The Carson Family
  • Home
  • Contact Information
  • Announcements
  • Music
  • The Journeys of Faith
  • Poetry and Inspirations
  • Links
  • Flyer

A Friend of Jesus

11/9/2013

0 Comments

 
                                                                                                                             by Betty
   A story was once told of a man who went into an old church every day during his lunch break. When he entered the church, he went to the first pew, kneeled, and prayed. The only thing he was heard to say was, “Hello Jesus, this is John.  I just came to tell you I love you.”  Thus he did for many months. One day he did not come. The next day and the next passed, and the minister became concerned that something was wrong with the man.  So he went to John's workplace to find out if he were all right. 
It turned out that John had suffered a terrible accident and was in the hospital. The minister went to visit John.   John's room was bright with an aura of freshness unlike any of the other hospital rooms.  Though John's body was broken, his face and eyes shone wonderfully. John was glad to see the minister.  He wanted to share that Jesus had been with him, and that Jesus had come to visit him every day he had been in the hospital. The minister asked, “What did He say to you, John?”  The man replied that Jesus said, “Hello John, this is Jesus. I just came to let you know I love you.”
    We need to know our Jesus in a personal way. One may know about the Lord through other people, through going to church, or through reading the Bible, but knowing about the Lord is not the same as truly knowing the Lord.  All who will come to
heaven must come through our Lord Jesus Christ. You must meet the Lord through faith, calling upon Him, and He must meet
you and adopt you. The Bible tells us that God gives us power to be His children. He makes us born again to make us aware of the Kingdom of Heaven. It is His desire that we know Him. 
   Once we are His children, we have a relationship in which He leads and guides us in all that we do.  We learn how to serve God.  Jesus tells us that we are His friends if we do whatsoever He commands us.  “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.”   Ephesians refers to the Lord's relation to the Church (not the building, but you and me) as a husband and wife relationship.  It states that Christ loved the church and gave himself for it that He might present it to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that it should be holy and without blemish so we can be part of his body:  “For we are members of his body, of his flesh and of his bones.”
   Paul prayed for us to have a relationship with God. He prayed that we would have the mind of Christ; that we would grow in the grace and the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, and that we would know Him in His suffering.  He prayed that Christ may dwell in our hearts by faith, and that we may be able to comprehend and know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that we might be filled with all the fullness of God.  We must know Jesus in such a way that we are completely His. We must know Him in such a way that we may sit at His feet and rest on His breast.  We must be His beloved.  We must be known of Him.


0 Comments

The Self Life

11/9/2013

0 Comments

 


                                                                                                                                                                                by Tim

    The words of Jesus are great treasures, and when we accept His words and apply them to our lives, they become like jewels in our eternal crowns. This article will examine a long ago forgotten teaching of our Lord Jesus Christ.
   Jesus said, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.  For whosoever will save his life shall lose it:  and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.  For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?”  We live in a self-indulgent, “me first” culture.  Teachings about the blessings of God are wonderful, but the concept of self-denial and cross-bearing are mostly unheard of.  Why must you pick up your cross and deny yourself?  Let us look at the word human. The Latin root of human is two words,
humas and hominis.  Humas means earth or dirt, and hominis means man; in other words, humans are earthly beings or dirt people.  It is God's will for you to reach up and become godly, but the natural inclination is for a person to become more and more like dirt.
   Hence, the cross; we must deny the natural pull toward the earthly life and reach up to the heavenly life.  Our culture has fallen into the depths of the dirt life.  We must reject the principles of our culture and strive to live according to the teachings of the Bible.  Jesus said, “That which is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God.” This is quite a far-reaching statement.  But think of what the world esteems or considers important, and compare it to the teaching of the Bible.
   Now back to the cross—or perhaps you have forgotten where your cross is? Listen church, it is time to get out of the self-life, dust off your cross and be crucified unto the world, and live unto God. This is important. Romans 8:13 says, "If ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.”
   Yes, yes, yes!  We are saved by faith and only faith, but what have you done with this great salvation?  Are you an ambassador for Christ, letting your light shine among men and sharing the gospel so that others may be saved?  Or have you been on the self satisfying road, the broad road, that leads to the dirt-life?
   Live the Christ-centered life.  Be a peculiar people.  Do something for God with your life. Identify with Jesus, and He will identify with you.  Reach up to the heavenly and get out of the dirt-life, and God will bless you.


          “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me:
             and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God,
                          who loved me, and gave himself for me.” --Galatians 2:20

0 Comments

    Archives

    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    September 2018
    July 2018
    March 2018
    November 2017
    September 2017
    July 2017
    March 2017
    January 2017
    November 2016
    October 2016
    July 2016
    May 2016
    March 2016
    December 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    December 2014
    October 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    August 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    August 2012
    June 2012

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.