Tag: Scripture

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Bible Christian Driving God Ministry Scripture

Sunday Scripture

A couple of days ago I walked in to my local neighborhood Honda dealership with the intention of discussing my various options in the next 4 months regarding the end of the 3-year lease of my 2018 Honda Civic. (It was a prescheduled informal appointment with my assigned sales consultant.)

In the couple of weeks after scheduling the appointment and leading-up to the actual day there was that thought in the back of my mind that there was a slight possibility that I would turn-in my lease and start a new lease or even buy a new car on that day. (After all most of you know what usually happens when you walk in to the sales department of any given automobile dealership.)

I ended-up driving an above-average 34 miles on that day (halfway to Miami and back) leading-up to my arrival at the dealership, and I thought to myself that these could be my final miles ever driven in this car.

And it was. Less than 3½ hours after arriving at the dealership I drove away in a brand new 2020 Honda Civic. I told my sales consultant that I didn’t walk in here to buy a new car. I just wanted facts and figures to do a few months worth of research and contemplation. But I liked everything I heard and saw, and I got a good deal. There was no need to procrastinate for a few more months.

Some of the most fun moments on this fantastic journey are the ones that are unplanned, unrehearsed, and unscripted. I mean that’s how this journey began for me 14 years ago this upcoming work week.

“For I know the plans I have for you” – says the LORD. “They are plans for good and not for disaster – to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray – I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly – you will find Me. I will be found by you.” – says the LORD.” (Jeremiah 29:11-14a)

As a mostly organized and prepared person I essentially live on a schedule that I maintain for the next 15 days at any given time. It’s a list of things that I need to do, I want to do, and I should do. It even reminds me to blog my 4 posts per weekend. Incidentally – “BUY NEW CAR” – was not on my list of things to do a couple of days ago. Also not on my schedule 14 years ago this upcoming work week – “GET SAVED BY GOD”.

God did that on his own. While my salvation started during this upcoming week of August of 2006 I really didn’t figure much of it out until several weeks and even a few months later. It took me that long to understand what salvation was. See up until 14 years ago I knew of God, but I didn’t know about Him. I didn’t know who He was. He knew me, but I didn’t know Him. Salvation changed all of that.

Seek the Lord while you can find Him. Call on Him now while he is near. Let the wicked change their ways and banish the very thought of doing wrong. Let them turn to the LORD that He may have mercy on them. Yes – turn to our God, for He will forgive generously. “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts” – says the LORD. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so My ways are higher than your ways and My thoughts higher than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:6-9)

Our God invites you to salvation if you’re not already on the journey that He created uniquely for you. It’s an open invitation for as long as you’re still alive and breathing here on the earth. Are you ready today ? How about tomorrow ? Next week ? Next month ? Next year ? Or will you be like me, and not plan for it to happen but just let it happen. Will you respond to God when He rescues you out of the pit of despair – out of the mud and the mire – and saves you forever ? Or will you turn away from Him, and return to doing what the world tells you to do ?

You will have infinite opportunities to believe, follow, trust, and love the LORD in your lifetime. Don’t let the final opportunity that He grants you be the one that you reject. I’ve heard it said that hell is not full of people that God rejected, for God rejects nobody. Hell is full of people that rejected God.

You have no idea what awaits you when you accept God and you allow Him to lead you forth away from the darkness and towards His light.

All rights reserved (c) 2020 Christopher M. Day, CountUp Ministries

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Bible Blogging Christian Church God Life Ministry Scripture

Sunday Scripture

In Galatians Paul writes about how complete the work of Christ’s death on the cross was for our salvation. God’s work was complete. Nothing more was needed to be added to His work. God’s work was perfect. In an instant – all of our sins – past, present, and future – were wiped clean – forgotten about – when Jesus took those sins to the cross to die.

For if you are trying to make yourselves right with God by keeping the law – you have been cut off from Christ !  You have fallen away from God’s grace. (Galatians 5:4)

For you have been called to live in freedom – my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead – use your freedom to serve one another in love. For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Galatians 5:13-14)

I could stop right there and talk about that, but there’s this next verse that wraps all of this up in a nice blunt manner. Paul doesn’t hold back in his letter. Paul warns:

But if you are always biting and devouring one another – watch out !  Beware of destroying one another. (Galatians 5:15)

What a perfect verse for these turbulent times that we’re living in today. We are indeed biting and devouring one another. We are destroying one another. We are doing the work of the devil. Love is lacking in this world.

Beware of destroying one another. Beware of the ways of the world. Beware of legalism. Paul fights legalism all throughout his letter to the Galatians as well as many of his other letters in the New Testament. Legalism is probably the sin that we commit the most on our day-to-day journey. We commit this sin more than we ever did before we were saved. YES – legalism is a sin.

“But Chris I’m confused. What do you mean by legalism ?  Aren’t we supposed to be legal – and obey God’s laws – God’s Commandments ?  Isn’t that legalism ?  How can that be sinful ?  Tell me more !”

Pride leads to disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom. (Proverbs 11:2)

See when we’re being legalistic we’re being prideful. We’re full of pride:

“Hey look at me. After just 2 years of being saved by God I’ve quit drinking, I’ve quit smoking, I’ve quit eating junk food, I exercise, I see a Doctor every 3 months, I get regular labwork done, I don’t get angry anymore, and I love everyone – even the people that hate me !  Oh yeah and I also listen to Christian music all day, I read the Bible every day, I write sermons on Saturdays, and I go to church every Sunday !  You should do the same. God loves me for doing all of these things !  He’ll love you too !”

Sounds terrible – doesn’t it ?  I mean those are all good things, but nobody wants to hear all that stuff. I would never say any of that stuff – aside from using it as an example in this message to make my point. My fellow believers and followers of Christ – the world out there doesn’t care what we’re doing – or what we’ve stopped doing – or what we’re against – or what we’re opposed to – or what we believe in – when they don’t even know us. None of that stuff saves the world out there. None of that stuff saved me. Christ saved me. All of that other stuff came to be as a result of Christ saving me.

The world out there needs to know that God loves them more than they can only imagine. The world out there needs proof of that love. It is not enough to tell someone that God loves them, and then walk away and tell them to have a nice day. They need to see and feel and experience that love from us. That’s what disciples do. We are all called to be disciples.

So Paul was strongly against legalism. The legalist picks and chooses the rules – the laws – the Commandments – that he or she feels comfortable with obeying. You know – the easy ones. It’s like an all-you-can-eat buffet: “I’ll take some of that, and a bunch of that, and a whole lotta that Good News – but none of that hard-to-digest stuff over there. I don’t agree with that law over there – or that one – or that one.” The legalist – in all of us – conveniently neglects – or even ignores certain laws at times – such as loving the Lord with all your heart, or loving your neighbor as yourself.

We need to be aware of two types of sins – the sins where we did something that we shouldn’t have done – and – perhaps more common – the sins where we did not do something that we should have done.

Each of us has an idea of what sin is, and it evolves over time. What I thought sin was when I was saved – is not the same as what I think sin is now – nearly 14 years later. Our idea of what sin is should align with Scripture. Sometimes we make up new sins that aren’t even in the Bible. And we try to avoid those sins. And when we do avoid those sins we become proud, and we think that God is happy with us: “Look at me God. I’m not doing that anymore !”

There’s that pride right there. Pride is a sin. You sinned by trying not to sin. See you can follow all the “rules” – all the “laws” – and yet completely miss out on Christ. He didn’t even know you.

We want God to know us. He already loves us – no matter what. We must love God. We must love our neighbor as our self.

All rights reserved (c) 2020 Christopher M. Day, CountUp Ministries

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Bible Blogging Christian God Life Ministry Music Scripture

Sunday Scripture

Greetings my friends. It’s Sunday August 02ND 2020, and this is the day that our LORD has made. Let us rejoice. Let us be glad in it. And let us celebrate this new day on our journey together.

I’m approaching my 14TH anniversary of the start of my salvation. It began during the 3RD week of August of 2006. To the naysayers once close to me who thought that this was merely a “passing fad” – well – this “passing fad” is getting ready to start a 15TH year. The truth is this: I’m on fire for my Lord + Savior Jesus Christ today more than yesterday, and tomorrow more than today. With each new day I’m moving forward – towards and closer to my God.

So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands you sinners. Purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world. Let there be tears for what you have done. Let there be sorrow and deep grief. Let there be sadness instead of laughter, and gloom instead of joy. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up in honor. (James 4:7-10 NLT)

Every so often I like to reminisce and remember where I was and what I was doing any number of years ago. I even have a regular weekly feature every Friday here on my blog called RETRO. As we progress further into our respective journeys it’s important to look back at where we came from – so that we know what we’re leaving behind to get to our ultimate destination in Heaven. I certainly don’t wish to return to where I was yesterday. We must be closer to God than we were a minute ago, an hour ago, a day ago, a week ago, a month ago, a year ago, and so forth. We must move away from the mud and the mire as we #CountUp to God.

This WordPress blog goes back to 2007 (nearly 1,800 posts). When I read some of my posts from the early years of my salvation I sometimes think to myself, “I’m so happy that I’ve matured since then.” And then there are those certain posts when I think to myself, “I loved what I wrote there. That’s still 100% on-point today.”

Such is the case with a gem from exactly 10 years ago this weekend. Under my banner “My Fantastic Journey: It’s In The Lyrics” I wrote about my upcoming 4TH anniversary of the start of my salvation. I also included Brandon Heath’s song and video “Give Me Your Eyes”.

Here is that post in its entirety – from Sunday August 01ST 2010:

As we begin this 8TH month of 2010 today I move a little closer to the remarkable 4-year / 48-month anniversary of my fantastic journey. It was the 3RD week of August of 2006 when my life as I knew it ended, and a new Life began. God rescued and saved me from evil and darkness. He told me to follow Him. He said that He would lead me towards the light of The Truth. He asked me to believe in Him. After more than 39 years of life on His Earth I finally did. I surrendered to Him. When the world around me rejected me God accepted me.

That’s exactly what He will do for you as well – if you would just let Him. When your friends abandon you. When the world rejects you. When you’re lonely. There’s a Kingdom all around you that’s more powerful than you can ever imagine. God will wait for you. When you’re ready –  He’s ready to lead you.

♫ Give me Your eyes for just one second
Give me Your eyes so I can see
Everything that I keep missing
Give me Your love for humanity

Give me Your arms for the broken hearted
The ones that are far beyond my reach
Give me Your heart for the ones forgotten
Give me Your eyes so I can see ♫

It’s in the lyrics:

All rights reserved (c) 2020 Christopher M. Day, CountUp Ministries

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Bible Christian God Ministry Scripture

Sunday Scripture

Live wisely among those who are not believers, and make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone. (Colossians 4:5-6 NLT)

You know during the 21 years (1985-2006) that I was an adult as well as a non-believer / non-follower of Jesus Christ as God – I didn’t appreciate it when believers and followers – friends and strangers – approached me and told me that I would go straight to hell when I die if I didn’t come to God. I was not their equal. I was inferior to them because I didn’t know God, and they did. That’s what they made me think – even if they didn’t overtly come out and say that. I think they actually believed that. Their representation of God was one that I didn’t care to meet – ever.

They were not living (or speaking) wisely among us in the world. They blew their golden opportunity. Their conversation was not gracious or attractive. It was unkind if not hateful. Instead of winning a soul for Christ they were pushing me further away from Him. I wanted to run – not walk – far away from them.

Despite the work of the enemy – God still won the battle – and He rescued and saved me almost 14 years ago (in a few weeks).

I believe that in order to be effective and efficient evangelists – God’s Good News Messengers – which we are all called upon to do – we must be polite and respectful of the world out there. Don’t tell them that they are sinners. Don’t tell them that they are going straight to hell upon death. They don’t want to hear that from us. We’re all sinners. We’re no better than any of our neighbors – no matter who or what they believe or follow. We are all God’s creations. We are all created equal.

When the opportunity presents itself – tell them of the God that you know. Tell them of the God that you praise and worship. Tell them of the God that makes you happy. Tell them of the God that saved your life. You don’t need to be fancy about it. Just say what you know to be the Truth. Don’t force it on them. If they appear to be turning away from you then just show them God’s love. If they proceed to avoid you with every chance they get – then let them see the God in you via your actions. Some of the strongest evangelism occurs by doing rather than saying. Never give up on your neighbor.

You must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your Christian hope – always be ready to explain it. But do this in a gentle and respectful way. (1 Peter 3:15-16a NLT)

All rights reserved (c) 2020 Christopher M. Day, CountUp Ministries