Saturday, January 15, 2011
India vs south africa special moments
I ADDED THIS VIDEO TO MY BLOG BECAUSE REALLY IT WAS A SENSATIONAL WIN, UNBELIEVABLE WIN REALLY INDIA IS INCREDIBLE
Friday, January 14, 2011
BIPASHA BASU MAXIM TOPLESS PICTURES,WALLPAPERS,BIPASHA BASU HOT IMAGES
Bollywood beauty BIPASHA BASU posed topless for Maxim magazine’s January 2011 issue.Bengali Beauty BIPASHA BASU Features On The Cover Of Maxim Magazine Indian Edition For The Month Of January 2011. After Mandira Bedi's topless photoshoot for Vogue, it is Bong bombshell Bipasha Basu who has decided to shed clothes for international magazine MAXIM The Bollywood beauty with sultry looks has shot topless for the latest issue of MAXIM.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Why Do Bad Things Happen To Good People?
I’m so sorry I haven’t posted anything in a while. I’d love to blame it on how I am now lately working 24 hour shifts four days a week and just don’t have the time, or how each night at 1 or 2 am I am called by the police to inform me my horses have gotten out and are on the highway again, but in all honesty, I have had a major block as to a topic to write about. If you ever have a topic that YOU would like to see on here feel free to email me at lightofchristministry@hotmail.com or send a message to my Facebook. But as I have been watching the news on some of the things which have been happening around the country, it suddenly became 100% clear what my next blog would be about:
Why do bad things happen to good people? This is a very common question for those who lack faith in God when a horrible event occurs. How can an all loving God let something like this happen? Why does God punish the innocent and not those who are evil and deserve to have bad things happen in their lives?
I am sure that the entire nation has been hearing the tragic news of the events which happened days ago in Tucson, Arizona. The thought that a 22 year old male could walk into a crowd and open fire on people he never knew is baffling. Our thoughts and our prayers go out to all of the families which were affected on that day.
I feel a sadness inside me for each of these people, however, I am extremely upset at the death of Christina Taylor Green, who had only lived 9 years of her life. As a young girl, she was taken to an event because of her great interest in politics. And as she was standing in line eagerly waiting to shake hands with a real Congresswoman, was taken away from us in a flash. An innocent girl who had done nothing wrong. As we all know, Christina was born on September 11, 2001. The same day of the terrorist attacks on America. She was given the title, “A Face Of Hope”, yet now she is gone.
It would be extremely easy to loose faith in the midst of such a horrible event, but these are the times that we must look to God the most. In the Bible, we can find numerous stories of times when, “Bad things happened to good people”. The most classic of all these stories I would think is the story of Job. We are told that Satan went to Heaven and of all the others on the Earth, God choose to use Job as an example of his goodness. God told Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil?” But Satan accused God that the only reason for this was He had made Job’s life to easy and given him all he needed. So God allowed Satan to do numerous things to test Job’s faith. Job’s entire family died, he lost all of his crops and animals which were his livelihood. God even allowed Job himself to suffer with boils and sores upon his body. While most of us focus solely on Job, we sometimes forget about those around him. Nothing was ever said to justify his family’s deaths. They as well were innocent bystanders used for a great purpose of God.
Another example would be Abel. Yet again we find a man who was upstanding in the ways of God. He was favored by God and he was killed by his brother Cain. Could God have just as easily have stopped this death from happening as he could have stopped Job's troubles? Yes, but He didn’t. Throughout all of time innocent men, women, and children have died for a greater cause.
At the time of Jesus, a decree was sent throughout the land to put to death all children under the age of two by King Herod. Because he feared that the Son of God would be born and be a greater man than he was, Herod ordered the slaughter of thousands of children. Likewise, in Exodus 1, Pharaoh ordered that all male children born were to be killed simply because there were to many of them. These are other instances of the slaying of innocents. There are also many other instances throughout the Bible which are too numerous to mention.
As I read these stories out of the Bible, it gives me more comfort while I try and understand how events such as the Oklahoma City bombing, 9/11, and the shooting in Tucson, AZ could be allowed to happen. God has a plan for each of us in this world. While we may not know the fullness of this plan or the reasoning behind it, we can rest in knowing God loves us and only wants the best for us. He will never do us wrong in anyway. Yes, sometimes bad things happen which are difficult to explain, but as the old saying goes, “What doesn‘t kill us will only make us stronger”. Just as God did with Job, He will test us each and everyday.
The only thing we are asked to do is to trust Him. Lord, we know You have a plan for us and while we do not always understand Your doing in these things, we trust You. We know that our ways are not Your ways. In the book of Proverbs 3: 5-6 it states, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.”.
It doesn’t come to much surprise that we are in the end of times when we read Revelation and look at the state the world is in. The last days are those where wickedness will reign over the Earth. Tragic events are happening all around us at a pace never seen before by this world; hurricanes, tornadoes, shootings, floods, tsunamis, starvation, etc…
In today’s world, many people think that the death of an innocent person is always, in every case, evil. If we are to consider God in all of His goodness, glory, and majesty, nothing this awful and terrible could be attributed to Him. Only evil. But there are actually so many different verses in the Bible which show us that the death of innocent is not always an act of bad. In Philippians 1:21-23, Paul wrote, “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. But if I live on in the flesh, this will mean fruit from my labor; yet what I shall choose I cannot tell. For I am hard pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better.” The prophet Isaiah wrote in Isaiah 57: 1-2, “The righteous perishes, and no man takes it to heart; merciful men are taken away, while no one considers that the righteous is taken away from evil. He shall enter into peace; they shall rest in their beds, each one walking in his uprightness”.
Yes, bad things sometimes happen to good people. We don’t always understand why they do other than each and every one of us were given a great gift in this life. The ability to choose for ourselves. As much as we are given the choice of what good we will do, what church we will attend, and what God we believe in, we are also given the choice of whether we will do that which is evil or not. Because we have been given the freedom to do as we choose, God cannot stop those who are evil from doing what they will. Or how would they be judged later on in the next life?
As I said before, my prayers have been constant for Christina Green as well as everyone who was involved or witnessed what happened on January 8th, 2011. May the Holy Spirit of God come down and rest upon each of these families. In what is surely the roughest time of their lives, I hope and pray that they will receive comfort and strength.
God, we ask at this time when such a tragic thing has taken place, that You show all of Your mercy and love on us. We ask that Your Holy Spirit will manifest itself on us in a way that it never has before. We pray dear God, for a blessing unlike any before on those who were affected by what happened on this horrible day. We ask that you comfort them and bless them. Help them understand that all things are done according to You. We know You have a plan for each of us God, and that nothing is done unless you are behind it in some way or another. We know that these good people who were taken from us suddenly are now resting with You in Paradise, that their troubles and sorrows are over. We ask of you, Oh Lord, that we can always remember that. That while we are left here we may know that as bad as this was, those who died have received the greater reward. For we know that they are now with You God, and in a state of never-ending happiness. We pray for the families and for the nation and world that in this time, they may look TO You and not away from You. Again, Lord God, our hearts and prayers go out to the families and loved ones. Bless them dear God, comfort them, give them strength enough to handle and move on from this. But at the same time, God, let this be a time of learning for all of us. Let us take what has happened and grow in You from it. Let us come closer to knowing You. We pray for these things in Jesus Holy name, Amen!
Why do bad things happen to good people? This is a very common question for those who lack faith in God when a horrible event occurs. How can an all loving God let something like this happen? Why does God punish the innocent and not those who are evil and deserve to have bad things happen in their lives?
I am sure that the entire nation has been hearing the tragic news of the events which happened days ago in Tucson, Arizona. The thought that a 22 year old male could walk into a crowd and open fire on people he never knew is baffling. Our thoughts and our prayers go out to all of the families which were affected on that day.
It would be extremely easy to loose faith in the midst of such a horrible event, but these are the times that we must look to God the most. In the Bible, we can find numerous stories of times when, “Bad things happened to good people”. The most classic of all these stories I would think is the story of Job. We are told that Satan went to Heaven and of all the others on the Earth, God choose to use Job as an example of his goodness. God told Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil?” But Satan accused God that the only reason for this was He had made Job’s life to easy and given him all he needed. So God allowed Satan to do numerous things to test Job’s faith. Job’s entire family died, he lost all of his crops and animals which were his livelihood. God even allowed Job himself to suffer with boils and sores upon his body. While most of us focus solely on Job, we sometimes forget about those around him. Nothing was ever said to justify his family’s deaths. They as well were innocent bystanders used for a great purpose of God.
Another example would be Abel. Yet again we find a man who was upstanding in the ways of God. He was favored by God and he was killed by his brother Cain. Could God have just as easily have stopped this death from happening as he could have stopped Job's troubles? Yes, but He didn’t. Throughout all of time innocent men, women, and children have died for a greater cause. At the time of Jesus, a decree was sent throughout the land to put to death all children under the age of two by King Herod. Because he feared that the Son of God would be born and be a greater man than he was, Herod ordered the slaughter of thousands of children. Likewise, in Exodus 1, Pharaoh ordered that all male children born were to be killed simply because there were to many of them. These are other instances of the slaying of innocents. There are also many other instances throughout the Bible which are too numerous to mention.
As I read these stories out of the Bible, it gives me more comfort while I try and understand how events such as the Oklahoma City bombing, 9/11, and the shooting in Tucson, AZ could be allowed to happen. God has a plan for each of us in this world. While we may not know the fullness of this plan or the reasoning behind it, we can rest in knowing God loves us and only wants the best for us. He will never do us wrong in anyway. Yes, sometimes bad things happen which are difficult to explain, but as the old saying goes, “What doesn‘t kill us will only make us stronger”. Just as God did with Job, He will test us each and everyday.
The only thing we are asked to do is to trust Him. Lord, we know You have a plan for us and while we do not always understand Your doing in these things, we trust You. We know that our ways are not Your ways. In the book of Proverbs 3: 5-6 it states, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.”.
It doesn’t come to much surprise that we are in the end of times when we read Revelation and look at the state the world is in. The last days are those where wickedness will reign over the Earth. Tragic events are happening all around us at a pace never seen before by this world; hurricanes, tornadoes, shootings, floods, tsunamis, starvation, etc…
In today’s world, many people think that the death of an innocent person is always, in every case, evil. If we are to consider God in all of His goodness, glory, and majesty, nothing this awful and terrible could be attributed to Him. Only evil. But there are actually so many different verses in the Bible which show us that the death of innocent is not always an act of bad. In Philippians 1:21-23, Paul wrote, “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. But if I live on in the flesh, this will mean fruit from my labor; yet what I shall choose I cannot tell. For I am hard pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better.” The prophet Isaiah wrote in Isaiah 57: 1-2, “The righteous perishes, and no man takes it to heart; merciful men are taken away, while no one considers that the righteous is taken away from evil. He shall enter into peace; they shall rest in their beds, each one walking in his uprightness”.
Yes, bad things sometimes happen to good people. We don’t always understand why they do other than each and every one of us were given a great gift in this life. The ability to choose for ourselves. As much as we are given the choice of what good we will do, what church we will attend, and what God we believe in, we are also given the choice of whether we will do that which is evil or not. Because we have been given the freedom to do as we choose, God cannot stop those who are evil from doing what they will. Or how would they be judged later on in the next life?
As I said before, my prayers have been constant for Christina Green as well as everyone who was involved or witnessed what happened on January 8th, 2011. May the Holy Spirit of God come down and rest upon each of these families. In what is surely the roughest time of their lives, I hope and pray that they will receive comfort and strength. God, we ask at this time when such a tragic thing has taken place, that You show all of Your mercy and love on us. We ask that Your Holy Spirit will manifest itself on us in a way that it never has before. We pray dear God, for a blessing unlike any before on those who were affected by what happened on this horrible day. We ask that you comfort them and bless them. Help them understand that all things are done according to You. We know You have a plan for each of us God, and that nothing is done unless you are behind it in some way or another. We know that these good people who were taken from us suddenly are now resting with You in Paradise, that their troubles and sorrows are over. We ask of you, Oh Lord, that we can always remember that. That while we are left here we may know that as bad as this was, those who died have received the greater reward. For we know that they are now with You God, and in a state of never-ending happiness. We pray for the families and for the nation and world that in this time, they may look TO You and not away from You. Again, Lord God, our hearts and prayers go out to the families and loved ones. Bless them dear God, comfort them, give them strength enough to handle and move on from this. But at the same time, God, let this be a time of learning for all of us. Let us take what has happened and grow in You from it. Let us come closer to knowing You. We pray for these things in Jesus Holy name, Amen!
Sunday, January 9, 2011
SHWETA TEWARI BIG BOSS 4 WINNER
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Saved By Grace
This topic is a very sensitive one for me as I came from a religion which didn’t preach that you are saved by the grace of Jesus. All through my growing up years I was taught that we must do certain things as well as believing to enter into the kingdom of Heaven. And throughout my childhood I never felt that I was doing a good enough job. No matter how good I was, I always fell short of what I thought I should have. It wasn’t until later in my life when I began to really study the Bible that I came to know the truth of the matter. All that I needed was to accept Christ. He would take care of the rest.I remember my former church would sometimes mention those out there who believed in being saved by grace. They would tell me that it was those who thought they could go out and do whatever they wanted to do and it was ok because they believed in Christ so they were good to go. Now of course if it is explained to anyone in this manner, it sounds ridiculous, right? So let me just take this moment right now to clarify what is meant by this. Christ came down and suffered for the sins of the world. He took every last one of them upon himself of his own free will. Not one sin was left unaccounted for. This is why He said, when on the Cross, “It is finished.” or, “It is enough”. Because from that point on it was enough. All we now have to do is believe in what he did and our sins are forgiven. Now, this does not mean we have a free ride during our lives to do whatever. Believe me everyone of you, GOD KNOWS YOUR HEART @ND YOUR THOUGHTS AND YOUR INTENTIONS! If you say you believe in Him and don’t mean it, He knows.
God gave us 10 commandments in the Old Testament which were to be strictly followed. When Jesus came and fulfilled the law, they were done away with and we were given two new commandments. 1) To love the Lord your God. And 2) To love your neighbor. And how do we show our love to Him? By following his example. We help those in need, we give to the poor, we keep God in our thoughts and Satan far away from us. If we say we accept Jesus into our lives, and then we don’t follow any of His teachings, have we really truly accepted Him in our hearts? No! And He knows it. If we truly have faith in Him then we do what He taught. But these things are not what saves us, only Christ can do that.
I had a good friend of mine and his wife come and visit our church where I attend. It was a very good sermon and I believe everyone was touched by what was said. At the end we went to lunch and his wife and him were contemplating coming each week. They really enjoyed the church, pastor, and hospitality of all the members. After they had left though, I received an interesting text message from him. He asked me, “We just heard that your church teaches that your salvation can be affected by your sins. Is this true?” I don’t know where he heard this from but I was glad he asked the question, because as most questions do, they spark a flame. I was now pondering this and it got me to study it out. How can it be possible for someone to be “un-saved”? That is the same as being un-born, or un-grown. It is not possible. On another note, Jesus died on the cross for our sins. What would be the purpose of Him going through all that He went through, if it wasn’t enough? What was the point, if we still had things to do as well?
But there are some out there who will argue this point. They will say that the Bible says it is by our works which we are saved. James Chapter 2 says, ”(V14)What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? (V17) Thus also faith by itself, if it does no have works, is dead.” First off, let me just make it clear that I agree with this scripture 100%! But, I believe this to be one of the most misunderstood scriptures in the Bible. I will refer back to earlier when I was talking about true faith in Christ. All this verse is saying is the same thing I said, If you say you believe in Christ but don’t follow His teachings, you don’t have full faith in Him. But nowhere does it say that our works will save us!
Another passage others will bring up is how the Bible constantly tells us we need to be baptized in order to be saved, or we will never reach the kingdom of Heaven. This one is more simple to explain because it can be explained in one verse that is overlooked. Matthew 3: 11 in which John the Baptist says as he is preparing the way for Christ, “I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” Many things changed with the things Jesus did during His life. The Law of Moses was disregarded and a new law was given to us. And with this was the Law of Baptism. Jesus is now our baptizer. When we accept Him and give our lives to Him, we are baptized not by water, but by that fire that is mentioned in Matthew. Nowhere after Christ does it mention that a water baptism is necessary. It does however mention water baptisms. In Acts 8: 36, 37 it say, “Now as they went down to road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said, ‘See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?’ Then Peter said, ‘If you believe with all your heart, you may.’” Notice the wording however. Peter did not say, you must. Peter said you may. Many churches in the world to day will perform baptisms even though they preach that you are saved by grace. Why? What is the point? Baptism is an outward expression of an inward commitment. In other words, when you are baptized, it is a way of declaring to the world and to God in a physical way, your commitment to Him. Is it necessary to do? No. But it does show you have faith if you do it with the right reasons and a willing heart.Let me give you a scripture to use yourself. This is one of my favorites because unlike the previous two I have just given you, in this one there is no possibility of misinterpretation. This is in Ephesians 2: 8-9 which says, "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast." How much more clearly does it have to be written? NOT OF WORKS. Right there in the Bible for us to read.
Now, so far I have told you that if we have true faith and accept Christ as our Lord and Savior, that we will be saved. But there is one exception to this, and only one. Many of you know it to be the unpardonable sin. So what is this sin that has no forgiveness? Mark 3: 22-30 states, "And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, 'He has Beelzebub,' and, 'By the ruler of the demons He casts out demons.' …'Assuredly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they may utter; but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation;' because they said, 'He has an unclean spirit'“ Here it says that even if you are saved, if you are to deny the Holy Spirit by which you were saved and speak ill towards it, you shall never receive forgiveness. After all, how can you be saved of your transgressions and later say it was false and expect the saving power of Christ to still have compassion on you? You have denied Him and so He will deny you what could have been yours had you believed.
My friends, I would like to close this with a story to help fully illustrate the love our Father has for us. The unconditional love that is there. This was given by Kenyon J. Scudder from a 1961 Reader's Digest article, "A friend of his happened to be sitting in a railroad coach next to a young man who was obviously depressed. Finally the young man revealed that he was a paroled convict returning from a distant prison. His imprisonment had brought shame to his family, and they had neither visited him nor written often. He hoped, however, that this was only because they were too poor to travel and too uneducated to write. He hoped, despite the evidence, that they had forgiven him. To make it easy for them, however, he had written to them asking that they put up a signal for him when the train passed their little farm on the outskirts of town. If his family had forgiven him, they were to put up a single white ribbon in the big apple tree which stood near the tracks. If they didn’t want him to return, they were to do nothing, and he would remain on the train as it traveled onward. As the train neared his hometown, the suspense became so great that he couldn’t bear to look out of his window. He exclaimed, “In just five minutes the engineer will sound the whistle indicating our approach to the long bend which opens into the valley I know as home. Will you watch for the apple tree at the side of the track?” His companion said he would; they exchanged places. The minutes seemed like hours, but then there came the shrill sound of the train whistle. The young man asked, “Can you see the tree? Is there a white ribbon?”Came the reply, “I see the tree. I see not one white ribbon, but many. There is a white ribbon on every branch. Son, someone surely does love you.”
God surely does love you! Each and every one of you. When Jesus was hanging there on the cross, I can promise that he thought of all of you. And if you will only believe in him; when the day comes that you are returning home on that “train” to His kingdom, you will see all the ribbons of welcome for you to return home. God bless you all and may this year be one of dedication to him. Lets learn and grow together!
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
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