A LINE IN THE SAND

   Christians believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ from death while the founders of man's religions are still dead and their bones are still in the ground.
   There is a line in the sand:  which side are you on?

      "In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulcher.  And, behold, there was a great earthquake:  for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it.  His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow:  and for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men.  And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye:  for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified.  He is not here:  for he is risen, as he said.  Come, see the place where the Lord lay.  And go quickly and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee:  there shall ye see him:  lo, I have told you."  (Matthew 28:  1-7)

      "And they departed quickly from the sepulcher with fear and great joy; and did run to bring his disciples word.  And as they went to tell his disciples, Jesus met them, saying, All hail.  And they came and held him by the feet, and worshipped him.  Then said Jesus unto them, Be not afraid:  go tell my brethren that they go unto Galilee, and there they shall see me."  (Matthew 28: 8-10)

      "Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.  And when he had so said, he showed them his hands and his feet.  Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord."  (John 20:  19-20)

     "Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself:  handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have.  And when he had said these things, he showed them his hands and his feet."  (Luke 24:   39-40)

   Thomas Didymus proclaimed:  "My Lord and my God."

   Earlier, if you recall, Jesus said unto Martha:

      "I am the resurrection, and the life:  he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:  and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die.  Believest thou this?"  (John 11: 25-26)

   Paul the Apostle wrote:   "That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection...."  (Philippians 3: 10)

   There is a line in the sand:  which side are you on?

      "Choose you this day whom you will serve; 

but as for me and my house, 

we will serve the LORD." 

 (Joshua 25:  15)

   

   

MUSICALLY SPEAKING

   The ear is the pathway to the mind and to the heart, through which flows words, noises, and music.
   Words, noises, and music are invisible, and only God can create things invisible.
   God created words and music, but man created noise.
   Interestingly, the first words spoken from God in heaven are these:

   "Let there be light."  (Genesis 1: 3)

  Interestingly, too, are these words:

   "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  The same was in the beginning with God.  All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made.  In him was life; and the life was the light of men."  (John 1: 1-4)

   Therefore, we can believe that light, words, and music are in Christ Jesus, which He has made available to us; for, without Him, light and words and music would not exist. 

   For if God did not exist we would not know it because we  would not exist.  

   But we know, however, that we exist because we can touch our bodies and see our faces in the mirror because of the light created by God!  All we need to do is believe that God gives us the minds to believe that He is God, the Creator of all things visible and invisible, and accept the fact that God created us.  

   Now that we know that God is God, Creator of all things, why hesitate to trust in Him to be the leader of our lives since He knows more about us than we know about ourselves?

   If we, therefore, believe in God, why hesitate to believe in the word of God, which is the Holy Bible?  

   God wants us to be happy, healthy, and prosperous.

   God wants the best for us and not the worst.

   God wants us to be the head and not the tail.

   God also wants us to be with Him in heaven after our bodies die here on earth.

   The life we are living on earth today is simply a prelude for a life that is yet to come, which now is invisible to our eyes, but it is a life that we will behold with our eyes after our bodies die. 

   In other words, the best of our lives it yet to come!

   "Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, 

neither have entered into the heart of man, 

the things which God hath prepared 

for them that love him." 

 (1st Corinthians 2: 9)

   The ear is the pathway to the mind and to the heart, through which flows words, noises, and music.

   The ear is also the pathway for hearing the word of God:

  "So then, 

faith comes by hearing, 

and hearing by the word of God." 

 (Romans 10: 17)

   When we hear the truth of God's word and accept it in our hearts, the word of the Lord will eliminate the noise, which will enable us to hear music instead of noise; for lost people like noise, which clutters the soul.  Our music choices will also change when we accept Christ.

   "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly and in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms, and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord."  (Colossians 3: 16)
   "Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."  (Ephesians 5: 19-20)

MY FAVORITE MUSIC

A FRIEND OF GOD

   Do you want to be my friend?
   If I am to believe in you, I must be able to believe in your words.
   Likewise, if I am to believe in God, I must be able to believe in the words of God, which are written in the Holy Bible.
   Just as you and your words are one, you cannot separate yourself from your words.
   Likewise, God and His words are one, and God cannot separate Himself from His words.
   You and I, on the other hand, can change our words and lie, but because God is perfect and holy, it is impossible for God to change His words and lie, which is why "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, and to-day, and for ever."  (Hebrews 13: 8)
   For us to remain friends, we must not lie to each other.  And for us to become friends of God, then we must be honest with God, not lie, but tell the truth and admit that we are sinners,  "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God."  (Romans 3: 23)

  Consider Abraham, for the Bible says of him:
    "And the Scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness:  and he was called the Friend of God."  (Hebrews 2: 23)

   But Jesus tells us more about friends of God:

      "Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.  
        Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth:  but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.  
        Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that he should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain:  that whatsoever ye ask of the Father in my name, he may give it to you."  (John 15: 14-16)

   How, then, do we become a friend of God?
   By confessing to God that we are sinners in need of salvation, for the Bible says:

      "That if you will confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you shall be saved.  For with the heart man believes unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."  (Romans 10: 9-10)
      "For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves:  it is the gift of God:  not of works, lest any man should boast.  For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them."  (Ephesians 2: 8-10)

   Believe in this today and you will become a friend of God today.
   Remembering, too,

   "Greater love hath no man than this,

 that a man lay down his life 

for his friends." 

 (John 15: 13)

   

TWO EARS FOR THE HEART

   "And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I have commanded thee this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth:  
    And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God."

(Deuteronomy 28:  1-2)

   "It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, 

but by every word that proceedeth

 out of the mouth of God."

(Matthew 4: 4)