We are preparing every day for tomorrow. Every experience is a teaching and a preparation.
The question is: What are we learning, and who are we learning from? Who you learn from will determine what you learn. What we learn develops our character and value system.
Here are some questions to ask yourself about who you are learning from.
Is their teaching truth?
Are they honest people?
What are their values?
What are their morals?
What are their successes?
What are their failures?
Who are their friends?
What about their family?
Would you like to be like them?
Are they respected in the community?
Are they generous people?
Are they people you want to be seen with?
Would you entertain them in your home?
Could you trust them with a secret?
Who has influenced you the most in your life?
What you learn and experience will determine your future and its possibilities. We form habits and habits form us. True character has more value than wealth.
Why? Because wealth can come and go but character is who you are. Your circle of influences has formed your character and your habits.
What you learn and experience will determine your future, because you are what you think. You are what you do. And, you are what you know. What you think, know and do is who you truly are. Yes, we are what we prepare for.
Your value system determines your decisions, and your convictions. This is what makes up your character. True convictions do not change with circumstances or they are not true convictions.
Have you ever noticed that those at the top of the ladder are good, generous people? People may say, "Well if I had their job or position, I could be a good, generous person too". Well here are the facts. They were good, generous people before they got the position. They had prepared well and had good influences in their lives.
If you are good before life moves you up, you will remain good. But, if the person was of bad character before, he will still have a bad character. The position or title does not make a person good or bad. Character and influences around them determines the outcome.
You are what you think, do, and know. That is who you are. Some people are willing to prepare and prepare well and they will succeed. Others just go through life being reactionaries and don't ever get it. But, the key is what you learned and the value system of whom you learned it from.
Chaplain Bud
Why is the Bible such an important book? And, is it important for people today?
First, it is more than important, it is very important. It is God's Word. It is God's Word to His creation, man. His Word teaches us about who God is, and how to live to please Him. It teaches us about God's likes and dislikes as well.
Second, His Word helps every born again believer learn and establish a good value system. This value system that is Bible based brings many good things; fulfillment, contentment, peace of mind, and most of all how to have unity with other people; both believers and nonbelievers. It builds unity with believers so that there are no divisions in God's body. Unity and respect of nonbelievers so that they too can be won over to Christ.
Third, the Bible is our history book of God's creation from the beginning. This is how we know and learn about sin entering the world through the first family. We learn from history the results of sin as well as the results of obedience. From history we learn about God's blessings and curses, and the battles fought both won and lost, and the reasons we can learn and not make the same mistakes.
Fourth, the Bible is our textbook for life. It is the life and teachings of Jesus who changed the world forever. Yes, He was the Son of God and He taught with authority and wisdom. His life and teachings opened up the world of grace for all mankind, Jew and Gentiles alike. The world today, 2000 years later, is still benefiting from Jesus' and God's Word. And, it will until He returns.
Fifth, and not the least, but the best, the Bible has God's message to mankind about how to be saved. To be saved is to be delivered and freed from the bondage of sin. To be saved or born again is to live and serve as a member of Christ's ambassadors. To be saved is to be freed from the bondage of the sinful nature and live and be under the authority of the spiritual nature. To be saved means you are saved from self-destruction.
Sixth, the Bible teaches us about the benefits of being a Christian. Yes, salvation is first and then all of God's blessings. We are added to His church. We learn to pray and to experience prayers being answered; the blessing of learning the true meaning of money and what stewardship really is according to God's Word. The blessings of discipleship and missions. The blessings of loving and being loved by other Christians.
Finally, we learn about heaven, the prepared place for God' saved. This is another benefit of serving and living for God, an eternal resting place. Is this not the greatest promise in the Bible? And we know God is faithful and His Word is truth.
Why is the Bible important? For all these reasons and many, many more. And is it important for people today? Yes, for people in the past, present, and the future till Jesus comes.
See ya in church,
Bud
"Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord"
Psalms 33:12
How wonderful it is when a nation honors the one and only true God. Their people are productive and happy. They live in unity and fellowship. Their children learn about the true God and worship Him.
Any nation in history that rebelled against God became evil, corrupt, and sin-burdened. Her people were always at war or fighting among themselves. There is never any real peace or true satisfaction. Money and power become the god of people who do not worship and honor the true God.
The Old Testament is full of stories of good kings and bad kings. Good leaders and bad leaders. When a good king led the people back to God, they prospered and worshiped as God intended. They were blessed because they obeyed. When they had a bad king, false gods were worshiped and evil and corruption took over the country. They were constantly at war with their neighbors and much fighting among themselves.
America was founded by God-fearing people. They came here from many countries to find freedom of religion and to raise their families in peace. But after 300 years we have become what our ancestors left their home country to get away from. Christians now, are not the majority nor respected in America. We are led by non-Christian leadership who are corrupted by power, just like the Old Testament times. All forms of religious symbols or displays are removed from public places. No longer is prayer in schools or public assemblies allowed. The non-Christian has more rights than the believers now in America.
Just take a minute to stop and think. We are rapidly going downhill, morally and spiritually. We are failing economically as a country. We are constantly in one war after another. Our youth are being corrupted by ungodly teachings in schools and colleges. They are more interested in teaching evolution and sex than teaching truth. We are constantly killing more human life through abortion than killing human life in war. We have become a nation without a conscience.
So, what are we as Christians to do? What is the church to do? We are to do exactly what God has always expected from His people. We are to obey Him. We are to be faithful to God and His teachings. We are to teach our children the truth while they are children so that they know God personally. Salvation is more important than a career.
If history repeats itself, America will destroy herself like all other countries that turn away from God. This thought is sobering.
We Christians have God's promises of eternal life. That is our hope. Suffering cannot be prevented. It is the consequence of sin and will. However, the Christian's life is not of this world, but part of a bigger world, the kingdom of Jesus Christ. We, in the end, will overcome and see Satan destroyed once and forever. The cross did not put an end to Jesus, and evil today will not put an end to Christianity. Remember, we are Christians first and Americans second. We will overcome. Praise the Lord.
See ya in church,
Bud