Less Than Three Weeks

Have we been caught off guard?  Are we aware of the fact that in less than three weeks, baptized members of the Church of God will be partaking once again in the Passover service and immediately following, the Days of Unleavened Bread?  It is amazing how time flies by, especially when so much around us can interfere with the very things we would really like to focus on.  Life gets in the way.  Unexpected situations can occur at any time, and we try to find ways to adjust.

Distractions can get the better of us if we’re not careful. They come in many forms and they may hinder us from focusing on what we really need to be focusing on, and if we are not careful, it could become a problem.  There are many things in the world that could divert our thinking by giving into things that the world has to offer, especially everything that goes against God’s teaching, and also being caught up and sidetracked with speculation and assumption.  We need to be aware of what is going on, what the Bible is prophesying, and we shouldn’t allow ourselves to be deceived by all the propaganda, politics and conspiracies floating around the internet and media sources.  That is a distraction and it can consume our thinking, and if we are not careful, it can lead us down the wrong path.

This is exactly what Satan wants, who is the author of confusion, the deceiver, the ruler of this world.  He is also specifically targeting God’s people, doing what he can to make us fail, but we need to be stronger than that.  Satan knows where we are vulnerable which is why we need to remain vigilant at all times, and God knows that we can succeed IF we obey Him. We need to understand what our commission is, what our purpose is. We see how quickly things can change, how the world is caught in disarray.  The immediate future is fragile, and we need to be conscious of this. Matthew 24:42 commands us to watch, and that is exactly what we should be doing – watching and also warning of what is to come.

These diversions can have a bearing on our decision-making and our actions which could affect us personally.  Trials are abundant as we all go through them individually, trying to cope, trying to overcome. And we tell ourselves the same thing right around this time when faced with various challenges that “Passover must be right around the corner.”

Well, it is! And this is also the time when we really need to examine ourselves to see where we stand and how serious we are in our spiritual calling.  How is our relationship with God?  How is our relationship with our like-minded brethren? Are we prepared and ready to partake of the Passover in a worthy manner?

Indeed, there are many things that we may get sidetracked on which could affect our focus.  God wants us to be ready at all times.  He wants us to be prepared, and He wants us to conquer our weaknesses and overcome the distractions that Satan throws at us.  We know that Satan will tempt us in every way possible but we also know that we can overcome every obstacle that we are faced with, as there is nothing too difficult for us to handle. We should take God’s Word very personally.  God has called us for a reason.  He has a purpose for us NOW.  And as we say time and time again, we need to understand that we could possibly delay the return of Christ if we are not faithful in doing the Work, if we are not faithful within ourselves by doing what we need to be doing (2 Peter 3:4-9, 14-18).

We have less than three weeks to get our spiritual minds in check. “And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for NOW our salvation is nearer than when we first believed”  (Romans 13:11).

Why One Third Will Die

Have we learned anything from history through the suffering and destruction from wars and disease epidemics? The Bible prophecies that this will happen again, but in ways far more horrific than ever before.  How can we prepare ourselves NOW so we can be counted worthy to escape all these inevitable events that will come to pass?

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True Passion

Is there anything that we are truly passionate about?  Are we enthusiastic about God’s law?  There are many examples of those who were truly passionate about God’s law, including God’s plan for mankind.

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Lasting Impressions

How do we present ourselves in any situation or environment we are in?  Do we leave a good first impression and do we also leave a lasting impression?

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Our Duty to Fulfill

We are in the beginning stages of self-destruction. The future for the world is heading towards a terrible time, as predicted in the book of Isaiah and Habakkuk.   Through man’s selfish desires they look to their own resources and reasoning, instead of looking to God and keeping His commandments.  There is hope however and God tells us how we can be saved, how we are to continue the work until Christ returns, so we can inherit everlasting life.

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How To Be a Child of God

When we hear and read about God’s children, can we actually put ourselves in that category?  Are we truly His children, and what does it mean?  After all, God did create everything, including all of mankind, and He loves His creation. He did say however at the time of Noah that He was sorry that He had created man, but that’s because He had a different plan in mind. He gave man a choice to obey Him, and man rejected God’s ways and, as a consequence, the whole world was corrupted (Genesis 6:6-12).

Therefore, He wanted to destroy everything on earth, and if it had not been for righteous Noah, mankind would not have been saved. And through Noah, mankind was spared, and God blessed him and his sons, and they were fruitful and multiplied on the earth (Genesis 9:1).

Now, that didn’t mean mankind was righteous from that point on, since the world has become corrupt again. We read in John 3:16 that God loved the world so much that He gave His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to die for us, but another step was significant, because He goes on to say that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.  So, does that mean that all we have to do is believe in Christ, and we are all saved and are considered God’s children?

Obviously, more is involved as the Bible points out in numerous Scriptures.  What do we know, actually know? The law of the 10 commandments has not been done away as we are to keep it still, which Christ makes very clear, for He didn’t come to do away with the law but to fulfill it (Matthew 5:17-20).  We need to do more than just believe—we have to be doers and followers of the law as Christ says in 1John 5:3, “For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome.”

Many Christians consider themselves children of God because they believe they have been saved just based on the mere fact that they believe in Christ.  They claim that they are born again and that if you’re born again, you are considered a child of God.  But the Bible clearly states that a born-again person IS spirit and invisible to the human eye, and anyone who is still human cannot be born again (John 3:6, 8).

How we are to be children of God is expressed in 1 John 3:1-2, 6-8:  “Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is… Whoever abides in Him does not [practice] sin. Whoever sins [practices sin] has neither seen Him nor known Him. Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous. He who sins [practices sin] is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.”

Those who are not being saved cannot be children of God as we notice in 1 John 3:10: “In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother.”

We have the opportunity right now, as begotten children of God, who have been chosen to come out of this world, to be a part of His Family.  And this step can only be done by receiving His Holy Spirit at the time of our baptism after we have truly repented from what we came out of, and after having believed in and obeyed the gospel of the Kingdom of God. And, we must continue to DO what God requires of us, as explained in Romans 8:13-17:

“For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.  For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.  For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of (sonship) by (which) we cry out, ‘Abba, Father.’ The (Holy) Spirit (itself) bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.”

The Minority

A new type of minority exists today where people are singled out due to the decision they make whether they want to be vaccinated or not which leads to various consequences.  As true Christians, we are familiar with what it is like to be a minority.  What is the difference between the “minorities” in the world and the “minorities” that God has chosen out of this world today?

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Right Now!

We have learned a lot from the past and we know what the future holds.  But what do we need to do right now so we can be prepared for what is coming?

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Ultimate Commitment

There are two important decisions that one makes in their life that show commitment. They both correlate with each other and to help us better become perfect, so we can ultimately be in God’s Kingdom, we also must apply the 3 character traits described in 1 Corinthians 13.  
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The Bread of Life

What is more important than the physical necessities and material things that we may take for granted in this world today? Knowing that all these things are merely temporary, what is it that we must do first in order for us to enjoy and also be grateful for what to do have now?

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