Is Everyone God's Children?

I hear it all the time, "We are all God's children."

It is a nice sentiment, but it isn't true. Actually, there are a whole lot of nice sentiments that aren't true, but I digress...

What IS true is that we are all "created in the image of God." (Refer to Genesis 1:27). In other words, we are all God's creation. BUT, that doesn't make us His children.

Children, whether natural born or adopted are heirs of their parents. We are not naturally born into God's family. We are adopted by means of grace through faith in Jesus Christ. (Refer to Ephesians 2:8-9) Actually, that is the ONLY way to be adopted in to God's family. (Refer to John 14:6)

So, where does the idea that we are "all children of God" come from? It comes from bad theology and wishful thinking.

You see, to be adopted into God's family, certain things need to happen. The first is that a person must feel the conviction of sin by the Holy Spirit. The second is that they must trust Jesus to be their savior.

Those two things are entirely necessary, but certainly not natural. Very few people will admit that they are sinners under their own power. No one likes to think of themselves as broken or blemished. But, until that happens, that is, that you realized that you are lost, in danger, in mortal/eternal peril, there is no need to seek out a savior.

Then, this is where things get tricky. The world says that if we are good enough, we will go to Heaven; that if our good outweighs our bad, we get judged "good." Unfortunately, that isn't how this works at all.

God says (and He should know) that sin (being bad) separates us from Him and that our bad deeds have to be rewarded with death. BUT He also says that He loves us and wants us to be saved from that horrible "reward." He says that He showed the whole world that He loves us by sending Jesus to take that horrible reward for us, even though we were still being bad.

He says that if we "openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in [our] heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved!" (Refer to Romans 10:9)

That's it. That's how you become a true child of God! Not by doing good things. Not by being dunked or sprinkled by a preacher or priest. Not by living the best live you can live. Not by going to church. Not by giving money. Not by any other way. And it has to be through Jesus only! He was the one that took the horrible reward for your sin. Not any other person who has ever lived.

So, how about you? Are you a true Child of God? If you need some help getting there, leave me a message or get in touch with me. God loves you; and so do I!

Ask Me Anything - Really

Ask me anything.  I'll give you an answer.  I'll take your question and make it a separate post.

This ought to be fun!  :)

Happy 2011!

Today is the first day of a new year.

So many possibilities await us.

So many opportunities will present themselves to us.

Yet, our world continues to fall apart.

I think it is part of a bigger plan.  God's plan for the end of the world.

Could 2011 be the beginning of the end?

I think there is a very good possibility.

Am I willing to post a date?

I'm not nearly as stupid as I look.  ;)

But, if 2011 is the beginning of the end, ARE YOU READY?

If it isn't the beginning of the end, but you died this year, ARE YOU READY?

There are so many people who enjoy their life "as is".  But "as is" isn't good enough for God.

At the top of the right-hand column of this blog is a link, "Do you know Jesus?"  If you don't know what I'm talking about, please click this link and take a moment to consider what it has to say.

In any case, may God bless you in 2011.  I pray that those who read this post will be drawn closer to the Lord this year and are ready for what may come your way.

How Rich Are You Really?

Do you think you are rich or poor?

Most of us think we could be better off, but that is because we constantly compare ourselves to people who are richer than us.

Let's take a look at the big picture for moment.

According to the World Bank Research Group, the average annual wage around the world is about $6000.  That's PER YEAR!

If you want to see how well off you really are, go to this site: http://globalrichlist.com/  and plug in your annual salary.

If you consider your earthly wealth to define who you are, then you have your confidence in something that is insecure and could/will not last forever.

Put your confidence in Jesus Christ; an investment in Him will not disappoint!

[HT: Dave Scott]

The Devil's Emissary

Webster defines emissary as:

1 : one designated as the agent of another : representative
2 : a secret agent

Yesterday, a retired pastor was telling me about how he believes every church has a Devil's Emissary; an unregenerate member of the church sent there to cause problems, dissensions, and grief. He told me, that while it would be wildly unpopular, the best thing to do, since they are unregenerate, would be to ask the congregation to look around, identify the Devil's Emissary, and tell them to leave the church!

He said that tongue-in-cheek, but I think he was wishing he would have/could have done that in the churches he pastored.

He said that the church probably already knows who it is, yet continues to allow them to function as that source of contention for fear of hurting their feelings.

He said, that while it would be painful, in the long run, it could be the best thing that could happen in the life of a church.

What do you think?

A Question for Discussion

In the post below, I asked a question about life. However, a friend of mine, Monk-in-Training posed a better question in his response:

On a side note, why are so many Christians accepting Mayan calendar issues as some sort of message from God?

Why do you think this is?

OK - this is freaky...

I saw this ad on Facebook today. "Obama Holiday Gift Tees?" How freaky is that?

Gas Below $2.00!!!!

My sister, Pam, just called me to say that gasoline in Coweta, OK, (about 10 miles to the west of Wagoner) was selling for $1.99 a gallon!

What is it in YOUR neck of the woods!

An Honest Question for Obama Supporters

I promise this question isn't bait so that I can flame you. I really want to know:

Why do you support Obama even though he supports partial-birth abortion?

Ever Notice...

Ever notice how the people who are most vocal about things like "Save the whales" are generally the same people who are pro-choice?

Not all of them, but whole bunch of 'em.

Makes you wonder what is most important...