Dick Ross

Our "priestly" duty requires us to spread the Word to people in need,to be good stewards. The actions I am inspired to take are to learn as much as I can by reading,listening and trying to live my life as instructed by Jesus. I am inspired to share the Good News with ANYONE who will listen, and be ready to assist people in need. All of this needs to be done with humility, giving all the glory to God.

I have ofen tried to measure myself in terms of worth, and always come up wanting. Satan has placed spiritual landmines everywhere. He revels in watching us beat ourselves up. I often succumb to the sins of the flesh, only to fell worthless later. God cares enough about us that he sent his only son to face the torment, torture, tease and terror that vile man could inflict on him. We should care enough about ourselves to want to be purified by the blood of the Lamb. All that we own will one day become worthless someday. Being in this world, but not "of" this world, we should put all of our stock in the Lord. We should pray without ceasing to have divine guidance as we try to be obedient servants of the Master. There are only two possibilities after my life on this world comes to an end. I know what choice I will make. I pray for the shelter of the Lord, while the storms gather.

Every one seems to think that they are free to be themselves, to do their own "thing". It is only to themselves that they must answer. We are a "Lord of the Flies" civilization. Only a true Father can straighten out the mess the kids have created. Jesus brought us the good news of our salvation. He paid the price for us. We have only to be faithful, humble and obedient to earn the promise. The fear of the consequences of poor living are what prompts us to action, to be in line when Jesus calls us. Ignoring the the prophesy of the impending final judgements robs the Gospel of the ultimate promise from the Father-going Home.

Holiness to me is being able to walk as exactly as possible in the footprints of Jesus. While we KNOW we will fall way short, it should be our endevour to overcome the weak body and gain a strong spiritual communion with him. I am "holy" now only in the sense that I recognize Lord Jesus as my personal savior, through whom I may gain eternal salvation. My bodily lusts still overpower me all the time, but I keep getting back up and trying again. God has told us, and Jesus has showed us how to be holy. We must be obedient to Gods commands, if we are to be accepted by Him as his loving children. I am way to quick to judge others (especially in traffic!), give into temptation too easily, and I am too ready to ignore my own faults.

The fact that the judgements are at hand, and the opportunity to finally make up our minds has passed. As Christians, we should be inspired that Gods promise is being fulfilled, and our eternal salvation will be the reward. We must be ever vigilent for the return of our Lord and Savior, that we be instantly ready when the time of the end becomes more than prophesy. Otherwise we will tend to put off many of the decisions we know that we must make and noy try our best to lead a holy life, and risk hearing "I Never Knew You".

When Christ returns, "time" will be over for us, and all decisions we had made become final. I believe we should be inspired because our faith leads us to believe that we will not have Him say to us "I Never Knew You" when the judgements are handed down. The eternal salvation promised to us will finally come to pass! Because only God knows when the end will come, we should always live like there the time of the end is at hand, and be on guard always.

The "inexpressible and glorious" joy Christians feel is the certain knowledge that Christ defeated death AND paid for us the price of our sins. By our faith and humility we can look foward to an eternal communion with the Father. Human emotions tend to be temporal. The joy of the knowledge of salvation is spiritual. While good books, music, and etc. stir us emotionally, they do not compare to the certain knowledge that beyond this life is the true life we yearn for. The pursuit of "happiness", to me, is the gratification of the body. Indulgence here often leads to sin. The active pursuit of a hapy soul brings glory to the Father. Happiness, therefore, that feeds the soul is the true and right "happiness".

I thought my life was going ok until I decided that I must rejoin the church, after many years of absence. Since that time, all of my paradigms about life have crumbled like they were made of sand. There has been conflict, temptation, and confusion at every turn. Satan does not like to let go! Finally, after a year of rededication, I feel as though my feet are closer to being on the narrow path. My faith is challenged every little bit, but I am beginning to understand the nature of my calling. I still have a long way to go in terms of obedience and humility, but I know that Christ is leading me to the place He wants me to be. Praise God for saving an undeserving sinner like me! I can now bring glory to Jesus by testifying to others how He has moved in my life, and how He wants to move in their lives as well. He gives meaning to the saying "LOVE THE SINNER- HATE THE SIN".

According to the scripture, God will shield His faithful until the end time. Our part of the obligation is to be faithful, and ready for the same.

Most of us cannot help but identify and love our earthly home. It is easy to keep focused on our short term needs and fail to remember that we are only here a short time. If we are consumed by the stimuli here on earth, we cannot follow in the footsteps of our Lord and savior. We fall to sin, greed and the concerns of the world, not the salvation of our souls. We must always be on guard for the times that Satan will try to tempt us and help us fail.. We must always look to the saving grace of the father, and be as strong as we can in our faith!

By being obedient to to the father, we show ourselves as his loving children. Forgiveness for our transgressions is granted us because He knows our spirits to be willing. To think that we can sin, get forgiveness, then sin again ad infinitum is very flawed thinking. We must show Him that our heart , by continued effort, is as pure as we can make it. Our faith and our works show our intent to be Gods children. How we conduct ourselves, and the things we do to give glory to his name are the things that help us to be given the gift of His saving grace.