Humble Servant

Why Can’t I Get To Heaven Through Good Works? Many people believe that they’re a very good person and that will bring them to heaven but this is actually false and we can be thankful that it is. Our good Works G ood works have their place in the life of the Christian.  Salvation is not one of them.  James did say “What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him” ( James 2:14 ) in which he was really saying “ faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead” ( James 2:17 ). We are saved by faith and not works ( Ephesians 2:8-9 ) but a faith that does work.  In other words, if someone claims to be a Christian and has no works to show it, then James would ask “Can that f aith save him?” No, because it’s obviously not genuine, saving faith.  Of course I am not saying that we are saved by works but we are saved for works as Paul wrote there were “good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk i...

 What does Luke 9:59 mean?   Audio Link Luke is presenting another flashback to further explain what Jesus requires of His disciples. In the previous example, a scribe wanted to follow Jesus and Jesus told him he would have to give up the luxury of house and bed ( Luke 9:57–58 ; Matthew 8:19 ). In this case, Jesus personally invites a man to come along with Him. Culturally, the man's request is honorable. Caring for one's parents is a significant tenet both in Judaism and later in Christianity. Scholars debate over what the man means by "burying" his father. If his father has just died and needs to be embalmed and placed in a tomb, the man will be made unclean for a week to fulfill the purification process ( Numbers 19:11 ). If his father is on his deathbed, he'll have to wait for the death and then perform the purification process. It's possible, however, the man is referring to the completion of the burial process. When someone died, they were wrapped in ar...

  The Chosen Blasphemy a 4 Minute Viewpoint on Why AUDIO   A viewpoint from others that have expressed the same thoughts on The Chosen!   Reasons Why I Won’t Watch 'The Chosen' “ANYMORE”   T he Chosen has a gross disregard for Christ and makes light of Him. If there were no other point, this would be enough to discard it as a grave and dangerous error. Yet there are dozens of such points. Where the Bible leads us to salvation, the Chosen leads   us to lightly regard truth, repentance, and Christ's sacrifice for us while seeing Him as a common man. Portions of Scripture that are essential and reveal conversion are twisted to amuse and entertain. If you are looking for entertainment, I am sure there are better ones out there than this vile interpretation of Jesus. There is no light in this satanic portrayal and twisted humanist production. Those who care about preparing for Jesus' coming should shun the works of darkness. Y es, there will be people that love it, ...

What does James 1:19 mean?   The opening passage of James instructed believers to maintain trust in God, even during hard times . In fact, believers are to consider their hardships as "joy," since trials are how God strengthens our faith. This raises the question of what it means to re main faithful to God—to continue to trust Him—even when the trials of life come our way. For one thing, those who trust God continue to obey Him . Starting in verse 19, James begins to describe what that obedience looks like.  Those who trust and obey God le arn to adjust the speed of their listening and speaking. If God is truly in control, we can afford to take the time to understand. Rather than shooting from the hip, we can respond in a way that is helpful. Doubting that God is in control speeds up our mout h and slows down our mind.  As believers, we shouldn't be obsessed with ensuring that we are heard and understood in order to get what we want. When we act according to our immediat...

You will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea. (Micah 7:19) Clara Barton, the founder of the American Red Cross, was once asked if she remembered a despicable incident of someone’s sin against her in the past. Her response became well-known: “No, I distinctly remember forgetting that.” The Greek word for forgive in the New Testament means precisely to “send off,” to “hurl,” to “release,” to "let go,” to “cancel a debt.” I love the image found in today’s reading. Look at those words – “trample” and “throw.” What an awesome image of God violently dismissing our sins. Forgiveness is a choice and not a feeling. We must be set free from the illusion that we have to “feel” forgiveness in order to offer it or before we offer it. We move from forgiveness to healing, and not from healing to forgiveness. Because a lot of people think they can’t forgive until they “feel” like it and are healed, they end up never making an effort to forgive, and as a...

What does Luke 14:27 mean? These are not requirements to acquire salvation. Rather, they are part of a lifestyle which must be adopted to be a long-lasting, useful disciple ( Luke 14:34–35 ). We cannot earn salvation, even by dying a martyr's death. Salvation must be humbly accepted when God offers ( Luke 14:16–24 ).   The term "bear his own cross" is often misinterpreted. It does not mean to endure a particular long-term hardship, although Jesus followers are often called to do so. It means to be willing to follow Jesus even if the repercussions are death. Losing a job, a business, or a social media account is not the same. The persecution Jesus is talking about is physical death, the horrors of which pale in comparison to the spiritual life God promises ( Luke 12:4–5 ). Discipleship in the culture of Jesus' era was a serious decision. Choosing to become Jesus' disciple demands a hard look at the sacrifi ces required as well as the blessings He promises.     In ...

What does Luke 14:26 mean? Jesus is giving a crowd a definition of what discipleship looks like. "Cannot" has the meaning of non-reality. Being a disciple of Jesus includes making Him the highest possible priority: even above loved ones and life. The Bible is meant to be interpreted "literally," in the sense that it means what it says—yet "what it says" is not always intended to come from a wooden, mechanical, shallow reading of the words. "Hyperbole" is extreme exaggeration to express the weight of the message although it may not express the specific message. "I'm so hungry I could eat a horse" is a common example in modern English. Another is when a parent says to a child, "I've told yo u a million times…"     We know that Jesus is speaking hyperbolically because verses must always be read in context: in the passage, the book, the other books of the  same author, and within the whole Bible . Jesus also contextualizes...

Second Nature Breaking the “boomerang” involves... 1: A sustained focus on his power more than ours. For God is working in you giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him. I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength. Philippians 2:13 ,   Philippians 4:13   2: A sustained focus on his power more than ours. A sustained focus on following Jesus more than doing what’s “natural” to us. 3: Investing in relationships with those who will help and not hinder us in our journey. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today”.  So that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. Hebrews 3:13 4: Investing in relationships with those who will help and not hinder us in our journey. Pursuing and celebrating victory one day at a time. Focus on progress more than perfection. After all it’s God who perfects us along the way. ENCOURAGE ONE ANOTHER DAILY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVTQCdD_YE8        

When the Word of God abides in us, and drives our thoughts and desires, it aligns our will with the will of God. Prayers are always—and only—answered in accordance with His will. Only when what we ask is His will, is it guaranteed to come to pass. This also relates to the idea of asking for things "in the name" of Christ. This involves speaking on behalf of a greater authority. It does not mean forcing that authority to do what they are not willing to do. A police officer can arrest someone "in the n ame of the law," when the government legitimately wants that person to be arrested. They cannot simply use the phrase "in the name of the law" to harass people or invent their own rules. In the same way, Christians are only truly praying "in the name of Jes us" when those prayers are offered in total submission to His sovereign will ( John 15:7 ).

Matthew 24:42 - Stay Awake - Sober-Mindedness   What does Matthew 24:42 mean?     Pointedly, Christ made it clear that no person can claim to know the time of His return ( Matthew 24:36 ). Absolutely every prediction that gives a date of the second coming is based on false premises. That leaves only one option for those who want to be ready: His followers must " stay awake " all the time. Of course, Jesus is not speaking literally, suggesting one should avoid actual sleep . Instead, He is telling them to live in a state of awareness . Beli evers should never lapse into the false notion that what happens in this life, from day to day, is all that will ever happen ( 2 Peter 3:3–7 ; James 4:13–14 ). Wakeful believers remember that this life is temporary, and the next life is eternal . The next life can begin without warning. Far too many people live only for today or for the days before this life ends. They put off dealing with the reality of God's judgment and eternity as...

On the Christian life There are three things that spread the Christ life to us: baptism, belief, and that mysterious action which different Christians call by different names—Holy Communion, the Mass, the Lord’s Supper. If you have once accepted Christianity, then some of its main doctrines shall be deliberately held before your mind for some time every day. That is why daily prayers and religious reading and churchgoing are necessary parts of the Christian life. We have to be continually reminded of what we believe. Neither this belief nor any other will automatically remain alive in the mind. It must be fed. C. S. Lewis

A Prayer to Cover Your Mouth Lord, Jesus, guard my mouth so that my words will be few. Help me to be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger (James 1:19). Don't let me speak reckless words that can pierce like swords. Instead, give me a tongue that brings healing (Proverbs 12:18). Don't let me give in to gossip or speak careless critical words that will wound others. Keep the enemy far from me so that no unwholesome talk comes out of my mouth but only what is helpful for building others up, according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. Don't let me grieve the Holy Spirit through my words (Ephesians 4:29-30). Rumors and gossip can completely ruin the reputation of people, discredit causes, and undermine morale; spreading them is often used as a way some people get their jollies.   However, if you remain alert, you can detect them effectively. A rumor is a social phenomenon that nee ds at least one person to create and spread it, as well as many other...