God is the Answer

“The Answer to All Our Problems”—R Nelson

BIBLE MEDITATION:
“For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.” 1 Corinthians 1:18

ENCOURAGING WORD:

I heard a story about a certain man who once met a lawyer on an airplane. They began to talk about what they liked to read. The man said, “I read newspapers, books, journals, devotional studies, but primarily the Bible.” The lawyer said, “If you don’t read any further than that, how do you know what to talk about when you speak to people?”
The man said, “Sir, man only has three problems: sin, sorrow, and death.”
The lawyer answered, “There are more than that.”
The man replied, “No, only three.”
“Oh,” the lawyer said, “there are other problems.”The man said, “All right, tell me another.”
The lawyer went off for a while, came back, and said, “Man only has three problems.”

That’s true. All the problems of the world rest on these three issues. All three of these have horrible consequences. If not dealt with, they will be a problem throughout life in the here and now. We are all born into a sinful nature due to the fall of man back in the Garden of Eden. Sorrow is something that we all face at one time or another throughout our lives. And death, aside from being caught up to meet the Lord in the air is certain among all people born of the flesh. The good news is the cross of Jesus Christ is the only answer to all three of these problems.

We read in Ephesians 1:7; “In Him (Jesus) we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace” This verse along with many other scriptures are spread throughout the Bible to tell us that sin can and will be forgiven if we turn from our sinful ways, repent and receive Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. Once we accept the truth about the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ and become born-again into the Holy Spirit, we become a new creation in Christ. It is then that we are justified and that means it is as if we have never sinned and sin no longer has a hold on us. We read in Isaiah 44:22; “I have swept away your offenses like a cloud, your sins like the morning mist. Return to me, for I have redeemed you.” Isaiah had foresight into the future by declaring well in advance what the crucifixion of Jesus Christ would mean to all who would believe. Acts 3:19 also tells us, “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord,” The reason that God had to come to earth in the personage of Jesus Christ was to pay for the sins of mankind. See, “Jesus paid a price that he didn’t owe, because we owe a price that we cannot pay” all because of His love for us.

Sorrow (a cause of grief or sadness) is an emotion that everybody will feel at one time or another in their life. All though this is an emotion that is hard to deal with under any circumstance, the pain can be lessened, and the healing can be hastened if you turn it over to Jesus Christ. Keep this in mind, even Jesus suffered severe sorrow when He was in the Garden of Gethsemane praying to the Father the night before His crucifixion. We read in Luke 22:44; “And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.” In this life, if you love, you will suffer sorrow, especially at the loss of a loved one. All your sorrow can be lessened if you put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ. I know this firsthand. I lost my dad a couple of years ago. His last few years of life were exceedingly painful to watch. It got to the point where I actually prayed that God would take Him to ease all the pain and sorrow that He was going through. I could pray this because I knew that my dad had a wonderful relationship with Jesus Christ and I knew what the Bible had to say about this, “Absent from the Body is to be present with the Lord if you are a believer.” One night I got a text massage from a family member informing me that my dad had passed away. Upon hearing this message, I looked at my wife and I said, with a big smile on my face, “My dad is with Jesus.” I had a feeling of comfort that I had never felt before and what was more amazing was it was a feeling that I could not explain. I am usually a very sensitive and emotional person, but throughout all of this I never shed a tear for the passing of my dad because of the promises from the Word of God. I knew that I would see him again and I knew that he was much happier now than he had even been. I tell you this story so you too, can have this same experience that I had with the passing of a loved one. We read in Philippians 4:7 where it tells us, “and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” This is what is promised once you put your faith in Jesus Christ!

I remember sitting down with my family on certain occasions where we would get into a conversation about what happens after death. I had been studying the Bible for quite some time at this point and I could give them a promising message on this topic. I told them what happened to those that have accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior and have been born again into the Holy Spirit. I told them that we could all be together forever if we all gave our lives over to Jesus Christ in the here and now. But unfortunately, when we speak of the afterlife and Jesus Chris it most often seems to fall on deaf ears and to this day, that is still the case with most of my family. The day will come when they will stand before God and suffer the fate that all unbelievers will face at the White Throne Judgement. I believe they will be reminded of our conversations where the Holy Spirit was speaking to them through me and gave them a chance to repent and be saved or continue on in their sinful lifestyles without repentance. Can you imagine how they will feel knowing that they lost their chance to be with family members all throughout eternity? I tell you this because I want to impress on everybody who reads this post that you all have the same opportunity to be with family members forever. That, my friends are how you deal with the loss of a loved one. When you are certain that you can be reunited with them, it takes the sting out of death. We read in 1 Corinthians 15:55-58; “O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?” The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.” When we receive Jesus Christ, the sting of death is removed.

Concerning death, like I said above, aside from being caught up to meet the Lord in the air, we will all succumb to death. But this is the last thing that a true born-again believer needs to fear. John 5:24; “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.” Those who are born-again into the Holy Spirit will not see death. The last breath of air that you take here on earth will be followed by the next breath in heaven. One excellent example of this is in Luke 23:43; “And Jesus said to him, (The thief on the Cross) ‘Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise” At death, the spirit of the believer enters into Christ’s presence. Jesus promised the dying theif on the cross that he would be with Him immediately after death. He did not say, “I’ll see you in two thousand years!” 1 Corinthians 15: 55-57 tells us this, “O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?” The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” When Jesus rose from the dead and ascended into heaven, He took away the sting of death to all those that would believe on Him! There is no problem on earth that Jesus Christ cannot see you through, but you must take the first step. Jesus in the answer to all of our problems.

ACTION POINT:
The amazing thing about all this, is the fact that it is as simple as repenting of your sins, turning to Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior and accepting the Holy Spirit into your heart. The Jews required a sign; it is the Cross. The Greeks want wisdom; it is the Cross. To this world it is foolishness, but to God it is the means of salvation. 1 Corinthians 1:18 tells us this, “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” Ask yourself this question, “is the cross foolishness to you or do you find power in the cross?” Only you can decide how you choose to view the cross. When you stand before Jesus in judgement and you see the nail scarred hands and feet of the one who died for you, it will be too late to decide at that time. Your eternal fate will have already been determined. Take this time now to thank God for the message of the Cross. “Written To the glory of God, Inspired by the Holy Spirit!” Amen!

From our Chaplin—R Fritz

The Answer to All Our Problems

We do not always see the answer to our problems. It is always not far away. It comes down to that relationship between Jesus Christ and knowing the Bible. I have overcome issues with just Jesus Christ and not knowing the Bible very well. That is because the Holy Spirit was giving me the Bible verses to overcome the issues. When issues appear, it is time to research the Bible and find your answer with the help of the Holy Spirit. This gives you the ability to help other people who are going through the same issues. I have learned to lean on the Holy Spirit. Those that have the Holy Spirit have the same tools as I do. My question is why are so many Christians still fighting the same battle day after day, month after month, year after year. God did not give a few only the ability to overcome issues. 1 John 4:4 says “Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: Because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.”  An overcomer does not use excuses to justify why they cannot do something. We all have a past. With the Holy Spirit, I know I can overcome anything and so can you. I know when somebody is serious, you will not hear any more excuses. It is time for God’s people to get the answers to their questions, it takes work. I have to be brutally honest. Too many Christians are lazy and want somebody else to do their research and their reading. They expect our friends, family, pastor to give them the answer or hearing man’s answer, when you should be asking the Lord. We are responsible for ourselves and most people do not know the answer anyways, it will be their opinion. God’s waiting on you to do your homework. This is where “revival” is coming when God’s people start obeying the Holy Spirit and researching their answer. Revival starts with you and the Holy Spirit, It takes both! The excitement of finding the answer and the Holy Spirit helping you to implement the answer will cause revival. It never has been easier with the internet to help to find your answer in the Bible.

Our relationship with Jesus Christ can affect when we die. I say that because I was reminded by the Holy Spirit of an incident early this morning that happened 2 years ago. I have been going hunting out of state for a few years about the same week. I have a camper with a propane heater. The weather got down to about 1 degree. The heater was acting up, I also had an electric heater. I was half awake when I heard my spirit telling the Lord that “I did not want to die, I wanted to retire after working for 44 years”. I stayed awake after that conversation with the Lord. As morning came my son and I awoke, We felt sick and woozy. We had been carbon monoxide poisoned. It took til noon for us to feel good in the fresh air. My point is we are not guaranteed tomorrow. James 4:14-15 says “ Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.” The Lord could have taken me, he asked me if I wanted to stay. My son and I put us in that situation, The Lord does not have to ask me my opinion on anything especially my life or death. People who do not know him or have a relationship with the Lord, will not get that opportunity to live longer. I thank the Lord for giving me more years on the earth. He has a plan for me, he also has a plan for you too. His plan was for me to write about what had happened on this date. I do not know if there is somebody that will read this that has a short time left on earth. I take it as a warning for somebody or everybody to look at your life to see if you are right with the Lord. Study the Bible, make sure your relationship with the Lord is right. I would pray you ask the Holy Spirit to show you where you are with him and are Born Again. The answer to all your problems is in the Bible! Ephesians 6:18 says “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;”  You just need to pray, the Lordknows where you are spiritually and what your battling. Prayers are answered, not necessarily how we want. The question is how bad you want to overcome Satin and your situation. That is up to you!