Friday, April 27, 2007

Christian Expectations

Christian Expectations

What should/do saved Christians, in this world, expect from God?

A bed of roses? Great health? Financial riches? Special treatment? More miracles?

What did/does Jesus say?


The Cost of Following Jesus (Luke 9:58 & Mat.8:20):

"...a man said to him, 'I will follow you wherever you go." Jesus replied, " Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head."

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." (Mat.6:19:21)

(Also, read Do Not Worry: verses 25-34.)

"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you..." (Mat.14:1-2).


Christians are in this world, but Christians are not of this world. Christians have life everlasting. Eternal joy, not dependent on the things of this world all of which are temporal.

Those persons not of Jesus Christ, will be eternally separated in their sins. Every soul exists forever; and the outcome of each of our lives is about how and where we will spend eternity.

Where are we headed? Are we lost in the dark, or are we walking in the light?

What is the light?

The light is love, love for one another. The light is truth. The light is Jesus who is the way. The light is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The light is God, the one true God; yesterday, today and forever, the kingdom, and the power for ever and ever. He is all that is, just and good...He is the current of life. We are the fruit of the vine.

Dead branches that bear no fruit are broken off --from the tree of life-- without nourishment from the Source; like fish out of water or earth out of air. they gasp, and wither and die.

We are either lost in our sins, which must be justly punished; or we become one with Jesus, son of man, son of God, who was/is perfect, who took/takes the sins of His followers to the cross and bore the punishment dictated by justice on our behalf, and set Christians free, --His chosen people! --Jew and gentile alike-- from the law of sin and separation.

That, is the grace of God, which is freely given to those who follow, choosing to love God, and one another. Let there be peace on earth, as it is in heaven. Go and take the gospel to all the nations, baptizing them....and let us all of this earth gather at the Lord's table together, and worship Him, the creator of all things, by and through Jesus Christ, God, the Word, the beginning and the end.

Amen.


Don Cole




Wednesday, April 25, 2007

Truth, Not Bombs! --Global Heart Warming!

TRUTH, NOT BOMBS. People and Nations Everywhere!

Let's Talk! --World for TRUTH! --Some Global Heart Warming!

Truth, --not Bombs! Are you a suicide bomber?

If you are not of the Christian persuasion and would like to communicate, than myself and surely seriously thinking people everywhere, the world over --lovers of truth-- would like to participate in a respectable discussion that we might be able to share and comprehend just why, who, how, what and where your faith dismisses Jesus Christ?

Are Christians wrong in their beliefs?

If any one's religion is truth; it will stand up to scrutiny.

No matter what we might personally believe, our belief will not change what is truth. Truth is beyond us, and unchangeable. Truth needs to be sought after. "Seek and ye shall find..."

But, we personally bear the fruit and the consequences of what we believe; be it good or bad, wrong or right. Who or what is the authority for our belief? How does this " authority" stand up? How do we know what is true? How do we know who is right? We are responsible to search for truth and to work out our own salvation, based on truth sought after, not just based on what others might have taught us, out of ignorance, or for their own agenda.

Unknowingly, or blindly, following evil will not make evil right. Evil will destroy and justly be punished; it cannot offer God's grace, forgiveness, nor deliver anyone to Heaven, or bliss.

Bad religion? Bad science? Bad history? Bad motives? There is plenty of all that, going around. Are you bumbling in the dark. or walking in the light?

Let us ask, knock, and seek for what is true, and good. Let us together follow the one true God, of yesterday, today and forever, the "I am."

We, the people of the world, need to get up close, to examine all the conflicting and waring religions and beliefs; study the history, and the science; --ask questions, debate; do the research and the home work.

Killing one another solves nothing; but, only leads to one's own demise. We need each other. We need to love one another, not kill one another. Evil feeds on itself; first on outsiders, than inward. Evil has no hope.

There is only one God, and there is only one truth. Acceptance and toleration is insufficient. Good and evil cannot live side by side. Only truth and love, God; --is the power to save mankind. This should be our nourishment and sustenance.

Truth, together with love, not bombs, will save us --from ourselves.

Branches broken from the vine of God; without life nourishment, wither and die, like fish out of water.

Who do we think we are, anyway? And what are we really? And what is our destiny?

What is our faith? How important is it?

This is about life and death for each of us individually, for each other, and for the planet.



Don Cole

Hope for the Nations!

HOPE for THE NATIONS! To the United Nations: http://www.un.org

Truth and Love has instructed us : "Go and make disciples of all nations!..." That is, disciples of truth and love, not hate and suicide bombers.

A world that seeks is a world that finds, the prince of peace.

Peace on earth as it is in heaven...

Don Cole

Monday, April 23, 2007

"God, Why Didn't You?"

WOW, WHAT A WAKE UP!

Dear God: Why didn't you save the school children at ?.

Bath, Michigan 1927
Houston, TX 1959
Moses Lake , Washington 2/2/96 Bethel , Alaska 2/19/97Pearl , Mississippi 10/1/97West Paducah , Kentucky 12/1/97Stamp, Arkansas 12/15/97Jonesboro , Arkansas 3/24/98Edinboro , Pennsylvania 4/24/98Fayetteville , Tennessee 5/19/98 Springfield , Oregon 5/21/98Richmond , Virginia 6/15/98Littleton , Colorado 4/20/99Taber , Alberta , Canada 5/28/99Conyers , Georgia 5/20/99Deming , New Mexico 11/19/99Fort Gibson , Oklahoma 12/6/99Santee , California 3/ 5/01 El Cajon , California 3/22/01? and
Blacksburg, Virginia 4/1

Sincerely,

Concerned Student

...................................................................................................................................................


Reply:

Dear Concerned Student:

I am not allowed in schools.

Sincerely,

God

.......................................................................................................................................................................


How did this get started?

Let's see, I think it started when Madeline Murray O'Hare complained she didn't want any prayer in our schools. And we said, OK..------------------Then, someone said you better not read the Bible in school, the Bible that says "thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbors as yourself," And we said, OK... -----------------Dr. Benjamin Spock said we shouldn't spank our children when they misbehaved because their little personalities would be warped and we might damage their self-esteem. And we said, an expert should know what he's talking about so we won't spank them anymore..------------------Then someone said teachers and principals better not discipline our children when they misbehave. And the school administrators said no faculty member in this school better touch a student when they misbehave because we don't want any bad publicity, and we surely don't want to be sued. And we accepted their reasoning...------------------Then someone said, let's let our daughters have abortions if they want, and they won't even have to tell their parents. And we said, that's a grand idea...------------------Then some wise school board member said, since boys will be boys and they're going to do it anyway, let's give our sons all the condoms they want, so they can have all the fun they desire, and we won't have to tell their parents they got them at school. And we said, that's another great idea...------------------Then some of our top elected officials said it doesn't matter what we do in private as long as we do our jobs.And we said, it doesn't matter what anybody, including the President, does in private as long as we have jobs and the economy is good.... ------------------And someone else took that appreciation a step further and published pictures of nude children and then stepped further still by making them available on the Internet. And we said, everyone's entitled to free speech....------------------And the entertainment industry said, let's make TV shows and movies that promote profanity, violence and illicit sex...And let's record music that encourages rape, drugs, murder, suicide, and satanic themes...And we said, it's just entertainmentand it has no adverse effect and nobody takes it seriously anyway, so go right ahead.------------------Now we're asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don't know right from wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill strangers, classmates or even themselves.------------------Undoubtedly, if we thought about it long and hard enough, we could figure it out. I'm sure it has a great deal to do with..."WE REAP WHAT WE SOW."


In God We Trust

(Copied from the Internet.)

Saved Not by Grace Alone.

Remember, we are saved not by grace alone, but by grace through faith. And what is the manifestation or fruit of our faith?

Does grace mean that we no longer need to fear God, because all of our sins are/will be forgiven?

Without love or commitment to God's commands, is grace alone, without faith, sufficient?

No; grace is connected to faith, equals obedience, not grace alone. However; grace is a free gift. We can't earn it by works.

All of us live by faith, whatever that faith might be.

If we have faith that there is no God, or that Jesus was a liar and a deceiver, than we will live accordingly. If our faith is that there is no Heaven; than we will live and act accordingly.

If we believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God; than we will live and act accordingly.

Out of our own faith and obedience; we will repent, confess Jesus is the son of God, and be baptized into His death, burial and resurrection , raised anew into a new life, in God's grace, for the forgiveness of our sins, and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

The lost, and we all fall short, are saved by grace through faith. (Eph.2:8-9) (See the book of James, about how faith without works is dead.)

Our faith produces fruit, or demise, --good or wrong actions, depending upon our faith. Faith determines whether we will receive God's grace, or punishment for our sins, which is just. A branch broken away from the tree, the vine, without life nourishment will wither and die.

As for me, I feel safer when I am in the love, repenting and trembling modes when it comes to God and my own salvation.

Don Cole

Saturday, April 21, 2007

Sharpton and Jackson, repent

Don Imus Controversy:

Open Letter from a Christian,
to Al Sharpton and Jessie Jackson:

What would Jesus say? He would say, " Al Sharpton, and Jessie Jackson; You need to repent! You have received forgiveness for your own sins; but yet, you will not yourself forgive others! This is an abomination to the Lord!"

As a Christian, this ugly story, blown out of proportion, context and truth makes me sick to watch.

I see Al Sharpton, with his perennial lust for power, and Jackson hanging onto his coattails, as the true racists here, not Don Imus, who does many good works for all races, especially young cancer patients.

The picture they paint of Imus has no likeness at all to the real person.

Don Cole

This Amazing Universe, and Quantum Physics

This Amazing Universe, and Quantum Physics.


Yes! God's universe truely is amazing! The latest Space news comes directly to my computer, as I have subscribed to that subject. I've also collected 6 huge books, binders; the complete set of, "Secrets To The Universe."

Another fascination, is the other end of the spectrum, Quantum Physics. With today's micron microscopes, they have reached in as small as the atom and far beyond. Einstein was right about mass and "Energy." How and what we think; that energy, is more important than we realize, to do with our well being.

What amazes me, is how the depth and truth and power of God's word is borne out. We see mostly in a flat and limited dimension, only the tip of the reality and fullness of all that is. People don't really comprehend the depth and power of God's word, of the source of life itself. Remember, that God is the Source of ourselves, life and everything good, of all creation. By staying connected to the source, which is loving and good and just; we being the fruit of the vine, are able to reach our full potential, as to what our creator had/has in mind for each and all of us. Apart from the vine, that is the flow from the source God, the blood of the Son of Man/Son of God, Jesus our Christ, than we wither and die, as broken and fallen branches, without food, or fish out of water.

Don Cole

Thursday, April 19, 2007

Little Children

Yes, I will remember that one: "God should have put Cain and Able in separate rooms."

The world should take note. Maybe we should elect a little child to rule the world. Jesus did say that we should be like little children.

I was in the audience, in Hollywood, for one of those Art Linkletter House Party "Kids Say the Darndest Things" shows. I worked about half a mile away from Television City. (not really a city, but just the name of the facility, a building.) I remember Art Linkletter interviewing the kids. It seems like only yesterday; but now here we are, in the future... When we were young, the future was an exciting dream to venture towards; then, when we actually find ourselves in the future... it becomes obvious that Heaven's door is what counts.

I find myself reminiscing a lot about the good ol' days; but at the time they didn't seem that good. I guess it must be like good cheese and wine; they have to age awhile before we begin to savor them.

Don Cole