Seek the Light

“We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way … “.

Colossians 1:9b-10a

            Paul, the once vile hater & slayer of Christians, was now a fierce prayer warrior on their behalf. The Damascus Road episode in his life changed everything. He now asks God to fill these same believers of Christ with “all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives”. Two things are shown to us here: 1) that God will give us those things that we are in need of to live a life worthy of Him; 2) His Holy Spirit is the conduit by which this is accomplished.
            What have we been rescued from? These verses tell of God, by His Holy Spirit, through the actions of His Son, Jesus, the Christ, rescuing or delivering us from “the dominion of darkness”. Without Christ, our life is under the domination or control of darkness, which permeates this world. It is cloaked so it is not easily seen by the naked eye, but with the eye of the Spirit, is seen plainly. We have been rescued from this world that we are IN yet no longer OF. This world embraces many things that are blatantly evil and easy to spot. However, the enemy works overtime to come up with ways to deceive those who would strive to avoid such things. We need the full Armor of God (Ephesians 6:13) to combat such an evil attack.
            Be wary of the darkness that surrounds you but rejoice in the light that lives in you. God has you covered with His righteousness. You are safe. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing.

In His Name & for His Glory,

Rich Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

“For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives,  so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God,  being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience,  and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you^[b] to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. ¹³ For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, ¹⁴ in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” – Colossians 1:9-14

Trusting God

“When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise - in God I trust and am not afraid?”- Psalm 56:4

          David wrote this regarding men who were in pursuit of him with the desire to kill him. He was aware that mortal men can only kill his body, but never take his soul from him, nor his faith and trust in God.  In spite of his dilemma, the words above should shine like a beacon into our hearts, for while men are likely not in pursuit of us, there are many things we tend to fear in this life. If we believe in God, then we should have put our trust in Him as well. As we walk with Him, we realize that His word is true, therefore, He can be trusted without hesitation. There is absolutely nothing to fear.

          When I say there is nothing to fear, I do not say it lightly. We allow worry to creep into our lives regarding things we have no control over and that worry leaves us troubled and that can give birth to full blown fear. If we truly believe in God then what do we believe in Him for, fluffy clouds and sunny days? We can believe in Him for everything. When we speak to Him, He hears us. When we are in trouble, He saves us. We only need to ask. Some have trouble asking for anything, thinking that given enough time they will figure it out and provide their own solution. Wouldn’t it be so much better to ask and receive from the source Who knows the right solution instead of playing a guessing game? God can be trusted; His word is absolutely true, and we have absolutely nothing at all to fear in this life. Trust God! Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing!

Rich Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

THE GREAT EXCHANGE

2 Corinthians 5:21 ^“For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin (or to become sin itself), so that we could be made right with God through Christ.”

            This monumental event in history could be titled “The Great Exchange”.  God became man and dwelled among His creation for a time that He might ultimately and quite literally become sin to pay for all our sins. His blood satisfied the sin debt of all humanity. He took our beating and allowed Himself to be nailed to a wooden cross in our place. 

Some don’t like to focus on the bloody gore of that event, but without the blood there is no forgiveness. We certainly don’t need to belabor the point but visiting this scene at the very least once a year at Easter shouldn’t be asking too much. He took the 39 lashes for us so we wouldn’t have to. He trudged down the “Via Dolorosa” (literally the sorrowful way) carrying His own cross so we wouldn’t have to. His wrists and ankles were pierced with square Roman spikes that were on average 7-9 inches long so we wouldn’t have to have that done to us. Jesus Christ, Son of God, endured the pain and the shame of the cross, a cross reserved for criminals, so we wouldn’t have to. In reality, even if there were no spikes holding Him to the cross, His unconditional, undying love for all mankind would have. Our sin was washed away by the blood of someone we didn’t even know. Christ died for all of us because that was God’s plan.  Christ would have done it even if there was only one sinner that needed saving and He would do it again if it were necessary, but it will never be necessary again.

 

1 Peter 3:18a “Christ suffered for our sins once for all time. He never sinned, but he died for sinners to bring you safely home to God.”

Romans 6:10 “When he died, he died once to break the power of sin. But now that he lives, he lives for the glory of God.”

 

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

In His name & for His glory,

Richard Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

NOTE: The translation used for this post was The New Living Translation, Tyndale House Publishing, copyright 1996, 2004 and 2007.

“BECAUSE OF THE JOY AWAITING HIM…”

HEBREWS 12:2 “…let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.” 

                  I ran Cross Country in high school and though I wasn’t any good, I certainly knew what it took to BE a good runner. You had to build up your endurance by running and you didn’t run on smooth surfaces all the time. Many times we’d hit the road and run 5-8 miles up and down big hills and thru the country roads miles behind the school. At that time the races were on a predetermined course either on the school grounds or neighboring roads around the school. The races were 2.5 miles back in the early 70’s. You had to work very hard to achieve the stamina and endurance needed to win or for that matter, just finish the race. So when the writer of Hebrews talks about running the race God sets before us with endurance, I know exactly what he’s talking about.

                  And what about the ‘joy awaiting Jesus’ … what’s that all about. He knew He was going to be beaten to within an inch of his life and had just asked His Father if there was any way to take ‘this cup’ away from Him in the Garden of Gethsemane. Let us remember that He left that Garden having to be resolute regarding His fate. He wished to perform the Father’s will and not His own. Also remember, He was 100% human & 100% divine. Naturally the divine side won out, but not before the human side had its’ say.

                  Hanging on a criminal’s cross garnered a certain amount of shame, but Jesus totally disregarded the shame scripture says. Once He galvanized His own will to line up with the Fathers, He set Himself as a flint to go about the Father’s business. Without Christ’s blood there is no salvation … no forgiveness for sin. It had to be done this way, so Jesus acquiesced to the Father’s will and willingly endured that which no innocent man should have had to endure. And it says He did it joyfully, even resolutely, to save the souls of all mankind. What a mighty God we serve! Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing.

In His name & for His glory,

Richard Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

Bible used: Life Application Study Bible, New Living Translation, Tyndale House Publishing, latest copyright is 2005.

Acting vs Reacting: A brief analysis ...

            Meditating, contemplating, and reflecting should be a key element of one’s walk with Christ. Much of the teaching Sri Rajaji shares can be applied to a Christians life with one exception ... our focus is to be on Christ, and by familial association, God Himself, not our inner self. We cannot meditate our way into heaven; however, meditating IS a valid way of relaxing and reflecting. Meditating on God’s Word is definitely profitable for your soul. The whole gist of serving the Lord is wrapped up in contemplating our relationship with Him and reflecting on how you can become more like Him.

            I found Sri Rajaji’s article to be very thought provoking. It was an easy read that was explained very well. As an ex-in-law used to say: “Truth is truth wherever you find it. You simply take the meat & leave the bones.” She was absolutely right. There is, of course, one element that is missing. All that he says is, in my estimation, true and useful information; however, the topic of acting & reacting is dealt with slightly differently when based on faith. 

            When he speaks of the ‘solution of life’, he is leaving out the ‘life-giver’. We’ve been created with the potential to solve problems and control our own emotions. Satan attacks us at our weakest point in the hopes that we will sin. You can train yourself to withstand all the fiery darts life throws at you; however, your own resources are limited. The resources of God are endless. With the spirit of Christ within you there is absolutely nothing you cannot accomplish. 

            Re: the ‘pushing of buttons’, we must realize that many people in life push those buttons with the sole purpose to getting an unnatural reaction. Satan lives for this ... button pushing is his specialty. We must get to a place where most things simply do not bother us. This can be a heck of a lot easier said than done. But know this: Flipping out serves no good purpose. Maintaining a sense of calmness can be the result of our contemplations. Calling on the name of the Holy Spirit to lead us to victory over our problem is the difference with the Christian and Mr. Rajaji.

            “The moon shines because its surface reflects light from the sun.” ^[1] And just like the moon we are to reflect light from the Son. In other words, we should diligently strive EACH DAY to become more of a reflection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

            Rajaji talks of placing yourself in a position of power by the way you control how you act and react in any given situation. As a Christian we are to strengthen our resolve to utilize God’s power and resources to create the ‘will’ ^[2]to act and react appropriately.  

            In the end, I see value in meditating ... although what you meditate on becomes an important variable. Contemplation and reflection are valuable tools for the believer. In a secular sense, contemplation means “thoughtful or long consideration or observation”, while the ecclesiastical meaning stretches out the thought in a more specific way ... “spiritual meditation, especially in Christian religious practices where concentration of the mind and soul is upon God”.

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

 

In His Name & for His Glory,

Richard Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

^[1] https://www.livescience.com/45979-why-does-the-moon-shine.html

^[2] “The mental faculty by which one deliberately chooses or decides upon a course of action.” (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

NOTE: All definitions come from the American Heritage Dictionary.

Worry Not …

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” - Philippians 4:6-7 ^{New Living Translation}

                  Unfortunately, worrying has become an integral part of each person’s life. We have worries on the job, in our homes, at school and yet Paul tells us not to worry about anything. Seems impossible, doesn’t it? We’re all prone to worry, but Paul says to turn our worries into prayer. Essentially, he is saying the more we pray the less we will worry. 

            Jesus says in Matthew 6:25, “…do not worry about your life…” and says in verse 27, “Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life.” We need to train ourselves to not worry. That is most assuredly easier said than done, but it is possible, for anything is possible with God. 

            There is a definitive difference between worrying and being concerned. “Worry immobilizes you; concern moves you to action.” ⁽¹⁾ Worrying can have an ill effect on your health, make you unproductive, cause you to treat others in an ugly manner and negatively affect your trust in God. Notice nothing positive comes from worrying. Concern leads us to God and prayer as we seek an answer to the problem at hand.  

            There are many things going on in our country and around the world to be concerned about, but God is in control of all of it. So because of that truth, we truly have nothing to be worried about. Our concern should help us move in a positive direction in an effort to help others seize the day and right the many wrongs that exist in society today. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing.

In his name & for his glory,

Richard Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

⁽¹⁾ Life Application Study Bible, New Living Translation, footnote on pg. 2012.

Sometimes the Good Die Young

Isaiah 57:1-2 New Living Translation

“Good people pass away; the godly often die before their time. But no one seems to care or wonder why. No one seems to understand that God is protecting them from the evil to come. For those who follow godly paths will rest in peace when they die.”

         Sin promotes great evil. We are seeing this with our own eyes today. God knows the future and it stands to reason that he may desire to save certain ones of his children from the excessive evil that is coming. Perhaps the rapture of the church will rescue us all from this, in the meantime, we are to live godly lives according to the instructions given in God’s Word. 

            I’m sure we all know someone, whether it be man, woman, or child, that has died prematurely. It becomes a heavy weight on our heart as we utter the ‘why’ question. Why did they have to die? Why them? Why not a drug lord, pedophile, or adulterer? There are so many evil people who do horrible things just because they feel they can. Why not one of them? 

God mourns the loss of those of his children who have met death prematurely. We are allowed to question God. He’s not afraid of our doubts or questions at all. He also may not give us the answers we seek. The Christian walk can be treacherous, but in the end is rewarding. Those who die before their time will enjoy the glories of heaven sooner than we will and that’s a wonderful blessing. Our heartache comes from the fact that they are no longer with us. Death is part of the circle of life. Everyone dies at one time or another. God has his reasons why some die before others. 

I experienced this type of situation prior to my conversion when my mother’s mother had to attend my mom’s wake. My mother died of pancreatic cancer at 57 years of age. I wasn’t yet a believer, so as you can imagine I was filled with the ‘why’ question … a tragedy that caught me off guard … by surprise. I wasn’t expecting it. My grandmother broke down and sobbed. The thought of outliving her daughter was too much grief for her to bear. She was inconsolable. So was I. I didn’t know what to think or do. It was hard, so I know even those who know the peace of Christ still struggle with premature death. 

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

In His Name & for His Glory,

Richard Keller

Bread of Life Ministries