Author: Billy

Most of us can grasp the idea or accept that God loves the world, but how can I know that He really loves me as an individual? Is my life just one speck of sand on the vast seashore of humanity? Does God really think about me personally?
Jesus gives us some insight when He explains, “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.” Matt 10:29-31
It’s easy for us to speak in general terms when we say things like, “God so loved the world,” but Jesus shows us God’s remarkable capacity and desire to love and know us uniquely and personally as individuals.
You see, I can say something like, “I love Twinkies.” But all Twinkies are the same, so it doesn’t matter which one I hold in my hand, I will love them equally.
If I say, “I love Americans,” I am still painting it with a broad brush, and you know that I am speaking in general, patriotic terms.
When I say, “I love my children,” I am still speaking in general terms, but any parent knows that I have a separate and unique love for each of my children as individuals. When I think of each one of them, I love them differently, because they are each different in their own, special way. The love I have for my eldest daughter cannot be given to or felt for anyone else but her, and the same goes for each of the other children.

In the same way, God has a love for you specifically that is reserved for you and you alone. He is the one who created you in your mothers womb, designed you with purpose in mind, and has a perfect will for your life. He thinks about you so much, he even counts your hairs. You are not just a speck of sand on the seashore of humanity. In fact, Psalm 139 says, “How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!
How great is the sum of them!
If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand.” Wow! Now there’s a concept that is difficult for us to apprehend. But it’s true!
The ultimate proof of God’s love is demonstrated at the cross, where Jesus Christ bore your sins and poured out his life’s blood. Being God, He had the capacity to see you and know of every sin you have every committed or ever will, and yet he decided that you were worth the cost, and endured the agony.

It’s such a tragedy that so many people spend their lives running away from God or rebelling against Him, when He offers life, love and forgiveness so freely.
Just as tragic is the thought that many Christians still live in fear or insecurity when it comes to God’s perception of them.

No matter who you are, no matter where you came from, no matter where you may be going, I want you to know that today, God loves you. His love is greater than any earthly love that you can ever know.
If you have never yielded your life to Him, I encourage you to do it today. If you have been living in doubt, let knowledge release you today that God loves you with an everlasting love. He knows you personally.
Be blessed today, and share the love you have received with someone else who hasnt heard.

A number of years ago the guys at men’s breakfast were giving me a hard time. They looked at me like I was crazy when I asked the waitress for a bowl of oatmeal with some brown sugar and peanut butter on the side. Lets face it. Oatmeal doesn’t look all that appealing to begin with. Stir in some peanut butter and it looks downright nasty.
“Don’t knock it till you’ve tried it,” I told them.
After several weeks of watching me gleefully swallow it down, one of them decided to give it a go. To his and the rest of the table’s surprise, he loved it! It wasn’t long until I was surrounded by men eating oatmeal with brown sugar and peanut butter every Saturday morning.

Most of the world looks at the Christian life and isn’t really interested. We don’t drink, we don’t party, we don’t gossip or tell dirty jokes, we don’t look at pornography or live in sexual sin, we don’t this and we don’t that. From the world’s perspective, Christianity looks rather dull, restrictive, and unappealing.
We can explain the gospel to them, describing the love of God, the forgiveness of God, the peace of God, and the life He gives, but they won’t really KNOW any of those things until they experience them for themselves. The Bible tells us in Psalm 34 to “Oh, taste and see that The Lord is good.” Once you have tasted and seen for yourself, you move out of the realm of skepticism or personal belief, and into the realm of personal experience.
1Corinthians 1:18 “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”
Have you tasted and seen that the Lord is good? God promises to manifest himself to you if you will obey His commandment and believe on the One He has sent. Take a step of faith and open your heart to Jesus Christ. Considering what He went through at the cross, there’s no doubt that He wants you to.
“Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Romans 10:13, Acts 2:21

Suppose I made a real offer today that I would pay you $10 million for your heart. You say that’s absurd. Ok, how about $50 million? 100? A billion? It’s nonsense because what would you do with all that money if you’re dead? It’s useless to you.

Jesus asked the question, “What shall it profit a man if he should gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what would a man give in exchange for his soul?” Mark 8:36,37
If you could accumulate all the wealth of the world, or have all the power, authority, influence or fame that is possible for one person to achieve, if you could enjoy all the pleasurable excitement this world has to offer, or any other thing that you could seek to accomplish or have, ultimately your life, however long it may last, is only a brief, insignificant speck on the infinite timeline of eternity. If you lose your soul in the end, is it really worth it?
In light of eternity, is there anything out there that’s really more valuable than your soul? What would you be willing to go to hell for?
Jesus takes all the things that you and I struggle with, are tempted with, and are drawn to in our flesh, and he puts them into proper perspective with one simple question.
As profound as the implications are for you and for me, the question and the answer are both quite simple. Any person with even a hint of intelligence can figure it out. How should we respond?

The heart that none of us in his right mind would sell for any amount of money is the same heart (figuratively) that Jesus demands that we surrender to him for free. He will have all or none of it.
In the same passage of Mark 8, Jesus told them, “Whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it.” Wow. If you are trying your best to keep your life together and chase after temporary things, you are actually setting yourself up for a colossal failure, but if you will lay down your life and obey the gospel, you will gain an eternal life that you can never lose.
Come to Christ today. Turn from your sin and your worldly pursuits, surrender your heart and life to Him, and you will find what true life really is. He will open up a whole new world to you.

When I was younger I got into trouble with the cops a few times. When I was up to no good, and I saw those lights flashing, it was a terrible sight. Most of us can identify with that feeling when we are violating traffic laws and all of the sudden we see a patrol car. When you are breaking the law and justice is coming to get you, it’s not a good feeling at all.
On the other hand, there have been times when seeing those red and blue lights was a sign of great relief. There was a time when I called the police to catch a thief, and I was certainly glad to see them. When my wife and children were in a roll-over 7 years ago, the arrival of the police was like a God-send.
The same guys who were abhorrent to me when I deserved justice became like a savior to me when I needed rescue.

People view the person of Jesus Christ and the message of the gospel in the same way. To some, it is abhorrent, while to others, it is life itself.
2 Corinthians 2:15,16 says it like this: “15 Our lives are a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God. But this fragrance is perceived differently by those who are being saved and by those who are perishing. 16 To those who are perishing, we are a dreadful smell of death and doom. But to those who are being saved, we are a life-giving perfume.”

The reason non-Christians don’t want to go to church is the same reason a criminal doesn’t want to hang out at the police station. It’s not a good feeling when you are guilty. It’s because we all instinctively know that we are accountable to God. He will administer justice when He comes in judgement.
Check this out: 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9 “when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels,
8 In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:
9 Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power”
Does that sound like a pleasant experience if you don’t know The Lord? Wow, scary stuff if you are living in disobedience.

On the other hand, God is absolutely merciful, kind, and loving to a degree that is unfathomable. The same Lord who will be our judge is also our great and mighty Savior. To those who have fled to the blood of Jesus Christ for refuge, there is no longer and fear of death or judgement. We know we have forgiveness and life through his amazing sacrifice.
Romans 5:1 says, “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
God is no longer our enemy, but our friend and Father.

The gospel can be repulsive to someone today, because they love their sin and dont want anything to do with repentance. For those who are enjoying the pleasures of sin, the word holiness has about as much appeal as the word ‘bath’ has to a four year old boy. But one day they will hunger and thirst for righteousness, and then the gospel will be their lifeline.

Be faithful to continue to share the truth with your lost loved ones, neighbors, co-workers, etc. You never know when they will be ready to receive the truth.

Many Christians look at their lives or their gifts and wonder how they can be used by God. Lots of us dont even know what our gifts are. It’s not a good feeling to think that you are being ineffective or useless as a child of God. People often think that in order to be used by God, there must be lots of flair or some sort of visible results. But that is just not the case. We are not involved in a physical, outward battle. Our battle is in spiritual realms.

We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, agaisnt spiritual wickedness in high places.  The weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God for the pulling down of strongholds.

We look at people like Billy Graham or Greg Laurie and think that men like that are wielding huge spiritual swords. Or think of anyone else who is a ‘big name’ in contemporary Christianity. The landscape of Christian history is decorated with the names of men and women who have dared to do great things for God, and we dont take anything away from their courage to step out in faith and attempt mighty things to publish the name of Jesus to the world. But most of those people could never have done those great things without the power of prayer behind them.

The people out front in these efforts receive a lot of respect or admiration. We look up to them and aspire to be like them, and rightly so. They are giants in our eyes for their obedience to God’s call on their lives. But there are other giants behind the scenes who cry out to God in fervent prayer for the hearts of the lost and the empowerment of those who reach them. The honor roll of heroes of the faith in Christian history will look a lot different once we look back from eternity and see who was standing behind great men and women of God in intercessory prayer. Names we have never heard of will be synonymous with the names of Charles Spurgeon, Hudson Taylor, Billy Graham, and others like them.

Think of Queen Esther. What did she really do? She went humbly before the king and petitioned him on behalf of her people. We look at her story and honor her for her bravery. Her uncle told her that God, in His sovereignty, would save the Jews no matter what, but that perhaps she had been born for such a time as this, in order to be used by God for a mighty deliverance. She heroically obeyed, and is forever recorded in the pages of God’s word.

Jesus has a similar task for you and I. Didn’t he tell us, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”  Jesus wants us to pray for laborers. The laborers are indeed few. Will you take up the noble cause of interceding on behalf of those who will carry the message of the gospel to this lost and dying world?

Will you, like Esther, go before the King and petition Him to send out laborers? You may not know what kind of gifts you possess for building up the body of Christ, but you nave the incredible power of prayer in every breath you take. You may not realize it, but you, as a child of God, are so powerful and so mighty in spiritual realms. You were born for such a time as this!

When you think of prayer, do you think, “Ugh, what a drag,” or do you think, “Wow, this is the amazing privilege that every saint of God has to boldly go before the throne of Almighty God, ask what he will, and govern the destiny of nations.” Ok, maybe you are somewhere in the middle. It was the great missionary, Hudson Taylor, who said, “The prayer power has never been tried to its full capacity. If we want to see Divine power wrought in the place of weakness, failure, and disappointment, let us answer God’s standing challenge, ‘Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things of which thou knowest not of.'”

Do you want to be involved in world evangelism? Then please, dont neglect the immeasurable power of intercessory prayer that you can unleash at any time you choose. Pray for the salvation of the lost. Pray for more laborers, and for those of us already in the fields. We need you!

God bless you today

Just about every husband out there ought to know that his wife needs intimacy. Being positionally or physically close is not the same as having a meaningful relationship. The two can sometimes be lying on the same bed and yet be miles apart inside.

The same is true with our relationship to God. Some people say that they feel close to God when they surround themselves with nature. Others like togo into magnificent cathedrals or humble country churches. Still others will take a quiet walk in a serene location, and list could go on. But an omnipresent God is not limited to or found in any one place. The Bible says in Acts 17 that “in Him we live and move and have our being.” We don’t enter into His presence when we walk into a forest or a church, etc. He’s everywhere, and His closeness is available at all times.
The Bible instructs us to “draw nigh unto God and He will draw nigh unto you.” (James 4:8) That doesn’t mean we travel some physical distance to draw near to Him who in reality is only a whisper away. It speaks of drawing near relationally.

Just as there are many men (and women) who think they have a successful marriage simply because they managed to get a ring on someone’s finger, there are also many people who think the are OK with God because they went through some religious ceremony like baptism or confirmation class.
Tragically, in the same way that many men are surprised by a wife who one day says ,”I feel like I don’t even know you,” there are also many people who will be shocked to hear the awful words of Jesus on the last day of judgement, “Depart from me, you worker of lawlessness. I never knew you.” But it will be too late then to try to patch things up.

In John 17:3 Jesus said, “And this is eternal life, to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.”
Do you understand what it means to “know” God? Do you have a relationship with Him that is real?
It isn’t something that anyone can do for you. You’ve got to develop that relationship yourself.
In Acts 17, it teaches that we should “reach out for Him and find Him, though He is not far from any one of us.”
Hebrews 11:6 says that “He who comes to God must first believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”
In Jeremiah 29:13 God says, “You shall search for me and find me, when you search for me with all your heart.”

Jesus said, “He who seeks shall find.” Seek the Lord today. He’s closer than you think.