Bullseye!

Many people have heard the word "sin", but I don't know that we all realize the seriousness of sin. The Bible says in Romans 3:23 "For ALL have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God." Later in the book of Romans 6:23, we read that "The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." What is sin? Sin literally means "to miss the mark". What is the mark that we are missing? The mark is God's Holiness. In order to experience a relationship with God-We MUST BE PERFECT!! That is what holiness is.
Picture a bullseye. Right smack dab in the middle of that dartboard is a tiny little circle. In order to be perfect you would have to hit that mark EVERY SINGLE TIME you threw the dart. One tiny bit off in any direction would be less than perfect. That's the way it is when we try to measure up to God's perfect standard. There are no "little sins". Just one "little sin" is enough to keep us from having a relationship with God. That is why God sent his son Jesus to die on the cross for our sin. Jesus was the only person that could bridge the gap between sinful man and Holy God. Jesus is the BULLSEYE! You can be kind to your neighbors, help out those in need, go to church, and do all kinds of great things, but the Bible says that "He who stumbles at one point, is guilty of breaking all of it." I have always been a pretty good person, but pretty good isn't good enough. In order to hit the BULLSEYE, Romans 10:9 says, "That if you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord', and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved."

Just another Sunday

For many people, this will be just another Sunday. A day just like any other day. No different than the rest. For many, it will be another day to fill a seat in church, just like many Sundays before. Many will simply enjoy this day as a day to rest up from a long week, only to face the world again bright and early Monday morning. I hope that you spent the day in worship. A straightforward definition of worship from dictionary.com is:

worship (v) To regard with ardent or adoring esteem or devotion.

Notice that worship is a verb! It is not simply a service that we attend on Sunday mornings. Worship is something that we can engage in at anytime, anywhere. You might conclude, by looking at that definition, that many people are engaged in worship at a concert, football game, or even at the local shopping mall. These are all things that we may find ourself "...regarding with ardent or adoring esteem or devotion." I have certainly been guilty of this type of esteem or devotion, especially when one of my children is playing on sport's teams, giving a piano recital, or playing a special part in a drama. I am NOT a quiet, sidelines mom! My mouth can yell, scream, and cheer with the best of them. The problem occurs when we find ourself thinking about, dreaming about, and focusing all of our attention on a certain object, event, or activity.

Only one person deserves our "..ardent or adoring esteem or devotion." That is God, the Father, who "... so loved the world that he gave His one and only son.." (John 3:16 NIV) Not only did God send His one and only Son, He sent His Son, Jesus, to die on the cross for our sins-past, present, and future! Only in Christianity do we find our Savior dying for US! Virtually all other religions hold us responsible for our own Salvation through good works, good deeds, or good living. Isaiah 54:6, says that "...all our righteous acts are like filthy rags..." (NIV) The good news is that you don't have to be good enough-Jesus took care of it all when he died on the cross for our sins. All that is required on our part is for us to admit that we are sinners, and believe that Jesus died on the cross to save us from our sins. It's that simple!

I hope that you have found Jesus, the "One and Only" as your Savior. If you haven't, email me and I would be glad to show you how you can know MY Savior!!!