Unbolt The Door To Your Heart

Tag: grace

  • Righteous

    “Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous”. Psalms 1:5 KJV

    “Sinners won’t have an excuse on the day of judgment, and they won’t have a place with the people of God”.  Psalms 1:5 CEV

    Who are the Righteous in the above verse? Who are the Sinners in the above verse?

    I love this definition of Righteous.

    Those who honor God and order their lives in all things according to His will. In every human relationship they faithfully fulfill the obligations that the relationship entails. Remembering that in all things, work, home, speech, social, political, economic, and religion, are to be used to bless others and never to exploit and never condemn.

    A righteous person in the Bible is in a right relationship with God and others, living in active alignment with God’s standards rather than relying purely on moral self-sufficiency. While not sinless, a righteous person seeks to respond to God’s grace with a transformed life.

    The true definitions of wicked or sinners is a person who refuses to be transformed and lives a life in separation from God. This applies to those who proclaim to be a Christian, a follower of Jesus, yet cannot surrender control to Him and to those that totally reject God and all His ways.

    The Original words for a righteous person.

    • Hebrew (Tsaddiq): In the Old Testament, the word describes someone who acts with justice, integrity, and fairness, maintaining a straight and true path aligned and transformed  with God’s design.

    • Greek (Dikaios): In the New Testament, it refers to someone who is approved or justified in the sight of God.

    Psalm 1:5 states that wicked people will not be able to defend themselves or survive during God’s final judgment, nor will they belong to the community of righteous people.

    • No standing in judgment: They lack spiritual stability. When God evaluates people, they will fail the test and face condemnation rather than acquittal.

    • No place among the godly: They are permanently separated from the assembly and fellowship of those who follow God.

    • Two paths: Psalm 1 contrasts two types of lives. Righteous people are rooted in God’s word like a healthy tree, while wicked people are unstable and easily blown away like dry chaff.

    • Ultimate accountability: This verse serves as a serious warning that personal choices have permanent, eternal consequences before God

    • Grace over merit: Christian teachers such as Trevin Wax frequently note that heaven is not populated by people who believe they are inherently good or deserving, famously summarized as: “Hell is full of people who think they deserve heaven; heaven is full of people who know they deserve hell”.

    Blaise Pascal’s remark that “there are only two kinds of men: the righteous who think they are sinners and the sinners who think they are righteous”), true righteousness is coupled with humility.

    • Recognition of inadequacy: According to these teachings, those who enter heaven are individuals who recognize their own sin and inability to save themselves, relying instead on the mercy and sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

    • Faith as the basis: Salvation is understood as an unearned gift received through repentance and faith in Jesus, rather than the result of good works or moral superiority.

    Heaven is viewed as a gift of divine grace rather than a reward for personal merit.

    Take an honest look at yourself in the mirror. Do you see the face of Jesus covering your face?

    Remember it is not a religion it is a relationship.

    Prayers and Love for all mankind.

    Larry

  • Are You The Reason?

    “As it is written: “God’s name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.” Romans 2: 24 NIV

    “I will show the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, the name you have profaned among them”. Ezekiel 36:23a NIV

    Are you the reason non-believers do not believe in God?

    I was recently in a bible study when a young lady shared with us her introduction to God and why she did not want to become a follower of God.  She is a waitress at a restaurant a few blocks away from several churches. She admitted that the worst days to work are Saturday lunch and Sunday lunch. When asked why she said, “that is the time when the church people get out of church and come to eat, they are some of the worst customers we get all week”. She went on to explain that they are the rudest and impatient customers when something goes wrong with their order.  They are very unforgiving.

    Does your waitress want to know your God when she messes up your order?  Do your words and actions reflect God’s forgiving grace or Satan’s condemnation?

    “Let me give you a new command: Love one another. In the same way I loved you, you love one another. This is how everyone will recognize that you are my disciples—when they see the love you have for each other”. John 13: 34-35 The Message

    Ask yourself and be honest. Are my actions today the reason someone does not want to get to know God? 

    How did I represent God in the aisle of the store, when a person cuts me off in line, in the car while driving, or when I am talking to a representative of a company that I feel has done me wrong.

    When you realize that every word, action or behavior points to either God or Satan. Then and only then can the Holy Spirit start the transformation.

    You were called to be a different person, a person that does not love the world or its behavior. A person that reflects God in every situation or circumstance. A person who does not read or watch the news that only condemns. A person who is not watching TV programs that have questionable activity in them.  A person who is not online posting praise about politicians and their actions and criticism of other politicians or people that think differently.

    You are called to be a person that does not rip phones out of the wall but truly shows forgiveness and grace to all.

    Letting your daily actions, words, and choices reflect Christ’s love and truth.

    Ways to Point Others to God:

    Show Love and Grace: Treat people with kindness, patience, and forgiveness, just as Jesus loves and forgives us.

    Live Consistently: Let your faith guide your behavior every day, not just when you are at church or around other believers.

    Serve Selflessly: Help those in need and share what you have with others to bring honor to God.

    Speak Truth with Care: Share the message of the Gospel with gentle respect and clear love.

    Work with Integrity: Do your daily work and tasks with a good attitude, as if you are working directly for the Lord.

    What God are you representing today?

    “With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness.  Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.” James 3:9-12 NIV

    Remember it is not a religion it is a Relationship.

    Prayers and Love for All.

    Larry

  • Isaiah 6

    Isaiah Six is a very powerful chapter on the transformation of the prophet Isaiah and the same transformation that must take place in every believer.

    Isaiah starts by seeing and experiencing the Holiness of God. The Lord is seated on the throne in the temple. The train of His robe fills the whole temple.  This is symbolic of the Lord’s infinite majesty, supreme authority and is showing that God’s glory is greater than any earthly king and it leaves no room for anyone else to rule in the temple or the universe.

    Above the Lord were seraphs and they were constantly praising God with song and voices. Verse three tells us what they were saying and verse four tells us how they were proclaiming the Holiness of God.

    The sound of their voices shook the doorposts and thresholds of the temple.  Oh, what a worship service and witness it would be if your praise at church shook the ground for the neighborhood to hear, see, and feel what God is doing for You.

    Immediately in verse 5 Isaiah recognizes his sinful condition and that he is not worthy of standing in the temple or the vicinity of God. When we realize the holiness and greatness of God and His presence, the more we realize our sinful condition. God’s absolute purity acts like a bright light that exposes even the smallest flaws in our hearts.

    “When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” Luke 5:8 NIV

    Isaiah realizes that he has no right to be in the presence of such holiness and purity. He shouts out in fear of being put to death, for he has experienced the presence of the Lord.

    “Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.” Isaiah 6: 6-7 NIV

    This is where the transformation starts.  You realize your sinfulness and impurity. You humble yourself before the Great “I AM”.  God’s presence in your life brings about complete surrender and humility. You realize that there is nothing you are going to do to become clean.  You cannot wash yourself.  No amount of working at scrubbing is going to get you ready for the presence of God.

    Immediately upon being touched by the coal Isaiah is clean. “Your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.” Isaiah 6:7 NIV

    The coal was radiant white with heat from being in the altar before God.  That whiteness of that heat brought complete forgiveness and atonement to Isaiah. God accepts the Purity  of His Son to bring Purity to you and me.

    This cleanliness changed Isaiah. He immediately hears the voice of God asking, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” Isaiah 6:8 NIV

    This is such an important part in the transformation of a person from believing that they are worthless to being forgiven clothed in the white robe of Jesus. Don’t underestimate this part of the transformation. 

    The change is once he hears God’s calling to witness unto others, to take the message to others. Isaiah stands up and starts shouting “Here I am, Send Me”. Isaiah 6:8 NIV 

    This is how it should be in everyone that has accepted the saving grace of God.  You should immediately be so excited to share this wonderful message with all. You have been forgiven and cleansed and you cannot wait to share it with everyone. It is shown in your personality, the glow on your face and the love in your eyes for everyone. In your daily interactions in person or on social media. There is no more negativity or condemnation in anything you do. You did not deserve to be touched by the hot coal and forgiven. God saved you because He loves you. No act like it and live a life worthy of what God has done for you.

    “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes”. Romans 1:16 NIV

    God then tells Isaiah to go and tell but gives a warning. In verse nine and ten God explains that most people will not listen because their ears will not understand because their hearts have become calloused. They only want to hear what tickles their ears and gladdens their hearts.

    This is the problem with believers.  They hear the saving words, but it does not change them. They are believers that hear the word, the seed, that the workers have cast upon the ground.  They hear and sprout up only to die when the heat hits because they did not change their behavior and put down a foundation deep into Jesus. It was just a surface religion.

    Isaiah asks how long he should continue to spread the good news of salvation. God’s response is until the end of time. 

    God then gave some good news.  He has reserved a tenth of the population that has never bowed down a knee to the world and its ways. Those people shall be the holy seed that goes forward in the name of the Lord.

    What a wonderful promise of eternity is in this chapter for those that accept the saving grace of God the Father and accept the changes that this brings. They allow this saving Grace to change their behavior, words and actions.

    Read this chapter every morning.  Let it sink deep within and let the Holy Spirit transform you. Surrender all to Him and go forth today in a manner that brings glory to God.

    Remember it is not a religion it is a relationship.

    Prayers and Love for all.

    Larry