Idols

Proverbs 29:11

A man who remains stiff necked after many rebukes will suddenly be destroyed with out remedy.

Anything that takes us from God and the worship of God is an idol. Idols can be anything we rely on to supply our needs or love enough to totally occupy our heart and mind. Things that are good but become bad as a result of worship. Idols can be jobs, people, hobbies, children or any object once we choose to worship them. There is a simple test for identifying idols: can you give it up? Can you say... God, I accept your will in my life. I choose you. Here, I give this to you. If you can not do this,then regardless of what is, it is an idol in your life.

As I look into this verse, I notice several things. One is this: will suddenly be cut off. That phrase is not God's judgment. God has, will and will always seek us out. He does not cut us off. His desire is to bring us all to Himself. We cut ourselves off from Him. The verse points to our response. Note what is says about the responder.

• He remains stiff necked: He decides. It is a decision to not listen to God's call.
• He ignores many rebukes: He continues to turn from God and walks away from God's light, a choice to stay in darkness.
• Sudden destruction comes: Eventually he lacks the ability to respond. A habit forms, a habit which leads to destruction.
• No remedy available: Thoughts lead to actions, actions lead to habits, habits lead to a life style, a life style decides our destiny. We either choose God, or we do not.

Lets take a a moment and look at the idols in our lives, those mini gods and habits. Do they lead us into worship of the one true God? Are we surrendered to Christ and His leading?

Do not despaired. If you are caught up in something, ask for a miracle. Ask Him to take control and watch Him lead you to eternal life now and in the future.

Leaders

1 Cor 11:1; Luke 10:27; Matt 12:36

This is an election year. Often I think about those who wish to lead and look into their qualifications. I check into their ability to lead, which means do they live what they preach? I also look at the constitution (by the way have you read it lately) for those in office, even those who serve in the armed forces, pledge to defend the constitution against enemies both foreign and domestic. But most of all I look at their basic nature in relationship to Christ.

In 1 Cor 11:1, Paul says follow me as I follow Christ. I focus on the word as today. He did not say follow me. He said as I follow Christ. In other words we do not follow anyone who does not live out Christ's example. It was my daughter that causes me to look into this for she some how caught it early in life in reference to churches, husbands, and any leader. Many times we allow others to lead us with out this qualification. Regardless of who they are, a husband, parent, government official, civil authority, political party, family member, church leadership, teacher, regardless of who they are note their lives. Do they follow Christ's example?

What is Christ's example? What did Christ say? What is the fruit we look for in a leader?
It is stated often in scripture: Love the Lord your God with all your heart and soul and strength and love your neighbor as yourself. Do those you follow qualify? Do they think, talk and act like examples of Christ? Do they even come close? Now I am not talking about taking a magnifying glass and checking out every one's sins. We all sin. Christ died for our sins, forgave us and continues to as we surrender our lives to Him. I'm talking about the actions of their lives in relationship to leadership. Are those leaders surrendered enough to lead

Do we blindly follow people....NO
Do we trade freedom for safety...NO
Do we allow anyone access to our lives...NO
Do we believe everything someone says...NO

Do we check the qualifications...YES
Do we look for Christ's fruit in them...YES
Do we surrender to Christ....YES
Do we have the courage to face the demands of this reality...YES

Check out those you follow and see if they qualify. For there is only one person we surrender our freedom, our lives, our hearts to as Christians. His name is Christ Jesus. We follow Him and leaders who's actions (fruits) follow Him.

1 Cor. 11:1; Luke 10:27; Matt 12:34

Life/Death

I Corthians 15:35-42

Physical death and life after death is talked about in this chapter. I am at the age now where death is experienced more often. My friends, their parent, families involved in war all bring stories of death more often these days. I have been comforted and do comfort others with the verses above as well as the verses that talk about our eventual reunion which includes the rapture in the sky and our eternal home.

These verses indicate that we are to look at the death of this physical body as a seed that goes into the ground. The seed does not look like the plant that comes from the seed. Even though the seed must die the plant that is produced by the seed is far more beautiful and looks very different from the seed. In other words, the seed becomes something new. That is the way physical death is for us all. Once the body dies we becomes something new.

The Body:
Dies perishable/ raises imperishable
Sown in dishonor/raises in glory
Sown in weakness/rises in power
Sown physical/raises spiritual

I've also heard many testimonies that say this about the moments before physical death.

• She talked to God and then she fell asleep.
• He pointed to an unseen someone in the room and smiled.
• She said,"Look I see Him."
• He said,"Son, it's true. I see heaven. It's right there."
• He sat up talked to one unseen, then turned and said good by to us.

These testimonies along with Scriptures tell me that we are escorted in to the next world. Joy fills the heart of those who take the journey and it is obvious they want to be with the one who come to meet them. That leads me to also believe that the moment of death comes after the spirit leaves the body, not before. It appears that we never experience death. We leave the body and then the body dies. The verse that says death where is your sting, to me means there is no sting. We leave this world and enter eternity with Christ Jesus to ever be with Him.

I am unaware of where this quote cam from but it goes like this...Death is but one more experience in the endless life of a believer. Thank you, Lord.