In a recent interview, presidential hopeful, Mitt Romney, claimed to be a Christian. Now we know that he is a Mormon so how can he claim to be a Christian? These are not interchangeable. They are not the same thing. Anyone looking at the basics of each faith would know that.
The Bible teaches that there is only one True and Living God. The Mormon church teaches that there are many Gods.
The Bible teaches that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are not separate Gods or separate beings, but are distinct Persons within the one Triune God. The Mormon church teaches that the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are three separate Gods and that the Son and Holy Ghost are the literal offspring of Heavenly Father and a celestial wife.
The Bible teaches that apart from the saving work of Jesus Christ on the cross we are spiritually "dead in trespasses and sins" (Ephesians 2:1,5) and are powerless to save ourselves. By grace alone, apart from self-righteous works, God forgives our sins and makes us worthy to live in His presence (Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5-6). Our part is only to cling to Christ in heartfelt faith. The Mormon Church teaches that eternal life in the presence of God must be earned through obedience to all the commands of the Mormon Church, including exclusive Mormon temple rituals. Works are a requirement for salvation.
The Bible teaches that it is the unique, final and infallible Word of God (2 Timothy 3:16; Hebrews 1:1,2; 2 Peter 1:21) and that it will stand forever (1 Peter 1:23-25). The Mormon Church teaches that the Bible has been corrupted, is missing many "plain and precious parts" and does not contain the fullness of the Gospel.
There are many other things that don't line up between these two religions.
Gov. Romney, if you are a Mormon, say so; but don't also claim to be a Christian. You can't have it both ways.
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Snow in Georgia
We had snow last night. We live on the northeastern side of Atlanta and snow is very rare and it is also a very big deal with children. The students I teach were very excited about the possibility of having a day out of school. It began snowing about 6:00 pm and continued after dark. We got enough for it to cover the ground and look pretty. We enjoyed it while we could. The neighborhood kids were out in the dark making snowballs and playing. Then all their hopes were dashed this morning when we awoke to a cold rain. All the snow was gone and we were left with a cold overcast dismal day.
The snow was beautiful and made everything look clean and fresh. That reminds me of how we are when we ask God to forgive us from our sins. When we confess our sins he forgives us and cleanses us. We are then clean before him.
As you come to God today, think about exactly what you are doing. You are coming before a holy God. Don’t underestimate the effects of unconfessed sin on your prayers. God is holy and does not tolerate sin in His presence. On one hand, we are allowed directly into His presence because of the imputed righteousness of Christ through His death on the cross for our sins. On the other hand, with regards to our daily walk, we must wash the stains of sin from our lives before approaching a holy God in prayer.
Through confession, God is faithful to forgive us and cleanse us from all our sins making us fit to approach God once more. Confession of sin should be as normal as taking a shower. Keep short accounts with God concerning sin, confess every day. Don’t allow unconfessed sin to interfere with your prayer life and walk with God.
Take time to reflect and confess then enjoy your day with Jesus!
Psalms 51: 7 “Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.”
1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”
Psalms 103:11-12 “For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.”
The snow was beautiful and made everything look clean and fresh. That reminds me of how we are when we ask God to forgive us from our sins. When we confess our sins he forgives us and cleanses us. We are then clean before him.
As you come to God today, think about exactly what you are doing. You are coming before a holy God. Don’t underestimate the effects of unconfessed sin on your prayers. God is holy and does not tolerate sin in His presence. On one hand, we are allowed directly into His presence because of the imputed righteousness of Christ through His death on the cross for our sins. On the other hand, with regards to our daily walk, we must wash the stains of sin from our lives before approaching a holy God in prayer.
Through confession, God is faithful to forgive us and cleanse us from all our sins making us fit to approach God once more. Confession of sin should be as normal as taking a shower. Keep short accounts with God concerning sin, confess every day. Don’t allow unconfessed sin to interfere with your prayer life and walk with God.
Take time to reflect and confess then enjoy your day with Jesus!
Psalms 51: 7 “Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.”
1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”
Psalms 103:11-12 “For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.”
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Jesus - our model teacher
I'm taking an Ed Psych class right now in graduate school. I hate Ed Psych. Sometimes you just have to endure things you hate to get to the thing that you want. I want my Ed Specialist degree so bring on the boring psych stuff.
Today I was researching and writing a paper on teachers as leaders. I thought about how Jesus truly modeled what a teacher is to be like. He kept the interest of his students, he taught real hands-on lessons, and he had the trust and love of his students. He modeled a life of self sacrifice and obedience. He taught with authority. The people who heard and watched Jesus realized that he was different from the other teachers. He knew what he was doing and did it with confidence. He spent long hours in prayer. Although he had authority, he did not lord things over people. Contrary to the norm, Jesus was a servant and his authority was validated to the people partly through the way in which he served them. He gave himself untiringly to people and met their needs without compromising the truth. He never abandoned them when they were going through hardships. Such a relationship as this should be our goal as leaders. To lead like this will bring respect and honor. As a leader, you must do what you are asking others to do. This will add integrity to your leadership. As a leader, you need to be personal and real with the people you lead. Don’t try to pretend you are someone else. Be who you are and trust God to help you to become who He wants you to be.
That's about it for today. If you have other ideas, please leave a comment.
Today I was researching and writing a paper on teachers as leaders. I thought about how Jesus truly modeled what a teacher is to be like. He kept the interest of his students, he taught real hands-on lessons, and he had the trust and love of his students. He modeled a life of self sacrifice and obedience. He taught with authority. The people who heard and watched Jesus realized that he was different from the other teachers. He knew what he was doing and did it with confidence. He spent long hours in prayer. Although he had authority, he did not lord things over people. Contrary to the norm, Jesus was a servant and his authority was validated to the people partly through the way in which he served them. He gave himself untiringly to people and met their needs without compromising the truth. He never abandoned them when they were going through hardships. Such a relationship as this should be our goal as leaders. To lead like this will bring respect and honor. As a leader, you must do what you are asking others to do. This will add integrity to your leadership. As a leader, you need to be personal and real with the people you lead. Don’t try to pretend you are someone else. Be who you are and trust God to help you to become who He wants you to be.
That's about it for today. If you have other ideas, please leave a comment.
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Your Ultimate Destination
A friend asked me why I take the time to blog. I'm not sure I have a good answer for this question. Part of the reason is I really do want to share what God has been teaching me and leading me through. Not that I am anybody special but I am on a journey. A journey whose ending point is heaven and I am just relating things that I am thinking and believing along the way. In Philippians Paul talks about the idea of not being perfect but forgetting what has happened in the past and pressing on toward the goal of heaven.
I am not perfect, none of us are. We are all sinners who don't deserve God's grace and we are all on the same journey. That's the journey life and living. There are only two possible ending points to this journey - heaven or hell. There are no other choices. The only thing that determines your ending point is whether you've placed your faith in Christ. Nothing a person can do or say will change that. Ephesians 2:8-9 says, "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- not by works, so that no one can boast.”
One of the reasons I wanted to blog was because I am by nature a relatively shy person. I have a lot of things I would like to share but I am not naturally going to speak up and do that. Also, I love the idea of sharing my faith in Christ to the world through this blog. The last thing Jesus told his disciples to do was to go and make disciples of all nations. What easier way is there than to talk about my faith online!
If you are reading this blog right now, you have the ability to choose your ultimate destination. Place you faith in Christ and choose the destination of heaven. Then ask him for help along the way. The road will be full of bumps but He who has saved you will see you through.
Philippians 3:12-14 “ Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”
Hebrews 10:23 “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.”
I am not perfect, none of us are. We are all sinners who don't deserve God's grace and we are all on the same journey. That's the journey life and living. There are only two possible ending points to this journey - heaven or hell. There are no other choices. The only thing that determines your ending point is whether you've placed your faith in Christ. Nothing a person can do or say will change that. Ephesians 2:8-9 says, "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- not by works, so that no one can boast.”
One of the reasons I wanted to blog was because I am by nature a relatively shy person. I have a lot of things I would like to share but I am not naturally going to speak up and do that. Also, I love the idea of sharing my faith in Christ to the world through this blog. The last thing Jesus told his disciples to do was to go and make disciples of all nations. What easier way is there than to talk about my faith online!
If you are reading this blog right now, you have the ability to choose your ultimate destination. Place you faith in Christ and choose the destination of heaven. Then ask him for help along the way. The road will be full of bumps but He who has saved you will see you through.
Philippians 3:12-14 “ Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”
Hebrews 10:23 “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.”
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Bloom Where You Are Planted
Did you ever find yourself thinking things like, if only I worked somewhere else, if only I had a different boss, if only I had different co-workers, if only my husband/wife only understood me better, etc....... This is what I call the “if only” syndrome. Somehow you think life would be infinitely better if only _________.
God know who you are, He knows where you are, and He has plan for all of it. Sometimes we can't see that plan when we are in the midst of difficult circumstances but He will see you through the hard times in your life. I have had several occasions where I just didn't understand why God could let certain things happen in my life. Now, looking back on it, I can see His plan and I understand. I think sometimes God allows us to experience certain hardships so that we can minister to someone else later on who is going through the same thing. We can't understand that but God sees all things from the beginning of time until the end and He knows why things happen.
In Philippians 4:11, Paul writes "I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances." Wherever you are in life, take time to look around you and find things to be thankful for. Paul says he has learned to be content. That implies that there was a process involved. He wasn't automatically content. It was something he was taught to be through the circumstances in his life. In verse 4 of that same chapter Paul says, "Rejoice in the Lord always." No matter what is going on in your life, God knows about it. Nothing takes him by surprise. He never wonders what is going to happen next. He never questions anything or learns anything new. Rest in the fact that God sees the beginning and the end, he loves you, and he has a wonderful plan for your life.
Just as a flower has no choice in where it is planted, we often are in situations beyond our control. So simply choose to bloom where you are planted.
God know who you are, He knows where you are, and He has plan for all of it. Sometimes we can't see that plan when we are in the midst of difficult circumstances but He will see you through the hard times in your life. I have had several occasions where I just didn't understand why God could let certain things happen in my life. Now, looking back on it, I can see His plan and I understand. I think sometimes God allows us to experience certain hardships so that we can minister to someone else later on who is going through the same thing. We can't understand that but God sees all things from the beginning of time until the end and He knows why things happen.
In Philippians 4:11, Paul writes "I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances." Wherever you are in life, take time to look around you and find things to be thankful for. Paul says he has learned to be content. That implies that there was a process involved. He wasn't automatically content. It was something he was taught to be through the circumstances in his life. In verse 4 of that same chapter Paul says, "Rejoice in the Lord always." No matter what is going on in your life, God knows about it. Nothing takes him by surprise. He never wonders what is going to happen next. He never questions anything or learns anything new. Rest in the fact that God sees the beginning and the end, he loves you, and he has a wonderful plan for your life.
Just as a flower has no choice in where it is planted, we often are in situations beyond our control. So simply choose to bloom where you are planted.
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Staying on Track
Yesterday I wrote about starting over. I wrote about how you can decide to make changes any day in your life and that you don't have to wait for Jan 1st.
Deciding to make the change is sometimes the easy part. Sticking to that change and breaking old habits can be the hard part. Whenever I try to make changes in my life, I often revert to my old tendencies. Often times I end up in despair and give up.
Paul wrote about this in Romans 7:13 - 24. He describes our struggle against the flesh when he says, "I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do." He goes on to say, "For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out."
Trying to get our act together on our own is very frustrating and even impossible. We need to realize two things. 1) God does not require us to "get it together" before we come to him. We simply come to Him just as we are. 2) We can't do it on our own. We need God's help and with His help all things are possible.
The Holy Spirit is ready and waiting to help you make changes in your life. You don't have to go it alone. You need to choose to act on God's promises to help you. Then you need to prepare for battle. Arm yourself with the Word of God, prayer, and a godly friend who can encourage you through your tough times.
Remember that each day you stay on track, you are one step closer to breaking old habits and making new ones.
Galatians 5:16 "live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature."
Matthew 19:26 "with God all things are possible."
Deciding to make the change is sometimes the easy part. Sticking to that change and breaking old habits can be the hard part. Whenever I try to make changes in my life, I often revert to my old tendencies. Often times I end up in despair and give up.
Paul wrote about this in Romans 7:13 - 24. He describes our struggle against the flesh when he says, "I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do." He goes on to say, "For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out."
Trying to get our act together on our own is very frustrating and even impossible. We need to realize two things. 1) God does not require us to "get it together" before we come to him. We simply come to Him just as we are. 2) We can't do it on our own. We need God's help and with His help all things are possible.
The Holy Spirit is ready and waiting to help you make changes in your life. You don't have to go it alone. You need to choose to act on God's promises to help you. Then you need to prepare for battle. Arm yourself with the Word of God, prayer, and a godly friend who can encourage you through your tough times.
Remember that each day you stay on track, you are one step closer to breaking old habits and making new ones.
Galatians 5:16 "live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature."
Matthew 19:26 "with God all things are possible."
Monday, January 7, 2008
Resolutions
I'm back! What was suppose to be two wonderful weeks off, turned into two weeks of illness. Hopefully I'm going to shake this thing soon. Here's what I've been thinking about lately…
I've always been one to make New Years Resolutions. Nothing too earth shattering but I like to take the time to examine what I'm doing with my life, where I'm headed and what I need to change in order to get to the desired destination.
I think it is a good thing to examine your life and see how you are doing. I think God is pleased when we think through our resolutions but He desires us to do this on a daily basis not a yearly basis. What is so special about waiting until Jan 1st to decide to make changes? If there's something in your life that isn't right, God is waiting and wanting you to make it right.
Use the beginning of this new year to make some new starts. Perhaps you want to start a prayer journal, a daily quiet time, a fast, regular church attendance, etc ........... God is all about new beginnings and second chances. All we have to do is decide to start now.
How do we get started? Just do it. Make each day a goal of its' own. You can't look to the finish line. Did I have a quiet time every day this year? But instead make it, did I have my quiet time today. Did I do the right thing today? Did I reach out to someone who needed it today?
So resolve this year, to make each day a new starting point. If you blew it yesterday, just tell God you blew it, and start again. Life is about what you do with today. No one is guaranteed tomorrow. Live in the moment and walk with Jesus every moment. He loves you and is waiting to help you through each and every moment of every day.
You don't need to wait until Jan 1st to make changes in your life. You can make them each and every day. Make your decision. Trust God and then go for it!
1 John 1:9 – “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”
2 Corinthians 5:17 " Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! "
I've always been one to make New Years Resolutions. Nothing too earth shattering but I like to take the time to examine what I'm doing with my life, where I'm headed and what I need to change in order to get to the desired destination.
I think it is a good thing to examine your life and see how you are doing. I think God is pleased when we think through our resolutions but He desires us to do this on a daily basis not a yearly basis. What is so special about waiting until Jan 1st to decide to make changes? If there's something in your life that isn't right, God is waiting and wanting you to make it right.
Use the beginning of this new year to make some new starts. Perhaps you want to start a prayer journal, a daily quiet time, a fast, regular church attendance, etc ........... God is all about new beginnings and second chances. All we have to do is decide to start now.
How do we get started? Just do it. Make each day a goal of its' own. You can't look to the finish line. Did I have a quiet time every day this year? But instead make it, did I have my quiet time today. Did I do the right thing today? Did I reach out to someone who needed it today?
So resolve this year, to make each day a new starting point. If you blew it yesterday, just tell God you blew it, and start again. Life is about what you do with today. No one is guaranteed tomorrow. Live in the moment and walk with Jesus every moment. He loves you and is waiting to help you through each and every moment of every day.
You don't need to wait until Jan 1st to make changes in your life. You can make them each and every day. Make your decision. Trust God and then go for it!
1 John 1:9 – “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”
2 Corinthians 5:17 " Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! "
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