Prodigal past.........

The best thing I know about my Lord and Savior is that He loves the sinner like me. He has always loved the outcast-and for that I should be glad, for I, too, was once an outcast. During my "prodigal days", I lost my personal relationship with God simply because I rebelled and went my selfish ways. Having lost God, I blindly stumbled through this dark world. God send the Holy Spirit, who is my comforter into my heart. With the Holy Spirit, I have new life, new hope, new enjoyments, new interests, new purposes, and satisfying spiritual goals. When God first made man in His own image and when man sinned, that image of God disappeared. Now, with Jesus Christ, God is remaking me in His image.

Deceptions around the World... can we discern?

For me as a believer to reach out to those who are lost is a privilege and a responsibility. I have to be careful to do it for God's glory and not mine. This is an area in which people are highly vulnerable to self-deception, where likenesses and differences are so difficult to distinguish in the "religion" world. People often do not escape deceptions around the world. Doctrines are being taught that are imitating truth and that doctrines are constantly being mistaken for each other. Even the disciples failed to spot the traitor among them (of course Jesus knew); the traitor was Judas himself. Clearly there are deadly deceitful practices exist within the very Christian circles that make pretense of the most advanced type of Christianity. They are professing great compassion for the sick, conducting giant meetings for the purpose of bringing healing to them, but separating the hopeless cases from those less serious and more "visual" impressions. During the deceptions, so called preachers are growing rich on the miseries and pains of people who are searching for truth. Some of the so called "preachers" own large estates, drive huge cars and boast of wealth. The bible tells me that many shall come in Jesus' name, and shall deceive many. Teachings of wealth is a form idoltary when men and women created in the image of God. Only the blindness of heart by sin would permit people lead to deceptions.

Love forgives................

Love hopes all things (1 Corinth 13). Love refuses to take human failure as final. With Christ in me, my human failures are never final. Love never keeps a record of wrongs. Love forgives and love is unable to think about them anymore. Forget the past and move on. Focus on the future as I focus on Christ at the same time. Romans 4:8 (also Psalms 32:2) "Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him". 2 Corinthians 5:19 "God was reconciling man's sin against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation." Ephesians 4:32 "Be kind and compassion to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you."

Lordship is not legalism. Lordship is LOVE.

Matthew 22:36-38 (New International Version) "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'This is the first and greatest commandment. Luke 14:27 And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. Luke 14:33 In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.

Lordship or Legalism

People are confused about Lordship being legalism and it is not legalism. GRACE CAN BE COSTLY By A.W. Tozer

Christians all around us are trying every shortcut they can think of, to get "something for nothing" in the kingdom of God. Talk to them and they will predictably flare up: "Isn't grace something for nothing?" That depends upon what kind of grace we are talking about. Pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer gave his life as a martyr in Hitler's Germany, but he left a book now known around the world: The Cost of Discipleship. He pointed out a sharp distinction between "cheap grace" and "costly grace." Although God's grace has been given freely to humans who do not deserve it, Bonhoeffer believed it rightly could be called "costly grace" because it cost our Lord Jesus Christ even the suffering of death. Some men and women have actually turned God's grace into lasciviousness. They do not know what the word grace means-that God gives us out of His rich and full goodness although we are unworthy of it. When I preach about the grace of God and point out that Jesus commanded us to take up our cross and follow Him, those who do not know the meaning of grace respond: "Oh, Tozer is now preaching legalism."

Legalism is: "It's pretending to be holy without really being holy" My problem with legalism is that it can't produce a pure heart. Rules do not protect us from sin because rules are basically guidelines that will help you avoid sinning. Jesus had a problem with the pharisees who were very legalists and they had about 613 rules to protect God's commandments. To me: Legalism is from the Law while Grace is from the Heart. We are under Grace and that we are to obey God and follow His Word (the Bible). God wants a pure heart from us and He does not need to give us rules in order for our hearts to be pure. Jesus Christ cleaned our sins and all God wants us to do is be Christ-like. Jesus said in Matthew 5:8 "God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God." God wants our hearts more than He want us to follow rules. If we give our hearts to God, then we will know what is sinful and what is not sinful.

Disabilities and Life

My hurts aren't anyone's problem - it is mine. I can control my circumstances which create my emotions, but other than that, I need to accept and just let it go. I have strong support from my wife and family. Letting go my own expectations, reactions, and definitions of history are often answers to letting go and free my spirit to fly again. I have learned that one of the most important ways to let go is rid myself of self-criticism. Life can be hard, but it is considerably harder by criticizing myself and depriving myself of what I deserve: joy, love, abundance, happiness, and laughter. It all begins inside of me. I need to take to heart that when life is not perfect, God is there. I need to let go and give to God. He understands, and loves and carries me through it. I just need to accept the fact that God is in control, even if I do not understand. It is by faith I can endure my disabilities and struggles. I place faith in Him because of the assurance I have through His Word, even when I do not understand. With Christ, I can make the best of my situations. My pains allows me to identify with Christ and draw me closer to and more intimate with Him. I must understand that God will use my sufferings for the greater good for His purpose. God is working in me even when I do not feel it. How do I allow Him to use me, and then share my experiences for the benefit of others, such as people like Joni Erickson Tada? I understand that suffering is a choice, not about that I am willing to suffer, but how will I deal and learn from it. Canadian Mark Pickup (disabled with multiple sclerosis). He has said, “I have been more service to God disabled than during my able-bodied years. This didn’t happen despite my disability but because of my disability.”

"God's purpose in increasing our trials is to sensitize us to people we never would have been able to relate to otherwise." Joni Eareckson Tada

"God deliberately chooses weak, suffering and unlikely candidates to get His work done, so that in the end, the glory goes to God and not to the person."

Joni Eareckson Tada

"Suffering drives us to our knees in weakness, where God wants us, so that His strength is most obvious, not ours."

Joni Eareckson Tada

"God wants us to lay our burdens on Him and rest in His love. It's His responsibility to work out the purpose and plan in our hardships. Only our refusal to trust Him....can hinder His purposes in our lives."

Joni Eareckson Tada Jim * Deaf (hard of hearing) since birth * Multiple Sclerosis ( Relapsing, Remitting) * Type-2 Diabetes * High Blood Pressure * Sleep Apnea * Bankrupted * Struggling financially * Prodigal Christian * Much more Despite of my sufferings, I am spiritualy HAPPY !!

Jim’s Spiritual Motivation

To this end I labor, struggling with all God's energy, which so powerfully works in me, for it is God who works in me to will and to act according to His good purpose. All-surpassing power is from God and not from me. God who is able to do immeasurably more than all I ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within me, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus. (See: Eph 3:20-21; 2 Cor. 4:7; Phil. 2:13 and Col. 1:29)

Loving my wife............

Appearance is important but to whose definition? My wife is beautiful because she is my woman. I married her and I will always flirt with her, romance her and chase her. Husbands need to understand that biblically that godly wife is a woman of great worth, trustworthy, hardworking, diligent, caring, thoughtful, business wise, disciplined, merciful, creative, lovely and most of all she loves God. Her attitude and actions produce a legacy that is praiseworthy (See Proverbs 31:10-31) and demonstrates a joyful freedom. Husbands should take anything his wife say into any consideration. The headship-submission relationship is not about inherent superiority and inferiority. Women are frankly wiser, more knowledgeable, more articulate, and more discerning than men. Men are called for understanding, sensitivity, and meeting his wife's needs regardless how she "looks". In the New Testament, the apostle Peter strongly exhorts to husbands to honor their wives. If I do not listen and honor my wife, I have sinned against God and my prayers will not be heard. By using an example from First Peter 3:7, Peter actually suggests that God designed women to be under the protection of a man, benefitting from his strength. And serving women by lending them that strength is one of the main ways we show them a Christlike, sacrificial love.

Appearances

I have to remember that God is not impressed by my appearance (1. Samuel 16:7). The Lord said to Samuel, "Don't judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord don't make decisions the way you do. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at a person's thoughts and intentions (heart)." (NLT) Jesus even said that appearances can be deceiving (Matt. 23:27), therefore we are not to judge others by their appearances (James 2:2-4). Many Christians are judging based on success and health: "The trouble with you is that you make your decisions on the basis of appearance." 2 Corinthians 10:7 (NLT) Inner beauty is more important than physical beauty (1 Peter 3:1-6). Christians are warned to be careful about their welfare because they should care more about spiritual than physical welfare (1 Tim.2:9-10). In Proverbs 21:2, "People may think they are doing what is right, but the Lord examines the heart." (NLT). God is looking for Christians who will worship Him from their hearts, minds and bodies. The heart is where God meets us because that is where we make our decisions. Our hearts are where our desires and motives are located. It is important to understand that our hearts is the state of our "flesh". Our flesh search for pleasure, pride, passions and selfish motives. The heart is the source of our emotions, thoughts and motives. The Bible makes it very clear, prosperity and poverty are not in our hands. "Rich and poor have this in common: The LORD is the Maker of them all." (Proverbs 22:2). Another is: "I know what it is to have little, and I know what it is to have plenty. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being well-fed and of going hungry, of having plenty and of being in need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me." (Philippians 4:12-13). God's purpose in redeeming me is not to make my life happy, healthy, and free of trouble. It is not an escape from my physical pains. God's purpose is to make me more like Christ. He will chose to allow my deafness, multiple sclerosis and other trials not only teach me, but also my loved ones around me, about what it means to become more Christ-like.

Idolatry

When a desire is based on “worship”, there is a danger of idolatry. The seduction of idolatry have been very strong and very successful since the days of the Old Testament books. Throughout the Bible, God have warned people to be careful of idolatry because we could slip into it almost without noticing it. Idolatry is an excessive devotion or reverence to an object or objects (i.e. prosperity, self-motivation, healing and etc). Idolatry is being used as an instrument of worship which is a false notion that causes spiritual errors in thinking or reasoning. False theologies are becoming dangerous to the Christian world because people are worshiping themselves which is a form of idiolatry. Idolatry is what God is saying something like this for today's Christians, "You have committed adultery by worshiping idols instead of worshiping Me. Your hearts have been unfaithful to me because you are loving yourselves more than you love Me. Your hearts longs for something from Me and that is idolatry. Worship means: All I want is your hearts alone and adore me for Who I am.” Keep in mind that all personal desires are judged by God’s moral will and wisdom. The heart is the source of our emotions, thoughts and motives. The heart is the part of our being where we desire, deliberate, and decide. Jesus said in Matthew 6:21, "Wherever your treasure is, there your heart and thoughts will also be." (NLT) In Proverbs 4:23, "Above all else, guard your heart, for it affects everything you do." (NLT) In Proverbs 21:2, "People may think they are doing what is right, but the Lord examines the heart." (NLT)

Serve God spiritually....................

I am going to walk in the Spirit, let the Holy Spirit do what He will through me. I will see what He does with me. I am going to desire to do when the Spirit directs me, and see people affirm my spritual gifts are going to be something that causes people (the local church) to respond, because it is for them. The idea of the spiritual gifts is simply that the Lord uses that gift in a unity, in a unifying way. God uses my spiritual gifts by His Spirit as He wills.

Think Like God Thinks

I am learning that God will not dwell in spiteful and proud and selfish thoughts. God treasures my pure and loving thoughts, my humble and lovely thoughts. I am to think like God.

Just became members of a local church.......

We just became members of a local church today. We attended a membership class this morning (4 hour class). The church is Northwest Presbyterian Church, located in Dublin, OH (northwest of Columbus) which is about a 10-15 min drive from our house. This church is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA). My wife and I are very happy with our decision and looking forward to get involved in the Church's ministries. There are few factors why we are joined this church and they are: 1. This church understands and seen that people are not just looking for a friendly church, but a place where they can make real friendship and meaningful fellowship. 2. This church believe that their convictions about Christ and His exciting will for Christians should inform and guide every aspect of their life together. 3. They focus 5 areas of ministries and they are: Evangelism, Education, Service, Fellowship, and Worship. 4. The worship of God is the supreme and overarching goal for everything that they do at this church. Creation begins with worship (Genesis 2:3) and culminates with worship (Revelation 22:17). Between these two dates, our Lord Jesus is calling Christians into a vital relationship with himself because He is always seeking worshipers for His Father (John 4:23). The Supremacy of God in All Things. As the initial work of the Holy Spirit in our lives is to apply the work of Christ toward our justification by faith, so the ongoing work of the Spirit is to "work in [us] to will, and to do, of His good pleasure" (WCF, Chap. XVI.3) . Therefore, we strive to bring every thought captive to Christ (2 Cor. 10:5). This is accomplished when "being united to one another in love, [we] have communion in each other's gifts and graces, and are obliged to the performance of such duties, public and private, as do conduce to their mutual good, both in the inward and outward man" (WCF, Chap. XXVI.1) . In our relations with the world we seek to bring the truth of Christ to bear upon every issue facing our culture (Mt. 5:13-16). In our relations with one another, we seek to build friendships that make a difference (John 13:34). And in our relations at home, at work, and in the community, we strive to do all that we do for the glory of God and benefit of others (1 Cor. 10:31). 5. Church's mission statement: "Knowing and enjoying God that others may know and enjoy Him." In the Christian life, thinking is crucial, emotions are crucial and service is crucial. God is not honored by an unfeeling, joyless, loveless intellectualism, by unthinking, uncritical emotionalism, or by well-intentioned but fruitless claims to love. All three are needed-minds that are gripped by the truth of God acquired through the serious and rigorous study of Scripture, hearts that are on fire with intense emotions of love for God and his glory, and real commitments to make a difference for the Kingdom through our life and ministry. The way God longs to reach our hearts to equip us for service is through our minds. It is through the truth of Scripture that we become transformed people through the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:2; cf. Westminster Confession of Faith (WCF), Chap. I.1) . This truth comes through practicing the discipline of careful reading of the text seeking to find the author's intended meaning (Ephesians 3:4) and its implications for the issues we are facing. The role of the Holy Spirit is not to add anything to the text but to make the heart of the reader humble so that he or she will welcome and embrace the truth and act upon it (1 Corinthians 2:14). 6. They believe that worship must be God-centered, Gospel-driven and doxologically evangelistic. This means that every other thing Christians do in ministry has an inward and outward component. Jesus touches our lives (inward) and enables us to touch others (outward). And since the Gospel so transforms us with the power of the Word, we can demonstrate this power with the reality of our deeds. Delighting in the Glory of God The First Question of the Westminster Confession's Larger Catechism asks, "What is the chief and highest end of man?" The stated answer is, "Man's chief and highest end is to glorify God, and fully to enjoy Him forever." They believe that this means that God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him. The chief end of man is to glorify God by enjoying Him forever. Since God's mercy to His people is the apex of His glory, to enjoy the benefits of that mercy in faith honors and glorifies God. All people instinctively long to be happy and filled with joy. The Christian is the one who by the grace of God has discovered that God is the only source of satisfying and enduring joy. Thus God is honored as the only one Who can fully meet our needs. 7. Church's Vision Statement: "Spreading Our Passion for Christ" 8. This Church's Core Values are: a. Embracing a Biblical Vision of God b. Growing in Daily Devotion to God c. Owning the Great Commandment and the Great Commission d. Developing Effective Structures to Facilitate Ministry e. Employing Our Gifts to Serve Others

Submitting to my wife.......

I am following 1 Peter 3:7 and listening to my wife is very important. I don't know how many men understands or even follow 1 Peter 3:7. That verse is important and very helpful in my own marriage. Open communication between my wife and I are our # 1 priorty. I will always to my best to submit to my wife's feelings and wishes. Spiritual intimacy in marriage is about partnering with God. In a Christian marriage relationship, God is at the top and my wife and I are at opposite ends on the bottom. As the two of us grow spiritually, we will move upwards together toward God. Engaging in a personal relationship with God is the first and most important step in initiating spiritual intimacy. Submission to me means "Live with your wives" The term translated "live" means "to dwell down with," being closely aligned, being completely at home with. The little word "with" calls for close companionship, deep-down togetherness. Husbands are the ones who should be cultivating an in-depth partnership with our mates. This word "dwell" speaks of intimacy. It is letting somebody else into your life. In every marriage, there needs to be verbal, emotional, social, intellectual, and spiritual togetherness. The word for "live" means to "dwell together or to be at home with." Peter is telling husbands that they are responsible for the "close togetherness" in the relationship. Providing a good living should never become a substitute for sharing deeply in life. The husband is to be sensitive to the needs of the wife. Know your wife. The success of your dwelling with your wife will be in direct proportion to your knowledge of her. Knowing your wife includes those things that others don't and won't know. Her deep fears and cares. Her disappointments as well as her expectations. Her scars and secrets and also her thoughts and dreams. It calls for a sensitive spirit, a willingness to be involved, to listen, to communicate, to care. The husband is exhorted to live with his wife "with understanding."

When I was God's prodigal son......

He warned me to repent and come back to Him. I ignore and kept living without God. My final wake-up call from God was when I was diagnosed with Multiples Sclerosis. So, as Christian believers who are away from God, you must be careful about the reasons you give for not heeding God's Word and God's warning from heaven