Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith

Hebrews 12:2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Do you consider your life here on earth as temporary? If so, are you living your temporary life here on earth to do God’s will, which are eternal, or that which are temporal? Where is your eyes focused? Is it towards the dreams that you hope to accomplish to fulfill men’s happiness or is it towards Godly things that you may fulfill His will for your life? Do you look unto Jesus as the author and finisher of our faith? As a Christian, do you seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God? (Colossians 3:1)

Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

Your ambitions, talents and abilities are meant to be improved, honed and not to be pursued in place of God. For if that is so, then we are embarking onto idolatry. It is sad to think that most of us actually find fulfillment in life by pursuing things that we thought would please God but in reality it only fulfill our fleshly needs. What if God wants you to do otherwise but with your persistence that this is the will of God for your life you do everything in your will power to be a success in what you do. So, with your busy life in pursuing it you actually don’t see Him being on the curb of your road in life. Have you ever thought of it in that perspective? But you may ask, well, why would he give me all these talent and ability if it is not to fulfill His will? Well, have you diligently seek His will in your life? Have you taken yourself aside and let Him take over your life for you? If not, then you must know that whatever you do will never bring contentment and success in your life. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth (Colossians 3:2).

This is where faith comes in. When you practice faith in every area of your life you would know what it is to be in God’s will. You see it is like being in a car where God is the driver and you as a passenger. You must trust that he will bring you to your destination unharmed and much more than that, he will make sure that on the way towards your destination, you will get all the peace, confidence and contentment of having traveled with him where it is promised that all things that are good cometh from him. So, how do I know? The Bible tells me so. His precious word gives you all the assurances you need. It is not like what people say, you just take that leap into the world of unknown and that’s where it ends. If you know Him well enough, it is a leap towards the unknown and uncertainties in life with a promise of eternal joy and security. We may not see the big picture of God’s plan for our life, as how it should be, for He will no longer be called our Creator if we know what’s at the end of this life. This is the mystery where we should put our faith in Him and Him alone. And I have the full confidence, as my Creator, that all His intentions for me are all good and will bring glory to His precious name.

So, where do you place your faith? Is it with men and their man made teachings or is it in the most precious name of Jesus and His Word?

And so at the end of this life, when judgment day comes, I would rather have Him say, “well done, my child” for I have stayed faithful to Him as the author and finisher of my faith rather than having men praise me for the legacy I have left behind because I have pursued my talent and ability for the world to consume.

August 28, 2008 12:03am

Your Heart, The Center of Your Soul

Proverbs 4:23 Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.

God sees your heart. More than anything else, God cares what is in your heart. We can’t hide anything from Him. He sees what’s in our heart. You may appear right outwardly (you wear the right clothes, wear your hair right, walk the right way, speak the right lingo) so people will think you are spiritual. But when it is all about appearances you can only go as far and it doesn’t last long. There will come a time when covering for the bases and keeping up the act will be too complicated to follow through. Christian life will then be a process of outward conformity. We are cheating ourselves but most importantly God. So, put off the pretensions and be genuine with God and others. For in 1 Samuel 16:7 it says …for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.

Proverbs 4:4 He taught me also, and said unto me, let thine heart retain my words: keep my commandments, and live.

God sees every intentions of our heart. It is important to take note that outward changes only happen when there is a sincere inward transformation. The inward transformation far outweighs our outward conformity. Conformities are not God’s way of changing lives. We should guard our heart for out of thy heart flows the issues of life (Proverbs 4:23). Your heart will determine the way you think and feel. The unseen influence in every choice and decisions you make. So it will either guide you into God’s will or away from His will. That is why it is very important how and what we feed our minds with for it shall influence the desires of our hearts. Are we feeding it with the Word of God or the ways of this world?

Luke 16:15 And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth you hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.

I have learned as I study the Word of God that God has no gray areas in all issues of life. It is either good or evil, Heaven or hell, righteous or unrighteous. I have learned that God wants me to surrender to His will and what He wants is what’s in my heart for I believe that the heart is the seat of my will and more than anything else I’d rather pursue His will than my own will. Now I see that more than anything else, God wants my heart for out of it flows the issues of life. I would like to focus on the issue of heart. There two kinds of hearts: the impure and the pure heart.


IMPURE HEART
A person with this kind of heart makes decisions as they move forward into spiritual danger and never seeing that black hole. Their warning device to alert you of spiritual danger doesn’t function properly. It is distorted. It is unreliable. It becomes as such because you don’t have the Holy Spirit as your warning device. And the only way for the Holy Spirit to work in your life is when you are saved. With every decision comes a lifetime consequence and when we make wrong decisions we live with it for the rest of our life.

Matthew 5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.

PURE HEART
A person with a pure heart sees God’s warning and sees the spiritual danger before it comes. Why? Because the Holy Spirit who is our guide gives us the wisdom that we needed thus with sound and sober mind we will be able to determine the right decisions. If you will come to your senses, a person with a pure heart sees God at work in every situation and every decision. How can you go wrong if you choose to follow God’s way? In that way, you are at peace in whatever situation you are in. Your heart is being used by God to help you see things that others won’t and understand things that other miss. Your heart is completely pliable and flexible to see and follow God’s purpose and will in your life no matter what.

Only with an obedient heart can you get right with God. Get saved! Does Jesus Christ lives in your heart? Is Jesus Christ your personal Saviour? Do you believe that He is the ONLY way to Heaven? Get your heart right with God!

APPLICATION: What does God see in your heart today? What are you allowing others to see that you know you cannot hide from God?

Scriptural passages to ponder from the Word of God:
Psalm 44:21 Shall not God search this out? for he knoweth the secrets of the heart.
Jeremiah 17:10 I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.

The Living Word of God

If you are a saved and born again Christian you will love the Word of God! Have you read your Bible lately? Have you opened the Bible more than any other books? Have you spent time with God and meditated on His Word? Or have you been spending more time doing things of this world? Maybe you have spent more time with all the distractions that this world has to offer by allotting more time watching what is on the television, or surfing the Internet or reading magazines or books or listening to worldly music?

I am privileged, unlike people in other countries where Bible is prohibited, to be able to open and read God’s Word. And with this privilege I just want to share to you that there is also a responsibility that goes with it. My responsibility is to heed the voice of the Holy Spirit in my life that I may fulfill His Word in my life. I say responsibility because I as a child of God want to do that which is good in His sight that will bring honor and glory to His precious name. But take note, I do not do things out of my own righteousness but I am able to do His will through Jesus Christ which strengthens me. And it is my responsibility to witness to other unsaved souls and win them to Christ.

I know God is not the author of confusion but of peace (1 Cor. 14:33). The Word of God is not hard to understand if you are a child of God. If you read the Word of God and words merely swim in front of your eyes and seems like you want to give up because you can’t understand what it means, pray that the Lord may send His Holy Spirit to guide and teach you for He says that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6).But first you must get save in order for the Spirit to quicken you, meaning from a dead spirit you become alive through the saving grace of Jesus Christ. For we know that the gods of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believeth not lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ Jesus should shine unto them (2 Cor. 4:4). Don’t give up. Just keep on reading His Word and in time the devil will flee from you and tempt you not to fulfill your flesh and instead you yearn of spiritual things.

Religion says that we are not supposed to read the Bible and interpret it on our own. But that is just how Satan works and men are not aware of his devious works. You should ask yourself, why is the Word of God given to men if they are not supposed to read it? There is really no logic in it. But that is just the way the devil tries to manipulate us away from knowing God and His will in our lives. They may quote 2 Peter 1:20-21 that says: Knowing this first that no prophecy on the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. In order to better understand the context of this chapter, you must understand that what Peter was talking about was that the prophecy on the scripture was not made up by man and not by the will of man but that some were a living witness to this prophecy which is all about Jesus Christ. You must read 2 Peter 1:16 that says: For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty.

I truly believe what 2 Timothy 3:16-17 says, All Scripture is given by inspiration of God,(there is no other book or books other than the Bible that is given to men that is inspired by God, so the Bible is the book unlike other religions that believes that there is the Bible and other books that they live by) and is profitable for doctrine,(the true doctrine by which we believe and live for e.g. salvation, baptism, holy trinity, that brings glory and praise back to His precious name) for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works. And that is how I know when I am not in the perfect will of God for the Bible is there for me to search and study and to know what the Lord wills for His child.

It is so true how sometimes we don’t want to hear what the Bible tells us because we don’t want to be corrected. We don’t want to give up our flesh so we can be filled with the Spirit. Or, sometimes we thought that what the preacher is teaching God’s people is wrong (not being well verse yourselves with the Word of God as what Matthew 22: 29 says, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God) then why don’t we heed the advise given in the Bible in Acts 17:11 that says, These were more noble than those in Thessalonica in that they received the word with all readiness of mind and searched the scriptures daily whether those things were so and John 5:39 that says, Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.

So, it is my prayer that someday, if not now, that we lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save souls (James 1:21). Don’t wait for somebody to interpret what you should believe in. You have the Spirit that lives in you to guide and teach you.

Psalm 119:105 Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path

Interesting Link

I was surfing and reading some entries over the net and I have found this entertaining but with so much truth entry entitled 17 Ways No-One Will Go To Heaven (And Why Not). Click on the link and read on. I hope you will see truths in it and be able to search your hearts.

Living In Grace

During my first few years of attending a Fundamental Bible believing church I kept on hearing about grace, salvation, saved Christian being preached among other things. I had questions in my mind but I dare not ask at that time.

During that time I also began reading the Bible. I started the book of Psalm. I used to take the bus going to work and I used that time to read Psalm. The Bible that I used to carry at that time was small and the color of the cover was white and has the New Testament and the books of Psalm and Proverbs. That’s how it all started. As I continue to read Psalm every morning everyday, the desire to know more about God’s Word is impressed in my heart. I confess that there are some things that I do not clearly understand but that didn’t stop me from going to the next pages of the Bible.

A Christian friend of mine gave me a book entitled Amazing Grace. And from this book have I understood well what grace means. Grace which was then a mystery to me was revealed. Grace is all about the undeserved love of God for me. In that Jesus Christ has died for my sins that I may live eternally. It is a gift. A gift offered to all men. It is a matter of taking that gift and knowing your position in Christ Jesus as my Saviour and all in all. A gift that I took years ago by faith. For what is faith? Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1). And God said, But without faith it is impossible to please God: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is and that he is the rewarder of them that diligently seek him (Hebrews 11:6). That is how I got saved. By faith, I repented of my sin and I accepted that gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace are ye saved through faith and that not of yourselves: it is a gift of God. Not of works lest any man should boast.
Titus 2:11 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men

With this I began a new life in Christ. I am still imperfect for only God is perfect. But I am made perfect by the shedding of the blood of Jesus Christ who died for me. His blood justifies me from the time that I accepted Him as my one and only Saviour. Justification is when my sins are forgiven and being paid off.

Isaiah 53:5-6 But he was wounded for our transgression he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid in him the iniquity of us all.

The Bible has clearly stated that by the shedding of His blood we are healed. And when we sin He is merciful and just to forgive us. We have a mediator in Christ Jesus. With these being said, do we have now an excuse to sin? No! Titus 2:12 says Teaching us that , denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world. After being saved, we are called to live a sanctified life. Sanctified unto Jesus. Sanctified living is living a life that is holy. Living a life that is separated from this world while living in it. Being sanctified is an ongoing process. But salvation is a one-time transaction. Ephesians 1:13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye have heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise. If I depend on myself to live a holy life I will fail. It is by God’s grace that I can do all things through Christ that strengthen me. With men is it impossible but with God it is possible.

Some still cannot accept the simplicity of salvation. They believe that they have to work in order to attain salvation. That salvation is an ongoing process. Jesus Christ has done the work. Hebrews 10:10 By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ ONCE FOR ALL. Hebrews 10:14 For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified. It is perfectly clear that nothing can take my salvation away from me. I am sealed with that Holy Spirit.

So, we are saved by grace. Justified by the blood of Jesus Christ. Sanctified by the Holy Spirit living in us calling us to live a holy life, in the will of God. How do we know we are living according to His will? By reading the Bible daily. The Bible says, Wherewithal shall a young men cleanse his ways? By taking heed thereto according to thy word (Psalm 119:9) and Thy word have I hid in mine heart that I might not sin against thee (Psalm 119:11)

Misguided Faith

I have known of men who place their faith and loyalty in religion and its teachings. Dogmas and teachings of which most, if not all, are twisted truths from the Word of God. It is needless to say that they have stretched the text in the Bible beyond its meaning.

We all know that the 10 commandments were given to Moses for the people of God in the Old Testament and then in the New Testament Jesus give us the 2 greatest commandments. The commandments given in the Old Testament and New Testament are not of two different entities. But nowadays men who thought they are doing a good job by trying to interpret it and bring it down to level of men’s understanding and comfort zone have to put up 1001 more ways and laws on how to follow Jesus Christ in this present world. Due to its unduly stretching of the text, it becomes more obscure and has created gray areas that rendered men to be more confused. They have stretched the text and misinterpreted the Word of God in order to support the laws and dogmas that they have created that are unscriptural. They have taken verses out of its context. Now, it explains why some have to go through traditions, rituals and practices because the god of this world hath blinded them, which believeth not lest the light of the precious gospel of our Saviour Jesus Christ should shine upon them. And now it has engulfed and trapped them. They have gotten so used to it that it blinded them into thinking that these are just how it should be done. It blinded them causing their hearts to harden from searching and finding out the truth.

What is my faith? Where is my faith grounded? My faith is not in religion. My faith is not grounded in man’s traditions, dogmas and practices. My faith lays in the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who is my personal Saviour and it is grounded in the living Word of God, the Bible. My faith doesn’t get any better by being proud and loyal to belong in such religion. But I know that I belong in the right church because we look unto Jesus as the author and finisher of our faith. It is not ourselves that we preach nor the traditions and practices, dogmas and laws created by certain councils but we preach Christ, who was crucified and raised from the dead and whose blood is the atonement for all my sin. It is not about what I should do to attain eternal life but it is what Jesus has done for me in order for me to have eternal life. It is by faith that I accepted Him as my personal Saviour and it is by God’s grace that all my iniquities have been paid off. It is by the Holy Spirit that lives in me that I am able to do all things in Christ, which strengthened me. I still commit sin but by the grace of God am I convicted and amend my life for the glory of our Saviour Jesus Christ whose blood has washed away my sin since I believed and accepted Him in my life. I believe the Bible is the living word of God and it is the only living authority in my Christian life. Not the Bible and other books. Not the Bible and other religious practices. One cannot serve two masters. It is either they will hate the other or love the other better.

I have eternal security in Jesus Christ. It is not by good works whereby we must be save lest we boast but it is a gift from God. It is a gift that I, as a sinner, don’t deserve. Do I have to practice the “sacraments” in order to attain holiness? So, if I missed it, does that make me less of a Christian? Does that mean that I will lose my salvation? That is but one of the false doctrines that most religions been spreading around the world. They don’t have the assurance of the eternal security that is found in Jesus Christ. That is why they feel that they have to do a lot of things in order to buy that mercy and love and be acceptable in the Lord’s sight. Not thinking that no amount of our righteousness is good enough in the sight of God for no, not one is righteous in this present world. All our righteousness is as filthy rags. Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his ways? By taking heed thereto according to thy word. Keep the Bible close to your heart. Be in prayer for the Holy Spirit to lead you. Be in fellowship with a fellow believer and grow in the knowledge of our Saviour Jesus Christ.

Is Heaven your home?

Nowadays it is rare for someone to be 100% sure of anything. People often wonder what tomorrow may bring. The economy for one is a cycle of uphill and downhill. We turn to books, commentaries, people, electronic references, science for answer. But what may be a logical explanation now wouldn't stand the test of time.

Doubts, lack of knowledge, pride, or inability and/or being hard headed to embrace new things creep in and we become more confuse or more lost. We thought we are in the right path but we don't realize that due to our lack of knowledge and right spiritual guidance, we are actually threading the wrong route. We are more comfortable to go through life on things that are obscure and blurry so we don't have to worry about opening a can of worms.

So, what is it really? Whatever work and effort we do now becomes obsolete in just a short period of time. But inspite of all these insecurities and doubts there is one thing that I can totally, 100% bank on. The gift of eternal life.

Long ago, I have challenged myself by asking this simple questions: After everything has been said and done, what now? Why am I here? What is my purpose? It was then that I was trying to find meaning in my life. I felt so empty inside. And you know what? I found the answer to my simple and yet very important question. I found it in the Word of God, the Bible.

When man was created by God (Genesis 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.), He has a purpose. He didn't created man just because He can but it is for a reason. Man has a duty (Ecclesiastes 12:13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter:Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.) But God gave man the freedom to choose in which such privilege was not given to his angels.

What do I mean by eternal life? I believe our life here on earth is temporary. Our life's journey doesn't stop to the here and now. I am merely passing through. Have you ever asked yourself this question: when I die, is heaven my home? One can know for sure where you end up after our journey ends in this world. How do I know? The Bible tells me so. The Bible, the Living Word of God.

I post you this question: Do you know for sure if Heaven is your home? If not, I can show you how. It is not difficult. It is not complicated. All one has to have is an open and willing heart to receive the gospel. You can have a relationship with God through Jesus Christ.

First, realize God loves you. John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life." The Bible teaches that regardless of your background, age, race, or any other factor, God loves you and desires a genuine, personal relationship with you.

Second, realize everyone is a sinner. The Bible says in Romans 3:23, "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." No one is perfect. We have all broken God's commandments. This is called sin, and it separates us from God.

Third, realize sin has a price that must be paid. Romans 6:23 tells us, "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." The "wage" or payment for our sin is death, which according to the Bible is eternal separation from God in a place called Hell.

Fourth, realize Jesus Christ died to pay the price for your sin. Romans 5:8 says, "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." God provided a solution through Jesus Christ. Religion, good life or baptism doesn't save us from our sinful life. If we choose to accept Christ, we do not have to pay the price of death and Hell for our sins because Jesus paid for our sins when He died on the Cross and rose again three days later.

Finally, pray, confess that you are a sinner, and ask Jesus Christ to be your Saviour, and claim His promise of eternal life. In Romans 10:13 the Bible says "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." That is a promise directly from God that if you will pray to Him, confess that you are a sinner, ask Him to forgive your sins, and accept Him as your Saviour; He promises to save you and give you the free gift of eternal life. Jesus Christ's sacrificial death as payment for our sins.

"Dear God, I know that I am a sinner who deserves to go to Hell. I believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross for me and rose three days later. As best as I know how, I want to accept Jesus as my personal Saviour to save me from my sins. I know because I've done so, I'll be going to Heaven when I die. In Jesus' name, Amen."

There is no better time than now to make the most important decision in your life that lasts a lifetime. Now is the time. 2 Corinthians 6:2 says, "For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation."

Is there any reason why you shouldn't accept this free gift of eternal life? Why wait, my friend?

Salvation Testimony

Psalm 137:15 “My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.”

I grew up in a small town back in the Philippines. Life is simple. My father back then was a Lieutenant Colonel practicing law and my mother an excellent homemaker. It is easy to draw the conclusion that I and my brothers and sisters were brought up the military way.

My family consists of two brothers and five sisters. I was the second to the youngest. I can distinctly remember helping my mother do gardening stuff when my brothers and sisters are away. I would fetch water from the river, which is at the back of our house, and carry the pail of water back to our front yard. I’ve done that all through my high school years.

I went to a Catholic school all throughout my school years. I grew up in a Catholic home. When as a family we attend the Mass, we would occupy the whole bench in a pew. But even then, I have difficulties memorizing all these “prayers” that the nuns and priests taught us. I knew deep down I have begun questioning their creed.

Mark 16:15 “ And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.”

But it was in the summer before I turned 12 that my brother had given me the gospel of salvation. He conducts Bible study at our house (my father was rarely at home then) and I would be there listening to them. I even remembered flipping through the pages of the gospel tract that has an illustration in it. Then I remember answering this Bible lessons that were being sent through mail and in the process learning about the Bible. After a few years I have finished the lessons. Then I did nothing more to grow spiritually.

Galatians 1:14 “And profited in the Jew’s religion above many my equals in mine own nation, being more exceedingly zealous of the traditions of my fathers.”

Then I graduated college, passed the board exams of nursing and then joined a volunteer program. I joined the volunteerism program in the hope that I would find meaning in my life. For a while I thought I have found it. By giving of myself and helping the community through the educational process, I taught high school students. The community where I served is very religious in following every detail of their customs and tradition. I would hear the church bell clanging in the early mornings and people in a procession with prayers being chanted. Students are obligated to attend the morning Mass everyday. Then my year of service ended.

Ephesians 2:2 “Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience.”

I was back in the city. Still there was emptiness inside. I wallowed up in the world of flesh hoping to find the peace and the settling down of this void. Every night I stayed out late partying with friends. I learned to tolerate bottles after bottles and glass after glass of liquor. I downed them along with the hope that it will attain what I was looking for. I met people from different walks of life. I lived a compromised moral life. Everything of the darkness I have tried but nothing filled up that void within me. Morning after morning I woke up feeling the same as yesterday. A meaningless, wasted life it was. I was lost.

Romans 5: 8,10 “But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us…For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.”

It is only when I decided to go back and renew my relationship with God through His Son Jesus Christ. Now, I know for sure that I don't have to wander anymore. I have found the answer. And that answer is in God's Son, Jesus Christ. I have accepted Him as my personal Savior for without Him I am nothing. All my righteousness is as filthy rags in His sight. Now, I have stopped my endless wandering and found my answers in the eternal God. Now, that void is overflowing with His love and renewed mercies.