Living for Jesus Daily

Christianity can only remain relevant;  if christians refuse to compromise, and hold firm to the essential truth concerning Jesus Christ.  "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." John 14:6   This is the essential truth concerning Jesus; according to the scriptures.

These words of Jesus are important because they are the basis  for Christian evanglism. If you believe that Jesus was just a moral teacher, or that he only provided an alternative path to God; then there would be little reason or motivation to evangelize the world.  However, if you believe that Jesus is the only path to God and thus salvation; you will likely also believe that it is imperative for people to receive the message.
Many people toaday are willing to accept the teachings of Jesus as part of their overall world view. However, they are not willing to accept Jesus on the basis of such uncompromising exclusivity.
In America today, the prevailing view in religious circles; is that there any many paths to God.  Very few people are willing to entertain or embrace Jesus as the one and only means to salvation. 

It is important for Christians to realize that if we are unwilling to take a stand for the truth then we will  have no compelling message to give to the world.   

If you are concerned about your witness for Christ, and you want to be sure that people know that you are a christian; don't. Just let it happen. Just focus on living for Jesus, and the ever-present joy and geniune zest for life that you exude will expose you. If you are living for Jesus; joy will be a natural by product. "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee." Isa 26:3

For the last 3 months I have been working on a new account. I am freindly with the guys there and we occasionally engage in a little light weight conversation, but nothing really substantial. I did not think that anyone was paying any attention to me. However, I found out that some of the guys do take notice. One of the guys came up to me friday and said, "you never seem to complain or get flustered the way the other guys do". I took this as a compliment, but actually I never gave it much of a thought. This is good, I feel as though I am gaining some credibility with this man. I believe that eventually, God willing, I will have an oppurtunity to effectively witness to this man.

Every good salesman knows that you will not succeed in persuading a customer until you first develop trust and credibility with them. I wouldn't say that I am selling Jesus, but the similarities are undeniable.

Keep in mind that witnessing is the job of the Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit that draws men to Christ. We are just instruments at best. So relax, live for Jesus, and the oppurtunities to witness will come. Furthermore it will feel natural and be far more effective.

Bible Study: Hark! The Herald Angels Sing

 The first is to be a pharasee.  When we are reading our bibles reguarly, praying for our neighbors, not using profanity, etc.  It is easy start to feel like we deserve to receive recognition from other people for our faithfulness and enthusiasm for Jesus.   Unfortunately, our unbelieving freinds, and even our fellow believers do not respond well to the self-rightousness we can exude if we are not careful.  This defeats the purpose because we become ineffective in your witness.   It is also possibe to be extremely busy in the work of the kingdom only to realize on inspection that we are just engaged in a cleverly disguised self promotion campaign. 

I  would suggest that our objective should be to be  non-pretensious persons whose lives are beneficial to others.   People who recognize their limitations and value others, people who express their love for Jesus by loving their fellow man. 

The word surrender does not set well with me. It conjours up emotions of defeat, and it is associated with being a loser. All in all it just sort of leaves a bad taste in your mouth. Nonetheless, if you plan to live for Jesus this is exactly what you must do. Jesus put it this way, " Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." Matt 10:39 ESV In other words I believe that Jesus is saying that he expects those who live for him daily to abandon their own desires and instead be fully committed to his will for their lives.


Strangely enough I find solace in this because if I am pursuing my own objectives in life then I am totally dependent upon my abilities and knowledge to accomplish it. However, if I am pursuing the will of Jesus then I know that he has sufficient resources to guarantee success. I believe that Jesus is also saying that if we pursue his will for our lives we will experience fulfillment, but in pursuing our own desires we will ultimately be disappointed even if we are successful.

I have just enough strength to say that: this is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Today seems like a good day to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Being that we are in the holiday season, I know that many people are thinking about their New Year's resolutions. People are making promises to themselves: to go on that diet, cut up those credit cards, spend more time with their aging parents, etc.

We have a need to deal with those issues that nag at our consciences. But, New Years' resolutions almost never work. So, what do we do?

I have found that taking it one day at a time is the only system that works. I have some personal daily resolutions that I would like to share as examples. My resolutions fall into two catagories; things I will do today and things I will not do today. Emphasis on today without being concerned about tomorrow. For example, today I will spend time in prayer and Bible study, today I will do something special for my wife to show her that I love her, today I will be productive on my job,and today I will exercise. Similarly, I will not complain about trival inconveniences today, and I will not eat unhealthy foods today, etc.

Every Christian knows that we are supposed to Read our Bibles and to pray everyday.
However, I think it almost goes without saying that many of us neglect to do this because their are so many things that are competing for our time. There are so many things that we want and need to do.

I picked today's photo because, the young lady seems to have waited unitl she was in big trouble to take out the time to pray. I think that must be the problem. We don't actually believe that prayer and Bible study is important.

I just want to testify from my own experience. That once I began to really commit to reading and praying daily I began to experience joy, satisfaction and contentment with my life, and a overall sense of well-being. My relationships began to improve dramatically. In my marriage, on my job, and with my family,friends, and acquaintances.

Jesus said that he came that we might have life, and to have it more abundantly. He also said, "I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing."(John 15:5)

We need to have a healthy and strong connection to God. This is what prayer and Bible study are designed to do for us.

Yesterday, I witnessed a terrible auto crash on I -71 just north of Cincinnati Ohio.
I was traveling in the far right lane when I noticed that the vehicle no more than 1/4 mile ahead of me in the left lane was losing control. Suddenly the driver slammed on the brakes causing to car to careen out of control and slam into the concrete barrier at around 70 mph. I was traveling at about 67 mph and he was in front of me.

We were both casually traveling up the highway and all of a sudden the driver's life was changed. Actually, I am not sure if the person(s) survived. It was that bad. According to the news reports no information has been released concerning the condition of the Occupants of the vehicle.



This experience caused me to realize just how suddenly it could all end.
I feel the need to reevaluate my priorities and to put things into better perspective.

The bible tells us that tommorrow is not promised to us. This experience has caused me to come to the conclusion that living each day as if it may be your last is really just facing up to reality, becuase today may truly be your last day.