The End of the World

I'm sure you've seen the signs.  They're everywhere!  

They read: "Repent! The end is near!"

"It's the end of the world!"

"This world is going to end!"

"Judgement Day is upon us!"

People across the world have been predicting the end of days for years.  Christians, Jews, Muslims, and many other religious groups have looked into the prophecies of doom and gloom and conjured up tons of theories on how and when it will happen.  All the paranoia, prediction, and assumption have weighed heavily on the hearts of many and given people a feeling that we are in the last days.  Scary?  Or not so scary?

The Bible warns of the end of days and tells of the Second Coming in the book of Revelations (the last chapter of the New Testament).  It tells us to beware and to keep our eyes open for signs that the season is near.  Harold Camping was certain May 21, 2011 was the date of the Rapture (the day where all Christians and believers in Christ would ascend into Heaven leaving the world to destruction over a 7-year period).  But the Bible clearly says...

"But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only." -Matthew 24:36

What more is there to say?  Jesus could not tell a lie.  God could not tell a lie.  The Word is true and the Word is final that only God knows that date and hour.  Therefore, I say to you, do not focus on the date of December 21, 2012...for the Rapture could be before that day...or it could be 100 years after.

God does tell us that we may be able to know the season of the end though.  For if you research Matthew 24 from start to finish, Jesus tells of all the things that will come to pass before the end.  He says it will be like the days before Noah and the Ark where immorality was widespread across the Earth.  Therefore, we must ask ourselves:  Does our world today line-up with Noah and his generation?

I am not sure I can answer that.  All I know is that no matter when the Second Coming may be, we must be ready.  

"He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly.  Amen.  Even so, come, Lord Jesus." -Revelation 22:20

So, what does that tell us?  It's going to happen quickly.  Quickly to us may be hundreds of years (and it has been since the Birth of Jesus).  But essentially what it's trying to tell us is that since we do not know the day or hour, we MUST be ready at all times.  We do not want to be caught napping.  

People are afraid though.  People are afraid to dwell on the last days and the Second Coming though because it means this world is coming to an end.  Naturally, that would scare any person that has only lived and known this life on Earth.  But those that have gone beyond and are born again of the Spirit know that there is more to this world.  

NOT A TIME OF DOOM AND GLOOM

What I say to those that are not born again is that there is no doom and gloom in the Second Coming.  It is a time of happiness.  It is a time for Jesus to reign 1,000 years.  He will come again and all our tears will be wiped away.  We can enjoy this life on Earth and we can make the most of it but like the Carrie Underwood song, "Temporary Home," this world is only temporary and we will be called to God's family in Heaven one day.  We are God's family already.  We just need to live our lives for Christ and receive the Holy Spirit.  When you become born again of the Spirit, you will understand that the Lord is on our side...on YOUR side...and that if you believe in Him, you will not perish.

John 3:16

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

God's Grace and Religion

"For the Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly. O Lord of hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in thee." -Psalm 84: 11-12


I love to recite that verse from the Book of Psalms. For me, it stands out as a powerful and straightforward message that God is on your side.  He will give you grace and glory.

What is grace?

From what I have learned and from my understanding, grace is God's mercy and His favor he shows upon you. It is His goodwill towards men, despite their wrongdoings.  It is God's way of saying, "I love you."

Every time I mess up and do something I shouldn't, the Lord reminds me that our sins our forgiven by the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Like Christ said, "Go and sin no more" (John 8:11).  Too many times I hear people say (jokingly usually), "Oh, I'm going to hell for that!" or "That's why I'm going to hell!"

It never used to bother me until now that people say things like that.  What many people have a hard time comprehending is that sin is something everyone is guilty of in one way or another.  It's nothing to be proud of but we must understand that God's grace and favor towards men is attainable. By who? By Jesus Christ.

When people preach and say, "You need Jesus," it's a very true statement.  Knowing Jesus and building a relationship with him is what will save you from condemnation.  I remember a sermon being given by a pastor (can't recall his name) on television several months ago and his idea of meeting God one day consisted of the Father asking this one questions first: "What did you do with Jesus Christ?"  In other words, did you know him?  Did you talk to him?  Did you seek him?  Did you tell others about him?

Through Jesus, we will obtain grace and glory, for God is that sun and shield.  Jesus is the Son.  Jesus is our shield, our protector.  Jesus is God.

Understanding everything may be difficult at first but I urge you to keep pressing on and asking questions.  Seek help from God.  This is NOT religion.  Religion is of the devil.  Religion is something invented by Satan himself to separate people from one another.  What I urge you to press on for is a relationship.  God is not a book, He is the Creator...the Living God.  His Word may be concealed in a book but His Word is also flesh (ding ding ding Jesus!)  Seek that relationship.  Seek getting to know Him.  It may not come easily but nothing ever does.

Please feel free to message me or ask me questions. I want to talk to you and I want to show you what Jesus can do for you.  The grace He has given me, it can be your's too...it IS your's.  You just need to receive it.

Enjoy Your Life, Your Job

"Have a blessed day!"


Those four words is all it takes to make someone feel good.  Or at least, that's what happened to me.

While driving to Pennsylvania to see my girlfriend last night, on Valentine's Day, I came to the Exit 6 toll plaza (PA Turnpike/Florence).  Since I'm still pretty "old school" I don't use EZ Pass.  Therefore, I often have brief 10 second conversations with the toll plaza attendant.  Sometimes they're humorous and other times it's just about the weather.  Most of the time, we don't even speak to each other.

But yesterday, the woman who was working the booth I drove up to had the rights word to say to make me feel uplifted.

I don't know why but driving yesterday, I felt rushed and I felt uneasy.  It had nothing to do with where I was headed but the fact that it was not my usual routine.  I managed to make it to that toll booth though in a somewhat "decent" mood.  I looked at the woman and like usual I said "Hi, how are you?"

She said, "Well hello there!  Happy Valentine's Day!"  I'll admit that I was taken off-guard and I can't remember if I wished her one back but I definitely lit up a little.  While counting my change, she was upbeat and singing to herself, humming.  Then she handed me my change and said, "You have a blessed day now, have a great night, goodnight," in the most upbeat, direct way.  It was like God had carried me to her toll booth to revive my spirit.

What did this teach me?

This taught me that we must carry ourselves in an upbeat, positive manner wherever we go, and especially at work.  I know it can be difficult to work and smile sometimes but the people who we work with and encounter while on the job depend on us.  If that woman at the toll booth had not been so happy and full of joy, perhaps those funky thoughts wouldn't caught up to me.

We all have this opportunity, each day, to make someone else's day.  We're all human beings and no job or title is more important than loving one another.  Your job may not have made you rich, but you can make others feel rich depending on how you act.

I work at a bowling alley and while customers are often rude to me and disrespectful, I try to treat them well.  Have I ever gotten carried away and snapped back at a customer?  Have I presented a bad attitude while at work?  Absolutely to both.  Am I proud?  No.  Nobody is perfect and that's why it's even more vital that we be reminded that the way we act around others and treat other people is literally having an effect on them.  The words I say, that come out of my mouth...they mean something.  They will physically and spiritually effect another person.  We must watch our attitude, our language, and our audience.  A happy attitude will lead to a happy environment.

Philippians 2:14 tells us "Do all things without complaining or disputing."


That woman at the toll booth may wish she had another job that pays better.  She may wish she didn't have to work on Valentine's Day so she could spend it with her significant other.  Or maybe she wishes she had someone to share the day with.  But I'll tell you this, her positive attitude gave me the encouragement I needed to stay away from those negative feelings.  It picked me back up again.  And I had an amazing, blessed night.

God bless, in Jesus' name.

Preaching and Teaching

If you're a Christian, you must preach the Gospel.

Romans 15:16 says "That I should be the minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God, that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable, being sanctified by the Holy Ghost."

The Lord wants us to spread the Word.  We must offer our time in some way, shape, or form ministering to others.  Jesus loved everyone and prayed for everyone the same.  Even when he was on the cross he prayed for His enemies that they may receive the Word and heed to it.

Some Christians are called to be ministers on television, others in an ordinary church, and others to a small group of people.  We are all put somewhere for a reason.  There is a voice inside of us all that we must heed to and listen for so we may know where our duties must be fulfilled.

Stan

Yesterday I had a conversation with a bus driver at Rutgers named Stan.  He is a minister and student at Rutgers in addition to driving the LX bus back and forth all day from College Avenue to Livingston Campus.  Students either love him or can't stand him. I've spoken to people that aren't Christians that say he is an inspiration to them and that the preaching he does on the bus during his daily routes is motivation to them.  I've also heard testimonies of others that say he makes them feel uncomfortable and anxious to leave the bus.  Those that know the Lord and have a willing spirit will listen and find Stan's preaching comforting.  Those that have not received God and need ministering are the ones looking to leave the bus.

That doesn't stop Stan from being friendly with everyone and preaching the Word of God.  He relates it to their lives as students and keeps an upbeat attitude no matter how he is treated by students.  His persistence is Christ-like and I believe we must all strive to follow Jesus just like Stan has chosen to do.  The New Testament tells us many stories of how people were persecuted for their beliefs and preaching but it also tells us how we will have our reward.

Mark 8:35 "For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it."

Jesus tells us in Mark 8:35 that if we try to save our reputation, our job, our grade, our friends, our earthly lives, we will lose our reward in Heaven.  However, Jesus also tells that if we lose those things (not necessarily our physical lives) such as our possessions, our accolades, and earthly reputation for the sake of preaching the Word, we shall inherited life everlasting.  This is a beautiful thing.

Let me tell you friend, from my experience, it is much better to do away with our old ways and receive the Lord.  If you have faith and trust in God to provide all your needs (refer to Psalm 23), you will not want any good thing this world (a secular life) has to offer.  Love God and preach the Word.  Right now, I feel my calling is to write about God and blog as a tool.  You will find your calling too.  Selah.

Watch Your Mouth

God gave us The Ten Commandments. Not "the ten guidelines" or "ten things I ask of you." They are commandments, which mean they are to OBEYED.

Having said that, I'd like to say I'm not perfect and I've sinned. We've all sinned. It's a matter of human nature and that's why we're called to repentance. That's a whole different topic though because what I want to talk about is cursing or abusing God's name.

As I press on through my daily routine and life, from school to work to play, I've seen since I became a devout Christian that people who break God's Third Commandment are becoming more noticeable to me.  I find that I witness people use the Father and the Son's names to express frustration, anger, dissatisfaction, and emotions that are not of brought upon by the Holy Spirit.  These emotions are carnal and not meant to speak good things of The Lord.  It's a commandment from God not to do this, so don't. It's a sign of disrespect and The Lord will hold you guilty of it.

"Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain." -Exodus 20:7 (KJV)


From what I see most of the time, it's not just Christians that break this commandment.  Many of the people that break this commandment are non-believers or non-practicing Christians.  People who break this commandment are Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, Atheist, and Taoist.  Some are scientologists and others are agnostics.  My question to those who don't believe in Christ are, "Why?"

Why must you take Jesus' name in vain?  Why must you take God's name in vain?  Why must you take any name in vain for that matter?!

It may sound normal to curse using God's name to people growing up in this society where modern liberalism has deemed it okay to express yourself in any way you please.  Well, I hate to sound conservative (because I don't like to affiliate myself with anything but God's Word) but please watch your mouth.  I am praying for those who do not know Jesus or have not received Him yet.

And to all Christians, please pay attention to what you say.  I read an article on achievebalance.com about the Third Commandment and what was brought to my attention is that The Lord will not hold anyone "guiltless."  This may very well mean that people who say "gosh darn it!" and "oh jeez" are just as guilty of breaking the Third Commandment.

If you feel you are guilty of doing this, ask the Lord for help.  Ask Him to help you not to sin anymore and to help you use more appropriate language in the future.  Personally, I need to repent everyday and I am aware now than ever regarding this sin.  Nobody's perfect and God will forgive you.

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." -John 3:16

God bless!