Thoughts from a Random Mind 

            Recently I went thru a time when I wasn’t going to church. I was thinking too hard about the service and how it was done rather than simply worshipping the King. For some reason I felt the services I attended were stiff and unwelcoming. Was that just the enemy doing a tap dance in my head? I knew nothing was perfect except the Lord Himself, so I was coming to realize that I was looking at church all wrong. 

My wife grew up in an Episcopal Church with their one hour services and brief messages, so she didn’t want to attend a church where the sermon was longer than 20-30 minutes and the service wasn’t longer than one hour. That was the reason she didn’t want to go. Plus she felt they were always asking for money.

Now I’ve been a follower of Christ for 47 years, which doesn’t necessarily mean anything, but it’s important to me. I’ve have my highs and lows regarding my walk with Christ, but I feel my faith and trust in God has been steadfast. When my wife said she wanted to go to church on Easter Sunday, I agreed. It was a good, biblically sound message and the service was uplifting. My wife now wants to begin returning to church and I felt this was an answer to prayer. So we’re going to get a little involved and not be so critical of the fellow humans who are striving, just like us, to serve the Lord effectively. 

I knew it was important to attend a bible believing church, for fellowship with others of like faith is vital for your spiritual growth. So I have been a little uncomfortable NOT going. Well, I feel much better now that we’ve both agreed to attend church again. So if you’re like me and you feel there are certain aspects of your church or church in general, and those things make you not want to go, put that aside and worship the Lord regularly. Fellowship is very important. I believe I’ve learned an important lesson. It’s NOT all about me... it’s about God and who I am IN Him. I actually knew that, but forgot. It’s an important thing to remember. Our opinions tend to be flawed in one way or another when it comes to church Mine were and I readily admit that. I love the Lord and always try to be as transparent as I feel is necessary. I’m not perfect, nor am I better than ANYONE else. I know who I am and that’s a good thing. Live your life FOR God taking advantage of all the resources He has placed at your disposal. 

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

In His Name & for His Glory,

RL Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

 

 

Thoughts from a Random Mind 

            I saw an interesting quote... “Whether the truth sets you free or not is up to you.” Now I don’t know who said this, but I believe it be a true statement. It HAS to be up to you. If someone gives you a gift and you accept it but never open it so you can apply its usefulness to your life, that would be absolutely up to you. So then what would be the point of believing that the Bible is true, yet not read it and apply its principles to your life. So it IS up to you. 

             If you knew the truth regarding the matters of life and disregarded it, whose fault would it be? I essentially brought up the same point in several different ways to prove a point. That point is that WE are responsible for every decision we make in our lives. We also bear the consequences of the decisions we make. Whether we live in freedom or not is the result of our following the truth, but which truth. There are many folks who have established their own version of the truth based on what they believe. That which we believe comes from acquired knowledge. What are our sources for that knowledge. The Communist Manifesto represents one system of truth that has been pushed on people for decades, but if it has no reference or tie in to Almighty God then we should disregard it as false information.  

            Believe whatever you wish, but understand that EVERYTHING cannot be true. Some things must be either blatantly false, misinterpreted, or simply misunderstood. When we find a path to truth we must embrace it. Truth, as with many other things, must be universally true as in true for everyone. It cannot be true for some and not for others. For example, salvation is available to anyone who seeks it, not only to some. It isn’t based on knowledge or goodness or what is fair. It is based on the universality of scripture. It’s application is unlimited, not limited as some seem to think. 

            Grasp the truth with both hands and do not allow it to slip thru your fingers. Biblical truth WILL absolutely set you free from the evil that exists in our depraved world. Seek the truth of God and follow it where it leads you. Until next time, walk with the King & be a blessing.

In His Name & for His Glory,

RL Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

Thoughts from a Random Mind 

 

            Does the church ask too often for money? I’ve had discussions in church board meetings regarding one way to go about raising money, let’s say for a building program or a renovation project. Those particular people didn’t want to hear about it. I laid it all out and the financial guy moaned and groaned about the whole trusting in the Lord deal. My feeling is this: if the Lord’s in it it cannot and will not fail. You lay your need before God and lay out the proposed project before the congregation. Then you tell the people to pray to the Lord regarding their participation. From that point it is between the people and God. If you place your faith and trust in God you will succeed; if you place your faith and trust in human effort, chances are you will fail. Lay it before the Lord. The folks I’ve encountered didn’t act like sold out believers in Christ at all. They rejected the whole ‘relying on the Lord’ as antiquated & impractical. But aren’t we, as representatives in a lost and dying world supposed to BE like Christ as much as it is within us with the help of the Holy Spirit? Not according to this “Christian” church.

            Do churches ask for money too often? I know the whole biblical concept of tithing, yet I don’t really hear it preached very much nowadays. Isn’t that part of what a Pastor’s duty is; to instruct the people? Churches don’t seem to be praying for the will of God, or at least that’s the way it appears to me. Now I’d like to think that is the exception rather than the rule, and it seems to happen more in the main line orthodox churches more than the evangelical churches. 

            There is a great divide between believers who work at acting in the spirit realm and those who believe that is passe’. Churches that live by a liturgy rather than allowing the Holy Spirit to have His way in the church service are missing out on one of the most exhilarating experiences a believer can have. The plan I proposed required faith and trust in an unseen source. Those who PLAY church rather than work at getting closer to God are wasting their own time as a placid believer. Do churches even hear from the Lord anymore?

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

In His Name & for His Glory,

RL Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

Disclaimer: I feel compelled to say that I am keenly aware of many churches that have gifted pastors and churches that do their level best with the Spirits help to live as God would have them live; therefore, this is a “if the shoe fits wear it” posting. rlk

The Trust Initiative - No. 5

“When I am afraid, I will put my trust in You.”- Psalm 56:3 ^NASB

                  In past postings I have made a distinction between fear & reverence. In this verse being afraid is the other meaning of fear used in scripture. We’re human with emotions. We become afraid and we worry; however, God instructs us that we need not fear or worry. This is because we are his and he is our Heavenly Father. 

                  No matter what circumstances you may find yourself in, what good could possibly come from worrying or being fearful. Will it help you in your situation? No. Will it bring you peace or comfort? No. These are characteristics that emerge from a close, intimate relationship with our Heavenly Father.

            With regards to our fear of mortal men, they can inflict pain, suffering and death to us, but they cannot rob us of our soul or our future beyond this life. A travesty in this life is when someone rejects Almighty God and loses out on forgiveness and a subsequent eternal life in his presence.

Matthew 10:28 says this: “Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” We need to revere God with awe for who he is and what he has done and can do, for God controls this life and the next. We can trust our God with our very lives, without question. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing.

In His Name & for His Glory,

RL Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

 

The Trust Initiative - No. 4

“It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man.”- Psalm 118:8 ^{New American Standard Bible}

                  While it cannot be confirmed, many Bible scholars surmise that this Psalm was written by none other than King David. But it really doesn’t matter … the message is a familiar one, nonetheless.  Trusting in man is misplaced trust. Almighty God can do what no man could ever do. Our trust in God enables us to know exactly where to go in our greatest time of need. Proverbs 18:10 tells us, “The name of the LORD is a strong fortress; the godly run to him and are safe.” Again, in Psalm 46:1 it says, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”

                  What can man offer us when trouble arises? Not much. As I have said in past postings, mortal man’s resources are sorely lacking. When you think of God and what scripture says of him, you should have confidence that he will protect you from anything that may come against you. God watches over his children as a mother hen watches over her chicks or a shepherd watches over his flock. Both are safe and secure, protected by their loving overseer.

                  As an illustration, a form of refuge could be a fortress, which can have outside walls as thick of 4 feet. Penetration by the enemy would be difficult. Infiltration from within would accomplish that goal. I would compare that to your mind being compromised by the enemy thru some form of media incursion or irregular association. Our relationship with God is meant to be deeply intimate. The closer we are to our Heavenly Father the more we will trust him, because we know him a little bit more each day we spend time with him. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing.

In His Name & for His Glory,

RL Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

The Trust Initiative - No. 3

“You who [reverently] fear the Lord, trust in the Lord; He is their help and their shield.” -Psalm 115:11 ^{Amplified Bible}

            Once again, we see the reference to fearing the Lord. I’ve been using the Amplified Bible up to this point because it breaks down a word or phrases meaning in an easier to understand way. Fear of the Lord is not like being afraid. Those who should be afraid of the Lord are folks who live as they choose, without any consideration for God or his Word. Those are the people who need to take a real hard look at themselves and think about the possibility of a higher power that is far greater than themselves. Not just a higher power, but a spiritual entity that IS love in its purest and most concise form. Because of his majestic power and endless wisdom, we are to be in awe of him and treat him with reverence. Our fear of him should also lead to trust, just as our faith should. We should trust him because there has, nor will there ever be a time when he will not be our help and protector. 

When I think of the word ‘shield’, I think of the Roman shields they used in battle.  They were convex in shape and had straight sides; 4 feet tall and 2-1/2 feet wide. They were made of wood and copper and at times had a thick leather overlay that was saturated with water to douse the flames of fiery arrows shot at them by their enemies. The average height of a Roman soldier back in the day was roughly 5’7”-5’8” tall. If they crouched down their entire body from head to toe would be covered by these shields. That is what comes to mind when scripture tells us God is our shield. He protects us from the fiery darts of the enemy. Satan is powerless against a child of God, unless that child gives the devil a foothold.^[1] Do not yield to the enemy, for God is your “help and shield”. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing.

In His Name & for His Glory,

RL Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

 

^[1] Ephesians 4:26-27

 

“O give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; For His lovingkindness endures forever.” - Psalm 118:1 ^{Amplified Bible}

The Trust Initiative - No. 2

“Trust [rely on and have confidence] in the Lord and do good; Dwell in the land and feed [securely] on His faithfulness.”- Psalm 37:3 ^{Amplified Bible}

For this posting, I have chosen this simple verse from the Psalms. The Psalmist is King David, who had a heart after God. ^[1] No doubt thru his own experiences, David asks his readers to place their full trust in God and not in men, who are perishing like the lilies of the field that are here today and gone tomorrow. All of mankind is fading from this earth beginning on the day of their birth and are limited in what they can do. The Lord’s riches, wisdom and strength are limitless. In God we can trust both for things temporal and eternal, of the body and the soul, now and forevermore.

            David follows his pitch for trusting the Lord by saying that we should “do good”. Now since Jesus said in Mark 10:18 that no one is good except God the Father, this implies than men are inherently NOT good at their core. Hence our need for forgiveness, aka, redemption. However, since God is good and we are his children, we are to emulate his goodness as we become closer to his heart. Our fruit will reveal our faithfulness.

            Our trust in God is largely, if not exclusively, based on his faithfulness to us. We love because he first loved us. ^[2]Everything that is good and loving and kind and compassionate emanates from Almighty God. Salvation is designed to lead us to behaving like the Lord Jesus.

            The final statement, I believe, is referring not just to the land we dwell on this side of heaven, but also in the heavenly realm. As sheep in their pasture would peacefully feed, we are to feed without fear in the faithfulness and goodness of our God. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing.

In His Name & for His Glory,

RL Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

^[1] 1 Samuel 13:14 & Acts 13:22

^[2] 1 John 4:19