Harry Ironside
A man once challenged Dr. Harry Ironside to a debate on “Agnosticism” verses “Christianity.” Dr. Ironside agreed, on one condition: that the agnostic first provide evidence that agnosticism was beneficial enough to defend. Dr. Ironside challenged the agnostic to bring one man who had been a ‘down-and-outer’ (a drunkard, criminal, or such) and one woman who had been trapped in a degraded life (such as prostitution), and show that both of these people had been rescued from their lives through embracing the philosophy of agnosticism.
Dr. Ironside undertook to bring 100 men and women to the debate who had been gloriously rescued through believing the Gospel the agnostic ridiculed. The sceptic withdrew his challenge to debate Dr. Ironside.
It is the message of the Bible that mends lives and rescues souls that have been broken by sin which separates us from our Holy Creator. There is no debate, agnosticism and atheism, like every anti-God philosophy do nothing but destroy.
“For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.” Romans 8:2
Tuesday February 4 Who do you serve?
Thy Word have I hid in my heart
Psalm 112:1 “Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord”
“Thy word have I hid in my heart, that I might not sin against thee”
Who do you choose to respect. Is it the “Movie Stars” with all their wealth and supposed importance as they grace the movie screens? Or perhaps it is the rock bands and groups that draw thousands and thousands every year or perhaps someone or something else has captivated your heart and soul.
But be careful, to who or what you let draw your attention, and that pulls your heart strings, and consumes your life. This carelessness can destroy your life on this earth and the life to come. For there is one that should consume all of our hearts, however the world hates Him. Psalm 112:1 tells us that the one we should fear is the “Lord”. Those who choose to respect, honor and love and give their heart to God, the Lord Jesus Christ, have chosen a life filled with blessings and divine rewards. Christ tells us that “He is the way, the Truth and the Life, no man cometh to the Father but by Him.” The way to a blessed and rewarding life is to follow Christ. Follow Christ and He will gives us eternal life, His peace, His blessings and at the end of this life, we will spend eternity with Him. Don’t get me wrong, following Christ will not mean you won’t have any problems in this life, it doesn’t mean that you will be rich, as some claim, or never have any health problems. In some ways there will be more problems in life.
Why? Because now, after accepting Christ as your Lord and Savior you have the one who hates Christ hating you The world will hate you and satan will hate you. Even though satan is a defeated foe, he will try to destroy us. But greater is He (Christ) that is in you (those who believe in Jesus Christ) than he that is in the world. With those who truly follow Christ when they come to the end of their lives, will not find a wasted, worthless life, but a fulfilling, joyful life, a life lived to the fullest.
If this life, our earthly life, was all there was then none of the above would really matter. If we were nothing more than animals as “evolution” tries to tell us, then there can neither be any morality, any right or wrong, any hope, only hopelessness. And sad to say those who reject Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior will find eternity just exactly what I said above. Only an eternity of hopelessness. Those who accept Christ will spend eternity with Him with beauty and blessings beyond comprehension. Those who refuse to reject Him will find eternity as hopelessness in the “Lake of Fire”. If you have never believed in the Lord and Jesus Christ, asked forgiveness of your sins and asked Him to be the master of your life, won’t you do it now! For we are not promised tomorrow, and we are always but one heart beat away from eternity!
Psalm 119:11. In order to stay healthy it is important to watch our diets and get the proper amount of exercise. This is good preventive medicine which we should all practice. When we get sick it weakens our body and can leave scars and weaknesses to us physically. It is the same with sin. God will forgive us of our sins (I John 1:9), however sin, even when forgiven leaves scars. But if sin is avoided it cannot leave scars on us psychologically, morally, or spiritually. God’s word gives us the prescription to prevent sin in our lives. Daily reading and meditating on the “Word of God” is a wonderful prescription.
Know this that shortly I must put off this my tabernacle.
2 Peter 1:14. We must never forget that one day we will die. (put off this tabernacle.) So knowing this, let us live, serve and act accordingly in this life. Living for this world will have no benefit, but living for the next world, which is eternal, will bring eternal rewards. As we get older, and old age approaches us, we must be realistic, death is close at hand. So lets live and think and act accordingly, preparing for the death of this body. For believers absent from the body(death) is presence with the Lord. But those who reject Christ, death of this body will bring you face to face with Christ at the Great White Throne Judgment. Mercy and forgiveness is today, at the judgment there will be no mercy or forgiveness, only judgment.
Do we truly trust the Lord to answer our prayers?
Herod the king after killing James the brother of John with the sword put Peter in prison also. Prayer was held for Peter’s release by the church without ceasing, they were asking God to have Peter released from prison.
In response to their prayer the Angel of the Lord brought Peter out of the prison miraculously. But what happened?
And as Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a damsel came to hearken, named Rhoda.14 And when she knew Peter’s voice, she opened not the gate for gladness, but ran in, and told how Peter stood before the gate.15 And they said unto her, Thou art mad.”
Here standing before the gate, while they were still in prayer, was the answer to their prayers, yet they could not believe it. Is that how we pray? We pray to the Lord without expecting an answer and not believing the answer with it comes, having no faith.
In Philippians 4:6 we are told; 6”Be careful (don’t be anxious) for nothing (anything); but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God”, and Genesis 18:14a; “Is anything too hard for the Lord”?
The answer is that there is nothing too hard for the Lord. Our prayers must be in faith, believing, and thus receiving the answer when it comes. Our Lord and Savior does hear and answers our prayers.