After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice: “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne and to the Lamb”

That will be the glorious ending of our life’s story: The joy of the occasion, the company of the throngs around us, and the majesty of Jesus Christ upon the throne! Each of us has written the story of our past in one way or another. Some of that may have included suffering and, certainly, the ugliness of sin. The next chapter tells of our finding Jesus as our Savior and the transformation that took place. We became new creations in Christ. For those who are new believers, only few pages have been written. Many chapters now have been completed for those who have known Christ for many years.

The past pages may, or may not, reveal an obedient and overcoming life, but those chapters have been completed and cannot be rewritten. We must now carefully write, page by page, our present story. How do we want on the ending of our story?

May each chapter speak clearly of His faithfulness through all generations!

Attitude is the gauge that shows God, others, and you the level and quality of Fruit from the work and ways of God being exhibited in you. Your attitude will be the demonstration for who is Christ is in you, and you may be the only indicator and presenter of our Lord someone will ever get to see.

So, how is your attitude? Attitude is how you approach others with your outlook on life, your manners, your posture, your feelings, your mind-set, your way of thinking, and your way of behaving. It all comes from Christ’s work in you.

Now, ask yourself, “how this is going and coming about in times of uncertainty and stress?” How does your attitude impact your daily life?

When we have a good attitude, He can better use us, and show His creation of a masterpiece in us. Now think about how you grow and show Christ in your life will perhaps be the typical template, the perfect example that others just need to see. You can be the encouragement and motivation someone else needs. Christians have a responsibility to have the best attitude possible, an impacting and contagious approach to doing life well. When we have a bad altitude, we can see the aptitude of our old ways of sin seeking to take over our thoughts, feelings, and outlook on life and thus may dismay how others see His Lordship of you.

Kingdom of this world set its laws and rules so that resident of this kingdom should follow. In the same way on spiritual kingdoms; a resident of God’s Kingdom after accepting our Lord Jesus Christ as personal savior will follow its rules and principles but the wicked heart according to Mark 7:20-23 are the resident of kingdom of satan.

8 Founding Principles of God’s Kingdom:( Matthew 5: 1-12)

1. “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven“ – The poor in spirit are those who are not self-assertive, self-reliant, self-confident, self-centered, or self-sufficient but who are conscious of their sins and know in their hearts that they are completely unworthy of the grace that a most holy and loving God pours down upon them.

2. “Blessed are they who mourn, for they shall be comforted”. The person that mourns is the one who recognizes that he is a sinner before God. The mourning is not because of financial loss, terminal sickness, the death of loved ones, loneliness, a divorce, or some rejection being experienced. Christians mourn because they realize that they have sinned against a holy God and have brought dishonor to his name.

3. “Blessed are the meek, for they shall possess the earth”. A meek person is not a weak man but it is a strong person controlled by God. The one who has put their faith and their trust in Jesus Christ will be meek before God, but mighty and bold before the world and before satan.

4. “Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for Righteousness, for they shall be satisfied”. Righteousness are those things that are upright, virtuous, noble, morally right, and ethical. You could say that righteousness is a life style that is in complete conformity to the will of God. It is a lifestyle that Jesus not only finds pleasing, but one that he approves of.

5. “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy”. The merciful are those that are tender hearted and who truly feel in the deepest parts of their beings the pain and the suffering of those who need mercy. But most importantly is the fact that the merciful are those special individuals who go out of their way and make the effort to help. Having compassion on the those that are in any way hurting is only the first part of having mercy. Doing something about it, is the all important second part.

6.”Blessed are the pure of heart, for they shall see God”. Out of the hearts of men come all kinds of evil things, evil thoughts and greed, to slander and arrogance. The path to a pure heart begins with the realization that we have impure hearts. (Ezekiel 36:26) “Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you”)

7. “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God“. The term “peacemakers” includes all who make peace between men, whether as individuals or as communities. (Romans 14:19) “So then let us pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one another”.

8. “Blessed are they who suffer persecution for justice sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven“. Christ pronounces a blessing on those who are being persecuted. But the persecution that they are suffering is not for misdeeds or evil acts, their persecution is for doing righteousness.

Each principle is a key to living a godly life. Each brings a blessing from God. They are focused positively on what we should be like rather than on what we should not do. Although they are in perfect agreement with the Ten Commandments, they are different. They do not merely keep us from evil but lead us to truth. Because of the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives, the people of God can have the love and holiness of God dominate their lives.

The seeds of comfort may take root in the soil of adversity. When your life seems to be falling apart, ask God to comfort you. You may not escape adversity, but you may find God’s comfort as you face it. Sometimes, however, the only comfort we have is in the knowledge that someday we will be with God. Appreciate the comfort and encouragement found in His word, His presence and His people.

Unjust suffering! Ouch!!!!  even the sound of those words sends a chill up and down my spine. Such a thing doesn’t seem fair or appropriate… and it isn’t. Yet we have many brothers and sisters bearing up under pain and unjust suffering because of their commitment and loyalty to the only True God and to his Son, Jesus Christ. Wouldn’t it be incredible if those of us who are not touched by terrible persecution or hardship would begin each day praying for those in our spiritual family who do face hardship, persecution, suffering, and mistreatment? As they display the grace of Christ to honor God in the face of such difficulty, let’s pray that our Father will not only give them strength to endure, but that he will also deliver them soon!

Receiving Christ as Lord of your life is the beginning of life with Christ. But you must continue to follow his leadership by being rooted, built up, and strengthened in the faith. Christ wants to guide you and help you with your daily problems. You can live for Christ by committing your life and submitting your will to him; seeking to learn from him, his life and his teachings; and recognizing the Holy Spirit’s power in you. If you see little progress in your spiritual life, the problem is probably due to an area that you are keeping for yourself. Only in surrendering it to Christ and letting Him be Lord of your entire life will you be enriched beyond measure as He changes your character, perspective, attitudes and behavior.

 ¹⁸ But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. ¹⁹ You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.

True faith transforms our conduct as well as our thoughts. If our lives remain unchanged, we don’t truly believe the truths we claim to believe. We cannot earn our salvation by serving and obeying God. But such actions show that our commitment to God is real. Deeds of loving service are not a substitute for, but rather a verification of our faith in Christ. While it is true that our good deeds can never earn salvation (Romans 3:28 — “man is justified by faith apart from observing the law”), true faith always results in a changed life and good deeds. In Romans 3, Paul speaks against those who try to be saved by deeds instead of true faith. James speaks against those who confuse mere intellectual assent with true faith. After all, even the demons know who Jesus is, but they don’t obey him. True faith involves a commitment of your whole self to God.

We hear that some among you are idle and disruptive. They are not busy; they are busybodies. Such people we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and earn the food they eat. And as for you, brothers and sisters never tire of doing what is good.   -2 Thessalonians 3:11-13 -

 Thought on today’s verse:

This is a continuation on my recent post “Be careful little tounge what you say”. A “busybody” is a gossip. An idle person end up filling his or her time with less than helpful activities like gossip. Rumors and hearsay are tantalizing, exciting to hear, and make us feel like insiders. But they tear people down. If you often find your nose in other people’s business, you may need to fill your free time with constructive, productive work. Look for a task to do for Christ or for your family, and get to work.

BODY

I. WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY ABOUT CONTROLLING THE TONGUE?

A        The Old Testament warns us about avoiding gossip and evil speaking.

1. Leviticus 19:16- “‘You shall not go about as a talebearer among your people; nor shall you take a stand against the life of your neighbor: I am the LORD.”
2. Psalm 50:16-20
3. Proverbs 20:19- “He who goes about as a talebearer reveals secrets; Therefore do not associate with one who flatters with his lips.”

B        The New Testament tells us to put away the wicked use of the tongue.

1. Ephesians 4:31- “Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice.”
2. Titus 3:1-2 “Remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities, to obey, to be ready for every good work, 2- to speak evil of no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing all humility to all men.”

II. WHY IS AN UNCONTROLLED TONGUE SO DANGEROUS?

A        Because words rashly spoken can have serious consequences.

1. Jephthah made a rash vow with an uncontrolled tongue which caused him great grief.

                                                  a.      Judges 11:30-40

1. It was because of rash speaking that King Herod ended up having John the Baptist beheaded, even though Herod did not want it done.

                                                  a.      Mark 6:22-28

B         Because it will affect the lives of individuals for a lifetime.

1. James 3:6- “And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell.”
2. It hurts the person you are talking about, his/her family, friends, neighbors, etc. It can affect them for a lifetime.
3. Proverbs 26:20- “Where there is no wood, the fire goes out; And where there is no talebearer, strife ceases.”

C         A man who has an uncontrolled tongue brings pain and hurt upon himself.

1. Proverbs 21:23- “Whoever guards his mouth and tongue Keeps his soul from troubles.”
2. 1 Peter 3:10- “For “He who would love life And see good days, Let him refrain his tongue from evil, And his lips from speaking deceit.”

D        It makes our religion useless in the sight of God.

1. James 1:26- “If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion is useless.”

III. GOSSIP AND MURMURING IS ESPECIALLY HARMFUL TO A CONGREGATION OF THE LORD’S PEOPLE!

A. The Scriptures speak of the kind of person that will gossip and speak evil among God’s people.

1. Titus 1:9-11 “holding fast the faithful word as he has been taught, that he may be able, by sound doctrine, both to exhort and convict those who contradict. 10- for there are many insubordinate, both idle talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision, 11- whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole households, teaching things which they ought not, for the sake of dishonest gain.”

B. Murmuring against the church and it’s work is destructive to the body and earns the displeasure of Jehovah God..

C. God showed his displeasure at His people murmuring in the Old Testament.

1. Exodus 15:24- “And the people complained against Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?”"

2. Exodus 16:2- “Then the whole congregation of the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness.”

3. Numbers 11:1- “Now when the people complained, it displeased the LORD; for the LORD heard it, and His anger was aroused. So the fire of the LORD burned among them, and consumed some in the outskirts of the camp.”

4. Numbers 14:27- “”How long shall I bear with this evil congregation who complain against Me? I have heard the complaints which the children of Israel make against Me.”

5. 1 Corinthians 10:10-11 “nor complain, as some of them also complained, and were destroyed by the destroyer. 11- Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.”

6. Philippians 2:14-15 “Do all things without complaining and disputing, 15- that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world,” 

7. Jude 1:14-16 “Now Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men also, saying, “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints, 15- to execute judgment on all, to convict all who are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him. 16- “These are grumblers, complainers, walking according to their own lusts; and they mouth great swelling words, flattering people to gain advantage.”

CONCLUSION: “I am more deadly than the screaming shell of the cannon. I win without killing. I tear down homes, break hearts, wreck lives. I travel on the wings of the wind. No innocence is strong enough to intimidate me, no purity pure enough to daunt me. I have no regard for truth, no respect for justice, no mercy for the defenseless. My victims
are as numerous as the sands of the sea and often as innocent. I never forget and seldom forgive. My name is Gossip.”

Surely the righteous shall give thanks unto thy name: the upright shall dwell in thy presence.

— Psalms 140:13 (KJV)

Thoughts on Today’s Verse…

Fellowship activity among Lighthouse Family members yesterday enjoyed everybody’s presence in the park, breakfast, and bowling tournament and having lunch together, brought us joy that seen in everyone’s faces. After the event I noticed most of us say “Thank You” because of many good reasons, which is the right thing to do most especially to our God who brought us together in this family.

Our today’s verse from the Psalm tells us about the power of thanksgiving. It says that if you are thankful to God then he will always be with you. You can feel His presence by giving Thanks.

My Prayer…

Our holy Father, thank you for bringing us together in your family, thank you for your presence that brings us joy in our hearts. Continue to bless this family, in Jesus name I pray, Amen.