“For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” – Galatians 5:14

 

 

 

On any given Sunday, you can come to a Christian church in America and see some of the best and most Jesus-centric people you’d ever want to meet. It feels great when we’re there. However, I’ve seen those same people get red faced angry at supposed fellow Christians in the parking lot because of bad driving. Honestly, they don’t even need to leave the building to get angry at their fellow man. Try sitting in the seat or pew of a regular attendee. What was to be a joyous day can almost come to blows, all because we get a little inconvenienced.

 

 

 

Jesus said that others will know we are followers of Christ because of our love for our fellow man. Plain and simple, anything you do should be done for the Lord and with reverence to Him. When you show love and respect to your fellow human being, you show it to God. When you harbor hatred and contempt, you are holding that anger and that grudge against God Himself. Jesus said, “’Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.” Matthew 25:40

 

 

 

We are supposed to be on the same side, but when we fight amongst ourselves, we are allowing the enemy to overcome us. We must all be of one mind and one body, the body of Christ. Abraham Lincoln in one of his famous speeches said that a house divided cannot stand. He took that right out of the Holy Bible, right out of Jesus’ own mouth. All Christians together constitute the army of the Lord, but when the army is running in all different directions, they can’t fight effectively. Seemingly simple things like a wording choice or revering Saturday versus Sunday has broken apart what should be the strongest alliance ever. As Christians we serve God, but we can’t serve Him when we are putting our own feelings and our own comforts above our fellow man’s. When we are good and faithful servants of Jesus, our comforts and our needs shall be met. I say that our needs would be met so much more abundantly if we would just serve Christ with a pure heart rather than trying to ensure our own wellbeing.

 

 

 

Another thing I can say about a house divided is that we are our own worst enemy. Forget about the devil and his minions, we constitute a greater threat against ourselves than Satan ever could. Read the Bible and show me one place where the demons are so busy fighting each other that they forget about trying to steal our souls. It doesn’t happen. They are of one mind and one goal. They don’t start following someone else because they used grape juice instead of wine in a ceremony, but we Christians sure do!

 

 

 

Granted, we will not like everything that our brothers and sisters do, but there needs to be a certain amount of understanding that goes into everyday life. We are all sinners and fall short of the glory of God. Jesus left Peter in charge knowing that he had messed up before and will mess up again. Jesus knew that Peter and all of the people who would lead the church would mess up, but that didn’t stop him from still establishing the church. We aren’t always going to get it right. Even if you do happen to find a perfect church, please don’t join it because it will cease to be perfect the moment you walk through that door.

 

 

 

In short, please be kind and understanding with your fellow human being, especially ones in positions of authority. Parents and priests, teachers and police, we are all bound to make mistakes now and then. However, when we can honestly say that what we are doing honors Jesus, we will be more likely to do better in our lives. It still won’t be perfect, but we will at least be fighting for the same cause. You don’t hate someone because they get cancer. You hate the cancer and love the person. The same goes for sin. Love thy neighbor no matter what and fight mightily against what Jesus considers a sin in all of its forms. Hold each other up to the Lord instead of knocking each other down, and together we will be victorious.

 

 

 

God’s blessings to you.

 

 

DH

“Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.” – Proverbs 18:21
 
Do you know what I heard through a friend? There was a group of guys that went out one night. They were talking, eating, and drinking their share of wine. After a while, a few of them got into a fight in somebody’s garden and one even got arrested. That’s just the way I heard it, anyway.
 
How many of us engage in the rumor mill without thinking? How often do we jump to conclusions without knowing the full story? The answer is that too many of us do this kind of thing on a daily basis. Without all of the facts, if we are being honest with ourselves, we really don’t know the whole story of any situation.
 
The group of guys I’m referring to in the above story is Jesus and His disciples, of course, but do you see how a wonderful story can get twisted by just leaving out a few facts or putting a negative spin on it? None of the story I just told was untrue, but it was put forth in a negative light. Maybe that’s how I perceived the story or maybe I meant to convey the situation. Either way, what a difference between the story I told and what really occurred.
 
So much of our lives depend upon our perception of the world around us. Many things can skew our perception to events or make us take things in a poor way. Personal biases are something that shouldn’t be taken into account when you need to convey information. That being said, you should take great care in what you feel like you “need” to convey to people. Are you giving information for a right and just purpose or are you simply telling a story? A just purpose would be to tell someone that their normal route home from work may be detoured. A story or rumor would be degrading to a person or group.
 
Before speaking not just stories, but really anything, think about what you are saying first and who it may be affecting. What would Jesus do? He sometimes rebuked the Pharisees and others, but He never felt any ill will towards anyone. Not once did He ever speak to simply tear someone down, He always chastened the way a good parent would. He focused on the actions rather than the person and would have gladly taken in anyone who repented of their sins. He still does.
 
In short, be careful of your words, because they have the power to bless or the power to curse. You may hear things or even see videos on television about a situation, but don’t be too quick to pass judgment. There is only one judge and His name is Jesus Christ.
 
God’s blessings to you.
 
DH

“For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” – 1 Corinthians 1:18 

I preach Jesus to anyone and everyone, but why? Why do I think that Jesus is who He says He is? What nutcase would believe that a virgin gave birth to someone that would die for my sins, but then rise and live again so that I too could live forever in Heaven? It all sounds so crazy, but it’s true. Let me tell you some of the reasons why I believe in Jesus Christ. 

First off, Jesus was a real man who lived around 2000 years ago. That is solid fact that has been documented by all sides at the time. Whether it was Christians, Jews, Romans, Greeks, or otherwise, Jesus and His following was well written about. Of course you have the scriptures, but look up any of the writings of extra biblical sources: Josephus was a Jewish historian, Pliny was a Greek historian, Tacitus is a Roman historian. All of them wrote at length about Jesus and the happenings of the time. They said that Jesus was charismatic, gathered many people around Himself, and preached about a better way of life. Just as we have writings and accounts of Gandhi, the Dali Lama, or Abraham Lincoln, this was no different about Jesus, the supposed son of God Almighty. There are literally more writings speaking of Jesus and His existence than there are for people like Shakespeare or Cleopatra. 

For that matter, one thing that also strikes me is that nobody ever disputed Jesus’ miracles, they only disputed where His power came from. Naysayers said He got His powers from the devil or somewhere else, but not that the miracles didn’t happen. This was partly because at the time, anyone could go speak face to face with people who were actually part of those miracles. From healing people of blindness and leprosy to feeding a crowd of well over 5000 people, there were witnesses all over that could attest to first hand knowledge of Jesus and what He did. 

And what about Jesus’ disciples? Maybe they were covering up the resurrection and making it all up? That’s a tough one to sell, because they went to their various early graves still preaching Christ. I don’t know a person ever who would willingly be tortured and killed for something they knew was a lie. Not gonna happen. When the end draws near, you will look for solid ground to stand on, so to speak. Jesus Christ was their answer all the way to the end. 

Speaking of first hand knowledge, during some of His sermons, Jesus made some pretty bold statements that went unchallenged. You’d figure there would have been someone, at least one or two people, who grew up with Jesus and questioned that whole “sinless life” deal. Maybe somebody could have asked why He missed going to the synagogue at least a couple times in His life, but no. No questions, no “what about the time…”, just agreement. That’s an amazing feat just by itself, and one that not even the best of us could say in a crowd. 

So the history of Jesus is solid, but so what? What does that really mean, you might ask. The fact is that if Jesus really existed, you then need to confront the issue of was Jesus really who He said He was? Jesus said He was the Son of God. He said that those who have seen Jesus have seen God. Jesus came as Immanuel: God with us. If He isn’t the Savior and Living God, then either Jesus was a bold-faced liar or He was completely insane. There’s no getting around that statement. Yes He’s God or no He’s not, plain and simple. 

To close this rather deep dive into Christ’s legacy, I can say that it’s not just His history that makes me believe, but it’s also what Jesus has done and continues to do for me and my family. I have many preachers and even a bonafide healer in my family tree who were all led by Jesus Christ. They felt the power of God Almighty in their lives enough to proclaim the gospel and so do I. I personally have experienced miracles and been a part of the supernatural favor that only comes from Jesus. My children and their ordeals and experiences alone could make for an interesting best seller. 

What I’m saying is that Jesus not only was a great man, but He continues His good works in me and He can do the same for you if you accept His finished work on the cross. It’s hard to release your heart to love someone, but who is more qualified to hold your heart than the creator? God knows you, all of your good and bad sides, and He loves you anyway. Let His healing be your healing and His peace be your peace. I promise you, it will be the best decision you will ever make.  

God’s blessings to you. 
DH 

“I am the LORD your God, which have brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before me.” – Exodus 20:2-3
 
Sometimes, with all of the craziness of everyday life, it’s good to get back to the basics. One thing that seems to go away from peoples’ minds is the fact that there is a right way to live this life and a wrong way. One way leads to life and that’s God’s way. Making your own rules up as you go along is truly the wrong way.
 
God created us as His children and He loves us very much. Just like all good parents, God wanted to instruct His children on how to live the best that we could. So one day, God made 10 rules, called commandments, for us to live by and He gave them to a man He trusted named Moses. God knew Moses would pass the commandments along to the rest of us. Moses lived over 3000 years ago, but the rules God gave him to follow are just as important now as they were back then.
 
It’s just like when as a kid, our parents give us rules to protect us: to look both ways before we cross the street, to not hit our brother or sister. They give us rules because they love us and know what’s best for us, and those rules never get too old to follow.
 
Please remember that each commandment is equally as important as the rest of them, one is not more important than the other. I’m only giving a brief overview of the commandments right now for the sake of time, but these really deserve a much deeper Bible study.
 
The first commandment is to put God first. This means that nothing should be more important than God – a hobby you enjoy, tv or video games, even your friends and family should not be more important than God. When you make our Lord the top priority, it will keep your mind and heart more focused on His desires for your life and not just your own.
 
The second command is to worship only God. This is like the first commandment in that God wants our love, and He doesn’t want us to bow down and worship a statue just because we can’t see Him. In other words God is the only one that we should pray to or look to for our completion. Not sports heroes, not movie stars, just God.
 
The third commandment is broken all the time nowadays it seems. God commands us to use His name with respect. Many people use God’s name like a swear word, or say it when they’re upset. God wants us to use His name when we’re talking to Him, or telling others about Him in a nice way. To use His name in these other ways is very disrespectful and hurts God to hear it. You wouldn’t say your mom’s name as a bad word, so don’t use God’s.
 
The forth commandment should be easy, we are to remember God’s Sabbath, which means His day of rest. God wants us to take one day of the week and just rest from all of the stress. When God made the world in six days, He rested on the seventh day. This gets harder when you get older, there always seems to be something to do, but remember God commands us to take a day off. Like my mom used to say, “it’s good for what ails you.”
 
The fifth commandment might be a little tricky for some of you, but it’s very important (like all the other commandments) that you follow it. He tells us to honor our father and mother. That’s a tough one if you had not gotten the blessing of a good set of parents. So many people I meet have dad or mom issues from poor parenting during their early years. Non-existent parents are sometimes better than abusive or addicted parents. That being said, God didn’t say to love them or even respect them, but honor them. You honor your parents by not only forgiving them of their shortcomings, but especially by becoming a better person yourself through a more godly life than what they lived. Frankly, even the best parent should be held up as a warning instead of an example. Honor your parents
 
The sixth commandment says don’t kill people. This doesn’t mean just kill, but the original term written means “an unlawful taking of an innocent life.” It doesn’t mean that a police officer or soldier who needs to take the life of an evildoer in order to protect the lives of good, law abiding citizens. God understands and the Bible is replete with God-sanctioned wars and the like. It is unfortunate, but there is evil in this world and true evil will never allow a harmonious existence with good. That being said, we must go as far as we can to forgive those who wrong us and lead a peaceful life.
 
The seventh commandment is for those who are married. God tells us to be faithful in marriage. He wants us to love our wife or husband someday and treat them with respect. Marriage is important and should be treated like it is. This even extends to what Jesus said about committing adultery of the eyes, so to speak. If you are married, you are joined with that one man or one woman. If you cheat or even look upon another person lustfully, you are not only defiling yourself, but your spouse as well.
 
The eighth commandment is don’t steal. This means that we shouldn’t take something that doesn’t belong to us. You wouldn’t want people to take your favorite item, so don’t take anything that isn’t yours. Remember that God is in control and He will provide what we need. You will never lack for anything if you are faithful to God.
 
The next commandment is don’t lie. It is always better to tell the truth, and while you’re at it don’t do anything that would make you want to lie. Usually parents, police, or other authority figures know when you’re lying anyway. We know you did it, just admit it. And if you do something wrong and don’t get caught by another person, God sees and hears everything and He already knows that you did wrong. Don’t lie about it and make the situation worse.
 
The last commandment is don’t covet. This means that we shouldn’t wish to have things that someone else has. I know there is always a new muscle car or pair of shoes – there is always something that we want to get. It’s important to remember that these things aren’t really important. God is the most important thing and should be in your life (remember the first commandment).
 
Now I know this list might seem impossible to follow all the time, but it really isn’t too bad. In simple terms, God gives us His best and we should try to do our best for Him, too. When we mess up, and we will, remember that things will be OK if we stick close to our Heavenly Father. He loves and forgives us through the finished work of Jesus on the cross.
 
God’s blessings to you.
 
DH

“Whoever claims to abide in Him must walk as Jesus walked.” – 1 John 2:6

If you’ve ever seen a newborn horse or deer try to walk, it’s a funny but heartwarming sight. It’s almost like they are trying to find their legs for the first time. Little children are much the same in that when they learn to walk, it’s a bunch of trial and error at the beginning. After a while, walking gets to be easier. It’s all about practice and confidence. They see someone else walk and think, “Well enough of this crawling around stuff, I want to walk too.” It doesn’t matter how silly it looks at the beginning, it is worth the trials and errors just to be able to walk.

There’s a lot of comparison to a little child learning to walk and a person becoming a Christian. First off, the unbeliever sees a Christian and decides whether or not to walk with Jesus. Just like in everything in life, the first step is the most critical. If we as Christians claim to have faith but we only act like Christians on Sundays, then we will drive people away from Jesus through our own lack of walking in God’s Spirit. We are members of Christ’s earthly ministry and need to walk as such. People might hear what you say, but they will definitely remember how you lived.

Secondly, as a new believer comes up in the faith, they are immediately bombarded by people all around that see the difference in them. All the slings and arrows you could imagine come at them, and many of them from their own friends and family. Remember to take this in stride, because it is hard for people to deal with such a change. When you start your walk with Christ and get closer to Him, your life can’t help but be different than what it was. The unsaved person that you used to be wouldn’t even recognize the new Christian you. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” – 2 Corinthians 5:17

Lastly, no matter how much confidence or practice you have in being a Christian, you will occasionally fall down. That’s OK as long as you don’t ever give up. Jesus isn’t just for one time, He’s for all times. Just like a good parent helping their children, God our Heavenly Father sees us occasionally struggle in our walk and He promises to always be there, no matter what we do, to pick us up and set us right again. The slippery slopes in life are made into a stable footpath thanks to the blood of Jesus.

One thing that deserves a note, realize that new believers are just that, new believers. They have just spent most of their lives crawling through life, sometimes literally crawling out of bars and even crack houses. They have come to realize that there is a better way to live and that is why they needed Jesus. Their walk might not yet be as stable as yours or mine, so don’t laugh at them or tear them down with your words and actions just because they are still trying to find their “spiritual legs.” Instead, use your words to build them up and confirm them in the things they get right.

The Bible says that the Gospel looks like foolishness to some people. Just because my walk seems a bit silly to you doesn’t mean it’s not the best one I’ve got at the moment. I’m trying and getting better every day. In the end, I won’t be crawling around wondering where I went wrong. Thanks to Jesus Christ, I will be able to walk boldly through the gates of Heaven to hear my Father’s voice saying, “Well done.”
 

God’s blessings to you. 
DH

“As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one.” – Romans 3:10

 

Right now, in the United States and all over the world, people are waging wars against their fellow human beings just because they are from a different country or they have different colored skin. Such factors as where you are from or what language you speak can influence somebody enough to make them want to cause you physical harm. That is not what God ever intended.

 

If you think that you are better than someone else, think again. We are all children of the same God. We all have the same ingrained desire to love and to have purpose. We all bleed the same color of blood. However, that blood gets spilled every day somewhere in the world because two people can’t see eye to eye. Whether it’s due to low self esteem or whatever the reason is, humans have a nasty tendency to point out faults in others just to make themselves feel better or to allow themselves some sort of higher society status.

 

In Luke, Chapter 18, Jesus told a story about two people who went to the temple to pray. One was a religious leader and another was a tax collector. The religious leader said, “Thanks God for not letting me be like other men.” He then went on talking about how other people were so bad and how he gives so much to the church, all in the interest of making himself feel like such a big deal. Oh, how important he thought he was to God.

 

However, in the temple was the other man, the tax collector, who was despised for his corruption and wicked ways. That man started crying and beating his chest in sorrow, saying, “God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” He wouldn’t even look up to Heaven because of how repentant he was for his actions.

 

So, who do you think was saved? Here’s a hint, it wasn’t the guy who thought he was all high and mighty. Granted, everyone wants to feel good about themselves, and they should. So should you, but we all need to recognize that we have a long way to go until we are free of our unrighteousness. Through the precious blood of Jesus Christ, we are cleansed of our sins. All of our wrongs are forgiven, but that doesn’t mean that we are immune to the temptations any longer, we just aren’t a subject to them anymore. We still have those bad thoughts that invade us now and again. We still find ourselves fighting against the weakness of the flesh. And that isn’t just a person of one nationality or one race; that is everyone. We all need the same help no matter who you are.

 

The best approach to life and our dealings with our fellow human is to see the best in others and to see the worst in ourselves. We are all sinners who are in need of saving. Just because I am from a different social standing doesn’t mean that God loves me any more than you. There are no political party lines drawn in Heaven. In the end, when time gives way to eternity, you and I will be in Heaven or Hell, period. There is no getting around that and it didn’t have anything to do with what side of the railroad tracks you lived on while you were on Earth. It has everything to do with the love of God. That makes all the difference. It’s not earned and it’s not because we are a certain color or race. God loves us because we are all His children.

 

Next time you are tempted to think poorly of someone for a mistake they made or something that they were born with and had no control over, please think about Jesus. Our Lord didn’t hang on the cross and point at a select few people in the crowd that He was dying for, He was crucified for everyone. Our job is to accept what He did and to realize that we are all sinners in need of His saving grace. John 6:37 is comforting in that Jesus says “he that comes to me I will in no wise cast out.” That was a promise given with no certain stipulations or other fine print. Again we read about that in Romans 10:13, “ For whosoever shall call on the Lord will be saved.”

 

God sacrificed His only Son on a cross for us. Until we all put aside our differences and accept that Holy sacrifice, we shall continue to sacrifice ourselves and our children on the battlefield until there’s nothing left.

 

God’s blessings to you.

DH

“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.” – Psalm 46:1

It’s hard to understand, but God “feels” for us during our trials. He knows us inside and out. He knows our pain and our frustrations, but take heart. God says that we are not alone in our trials. When we accept Christ, He lives in us and through us. His Holy Spirit is with us as our comforter and He is a comforter like no other.

In order to be a good comfort in the midst of a struggle, you must be familiar with those struggles. To help deal with a friend’s pain effectively, you must be familiar with the pain. Take comfort that our Savior is no stranger to pain. The bible says he was tempted in all ways and that He bore our sins on the cross. When His friend Lazarus died, Jesus wept even though He knew what would happen next. He went through all of the pain because of what waited on the other side of that pain. And in all things, He kept looking up and praising the Father.

Before breaking bread and handing it out to the multitudes, He looked up and thanked His Father in Heaven. Jesus blessed the bread through His praise. We need to truly understand that. Our struggles will bend us and sometimes break us, but the bible says in ALL things give thanks to God. If we foster a habit of constant praise, no matter the situation, we will be blessed far beyond what we could imagine. The bread was blessed and then became a blessing to many. The bread fulfilled its ultimate purpose because of it breaking, not in spite of it. Jesus will bless us through our trials so that when we come out of them, those trials will in turn make us into the blessing that many others need to help them through their own trials. God likes to use the ordinary to do the extraordinary.

So this day and every day, no matter the situation, we need to give praise to God our Father. We need to come to Him even when we don’t feel like it. Smile up at God because He’s smiling down on us. Take comfort that He is here with us and has something wonderful in store for us. It may be a rough road for us now and then, but Christ is there to offer His love and His comfort to us and through us.

“And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain.” – Revelation 21:4

God’s blessings to you. 

DH

“God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” – James 4:6

We went to the zoo a little while ago and saw many animals, but one of them that stood out were the peacocks. They walked around with their beautiful feathers fanned out, almost with an air of arrogance about them. Just then, I saw a teenage boy parading around and showing off for his girlfriend. Now, I don’t think for a second that we are descended from apes or anything, but that situation made me think that the teenage boy might have been born from a peacock.

Many times in scripture we see God being angry with people for thinking they are high and mighty. God is just like any good parent and wants His children to know the value of staying humble. I know that there has been times in my own life that God taught me humility, and those were lessons that I won’t soon forget. Humility brings about peace and kindness, because you realize that we are all on the same level as brothers and sisters in God’s holy family. We all deserve love.

Only God deserves the top spot in our lives and as soon as we think that we’ve somehow earned that spot ourselves, we are headed for disaster. It’s ok to acknowledge that you have certain gifts and be happy about them. Some people are good artists or singers. Some are good at sports. I’m a good preacher. That’s not pride or arrogance talking, that is simply an acknowledgement of a gift of the Holy Spirit. The problems come when you start thinking that your skills and talents came from anything you did in and of yourself. Your blessings are just that, blessings. The Bible doesn’t say that I can do all things just because I’m Daniel Harlow and I’m awesome. It says that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. No Christ equals no strength.

My mom used to tell me not to get ‘too big for my britches’. I like the old time country way of putting things into simple terms. That is much like the Apostle Peter wrote, “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time” (1 Peter 5:6) God is not impressed with your stylish cars or clothes. Not once have I ever thought that I’d rather have a fancy movie star as a daughter rather than my own girls that love me deeply. God loves you and you are important to Him just the way you are. You have no need for a Rolex in Heaven. You came into this world naked and you’ll leave just the same. The Revered Billy Graham put it best when he said, “I’ve never seen a hearse with a U-Haul trailer.”

Sometimes it’s the simplest things in life that really bring you the greatest rewards. Humility is the gateway to Christ’s Kingdom and the key to our Heavenly Father’s eternal blessings. You can’t lift yourself higher than what God can lift you.
 

God’s blessings to you. 

DH

“For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus.” – Galatians 3:26

 

 

My daughters have a beautiful way of looking at things. Just the other day, I was talking with them about us being brothers and sisters in God’s family. My daughter Ellie then says, “Oh…my…gosh… Abraham Lincoln’s my brother!” It made us all laugh, but in a way, she’s exactly right.

 

 

God is the god of everything. The Bible, in John 1:3, it says that God created everything and nothing was created except through Him. From the biggest of the big to the smallest of the small, it’s all His design. It still amazes me to think about how the same being that created things like the sun and the moon and the stars above also took the time to make little old me. He made me and cares for me as His own child.

 

 

God is the father of all and we are His children. He in His infinite wonder didn’t just make one color or one type of person. God is a god of variety. He made all colors, shapes, and sizes of human; none better or worse than another. And just as He cares for one, He cares for us all the same way. This might be a news flash for some people, but God wants us to care for our brothers and sisters with the same love that He cares about them with. That doesn’t sit well with some people and that is the real tragedy.

 

 

Like the old saying goes, you can’t pick your relatives. You may not like someone from another part of the city or from another country. Or maybe you happen to have a poor outlook on someone with different color of skin or someone from another country. Too bad! Jesus didn’t just say love thy neighbors if they look and act like you. Just as a beautiful statue has distinctive marks from its sculptor, so do you and I. In Ephesians 2:10 (NLT), it says that we are God’s masterpieces. A masterpiece is a one of a kind work of art. Look around and see that there is nobody like you in the world that ever was or ever will be. Even my twins, for all of their likenesses, aren’t totally the same. They may look alike, but they have very distinctive personalities. It doesn’t mean one is right and the other is wrong, it simply means that they are just different. They still love one another. They don’t always see things the same, but that’s a good thing because they get to learn things through another person’s eyes and mindset. The longer they live, the more they realize that they need each other to be truly complete.

 

 

We should all take the same stance when it comes to each other, whether you know that other person or not. We may not always see eye to eye, but that’s OK. Life would be so boring if we all looked the same and thought the same. It helps everyone if we speak openly and honestly with people from other walks of life and to listen to their words without prejudice. Let’s face it, God made Christians, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, and yes, even atheists. We all hold the same God’s stamp on our lives, whether we acknowledge it or not. Jesus went to the cross for all mankind; He didn’t just pick out a few people from the crowd. None of us are without sin and all are in need of a savior, so don’t be too quick to judge another person. Let God be the judge of their heart and actions. We should always help others to know about the perfect love of God through Jesus Christ. They might not accept it, but God doesn’t value them less and neither should you. God has His timetable. We just proclaim the Gospel and know that God, just like any good parent, works for the good of His children. All of them.

 

 

So next time you find yourself frustrated, angry, or just down right intolerant of another person, remember that the same God that formed you also made them as well. We all have our faults and all have our burdens, but it is a burden that we were not meant to carry alone. Hand in hand and soul to soul, we are all children in the family of the Most High God.

 

 

God’s blessings to you.

 

DH

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” – Romans 8:1

 
The Bible is the greatest book every written with every kind of good versus evil you can imagine. For instance, you read in the gospels of Judas Iscariot, who was one of Jesus’ disciples until Judas betrayed Him. Judas was paid 30 pieces of silver by the Pharisees in order to hand Christ over to them to be crucified. All of this was done after Judas walked with Christ and was able to learn and study with Him for 3 years. That goes to show that just spending time with someone doesn’t mean you connect with them. Judas placed no value on his relationship with the Savior, even though he saw Jesus perform miracles and speak with the authority that only God has.

Judas never truly united with Jesus. Instead, he was only there for his own self interests. Judas held the money box and stole regularly from it. He liked the status of being one of the 12 apostles and took all of the benefits thereof, but in the end Judas only believed in Judas. Three years of hearing about God and saving grace, but Judas never got past himself. He only saw Jesus with his mind and not his heart and soul.

The fact of the matter is that the healing blood of Jesus on the cross is more than enough to wash away any sin, even the betrayal by Judas. Men’s forgiveness can only go so far, but with God all things are possible. Had Judas truly known this, his story may have been different, even after the betrayal and murder of Jesus Christ. However, Judas, in one final thumb of his nose to God, committed suicide. That choice took away any chance of God’s healing grace to be made manifest in Judas’ life. Once a possible messenger of hope, now a soul lost to the devil’s whim.

Now, let me tell you of another man. This person watched and assisted in hunting down Christians. By his own testimony, he was an evil man. That was until one day, while walking on the road to Damascus, he met Jesus. That was the man we now know as the Apostle Paul. Paul, by all rights, was a really bad guy. He walked openly in hatred and disgust of Christ, but once Paul heard the voice of Jesus, he was never the same. So much so, in fact, that Paul by the power of the Holy Spirit went on to teach the Word of God in many foreign lands and even wrote 1/3rd of the New Testament.

The difference was that Judas heard Christ, but Paul listened.

It’s often said that it’s not how you start, but how you finish. Paul finished well because he allowed Christ’s words to transform him into the good and faithful servant God wanted. Paul flourished, Judas failed. The path that Judas accepted led to death and destruction. The path that Paul accepted blessed him with a crown of gold in God’s Kingdom.

We are all faced with that same choice. God loves us enough that He allows us the choice to love Him back. Through our choice to sin, we betray Jesus once again. Each one of our sins being another nail in His eternal cross. The only unforgivable sin is final impenitence; going to your grave still shaking your fist at God. Anything less than that can be forgiven if you accept the finished work of Jesus Christ.

So, no matter what you’ve done in your past, know that God isn’t done with you yet. While there’s a single breath in your body, you still have a chance to speak the sweet name of Jesus and be transformed into a child of the King. Trade your pieces of silver in for a crown of gold.

God’s blessings to you.

DH