“Which Side Will You Be Standing?” “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.” ~ Matthew 25:31-33 NIV Two stories appear occasionally in the media news. One story will reveal the apprehension of someone who committed a crime years ago but escaped capture and is finally brought to justice. The other story will tell of an individual who was incarcerated for many years for a crime he or she did not commit and finally is freed. In both cases, justice was delayed but finally done. When we observe our world, we see examples of both things. The wicked often escape judgment and appear to live a life of ease. And “the righteous”, seemingly innocent or good people often endure bad things which they don’t deserve. And we wonder, where is the justice? Why do good things happen to bad people and bad things happen to good people? But justice is coming very soon through our Heavenly Father, God the Creator, God! Jesus Christ who will “judge the living and the dead at His appearing” (2 Timothy 4:1), judging “the secrets of men” (Romans 2:16). So stop today for a moment and thank God for His scales of justice that will be balanced in due time. “LET GOD BE THE JUDGE. YOUR JOB TODAY IS TO BE A WITNESS.” ~ WARREN W. WIERSBE “Your arm is endowed with power; your hand is strong, your right hand exalted. Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; love and faithfulness go before you. Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you, who walk in the light of your presence, Lord.” ~ Psalms 89:13-15 NIV Amen…

“What Is Our Life’s Key Words?” “Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”” ~ Matthew 22:37, 39-40 NIV The answer is: Love, God, Heart, Soul, Mind! Think about the week prior to His crucifixion, Jesus engaged in debates with religious leaders in the temple in Jerusalem. One of His critics, a lawyer, asked Him, “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” Jesus quoted Deuteronomy 6:5 about loving God with all there is within us. Then He went on to say the next greatest command was to love our neighbors, and He quoted from Leviticus 19:18. “Love your neighbor as yourself," is the core teaching emphasizing treating all human beings with the same care, compassion, and respect you'd give yourself, forming the basis for all other commandments, according to Jesus. It's a call for selfless, unreserved love, extending kindness and seeking the well-being of everyone, even strangers, as if they were yourself! “On these two commands hang all the Law and the Prophets,” Jesus said (Matthew 22:40). In other words, one single word, “Love” when biblically understood, fulfills every single law of the Bible. A few days later Jesus demonstrated these two laws by dying on the cross. He loved the Heavily Father and submitted to the Father’s will. He loved us as neighbors and laid down His life for us. He was perfect in every way because He loved perfectly. He can love our neighbor through each of us. If there is someone you don’t particularly like, ask the Jesus to love that person through you today. “God loves each of us as if there were only one of us.” ~ Saint Augustine “Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart.” ~ 1 Peter 1:22 NIV Amen…

“Be Careful What You Pray For” “For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all people. This has now been witnessed to at the proper time. And for this purpose I was appointed a herald and an apostle—I am telling the truth, I am not lying—and a true and faithful teacher of the Gentiles. Therefore I want the men everywhere to pray, lifting up holy hands without anger or disputing.” ~ 1 Timothy 2:5-8 NIV Be careful what we pray for because we might just get it. That doesn’t seem like the God that Jesus described, read and meditate on Matthew 7:8-11 NIV. So we must pray for things that benefit others and God will shower his blessings on all of us. “I asked for Strength. And God gave me Difficulties to make me strong. I asked for Wisdom... And God gave me Problems to solve. I asked for Prosperity....... And God gave me a Brain and energy to work. I asked for Courage... And God gave me Danger to overcome. I asked for Love... And God gave me Troubled people to help. I asked for Favors.... And God gave me opportunites. I received nothing I wanted But I received everything I needed” ~ Unknown “In the desert they gave in to their craving; in the wilderness they put God to the test. So he gave them what they asked for, but sent a wasting disease among them.” ~ Psalms 106:14-15 NIV Amen…

“Is This The Last Generation?” “However, no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself. Only the Father knows. And since you don’t know when that time will come, be on guard! Stay alert!” ~ Mark 13:32-33 NLT In every generation, there are those who never deviate from following the our Heavenly Father message faithfully. Such a person pass on these blessing to the next generation who come after them. “And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up.” (Deuteronomy 6:5-7 NLT). So have you read the Book of Revelations. If you have then we know of the horrors that will ensue following the rapture of the Church. However, “persecution” is not the great concern mentioned by the Apostle Paul in 2 Timothy chapter 3, read it today. It is rather the “temptations” that this generation will have to overcome. Certainly it seems that Paul is describing here in this text is our current generation. It seems that we are nearing the end. The rapture must be close at hand but don’t be afraid. When all of the saints of all time are gathered as one in Heaven, there will certainly be ample time for many discussion among the new family members. Certainly one of the topics that will come up time and time again will be, “and in what time frame did you live in while you were alive on planet earth?” And we will say, “I was in that last generation just prior to the rapture of the Church. I lived in the the generation of men as mentioned by the Apostle Paul in 2 Timothy Chapter 3. “Do you realize that we are the last generation on Earth that knows what life was like before social media!” ~ Unknown “I tell you the truth, this generation will not pass from the scene until all these things take place. Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will never disappear. “However, no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself. Only the Father knows.”

“Choose Who You Serve” ““Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”” ~ Joshua 24:14-15 NIV Who is a servant of God our Creator? We are! Godly servitude is defined by humble, loving obedience to Christ, prioritizing spiritual impact over personal gain. Some people think that believers of God are separated into two groups: servants, individuals in full-time ministry and laypeople, church goers. The Bible makes no such distinction. Instead, Paul a tentmaker by trade-reminds the Ephesians that believers are saved so that they might serve, read and meditate on Ephesians 2:10. If there were no other reason to serve God besides gratitude for salvation, that would be cause enough. We are rescued and given eternal life along with the Holy Spirit's indwelling presence. Our service is an acknowledgment of all that our Heavenly Father did for us by sending His Son, Jesus Christ who will be returning. Many people, believers included, serve the big "l”. In other words, they're continually thinking, What do “I” find satisfying and pleasing? What do “I” need to be happy and prosperous? Here's a harsh reality and a simple way to remember it: If "I” is our master, we are committing I-dolatry. Anything given first place over God-including selfish desires-is an idol. Godly Servitude isn't just a good idea. God calls us all to be servants so we can each invest our life in an eternally valuable purpose: the salvation of others and their subsequent discipleship for His glory. Our job may seem small or our limitations great, but the “truth” is that we're all servants of Christ with a role in His kingdom.