Spending Time With God is More Important Than You Think

time with God

Okay, it’s true confession time.

I hate to admit it, but here goes.

There have been a few days when my schedule has been so jam-packed that I’ve neglected to read my Bible.

I’ve always regretted it later that night when I’m tucked into bed and saying my prayers.

There’s no doubt, our lives can get so busy that we miss out on spending time with God.

Even so, He is always ready and waiting to hear from us.

Missing a few days of Bible reading is understandable – but, it’s our loss.

We miss out on so much when we don’t have that precious time alone with our Savior.

Why should we read the Bible?

We should read God’s Word in order to know Him more.

Do you remember when you were first saved?

Like me, I’m sure your spiritual thirst went through the roof.

I never want to lose that joyful feeling that I am His child and He knows my name.

The Bible is the portrait of Jesus Christ.
– John Stott, Christian pastor (1921-2011.)

Reflections on the Busyness of Life

Distractions of all kinds can get in the way of what’s really important in our lives – spending time with God.

With that in mind, I wrote the following poem as a reminder.

Convict My Heart

Please don’t be mad, Lord
that I didn’t pray.
There were so many things I had to do today.

Please don’t be mad, Lord
I’ve got so much work.
My job’s real important, and the boss is a jerk.

Please don’t be mad, Lord
my Bible’s in a drawer.
I’ve been meaning to read it,
but someone’s at the door.

Please don’t be mad, Lord
I’ll just worship later.
I’m still looking for a church
where the music’s much greater.

Please don’t be mad, Lord.
My devotions weren’t read.
Just one more post on Facebook
then it’s time for bed.

I’ve put You behind
other things in my life.
I have no excuse,
it must cut like a knife.

Tomorrow’s the day
for a brand new start.
My precious Lord and Savior, please convict my heart.

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²John Stott quotation, as quoted from Christian quotes.info

Our Exceptional God

Ignoring the Warnings

heeding the warnings

Have you ever seen those anti-smoking commercials on television?

I think we can all agree that they’re hard to watch.

The ones that I’ve seen feature a lung cancer patient whose throat has been ravaged by years of smoking. It’s hard to look and listen as the patient reveals his or her regret over not quitting the habit sooner.

Whether you’re able to watch those commercials all the way through or not…the message is clear right at the beginning. These people are physically suffering and will continue to suffer for the rest of their lives.

Their fate is assured.

Do you ever wonder why they didn’t heed the warnings?

I believe there’s an analogy here to pay attention to.

The Spiritual Battle for Hearts and Minds

It saddens me that many people are ignoring the warnings and rejecting an even more important message.

Why don’t lost people care about their eternity?

Don’t they realize how serious this matter is?

For their sake, I wish they would realize the spiritual and eternal danger in store for those who don’t believe.

Those ignoring the warnings will face God’s Judgement.

Do you know of any lost people in your life? They need your prayers.

Life After Death

Life after death

How amazing is God’s grace?

As sinners, we don’t even deserve salvation, but through His grace, eternal life is assured to those who trust in Jesus Christ and His righteousness alone.

God’s promised salvation finally and fully came in the person and work of Jesus Christ. It is Christ alone who is righteous. It is Christ alone who has lived a life free from sin. And it is He alone who willingly took the sinner’s place on the cross of Calvary, bearing the guilt and punishment we deserve. Trusting in Him alone is what saves sinners, not self-help programs, nor human striving after righteousness and God’s approval. – Robert L. Deffinbaugh, Pastor and Bible teacher, Bible.org contributor.

A Humble Mindset

Do any of these excuses sound familiar?

I have all the time in the world

No mythological creature in the sky tells me what to do

Your God is a bully

The Bible is full of errors

Not much gratitude or humility in those statements, is there?

Our sins are ugly and offensive to God.

True Christians recognize this.

Before we can begin to see the cross as something done for us, we have to see it as something done by us. – John Stott, Christian pastor (1921-2011.)

Who’s on First?

With all the distractions in this world, it becomes even easier for us to put the Creator of the heavens and earth in second place when He should be first.

ignoring the warnings

We make idols out of things like self-image, celebrities, jobs, media “influencers”, material possessions, relationships, and our own versions of what we think God should be.

As desperately lost people, we deserve His wrath.

But, as true Christians, we recognize what sin is.

We repent by transforming our inherent wicked hearts, trusting that God is sovereign, and that we are pardoned through the life, death, and resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Robert Deffinbaugh quote

Eternal life through Jesus Christ is a free gift from God and it can be yours!

If you haven’t yet done so, I urge you to contact a Christian friend or loved one or visit with the pastor at a local bible-believing church.

Tell them you want to learn about Jesus.

You need someone you can talk to who esteems the sovereignty of our Holy God and also believes that the Bible is divinely inspired and sufficient for us.

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¹John Stott quotation, as quoted from Christian quotes.info

² Robert L. Deffinbaugh quotations, courtesy of bible.org, from the series “The Dark Days of Israel’s Judges – A Study of the Book of Judges – – Israel’s Sodom and Gomorrah (Judges 19-21). 12-13-09. Web. Accessed 20 February, 2020. Retrieved from https://www.icr.org/article/mankind-pinnacle-gods-creation/

God Bless America and the Midterm Elections 2014

November 5, 2014 Gracie

GOD BLESS AMERICA!

On the heels of the historic midterm elections where Republicans gained control of the House and Senate, I can only say Praise God!

The people of America have spoken. Is there any way we can take our country back to godly values? Unfortunately, with politicians, there’s no guarantee.

Did they tell the truth when they ran their campaigns or was it simply political rhetoric? We’ll have to wait and see.

God bless America

Freedom Isn’t Free

Freedom is a precious thing and we can’t take it for granted.

*Apathy is the acceptance of the unacceptable. – John Stott, Christian Pastor (1921-2011.)

Apathy was a big problem in the last election and too many non-voters resulted in a takeover of liberals in high office. Now we’re in a mess.

Hopefully, these election results will signal a change from the anti-God agenda that has been so distressing over the past several years.

I was thrilled to see that many of the newly elected candidates are Pro-Life. They’d better stay that way.

Another praise God moment!

It floors me that some liberals have the gall to say the government has the right to determine that one life is more valuable than another. I’ve seen the liberal trolling on pro-life websites and it breaks my heart.

This abortion holocaust has got to STOP.

If you haven’t seen this yet, I wanted to share a video of one of my heroes – Gianna Jessen. She’s an abortion survivor.

Her triumphant story is truly an inspiration and worth the watch.

God bless her and you!

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*John Stott quotation, as quoted from Christian quotes.info

Our Exceptional God

Tag: John Stott