WHO IS THE LIAR?

Posted on August 4, 2018 by randscallawayffm
John – God and Love
 
“Anti-” is a prefix that means against, opposed to, opposite of, instead. It means we will not support or fight for something if we are an anti supporter of that issue. We will do the opposite of what we are against. In other words, we who are anti this or that will live in a way that is against what is stated.
 
Anti’s are everywhere. But what about an Antichrist? John says Antichrists are everywhere…there isn’t just one. Using the definition above, an Antichrist is one who is against Christ, opposed to His teaching, lives the opposite of way He lived and chooses death instead of eternal life.
 
1-john-2-antichrist.pngWe are reminded of John’s earlier statement that saves those who believe…“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16, NLT) In The Message paraphrase, this familiar verse is explained followed by two more verses,
 
16-18 “This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn’t go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again. Anyone who trusts in him is acquitted; anyone who refuses to trust him has long since been under the death sentence without knowing it. And why? Because of that person’s failure to believe in the one-of-a-kind Son of God when introduced to him.”
 
Antichrist…Against Christ. Those against Christ have an eternal death sentence. So, it seems there are only two choices. There is no “gray area”, no in-between, no “Switzerland state of mind to reside”. Believe in Christ. Live for Christ. Live forever. OR don’t. Be Antichrist, opposed to Him and live a dead life with none of the benefits of knowing the God who created us and loved us first. Wow. It’s that simple.
 
In his letters, John gives us passionate reasons to live deeply in Christ. He warns us about Antichrists, opposed to Him who are everywhere, trying to trip us up…”But they’re no match for what is embedded deeply within you–Christ’s anointing, no less! Christ’s anointing teaches you the truth on everything you need to know about yourself and Him, uncontaminated by a single lie. Live deeply in what you were taught.” YES! Christ in us gives us discernment, wisdom, help to see truth and expose a liar.
 
Another translation states the definition of a liar clearly. “Who is the liar? It is whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a person is the antichrist—denying the Father and the Son.”
 
This is not a matter to be taken lightly. “Live deeply in Christ. Then we’ll be ready for him when he appears, ready to receive him with open arms, with no cause for red-faced guilt or lame excuses when he arrives.”
 
We, who are anti-evil, anti-worldview, who believe in Christ, follow His commands with a love that knows no limits because of God’s love for us “will recognize that all who practice righteousness are God’s true children.” So beware of those who do not.
 
Love deeply in Christ.
 
1 John 2, The Message
Part Three
 
Antichrists Everywhere You Look
18 Children, time is just about up. You heard that Antichrist is coming. Well, they’re all over the place, antichrists everywhere you look. That’s how we know that we’re close to the end.
 
19 They left us, but they were never really with us. If they had been, they would have stuck it out with us, loyal to the end. In leaving, they showed their true colors, showed they never did belong.
 
20-21 But you belong. The Holy One anointed you, and you all know it. I haven’t been writing this to tell you something you don’t know, but to confirm the truth you do know, and to remind you that the truth doesn’t breed lies.
 
1 John 2 2222-23 So who is lying here? It’s the person who denies that Jesus is the Divine Christ, that’s who. This is what makes an antichrist: denying the Father, denying the Son. No one who denies the Son has any part with the Father, but affirming the Son is an embrace of the Father as well.
 
24-25 Stay with what you heard from the beginning, the original message. Let it sink into your life. If what you heard from the beginning lives deeply in you, you will live deeply in both Son and Father. This is exactly what Christ promised: eternal life, real life!
 
26-27 I’ve written to warn you about those who are trying to deceive you. But they’re no match for what is embedded deeply within you—Christ’s anointing, no less! You don’t need any of their so-called teaching. Christ’s anointing teaches you the truth on everything you need to know about yourself and him, uncontaminated by a single lie. Live deeply in what you were taught.
 
1 John 2 live deep
Live Deeply in Christ
28 And now, children, stay with Christ. Live deeply in Christ. Then we’ll be ready for him when he appears, ready to receive him with open arms, with no cause for red-faced guilt or lame excuses when he arrives.
 
29 Once you’re convinced that he is right and righteous, you’ll recognize that all who practice righteousness are God’s true children.
 
Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank you for protecting your dear children who believe from liars who do not. Thank you for your discernment in us. Thank you for your Son, Jesus who died for our sin. Thank you for living in us, guiding us into all truth. Continue to help us spot an Antichrist, a liar, and quickly run from them. Greater are You in us than he that is in the world telling lies.
In Jesus Name, Amen
Posted in Blessings, Christian Living, Christian Perspective, Embrace, Encouragement, Faith, Forgiveness, Grace, harvest, heaven, Holy Spirit, Hope, hospitality, insight, investments, Jesus, joy, Leadership, Listen, lost but found, Love, Mercy, ministry, Praise, Prayer, Salvation, Searching, Teaching, Thanksgiving, Training, Transformation, trust in God, Truth, Uncategorized, Unconditional love, waiting on God, wisdom | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

I JUST WANT…

Posted on August 3, 2018 by randscallawayffm
John – God and Love
 
As a toddler, we took one of our granddaughters out to an ice cream parlor that was known as the “best in the region.” This place had so many flavors that it boggled the adult mind. Randy lifted her up so she could see all the colorful buckets of the sweet concoctions while I went into sales mode and explained to this little one all the choices and what each had in them. After a few minutes, we asked her which one she wanted. We would have given her whatever she chose for we are the grandparents. Her tiny response was, “I just want white.” To this day, she still prefers “just white”, or vanilla ice cream, with nothing in it. (What’s even funnier is that her first job was at Culver’s…an ice cream store! Love you, Grace!)
 
1 John 2 the point
The world offers us a plethora of choices filled with stuff and tells us we need to try them all and have them all. Evil has a way of making these choices attractive, shiny, good for us with “we deserve it” advertisement and promotion. You cannot turn on the TV or browse Facebook without learning of some product you must have for your life to be complete and whole. I think of the time I tried to sell Grace on the many choices she could have but she chose what she wanted most…”just white”.
 
As believers, what or WHO do we want most? John reminds us that the world with all the choices offered actually work to squeeze God and His best for us out of our lives. We have to be as firm as Grace was with her ice cream choice. To put it simply, our heart’s true desire is God. We must shout it out if we have to, “I just want God and what HE wants!” I just want God’s best for my life. It takes all that God has in us to want all that God has for us. Keep is simple, just want God.
 
1 John 2, The Message
Part Two
 
Loving the World
12-13 I remind you, my dear children: Your sins are forgiven in Jesus’ name. You veterans were in on the ground floor, and know the One who started all this; you newcomers have won a big victory over the Evil One.
 
13-14 And a second reminder, dear children: You know the Father from personal experience. You veterans know the One who started it all; and you newcomers—such vitality and strength! God’s word is so steady in you. Your fellowship with God enables you to gain a victory over the Evil One.
 
1 John 2 message
15-17 Don’t love the world’s ways. Don’t love the world’s goods. Love of the world squeezes out love for the Father. Practically everything that goes on in the world—wanting your own way, wanting everything for yourself, wanting to appear important—has nothing to do with the Father. It just isolates you from him. The world and all its wanting, wanting, wanting is on the way out—but whoever does what God wants is set for eternity.
 
ONE LAST THOUGHT…
Our sins are forgiven in Jesus Name. Ask for forgiveness in Jesus Name. Be all that pleases God in Jesus Name. Do all in Jesus Name. It is because of Jesus that we can boldly say, I just want God!
 
Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank you, thank you, thank you for reminding us again what is wanted most in our lives and that is You! You are God and we are not. We need you every hour of every day. YOU are all we want and need to live life well and pleasing to You. Yes, I just want…YOU!
In Jesus Name, Amen. I believe.
Posted in Blessings, Christian Living, Christian Perspective, Embrace, Encouragement, Faith, Forgiveness, harvest, heaven, Holy Spirit, Hope, hospitality, hugs, insight, investments, Jesus, joy, Leadership, Listen, lost but found, Love, marriage, Mercy, ministry, Praise, Prayer, Salvation, Searching, Teaching, Thanksgiving, Training, Transformation, trust in God, Truth, Uncategorized, Unconditional love, waiting on God, wisdom | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

IN THE KNOW

Posted on August 2, 2018 by randscallawayffm
John – God and Love
 
1 John 2 in the know with google
We humans love being the elite ones “in the know” about what others merely wonder about in this life. We want to be the ones with the scoop about popular topics in our culture with the “real truth” of what is happening in our world. We readily tell what we know about others based on hearsay and opinion (AKA gossip) because we feel more powerful and important in knowing what others do not know.
 
Guilty as charged. This is fake power. Useless power. Instead, I want to know God, His Son and know the full extent of His love, His plan and purpose, His wisdom, insight and understanding for life. John begins to tell us how to really know God in his first letter. The information in this letter is not so we can judge others. This is for individual introspection and inspection of our knowledge of God. John, inspired by God, Himself, tells us the only way to know we’re IN God. If we take this to heart we will be more “in the know” about God. We will know God and be in God, with God and filled by God.
 
1 John 2, The Message
(Part One)
 
1-2 I write this, dear children, to guide you out of sin. But if anyone does sin, we have a Priest-Friend in the presence of the Father: Jesus Christ, righteous Jesus. When he served as a sacrifice for our sins, he solved the sin problem for good—not only ours, but the whole world’s.
 
1 John 2 knowing that we knowThe Only Way to Know We’re in Him
2-3 Here’s how we can be sure that we know God in the right way: Keep his commandments.
 
4-6 If someone claims, “I know him well!” but doesn’t keep his commandments, he’s obviously a liar. His life doesn’t match his words. But the one who keeps God’s word is the person in whom we see God’s mature love. This is the only way to be sure we’re in God. Anyone who claims to be intimate with God ought to live the same kind of life Jesus lived.
 
7-8 My dear friends, I’m not writing anything new here. This is the oldest commandment in the book, and you’ve known it from day one. It’s always been implicit in the Message you’ve heard. On the other hand, perhaps it is new, freshly minted as it is in both Christ and you—the darkness on its way out and the True Light already blazing!
 
9-11 Anyone who claims to live in God’s light and hates a brother or sister is still in the dark. It’s the person who loves brother and sister who dwells in God’s light and doesn’t block the light from others. But whoever hates is still in the dark, stumbles around in the dark, doesn’t know which end is up, blinded by the darkness.
 
1 John 2 liarREFLECT…
–Am I “in God”, knowing God, and keeping His commandments? Am I a liar?
–I must look in before looking out. When I look out, it is not to judge, but to relate to others with the love of God in me.
–Does my behavior reflect what I say I believe about God?
–Does my life match my words about God?
–Am I blocking the Light of God from others by my behavior?
–Do I spend time overthinking, worrying about the small stuff with debilitating anxiety about future stuff instead of trusting God fully?
–Am I ready (in all ways) to go when God invites me to join Him in His work?
 
1 John 2 love each otherTRUTH
–Jesus solved our sin problem for good.
–Repent and be saved. This is God’s plan to bring us back to Him. This is the place to begin.
–Grow and mature in our love for God and others. To be intimate with God is to live like Jesus taught us to live.
–Know God. Know Love. Love God. Love Others.
–Know and live out His commandments to mature in His love.
–Love God. Love others like He loves us. (Yes, I am repeating.)
–God created us. He loved us first before we thought about loving Him back. He wants the best for us. Trust God….for everything.
–God never changes in His love for us. It is unconditional.
–God’s promises are true.
–God never leaves us where we are. His Holy Presence is with those who believe and welcome Him.
 
1 John 2 walk like Jesus
Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank you. May Your Kingdom come, Your will be done in every detail of my life. Give us this day time to reflect, repent, evaluate and repent some more. Be our strength and our song all day long. Be our wisdom, insight and understanding. Help us to be “in the know” about You and grow in Your love.
In Jesus Name, Amen
Posted in Blessings, Christian Living, Christian Perspective, Embrace, Encouragement, Faith, Forgiveness, Grace, harvest, heaven, Holy Spirit, Hope, hospitality, hugs, insight, investments, Jesus, joy, Leadership, Listen, lost but found, Love, Macedonian Call, marriage, Mercy, ministry, Praise, Prayer, Salvation, Searching, Teaching, Thanksgiving, Training, Transformation, trust in God, Truth, Uncategorized, Unconditional love, waiting on God, wisdom | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

EXPOSURE TO THE SON

Posted on August 1, 2018 by randscallawayffm
John – God and Love
 
It’s summer on our side of the world. Commercials warn us of our fun in the sun and want to sell us their “complete protection” products they claim will save us from our exposure to the sun’s rays. All we have to do is spray it on or apply it liberally. The more you put on the more they sell, I mean, the more you are protected. (Smiling.)
 
John is telling us the opposite. “Walk in the Light!” We need protection from the darkness! Our “complete protection” from darkness and hidden sin is our repentance and complete forgiveness applied by Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord! SO, get out of the darkness where we attempt to hide our sin and come into the Light where all sin is exposed. Repent with humble hearts desiring not to return to the “scene of the crime” where sin tried to destroy us. Live freely in the Light of God’s love and care. Rejoice in His salvation! Live redeemed lives under His complete protection and guidance!
 
1 John 1, The Message
Part Two
 
Walk in the Light
5 This, in essence, is the message we heard from Christ and are passing on to you: God is light, pure light; there’s not a trace of darkness in him.
 
6-7 If we claim that we experience a shared life with him and continue to stumble around in the dark, we’re obviously lying through our teeth—we’re not living what we claim. But if we walk in the light, God himself being the light, we also experience a shared life with one another, as the sacrificed blood of Jesus, God’s Son, purges all our sin.
 
8-10 If we claim that we’re free of sin, we’re only fooling ourselves. A claim like that is errant nonsense. On the other hand, if we admit our sins—make a clean breast of them—he won’t let us down; he’ll be true to himself. He’ll forgive our sins and purge us of all wrongdoing. If we claim that we’ve never sinned, we out-and-out contradict God—make a liar out of him. A claim like that only shows off our ignorance of God.
 
1 John 1 walk togetherBonus! “If we walk in the light, God himself being the light, we also experience a SHARED life with one another, as the sacrificed blood of Jesus, God’s Son, purges ALL our sin.”  What a Savior! What a Mighty God we have, love and serve!
 
I am reminded of an old VBS song I taught to kids years ago…
 
Step into the sunshine,
Get out of the shade
This is the one time that you’ve got it made,
And you can feel yourself smilin’
Way down to your shoes
Step into the sunshine, find the great good news!
(By Evie Karlsson)
 
I’m smiling. How about you?
 
Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank you for redeeming us and making us whole. Thank you for removing our sins forever and completely. Thank you for your Light that guides, heals, protects, and fills our hearts, minds and souls. Thank you for restoring the joy of YOUR salvation in us even this morning. On this rainy, cloudy day, I will walk in the Light! And smile.
In Jesus Name, Amen
Posted in Blessings, Christian Living, Christian Perspective, Embrace, Encouragement, Faith, Forgiveness, Grace, harvest, heaven, Holy Spirit, Hope, hospitality, hugs, insight, investments, Jesus, joy, Leadership, Listen, lost but found, Love, marriage, Mercy, ministry, Praise, Prayer, Salvation, Searching, Teaching, Thanksgiving, Training, Transformation, trust in God, Truth, Uncategorized, Unconditional love, waiting on God, wisdom | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

GOD AND LOVE

Posted on July 31, 2018 by randscallawayffm
John – Know God to Know Love
 
Many are looking for love, true love in all the wrong places as the old country song goes. Love is twisted into a “thing” that is unrecognizable to God and full of judgmental conditions. It is no longer pure and simple when the world translates it and tragically displays love as something man alone can produce. Love is cheapened and desecrated as portrayed in unholy media presentations.
 
1 John 1 know loveYes, the two most difficult things to get straight in life are love and God. More often than not, the mess people make of their lives can be traced back to failure or stupidity or meanness in one or both of these areas.
 
The basic and biblical Christian conviction is that the two subjects are intricately related. If we want to deal with God the right way, we have to learn to love the right way. If we want o love the right way, we have to deal with God the right way. God and love can NOT be separated.
 
John’s three letters provide wonderfully explicit direction in how this works. Jesus, the Messiah, is the focus: Jesus provides the full and true understanding of God; Jesus shows us the mature working-out of love. In Jesus, God and love are linked accurately, intricately and indissolubly.
 
But there are always people around who don’t want to be pinned down to the God Jesus reveals, to the love Jesus reveals. They want to make up their own idea of God, make up their own style of love. John was pastor to a church (or churches) disrupted by some of these people. In his letters we see him reestablishing the original and organic unity of God and love that comes to focus ad becomes available to us in Jesus Christ.
 
As we read John’s letters in the coming week, may God’s Holy Spirit speak to our own hearts about His inseparable link with His love. May our minds be opened to understand that to know God is the only way to know Love. Love God first, know His story of salvation. Be humbly repentant and grateful. Love others like He loved us first. That is the story of true love.
 
1 John 1, The Message
(Part One)
 
1-2 From the very first day, we were there, taking it all in—we heard it with our own ears, saw it with our own eyes, verified it with our own hands. The Word of Life appeared right before our eyes; we saw it happen! And now we’re telling you in most sober prose that what we witnessed was, incredibly, this: The infinite Life of God himself took shape before us.
 
3-4 We saw it, we heard it, and now we’re telling you so you can experience it along with us, this experience of communion with the Father and his Son, Jesus Christ. Our motive for writing is simply this: We want you to enjoy this, too. Your joy will double our joy!
 
1 John 1 God is
Dear Heavenly Father,
John’s “love letters” to us, your children, dearly loved by You will affect how we think and behave. May every thought and action be guided by Your love for us. Help us to know you more so that we can love more deeply. Thank you for the joy your love gives to every part of our redeemed lives.
In Jesus Name, Amen
Posted in Blessings, Christian Living, Christian Perspective, Embrace, Encouragement, Faith, Forgiveness, Grace, harvest, heaven, Holy Spirit, Hope, hospitality, hugs, insight, investments, Jesus, joy, Leadership, Listen, lost but found, Love, marriage, Mercy, ministry, Praise, Prayer, Salvation, Searching, Teaching, Thanksgiving, Training, Transformation, trust in God, Truth, Uncategorized, Unconditional love, waiting on God, wisdom | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

UNDISTRACTED ATTENTION

Posted on July 30, 2018 by randscallawayffm
Peter – The Day of God
 
The sky shall unfold
Preparing His entrance
The stars shall applaud Him
With thunders of praise
 
The sweet light in His eyes, shall enhance those awaiting
And we shall behold Him, then face to face
 
O we shall behold Him, we shall behold Him
Face to face in all of His glory
O we shall behold Him, yes we shall behold Him
Face to face, our Savior and Lord
 
The angel will sound, the shout of His coming
And the sleeping shall rise, from there slumbering place
And those remaining, shall be changed in a moment
And we…(Sandi Patty, “We Shall Behold Him”)
 
This song is in the background of my mind as I read the last words of Peter’s letters to believers everywhere. “My dear friends, this is now the second time I’ve written to you, both letters reminders to hold your minds in a state of undistracted attention”. We are a people who are easily distracted! Is your head in your cell phone right now? Look up, see the Savior and live!
 
2 Peter 3 not slowPeter has our attention as he warns believers of mockers and skeptics of whom they are already enduring. We must turn our heads away from the mockers and hurting jeers to Christ who saved us, went to hell and back for us and is returning again to take us home to the promised place He has prepared for us. YES, we shall behold Him!
 
God brought the world into existence with merely His word and He will destroy it just as easily, “ready to give the signal for the judgement and destruction of the desecrating skeptics.” Whose side are we on? There are only two choices to make, skeptic or focused believer? There isn’t a middle ground to stand on.
 
WHEN is up to God whose desire is for all to be saved. This merciful God looks all over the world for those whose hearts are completely His. ( 2 Chronicles 16:9) Those with undistracted attention on Christ will “hardly notice” when God brings it all to an end. “We’ll be looking the other way, ready for the promised new heavens and the promised new earth, all landscaped with righteousness.” Hallelujah! Blessed be the Name of the Lord! “The sweet light in His eyes shall enhance those awaiting…”
 
2 Peter 3, The Message
In the Last Days
 
1-2 My dear friends, this is now the second time I’ve written to you, both letters reminders to hold your minds in a state of undistracted attention. Keep in mind what the holy prophets said, and the command of our Master and Savior that was passed on by your apostles.
 
3-4 First off, you need to know that in the last days, mockers are going to have a heyday. Reducing everything to the level of their puny feelings, they’ll mock, “So what’s happened to the promise of his Coming? Our ancestors are dead and buried, and everything’s going on just as it has from the first day of creation. Nothing’s changed.”
 
5-7 They conveniently forget that long ago all the galaxies and this very planet were brought into existence out of watery chaos by God’s word. Then God’s word brought the chaos back in a flood that destroyed the world. The current galaxies and earth are fuel for the final fire. God is poised, ready to speak his word again, ready to give the signal for the judgment and destruction of the desecrating skeptics.
 
The Day the Sky Will Collapse
8-9 Don’t overlook the obvious here, friends. With God, one day is as good as a thousand years, a thousand years as a day. God isn’t late with his promise as some measure lateness. He is restraining himself on account of you, holding back the End because he doesn’t want anyone lost. He’s giving everyone space and time to change.
 
10 But when the Day of God’s Judgment does come, it will be unannounced, like a thief. The sky will collapse with a thunderous bang, everything disintegrating in a huge conflagration, earth and all its works exposed to the scrutiny of Judgment.
 
11-13 Since everything here today might well be gone tomorrow, do you see how essential it is to live a holy life? Daily expect the Day of God, eager for its arrival. The galaxies will burn up and the elements melt down that day—but we’ll hardly notice. We’ll be looking the other way, ready for the promised new heavens and the promised new earth, all landscaped with righteousness.
 
14-16 So, my dear friends, since this is what you have to look forward to, do your very best to be found living at your best, in purity and peace. Interpret our Master’s patient restraint for what it is: salvation. Our good brother Paul, who was given much wisdom in these matters, refers to this in all his letters, and has written you essentially the same thing. Some things Paul writes are difficult to understand. Irresponsible people who don’t know what they are talking about twist them every which way. They do it to the rest of the Scriptures, too, destroying themselves as they do it.
 
17-18 But you, friends, are well-warned. Be on guard lest you lose your footing and get swept off your feet by these lawless and loose-talking teachers. Grow in grace and understanding of our Master and Savior, Jesus Christ.
 
 
1 Peter 2 follow
SO, look forward, not back! “Do your very best to be found living at your best, in purity and peace. Interpret our Master’s patient restraint for what it is: SALVATION.” “Grow in grace.”  Yes, we shall behold Him…Our Savior and Lord! What a day that will be! The “last days” are only the beginning of forever with God because of Jesus, His Son.
 
Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank you for these words of blessed assurance, hope for our future with You, peace in our walk and strength for our steps. You are God and we are not. We trust in You. You are the Truth, Way and Life…forever and ever, Amen. Continue to help us live Your best as we do our best to live holy lives.
In Jesus Name, Amen. I believe.
Posted in Blessings, Christian Living, Christian Perspective, Embrace, Encouragement, Faith, Forgiveness, Grace, harvest, heaven, Holy Spirit, Hope, hospitality, hugs, insight, investments, Jesus, joy, Leadership, Listen, lost but found, Love, Macedonian Call, marriage, Mercy, ministry, Praise, Prayer, Salvation, Searching, Teaching, Thanksgiving, Training, Transformation, trust in God, Uncategorized, Unconditional love, waiting on God, wisdom | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

DEAD SOULS

Posted on July 29, 2018 by randscallawayffm
Peter – A Breath of Fresh Air
 
Peter, honest and concise, tells it like it is for his day…and ours. Those who manipulate others to get what they want to satisfy self are corrupt. People in positions of influence who dabble in corruption are morally bankrupt. Not everyone of influence who is corrupt is a selected, paid leader. Influential people are those who speak the loudest and longest or silently and skillfully turn the focus from what is right and good to what makes them more powerful. Gossip of others is one of their tools. Watch out for people like this, in and out of the church, who may have an effect on our thinking and of the thinking and behaving of our offspring. These people are dead souls. Dead souls do not give life. They take life.
 
2 Peter 2 graceI once heard a speaker say, “Satan is seeking to have a whole generation of people to himself…who will not know Christ.” This was about 25 years ago at a Billy Graham School of Evangelism. We see the effects of this battle for a lost, dead soul generation. These thoughts quicken my heart beat and ramp up my prayers for the lost who live in and around my life. I cry out to God to save family members who have turned their backs to salvation and/or growing and maturing in His love, grace and mercy.
 
Peter is bold in these words but speaks with a heart for people who need God. Read and see what it does to your heart. Think of those in your life who need to know Christ and ask God to keep the doors open to their salvation. Ask God for wisdom, boldness with behaviors and words to tell His story of salvation, clearly and concisely with pure love in our hearts for others.
 
Jesus is coming back, you know. Who will be going home, back to the place He has prepared for those who love and follow Him? Dead souls will, indeed, be left behind.
 
2 Peter 2, The Message
Part Two
 
Predators on the Prowl
 
2 Peter 2 control10-11 God is especially incensed against these “teachers” who live by lust, addicted to a filthy existence. They despise interference from true authority, preferring to indulge in self-rule. Insolent egotists, they don’t hesitate to speak evil against the most splendid of creatures. Even angels, their superiors in every way, wouldn’t think of throwing their weight around like that, trying to slander others before God.
 
12-14 These people are nothing but brute beasts, born in the wild, predators on the prowl. In the very act of bringing down others with their ignorant blasphemies, they themselves will be brought down, losers in the end. Their evil will boomerang on them. They’re so despicable and addicted to pleasure that they indulge in wild parties, carousing in broad daylight. They’re obsessed with adultery, compulsive in sin, seducing every vulnerable soul they come upon. Their specialty is greed, and they’re experts at it. Dead souls!
 
15-16 They’ve left the main road and are directionless, having taken the way of Balaam, son of Beor, the prophet who turned profiteer, a connoisseur of evil. But Balaam was stopped in his wayward tracks: A dumb animal spoke in a human voice and prevented the prophet’s craziness.
 
17-19 There’s nothing to these people—they’re dried-up fountains, storm-scattered clouds, headed for a black hole in hell. They are loudmouths, full of hot air, but still they’re dangerous. Men and women who have recently escaped from a deviant life are most susceptible to their brand of seduction. They promise these newcomers freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption, for if they’re addicted to corruption—and they are—they’re enslaved.
 
20-22 If they’ve escaped from the slum of sin by experiencing our Master and Savior, Jesus Christ, and then slid back into that same old life again, they’re worse than if they had never left. Better not to have started out on the straight road to God than to start out and then turn back, repudiating the experience and the holy command. They prove the point of the proverbs, “A dog goes back to its own vomit” and “A scrubbed-up pig heads for the mud.”
 
2-peter-2-target.png
Dear Heavenly Father,
I love you with all that is in me. Show me your ways. Give us opportunities and the discernment to say the right words at the right time in the right Spirit so that others may find, know and follow You.
In Jesus Name, Amen
Posted in Blessings, Christian Living, Christian Perspective, Embrace, Faith, Forgiveness, Grace, harvest, heaven, Holy Spirit, Hope, hospitality, hugs, Jesus, joy, Leadership, Listen, lost but found, Mercy, ministry, Praise, Prayer, Psalms, Salvation, Searching, Uncategorized, Unconditional love, waiting on God, wisdom | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

YOU GIVE LOVE A BAD NAME!

Posted on July 28, 2018 by randscallawayffm
Peter – A Breath of Fresh Air
 
When a self-pronounced leader draws a following with talk that sounds good, looks attractive, seems full of love and uses “mostly” Truth from God’s Word as a tool to hammer in a stake of importance in this world…watch out! Peter warns us today about “lying leaders” among us. It is an age old problem.
 
I think of the pop song, “You Gave Love a Bad Name” as I read Peter’s warning about lying leaders. The betrayed lover sings…
 
Shot through the heart
And you’re to blame
Darlin’, you give love a bad name
 
An angel’s smile is what you sell
You promise me heaven, then put me through Hell
Chains of love got a hold on me
When passions a prison, you can’t break free
 
Oh, you’re a loaded gun, yeah
Oh, there’s nowhere to run
No one can save me
The damage is done
 
Shot through the heart
And you’re to blame
You give love a bad name (bad name)
I play my part and you play your game
You give love a bad name (bad name)
You give love, a bad name
 
2 Peter 2 bad nameYes, lying leaders give the way of Truth and Love a bad name to the world. Peter outlines a way to spot LL’s and run from them. Here are but a few ways:
–Will cause divisions. Put down someone else to lift them high.
–Will manipulate and pit you against each other so you will look to them alone.
–Perform ridiculously splashy presentations to turn your focus from Jesus to them as your “savior”, the only one with answers for your life.
–Recruitment of others to them is mandatory to their survival.
–LL’s are only out for what they can get for themselves.
–They’ll say anything, ANYTHING, that sounds good to exploit you. (It’s happened to me! From a small group of pastors with the main pastor as “lord” of the following.)
 
2 Peter 2 read the word
Peter reminds us, “They won’t, of course, get by with it…God has never just stood by and let that kind of thing go on.” In the meantime, BEWARE. Be in tune with God’s Truth. Check and double check what is said to what is read in God’s Word. Ask for the Holy Spirit to help us discern Truth from fiction.
 
2 Peter 2, The Message
Part One
 
2 Peter 2 one biteLying Religious Leaders
1-2 But there were also lying prophets among the people then, just as there will be lying religious teachers among you. They’ll smuggle in destructive divisions, pitting you against each other—biting the hand of the One who gave them a chance to have their lives back! They’ve put themselves on a fast downhill slide to destruction, but not before they recruit a crowd of mixed-up followers who can’t tell right from wrong.
 
2-3 They give the way of truth a bad name. They’re only out for themselves. They’ll say anything, anything, that sounds good to exploit you. They won’t, of course, get by with it. They’ll come to a bad end, for God has never just stood by and let that kind of thing go on.
 
4-5 God didn’t let the rebel angels off the hook, but jailed them in hell till Judgment Day. Neither did he let the ancient ungodly world off. He wiped it out with a flood, rescuing only eight people—Noah, the sole voice of righteousness, was one of them.
 
6-8 God decreed destruction for the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. A mound of ashes was all that was left—grim warning to anyone bent on an ungodly life. But that good man Lot, driven nearly out of his mind by the sexual filth and perversity, was rescued. Surrounded by moral rot day after day after day, that righteous man was in constant torment.
 
9 So God knows how to rescue the godly from evil trials. And he knows how to hold the feet of the wicked to the fire until Judgment Day.
 
SO, DON’T FALL FOR IT!
Last week, a salesman used holy scriptures to try to sell me on a product. Another person said I “won $950,000” and quoted scripture when he figured out I was a believer in the first few minutes of the conversation. “If I truly believed”, he said, I would pay him a small amount of money to get the big money…SERIOUSLY? But that is the way of lying leaders….They give love and truth a bad name.
 
2 Peter 2 trust me
Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank you for helping us sift through a world of lies to find Your Truth, love, mercy and grace. Help us to STAND for your truth so that we do not fall for fiction and lies. Help us to walk in Your ways, led by Your Hand in ours. May your Holy Spirit help us to discern the world around us with your wisdom, insight and understanding. I may have fallen for it once but not again! I love you, Lord with all my heart, mind and soul.
In Jesus Name, Amen
Posted in Blessings, Christian Living, Christian Perspective, Embrace, Encouragement, Faith, Forgiveness, Grace, harvest, heaven, Holy Spirit, Hope, hospitality, hugs, insight, investments, Jesus, joy, Leadership, Listen, lost but found, Love, Macedonian Call, marriage, Mercy, ministry, Praise, Prayer, Salvation, Searching, Teaching, Thanksgiving, Training, Transformation, trust in God, Truth, Uncategorized, Unconditional love, waiting on God, wisdom | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

THE ONE LIGHT

Posted on July 27, 2018 by randscallawayffm
Peter – A Breath of Fresh Air
 
Our son has been deployed with his unit for a few months. What joy we have to see him come home this morning! We are grateful for his tenacious service to our country. We are grateful he can rejoin his family physically. The only thing that tops homecomings of loved ones like this is knowing that Jesus, the One Light in this dark world, will return to claim his own sooner than we think. “The stakes are high” says Peter, “I’m not going to let up for a minute in calling you to attention before it.”
 
“I’m sticking to it as long as I live.” Peter knew his life was drawing to an end and this made him even more passionate with the urgent Message of salvation through Jesus Christ.
 
Why I am compelled to write to you each morning with this “Daily Manna” is for similar reasons and passion for Christ. I, too, will stick to it as long as I live or God tells me to quit. Read and be blessed…I’m off to the National Air Guard base to greet our son!
 
2 Peter 1, The Message
Part Two
 
Earth SunriseThe One Light in a Dark Time
12-15 Because the stakes are so high, even though you’re up-to-date on all this truth and practice it inside and out, I’m not going to let up for a minute in calling you to attention before it. This is the post to which I’ve been assigned—keeping you alert with frequent reminders—and I’m sticking to it as long as I live. I know that I’m to die soon; the Master has made that quite clear to me. And so I am especially eager that you have all this down in black and white so that after I die, you’ll have it for ready reference.
 
16-18 We weren’t, you know, just wishing on a star when we laid the facts out before you regarding the powerful return of our Master, Jesus Christ. We were there for the preview! We saw it with our own eyes: Jesus resplendent with light from God the Father as the voice of Majestic Glory spoke: “This is my Son, marked by my love, focus of all my delight.” We were there on the holy mountain with him. We heard the voice out of heaven with our very own ears.
 
19-21 We couldn’t be more sure of what we saw and heard—God’s glory, God’s voice. The prophetic Word was confirmed to us. You’ll do well to keep focusing on it. It’s the one light you have in a dark time as you wait for daybreak and the rising of the Morning Star in your hearts. The main thing to keep in mind here is that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of private opinion. And why? Because it’s not something concocted in the human heart. Prophecy resulted when the Holy Spirit prompted men and women to speak God’s Word.
 
Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank you for Your Word that blesses us with reminders of our own homecoming with You some day. Thank you for saving our souls by your sacrifice. Thank you for working in us to refine us. Thank you for all you have provided. Thank you for loving us so much that we cannot help but tell others. I’m sticking with You until You call me home.
In Jesus Name, Amen
Posted in Blessings, Christian Living, Christian Perspective, Embrace, Encouragement, Faith, Forgiveness, Grace, heaven, Holy Spirit, Hope, hospitality, hugs, insight, investments, Jesus, joy, Leadership, Listen, lost but found, Love, marriage, Mercy, ministry, Praise, Prayer, Salvation, Searching, Teaching, Thanksgiving, Training, Transformation, trust in God, Truth, Uncategorized, Unconditional love, waiting on God, wisdom | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

GROWING GRASS

Posted on July 26, 2018 by randscallawayffm
Peter, A Breath of Fresh Air
 
It is the season of growing and mowing grass. The rains fall and the grass grows faster. You can almost hear it reach out and up as it looks for the sun after the rains. In the hot summer sun, grass will grow better in the shade. Mm.
 
2 Peter 1 grass growingWhen our kids were teenagers, we were getting ready to mow and clean the yard. One of our kids asked, “Why is it that grass grows deeper and greener here, in this spot?” We gave them a lesson about septic tanks and leech fields and how dirty water from the house travels to this place. The crap, (pardon the real), of our lives is displayed here and the grass grows as a result. It is even nourished by it and grows faster and deeper than the grass around it. Hence, if we don’t mow said grass, we will become engulfed by it if we stand here much longer discussing it. The grass is growing right under your feet as we speak! Let’s get to mowing!
 
I think of that episode as we read the beginning of Peter’s second letter to believers who call Jesus Master and Lord of their lives. We can’t just stand around discussing Christianity, we need to confirm it with our lives. God chose us. Our job is is to let Him do His work in us, refining us, trimming the grass under our feet that might entangle us so that the characteristics of Christ would take hold and be developed in us.
 
2 Peter 1 grass
“Don’t let the grass grow under your feet!”, Peter warns. That means laying self down asap and allowing God to work in us. “Don’t lose a minute in building on what you’ve been given, complementing your basic faith with good character, spiritual understanding, alert discipline, passionate patience, reverent wonder, warm friendliness, and generous love, each dimension fitting into and developing the others. You can’t have one without the other, so the old song goes. By the way, the tall grass is where the “lion, seeking to devour” roams. So keep moving!
 
2 Peter 1, The Message
Part One
 
1-2 I, Simon Peter, am a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ. I write this to you whose experience with God is as life-changing as ours, all due to our God’s straight dealing and the intervention of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ. Grace and peace to you many times over as you deepen in your experience with God and Jesus, our Master.
 
Don’t Put It Off
3-4 Everything that goes into a life of pleasing God has been miraculously given to us by getting to know, personally and intimately, the One who invited us to God. The best invitation we ever received! We were also given absolutely terrific promises to pass on to you—your tickets to participation in the life of God after you turned your back on a world corrupted by lust.
 
5-9 So don’t lose a minute in building on what you’ve been given, complementing your basic faith with good character, spiritual understanding, alert discipline, passionate patience, reverent wonder, warm friendliness, and generous love, each dimension fitting into and developing the others. With these qualities active and growing in your lives, no grass will grow under your feet, no day will pass without its reward as you mature in your experience of our Master Jesus. Without these qualities you can’t see what’s right before you, oblivious that your old sinful life has been wiped off the books.
 
10-11 So, friends, confirm God’s invitation to you, his choice of you. Don’t put it off; do it now. Do this, and you’ll have your life on a firm footing, the streets paved and the way wide open into the eternal kingdom of our Master and Savior, Jesus Christ.
 
2 Peter 1 get to itRead verses 10 and 11 until you believe it and a grin appears on your face. We are redeemed! His CHOICE is US! Don’t put it off, confirm God’s invitation by following Him and allowing Him to shape us into His best for us. This road leads us right into His Kingdom where, forgive me, all the grass is mowed and trimmed neatly. (Smiling.)
 
Dear Heavenly Father,
I am not where I want or need to be in developing all the characteristics you have given us in this passage. But I am farther down the road than I was yesterday and for that I praise and thank you. You are God. Jesus is my Master, Savior and Lord. Your Holy Spirit helps me. I need you every hour. You are my righteousness. I am not. Continue to transform me.
In Jesus Name, Amen
Posted in Blessings, Christian Living, Christian Perspective, Embrace, Encouragement, Faith, Forgiveness, Grace, harvest, heaven, Holy Spirit, Hope, hospitality, hugs, insight, investments, Jesus, joy, Leadership, Listen, lost but found, Love, Mercy, ministry, Praise, Prayer, Salvation, Searching, Teaching, Thanksgiving, Training, Transformation, trust in God, Truth, Uncategorized, Unconditional love, waiting on God, wisdom | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment