WHEN THEY CRITICIZE YOU, "BLESS THEM."

1 Peter 3:9; says, "Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing." Hmmm! Ralph Waldo Emerson was very astute in his observation when he pointed out that, "In every man there is something of which I may learn of him, and in that he is my teacher." When it comes to those who criticize us the most, what Emerson says is so true. They may be prejudiced and so often miss the mark by overstating their case. The cutting statements they make about us will obviously make the anger in is boil or even arouse a natural antagonism toward them. But when you look at what they say, their comments may contain a grain of truth. If nothing else, their criticisms should remind us that perhaps our actions and motives do not appear as pure and worthy to others as we think they are.

It is natural in us all to have a tendency to want to retaliate when someone questions our motives and our actions. But the Scriptures tell us to respond differently. Take Matthew 5:38-48; for instance or Romans 12:17-21; You should look them up yourself they are too long to insert here. We are instructed to pray for those who criticize us, and we are to bless them, not only because it's right but also because we may learn something from them that will help us become better persons.
I would suggest that if you really want to be a wise person, listen to your critics. Adverse or negative remarks could be a blessing in disguise if you take a positive attitude and derive from them a new understanding of your own shortcomings.
The response we make to our critics is really a judgment on our own character. I used to justify myself, and frame some alibi. But now I listen to my critics and all the harder I try! Our critics are the unpaid guardians of our souls Corrie Ten Boom once said.
Go ahead, let them criticize, and no, you do not need to accept the criticism, but you should at least take the time to see if there is something there to learn that will help you. How do you feel when someone criticizes you? Post your comment.
Have a blessed day. 

Pastor Bob

A SHORT BIBLE STUDY FOR YOU

A SERIES OF EARTHS, 1-2-3-4&5.

Most people are surprised to learn that the Bible reveals that we are currently living on earth number three and that there are two earths yet to come.

Earth 1

The first earth was the one created in the beginning (Genesis 1:1). It was perfect in every respect (Genesis 1:31). But because of Man's sin, God placed a curse upon the earth (Genesis 3: 17-19).

Have you ever stopped to think what a "perfect" earth must have been like? There certainly were no meat-eating animals or poisonous animals or poisonous plants. All of nature was at peace with itself and with Man. Adam and Eve did not have to strive against nature in order to produce their food. And there were no natural cataclysms like tornados, hurricanes, tsunamis, and earthquakes.

The Bible indicates that the curse radically altered the nature of God's original creation. Instead of Man exercising dominion over nature, as originally planned (Genesis 1:26, 28), nature rose up in conflict with Man, as poisonous plants, carnivorous animals and climatic cataclysms suddenly appeared.

Earth 2

The curse radically altered the original earth, but the second earth was still quite different from the one we live on today. There is much biblical evidence in both Genesis and Job that the second earth had a thick vapor canopy which shielded life from the ultraviolet radiation of the sun, contributing to the long life spans recorded in Genesis (see Genesis 2:5-6 and Job 38:8-11).

The whole earth was like a greenhouse with thick vegetation growing everywhere, even at the poles. There was also probably only one large land mass.

Once again the sinful rebellion of Mankind motivated God to change the nature of the earth (Genesis 6:11-13). The change agent this time was water. It appears that God caused the vapor canopy to collapse (Genesis 7:11). He also caused "fountains of the great deep" to break forth upon the surface of the earth (Genesis 7:11).

Earth 3

Like the curse, the flood radically altered the nature of the earth. It produced the third earth, the earth we live on now.

The earth tilted on its axis, forming the polar caps. The unified land mass was split apart, forming the continents as we now know them (which is why they fit together like a jigsaw puzzle — see Genesis 10:25).And the vapor canopy was so completely depleted that ultraviolet radiation began to reach the earth in unprecedented levels, resulting in greatly reduced life spans, first to 120 years and then to 70 years.

The Bible reveals that the current earth will be radically changed again at the Second Advent of Jesus. The change agents will be earthquakes on the earth and supernatural phenomena in the heavens.

The changes produced will so totally alter the earth and its atmosphere that Isaiah refers to "the new heavens and the new earth" which will exist during the reign of the Lord (Isaiah 65:17).

Earth 4

The fourth earth — the millennial earth — will be very different from the present earth. The earthquakes that will produce it will be the most severe in history.

Every valley will be lifted, every mountain will be lowered, and every island will be moved (Revelation 6:12-14 and 16:17-21). Jerusalem will be lifted up, and Mt. Zion will become the highest of all the mountains (Zechariah 14:10 and Micah 4:1).

The vapor canopy will likely be restored because life spans will be expanded to what they were at the beginning of time (Isaiah 65:20, 22).

Further evidence that the vapor canopy will be restored is to be found in the fact that all the earth will become abundant once again with lush vegetation (Isaiah 30:23-26 and Amos 9:13-14). The Dead Sea will also become alive (Ezekiel 47:1-9).

Most important, the curse will be partially lifted, making it possible for Man to be reconciled to nature and for nature to be reconciled to itself. The wolf will dwell with the lamb because the wolf will no longer be carnivorous. The nursing child will play with the cobra because the cobra will no longer be poisonous (Isaiah 11:8).

Earth 5

But Satan's last revolt at the end of the Millennium will leave the earth polluted and devastated (Revelation 20:7-9). Thus, at the end of the Lord's reign, God will take the Redeemed off the earth, place them in the New Jerusalem, and then cleanse the earth with fire (2 Peter 3:10-13).

In other words, God will superheat this earth in a fiery inferno and then reshape it like a hot ball of wax. The result will be the "new heavens and new earth" prophesied in Isaiah 66 and Revelation 21.

This will be the fifth earth, the perfected, eternal earth where the Redeemed will spend eternity in the New Jerusalem in the presence of God (Revelation 21:1-4). The curse will be completely lifted from this earth (Revelation 22:3). I'm willing to bet this shakes up a few heavy thinkers.

THE END OF THE CURRENT NATURAL WORLD

Many Christians believe that at the end of the Lord's millennial reign the cosmos will be consumed with fire and cease to exist. A corollary of this is a belief that since the material universe will cease to exist, the Redeemed will live eternally in a non-material, ethereal spirit world called Heaven.

These beliefs are derived from a passage in 2 Peter 3: that says, "The day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up" (2 Peter 3:10). If that's all the Bible had to say about the matter, then we could rightfully conclude that the material universe will one day come to an end.

But a few verses later the same passage states that according to the promise of God (Isaiah 66:22), we can live "looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells" (2 Peter 3:13). Further, the same passage refers to the original earth as having been "destroyed" by water (2 Peter 3:5-6). This does not mean that it ceased to exist. What it means is that the original earth was radically changed by the Noahic Flood. In like manner, the current earth will be destroyed by fire, meaning it will be radically changed, not that it will cease to exist.

This interpretation is sustained by the fact that the Bible teaches that the current earth is eternal: "Generations come and generations go, but the earth remains forever" (Ecclesiastes 1:4; see also Psalm 78:69 and Psalm 148:6).\

Revelation 21: affirms that the Redeemed will live forever on a new earth in the presence of God. As verse 3 puts it, "the tabernacle of God" will be "among men." In other words, Heaven will come to earth — to the new, renovated and perfected earth that has been cleansed of all the pollution of Satan's last revolt at the end of the Millennium. So it seems to me that this earth will still be here but everything about it will be destroyed and we will start fresh and new. That is, everything made new by the hand of God so we can live in a clean environment made by Him.

THE END OF THE CURRENT WORLD SYSTEM

At the end of the Tribulation, when the Second Coming occurs, the current world system will also come to an end. When I refer to the"world system," I am talking about the way human society has operated since Adam and Eve were ejected from the Garden of Eden.

All the societies of the world, despite their particular forms of government and their types of economies have revolved around the ego of Man. They have thus been characterized by unrighteousness and injustice and war. Greed has ruled supreme. Power has always corrupted. The dispossessed have been exploited. Winston Churchill perhaps summed it up best when he observed, "Democracy is the worst form of government except all those other forms that have been tried from time to time."

Since the beginning of human history, people have yearned for a world of peace, righteousness and justice. Time and time again they have placed their hopes in politicians who have promised them the moon, and time and time again their hopes have been dashed. But the good news of God's Prophetic Word is that the current world system is doomed.

Jesus is returning to institute a radically new world system. It will be a theocracy characterized by the rule of the rod of iron (Psalm 2:7-9 andRevelation 2:27). He will reign as King of kings and Lord of lords from Mount Zion in Jerusalem (Revelation 19:16). His Word will be the law of all nations, and it will be enforced worldwide by those of us who will be reigning with Him in glorified bodies (Isaiah 2:2-4 and Daniel 7:13-14, 18, & 27).

There will be no political parties, pressure groups or legislatures. Greed will be replaced with decisions based on fairness and equity (Isaiah 11:4-5). Vulgarity will give way to holiness (Zechariah 14:20-21).Poverty will be swallowed up in abundance (Micah 4:4). Righteousness and justice will be fulfilled (Isaiah 11:3b-5). Peace will flood the world as the waters cover the seas (Micah 4:3). Don't you think like I do? We need an end to the world system as we know it and we need the Lord to control what goes on.

THE END OF THE CURRENT AGE

The Bible teaches that Mankind entered a whole new age on the Day of Pentecost in approximately 30 AD.24 On that day the Holy Spirit fell upon the Apostles and they were empowered to preach the Gospel(Acts 2:1-4). Peter preached the first Gospel sermon, and the Church was established when three thousand people responded and accepted Jesus as their Messiah (Acts 2:14-41). We have been living in the Church Age ever since.

The Age of the Last Days also began on the Day of Pentecost. The prophet Joel had prophesied that in the "last days" God would pour out His Spirit upon all mankind (Joel 2:28 and Acts 2:17). When the three thousand responded to Peter's sermon, they were filled with the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38), and all believers have received that gift since that time. The writer of Hebrews referred to his day and time in the First Century as "the last days" (Hebrews 1:2). The Apostle Peter did the same thing in his writings (1 Peter 1:5 & 20). And the Apostle John called his day the "last hour" (1 John 2:18).

Before Jesus died and the Church Age began, He referred to His day as"the times of the Gentiles" (Luke 21:24). He was referring to the period of time when the Jewish people would live under Gentile domination without a king anointed by God. That period began in 586 BC when Israel was conquered by Babylon, the Davidic monarchy was ended, and the Jewish people were carried away into captivity. This period continues to this day simultaneously with the Church Age because the Jews still suffer from Gentile domination, and their God-anointed monarchy has not been restored. The Church Age will conclude when the Church is taken out of this world on the day of the Rapture (1 Thessalonians 4:13- 18). The Second Coming of Jesus, approximately seven years later will mark the end of the Age of the Last Days. It will also mark the end of the Times of the Gentiles. I believe we are in those last moments.

I hope you were able to make some sense of this little study on earth and times to come. Let me know what you received from it if anything. I appreciate all input, good bad or indifferent.

Blessings, Pastor Bob

YOU MAY BE DOWN, BUT YOU'RE NOT OUT!

Philippians 4:7; says, "The peace of God...will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus". What person would not want that kind of peace?  The 18th century author Samuel Johnson was noted for his wit, sensitivity, and his encyclopedic knowledge. He found solitude depressing. That is why he often took home the poor and homeless so that he could be surrounded by people. He also confessed that he had a deep fear of dying. An Encyclopedia Britannica article, however, speaks of Johnson's "zest for living." It characterizes him as a "Christian Moralist" with a strong conviction of the reality of sin and of redemption provided through faith in Jesus Christ. It also says that "his faith prevailed," because when he knew he was dying, "he refused to take any medications because he prayed that he might render (present)his soul to God unclouded." The article concludes, "Few men have left finer examples of the art of living than Samuel Johnson." I have known many believers with a disposition like that. Most of them went through repeated cycles of joy and gloom. And when they were down, merely quoting Bible verses helped a little because they were already aware of them. But they kept living for God and praying, and their faith prevailed. The "peace of God" filled their hearts (Philippians 4:7;). That's good news for all of us, especially for those who go through times of doubt and despair. It has been said, "Whenever the darkness grips your soul, And you are tempted to despair, Remember Christ's unfailing love, And trust His faithful care." When life is filled with shadows, face the sunshine of God's love. I hope you have a blessed day. If you have a comment or a testimony relating to this subject, please feel free to post it. I will review it of course before it appears.  Blessings to you. Pastor Bob 

BLESSED FRIENDSHIP

Let's discuss the subject of friends. Oscar Wilde wrote this about Bernard Shaw. "Shaw hasn't an enemy in the world. And none of his friends like him!" When I read author Jeremy Thorpe's misquoting of a Bible concept, I had to laugh out loud. Thorpe wrote, "Greater love hath no man than this, that he lay down his friends for his life." Unfortunately there are so many who actually abide by that fractured command. Someone else ventured, "A friend in need...is a pest!" Ah, but a real friend, now we're talking!

We all have many acquaintances whom we appreciate and enjoy. A friend is another dimension. A friend is someone who has been at your side through the proverbial "thick and thin." That friend knows you on your good days and the bad ones. But, they never vary from their appreciation for you. You can probably count the number of those friends on your ten fingers, especially if the duration of that friendship has been for decades. Daphne and I are so blessed to have such friends.

Of course the best friend we have is 'Jesus'. He promised to never leave us nor forsake us. Unlike Thorpe's misquote, Jesus laid down His life for His friends.
Lyricist J.C. Ludgate wrote, "A friend when other friendships cease, a friend when others fail, a friend who gives me joy and peace, a friend who will prevail! Friendship with Jesus, fellowship divine! Oh what blessed sweet communion, Jesus is a friend of mine!"
Our walk with Jesus is not religion. Far from it. It is a blessed friendship!

If you are unaware of who this friend is, His name is Jesus and He wants to be your Savior. All you need do is acknowledge Him today, admit you are a sinner, ask Him to forgive you and come into your heart. He will!! And He will be the friend that sticks closer than a brother. 
Please feel free to comment below and let me know if you accepted Christ as your Savior. i would love to pray with and for you.


(If you have a comment, click below and thanks in advance. If you would like to support this ministry in any way, please click the donate button at the top right of this page. Thank you and the Lord Bless You.) 
Pastor Robert Coutts 

YOU SAID, GOD'S LOVE IS "HOW BIG"?

Now there is a question that deserves an answer. How big is God's love? I doubt there is anything tangible enough on this earth to describe how big it is. Let's go somewhere together for a moment though. Let's go to the universe. How big is the universe? Well, if you were to ask an astronomer, undoubtedly he/she would say that the universe contains trillions of stars, and that the most distant galaxies are billions of what we call 'light years' away. Not just thousands, or millions or even billions of stars, but trillions of them spread across the vastness of space we call the universe.

I guess it is the incomprehensible figures like that that make it easy for doubters to doubt the Bible and they conclude that it is impossible for them to believe the Bible in light of those figures. I guess further they conclude that in light of those numbers, earth and humans seem insignificant. But these mind boggling dimensions should not or need not shake our faith. Instead I think we can use them to increase our faith and our awe as we take into account the message of His divine grace.
In Psalm 8: for example, the author marvels at God's creation and mankind's smallness. But then look! He breaks out into praise for God's greatness and care for us. (Read it for yourself and check it out).
To think that the Creator who made and upholds all this immensity has focused His redemptive love on tiny creatures like you and I, and sinful creatures at that, is literally mind boggling in itself! He cherishes us individually! And, He cherishes us as if each one of us were the 'sole' object of that fatherly attention. I don't know about your thought pattern right now, but mine says, "WOW!" It is amazing, as Paul testified, that Christ "loved me and gave Himself for me" (Galatians 2:20;). Are you weeping right now? I am. Tears of joy for the amazing love of God for me!
Instead of shaking our faith, I think the findings of astronomy should fill our souls, and hearts with the wonder of God. The immensity of God's creation can remind us of the immensity of God's love.
In creation we see God's hand; in redemption we see His heart. Did you know that His heart is fixed on you right now. Amazing, isn't it.
Please feel free to leave a comment on God's amazing love for you.
Pastor Robert Coutts

LET THE MUD DRY!

I hope you don't mind, but I felt that I should follow up on yesterday's post with another thought that seemed to go right along with the topic of being criticized. I was reading in Proverbs and I came across Proverbs 15:18; which states, "A wrathful man stirs up strife, but he who is slow to anger allays contention." Simply put, take your time in answering when you are angry and the fight will naturally fizzle out. Anger is a strong and even potentially destructive emotion emitting from the hearts of people who can lose control of it. When we are personally offended and we get our feelings hurt by others for example, our immediate reaction is to want to retaliate and "tell that person off". Well, sometimes confrontation to resolve a difference may be necessary, but more often than not, using restraint and allowing for a cooling off period is proper wisdom. I did read a story once about a man who had been insulted by someone else and he was irate over the issue to the point that he said, "I am going to his house right now and demand an apology!" His smart, and might I say wise wife said to him, "Honey, take a word of advice from one who does not like confrontation but likes peace. An insult is like mud; it will brush off much better when it dries. Wait till you are both cool, and you will both be able to resolve the issue. If you go right now, it will only escalate the argument further." The result of his waiting was good, because the next day the person who had insulted him came to him and asked him for forgiveness. Now, I know that not all problems have these kinds of happy endings, but the possibilities are greatly increased when we are 'slow to wrath'. So, the next time you are driven to anger by someone offending you or by some cutting remark against you, try counting to a hundred or something if necessary. Take some time to cool off. Time and God are on your side. Remember, 'mud always brushes off better when it is dry! And, here's another thought, "Anger is just one letter short of danger." I hope this helps when you are faced with a situation that requires calm and not anger. If you have faced some time like that and want to share, please post your comment. Have a great day.  Pastor Bob