No Man Can Serve Two Masters...Knowing God's Will?

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Do You Know God?

I won't go into a long tirade about your relationship with God, but I have posed this question for the purposes of asking all of us to do a self-examination to determine if we truly have a one on one relationship with Jesus. The little illustration above is not meant to insult anyone either. I found it in a old book, from the 1930's, and it's theme is based on the scripture where Jesus states that no man can serve two masters; he will love the one and hate the other. It is very simple, when we come to Jesus, we cannot be tampering with the things of the world any longer, for after our surrender to God, we are not our own, we are bought with the Blood of the Lamb. Take a few minutes to study the picture, and see how that with Jesus in our "driver's seat", we can and will have a victorious Christian life. With satan in control, we were going nowhere but a "dead-end" street.

With That Being Said...

Now that we are living for God, then how do we know what His will is for our life? Well, there was a time in my life that I didn't feel comfortable going forward with anything, until I had a clear picture from God as to what I should do next. I found out that even though God wants us to seek His will, that we "see through a glass darkly", and with our eyesight, we don't always see clearly, even when God is trying to tell us something; so I began to step out in faith more and more, and do what Proverbs teaches us to "trust in the Lord with all of your heart, and lean not unto your own understanding; in all of your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths."

We are really pretty stupid, especially when we think that we are smart. I find that I am smartest when I ask God to think for me. When I get in that mode, many times miraculous, supernatural things happen. So, to me, it is just that simple. I have had people (even really good, well meaning Christian ones) try to tell me and even dictate to me what God's will is for my life, and I have even tried to make my plans fit to God's Word, and visa versa(making God's Word to comply with my plans) This is called manipulation.

On Our Own?

Jesus said that He would not leave us alone, but would send us a comforter, the Holy Spirit, oh yeah, that's God, too! Well, if we ask God to go with us, He promises that He will, and not leave us floundering in a sea of helplessness. So that's really how I determine God's will...I don't...He does, and I try to follow, when I am awake(alert) enough to hear His voice(that still quiet one), and then, that peace that passes all understanding comes, I walk through the doors that He opens.

Oh yeah, sometimes He provides a window that I have to crawl out of...oh yeah, sometimes, He knocks down a whole wall for me ...thank you Jesus! Oh yeah, many times, God directs, protects, leads, and does things for us that we don't even know that He does, and we may not know about those things this side of Heaven. So the key element here is total trust in God.

So if you want to know God's will, ask Him; He will show you, but not always in some "crystal ball" visionary way. Guess what; He is not obligated to show us the entire painting; he is the artist, we are the canvas; if we could know all of the answers, we would not need God, but we do need Him, and that's a good thing! There are also very obvious things that we know are or are not God's will. Those are the "givens" in life; we know the basics of right from wrong, and we must adhere to those principles.

Keep praying, keep trusting, keep believing, keep dreaming. Love God, praise Him for who He is. Praise Him for all the mighty things that he has done. Love everyone, even when it hurts, the pain will subside! Be joyous!

"Whether therefore ye eat or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God"
I Corinthians 10:31

A Special Message to Everyone That I Know

Hello everyone...that is, all of you that know me. This message is written especially for all of you. Most of you have been around me for many years, you have probably seen me at my worst and best; hopefully you have not ever seen me at my "very" worst, or you would have never wanted to be in my presence, ever! Most people who associate with me know that I really try to be a nice guy, but fail miserably, at times.
Some of you have really been angry with me at times, and some of you have really been nice to me, as well. I probably earned your anger, and appreciate your kindness, and forgiveness for the times when I behaved badly.

It is No Secret
Of course, it is no secret that I am a born again Christian, and again, no secret that I am far from perfect. Guess what, that Bible that I believe in tells me that one day, I will be perfect, even as Jesus is perfect. Until then, you will just have to put up with me, I guess...my apologies! Before I became a Christian, many people tried to shove "religion" down my throat, and I vowed many years ago that I would try not to be obnoxious when I tell people about Jesus, and the salvation that only He can give. At the same time, I must be a real man, and be willing to stand strong for the fundamentals of the faith.

So Why Am I Writing This?

Good question...I just wanted to tell you all how much I care about you and your life, and how much your friendships have meant to me over the years. I think the thing of utmost importance here is that I want to convey to you a truth about what I believe to be our last days on this Earth.
OK...you can laugh, and I am not making any predictions here, but after many years of study, I have come to the conclusion that we could possibly see the end of this Earth as we know it in our lifetime. No one really knows but God Himself, but His Word does teach us how to recognize some of the signs. Either way, I am very happy about it all.

This Is Not All There Is
Well, with the exception of all of the bad things that happen daily on this Earth, I am, for the most part, really enjoying my life. I also know that many of you are really enjoying yours, too. One thing that I am sure of is that this life, as we know it, will come to a screeching halt one day, either to death, or the end of the world! When people hear the end of the world spoken of, they think many things. Some think that it is a bunch of "wacko" stuff; some think that it is a bunch of "overly religious" stuff, and just refuse to talk to anyone about it, because, well, it's all just a little too weird. Well, I, for one, am really happy that this is NOT all there is; there really is a life after this one; there is just too much evidence to think otherwise.

Religion or Relationship?
I have heard some of you say that you respect the fact that I am a very religious person...and I am sure that you mean that respectfully, while some of you actually are thinking that I am a religious "nut" that has gone "too far" with religion in my life. I have a surprise for most of you...I don't
consider myself to be a "religious" person at all!!!
You might ask,"How could this be?" Well, I will tell you...try to understand that my beliefs are not part of any religion, but totally in regards to a personal "relationship" with the one and only Jesus Christ, and furthermore, that I firmly believe that HE always "was" for eternity past... and always "is" for eternity future. I really don't care what other "religions" may teach; I know the truth, and the truth is this... God, the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit always were, and this eternal God is NOT three gods in one, BUT... One God, with three distinct attributes. The human mind cannot really conceive of this, but that fact does not make God any less than what I just decribed for you.
This God, this incredibly, amazing God has always had a plan; a plan that involves you and me. We are able through the study of His Word to understand many of His ways, and many aspects of His plan, but because we are still simply humans, we cannot begin to comprehend the whole picture.

Proverbs
I want to share one verse from the Bible, inspired by God, and written by a very wise man named Solomon. It is Proverbs 3:5&6
Trust in the Lord with all of your heart, and lean not unto your own understanding; in all of your ways, acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.
I would say that this verse is my "theme song", and I can tell you some true stories of how trusting God has really blessed me many, many times. Who do you trust? Yes, I know that there are people in our lives that we feel are trustworthy, like our husbands and wives, best friends, etc., but we all let each other down from time to time, to one degree or another. God on the other hand, is always God, and He can't lie or fail.
Many have said to me that if God were real, that He would not allow all of the bad things to happen in the world to people, but I say to them that since God, being God, the creator of the entire universe, knows all things, sees all things, understands all things into the past, that has no beginning, and the future, that has no end. God can see millions of light years into space, and can look onto the deepest parts of the ocean's floor, 12 miles down, and see creatures that we may never see, and He can think, and they will cease to exist. An awesome God like this truly does know best, and He also knows the "whys", when we may never know this side of Heaven. That's where my "lean not unto your own understanding"comes in. If I acknowledge Him in all of my ways, He promises to direct my paths.

So What is the Point?
Many of you know and understand me, quite well, but the rest of you wonder what I am really all about. To those of you who really don't understand me, that's cool, but know this, I care about what happens to you, especially when you leave this Earth. The old saying "here today, gone tomorrow" is not a fable. No one is ever guaranteed another minute! Please don't ever think(like I once did, as a foolish young man) that you are invincible.
Here's the deal; everything that we see happening all around the world, even in your town, is all part of a real story that is playing itself out. God is in control of it, even though there is a battle going on between good and evil. God will prevail, He always has, and always will. So if you don't understand all of this, I at least do understand enough of it to help you. I am not any better or "holier" than anyone. But for the amazing grace of God, I am just a man, and a real loser, to boot. You can always talk to me about any of this. I will help you any way that I can.
There was a time in my life that I really thought that God, Jesus, and the Bible were all some "fairy tale". KNOW THIS! One day, long ago, in Heaven, a beautiful Angel named Lucifer was thrown out of Heaven, and cast down on this Earth; his name was changed to satan; he took control of this Earth, including the people, in many ways. One day very soon, God is going to take it all back; the Earth, the money(all money, or anything of value is really God's, none of it is ours)...everything! God does not want any person on this Earth to perish. God did not create Hell for people; He made it for the devil and his rebellious angels. God does not send people to Hell; they send themselves! Remember, this is NOT about religion, it is about relationship. Please come to me and we can talk; if you disagree with me, we can still talk. My point here it that I care about you...end of story.
p.s. Oh yeah, to all of my Christian friends...please pass this on to anyone you know who has not seen or talked to me in a while. I care about them, too.

Driving Me Crazy

What Drives Me Crazy!

My friends(hopefully not in name only), say that am already crazy, but I contend that I am only at the precipice of "crazy". Yes I have, and continue to do some crazy things, like when a telemarketer calls, and he or she has an accent, different from mine, I do have a talent for impersonating their accent to the point that they don't want to continue the conversation; that's how I get rid of them, and it gives me some entertainment, as well. I also have been known to respond to a telemarketer with a language that no one can understand, yet actually seems like it is a legitimate language...a type of "tongues" that confuses the caller to the point that they are dying to end the conversation. It's fun for me, but drives my wife crazy. "Why don't you simply not answer or hang up on them?" she asks. I say,"Well, I would, but I just have SO much fun playing with them, that I can't resist sharing my insanity with them."

Oh well...I guess I could say telemarketers drive me crazy, but not anymore;I drive them crazy. A friend of mine loves it when they call him, for it gives him a opportunity to ask them if they know Jesus as their Savior, then he shares his story with them. He has had some interesting conversations, and some real conversions to Christ as a result. I think I will try this approach, too.

I have a picture of the infamous Mr. Magoo here because I think the one thing that still drives me crazy is stupid people who drive an automobile like a 5 year old in a bumper car. It drives me crazy when I go out in my car because most of the time, I feel that I am truly the only sane person on the road. People are driving(I use the term loosely) up and down the road like a bed of ants that someone has set fire to their mound.

I get so upset about it that it just makes me crazy, and what makes me crazier is that I refuse to get into a "road rage" confrontation with them, so I just sit in my car and quietly lose my mind. I used to rant and rave about it, and in years gone by, I too have been known to wave the fickled finger of fate at the morons who do all of the ridiculous things that they do, but one night many years ago, before I became a Christian, a man much crazier than me, shot out my back window with a .45, after I tried to show him that he was number one in my life with that one finger. This taught me that no matter how crazy I may be, that there is always someone out there completely insane, and not just a little crazy.

What Makes You Crazy?

I can go on and on about the crazy, "nonsensicle" things that others do, like the lovely ones who act like a big shot with their cell phones out in public, blurting out all of their business, including "airing" all of their dirty laundry, and sometimes "soap-opera" lifestyles, even trying to talk their trash, and drive a car, too...makes me crazy.

Please share some of your "crazy" stories with me, but please keep it clean. One more of mine is that of people who go out in public when they are half dead with a cold, or a cough, and they blow their germs all over everyone without a tissue or hanker-chief to cover the mouth...makes me crazy; especially when I am trying to eat.

So check this out...one night my wife and I are sitting in a restaurant at a booth, and there is this elderly man behind me with a bad cold; he let out this "ripping" sneeze right on the back of my head. I wanted to belt him...then he does it about three more times. I was just before turning around and asking him to please stop this hurricane of viral slobber, when he whispered in my ear,"I guess I could get up and move...heh heh heh" I wheeled around, and it was a co-worker of mine who had seen me sit down, and he had taken his water glass and every time he would fake a sneeze, he would throw a handful of water on my neck. Of course my ever-faithful wife kept silent and held a straight face while he had his fun...the joke was truly "on" me!

Is there a cure?

Maybe the insanity will never stop, but we have a choice how it affects us; I don't handle it well, admittedly, but I am thinking of a change. I would like to hear your stories first, though, and then after we have some fun, we can decide how we will learn to absorb the insanity of mankind. Please let me hear from you.