The Righteous & the Wicked

Psalm 1:6 “For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.”

                  God delights in the way of the righteous, for they live according to his statutes. The righteous man leads a happy life, though he will have to endure a certain level of pain and suffering during the course of that life. At those times God is still watching and allowing his Holy Spirit to guide us. The righteous man is only righteous in God’s eyes because he has surrendered his will to his Maker. This action is one of obedience and that obedience is seen as righteousness.

                  “Righteousness will be ours if we are careful to follow every one of these commands* before the LORD our God, as he has commanded us”. ^{(Deut. 6: 25 CSB)}

            God watches over and protects those who are his. Those who are NOT his he lets go their own way. Out of ignorance they shun or ignore the word of God in favor of doing those things that seem right to them. Proverbs 14:12 says, “There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death.” It’s pretty simple really … God knows, and we do not; hence our necessity to follow his directives. 

                  We see much evil being wrought on our nation by men and women in power who are hell bent on forcing their satanic will on the masses. According to scripture, their actions will lead to their demise. God will never allow injustice to go on forever. When the time is right that which is satanic shall fall and great will its fall be. Trust the Lord. He is fully aware of the current happenings in the world. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing.

In His Name & for His Glory,

RL Keller

Bread of Life Ministries
* This is Moses speaking to the people of Israel regarding following the Ten Commandments. 

THE MONEY TRAP

 

“Do not wear yourself out to get rich; do not trust your own cleverness. Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone, for they will surely sprout wings and fly off to the sky like an eagle.” - Proverbs 23:4-5 

          Wealth is a deceptive thing. One day it’s there, the next day it’s gone. People who amass fortunes see it slip away by way of lawsuits or poor investments. It seems as though everyone wants a piece of the proverbial money pie. ‘If I could just hit it big I would have it made’, says the person playing the lottery. While there is nothing wrong with attaining wealth in and of itself, making it our sole goal in life is dangerous for then we are placing all our faith and trust in our own abilities and in the money we have acquired. 

 

Matthew 6:24 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”

 

          The pursuit of wealth is a full-time endeavor. Once a person gets sucked in they are hooked, believing that the answer to every problem is more money. While it can solve a certain set of problems that require money, it cannot purchase forgiveness, and it cannot buy them peace. Money is emotionless and cannot provide a way to heaven. Spiritually speaking, one cannot hope to achieve anything of eternal value with money. They may receive the accolades of this world, but at what cost? It is in the acquiring and the use of money that the key lies. If we acquire wealth honestly, do not seek it to the exclusion of all else and use it for the glory of God in a humble manner, then we have achieved something. However, it takes a special individual to accomplish that, one who is well grounded in scripture and has a heart solely after God. We cannot serve two masters and if we are a slave to our money, then it is our master. Don’t be duped into thinking you can control money, because in the end, it controls you. Anything that is truly important in this life is tied to God. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing!

In His Name & for His Glory,

RL Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

SYMBOLISM IN SCRIPTURE

 

Matthew 3:16-17_{(GOD’S WORD Translation)} “After Jesus was baptized, he immediately came up from the water. Suddenly, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God coming down as a dove to him. Then a voice from heaven said, “‘This is my Son, whom I love—my Son with whom I am pleased.’”

            Here we see our Heavenly Father proclaiming that Jesus is His Son. The dove coming down from the heavens to Him is symbolic of the Holy Spirit. In our day, the dove is used most in non-Christian circles as a symbol of peace, often with an olive branch in its mouth. While Jesus is the embodiment of peace, it is the Holy Spirit that is paramount in this case and not the ever elusive ‘peace’. The Holy Spirit is given to us as a guide and advocate. He is always readily available to us and resides within us if we have received salvation. The gift of the Spirit is secondary to salvation of course, but He is most necessary in our walk with Christ. Going it alone in this life is like going out of your house without clothing. It’s like going into battle without a weapon. We certainly wouldn’t do either of those things, so why do we go about our business without a second thought given to our greatest helper?

            There is a second lesson in these two verses for us and that is the issue of baptism. It is a public proclamation of the change that has taken place in our life. We are to follow Jesus’ example in baptism, which is symbolic of the old nature dying and the new nature rising up from a watering grave to live on. It’s done in the name of the Triune God; the Father, Son & Holy Spirit. Obedience is sought by our God. It’s the least we can do in response to what has been done for us. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing.

In His Name & for His Glory,

RL Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

STAND FIRM IN YOUR FAITH

 

2 Thessalonians 2:13b-15 “…God chose you as first fruits to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth. He called you to this through our gospel, that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold fast to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter.”

            We live in perilous times, with Satanic activity all around us. Corruption has run amok within big business, social media, and the government. True believers are under attack worldwide. But fear not, for their day is rapidly coming to an end. God has declared it to be so, and it shall be so when the time for their removal has come. We need not fear, but only stand firm in our faith and remain prepared. There are those who have rejected the loving forgiveness of the Lord in favor of other lies that are being presented as the truth. They’ve been given multiple chances to embrace freedom from sin and eternal life thru the Father but have turned away. I have told you in the past that God sends no one to hell, they send themselves by their own decision to embrace a lie that seems much for palatable to them then the truth. No matter what trials come your way, never think God has abandoned you. He knows all that is taking place and is patiently waiting in the hope that they turn toward the light. 

                  Paul says in his second letter to the church in Thessalonica to stand firm and hold fast to the teachings that had been passed on to them. Nothing that has taken place in this world cannot be reversed. God is infinitely more powerful than Satan, who is a created being. Just when Satan thinks he has turned the tide against the truth, Christ will return and overpower the enemy with the mere power of his breath. It will be such an abrupt end to evil that it will be like a man boxing with one who is without arms.

                  We have nothing to fear, for God is in ultimate and total control of all things that transpire in this world. When you hear news that causes you to be concerned, lay those concerns at the feet of Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. There is nothing that can be done to us of any lasting consequence. The enemy can take everything from us, but they cannot ever take our soul from us. We belong to God, now and forevermore. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing.

In His Name & for His Glory,

RL Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

SEEKING THE THINGS OF GOD

“Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.” - Psalm 25:4-5 

            King David is seeking the instruction and guidance of the Lord. His relationship with His God is strong, despite his failings. We all have failings; none of us is perfect. Once we realize and accept that we can begin to let God do His work in us. Just like David, we need to ask and ask often for God to reveal His truths to us. It comes from the reading of His word and praying.  It comes from cultivating a spiritual awareness of the Holy Spirit’s leading. We can do it, but it doesn’t happen overnight; it takes time. Frankly, it takes your whole life. 

            Acknowledging God as his Savior, David shows the reader that he knows where his salvation comes from. There is nowhere else in scripture that would say or even indicate that David found salvation in anything or anyone else. God is the saving factor. Christ’s death purchased our souls, redeeming us from hell. God desires to be our all in all. 

            David shows in these two verses that his reliance is on God and not himself. He derives hope from the truth God lays out before him. We too can find hope in His guidance and instruction. We allow ourselves to become so easily entangled in that which would bind us, rather than shrug ourselves loose and stand tall in the truth of God. Life as a Christian is rewarding and filled with joy, yet our enemy tells us otherwise. It is in truly getting to know God intimately that we experience all the blessings His has for us. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing.

In His Name & for His Glory,

RL Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

REMAIN TRUE TO YOUR FAITH

2 Timothy 2:11-13 “Here is a trustworthy saying: If we died with him,
we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him.
If we disown him, he will also disown us; if we are faithless,
he remains faithful,
for he cannot disown himself.”  

            Paul’s two letters to Timothy were written to encourage, urge and command him as a trusted brother in the faith to remain faithful to his calling and endure in the face of any hardship.  Timothy had accompanied Paul on his second and third missionary trips and was left in Ephesus as the apostle’s representative.  

Here Paul lays out for Timothy the crux of his mission.  It needs to resonate with us as well for it remains true to this very day.  If we join in Christ’s death by confessing our need for God’s forgiveness, we will live for all eternity with Him.  If we endure any and all hardships for His sake, we will reign with Him forever.  We are cautioned that if we fall victim to apostasy¹, God too will disown us and lastly, even if our faith fails us God will remain faithful.  This last statement is a testimony to the unchanging character of God.  He is the one true constant in a sea of inconsistency.

The hardships spoken of above are not financial or physical hardships in and of themselves, but rather hardships suffered for the sake of Christ.  God will never abandon us regardless of what state of commitment we are in.  Our faith tends to ebb and flow as we grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ.  It’s as we learn to trust Him more that our faith becomes stronger.  Each life event gives us an opportunity to utilize our faith in a bigger way.  Will we trust God to work things out for His ultimate glory or will we shrink away from each challenge, having our spiritual growth become stunted. We mustn’t allow this to take place.  It’s our choice.  Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing! 

In His Name & for His Glory,

RL Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

¹ Abandonment of one's religious faith, a political party, one's principles, or a cause.

Rejoicing In Spite of Trials

 

Habakkuk 3:17-18

“Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails, and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior.”

             The prophet Habakkuk is praying to Jehovah God in the third chapter as he sees Him trample his enemies underfoot. Habakkuk is awestruck by the power displayed and the vengeance brought against his enemies. In the end of the prayer Habakkuk is resolute as he states that no matter what may happen to him, he will rejoice in the Lord. Habakkuk sees the ferocious way that God repays evil done against His children and recognizes that only God can deliver him from his calamity. He humbly acknowledges that God is the one who is over all and shall provide for and sustain him.

                If we were in the same situation, how would we act? No food, no job, no money to pay bills … what’s going on? God was mindful of Habakkuk, and He is mindful of us as well. We are not in danger of anything other than the discomfort of having our routine disrupted. Habakkuk, being a prophet, was targeted and in danger of death from enemies that rose up against the people of God continually throughout the Old Testament. In all three chapters of Habakkuk, the overriding theme is that the just shall live by faith. It is faith that leads to trust and as believers we need to know we can trust God. It is a conscious decision we must make; do we trust God or not? If we do, then we should understand that nothing is impossible for God and His timing rarely syncs up to ours. The perfect job is coming your way; financial relief is coming as well. 

Your prayers shall be answered. Seek His will for your life and then praise God from whom all blessings flow. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing!

In His Name & for His Glory,

RL Keller

Bread of Life Ministries