Read the Bible in a Year (24JUN19)

PSALMS MOMENT – (25JUN19) The psalmist wrote that the Lord would not have heard his prayers if he had cherished (regard) sin in his heart (Psalm 66:18-19). Some people have a sin of choice that they hold on to just like an addict may have a drug of choice. These are the sins that a person refuses to let go of. Now, there is a difference between a person’s struggle because they are actually trying to let go of the sin, and a person who has no regard for the Lord and refuse to rid the sin out of their lives. For example, a person who is struggling with smoking, may not be able to go cold turkey, but they may be making steps towards decreasing their smoking by using the patch and/or buying less cigarettes until they are able to totally quit. On the other hand, a person who knows that it’s wrong to watch porn, will continue to do so without any desire to quit because they have cherished this sin. Therefore, the Holy Spirt will tap on this person’s heart, only to be grieved away because of them loving their sin.

Sin has a way of taking hold of a person and not wanting to let go. This is why we are unable to relinquish it on our own, but we must submit our human nature totally to God. A person’s prayers can be hindered if they have unconfessed sin in their heart. The Bible says that sin separates us from God. This is why Jesus came so that our relationship with the Father could be restored. We must die to our flesh daily. Therefore, when we allow Christ to take possession of our temples, He cleans it out just like He did with the moneychangers and makes it livable for the Holy Spirit to reside. The psalmist said, “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10). Let’s be mindful to ask the Lord to clean us up and make us anew, so that we will not harbor sin in our hearts, but be acceptable to Him. Something to ponder….

QUESTION OF THE DAY – (25JUN19) Can a person’s name be blotted out of the Book of Life? Yes! In order for something to be blotted out, however, it would have had to have been written in at some point. Many Christians believe that a person cannot lose their salvation. In a way, this is correct. You do not “lose” your salvation, you willingly “turn away” from it. The psalmist said, “May they be blotted out of the book of life and not be listed with the righteous” (Psalm 69:28). He was asking the Lord to remove the names of those who were doing wickedness from the Book of Life so that they would have no heavenly inheritance on the count of the evil that they were doing. Moses, after seeing that the Children of Israel had committed the sin of idolatry against God, interceded to Him on their behalf and asked for His forgiveness. Nevertheless, if the Lord would not do so, Moses asked that he pay the penalty and have his name blotted out of the Book of Life. The Lord responded to Moses by saying that He would only blot out the names of the Israelites who sinned against Him. God was not going to punish Moses for the sins of the people. Therefore, this lets us know that a person’s name can be removed from the Book of Life, but what does this actually mean?

The Bible says, “Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire” Revelation 20:15). This means that in order for a person to be saved, their name must be written in the Book of Life – otherwise, they will go to the Lake of Fire. Therefore, can a person’s name be blotted out of the Book of Life whose name was previously there? Yes! Can a person voluntarily have their name removed due to unconfessed sin and wickedness? Yes! Will a person go to Heaven if their name is not in the Book of Life? No! Will a person go to Hell’s fire whose name is not written in the Book of Life? Yes! Can a Christian lose their salvation? They do not lose it; they willingly give it up based on the choices they make. The Bible says, “It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them” (2 Peter 2:21). Let’s never make the mistake of willfully giving up our salvation, so that our names will not be blotted out of the Book of Life. Something to ponder….

PSALMS MOMENT – (25JUN19) “I am forced to restore what I did not steal” (Psalm 69:4). The psalmist wrote these words because he was being accused of offenses that he had not committed, and was called on to make restitution for things that were never taken by him. Today, we have politicians making campaign promises, and stirring up the hopes of some, that they will fight for restitution to be paid for past wrongs. Although this would be honorable if it could be taken at face value, it is anything but trustworthy.  In an effort to win the hearts back of many who have become knowledgeable to their history within certain political parties, we have politicians that wish to exploit the emotions of certain racial groups by making impossible, and otherwise unrealistic promises to get their vote. Division to win by any means is the name of the game, and for those who fall into its trap, will be the ultimate losers.  

Slavery has been and will always be an evil that the greedy will use to exploit the weak. But let’s think logically instead of emotionally about this issue. If such reparations were possible to be paid, wouldn’t it be used to politically enslave the ones to whom it was issued? Yes, newly freed slaves were promised land, but is there any way to right a wrong other than putting the nation in an unnecessary chaos? Is it right to punish those who may have had ancestors that never owned one slave? Haven’t we become a nation where everyone has a chance to make it? Of course, America is not a perfect nation, nor has it ever been, but the freedoms that we all enjoy today are far greater than many in other countries. Every person rather white, black, brown, or other, has a chance to live the American dream. What we should be doing is helping to keep families together, teach Godly values, ensure that all children are properly educated from elementary school through college or trade school, and stop the antics when it comes to racial division. A nation divided will not stand. A good thing for the wrong reason is a horrible injustice to all. So, no…we do not need reparations, we need this nation to restore God back to its center. Something to ponder….