rainstorm's blog

"Truly the light is sweet, and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to behold the sun: But if a man live many years, and rejoice in them all; yet let him remember the days of darkness; for they shall be many." (Ecclesiastes 11:7,8)

Every day brings us closer to the grave and to eternity.
Our strength will not last forever. From the moment we are born, we are staring death in the face. We are like a vapor. Here today, gone tomorrow. Some hang around a little longer than others, but eventually we shall all go.

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Most folks believe that they are in control of themselves.
They do what they want (or so they think). They go where they want. They say what they want, and so forth and so on. The truth of the matter, however, is that no one is in control of his (or her) own self. If this were so, people would have no problem refraining from doing the things they don't want to do. Someone might say to themself, "I'll never do that again." Before you know it they "don done it again." Or, perhaps they intend to do something. It's hard to be consistent. They want to do it, but they just don't have the wherewithal to make it happen as they intended. Why are so many New Year resolutions null and void come February?

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"I Know My Name Is There" -- D.S. Warner

My name is in the book of life,
O bless the name of Jesus!
I rise above all doubts and strife
And read my title clear.

With sinners lost my name once stood
Upon a painful record;
But now it's canceled by the blood,
And written on His roll.

Yet inward trouble often cast
A shadow o'er my title;
But now with full salvation blest,
Praise God, it's ever clear!

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And in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the root. And Peter calling to remembrance saith unto Him, Master, behold, the fig tree which thou cursedst is withered away. And Jesus answering saith unto them, have faith in God. -Mark ll:20-23

When the Son of Man cometh, will he find faith on the earth?

Faith is the basis of the Christian relationship with God.
If we lose out with faith, we lose out with God. The Christian life must be perfected in every area. Our faith must be perfected. Faith without works is dead. It's easy to say that you have faith, but what works do you have to show for your faith? Works, alone, will not suffice. They must be coupled with faith. Jesus cursed the fig tree because it was not producting fruit. Likewise, as Christians we must bring forth fruit. The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffeing, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance. We must possess these qualities in our lives. Faith is an important fruit.

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And it came to pass that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus: and finding certain disciples, he said unto them, have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost. --Acts 19:1,2

The Holy Ghost is real. When Jesus was preparing to leave His disciples, He told them that He would send them another Comforter, the Holy Ghost, that would lead them in all truth. The truth of the matter is, we must live free from sin. The Holy Ghost will teach us this. Some folks think having the Holy Ghost means speaking in tongues. This is not so. The Holy Ghost within us enables us to live a holy life, which is the requirement for heaven. "Heaven is a holy place, filled with beauty and with grace, sin can never enter there." If you call yourself a Christian, but find that you are not glorifying God in the things that you do--doing things that you know are wrong--you do not possess the Holy Ghost. Of course, we are all tempted. But, we do not have to yield to the temptation. If you are truly saved, when you are confronted with the wrong, the Holy Ghost will "lift up a standard" within you. You can either override this lifting up of the standard (do the wrong) or yield to the standard

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Believe it or not, we are living in the last days. Take a look around. Evil is lurking on every hand and the world is not getting any better. Surely God is grieved as He looks down upon this depraved generation. This cannot go on forever. Soon God will do something about the condition of today's world.

As Christians, we must prepare ourselves for the destruction that's up ahead. We must set ourselves apart. Do not be ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Stand up and be different from those around you. If you act like the world, you will be judged with the world and, thus, destroyed with the world. God wants His people to be like Him. How is He, you might ask. God is a spirit, and all who worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth. Away with this phoney business. Away with pretense and hypocrisy. Any who call on the name of the Lord must put away all ungodliness and take on God's righteousness.

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Therefore, let us not sleep as do others; but let us watch and be sober.-1 Thessolonians 5:6

Many Christians have compromised in their experiences. They are still going to church, still reading their Bibles, but have no relationship with God. It is very easy to get caught up in the activities of life and leave off the things of God. (Martha was cumbered about with many things, but Mary sat at the feet of Jesus and learned.) God has set a high standard for His people. Holiness. We can (and must) attain to the standard of holiness in this life, if we have any hopes of an afterlife with God.

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"Jesus, you're the center of my joy.
All that's good and perfect comes from you.
You're the heart of my contentment,
Hope for all I do.
Jesus, you're the center of my joy."

There are many sources of pleasure in the world today.
Some pleasures are momentary. Some are long-lasting. Some are spontaneous. Some are planned. No pleasure, however, can compete with the pleasure that comes from having an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ.

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There are a lot of religious folks in the world today.
According to a dictionary definition, 'religion' is an "organized system of beliefs and rituals centering on a supernatural being or beings." (American Heritage Dictionary). But, what is religion, really? It is a search for God. People are doing all kinds of things to satisfy the longing that every soul has--to have fellowship with God. These things cannot replace the real remedy to the problem. Why are there so many different religions? In Christianity, why are there so many denominations? Why are there so many churches? Man is searching.

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Hey! I'm new to this blogging business, but pretty seasoned in the business of being a Christian. What is a blogger? A person who blogs. What is a Christian? A person who is like Christ. I feel impressed to use this blogging opportunity as a challenge for believers and non-believers alike. As the message of the hour is presented to me, so I will endeavor to share with anyone who cares to read it. Whether you recognize it or not, we are living in troubled times. Whether you believe it or not,

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