God Defines What is Good so We Can Do Good Works

Romans 7.4 states because you are united with the One who was raised from the dead, we can produceimage a harvest of good deeds for God.

Everyone wants to do good. Its in our nature to want to do good deeds that generates recognition of our goodness. We have this nature because we were created in the image of God Who is good.

Our original design was for us to always do good for the glory of God but now that we have been corrupted through generational disobedience to God we seek to do good to obtain esteem from one another. What we recognize is this inherent need and desire to do good. (more…)

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What Does it Mean to be Good?

Romans 4.25 describes that He was handed over to die because of our sins, and He was raised to life toimage make us right with God.

Religion is the attempt to make people right with God. Performance is essential for success.

Even the agnostic plays this game by convincing themselves they are essentially good people deserving of heaven if there proves to be a god in the end. Being right with God by the agnostic and the religious is defined as doing more good in life than bad.

But what is good? (more…)

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Who Desires to be Great?

Matthew 20.23 says, I have no right to say who will sit on My right or My left. My Father has preparedimage those places for the ones He has chosen.

Men want to be great, and recognized as such, for as long as possible. Imagine being the number two or three person in an eternal kingdom.

Forever recognition of personal greatness. Its sort of what we have in a hall of fame except we can enjoy the recognition without ever dying! (more…)

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How Hard is it to Get to Heaven?

Acts 13.39 observes everyone who believes in Him is declared right with God—something the law of imagesMoses could never do.

The One True God has made entrance into His eternal dwelling place quite easy really: repent, believe and receive. Every other religion including atheism and agnosticism, are trying to accumulate enough good works so that God is forced to accept them. (more…)

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God has Always Preferred Certain Worship

Genesis 4.4 describes Abel also brought a gift—the best portions of the firstborn lambs from his flock.
The LORD accepted Abel and his gift.

The first religious service recorded was of the first two brothers born on earth bringing their offerings to God. God rejected the offerings of the first brother but accepted the offerings of the second brother. This account is immensely instructive on the nature and ways of God considering it occurs on page 5 of His story without any indication that He had previously prescribed certain requirements for worship of Him.

The clear message from this story is that there is a right way to worship God and a wrong way. (more…)

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God’s Judgement and Getting into Heaven

Revelation 9.20-21 records the rest of mankind who were not killed by these plagues still did not imagesrepent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood—idols that cannot see or hear or walk. Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic arts, their sexual immorality or their thefts.

While most people believe if there is a God that He is loving and good, and He is, they extrapolate from this that He will not punish people for their disobedience against His will. Nothing could be further from the truth, at least the truth recorded in the Bible.

God appears to allow us to get away with our disobedience today because He desires us to ask His forgiveness and reconcile ourselves to Him before we die. It is God’s desire to restore us not condemn us but failure to seek Him for restoration in this life will result in eternal separation from Him in the life to come. (more…)

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What are You Depending Upon?

2 Chronicles 16.9 promises the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose thhearts are fully committed to Him.

This declaration was made by the prophet to the king of Judah who had just exhibited unfaithfulness to the Lord. How was he unfaithful? By not seeking God for help but looking to others to rescue him during his time of need.

Its normal for us to solve our own problems or seek help from others when those troubles are larger than our own resources. This kind of living is defined by God as being wise in our own eyes. (more…)

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Ready for the End?

Zephaniah 1.7 observes the Lord has consecrated those He has invited.
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Concern over the end of the world has been a fairly common issue for the people of God. When God lived among us and addressed this issue He said we should be less concerned about when that day will happen and more concerned with being ready when that day does happen.

While we may want to know when Jesus will return we can know if we are ready for His return. (more…)

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Why Evil Persists in the World

Jonah 4.2 describes,  I knew that You are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger andimage abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity.

No other god in any holy book is described as loving and compassionate, gracious and slow to anger. The One True God stands alone in this characterization of Who God really is and what He is really like. (more…)

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