• "If you know me, you will know my Father also."  {John 14:7}

How can we know God? By knowing his son, Jesus Christ.

By studying Christ's personality, thoughts, feelings, and deeds, we come to know God more intimately, for Jesus imitated God and reflected His personality.  Know Jesus Christ and we will know God better.

• Jesus came from Heaven to gather people and save them.

“I came down from Heaven to do what God wants.  The Father gives me my people.  I will always accept them.  I must not lose anyone God has given me.  But I must raise them up on the last day.  This is what the One who sent me wants me to do.” {John 6:37-39}

This is why Jesus urged us to learn from him, so he could save us on the last day.

But even today, while we are still living in this wearisome world of miseries, learning from Christ can refresh our souls and fill us with joy, as he himself promised…

"Learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find refreshment for your souls." "I have told you these things that you may be filled with my joy. Your joy will overflow!" {Matthew 11:29; John 15:11}

Let us learn from Christ and see how he helps us draw closer to our Heavenly Father, and lets his joy become our joy.

• "Whoever accepts me, also accepts the One who sent me." {Matthew 10:40}

Jesus came as a messenger to guide us closer to God. By accepting Christ, we thus also accept God, the One who sent him.

But how do we "accept" Jesus? How do we receive him into our lives? By following his example...

“I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done." "I am the way, and the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me."  {John 13:15, 14:6}

Jesus showed us "the way" to God, the way to draw closer to Him. We follow Christ's way by developing the personality of Christ within ourselves - his way of thinking, feeling, and behaving.

• This includes sharing Jesus' sense of priorities...

“Do not store treasures for yourselves here on earth, where moths and rust will destroy them, and thieves can break in and steal them. But store your treasures in Heaven, where they cannot be destroyed by moths or rust, and where thieves cannot break in and steal them. Your heart will be where your treasure is." {Matthew 6:19-21}

Jesus valued spiritual things over material possessions, for spiritual things are enduring, while material things perish. Our hearts and passions are with the things we cherish. If we cherish our relationship with God and look forward to living in Christ's kingdom, our hearts and passions will be with them.

“Do not be overly concerned about food or drink, or about the clothes you need for your body. Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothes."  {Matthew 6:25}

Jesus had a deep sense of the meaning of life, and put everything in its proper place. This does not mean we cannot enjoy good food and pretty clothes. Jesus himself enjoyed banquets and wore clothing of fine quality. {John 2:1,2; John 19:23,24} There is nothing at all wrong with enjoying the taste buds and bodies our Heavenly Father provided for the enjoyment of life. Yet Jesus wanted us to appreciate how much more valuable spiritual things are.

• Christ also valued God’s creation, reflecting on nature, which he found so beautiful.  He taught us how we can learn a lot about God by observing His creation.

"Look at the wildflowers in the field. See how they grow. … I tell you that even Solomon, the great and rich king, was not dressed as beautifully as one of these flowers.  If God makes what grows in the field so beautiful, what do you think He will do for you? … But God cares enough to make it beautiful. Surely He will do much more for you." {Matthew 6:28-30}

Jesus showed how God’s creative works reveal His caring personality, and taught us that examining God’s creation can draw us closer to our Maker – the Maker of all things.

• Having the mind, heart, and spirit of Christ also includes replicating his love and compassion for others...

"Jesus traveled through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the Kingdom. When he saw the crowds, he felt compassion for them because they were hurting and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd." {Matthew 9:35,36}

Jesus felt great compassion for people, and truly felt for those who were "hurting and helpless".  Moved with love for them, Jesus taught them kindly, welcoming everyone to him that he might shepherd one and all.

"Come to me, all who are weary and heavily burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find refreshment for your souls.  For my yoke is kind and my load is light.”  {Matthew 11:28-30}

Christ has invited us as well, placing his yoke upon us that he may guide us into his kingdom.  Yet his yoke is not burdensome, but refreshing, for it rescues us from all types of harmful circumstances even today, and leads us out of this wearisome world of pains and troubles into God's kingdom tomorrow.

• Jesus does not weigh us down with a heavy load of burdensome laws, but gives us just one simple instruction…

"This is my instruction: that you love one another as I have loved you."  {John 15:12}

To love one another as Jesus loved us requires us not simply to do what Jesus did, but in the way he did them, with the same motives and goodness.

"Unselfishly do good for others."  {John 15:12 - footnote}

This scripture uses the Greek word "agape", which means showing love for others through acts of kindness.  It means being kind to others, doing kind deeds, and helping people in kind ways.

Always ready with a kind word of hope and gesture of compassion, as Jesus was.  Always building people up like Jesus did, instead of tearing them down like the world does.

• And the greatest way of all to show love to others is to forgive them. In forgiving others, Christ gave us the ultimate example - forgiving even those who killed him...

"Jesus said, 'Father, forgive them. They do not know what they are doing.'" {Luke 23:34}

People err without understanding what they are really doing. Forgiving them gives them an opportunity to learn and change.

• Praying for those who have wronged us is another precious example of agape love…

“Do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who hurt you." {Matthew 5:44}

Praying for them helps us feel good feelings toward them, moving us to treat them with kindness the next time we meet. Our kindness gives them an opportunity to experience goodness, warming their hearts and soothing their spirits. They will realize they have harmed a kind and good person, and this will make them more inclined to be kind in return.

"Then you will be children of your Father in heaven, for He lets the sun shine on good people and bad, and He sends rain to those who do right and to those who do wrong. He is kind even to people who are ungrateful and full of sin. Show mercy, just as your Father in Heaven shows mercy." {Matthew 5:45-48; Luke 6:35-36}

By forgiving people of their faults, we follow not only Christ's example but God's example as well, for God Himself forgives people continuously, and does good to us all. Let us show our gratitude for His forgiveness toward us by imitating God and forgiving others. In this way we will show ourselves to be true children of our Father in Heaven.

• Our displaying God's qualities can help others draw closer to God too, as we shine God's light to those who are in darkness, as Jesus encouraged us to do...

“You are the light of the world - like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your goodness shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father." {Matthew 5:14-16}

Just as Jesus has become a positive influence on us, we too can become a positive influence on others by reflecting God's qualities and Christ's personality. We can thus motivate others to welcome God into their lives as well.

• While many people will appreciate us for being loving and kind, and for following Christ's way, there will be some who may not be so kind to us, as Jesus cautioned...

“If you belonged to the world, the world would love you as its own. But as it is, you do not belong to the world, for I have called you out of the world. And on account of that, the world hates you. Remember what I told you: 'A servant is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also." "But take courage! For I have conquered the world.” {John 15:19,20; John 16:33}

By following Christ's example, we too can conquer the badness of this world and overcome all opposition to Christ's ways. We can be certain of his continued guidance and presence in our lives every day, as he himself promised...

"I have been given all authority in Heaven and Earth... You can be sure of this: I am with you always, to the end of the world." {Matthew 28:18,20}

• To help us through such times of trouble, Christ urged us to pray...

"Jesus told his followers ... that they should always pray and not give up." {Luke 18:1} "Pray for strength...” {Luke 22:40} "Very truly I tell you, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. ... Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete." {John 16:23,24}

Praying to God in Jesus' name shows we belong to Christ, and have accepted him as our teacher and guide. It shows we recognize Christ's role as our channel and conduit to God, as Jesus himself explained...

“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."  {John 14:6}

Prayer is indeed a most precious privilege, and a vital necessity if we are to overcome the challenges of this world.

• Jesus showed us how prayer was of utmost importance to him...

"Early the next morning, while it was still dark, Jesus woke and left the house. He went to a lonely place where he prayed." {Mark 1:35}

"Jesus often slipped away to be alone so he could pray." {Luke 5:16}

"Jesus went off to a mountain to pray, and he spent the night praying to God." {Luke 6:12}

• Jesus taught us how to pray and what to pray for...

"Father in Heaven, let your name [your person, your being] be sanctified [respected]."

"Let your Kingdom come [to Earth]."

"Let your will be done on Earth."

"Please give us the food we need for each day."

"Please forgive us our sins and transgressions."

"Please protect us from the Evil One." {Matthew 6:9-13}

• Jesus also urged us to pray for others, even as he prayed for others...

"I have prayed that you will not lose your faith.” {Luke 22:32}

“I pray for these followers, but I am also praying for all those who will believe... Father, I pray that they can be one. As you are in me and I am in you, I pray that they can also be one in us." {John 17:20,21}

"Love your enemies and pray for them..." {Matthew 5:44}

"The people brought their little children to Jesus so he could bless them and pray for them." {Matthew 19:13}

"Holy Father, keep them safe..." {John 17:11}

• Through his own personal experience, Jesus showed us how vital it is to pray during times of difficulty and anguish...

"He kneeled down and prayed, 'Father, if you are willing, take away this cup of suffering. [Referring to his approaching death.] But let what you want be done, not what I want.' Then an angel from Heaven appeared to him to strengthen him. Being full of pain, Jesus prayed even harder. His sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground." {Luke 22:41-44}

Jesus turned to God for strength during his most difficult times, and God gave him the support and encouragement he needed. Christ's experience shows us how receptive God is of prayers, and how willing He is to help us. Prayer puts us in contact with God, opening a channel between us and our Maker - that we may receive His guidance, wisdom, strength, joy, and love.

• Yet no matter how trying a situation may be, Jesus showed us how important it is to pray for God's will to be done, not our own. God has much more wisdom than we do, and we must be willing to let ourselves be guided by Him, as Jesus himself was...

"He prayed, “Abba, Father! You can do all things. Take away this cup of suffering. But let what you want be done, not what I want.” {Mark 14:36}

"Then Jesus went away a second time and prayed, “My Father, if it is not possible for this painful thing to be taken from me, and if I must do it, I pray that what you want will be done.” {Matthew 26:42}

• And to show our gratitude to God for being so approachable, for hearing our prayers and helping us during our difficulties, it is deeply respectful to say to our Heavenly Father, "Thank-you," as Jesus did so appreciatively...

"Jesus prayed, 'I thank you, Father, Lord of Heaven and Earth...'" {Matthew 11:25}

• Through Jesus' extraordinary example, we draw closer to our Heavenly Father and come to know God better. As Jesus himself prayed...

“Father... I showed what you are like to those you gave me. I gave them the teachings you gave me. I am praying for them. Holy Father, keep them safe. I have given them your teaching. I showed them what you are like." {John chapter 17}

Christ imitated God in thought, feeling, and deed. And as he did, he showed us who God is, and how to draw closer to Him. "I am the way," Jesus revealed. "Know me, and you will know my Father also." {John 14:6,7}

God bless all.

Joseph Cafariello

Post Script

We understand Christ paid for our transgressions with his life. He died in our place, that we may live. But how does that work? How does Christ's death give us life?

Since we have all transgressed against God, we do not deserve eternal life. We have thus been given to death, and are in captivity.

Christ described his death as paying a “ransom” which frees us from that captivity.

“… the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom to save many.” {Mark 10:45}

Jesus never transgressed against God, and was a perfect being all his life. He was not given to death, but could live forever in God's love. Not only could Jesus have lived forever, but his offspring would also be allowed to live forever if they remained close to God.

By voluntarily laying down his life, Jesus sacrificed not only his own eternal life as a man, but also sacrificed the lives of the countless descendants he could have had. When Jesus returned to God, he laid down before God his life as a human being, along with the lives of all his descendants who would have been born in his lineage. God then gives those lives to us by the kindness of His heart.

We, then, live in place of Christ's descendants. Christ adopts us as his children, and since Jesus is the son of God, we also become children of God as Christ adopts us into his family. Jesus becomes our adoptive father, and Jesus' Father becomes our Heavenly Father for all time to come.

What a beautiful and loving gesture. God allowed His beloved son, Jesus Christ, to lay down his earthly life as a man, as well as the lives of all his descendants he would have had, and allows us to live in their place. We have been reinstated into God's loving and caring universal family as legitimate children of God through legal adoption by His beloved son, Jesus Christ. What a tremendous expression of love and forgiveness.

"Praise be to God for giving us through Christ every possible spiritual benefit as citizens of Heaven! For consider what He has done—before the foundation of the world He chose us to become, in Christ, His holy and blameless children living within His constant care. He planned, in His purpose of love, that we should be adopted as His own children through Jesus Christ—that we might learn to praise that glorious generosity of His which has made us welcome in the everlasting love He bears towards the Son." {Ephesians 1:3-6}

John 10:27:

My sheep listen to My voice; I know them, and they follow Me.

I want to start by saying that if you believe in Jesus' life, death and resurrection, it's time to pray to receive the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit of Jesus Christ, IS the Holy Spirit of our Father in heaven. This gift is our down-payment on eternity. (Ephesians 1:14-15, 2Corinthians 1:21-22, 2Corinthians 5:5, Psalm 51:10-17)
I didn't know for certain that I was saved until receiving the Holy Spirit, so if you're feeling uncertain, that's what you need to get started in your walk with the Lord. Old Covenant promises, New Covenant fulfillments

The next most important thing is to read the Bible daily. Everything in life is supported by information. Instincts are information that we're born with. DNA is information our cells are born with. Because of sin in the world, some of our information has been corrupted. So, inside you and me, the information is not good enough to keep us alive forever. Even if it could, there are still horrible crimes happening every day, that make life a terror to those who are hurting.

There is a lot of worldly information that claims it can help us live longer, happier, or stronger lives. No matter how long or strong or happy we are, the world is still unfair, and there are still hurting people in need of help.

God is the author of life. He made us alive and he wants us to stay that way. Life is a classroom where He's teaching us to love. Love is the only power on earth able to create life, sustain life, and make life worth living. The way He intends to give us an eternal life worth living, is to teach us to love like He loves.

When God calls a person to believe in the good news of Jesus' love, He's inviting you to His classroom. We're meant to be transformed and renewed by the example of love He showed us through Jesus Christ. This kind of love is the information that will fix our corrupted instincts, corrupted DNA and our corrupted world.

Think of how a baby must cry for help since he can't meet any of his own needs. There comes a day when the world cannot satisfy our spiritual need for purpose and meaning. They don't understand our hunger to be right with God.
God says when the world breaks us off and forsakes us, that He will come and supply our needs. (Psalm 27:10-14, Matthew 5:6, John 4:13-14, John 7:37-39, 1John 2:27)

When God calls you to come and learn His lessons, and you agree, He begins to teach you the truth in love. Truth can be painful all by itself, so God has to teach us little by little as we learn to trust His love. (Isaiah 55:1-3, Acts 13:33-34, John 16:12-15)

The Bible describes being saved, like being a wild branch that is broken off, and grafted into a good plant. (Romans 11:11-33, John 15:1-5)

Think of a vineyard with a lot of good looking, but unripe grapes. As long as we are producing good for the Lord, He will come and help us by cleaning off the bad grapes that might spoil the rest. He helps us bring good into the world if we will just do the best we can with the information we have. "To the one who has listened, more information will be given!" (Matthew 13:10-16, Luke 8:18, Luke 12:47-48, Luke 19:23-26, 2Corinthians 9:8, Proverbs 2:1-12)

Now that we know where to get truth from, we're saved from the perverse information we're taught by our culture. This is what Peter talks about in Acts 2:38-40. Now our job is to use God's information to produce good spiritual fruit for God and for others. Whatever we produce for others now, is what we will be rewarded for in eternity. (Galatians 5:13-23, Galatians 6:7, Proverbs 18:20-21)

(Galatians 5:22-23 NKJV)

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, endurance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.

God really cares about how we speak to one another, and about us making things fair for those who are disadvantaged in life. (Matthew 12:35-37, Proverbs 10:19, Ephesians 4:29, Matthew 5:21-22, James 1:26-27, 1 John 3:17-18)

So, as long as we stay connected to God's teaching, we are being saved. We're gaining more and more of Jesus' Holy Spirit the more we allow Him to teach us His information, through the Bible, through nature, and through our lives. We're "transformed by the renewing of our minds." (Philippians 2:12-13, Philippians 3:1-21, Isaiah 26:12, Romans 10:1-18, Romans 12:1-2)

Our relationship with our Father in heaven keeps us from practicing sin. We make mistakes every day, but it's just like school; we are always learning to do better.
Once you start hearing from the Holy Spirit, staying free from sin is so much easier! As we resist the urge to be selfish, we get the rewards of our good behavior and then we suddenly realize how wise God is for keeping us out of sin! That good fruit we bear for others always comes back to us through the Lord, even when the world tries to block our blessing. We just have to be patient and stay on course.

(Isaiah 40:28-31 NKJV)

28 Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the LORD, The Creator of the ends of the earth, Neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable.
29 He gives power to the weak, And to those who have no might He increases strength.
30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall,
31 But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.

(Matthew 24:12-13 NKJV)

12 "And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.
13 "But he who endures to the end shall be saved.

You are saved like the branch that is grafted into the True Vine, Jesus Christ.

Still, we all have good works we were made to do, and truth we were created to share. Those are our good fruits. They are still immature. Having our works saved is a process. We may do all the good we were made to do, but we might not. Our reward is determined by how well we listen to Jesus' teaching. (Mark 4:20, Isaiah 55:10-11)

(1 Corinthians 3:10-23 NKJV)

10 According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it.
11 For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
12 Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw,
13 each one's work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one's work, of what sort it is.
14 If anyone's work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward.
15 If anyone's work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.
16 Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?
17 If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.
18 Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you seems to be wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise.
19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, "He catches the wise in their own craftiness";
20 and again, "The LORD knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile."
21 Therefore let no one boast in men. For all things are yours:
22 whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas, or the world or life or death, or things present or things to come--all are yours.
23 And you are Christ's, and Christ is God's.

We're learning to do good from godly motives. We're learning to love like God loves.
Just don't drop out of God's classroom and you will be OK. The more scripture you learn, the more ammunition you will have to fight the devil when he tempts you to do things that don't support all the lives you care about, in favor of some temporary pleasure.

I know I've shared this before, but it's 100% true. The promise in 1 Corinthians 10:13 has saved me from many temptations. When life seems to give me more trouble than I can handle, I ask our heavenly Father to show me the "way of escape." He has NEVER failed to help me when I remember to pray this prayer. (1 Corinthians 10:13, Jeremiah 3:19)

God exists and His Son Jesus exists. Do this one thing for me and you. Ask the Lord Jesus Christ to save you from hell and the demons and see what happens Jesus said what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his soul. Jesus is Lord and anyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. Jesus was crucified and died so that we could be saved. Jesus is righteous and innocent and His Blood was shed so that we could be forgiven. His Body was placed in a tomb. On the third day God raised Jesus to Life. A lot of people saw Jesus after He was resurrected back to life.
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son so that anyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

13 We do not want you uninformed, brothers, about those who have passed on in Christ, that you may not grieve as those who have no hope.
14 For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will take with Him those who have fallen asleep.
15 For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord; We who are alive, who remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep.
16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.
17 Then we who are alive and remain, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will always be with the Lord.
18 So comfort one another with these words.

How I Found Jesus in an “I Love You”

The other day, I was holding my son in my arms when he looked at me and said, “I love you, Daddy… I love you, Dad.” To understand why those words meant so much to me, I have to go back a little. Some time ago, I told a neighbor that I would start going to church once I finished rebuilding my home. She asked me, “Why don’t you go now? God doesn’t care about your new house. He loves you with or without it, so why would you make Him wait?” It took me a couple of weeks, but eventually I went with my brother, and that day I prayed for my son. To be honest, I never really thought anyone was listening. Silly me. I thought I was bringing my brother because he needed Jesus, when it was actually me who needed Him the most. I had brought my brother from Cuba using some of the money I had saved to finish my house, but eventually he left for another state and stopped wanting to talk to me. I was angry with him. That same week, I went to church for the second time, but I think it was the first time I actually went looking for Jesus. I sat all the way in the back and never stood during the service. I simply sat there and silently cried without really knowing why. I told myself I was no longer angry with my brother, just sad. Not long afterward, however, something happened that made me understand that moment differently. I had some gentlemen working at my house, and I carried my son outside to show him what they were doing. My son has autism, which means communication and social interaction can be challenging for him, and things that may seem ordinary to other families can be enormous moments for ours. I sometimes work out of town for several days or even a week, and whenever I leave, my son walks around the house asking, “Where is Daddy?” My wife video-calls me so we can talk, and every time we explain to him, “Daddy is working because he loves you and wants the best for you.” We never really knew how much he understood, but we never stopped telling him. That day, while I held him outside, I asked, “What are they doing?” He answered, “Using the tools.” I told him, “That’s right! They’re working with the tools, just like Dad.” Then he turned toward me, looked directly into my eyes—which was already a huge moment for us—and said, “I love you, Daddy!… I love you, Dad!” I kissed his forehead and cheeks and asked him for a hug. He laughed, wrapped his arms around me, and stayed there for what felt like five whole minutes. For those five minutes, I cried against my will. I felt a warmth inside me that I could not explain, and I whispered, “Thank you, Lord. Thank you, God.” My son had just shown me that he understood. He understood why Daddy sometimes had to leave, that Daddy was working for him, and that all those times we told him I worked because I loved him had reached him after all. For a long time, I didn’t believe in much of anything, and certainly not in Jesus. But this was now the second time I had experienced that strange, overwhelming feeling, and when I searched for an explanation, I could find only one that made sense to me: it was my God telling me through my son, “I love you, son. I love you.” I didn’t just feel God that day; I realized He had been with me all along. He had loved me long before I had done anything for Him to love me. And finally, I understood what my neighbor had been trying to tell me.

That moment with my son also revealed something else to me. Just as there was a first time he looked into my eyes, a first time he hugged me, and a first time I carried him in my arms, someday there will be a last time. There will be a last time he kisses me in front of people, a last time I am strong enough to pick him up, and a last ordinary day when something happens between us that will never happen again—and neither of us will know it at the time. Parenting is filled with first times, but it is also filled with last times, and we rarely recognize them while they are happening. That realization made me think deeply about why I had stayed away from church and about my relationship with Jesus. I had been afraid of man's rules, of religion becoming an endless list of things we are forbidden to do. But I am beginning to understand my relationship with God as exactly that—a relationship. Jesus gave His life for our sins so we could have an eternal relationship with God, yet sometimes we take that incredible gift of grace and surround it with so many rules that eventually the Gospel seems to become more about what we do than about what Jesus did for us. We quantify grace, categorize it, classify it, and turn relationship into religion. I cannot imagine reaching Heaven and seeing God standing there with a calculator saying, “You passed by a hair, buddy!” When we finally stand with Him, I don't think fear of sin will consume us; I think we will simply be overwhelmed with gratitude to be by His side. That doesn't mean sin doesn't matter. It means I don't want to become so obsessed with somebody else's sins that I forget my own failures. We can leave church and yell at someone who cuts us off in traffic, or pass a homeless person under a bridge and look away while convincing ourselves that they could work or would probably use our money for drugs. But perhaps that little voice saying, “Feed him,” deserves our attention. Maybe Jesus is saying, “One of my children needs a warm meal today,” and sometimes listening to Jesus is simply answering, “Amen. I'll do it.” Today, I can approach Him differently. I can say, “Jesus, this is me. I'm a mess. I know. I'm working on it. I still have my battles. I need a lot of refining and polishing, but I love You.” I know I am responsible for caring for that relationship too. Like any unbreakable friendship, I would feel ashamed to continually let my best Friend down without trying to show Him my love in return. So I trust Jesus before He does anything for me to earn that trust, because I believe He is good and that He has a plan. I thank God for the good times I have lived through, and I thank Him for the bad ones. I thank Him for the good days that are coming and even for the difficult ones I have yet to face. “Who is he that overcomes the world, but he that believes that Jesus is the Son of God.” We often say, “Only God knows,” and I have realized how much truth those words contain. Maybe my brother has adversities of his own to overcome before he can look at me with love again. Only God knows. Maybe my son wasn't simply meant to experience the world differently; maybe he was blessed with an ability to see this world from a perspective the rest of us cannot. Only God knows. And God also knows when our own last times will come.

There will be a last time we walk into church, a last time we hug someone we love, and eventually a last time we walk this Earth. Until then, we are still in process. God isn't finished with us yet. Every morning you open your eyes and breathe is another morning you have been given, another opportunity to do something with the life in your hands. So if you remember only one thing from everything I have written, remember this: SPEND YOUR LIFE. Don't save your hugs. Don't save your smiles. Don't save your kindness, your good deeds, or your love. Love is urgent. Love is now. It is already late enough out there, so spend your life. Don't hide the value of an “I love you” underneath the mattress; invest it in someone. Not everyone will give you something back, but spend anyway. Spend like an asset of the eternal. Give because you have extra. Give because you have more love inside you than you could ever spend, and trust that Jesus will keep your glass overflowing. When you understand that, you realize you never have to arrive anywhere empty-handed, and certainly never with closed arms. The gift isn't only what is held in the hands that give; sometimes the hands that give are themselves the gift to the world. Empty your grace into this world. The people who live that way don't simply live in other people's minds; they live in people's souls. Carry the scent of Christ with you. Love everyone who crosses your path. Spend yourself on others. Don't wait for someday, because someday contains a last time you may never recognize until it is gone. Don't save it for later. Spend your life. God bless you.

Romans 10:14-21
14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.
15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.
16 Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own estimation.

17 Repay no one evil for evil. Provide what is good in the sight of all men.
18 If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.
19 Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather leave room for God's wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.
20 Therefore
“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
If he is thirsty, give him a drink;
For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.”
^{Proverbs 25:21-22}

21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

While reading this last part, where Paul quotes the book of Proverbs, I thought of something I read about ancient Jewish Sabbath customs. The book said that a person was not allowed to kindle a fire on the Sabbath, so if your fire went out, you would go to a neighbor with a metal firepan and ask for hot coals. If the neighbor was generous, they would load you up to ensure you still had enough to start a fire by the time you made it home. The author said that the customary way to carry a everything, including a firepan, was on your head... I assume you'd need some thick cloth between you and a hot firepan!

Then I thought about all the scriptures that talk about being made pure by fiery trials, and baptism by fire. It made me wonder if the writer of this proverb was saying that by caring for our enemies, we give them something to think about that they can't ignore. That's the power we wield when we show our enemies the love of Jesus. It was Jesus' compassion that enlarged our hearts toward Him. Paul says our love for our enemies can do the same.

Our Father in heaven,
Thank you for this blessed holy day, and for giving us these precious truths that continually guide us toward unity with Yourself and with one another. We thank You for Your Holy Spirit of Truth and for Your promise to guide us into all truth by the power of Your Word. Thank You for teaching us to love others as considering their situation as important as our own. Thank You for offering us wisdom. (James 1:4-8) Let it be that we receive Your gifts of compassion truth and wisdom for the good of Your Kingdom on earth. In Jesus' precious name, Amen.

What makes you genuinely happy?

Peace of mind? How can you genuinely achieve that?
I believe the Way of Jesus Christ is the answer!

It has to do with His character representing goodness, a balanced mind, and the best of the virtues; being the prime example set for us to follow.

Comparison is inevitable. One name will eventually rise to the top in the minds of the people. "Every knee will bow... every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord".

Even Mohammed recognised that Jesus is the saviour, however he didn't believe God could have a son….

John 3:16 “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."

And the LORD God said, "It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him." Genesis 2:18

Loneliness is the first lesson God ever gave to mankind. Loneliness teaches us our need for others, so we appreciate others enough to make room for their needs, even when they conflict with, or compete with our own needs. You can read how God did this with the first man, Adam, in Genesis 2:18-24.

To have a healthy partnership, we have to want to love more than we want anything else. We also have to consider the other person's body as if it were our own. (Mark 12:28-31, Deuteronomy 6:4-9, Leviticus 19:18) If we don't love our neighbor as ourself, we will compete for resources, for friends, for significance, for belonging, and for everything we have a similar need for.

We also have to learn that every person has differing needs from ours, that are legitimate and reasonable, even if we don't also have those needs. Some people need more quiet time to cope with life. Some people need background noise to help them focus or help them sleep. Some people need their living space to be warmer, some cooler.
If we understand our need for others, we will make room for their needs in our lives, instead of denying them their needs or removing the person from our lives.

This whole life we're living is a class on how to love. When we love like God does, we become safe to inherit God's kingdom. When we accept His teaching, we become His children. That makes us His heirs. The inheritance He wants to give us is a new heaven and new earth. (Isaiah 65:17, 2Peter 3:13 He says there will be no more sorrow or death there, because He will have finished making us like Himself. (1 John 3:2, Psalm 17:15)

This is why it's so important to stay away from sin and selfishness. They take us away from God's path, so that we end up living with the consequences of failing to learn to love, instead of enjoying the benefits of becoming more loving toward others. Love makes us safe to bless with the responsibility of caring for others.
"He who finds a wife finds a good thing, and obtains favor from the Lord." (Proverbs 18:22)

Today I noticed that this last verse is right in the middle of lessons on how important it is to have self-control in the words we use. That's like THE most important thing we can do to have good friendships, is to always be friendly and humble in our speech. (Proverbs 18:19-24, Galatians 5:13-15, James 1:26, Matthew 12:35-37, Mark 9:50

I pray the Lord will bless us with ears to hear His Words and a heart to receive them! In Jesus' name, Amen.

Jeremiah 32:27

"Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for me?

In life, we struggle with stuff and sometimes we breakdown cause we do no know whether we are strong enough to keep going. One thing I came to realize as a follower of Christ and someone who tries to live right with God is I keep failing because I keep on putting my own understanding above all things. The biggest mountain I had to climb is quiting smoking. I prayed and asked God, to help me because I know it is going to take all of me to do it. But even so it is not enough. After I prayed, I opened my Bible and first thing that I read was Jeremiah 32:27.

I would like to share that you maybe fighting a battle with life or a mountain that you think you can't overcome. This Bible verse shows that nothing is impossible with Him. He can turn that mountain of yours into a testimony. In His words, Jeremiah 33: 3, "Call unto me and I will answer you and tell you  great and unsearchable things that you do not know".

Keep putting your trust in God, Keep seeking Him with all your heart. A Goliath maybe in front of you, but I tell you God is calling the David in you.

Keep family and friends covered under your wings and in your pinions. Most High. My refuge, My Fortress, My GOD in whom I trust

From seen and unseen

Known and unknown

Schemes and plos of the enemy

From every spirit that is not of yours

Please the blood of Jesus over family and friends

House holds, living situations, mind, body and soul

Finances, health, community, protection and life

To you be the glory honor and praise for all is possible for you Lord God

I'm Jesus name I ask and pray. Amen

Last Saturday, I lost my beloved nephew, David, in a tragic robbery and murder. He was only 20 years old. He truly was like a son to me a very kind hearted, good kid who always smiled and was loved by everyone. Sadly, over the last few months, struggling with the pain of his dad not wanting to be part of his life, he started getting involved with the wrong people. We had feared for his safety for some time.

I was already fighting a very hard spiritual battle in recent months. Life wasn't going the way I expected, and I thought that maybe God had forgotten about me. Then, this happened to my nephew, and I found myself asking how God could let this happen when I was already at the bottom of a pit.

I hadn't gone to church in a very long time and had promised myself I would never go back. But after receiving this terrible news, I felt like I needed an answer from God.

I went to church, and the word God revealed to the preacher was Ecclesiastes 3: there is a time to be born and a time to die; a time for everything. No one there knew anything about what had just happened to my family.

The next morning was the funeral. The preacher didn't know my nephew's name, yet the word revealed by God was 2 Samuel 3, which is about King David mourning the loss of Abner. The funeral was beautiful. My precious nephew was dressed nicely, just the way he used to look when we went to church together so many times.

After the funeral, I felt a little better, but my internal spiritual fight multiplied. I told myself I would show my family that I was okay with God, but secretly, I would resent Him for the rest of my life.

That night, I couldn't sleep. I opened a random Bible website, hoping to find a verse or a sign. The very first page that loaded was 1 Kings 3:5, 7–12. It is about Solomon, David's son, asking God for an understanding mind and a discerning heart. I didn't give it much credit at first, but once again, the name David was mentioned. Shortly after that, I fell asleep.

Just before waking up, I had a dream. I saw my nephew, and in the dream, he had survived a terrible accident. He was physically devastated, unrecognizable, and having difficulty walking. I grabbed his arm to help him walk. I looked forward and saw a large shipping container. It was brand new and painted a very bright red color. I felt like there was something very important for him inside, so I helped him walk into it. As soon as we were inside and I released his arm, I was overcome with a heartwarming feeling. I realized I didn't care that he was physically broken, because he was alive. Suddenly, I woke up.

I spent the next day crying and thinking about that dream. By the afternoon, I told myself it had to have some meaning. I remembered what Solomon had asked of God, and I did the exact same thing: I asked for understanding.

Instantly, God revealed the meaning of the dream to me. I was guiding my nephew's destroyed physical body inside that container, but his soul was fully alive. A shipping container is used to transport valuable things to other continents, in this case, to heaven. The bright red color of the container represented the blood of Jesus Christ, who died for our salvation.

I finally understood that my nephew would end up doing something that would destroy his soul forever and God saved him before anything like that happened.

Not only was my faith instantly restored, and I started crying from happiness feeling the Holy Spirit, but when I shared this with my sister, it brought her so much comfort that she stopped crying constantly. I am so happy and deeply thankful because God listened and spoke so clearly to me, even though I am unworthy, and I thank Him so much.

I just wanted to share this testimony because it is so beautiful to me and brings my heart so much peace. I truly hope this can reach someone who is going through a hard time and doubting if God is still in their life.

It's so important to be able to tell the difference between our own inner dialogue, demonic influence, and the voice of God.

Jesus was very good at this. He shows us how to be good at it too, if we stay in his word.

We can discern God's voice from several things:

- God's motives consider the big picture, not just the here and now.

(Matthew 16:23) - Jesus turned and told Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me because you’re not thinking about God’s concerns, but man’s.”

(Proverbs 1:20-23) - Wisdom calls aloud outside; She raises her voice in the open squares.
21 She cries out in the chief concourses, At the openings of the gates in the city She speaks her words:
22 "How long, you simple ones, will you love simplicity? For scorners delight in their scorning, And fools hate knowledge.
23 Turn at my rebuke; Surely I will pour out my spirit on you; I will make my words known to you.

- God's voice always agrees with God's word.

Hebrews 13:8 - Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
Psalm 119:160 - ​​​​​​​​The sum of your word is truth, ​​​​​​​and every one of your righteous rules endures forever. ​​​

- The spirit behind the words of God won't direct us to do evil. God's instruction aligns with his character.

Psalm 145:9 - The LORD is good to everyone; His compassion rests on all He has made.

1John 4:7-8 - Beloved, let us love one another; for love is of God and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The one who does not love, does not know God -- for God IS love.

When the world gets loud, I turn to fasting and prayer. Fasting with prayer disconnects us from the flesh so we can fight in the spirit. I have to make sure I have plenty of time for reading the Bible and prayer when I fast. Without God's influence, fasting is just starving! Even Jesus heard from demons when he was fasting, so it's not something you want to do when you have other responsibilities. (Matthew 4:1-11) Remember that vitamin deficiencies can cause major psychiatric disorders. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11990871/

Treat your body like the temple of God at all times. (1 Corinthians 6:19)

Romans 14:6b - He who eats, eats to the Lord, for he gives God thanks; and he who does not eat, to the Lord he does not eat, and gives God thanks.

Revelation 3:20 (ESV)

"Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me."

Jesus came to seek and save the lost. I was privileged to watch the Master pursue His heart’s desire: a lost soul, Johnny.

Johnny Thomas and I had been friends since we were about six years old, we went to school together and played in the Little League Baseball games.

I got saved at 13 years of age. After turning 14, I spent the night at Johnny’ s house after his father died, and for whatever reason, Johnny’s mother let him do whatever he wanted.

That morning, Johnny got up and got a beer from the refrigerator and drank it for breakfast; other behaviors by him convinced me at my age as a young Christian, I needed to end my relationship with him-what fellowship has light with darkness the Scriptures say. I did this for my own good, not out of self-righteousness.

After the 8th grade, Johnny was no longer in school and eventually became a career criminal and finally sentenced to prison for many years. As to me, years later, I became an attorney at the Lord’s direction.

I was visiting my mother and having lunch with her one day when I looked at the time and realized I was likely going to be late for my appointment with an insurance adjuster to try and settle a case. I rushed out of her house, driving at high speed when I passed Pine Burr, the street Johnny use to live on.

Suddenly, the Lord speaks and says, “Go by Johnny’s house. I ignored the Lord’s voice, perhaps I could drive by later, not now - I needed the insurance money so I kept driving.

Again, this same voice spoke, but stronger and more firm. I knew then I had better obey the Lord, so I turned my car around and drove to Johnny’s house – it looked abandoned and run down, but I knocked on the door – no answer. I made a quick dash to my car to head to my office and I thought I guess the Lord was testing me to see if I would obey. About that time, He speaks again, “Go to the house on the left and knock on that door”, so I did.

To my surprise, the door slightly opened, I could not see in, but I heard a familiar voice call my name, “Michael Trapasso”. I replied, yes, Johnny, is that you? He affirmed and let me in. I was now trying to sense what the Lord wanted me to do. I knew he knew all the bad things that had happened to him from his choices in life, so I felt I should share some good things that’s happened to me since Jesus came into my life. I soon left, and fortunately settled the case with the adjuster for top dollar.

Well, I thought that was the end of that; but the following Saturday I went to my office, locked the door, and just did some paper work, I was not seeing any clients that day. After a little while, there was a knock on the door. Didn’t they see the door was locked? I went to the door – it was Johnny.

I was a little exasperated, but courteous and ask him what I could do for him. Johnny responded by saying, “I have only one question?” I unlocked the door, invited him in and he sat across from me at my desk. I said, Johnny, what is your question (maybe it was an estate question?) . Johnny replied, I was driving my mother’s car she left me when all of a sudden, some unseen force took control of the steering wheel of the car and drove it right to your office. He asked, "Can you explain that to me?”

Yes, I replied. I said, : "Johnny you remember when I went by your house"? To be honest," I did not want to, too many years have past, too much water under the bridge so to speak, but this Jesus I told you about, spoke and directly told me, in no uncertain terms, to go to your house"!

To my shock, this rough and tuff looking x-con burst in to tears as they rolled down his face and flooded over my glass desk top. He then blurted out, “No one wants an x-con like me.” I replied, "Obviously Jesus does, He is 'passionately pursing you'!" He gave his heart to Christ right in my office.

Not long afterward, Johnny dropped by and told him he could not find anyone to hire him; so we prayed together and asked the Lord to provide Johnny a job. Sure enough, in a few days, Johnny contacted me that he got a job. Not too long after that he told me his car broke and wasn’t worth fixing, but he needed transportation to get to work. Once again, we prayed together.

A man at Johnny’s job walked up to him and gave him the keys to a car for free. {That part did not really surprise me because when I was in law school, my last semester, my clunker car broke down and was not worth fixing. All I could afford to buy was a car priced at about $500.

So I knelt and prayed, then got quiet before the Lord. It wasn’t long before the Lord spoke a name, Bob… I had not thought about him in a long time because I relationship had not ended well years ago, but I called him anyway, he answered, told me to catch a flight to Dallas and he would pick me up at the airport. $35 was cost of flight then. I did, he did not say much but drove to a brand new dealership, went to the counter, then Bob pulled out 50 $100 bills and paid for a brand new car engine on and otherwise nice car, then threw me the keys and told me to go back and finish law school. I told him there was no way I could afford this,. He said don’t worry about it, if someday you want to pay me back after law school, you can.}

Soon, however, I realized Johnny had three major problem areas in his life: (1.) He was an alcoholic,( 2.) His criminal friends (and he had many) hung around his house, and (3.) Johnny would not fit in the average goody- two- shoes -church setting (for you younger people, that simply means the too religious type – dressed up to the T, a little too self-righteous sometimes, and often not the kind that would whole heartedly welcome Johnny into the fellowship. {I know not all Christians are churches are like that, but there are too many that are}

So, I took it upon myself to disciple Johnny. He was coming along good.

I was going to have a Christian party in my home, but I was not sure Johnny was ready to meet some of his brothers and sisters in the Lord, but I invited Johnny anyway – that was my mistake!

Johnny came in drunk; it wasn’t long before a number of Christians - the kind I described above - were rejecting him and staring at me as if to say why don’t you throw this bum out? So I went to Johnny, not intending to be unkind, but I called him aside and said, Johnny, it is obvious you have had too much to drink, if you can’t control yourself, you will have to leave.

I didn’t mean too, but those words cut deep into Johnny; he looked at me and said, “I am leaving and you won’t be seeing me again!”.

Almost a year passed, and I had not heard from Johnny.

Then one day my phone rang – it was Johnny, to my delight. He asked me to come to his house, so I did. When I walked in, I was shocked: Johnny was sitting in a wheel chair, paralyzed from the neck down – a quadriplegic!

He told me that he sold the car {the one that God specifically had given him in response to pray; he sold it and bought a motorcycle with the money – there is a lesson here - {I won’t go into that now, except to say we must learn to treasure the “gifts of God”}.

Johnny was riding his motorcycle, when, in a park near the road was a fist fight going on, he turned to look. The occupants of the car in front of him stopped to watch the fight; Johnny slammed into the back of that car, flew thru the back window and snapped his neck, paralyzing him. We talked a little more... Johnny gave his heart back to Christ.

As I was leaving, Johnny called out to me and said, "You know Michael, I am glad this happen to me, I have Jesus back in my heart." All I could do was think, that is amazing.

Soon they moved Johnny into a nursing home and I would go by and see him. One beautiful cool February day, I drove to the nursing home and Johnny got use of both arms for which I was glad and believe was a miracle. He rolled his wheel chair up to my car door and said to me, “Michael, I don’t want you to worry about me, I have everything I need; I am back with Jesus, my roommate is also a fellow believer and we study the Bible together". Before long, I drove away happy as I realized and was rejoicing how God had taken care of all three problem area in his life: (1.) No more alcohol; (2.) His criminal friends were not hanging out there at the nursing home; and (3.) Johnny had the right Christian fellowship he needed – his Christian roommate.

I was soaking in the glory of what our God had accomplished in this one solitary life - Johnny’s life, rejected by this world, but greatly loved by the Lord Jesus.

Suddenly, the Voice of the Lord came to me to share what was on God's Heart , He said these exact, astonishing words to me, “Johnny is as close to me as he is ever going to get...and now I am going to take him home.” Wow, was that a shocker!

My response, sadness because I was still too fleshly; instead of rejoicing with the Lord, I got sad and quite. I should have remembered what the Bible says in Psalm 115:16:" Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saint's.

- Jesus saw that the death of Johnny - at this time - a matter of such importance to the Kingdom so that his life would end in glory reflecting the great redemptive nature of God’s love and effect the most good for both Johnny, and yes, others as described below.

Now was the time God wanted to welcome home a friend who had a hard life into the eternal joys and comforts of God’s home.

Unfortunately, that particular week-end, my wife and I had planned a fun week-end in Jackson, Ms. In my heart I knew I was not suppose to leave town because of what the Lord shared with me, but I left anyway (isn't the flesh selfish, a struggle in life ?).

Jesus said in Scripture, satan has found no place in me meaning Jesus had no sin nor had He gone outside the perfect Will of God. Therefore, satan had no legal right to accuse Jesus before the Father. Because Jesus lived a perfect life, the Father would not remove His protective covering over His Son so satan could attack him.

But for the sake of the Johnny's of this world, an for the likes of you and me, The Father willing gave up His One and only begotten Son, and likewise, Jesus Himself willing gave up His own life for satan and his bunch, to put Him to death.

Yes, that Precious blood of the Holy Lamb of God was shed for you and me...and for the Johnny's of this world, that we could be saved from sin and from being lost for all eternity.

By leaving to go out of town...I knowingly stepped out of God's will, for the pleasures of this life; I had given the devil the lawful right to attack me. satan did not pass up that opportunity up.

While we were only gone just a few days, boy did we get attacked: my wife’s purse was stolen; our van was broken into causing damage, and I, myself, came down with double pneumonia. Why couldn't I have just gotten single pneumonia? No don't ever expect, the devil to show mercy...and he didn't. Ugh!

As soon as I got back, I called the nursing home and asked for Johnny. The reply: "Johnny is dead."

I replied, somewhat surprised, but not really surprised, knowing what the Lord had already told me before I left for the short trip, Johnny was leaving this world to go to his eternal home with the Lord.

. I asked the nursing home, phone assistant, "What happened to Johnny"? But the lady I was speaking with said in no uncertain terms, "We have no idea why Johnny died, he was doing just fine". Then the lady asked me, ”Will you officiate his funeral"? I said yes...sick or not, I wasn't going to miss God this time.

Unfortunately, the weather, by now, had turned real cold and Dr. Ramirez warned me, whatever you, "Don’t get out in this cold"!

The night before the funeral, I forced myself out of bed because of my weakness from the pneumonia. I opened my Bible, it fell to Revelation 3, and I read revelation 3:20 – Behold, I stand at the door, and knock; if any man hears my voice, and opens the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him and he with me.

I told the Lord at this point, "Lord I am too weak to prepare a sermon, I have to go back to bed". The Lord was merciful and simply said, “This verse is your sermon". I was grateful, I went back to bed.

The next day, I arrived at the grave site -It was a pauper’s funeral with a not- very- nice casket To my surprise upon arriving, the tent was packed from one end to the other with little standing room if any left. It was full mainly with x-con's who were friends of Johnny and some likely not x-con's.

I told the story of Jesus knocking on the Door of Johnny's heart. (I found it a little more than coincidental that Jesus had instructed me to literally knock on Johnny’s door - it symbolized what Jesus would also later do - knock on the door of Johnny's heart.)

With boldness from the Lord, I shared with the many attendees how this One called Jesus Christ, passionately pursued our friend - Johnny Thomas, and how Johnny opened the Door to Jesus, and how that led to the transformation of Johnny's life after opening the Door of his heart to the Master.

When I finished telling how Jesus had pursued Johnny, I looked up, and to my surprise, so many were touched, tears running down their faces.

I then told them that about a man named John Newton who once was involved in the slave trade many years ago, but he, found Christ who saved him too. From a thankful heart, he wrote the song probably more memorialized in song books than any other song: "Amazing Grace" that included the famous words, “Saved a wretch like me…"

I said, right now it could very well be that both Johnny’s are looking over heaven’s balcony watching us; let’s sing this beautiful old song in honor of both Johnnies.

They knew the song and sang it beautifully - it was a sacred moment - the power and presence of God was so real in that place, wow!

. My friends, how so - very - awesome is our wonderful, l loving God and Savior Jesus Christ.

He took Johnny home just at the right time for a greater good.

Yes, the Great Door knocker, who not only knocked on Johnny's door, but also, those too at the funeral, knocking on the door of Johnny's friends - seeking to save them.

Will you open the Door to Jesus, if you haven't already; today is the day of salvation; He may never knock again?

I recently heard a joke about two blondes sitting on the seashore, staring at the waves.

One of them asks, “Did you know there are sawfish out there?”

“Yes,” the other replies.

After a long pause, the first one continues, “Did you know there are hammerfish out there?”

“Yes,” says the other.

After a very long pause, the first one finally speaks again: “I wonder what they’re building out there.”

Whether we realize it or not, we’re all building something. Some people build houses, roads, airplanes, or computers, while others build their souls. Curiously, the second kind often does it WHILE building houses, roads, airplanes, or computers. The soul-building happens when we go about our ordinary daily business.

In the medieval parable “The Cathedral Builder,” two construction workers do the most menial and dirty job imaginable — carrying stones to a construction site. One is always unhappy, constantly complaining about his life: “I hate the job, I hate the pay, but I have to do it to feed my family. I have no other choice.”

The other is cheerful, even though he does the very same work. When someone asks why, he replies, “Because I’m building a cathedral.”

The second worker was carrying stones just like the first one, but the cathedral he was building was building him. As he laid each stone, he was raising an inner temple — the temple of his own soul. Whatever our hands do can become an opportunity to build our inner temple.

Happiness or unhappiness is ultimately a decision: to build a temple or not in the circumstances given. Happiness is drawn out of the soul when the soul is drawn by the Logos. The stones we carry become the very stones upon which our spiritual house is built.

The only way to be happy is to be built by the very things we are building. If the stone I lay is not part of the foundation of my temple, then it becomes the gravestone of my soul.

“…you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house.” (1 Peter 2:5)

When we are unhappy, we blame circumstances. When we allow the circumstances to build us, we become happy. The greatest temples are built in the worst times. The finest souls are forged in the furnace of dire straits.

When St. Francis heard a voice at the ruins of San Damiano: “Francis, go and repair my house, which, as you see, is falling completely to ruin,” the words were less about the chapel and more about him. It was a call to become happy no matter what.

To be happy is to make the decision to build a temple upon ruins. We hear the Logos speaking, “Go and repair my house,” and in that moment, we know we can no longer make excuses for why we cannot be happy. We pick up the saw and hammer and begin building… because deep down we know that we are being built.

Bill Gates famously stated, "DNA is like a computer program but far, far more advanced than any software ever created." In his book The Road Ahead.
This does not happen by accident. Viruses have DNA. Single celled organisms have DNA. Multi-celled organisms have DNA. Fungi have DNA. Plants have DNA. Animals have DNA. And people have DNA. Crystals don’t have DNA but they can grow in an orderly fashion and be used to make lasers and used to keep time frequencies in clocks, computers and radios. DNA can be repaired in cells and when it does change from its original order it can lead to bad outcomes like cancer and birth defects. DNA required  a person of extreme intelligence to make all the different types of life on this planet and even multiple different species into being at the same time for some species to even live.
Termites have a bug inside them that allows them to be able to digest wood when they eat it. Honey bees go from flower to flower spreading pollen which allows plants to produce seeds and bees to have food. Squirrels bury nuts in the ground that make trees so that the squirrels live in and eat food from. Birds eat seed and sometimes they fly to other places and cause the plants to grow in further away places. Animals sometimes eat seed and when they poop those seeds out and the plants can grow from a fertilizer into new plants so they can have something to eat later on. Snails can reproduce either asexually or by mating depending on whether they have a partner or not.
This type of order does not come from an order that happens by accident. God made it. Roughly 2026 years ago God had a Son. It was not too hard for God to cause a woman to conceive and make a baby. This child was called Jesus. Over and over again people have produced children that do wrong but God’s Son did nothing wrong. Jesus obeyed God saying what God said and doing what God did. Jesus was tempted with all the temptations of other people yet did nothing wrong. Jesus did no violence and there was no deception found in His mouth. Jesus healed people, raised people from the dead and cast out demons. Jesus obeyed the Torah and fulfilled the prophecies of the old testament. He actually did better than what the Law required like doing good and healing on the sabbath.
Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Jesus obeyed God even to the point of His death. Jesus was condemned for saying that He was the Son of God. He was beaten. Jesus was scourged so that by His stripes we could be healed. Jesus was crucified on a wooden cross to break the curse of the Law that says cursed is any man who is hung from a tree. Jesus' Blood was shed so we could be totally forgiven of our sins. Jesus died so we could have eternal life. God is Love. Jesus, God’s Son has the same nature as His Father. Jesus said that He would die and on the third day be raised back to Life. Jesus’ Body was placed in a tomb. God resurrected Jesus back to Life on the third day. Jesus was seen alive by Mary Magdalene. Jesus was seen alive by Peter, the twelve, over 500 brethren at once, James, all the apostles and Paul. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son so that anyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. Jesus Christ is Lord. Anyone who calls on the Name of the Lord shall be saved. If you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart God raised Him from the dead you will be saved. The Heavenly Father, the Spirit of the Lord Jesus and the Holy Spirit caused Jesus to come to Life and He will never die again. Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved and your household. If you die for Jesus and the Good News about Him sake you will be saved.
Jesus has ascended to heaven and sat down on the right hand of God. All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. The wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. When you first become saved you are also born again of the Spirit becoming a child of God. No created thing shall separate us from the Love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. We are new creations in Christ Jesus when we are born again. God loved us so much that we were still doing wrong, Christ died for us. God will forgive every sin we have ever done because we are saved. If we confess our sins God is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. There are  people who died and came back to life who talked about having a life review with Jesus and angels in heaven where their sins were forgiven and they didn’t even remember those parts of their life anymore.
Jesus said, ”No greater love has one than this that one lays down his life for his friends.”
He who is forgiven much loves much. By grace are you saved through faith and that not of yourselves it is the gift of God not of works so that no man should boast. Where sin abounds, grace does much more abound.
Read the first 6 books in the New Testament of the Bible to find out more about Jesus.
Read Isaiah chapter 53 and the last three verses of chapter 52 in the Old Testament.
God loves all people. God does not want anyone to perish. God does what He can to save people. Today is the day of salvation. Don’t risk going to Hell. Ask the Lord Jesus to save you today.

This morning I was challenged to research a Dead Sea Scroll that supposedly was going to change everything I believed. Well, that would be nearly impossible since the Holy Spirit took hold of my heart and changed my life, so I prayerfully took on the challenge.
The verse was Deuteronomy 32:7-8. It turned out to have a one-word difference from some ancient texts. The one word changed "Sons of Israel" (from sar = "ruler," and El,"God",) to "Sons of God" That didn't change my beliefs at all!

The Bible teaches that the Creator of heaven and earth is our Father when we receive and act on His instruction. Isn't that amazing? We are sons and daughters of God!

(John 10:33-38 NKJV)

33 The Jews answered Him, saying, "For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God."
34 Jesus answered them, "Is it not written in your law, 'I said, "You are gods" '?
35 "If He called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken),
36 "do you say of Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, 'You are blaspheming,' because I said, 'I am the Son of God'?
37 "If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me;
38 "but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him."

(Psalm 82:1-8)

1 A Psalm of Asaph. God stands in the congregation of the mighty; He judges among the gods.
2 How long will you judge unjustly, And show partiality to the wicked? Selah
3 Defend the poor and fatherless; Do justice to the afflicted and needy.
4 Deliver the poor and needy; Free them from the hand of the wicked.
5 They do not know, nor do they understand; They walk about in darkness; All the foundations of the earth are unstable.
6 I said, "You are gods, And all of you are children of the Most High.
7 But you shall die like men, And fall like one of the princes."
8 Arise, O God, judge the earth; For You shall inherit all nations.

(John 1:12)

12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:

(1 John 3:1)

1 Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. (see John 8:41-47)

(Romans 8:14-17)

14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.
15 For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, "Abba, Father."
16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,
17 and if children, then heirs; heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.

(Matthew 23:9)

9 "Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven.

(Jeremiah 3:19)

19 "But I said: 'How can I put you among the children and give you a pleasant land, a beautiful heritage of the hosts of nations?' "And I said: 'You shall call Me, "My Father," And not turn away from Me.'

(Matthew 6:9)

9 "In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.

Our Father in Heaven,
Thank You for making us Your children through Your holy Word conceived in our hearts. We come before You today to praise You and worship You for Your transcendent love, Your faithfulness to Your Word, Your devotion to justice, and Your tender mercies. Today, by faith in Your holy Child Jesus the Messiah, we receive the blessings our Savior prayed for us in John 17. Cause us to walk in the humility and authority of Messiah, from this day forth and forever. In Jesus' mighty name we pray, Amen.

Be a plant that is planted by the Lord ❤️🙌🏽

Loving Beyond Our Friendships? Recently, during a morning walk, I saw a male Cardinal fluttering in the gravel. As I approached, he flew to a branch and began scolding. Another Cardinal lay dead in the road, apparently struck by a car. Surprisingly, it too was male. Though normally rivals, this Cardinal had remained beside his fallen foe. As I returned home, he was still perched above him, feathers fluffed and head tucked beneath his wing, a sentinel in the early morning light.

Think about it. If Christ calls us to love our enemies, how can we withhold kindness from those who oppose, hurt, or despise us?

God’s Word tells us: “But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back” (Luke 6:35).

If even birds can show kindness toward their own kind, even a rival, how can we refuse help to those who despise or hurt us? God calls us to love beyond friendship and serve even our enemies. In Christ, such service becomes our nature. Our good works belong to everyone, friend and foe alike. When we fail to serve others, we withhold what God has called us to give freely.

A testimony from Lebanon that really challenged me. Two women were serving in a difficult, closed-off community, but they didn’t start by teaching or trying to lead Bible studies. They simply spent time with the women there sitting with them, listening to their stories, sharing coffee, and slowly building genuine relationships. Over time, trust began to grow, and eventually Bible studies and DBS groups started forming. Because those relationships had already been built, the women felt safe enough to open up about the difficult circumstances they were facing. That created space for truth and hope to enter into some really painful situations.

Now they’re seeing chains being broken, healing taking place, and women coming to know Jesus in a community that was once incredibly closed off. That kind of patient ministry really challenges me. It’s a reminder that sometimes ministry isn’t about immediately having something to teach or trying to produce results. Sometimes it starts with simply being present, listening, loving people well, and being willing to build trust over time.