Weight A Minute

"Do not have two differing weights in your bag - one heavy, one light. ¹⁴Do not have two differing measures in your house - one large, one small. ¹⁵You must have accurate and honest weights and measures, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you. ¹⁶For the Lord your God detests anyone who does these things, anyone who deals dishonestly." - Deuteronomy 25:14-16

Well . . .Did you hear about our local grocery and big box stores? The following is from StateofSurveillance.com

"Kroger announced plans to use facial recognition for "targeted coupons": personalizing prices based on who you are. They backed off after public outcry, but their electronic shelf labels (slated for 2,600 stores by 2026) make the infrastructure for personalized pricing trivially easy."

Walmart piloted facial recognition to spot shoplifters. They won't confirm current use."

Interesting.... Lowes also uses it. Many, including Home Depot, refused to answer the survey, citing "competitive reasons."

Stores are using facial recognition cameras and software to determine who you are as soon as you walk into their store. They can also adjust prices for you accordingly as well. How nice. And they can do it immediately.

This system, currently in use by many retailers, could be perverted into a prophetical biblical system where the Antichrist could prohibit anyone from buying groceries, simply by knowing who you are, or aren't, and you will not be allowed to buy. That system....

"forced all people, great and small, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads, ¹⁷so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of its name." - Revelation 13:16-17

The Bible is coming alive my friends. We are living in the last days. One last tidbit: 

Wegmans, a NYC chain, uses facial recognition this way:

• Parking lot cameras capture license plates as you pull in
• In-store cameras track your movements through the aisles
• The Wegmans app and store WiFi collect IP addresses and geolocation
• Browser cookies track your web activity before and during shopping
• Credit card numbers, purchase history, and SNAP benefit usage are logged

So.... we ARE being watched. And scanned. This is not a conspiracy theory.  It is happening right now.

Are you ready for the return of our King? Maranatha!!

Your Grocery Store is Scanning Your Face

Job On Jesus

In the Book of Job, supposedly the oldest book in the Bible, there are a few verses that made me stop and contemplate them again this past week.

Job was talking with his friends about God...

"If only there were someone to mediate between us (God and man), someone to bring us together, ³⁴someone to remove God’s rod from me, so that his terror would frighten me no more." - Job 9:33-34

Well, Job, let me tell you about Jesus. That's exactly what He does. He is a mediator between God and mankind. Jesus intercedes for us with God the Father. He also removed "God's rod" from us by sacrificing HIS life for ours, taking God the Father's punishment upon Himself.

 Here's another verse from the Book of Job.

"I know that my redeemer lives, and that in the end He will stand on the earth." - Job 19:25

That's right, Job. Our Redeemer surely does live. He rose from death to life on the third day. And you are right again when you say "that in the end He will stand on the earth."

All this stuff is from the oldest book in the Bible! And it's talking about Jesus!!

"I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, ¹⁰Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done, Saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure,’" - Isaiah 46:9-10

God is simply amazing! He knows our hearts. He knows what we are thinking before it comes into our minds. The sooner we repent and seek Him, the better off we will be.

"To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen." - 1 Timothy 1:17

Peace and Love

It is easy to feel unloved in this world. Everyone is so busy with their own lives.  We live in a consuming culture. Buy this, buy that. Who has time to love when we are told to indulge ourselves in the world around us? Spend, spend, give in to your desires.

Another thing that's hard to find is peace. Because we are encouraged to "have things our way," someone else's way can be hard to swallow. I want, I want, give, give. We desire peace, and, if you don't give it to us, we will kill you.

Love and Peace. Just two small things, right? But they are everything. So, how do we get them? And where do we find them? Logical questions. I would suggest that neither one can truly be found on our own. Both of these things require someone else being involved. And they cannot be fully received until we give them away. Check out this Bible verse:

"Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled; do not be afraid." - John 14:27

"MY peace?" Does Jesus really offer a peace that is different than OUR version of peace? I would say yes, yes He does.

And what about love? Does Jesus offer a different kind of love too? Let's take a look.

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another." - John 13:34

As Jesus has loved us, that is how we are to love one another. Are you kidding? That's impossible! He DIED for us!

Yessss..... 

Think about that for a moment. Jesus died, and through His death, our sins were paid for.

"The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life, IN Christ Jesus our Lord." - Romans 6:23

In order the fully receive the peace and joy we desire, we must be "in Christ." So, how we become "in Christ?" What does that mean? Well...

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!" - 2 Corinthians 5:17

So, in order to be "in Christ," He has to be "in us."

"And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption." - Ephesians 4:30

And there it is. The conclusion of the matter. In order to have peace and love, the way God intended it, is to have The Holy Spirit's seal. The Holy Spirit living in you.

"On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. ³⁸Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” ³⁹By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified." - John 7:37-39

My Peace - Maranatha Singers

Watermelon Time

Sometimes there are things that happen in this world that are beyond explanation. That was the case yesterday. I am STILL amazed by this particular example as I write this.

Have you ever lost one of your most favorite things? I have. I'm sure you have too. What we wouldn't give to have that lost treasure back again.

Last year I was teaching a kid's disc golf class in the community where I live. We were on the last hole on the last night of class. Long story, short, I left my favorite disc on that hole, and it was gone. I was pretty sad.

That disc did whatever I asked of it. Plus, it was a fundraiser disc for a friend of mine.

It took a while to recover from that loss. Long enough for my wife to notice. As Christmas rolled arond, she went on Ebay and found a replacement. How sweet of her to do that! I had another watermelon 🍉 disc in my bag for this year. Still, everytime I looked at it, I thought about the one I had lost.

Our salvation is like that watermelon disc, only it's far more valuable. When we repent of our sins and place our hope in Jesus, we receive the Holy Spirit. We become saved.

I've seen some videos where people are wondering if they can lose their salvation. Wouldn't that be a terrible thing to lose? It's absolutely priceless!

Thankfully, we cannot lose what God so freely gave to us.

"When you believed, you were marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, ¹⁴who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession - to the praise of his glory." - Ephesians 1:13-14

Amen!

Yesterday, I was working at our local course when two players came through. They were both league players and friends of mine so I stopped working to talk with them. That's when I noticed that one of them was carrying, you guessed it, a watermelon disc, just like the one I had lost. 

"Is that a watermelon disc?" I asked.

"Yeah."

"Where'd you get it?"

"Oh, I found it out here."

"Where? Was it on Hole 18?"

"Yeah, I think so. Why?"

"I think that's my disc!"

My friend gave me the disc right then and there. In return, I've got a few drivers I'm going to be giving him. 🥏 The original watermelon disc, the one that came back home to me, is back in my bag. And the one my wife gave me? It's on the wall in my office, to remind me just how much she lives me.

I lost that disc almost exactly one year ago. Yet, it wasn't really lost, was it? No. God was just waiting for the right moment to reunite us.

Discs are a thing of this world. They can provide both happiness and sorrow. "But the gift of God is salvation through Christ our Lord" (Romans 6:23). We can NEVER lose that, if you believe with all your heart and submit to His lordship.

Our salvation is a gift from God. It is nothing that we have done. It's always been Jesus. Place your faith in Him today. Then have a slice of watermelon today and celebrate this great country of ours.🇺🇸 Another great gift from God. 😊❤️🙏

And . . . Action!

Have you noticed how quiet things have gotten with China and Russia lately? Yeah, there's occasional news stories about Russia vs. Ukraine or China tormenting Taiwan, but other than that, all is quiet. TOO quiet.

Some things we need to remember: 1.) Both China and Russia are allies of Iran. They cannot be pleased with what's going on in the Middle East. 2.) China gets (got) most of their oil from Iran. Trump's blockade denied several Chinese ships access to much-needed oil shipments. 3.) Both China and Russia are nuclear powers.

Here's a sci-fi, action, end-times movie plot for you, made up from my own demented mind:

Iran makes a deal with China and gets a nuclear weapon. China gets lots of oil in return. LOTS. China also promises to help Iran against Israel and the U.S. (they're already doing that. So is Russia).

Iran would like to use their new weapon against Israel but Israel is too close, and with the prevailing westerly winds, it would be unwise as Iran lies to the east of Israel. So, the target becomes the United States. But when?

This Saturday is the 4th of July, America's 250th birthday. Are you thinking what I'm thinking?

Why does Iran keep delaying the peace talks? 🤔 It is not in their nature to make peace with their enemy. It's victory or death for them. They have become experts at dragging things out. They are simply re-arming themselves and licking their wounds.

Meanwhile, back to my movie plot. Russia is not just waiting in the wings. With the U.S. cleaning up Washington D.C. after the blast, Russia will invade Latvia. That will give them a much needed sea port, and it will isolate Estonia, their next target. They will be satisfied with what they have gotten from Ukraine to date. For now.

NATO will do absolutely nothing. The U.S. will drop them like a hot potato. Russia has already fired drones into Poland. Putin will be licking his chops. And then there's Turkey and North Korea, but that will be in the sequel. 

The thing that China and Russia will be forgetting of course is the God of Israel and the followers of the Lord Jesus.

The climax of the movie begins when Jesus takes all of His children out of here. The restrainer will then be removed and the lawless one revealed. The seven year tribulation period will begin. And then things will REALLY get ugly.

The thing about scary movies that makes them REALLY scary is when the story is something that could actually happen.

Back in the 70's two sci-fi movies came out - Star Wars and Close Encounters. Both were good entertainment, but only one was actually believable. Like it could actually happen during that time period.

Hopefully my movie plot will never come true, but according to the Bible, some of it will. And the scary thing is, it COULD happen. Would anything surprise us anymore?

We were surprised on September 11, 2001. No one ever dreamed that could ever happen. Yet, it did.

“At that time shall arise Michael, the great prince who has charge of your people. And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never has been since there was a nation till that time. But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone whose name shall be found written in the book." - Daniel 12:2

And should this movie plot ever make it to reality, there is one way to survive the coming wrath: Repent, Believe, then Forever Receive.

All of us were sinners at birth. We need to acknowledge that, and believe in the one who sacrificed Himself on our behalf - satisfying our Just Judge. Only then can we enter in to the promised land and receive all of the blessings that God has promised.😊❤️🙏

Earthquakes

In the Book of Matthew, in the 24th chapter, Jesus is asked by His disciples, "Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” (Matthew 24:3). Jesus then gives them an entire checklist of things that will happen.

"Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. ⁵For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many. ⁶You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. ⁷Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. ⁸All these are the beginning of birth pains.

⁹“Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. ¹⁰At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, ¹¹and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. ¹²Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, ¹³but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. ¹⁴And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come." - Matthew 24:4-14

Are any of those things happening now? Well, all of them are. This past week there were two earthquakes in Venezuela over 7 (7.2 and 7.5). One right after the other. They are still sorting through the rubble, but there are already over 1,400 among the dead, with tens of thousands more among the missing.

To be clear, there are measurable earthquakes every day, but big ones like this stand out. And Jesus said these are just "the beginning" (v8).

Then he said this in verse 9:

"You will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me."

Who is the "you" in this verse? Well, Jesus is talking to the disciples, but as history has shown, ALL Christians will suffer because of their faith in Christ. The key words are "because of me."

As of Saturday night, there were 40,000 people still missing after this week's earthquakes in Venezuela.

When there us unrest in the Middle East, and things like this begin to happen, it's always a good idea to pray and then wait anxiously for His return. Wars and rumors of wars, peace, peace, when there is no peace. It's all happening.

Yet, come, Lord Jesus!

"He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!" - Revelation 20:20

"When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” - Luke 21-28

Choose

"There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death." - Proverbs 14:12

Life consists of a series of choices. Left - right, up - down, in - out. We make a choice and go on from there.

Sometimes we choose poorly. We turn left when we should have turned right. That particular bad choice will most likely have bad consequences. We may be late for a meeting, or, worse yet, become completely lost.

Some choices can have rather long-lasting consequences. While a wrong turn on the highway can be corrected, other choices in life can lead to dead ends. Literally.

A woman makes a choice to have unprotected sex. That "choice" has consequences - a sexually transmitted infection, or an unintended pregnancy. And infection can be treated, but a pregnancy? Either it comes to fruition, or it is terminated.

Everyone must make a choice when wrestling with the question of God and/or Jesus. Either you believe, or you don't. And, in the case about Jesus, even doing nothing has consequences. As someone once said, "Not to decide, is to decide."

Whether we decide to follow Christ or not, our decision has lasting consequences. 

There is one single verse, found in the Book of Romans, that lays out our choice options when it comes to our faith, or lack thereof. 

"For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." - Romans 6:23

The choice is right there. If we choose to lead a sin-filled life, we will surely die. But a life "in Christ" promises eternal life. All we have to do it repent of our sins and believe. It seems like a no-brainer. The choice is obvious. Choose Christ and live!

Come To Jesus - Chris Rice

A Spiritual War

Have you ever had one of "those days"? A day when nothing seems to go right? Well, take heart. There's a cure for that.

Monday was such a day for me. Just feeling down, for no apparent reason. "What's going on?" I asked myself. The answer, as per usual, is in the Bible.

The final straw, the thing that pushed me to take action, was when my wife and I were watching the news at supper time. It was a story about Iran.

"What is with those guys?" she asked. A very logical question. In my mind, there was a very logical answer, so I offered it.

"It's a spiritual war."

"And why does everyone hate Israel?" Another logical question. Because it certainly seems that way.

"And what's up with Tucker Carlson? What happened to him?" She's making good observations and asking the appropriate questions. So, what's happening? What is causing all of this turmoil? What is the root cause of all this grief, unrest, depression, anxiety, and angst? Let's take a look.

"We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one." - 1 John 5:19

"In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God." - 2 Corinthians 4:4

"And you were dead in the trespasses and sins ²in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work." - Ephesians 2:1-2

Satan, "the evil one" in the 1st John verse, is now at work in the world. He has been working since Eve gave Adam some fruit to eat. HE is the cause of all this trouble.

The next two words after that Ephesians 2 verse above are, "But God." Oh, those two beautiful, wonderful words! God is the cure!

I got up out of my living room chair, went downstairs to my office, and played some worship music. After that, I slept like a baby.

What is the answer to all of Satan's evil schemes? The pain and suffering he causes? It's Jesus! Embrace Him, receive Him, love Him. Submit to Him, abide in Him, and worship Him.

When we do that one thing, worship, with all of our heart, all of our problems fade away. Thank you, Lord! Our wonderful, merciful Savior.

Wonderful Merciful Savior - Selah

Covenant

Did you see the news story about the San Francisco Giants pitching staff? They got into a little bit of trouble with Major League Baseball during the league's "Pride Month" celebration.

The team had modified the logo on their baseball caps with wonderful, happy rainbow colors.

But then the Giants pitchers wrote something on the cap. "Genesis 9:13-16." What is that?

"And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: ¹³I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. ¹⁴Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, ¹⁵I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. ¹⁶Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.” - Genesis 9:12-16

The rainbow was created by God and therefore belongs to God (v13). Humans have taken God's symbol of a covenant and used it to symbolize something else. Something that God calls sinful and "an abomination."

Back in the Old Testament there is a verse that is repeated a few times. Because of our society's desire to please everyone, it has made obvious its straying from God's Word.

"In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit." - Judges 21:25

And that's the problem with this "anything goes" culture we are living in. It has no king. If it did, if it truly knew Jesus, I would not be writing this story today. We would not be in danger of incurring God's wrath.

There are churches that embrace sin and do so in the name of social justice. This is wrong. As a prominent pastor once said, "There is no such thing as SOCIAL justice. Only JUSTICE."

When we decide to embrace things that are outside of God's commands for us, we enter into the danger zone. And that never ends well.

"Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses. ²⁹How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace? ³⁰For we know him who said, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge his people.” ³¹It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." - Hebrews 10:28-31

 

“Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword." - Jesus, Matthew 10:34

The Biggest Lie

[This is part of a Bible Study lesson for our youth group. Enjoy!]

The following is a short 2-minute clip. Please watch it. It is a perfect metaphor for the world we live in today.

The Woman In The Red Dress - The Matrix

In the video you will notice two of the film's characters, Morpheus and Neo, walking through a sea of people. Morpheus (whose name means 'to change') has no problem navigating through "the world," but Neo (whose name means 'new') bumps into just about everyone available.

Morpheus, at least in MY mind, represents the Holy Spirit, while Neo represents the new believer. He represents you and me.

Morpheus explains, "Most of these people are not ready to be unplugged." How true that is regarding the world in which WE live, and the people in it. Remember this from Jesus....

“No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them." - John 6:44

The title of this story is "The Biggest Lie." What is the lie? It's the world we live in. And he who controls it is the biggest liar.

"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." - Romans 12:2

The Holy Spirit "unplugs" us from "the world." Only when that happens can we truly see. We who believe are not of this world.

"Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world - the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life - is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever." - 1 John 2:15-17

We watch the news and the stories they feed us. We spend time scrolling through our social media feeds. We interact with non-Christian friends. It's just part of a system that tries to control us and direct us, just like in the movie. And those who are not believers in Jesus, well, they are the enemy.

But we who have been "unplugged" are not of this world. Here's some encouraging words from Jesus.

"If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you." - John 15:19

The biggest liar is Satan. Speaking to the Jewish leaders, Jesus said: 

"You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies." - John 8:44

If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, you have been unplugged. Your eyes have been opened. You are a new creation. Your name is Neo.

"Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away. Behold, the new has come!" - 2 Corinthians 5:17

Amen!!

The Parable of The Campfire

One thing being in Boy Scouts taught me when I was a kid was how to build a fire. You start small with the tinder and get the fire started with a spark from a piece of flint and steel bar. Once the spark ignites into a flame, we put on dried pine needles or birch bark to build it up. Then came sticks and eventually the firewood. Our faith in kind of like that.

The spark is the moment we come to believe and we receive the Holy Spirit. After that the fire grows as we find a Bible-believing church, get involved in a Bible study, and immerse ourselves in God's Word.

But what do we do if our faith becomes stagnant? We can't just sit around waiting for our faith to be renewed, for it to catch fire again. We must fan the flames somehow. Blow on it. Add some more wood. Poor a little gasoline on it! Read the Bible, pray, go to a Bible study. Do something! The Bible says that Jesus stands at the door and knocks. That's true. But WE have to open the door. WE have to do something.

Our Scout Leader had a wonderful concoction he called Boy Scout Juice. It was half gasoline and half kerosene. That got the flames burnin'! Lol!

I have heard people say, "I feel so distant from God." Listen, God hasn't gone anywhere. He is everywhere. WE have left HIM and wandered off.

"We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way." - Isaiah 53:6

Searchin'

A series of events has been happening in my life lately which makes me wonder, "Is the Lord trying to tell me something?"

In Genesis 24, Abraham sent his servant to get a wife for his son Isaac. The servant prayed for a sign to happen. And when it did, the servant knew that the woman at the well (Rebekah), who was watering his camels, was the right one for Isaac.

"Then he prayed, “Lord, God of my master Abraham, make me successful today, and show kindness to my master Abraham. ¹³See, I am standing beside this spring, and the daughters of the townspeople are coming out to draw water. ¹⁴May it be that when I say to a young woman, ‘Please let down your jar that I may have a drink,’ and she says, ‘Drink, and I’ll water your camels too’ - let her be the one YOU have chosen for your servant Isaac. By this I will know that you have shown kindness to my master.” - Genesis 24:12-14

Have you ever had that happen to you? Prayed for something, and then received a confirming sign?

I am beginning to wonder about a task I am working on. Things have been happening that are impeding my progress. Are these events from the Lord? Or, are they from the devil? Hard to tell.

So, how can we find out if something is from the Lord?

1. Pray - Ask God for answers to your questions.
2. Is it according to God's will? - Is what you are doing something that God would desire?
3. Consider the fruit - What will the outcome be? Does it bring glory to God?
4. Seek Godly counsel - Talk to your pastor or a brother or sister in Christ about it.
5. Trust and Obey - Wherever the outcome of the above steps leads, trust it.

We can't be so fixated on doing something that we forget who we are doing it for - God. 

A friend of mine once told me, "It's hard to turn a parked car. Take a step. Move! If it's the wrong direction, you'll know."

So, whether you are thinking about switching jobs or starting a new ministry, begin to move in that direction. If blessings occur, continue on. But if nothing happens, perhaps more prayer is warranted. It may not be what God wants you to do.

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. ⁸For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened." - Matthew t:7-8

Searching So Long - Chicago