On My Mind

Hello all. There have been a lot of things on my mind lately. Like how much I love coffee and how much I don’t want to get addicted to it. And how awesome storms are when it’s super dark out and there are raindrops on your window and you can hear the thunder. Boom.
Anyway- this is a super awesome 2 minute video. Would you please watch it before you read the rest of this post? Otherwise you may not understand what I’m saying… or writing. Whatever.

Lately I was wondering what I would do if I had to evangelize to someone. More specifically, what would I say if they asked me “Why does God let bad things happen to good people?” I know that God gives you the words to say in the right moment, but sometimes I am very slow to listen. A few days later I got a newsletter from Living Waters with that ^ specific movie in it. Boom. I love it when God answers me when I didn’t even ask Him something. That’s like, so cool. :D
I also found these awesome verses when I was reading Job the other day. “Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth: therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty: For he maketh sore, and bindeth up: he woundeth, and his hands make whole.” Job 5:17-18 (KJV)

In a way I guess this also applies to the above thoughts. In another way it reminds us that even when we fail, God has a plan. Sometimes I think that we have to fail, so that we know who is actually good. I think sometimes our past, our pride, our temptations have to wound us so that God can heal us. What do you think?
Thoughtfully,
Tirzah

~The Challenge~

Over the last ten days we have been discussing the ten commandments laid out in Exodus 20.  I want to summarize something very important in this post, one I hope all of you will read and ponder.

Through going over these commandments, all of us have seen areas we have failed in.  Failed by doing, or by not doing something.  But, through all of this we may never reach the heart of the issue. Where will you spend your eternity? How can you know?

I personally do not know all of you who are reading this now.  But I honestly care about you and where you will spend eternity. I am pretty sure if I ask you if you would sell one of your eyes for a million dollars, you would say no. Why is that?

That is because your eye is precious to you. How much more precious is your soul?

One of the standards God has set for us are the Ten Commandments.  By looking at these we can see our true sin.  Have you ever told a lie?  Have you ever dishonored your parents?  The Bible says that whoever breaks one of his commandments is guilty of the whole (James 2:10). We are wretched sinners, and all deserve hell and damnation before God.

Nothing we can do will reconcile us to Him, neither will any amount of worship or promising you will never do it again. If you are in a court of law and you have stolen millions of dollars, you might appeal to the judge saying, “But judge, I promise I will never steal again, ever!” If you do that, he may feel compassionate towards you, but still, a just judge, had to sentence you according to what you have done.

Since we have established there is nothing we can do on our own to attain salvation, we need to look at Jesus Christ and His sacrifice on the cross. When He died on the cross, He took our sins upon Himself so that we could reconcile ourselves to God.

Mouthing a prayer and saying you are saved will not save you.  There are two things you must do to know Jesus Christ as your personal Savior.  Repent and Trust.

Trusting in Jesus Christ includes faith. Believing in Him and what He has done on the Cross.

The other part is that you need genuine repentance. You are sorry you have broken God’s law and want forgiveness since there is absolutely nothing you can do on your own. If you then truly believe that Jesus died for your sins and is the Lord of your life, you will become a true born again Christian.

So let me challenge you all today.  If you have not already, repent, and trust in the Lord.  Through that, you will find the True Light, Jesus Christ, and make Him your Lord and Savior.

If you have any questions, the Dedicated Christian team will be happy to help in any way the Lord enables us.  Please email us at dedicatedchristians@gmail.com.

God Bless,
Matthew

"You shall not covet!"

Now, God was very specific when he wrote this commandment. "You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor's."

Now, if you are a human being, then you must be something that you want that someone else has. I have this problem constantly, and it's a difficult commandment to overcome. Here are a few pictures of the things I covet constantly.

The saying is true "The grass is greener on the other side"

Awesome cars~

Rich people with a ton a money.

Huge houses...

And more beautiful grass.

However I don't only covet tangible items. I also covet how people look or act. I wish I had muscles like the guy next to me in the gym. I wish I had the faith that Ray Comfort and Living Waters have. I wish for a lot of stuff but this commandment tells us not to.

Now, I'm not saying we can't wish for stuff...but don't wish you had something that someone else has. God will give it to you if He wants you to have it. But don't covet stuff in a way where you are doing it "religiously" ... meaning, don't constantly covet other people's things, everyday minute of your day.

The main purpose of life is to live for Jesus. We don't need anything else, we just need Him. That's it. Everything else will be destroyed later anyway! :-)

God bless!!
Josiah

You shall not lie.

“You shall not bare false witness against your neighbor.” Ex. 20:16

You probably have never been to court and false testified against your neighbor. So you should be in the clear on this commandment, right? Wrong! Basically, God was saying “Don’t lie!” Now, I know that you have lied, and if you say you haven’t, well, you just did.

In Colossians, Paul says that we have died to the world and are alive in Christ; we have put on the new man. We once walked in sin, but now we are saved in Jesus.

Col. 3:1-17 “If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. 2 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. 3 For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.

5 Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. 6 Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience, 7 in which you yourselves once walked when you lived in them.

 8 But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, 10 and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him, 11 where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all and in all.

12 Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; 13 bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. 14 But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. 15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. 17 And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”

Here is something else to think about: Isaac Newton said that “for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction." That is the same with the actions that that we do, there a consequences for everything, either good, or bad.

The next time you are tempted to lie, remember what Christ wants you to do.

Matt  

Thou Shalt Not Steal

Thou shalt not steal. Exodus 20:13

I love it when God is short and sweet.  I don't really think there are any hidden meanings here, it's just what it says it is, no need to explain, so I won't. I'll just tell a story.  

I was chatting with my boss recently, we were talking about the retail business.  He said something that struck me.  "Show me someone who's worked in retail for over 5 years and I'll show you someone who's stolen, at least one, whether it's an entertainment center or a little jelly candy".  

By the world's standards, that's probably true.  As Christians, we should have a reputation of being honest, totally and immovably.  Working at a store everyday, I have to say, I've been tempted.  It's not like I want to go steal some high ticket item.  It's more like, "Ok, I just grabbed a water from the cooler, I have to remember to pay for it before I leave today".  It would just be so much easier to forget and leave, owing the store only ninety-nine cents, but still owing none the less.  Recently, we had a stealing indecent, where an expensive item was being taken on a continual basis.  Because of my reputation, I passed scrutiny and continue to work there as a respected employee.  Others were not so fortunate.

I don't know how or in what situations you're tempted in this, if at all, but just know, stealing is a sin, no matter how big or small the item is.  Being an upright person above reproach is just another way to show the world the light of Christ.

-Victoria