"Freedom Isn't Free"

“Oh freedom, oh freedom, oh freedom over me

And before I'd be a slave I'll be buried in my grave

And go home to my Lord and be free…”

By Lucy Kinchen

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With February being Black History Month, I take pause to reflect on the many strides made by African American people in our struggle for freedom. To those that know me it should be no surprise that my focus is on the successes made by men of color in the U.S. Military. As I traced the wartime history of this country I was reminded that African American males have defended democracy ever since the American Revolution.

It seems the powers that be had no misgivings when allowing Crispus Attucks to fall from the first shot fired during the Boston Massacre, nor did they hide from us the heroic charge of the 54^th Massachusetts, against the impenetrable Fort Wagner during the Civil War.

Yet when I fast-forward to the Second World War, I’m puzzled at how soon military officials forgot the past contributions and heroics demonstrated by men of color. Although they were allowed to enlist, they were not given permission to fight; at least not in the beginning.

Experiments were conducted at facilities such as Tuskegee Alabama, Montford Point, Camp Mackall North Carolina, and extremely racist Fort Hood Texas. Not only was it believed that these men could not handle the pressures of facing a fierce enemy in heated battle; but they were also incapable of demonstrating the technical intelligence and skill required to operate sophisticated aircraft, and armored vehicles. It was also believed that they couldn’t perform as paratroopers.

None the less, they overcame the steryo-types, and the prejudices to become the best Soldiers, Seaman, Airman, and Marines the world has ever known…So with great pride and honor I salute the Pilots of the 332^nd Attack Squadron, the Sailors of the USS Mason; I salute the efforts of the 761^st Tank Battalion, and the 555^th Paratroopers. I also salute the men who made up the “Red Ball Express” from the 102^nd Division, and last but definitely not least; the Marines of Montford Point.

Those heroic men proved that the freedoms which both they and the United States fought for did not come free or cheap; they paid a high price to achieve it.  

Because of the fight for freedom, you and I are free to live our life in any manner we choose. Speaking for myself, I made the decision that I was gonna live my life to the fullest. Much like me, many of you made the same choice. Suffice it to say, many of us lived as riotous as possible. We were revelers, whoremongers, wine-bibbers, drug-addicts, cussers, brawlers….you name it, and we’ve done it.  

But being wise in our own eyes we failed to see that what we viewed as freedom was actually slavery. How so you ask? Each time we give in to the sinful desires of our flesh, we become slaves to sin; trapped in bondage performing deeds and acts that go against the commandments of a loving God. (Ref. James 1:14)    

Daily we struggle within to overcome our sinful nature. This epic battle has been waged since the beginning of time, causing our spirit man to war against our flesh, and the urge to commit sin in these mortal bodies; therefore by giving in to our flesh, we fail in our effort to please God. (Ref. Genesis 3:15, Galatians 5:17, Romans 8:8)

Thank God for putting a battle plan in place that would utterly destroy every volley sent by the enemy. The plan called for Jesus to willingly sacrifice his life for ours. Thereby canceling the penalty for sin and enabling us to stand firm in our freedom from sins wages. (Ref. Matthew 20:28, John 13:37, 10:17-18, Galatians 5:1, Romans 6:23)

It’s so good to know that the sin debt was already paid on our behalf. Neither General’s MacArthur, Patton, nor even Eisenhower could have drawn up such an intricate plan. Jesus shed his blood for you and I therefore freeing us from eternal damnation. (Ref. 1^st Corinthians 7:23, 6:29)

And while we are now free from sin, believe me when I tell you that….”Freedom isn’t Free”.

     

Follow The Leader

I can hear my Savior calling,
“Take thy cross and follow, follow Me….”

Where He leads me I will follow,
I’ll go with Him, with Him all the way.

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One summer when I was 6 years old we moved into a new neighborhood. Normally, moving can have a traumatic effect on a youthful psyche; you know, Change. Usually when you move into new surroundings the transition can be brutal, especially to six and five year old boys.

But to our surprise this move was a good one, we never had to prove how tough we were to anyone, our block was very tightly-knitted together, sort of like family. We had so much fun it seemed like the longest summer of my life.

Making friends was so easy, and it seemed that every morning a bunch of our new friends could be found knocking on the door wanting us to come out and play, and play we did. From climbing trees to playing soldiers or cowboys and Indians, we just had a blast. It was as if we’d always lived there.

One of my favorite games to play was follow the leader. That’s the game where one person does a lot of crazy and sometimes dangerous things, and everyone else duplicates the fete.

 

It seems that everyday our front porch was the meeting place for the crew and either my brother or I would always be out front no matter what game we played or what adventure we were involved in; a simple “follow me” was all the guys needed to hear, and we were off. What was even more amazing is that no matter the situation, these guys followed wherever we went.

In the 4^th Chapter of Matthew, Jesus went into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan. Soon after His triumph over the Devil, Jesus heads into Galilee and a few other places; as He walks along by the sea Jesus spots Peter and his brother Andrew and says to them “follow me…” Together the three of them go on a bit further until Jesus sees James and his brother John. He gives them the same command; “follow me…”

Exactly what did Jesus mean by that command, what was His intention?

In this day and age of pop-culture and fads; mankind has become creatures of habit the world over, and are easily enticed to follow after every new thing that looks good, tastes good, or feels good. The problem with this behavior is that not everything this society has to offer is good for man, woman or child. (1^st Corinthians 10:23-24)

Just think about it? Everything Christ-like has become either a target of this society or just simply ignored. Christian truths go against the order of this world’s view of God. Furthermore, what’s good is bad and what’s bad is good.

This kind of attitude can often-times be found in the church. People are following after their own desires and beliefs, but they come to church because it’s a traditional event; most love the singing, the praise; but they despise the word.

Jesus’ intended for His chosen people to follow not just His example, but His life-style of holiness, righteousness; and to follow the commandments of the Father. Sadly enough, many church-folk believe that by just attending a service every now and then, they are doing just enough to please God, they might pray on occasion, and may even casually read the Bible long enough to memorize a couple of scriptures; they may even learn a few churchism’s…

However the thought of truly dedicating their lives to Christ would interfere with their pursuit of life and happiness according to the world’s standards. The fact that their grand-parents or parents took them to church as children, or sent them to Sunday school says that they are religious; and they are, however they lack relationship because in their hearts they’ve conformed to the ways of the more popular culture. A wealthy young man once came to Jesus saying all of the right things but he didn’t quite do all of the right things. Jesus was very precise in telling him that he was lacking in his desire to walk with Jesus, he challenged this man to sell all of his possessions, give the profits to the poor, then take up his cross and follow Christ. However he could not comply and never understood the perfect will of the Father. (Ref. Mark 10:17-22, Romans 12:1-2)

The focus here is not so much on walking with Christ as it is to follow after Him. In my lifetime I’ve walked with a plethora of people, some good and some not so good; but the only individual I ever wanted to follow after was my father. In doing so, I concentrated on just about every aspect of his life; my ultimate goal has always been to emulate him in every way possible. This required me to live and do exactly as he would do. He loved helping people, and so do I, he enjoyed serving, and so do I, most of all, he loved following after Christ and so do I. In fact, many of my ways and habits are a direct result of following dad’s example.

“Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise. For the Father loveth the Son and sheweth him all things that himself doeth: and he will shew him greater works than these…” John 5:19-20



I remember the evening that we arrived at Parris Island South Carolina for basic training, we were ordered to stand on the foot-prints that were painted on the ground. By doing so our feet were positioned in a perfect 45 degree angle. By the same manner when we follow after Christ we take a path which ultimately leads to perfection in the ways of holiness, and righteousness.



To follow the leading of the Master means to follow a path of servant hood; this also means that our concentration is no longer on what makes us happy; instead we only seek to make others happy and to please the Father. (Ref. John 12:26, 13:3-7, Philippians 2:5-70

Following after the ways and will of Christ leads us to life everlasting where He has already prepared a mansion for those whom He leads. (Ref. John 14:2-3)

If you are a person who’s been accustomed to following the in-crowd, the ways of the world, the popular culture, let me encourage you to change direction; and follow Jesus.

                    “He’s a mighty good leader!”

Real Love

Definition of “Love”

1.  a (1): strong affection for another arising out of kinship or personal ties <maternal love for a child> (2): attraction based on sexual desire : affection and tenderness felt by lovers, (3): affection based on admiration, benevolence, or common interests <love for his old schoolmates> the object of attachment, devotion, or admiration

2.  a: unselfish loyal and benevolent concern for the good of another: as (1): the fatherly concern of God for humankind (2): brotherly concern for others b: a person's adoration of God

It’s that time of year when florist will be bombarded with delivery requests, candy shops will be emptied as if a famine has hit the land. Reservations will be made at the finest restaurants, and romantic dinners for two will be catered in private homes… Jewelry store orders will be in high demand, and Hallmark will not have enough cards to go around. For this one day, lovers will embrace and drift off into a cupid induced state of euphoria and infatuation. “ALL FOR ONE DAY”

It’s strange to me that this time every year businesses sell-out all in the name of love, but on the days that follow love can so easily run-out… many have asked the age old question:

“WHAT IS LOVE?”

The answers to the question are somewhere in the thousands.

We say that we love, but do we really show it on a consistent basis? Let’s be honest with each other, it’s easy to love our spouses, children, parents, siblings…etc. I can recall times when my brother and I would fight each other like two cowboys in a saloon, but if someone else put their hands on either of us their fate would be soon sealed by the both of us; but that’s me and my brother.

My question to you is this; are you capable of loving your fellow-man “unconditionally?”  I mean do you really have the capacity “Christian”,  to overlook the mistreatment you received at the hand of your supervisor in the workplace; can you get past the harsh words from your next door neighbor… do any of us have the ability to show real love to all of mankind?

I ask this question because it has always been my understanding that we were created in the image and likeness of God, which means that we should also have many of His attributes, the greatest of which is the manner of love that He demonstrates towards us consistently inspite of all our short-comings… “AGAPE”

The love of God for us was not shed abroad for just one day; He loved us from the foundation of the world, and has not changed His mind about how He feels towards you and me; that’s real love.

Why do we find it impossible to truly love one another in these mortal bodies?

Answer: Because we don’t truly love God

How do I know this? God commanded us to love Him with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength… (Ref. Mark 12:30) This means that each day we should have an already made up mind to honor Him at the very break of dawn with prayer, adoration, and praise… spend some time in his word for a better understanding of who God is; and to know His heart. We should always seek instruction from him in reference to His plans for our day; that’s real love… (Ref. Matthew 6:11, Luke 11:13)  

Those who truly love God have absolutely no problem extending love to others….even to perfect strangers. Our love for God is at the heart of the agape love which comes from His heart to us and enables us to do likewise. God is the epitome and the originator of love which makes us the first recipients of His unconditional love; that’s real love. (Ref. 1^st John 4:19, Luke 10:25-36)

We are constantly told that, love isn’t what it says; it’s what it does… but love is also what it doesn’t do. Real love doesn’t gossip, it doesn’t harbor ill-feelings towards another. Real love doesn’t put itself before or above others; neither does it neglect or overlook someone else. Real love doesn’t behave selfishly, but is always more than ready to give of itself. (Ref. 1^st Corinthians 13:1-13 NKJV)

Here is yet another aspect of love; it is able to demonstrate forgiveness and favor despite being manipulated or mistreated; it will sacrifice of itself on the behalf of others. (Ref. Luke 23:34, John 3:16, 15:13)   

The ability to really love is the true indicator that not only do we love God, but we are His true disciples… (Ref. John 13:35)

“And this is love that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, that, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it.” 2^nd John 1:6

So……if you desire to have a real happy valentine’s day…..

“Try Real Love”

EVERYDAY!!!

                                      

Take A Lesson From A Drunkard

A few years ago I was in the presence of one of my favorite pastors. He told me a story about one of the communion services held at his church. It seems that on this particular day while service was going on, a gentleman came into the sanctuary and with his hat in his hand began walking down the aisle towards the communion table.

It was well known that this man was a drunkard, as he was approaching the table the ushers were about to stop him, however this pastor was curious to see just what this gentleman was going to do, so he waived the ushers off.

As the man approached the table he reached into his pockets and pulling them inside-out and removed all of the money that he had. After that he lifted up the cloth covering the sacraments, placed all of his money on the table, and covered everything up. Then he bowed on one knee at the altar, turned to the pastor and acknowledged him by nodding; and then turned around and walked back up the aisle and out of the door.

Amazed by what he’d just witnessed, the pastor began to ask himself the following questions:

·        What were the factors in this man’s life which pushed him into an addiction to alcohol?

·        Where did he learn that level of respect for God?

·        What’s wrong with the church at large that the same level of respect is not practiced in the “House of the Lord?”

There is an indictment against the church because of the blatant disrespect we have for the God of the church and the disregard we demonstrate towards one another.

Listen to what God has to say in Malachi 1:6-9:

“The LORD of Heaven’s Armies says to the priests: “A son honors his father, and a servant respects his master. If I am your father and master, where are the honor and respect I deserve? You have shown contempt for my name! “But you ask, ‘How have we ever shown contempt for your name?’

“You have shown contempt by offering defiled sacrifices on my altar. Then you ask, ‘How have we defiled the sacrifices?”

“You defile them by saying the altar of the LORD deserves no respect. ⁸ When you give blind animals as sacrifices, isn’t that wrong? And isn’t it wrong to offer animals that are crippled and diseased? Try giving gifts like that to your governor, and see how pleased he is!” says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies.

“Go ahead, beg God to be merciful to you! But when you bring that kind of offering, why should he show you any favor at all?” asks the LORD of Heaven’s Armies.”

Jesus once told a woman; God is a Spirit, and anyone who worships Him must do so in Spirit and in truth… (Ref. John 4:24)

Every Sunday churches across the globe are filled with individuals who are only there to clear their conscience. The most unscrupulous, un-repentant people on earth boldly enter into His gates with iniquity in their hearts and into His courts with their minds on the next conquest, whatever that may be, as if they’re asking an Holy God: “We Cool?”

Most have done nothing all week long that even remotely brings glory and honor to His name. Can you imagine the millions who party on Friday, all night on Saturday and then stagger into the sanctuary late to service on Sunday hung-over?

Many pastors, preachers, and deacons arrive on post after having committed adultery or fornication with some weak minded person; in some cases its someone’s wife, daughter, or son. Some are guilty of surfing the internet for pornography.

Yet the sanctuary is filled with people offering up false praise and worship to the King of kings…Together we sing: “I love you Lord, and I lift my voice…” But there are those who have animosity towards a fellow brother or sister in Christ, come into the sanctuary with food, gum, and water as if it is the place for a social gathering, many show little to no respect towards the pastor or any of the church leaders who are making a concretive effort to walk up-right before the Lord. But they came to get their praise on…

Picture this; God is waiting to feast on the praise and worship of His people, but what we present to Him is waste lifted up on a garbage can lid. All week long the flesh is warring against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh which has fallen weak; but people still make the futile attempt to give God left-over praise as if no one has ever taught them how to truly reverence the God who allows us morning, by morning to experience brand new mercies and grant us His grace for another day.

Observe the drunkard…no one rightfully knows what drove him to that state. He could have lost a loved one and never recovered from the loss, perhaps his marriage/family broke-up, maybe a doctor informed him that he has a condition which is terminal. But whatever the case may be, this man still had enough respect for God and the house of God to give Him reverence.

Notice that he also left an offering at the table of everything he had before he turned and walked out. This man respected God so much that he didn’t even linger in the presence of God in a state of drunkenness. But so many “church-folk” will continue to occupy the pews as unclean and unrepentant as can be; and still try offering to God filth-covered praise.

God gladly will accept praise that comes from a spirit that’s broken and worship from a heart of contrition.

(Ref. Psalm 51:17, 34:18)

So learn from the drunkard; honor and respect God, repent, and let your light shine so that the God in you is revealed to the world and before you leave the table, leave an offering.

(Ref. Luke 15:7, Acts 8:22, 1^st John 1:9, 2^nd Corinthians 9:6-8)

Dead Man Walking

“…is life so dear, or peace so sweet as to be punished at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!”

Patrick Henry – March 23, 1775

Used to be that when I thought about finally reaching adulthood my idea of being grown-up was that I could live and do as I wanted without having to listen to anyone… I followed the Nick Romano theory (from the book “Knock on Any Door”) of live fast, die young, and have a good-looking corpse.

Anytime some well-meaning elder told me to live life to the fullest, I just assumed they meant that I should have a blast. So quite naturally I spent a lot of weekends partying like a rock star. Ingesting alcohol and drugs became staples of the trade; and there were also the occasional acts of fornication or adultery, whichever came first.

All of this wild behavior from a “PK”…

Sure I would always hear mom and dad make mention of hell and the lake of fire being a place created for those whose names were not found in the “Lambs Book of Life” but I always thought I’d have plenty of time to get things right with God before I died, not realizing that Christ could have returned at any moment.

But like anyone else who was addicted to the thug, drug, and party life back then I did have a fear of dying for two reasons. First the thought of me going to hell was frightening, and second; I just wanted to live my hell-raising life forever. I was prisoner to sin and a slave to degradation. I preyed on more people than I prayed for no matter if it was for sex, drugs money, or just to show how wicked I could really be… “There was no real cause guiding my life.”

I can still hear my mother verbally chastising me one day in reference to my being a member of a band and playing night-clubs every weekend; many of which I’d neglect to come home for days at a time. It really broke her heart to know that her eldest child had turned from the Christian values he once lived by and was now living as an infidel… My poor dad whom I idolized must have been spinning in his grave.

“THANK GOD FOR JESUS!”

Finally, after years of prodigal living, the Holy Spirit brought back to my memory who I’m called to be and to whom I belonged; almost immediately, old things passed away, and all things became new.

Today I’m repulsed by sin when it rears its head in my life, my heart breaks each time that I break my Saviors heart, and as a dear thirst for water from a brook, my soul thirsts after the forgiveness and love from my heavenly Father…

When Christ carried all of our sins to Calvary and died in our stead, He afforded us the opportunity to kill the old man / woman we used to be, after which case we were rewarded with life everlasting.

Paul writes in Romans 6:5-7:

 “Since we have been united with him in his death, we will also be raised to life as he was. We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin.”

When we die daily to the desires of our flesh, we are made free from the slavery of sin… Paul goes further to say: “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me…” Galatians 2:20

When we realize that we belong to Christ, we crucify our flesh along with its desires and lusts. (Ref. Galatians 5:24)

As soldiers of the cross we must be willing to die each day to the urge to commit sin in our bodies, for the sake of winning many to Christ… (Ref. Romans 8:36)

We read in Psalm 1:1-2: “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night…”



Oh what blessed assurance it is to walk with the Savior, delighting in His grace and mercy; but the only way we can experience such a benefit, is to die to the sinful ways of the world.

I’m a dead man walking; how about you?

What's The Difference?

In today’s post-moderate church the title of Christian wears so many different faces. Many parishioners’ are very active in various church functions, you can find them in prayer, and Bible study faithfully; on Sunday mornings they are at the altar praying for a move of God when service begins. Some attend the local Bible institute or seminary to become sound in their theological and doctrinal studies, diligently seeking a greater knowledge of and a closer relationship with God; and then we have the “Sunday Service Only” Christians (church folk)  who’s sole purpose is to clear their conscience after raising hell all the other days of the week.

We also can’t forget the “Spiritually Deep” folk who live on the mountain all day, every day, hopping from church to church, conference to conference “Seeking Revelation From God”, and truthfully speaking are just downright spooky and silly. It’s become common-place for famous athletes when being interviewed after a competition to give honor to their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ yet they visiblely live completely opposite of the characteristics attached to that great name. R&B recording artist thank Almighty God for awards that they’ve received when in truth they do absolutely nothing in their daily public life which even remotely gives God glory.

“SHALL I GO ON?

Movies such as “The Fighting Temptations” and “The Gospel” have made a mockery of the Christian faith, while others such as “The Davinci Code” attempt to dis-credit the life and deity of Christ. Even Christian broadcasting has stooped to using very worldly celebrities to validate their networks. I used to ask myself “Where does the world get the audacity to portray the people of God in such derogatory settings?” The answer is simple; if imitation is said to be the best form of flattery then we can only assume that the world has been watching the church……. very closely.

In case you haven’t noticed; the Body of Christ is under severe attack by a vile, cunning, and wicked society. How do they get their information; where do they get their ammunition? “It’s An Inside Job.” Growing up, my parents always warned me that no matter where I go in life some one will see what I do; their witness of my behavior would either be an indictment of my guilt or a testimony to my innocence. Many Saints in church today are guilty; how, you might ask? Let me answer the question in this fashion; The Apostle Paul writes in 2nd Corinthians 6:16-17:

“...what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? For ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said; I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they will be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.”

I ask myself and I ask you; “Are We Different?” Peter wrote his 1st epistle to the Christians scattered throughout Asia Minor. In doing so he obeyed two commands given directly to him from Jesus:

1.      To encourage and strengthen the brethren

2.    To feed the flock

The central theme of this epistle is “Victory over Suffering” as exemplified in the life of Christ. There is no denying that we suffer through many of the same issues as those outside of Christ; however we should not respond to life’s issues as the world does.

Peter begins this letter by admonishing the saints to rid themselves of malice, foul living, and language; not to live as hypocrites being envious and speaking evil of anyone. Then he makes a very significant statement in the 5^th verse: “Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.”

·        We were created to live according to Gods’ precepts

·        We were created to walk circumspect before Him

·        We were created to live holy as He is holy

How we live each day should read like the Gospels as evidence to the great change He’s made in our life.

Then Peter makes the following declaration in the ninth verse: “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light…”

Two words in this statement are most significant to our identity in Christ:

·        Chosen – (Greek) “Procheirotoneo” to designate beforehand - (Merriam-Webster) Selected or marked for favor or special privilege; Ephesians 1:3-4 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:” expound… “you’re special”

·        Peculiar – (Greek) “Periousios” that which is one’s own, belonging to one’s possessions – (Merriam Webster) Different from the usual or normal, strange –expound… Romans 12:1-2 “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” expound… “we should never condescend to the ways of the world”

Wives; watching Soap Operas, The View, and Desperate Housewives will not teach you how to deal with your saved husband. Listening to your un-married girlfriend Laquisha will not show you how to function in your marriage. Husbands; I don’t care how much you work out, how macho you are, how skilled your jump shot is or how much money you make; your wife is not an object for abuse nor is she beneath you; secondly your children are not pets to be kicked around and neglected.

Young folks; contrary to popular belief your parents were once young like yourselves; the game you try to kick today is no surprise to us because we once ran the same game and we were more skilled at it. We’re not just older; but we are wiser and above all we’re born again!

For those of us who truly claim Christ; the born again experience is the difference between us and the world. The difference is; when we are faced with obstacles and difficulties in life we don’t turn to Oprah and Dr. Phil; we say as the psalmist; “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills from whence cometh my help; my help cometh from the Lord…” Psalm 121:1-2

When our money runs low and friends turn their backs on us we can say with certainty as David said; “I have been young and now I’m old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken nor His seed begging bread.” Psalm 37:25

The difference between us and the world is:

1.      You were chosen!

2.    You are royalty! (a Kings kid)

3.    You’ve been called to holiness

4.    You are peculiar! (strange)

For those reasons alone I am persuaded: “…that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

The difference is; we were chosen by God; “Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding, abundantly, above all we ask or think, according to the power which worketh in us; Unto Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end.

A-men!