August 28th 2016
Is Jesus The Answer, Or Do Drugs Supply Your Feeling Of Security?
2 Thessalonians 3:3 (NIV)
But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen and protect you from the evil one.
Jesus is the answer! An old adage which is only meaningful if you know Jesus! No, it is not enough to know about Jesus, you must know Him, and depend upon Him as your Lord and Savior! People who do not know Jesus must depend upon something else. To many people “Drugs are the answer! Of course, drugs do not supply a permanent answer to the questions of life, they merely supply a temporary lull in the pressures of living and trying to get by! Drug dependency is becoming a severe problem in the area where I live. It is likely to become more and more of the ordinary lifestyle, as more and more people are being taught that there is no real answer to their perceived lifestyle problems.
Satan is real, and he is telling people that they are no more than an animal occupying the top rung in the food chain. Therefore, if you are not competing well with other top rung beings, then you can get some temporary relief by scoring your favorite drug. Your choices are to choose Jesus or take the easy way out and just use drugs. Which habit are you working on today, will it be a church of your choice, or take the shortcut and just get high. If you choose drugs, then your death is likely coming very soon, it could happen on your next score. If you truly choose Jesus, then “he will strengthen and protect you from the evil one.” If you die today, where will your immortal soul reside?
Of course, this commentary will not supply the answer to the problems in your life for we all have different situations to handle. Of course, drugs will never supply a permanent answer to any problems, it will actually just add another problem level, and thus will only increase the need for relief! Paul wrote about temptations and how only God will give real relief and He will also give you a way out of your problems. No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it. (1 Corinthians 10:13) So the moral for this short story is look to Jesus for real relief to your problems, and “he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.”
In the area where I live there has been a great increase in the drug problems, and many people are experiencing drug related problems, and many people are suffering and many are dying from drug related problems. Many people are turning to drugs for relief, because they do not know any other way to turn, because they have no faith in there being a better way. Jesus is that way, and please pray that more people turn to Him as that way. Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No-one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6)
Now let us change this commentary toward Jesus, and allow us to examine the truth from the Bible about Jesus, and where we His disciples come into play in this life to offer Jesus as the Way to turn for real relief to lifetime problems. It is important for us to offer a loving attitude to those who have lost their way in this life. Jesus told His disciples (us) love everyone, even those who choose to be our enemies. Jesus replied: "‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." (Matthew 22:37-40) Jesus said love your neighbor, and He prefaced it by also saying our neighbor is the one(s) most in need of our help and love!
Remember our great hope is in Jesus, and He promised He is coming back for those who know Him and love Him. He said to them: "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. "Men of Galilee," they said, "why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven." (Acts 1:7-11)
Most of the people in this world do not know Jesus, and they do not believe the Biblical stories about Him. However, if you believe His story then it is our pleasure to tell this the greatest story ever told! John wrote about this identification problem that Jesus suffers, because Satan offers a lot of other stories, which are all lies, and most people have believed them. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. (John 1:10-13) You can choose to be a child of God!
After Jesus died and then arose He visited His disciples and gave them confidence in His resurrection. While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you." They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. He said to them, "Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have." (Luke 24:36-39) Jesus is alive! Yes, I know it is not yet Easter, but it just seemed appropriate for us to remember that Jesus is alive, and is coming back for all those who choose to follow Him.
In the meantime, we are expected to teach others about Jesus and the great hope we have in knowing He is returning to take us to where He is. Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms. (1 Peter 4:10) Are you ready to get high with Jesus. Well we know we will fly up to meet Him in the sky, if we survive this life until He returns for us, or we will accompany Him in the sky when He comes back to rapture those who know Him!
“To know, know, know Him, is to love, love, love Him, and I do!” What about you?
Your brother in life through Adam, your brother in eternity through Jesus,
Bob Moak
2 Thessalonians 3:3 (NIV)
But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen and protect you from the evil one.
Jesus is the answer! An old adage which is only meaningful if you know Jesus! No, it is not enough to know about Jesus, you must know Him, and depend upon Him as your Lord and Savior! People who do not know Jesus must depend upon something else. To many people “Drugs are the answer! Of course, drugs do not supply a permanent answer to the questions of life, they merely supply a temporary lull in the pressures of living and trying to get by! Drug dependency is becoming a severe problem in the area where I live. It is likely to become more and more of the ordinary lifestyle, as more and more people are being taught that there is no real answer to their perceived lifestyle problems.
Satan is real, and he is telling people that they are no more than an animal occupying the top rung in the food chain. Therefore, if you are not competing well with other top rung beings, then you can get some temporary relief by scoring your favorite drug. Your choices are to choose Jesus or take the easy way out and just use drugs. Which habit are you working on today, will it be a church of your choice, or take the shortcut and just get high. If you choose drugs, then your death is likely coming very soon, it could happen on your next score. If you truly choose Jesus, then “he will strengthen and protect you from the evil one.” If you die today, where will your immortal soul reside?
Of course, this commentary will not supply the answer to the problems in your life for we all have different situations to handle. Of course, drugs will never supply a permanent answer to any problems, it will actually just add another problem level, and thus will only increase the need for relief! Paul wrote about temptations and how only God will give real relief and He will also give you a way out of your problems. No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it. (1 Corinthians 10:13) So the moral for this short story is look to Jesus for real relief to your problems, and “he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.”
In the area where I live there has been a great increase in the drug problems, and many people are experiencing drug related problems, and many people are suffering and many are dying from drug related problems. Many people are turning to drugs for relief, because they do not know any other way to turn, because they have no faith in there being a better way. Jesus is that way, and please pray that more people turn to Him as that way. Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No-one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6)
Now let us change this commentary toward Jesus, and allow us to examine the truth from the Bible about Jesus, and where we His disciples come into play in this life to offer Jesus as the Way to turn for real relief to lifetime problems. It is important for us to offer a loving attitude to those who have lost their way in this life. Jesus told His disciples (us) love everyone, even those who choose to be our enemies. Jesus replied: "‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." (Matthew 22:37-40) Jesus said love your neighbor, and He prefaced it by also saying our neighbor is the one(s) most in need of our help and love!
Remember our great hope is in Jesus, and He promised He is coming back for those who know Him and love Him. He said to them: "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. "Men of Galilee," they said, "why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven." (Acts 1:7-11)
Most of the people in this world do not know Jesus, and they do not believe the Biblical stories about Him. However, if you believe His story then it is our pleasure to tell this the greatest story ever told! John wrote about this identification problem that Jesus suffers, because Satan offers a lot of other stories, which are all lies, and most people have believed them. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. (John 1:10-13) You can choose to be a child of God!
After Jesus died and then arose He visited His disciples and gave them confidence in His resurrection. While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you." They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. He said to them, "Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have." (Luke 24:36-39) Jesus is alive! Yes, I know it is not yet Easter, but it just seemed appropriate for us to remember that Jesus is alive, and is coming back for all those who choose to follow Him.
In the meantime, we are expected to teach others about Jesus and the great hope we have in knowing He is returning to take us to where He is. Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms. (1 Peter 4:10) Are you ready to get high with Jesus. Well we know we will fly up to meet Him in the sky, if we survive this life until He returns for us, or we will accompany Him in the sky when He comes back to rapture those who know Him!
“To know, know, know Him, is to love, love, love Him, and I do!” What about you?
Your brother in life through Adam, your brother in eternity through Jesus,
Bob Moak
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