How to Know ...

            Would you like to know a good way to find out if something you’re about to do is right or wrong? I found a pretty simple way for Christians to know the right or wrong of something. You can simply ask yourself two questions: 1) “What would Jesus do in that situation?”; and 2) “Does this act point me to Jesus and help me glorify God in my life?” 

            If you sincerely want to know the answer to the right or wrong of a situation, then those are two simple questions that should clear things up for you. Insincere motivation will more than likely give you an answer you don’t want to hear. When that happens chances are you will do that thing anyway and dig up some weak justification for doing it. It is never right to do that which is morally or ethically wrong according to God’s Word. Romans 12:2 ^{English Standard Version} tells us “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” 

            As you can see by the bold text, there is a way to know God’s will for any situation you are faced with. God knows what is best for each one of His children. We think we know but don’t know at all, unless we seek the face of God and the wisdom He freely gives to those who ask. So we CAN know what we should be doing in every situation we find ourselves, if we draw close to our Lord and stay in constant touch with Him. God WANTS to hear from us. Not because He’s checking up on us, but rather because He loves us too much to watch us stumble around and fail. Until next time, walk with the King & be a blessing.

In His Name & for His Glory,

RL Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

Lashes

            Have you ever wondered how many lashes Jesus endured at the hands of the Roman guard prior to His crucifixion? I thought of this the other day and thought it would be interesting to look into. Below is what I found out.

The Bible doesn't explicitly state the exact number of lashes Jesus received, but it does mention he was scourged (flogged or whipped) by the Romans. According to eBible.com, a Roman scourging was an excruciating punishment where the victim was stripped, tied to a post, and beaten with a whip called a flagellum or flagrum. Each flagrum had up to 9 thongs that had lead and bone pieces embedded in them designed to cause deep bruising and tear the flesh. The severity of the punishment was such that victims often died from it, even before crucifixion.  

Some sources, like Feed the Hunger and WordPress.com, mention 39 lashes, referencing a Jewish practice of limiting floggings to 39 lashes to avoid exceeding the Biblical limit of 40 lashes. This practice, described as "40 lashes less one," is also mentioned by the apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 11:24 when describing his own experiences of being beaten.  

However, it is important to note that Jesus was scourged by the Romans, who were not bound by the same Jewish laws or traditions. According to Quora, there was a 40 lash maximum in Jewish law, and they always stopped at 39 in case they miscounted. But the Romans had no rules and were very unlikely to follow a rule that prevented them from imposing maximum pain on somebody. Some sources suggest that the number of lashes Jesus received could have been significantly higher, as Roman floggings could be extremely brutal and often led to death. 

Ultimately, while the exact number of lashes is not definitively stated in the Bible, it is understood that Jesus endured a severe Roman scourging that involved a considerable amount of physical suffering. Until next time, walk with the King & be a blessing.

In His Name & for His Glory,

RL Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

Resource: www.gotquestions.org

What is worship?

 

Would you be surprised to know that it doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with music or singing? It can, but the main thrust of worship is revealed below ...

In ancient Greek culture, proskuneo referred to showing devotion and reverence to God in worship. We bow, kneel, draw near, or even kiss the hand and foot of the one you highly love and honor. The word "worship" originates from the Old English word "weorthscipe," which means "worthiness" or "worth-ship."  This etymology* indicates that worship, at its core, is about attributing value or worth to something, particularly a deity or divine figure. 

 

Worthy or Worth - The root meaning focuses on the concept of something being valuable, deserving of respect, or possessing inherent worth. The word "worship" evolved to signify the act of showing or demonstrating this worth through various actions and rituals. 

            In the Bible, words like shachah (Hebrew) and proskuneo (Greek) are often translated as "worship," but they carry the idea of bowing down, prostrating oneself, or showing deep reverence, reflecting the act of attributing worth to God.

            So this is how you worship God in all situations. You keep Him at the forefront of your life and your life decisions. You think of Him with respect and reverence. 

            Until next time, walk with the King & be a blessing.

In His Name & for His Glory,

RL Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

*Etymology is the study of the history of words, their origins, and how their form and meaning have changed over time

OXYGEN

 

“Your blood oxygen level (blood oxygen saturation) is the amount of oxygen you have circulating in your blood. It is essential to life; our bodies need a certain amount of oxygen to function properly. Oxygen enters your body through your nose or mouth when you breathe (inhale) and passes through your lungs into your bloodstream. Once in your bloodstream, the oxygen then goes to cells all over your body. All of your cells need oxygen to create energy efficiently, and your body needs energy to fulfill all of its processes, such as digestion and even thinking.

Once your cells use oxygen, they create carbon dioxide. Your bloodstream then carries the carbon dioxide back to your lungs, and you breathe it out (exhale it) through your mouth or nose.” ^[1]

 

            Psalm 139:14 ^{[New Living Translation]} “I will give thanks and praise to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; wonderful are Your works, and my soul knows it very well.” Our bodies are pretty impressive. To think that our bodies just happened on their own is foolish thinking. Because of all the intricacies built into our bodies, it would seem logical that we were constructed by someone greater than we are.

                  We are given a free will to think and believe whatever we’d like. It’s too easy to blow off things we don’t understand for many things require research. Many folks are simply too lazy to take on that challenge. They don’t see looking into it as important or necessary. However, isn’t it better to acquire as much knowledge as possible on a given subject than just forget about it. 

Without oxygen we cannot live. Christians believe God provides everything we need to live, which means He provides us with oxygen. As it says above, “oxygen is ESSENTIAL” to living on earth. Without it you would suffocate and die. 

                  People are willing to believe many things without proof because it just sounds right to them. But believing that a god who is above all created us and watches over us is too out there; too unbelievable to comprehend.

                  In my estimation it requires more faith to believe in the THEORY of evolution than to believe in the existence of God. There is no proof that man came from amoebas or anything of the like.  Just a bunch of unproven theories and speculations. Believing in God is a faith thing. You cannot prove God exists. A person’s belief is based on the writings found in the Bible, a chronicled account of the creation of living beings, their history, their sins, and God’s plan to save His creation from themselves. That is a basic understanding of what the bible has in it. There’s definitely a lot more to it, but that’s essentially it in a nutshell.

                  Too many people in this world find it is much easier to ridicule or attack people of faith than to try to understand their beliefs. It’s a shame really, but we live in a war zone every day of our lives. The enemy of our souls ramps up his attacks regularly. We must wear the spiritual armor God provides for us thru scripture. Stand up for truth as you believe it and never stop trusting and living on behalf of our God. And also remember that every breath you take is courtesy of your Heavenly Father, who loves you with an eternal and unconditional love. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing.

In His Name & for His Glory,

RL Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

^[1] https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diagnostics/22447-blood-oxygen-level

 What is Christian Atheism? 

Christian atheism, also called non-realistic Christianity, is a bizarre form of quasi-spiritual philosophy that keeps the forms and practices of Christianity while denying God’s existence. Christian atheists attempt to “de-mythologize” Christianity, doing away with all belief in the supernatural yet maintaining liturgies and corporate worship experiences as meeting humanity’s need for socialization and the communication of lofty ideas.

Christian atheism has roots in the 1960s’ “Death of God” movement, which claimed God actually did exist at one point, but died. According to “Death of God” proponents, when God became incarnate and died on the cross, God ceased to exist as a being independent of the universe. This was the position of Thomas Altizer, one of the earlier proponents of Christian atheism. Modern adherents of Christian Atheism generally believe in a more literal atheism in the sense that they disbelieve that God has ever existed. Of course, in Christian atheism, Jesus is not divine.

Christian atheism, like most esoteric* spiritual approaches, can be difficult to explain in brief terms. There are multiple interpretations and no particular definition to bind them all together. In broad strokes, Christian atheism is a spiritual approach using the teachings and example of Jesus while denying the existence of a literal God. As a result, Christian atheism is entirely focused on earthly concerns and earthly justifications. Religion is a purely human endeavor, and God is simply a projection of a person’s mind. Belief in an afterlife is incoherent within a Christian atheist framework. In fact, Christian atheism generally holds that Christianity, like all religions, is nothing more than a “benevolent lie,” a fiction that makes life easier to understand and control.

All of this is interesting in theory, but, in practice, Christian atheism is really just atheism. Christian atheism is a non-religious, non-spiritual, and non-Christian worldview that borrows biblical terminology and ideas without actually believing in them. Non-realistic Christianity is not really Christianity at all.

What is concerning is the surprising number of people who identify as orthodox Christians yet hold beliefs similar to Christian atheism. It is easy to find clergy who do not believe that Jesus was actually God. Many churches teach that Jesus was merely a good example. Some churchgoers participate in religious practice while openly doubting that God exists. It seems that Christian atheism is not an uncommon approach today, and non-realistic Christianity has made inroads into the church.

The Bible warns against those who, in the last days, possess “a form of godliness but deny its power. Have nothing to do with such people” (2 Timothy 3:5). Christian atheism denies the Father and the Son, a rejection of truth that brings a stern scriptural rebuke: “Who is the liar? It is whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a person is the antichrist—denying the Father and the Son” (1 John 2:22; cf. 1 John 4:2–3).

Christian atheists see themselves as intellectual sophisticates who are smarter than your average churchgoer, who might actually believe that God is real and that the miracles in the Bible happened. But what Christian atheism rejects as “fairy tales”the Bible calls “many convincing proofs” (Acts 1:3). And what the Christian atheist considers an intellectually superior position the Bible calls foolish (Psalm 14:1).

Until next time, walk with the King & be a blessing.

In His Name & for His Glory,

RL Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

Source: www.gotquestions.org

 

*Esoteric is intended for or understood by only a small group, especially one with specialized knowledge or interests. A synonym would be: mysterious. Ex: “an esoteric philosophical doctrine.”

Trusting the Lord

 

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom. Instead, fear the Lord and turn away from evil.” – Proverbs 3:5-7

 

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart" is a biblical instruction found in Proverbs 3, which encourages individuals to place their complete trust in God rather than relying solely on their own understanding or wisdom. This verse emphasizes the importance of surrendering control and acknowledging God's authority in every aspect of life. The concept is further explained as trusting in God's plan, even when it is not fully comprehensible, and recognizing that His ways are higher than human ways.

In practical terms, this means inviting God into every decision, struggle, and dream, and allowing Him to guide the way forward. It involves a posture of trust rather than self-reliance, and it is often accompanied by a recognition of God's faithfulness and guidance in one's life. The verse also highlights the promise that God will direct one's paths when they are willing to submit to Him. This principle is not limited to spiritual matters but extends to everyday life, encouraging individuals to seek God's will in all they do and to rely on His wisdom rather than their own. It is a call to let go of control and to trust that God has a purpose and plan that is greater than what one can comprehend.

Verse 5 is a complementary pair of commands. We are told, positively, to trust the Lord and, negatively, not to trust our own understanding. Those two things are mutually exclusive. In other words, if we trust in the Lord, we cannot also depend upon our own ability to understand everything God is doing.

Every person must make a decision whether to live his or her life according to personal preference or according to the unchanging Word of God. We often will not understand how God is causing "all things to work together for good" (Romans 8:28), but when we trust Him with all our hearts, we know that He is. He will never fail us (Psalm 119:142; Philippians 2:13).

 

“Trusting in the Lord means every decision you make is done with Him in mind.” – rlkeller

 

                  Until next time, walk with the King & be a blessing.

In His Name & for His Glory,

RL Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

Source: www.gotquestions.org

What Does the Cross Mean to You?

 

To ME it is a universal iconic symbol of hope & redemption. To others it seems to be nothing more than a piece of jewelry to be worn out in public. So don’t ever assume that because someone wears a cross, whether big or little, ostentatious or plain, that they are a Christian. You would think it would reveal what was important to a person, but it many cases it means next to nothing; no different than any other jewel encrusted bauble. 

In a way it’s kind of like when a person wears a cap for a certain sports team and yet isn’t into sports at all. They wear the cap as a fashion statement. You don’t know how many times I’ve asked guys if they are a fan of the team their cap represents and am told ‘no, I just like the hat’. Okay, whatever. 

It only shows me the incredible ignorance people have regarding the cross’ significance. Regarding what took place on that cross. What it all means. In a way it an insult to the Lord to parade around with some big cross dangling from your neck and not have any clue the price that was paid for freedom from sin that was made available to us by that very act of selflessness.

Autonomy can be a good thing in certain circumstances, but in the eternal scheme of things autonomy only means that you think you can govern yourself without any external assistance. This is not the case. Our limited resources keep us from achieving that which we aspire to. Only an all-knowing, all-powerful supreme spiritual being can do that. Sure, it seems crazy ... to worship someone you cannot see, or experience with any of the 6 senses you were given, but that’s what is required. Reject this notion at your own peril.

So what does the cross mean? It means unconditional love, for love conquers all. It means sacrifice. It means hope. It means true freedom. It means all that and more. Don’t overlook the cross and its significance to mankind. Don’t dismiss it. Don’t disregard it. Instead, focus on it. This iconic symbol provides hope to millions. For it is thru the cross that eternity is established for the common man. 

                  What does the cross mean to you? Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing!

In His Name & for His Glory,

RL Keller

Bread of Life Ministries