints walked the earth and Demons have slithered. Picture the last 113 years. We went from Horse and Carriage, fire and horse carried mail, to laser beams and Space Travel. To caring around with us little computers in our Pockets. All in the last 113 years. A cup of coffee in the morning of God's day. In that, is you. "A vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away."

God is not asleep. He is with you. He is not concerned with time. We are. He tells us that we need not be concerned with it. That we need to live in the moment. Live in Today.

Ephesians 5:

15 See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,

16 Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

Colossians 4:

5 Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time. 

6 Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.

He tells us, not to fear. He is with us.

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.

The Palmist understood this.

Psalm 23:

1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

If God is truly your Daddy, you shall have no wants. No fears of the lack of anything. He will provide all you need. If you allow Him, He will guide you in the ways you should go. He will protect you against the evils of this world. You should have no fear. He will Bless you to be a Blessing to others. But you have to trust in Him first. 

When Jesus told us the way we should Pray, He told us to Pray this way.......

"Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen." {Matthew 6} 

Recognize He really is God. Acknowledge His Godhood, and the fact that this Creator of all that is, The Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End, The God of gods and Lord of lords, is your Daddy. Submit to His Will and His Plan and Purpose for your life. Trust in Him to meet your daily needs. Stop relying on yourself and trust in Him. Forgive any you need to, so that He may forgive you. Ask and know, that He will protect you and keep you. Again, give Him the Praise and Glory. Give Him thanks for all.  

God wants you focused on Today. Forget the Past. Forget the Future. Now is the time. Today is the day. Now is the place in your lives that God wants you to be in.

Philippians 4:

4 Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice.

5 Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.

6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

9 Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.

He tells us to have no fear. To live Today knowing He is with us. Work, and enjoy the fruits of your labor.

Ecclesiastes 5:

18 Behold that which I have seen: it is good and comely for one to eat and to drink, and to enjoy the good of all his labour that he taketh under the sun all the days of his life, which God giveth him: for it is his portion.

19 Every man also to whom God hath given riches and wealth, and hath given him power to eat thereof, and to take his portion, and to rejoice in his labour; this is the gift of God.

20 For he shall not much remember the days of his life; because God answereth him in the joy of his heart.

Be content with what God gives you, and of course, {Seek first the Kingdom of God}

Hebrews 13:

5 Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

Exodus 20:

17 Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's.

You are in the world. But you are no longer part of it. You are above it. Clear your mind of the things that the World tells you. Renew your mind. Walk in the Spirit and not in the flesh.

Romans 12:

2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Remember Jesus Himself tells us to take no thought of even our own lives. That we need only remember that WE are Children of God and HE is with us, always. Rely on Him. Trust in Him. Follow HIM. Not man.

Sometimes we get so lost in our "preparations for the future" that we lose today. We travel through our everyday at the speed of life. We miss so very much. That person that you just bumped into? Future Spouse? Future best friend? Could it be someone in need? Could it be someone that can help YOU? What about that person you see everyday? Who are they? What is their story? Did you see that Hundred Dollar Bill on the Street, right by your foot? What about that Sign in the Window. How about the fact you think you just heard a voice in your head to go do this or that? A tug. A draw. A whisper. Are you open to these things? Or are you too worried about that Promotion at work. Or collecting a Paycheck. Or "What's for dinner?"

Every Second, of every Minute, of every Hour, of every Day, is appointed to pass us by one time. One time. Never again. Once gone, gone forever. You will never have that Second, Minute, Hour, or Day again. Ever.

What was in it? Did you miss it? Slow down. Notice EVERYTHING. Realize that Reality is simple. Trust in God. Fear nothing. Be you. Experience all you can through your everyday. Listen. See. Taste. Hear. Take it all in. Be patient, and in all things give thanks.

Stop saying to yourself, and to others, Tomorrow I will.....Tomorrow we will... I hear God telling me to do that, I have to go do this right now, but Tomorrow I will go do that. But rather, seek out God, His Kingdom and His Plan for you and your life. Then do THAT. Do you really think He will allow you to be homeless? Hungry? In want of anything? That concept and idea goes completely against what Jesus Himself came right out and told us. It is an irrational fear sent to you be the devil himself. Why? Because if you are so worried about losing your Job, saving money for the Future, obtaining the fruits of this World, you will have little time to do anything else. Including the Will of God.

Yesterday is past, gone forever. Tomorrow is not guaranteed. Take no thought of either. But live in Today. Live in the moment. Slow down. Relax. Have no fear. God is with you, always.

Do you know Jesus as your Savior? Have you been adopted into the Family of God? If not, say this Prayer. Right now. Wherever you may be. Say it in your own words, and do not doubt in your heart. God will hear you. He will send the Spirit of Life to you. Let us Pray..

"Oh heavenly Father, Lord God. I am a sinner. I know this. I know there is nothing I can do to change that. But I know you can. I accept Jesus's sacrifice for me. I repent my sins. Please send the Spirit of Adoption into my life. Help me to get to know the real you. Save me. Please. In the name of Jesus, Amen!"

That's it. It really is that simple. Now go tell someone what you have just done. "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." {Romans 10:9} You need to find a Church that God leads you to, and be Baptized the way Jesus said to be. You are now a Child of God. A new Creature. You "have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him." {Colossians 3:10}

If you want to tell me, or comment, question, give testimonials, or just say "Hi," the Email is opntalk@gmail.com

Until next time, be blessed, be a blessing, and Jesus IS Lord of all!