The blessing of marriage

Proverbs 18:22 says that “he who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord.” A good translation of good would be ‘blessing’.

38 years ago, I pledged before GOD and every person I knew to love, honor, and cherish the sweetest and prettiest girl I have ever seen. Wanda Gay Kunau became Wanda Gay Whitman on July 1st, 1977. GOD showed me how much He loved me in a practical way; He strengthened my feeble knees and gave me a wife. It was the best gift He ever could have given me besides the gift of His own life!

Now every year that ticks by, our marriage gets sweeter. The one thing that makes this incredible gift happen is the simple fact that JESUS CHRIST is at the center of everything.

Can you get a grip on that? One man and one woman wrapped all up with JESUS, living the wonderful adventure as He leads and guides us.

Keeping JESUS at the center is the secret to a happy life.

The Lion’s Den

In Daniel chapter 6, Daniel finds himself in the challenge of his life. Was it fair? Did Daniel do something to deserve this incredible test of his faith? Daniel, of course, had done nothing deserving of the punishment that the just-put-into-place law was requiring. Simply said, he had been set up. Was it fair? Of course not.

How many times do we lament the same haunting question of fairness? The enemy of our faith is not fair in any stretch of the imagination. The devil, Satan, is only interested in destroying good Godly people in his all out attempt to discredit GOD in any way possible. Satan’s hatred of GOD knows no bounds and stops at nothing. Christians are always being set up to face one crisis after another. Just like Daniel could be counted on to be faithful and pray, as was his habit, so his enemies (tools of the devil) knew where he would be and exactly how to take advantage.

Islamic extremists, known as ISIS, have no problem killing Christians in the most horrible and gruesome ways one can imagine. Many Christians have found themselves bound and gagged and slaughtered simply because they would not denounce the name of JESUS CHRIST. I imagine that experience must be as horrible as being thrown into a lion’s den overrun with starving, ravenous lions.

Christians can count on being faced with a major lion’s den trial. We should always be ready to stand up and testify in any opportunity to testify of the greatness of our GOD. We can take comfort in knowing that JESUS is always with us and never leaves us to face any test alone.

JESUS is a real friend!

JC CORNERSTONE

Isaiah 28:18 records that GOD declares “Behold, I lay in Zion a stone for a foundation. A tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation.”  This is a Prophecy of the soon to come JESUS CHRIST. 1 Peter chapter 2 reveals that JESUS CHRIST is the CHIEF Cornerstone, elect (chosen), and precious.

1Peter 2:7 says “Therefore to you who believe, He  is precious , but to those who are disobedient …verse 8 continues to say He has become a stumbling stone and a rock of offense.”

Any builder would tell you that the foundation is built on the first laid CORNERSTONE. Our spiritual life is the most important life we have. After all it will live forever. We must understand that to have a strong and firm foundation that will endure the hard struggles and lead us to an eternity in Heaven with GOD, depends on JESUS CHRIST.

To live a strongly desired and rewarding life it needs to be secured on the firm and unmovable CORNERSTONE who is JESUS CHRIST. By seeing your need for a Savior and accepting JESUS as your Savior you are securing an eternal reward of living with GOD in Heaven. There is no other road to Heaven, regardless of what any others have told you. There is only one road to GOD’S Holy Heaven and it starts at the Cross, where JESUS was crucified.

Now your life is built on the only CORNERSTONE that matters you are truly on your way. Everything you have – all the positive blessings you can now claim are yours through JESUS CHRIST only. HALLELUJAH !!!

There is much more that can and needs to be said about this most important subject. That will be the focus of my future BLOGS.

Thanks  for reading and GOD Bless.

Foundation is everything

John 3:16-17
Regardless of where we find ourselves if our foundation is off centered the rest of everything is off too.  It is extremely important to have a relationship with JESUS CHRIST.  I don’t mean just knowing who He is.  A lot of people have a knowledge of JESUS as an interesting person but that won’t change your life or make any real effective difference.  What does change everything is having a relationship with JESUS. I encourage you to open up the Bible and begin to read in the Gospel of John about who JESUS is and how much he loves you. John 3:16-17 tells us that “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him would not perish but have eternal life”. Verse 17 explains the FATHERS heart by telling us “God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world but that the world through Him might be saved.” If you will read the Bible you will find GOD is reaching out through His Son JESUS CHRIST, longing to have a relationship with you.

That’s the crucial foundation that determines  everything. IT’S ALL ABOUT RELATIONSHIP!

See and understand your need for JESUS and accept JESUS as your Savior. Then your Relationship will grow.

Take care to read from a good Bible, even a good Study Bible.

I would recommend the following:

NIV STUDY BIBLE

LIFE APPLICATION STUDY BIBLE NIV or NKJV

There are others that are good as well. It’s important to be able to understand what you are reading.

I’ll have more to say about that in future BLOGS. For now happy reading to a firm foundation.

Hello World!

The spring of 2013 was not what I ever could have expected. I had been pastoring for years in a small, rural church but now, within the span of a few short months, I was performing funerals for most the leaders in my church and in and out of the hospital with my own health scares. In March, I suffered a stroke that would cause me to finally retire, but my pastor’s heart did not leave.

Romans 11:29 says the gifts and calling of God are irrevocable, and Jeremiah 20:9 said the word of God was like a fire shut up inside him that wearied his bones. In my retirement years, I have felt the truth of these verses. The zeal for Christ and sharing His message hasn’t left me. This blog is a way for me to reach out and share the Gospel message again.