All roads lead to God

I recently heard Greg Laurie speaking and he said that he agrees with the saying "All Roads Lead to God"..following Laurie for years I knew he wasnt going "off the mark" with this statement But I did wonder what he meant since most people do seem to believe all roads lead to God and/or the same "ending" So after listening to the message I found his writing on this subject as well. What follows is a writing by Greg Laurie on "All Roads Lead to God"...

I just had a physical with my doctor. Thankfully, everything is looking good.
After we were done, I asked him a question: "Have you ever had to tell someone that they were going to die soon?" He told me that he had; he said it was the hardest thing he did as a physician. But in most cases, he would detect a problem and give them a course of action that, if followed, would save their life.
As a pastor, I am in a similar situation, but with even more radical implications. Because I believe the Bible is true, I know both the problem and the cure to what happens beyond the grave.
It is said by some, "All roads lead to God." You may be surprised to know that I happen to agree with that. I did not say all roads lead to heaven, but that all roads lead to God. Regardless of what you may or may not believe, I do think you will stand before God one day. But there is only one way to get to heaven. And that is the one issue that more people choke on than any other.
It is said, "Are you saying Jesus Christ is the only way, and that if someone doesn't believe in Him they're actually going to hell? That's so narrow! So insensitive! So intolerant!" By insisting that Jesus is the only way to approach God, I may sound to certain people like I'm implying I'm somehow better than they are, or that I look down on them in some way. But I want you to know that I have a very good reason for believing that Jesus Christ is the only way to the Father. I believe it because He said so. It isn't my theory; it isn't my idea; it is His! It was Jesus who clearly stated, "I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me" (John 14:6 NKJV). How plain is that?
The bottom line is that we're either going to believe everything Jesus said or nothing that He said. As for me, I choose to put my faith and trust in Him – for my years here on earth and for my eternity.
In Acts 4:12, the apostle Peter declared, "Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved" (NKJV). Paul told Timothy, "For there is only one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and people. He is the man Christ Jesus" (1 Timothy 2:5 NLT). If I claim to be His follower and believe His words, then I would be less than honest if I said anything but this. As a Christian, I am in no way better or superior to anyone else. I'm just one beggar telling another beggar where to find bread.
Maybe you've had someone say to you, "Well, all religions basically say and teach the same thing. They're all true. And besides, if a person is really sincere in what they believe, they'll get to heaven." This type of fuzzy, illogical, politically correct thinking is typical of so many today – making the most important decisions of life on the basis of feelings and opinions.
Let's take this line of reasoning to its logical conclusion. If a person truly is sincere in what he believes and tries to live a good life, then he will get to heaven. So Adolf Hitler is in heaven, right? He sincerely believed what he was doing was right. He had a sincere view of racial supremacy and thought it was right to exterminate the Jewish people.
It also appears that Osama bin Laden is sincere in thinking Allah wanted him to kill 3,000 people. He was honest and genuine about his belief that every American man, woman and child are infidels deserving death. So, why wouldn't he end up in some kind of paradise?
"No!" you protest. "He is not good!" Really? According to whose definition? Yours? Mine? The person next door? Is it determined by consensus? Why is it wrong to lie, steal and murder? As much as we hate to admit it, it's because God said it is wrong in the Ten Commandments, among other places. This is why sincerity is never enough. We have to have a set of absolutes to live by. We can't simply make up the rules as we go along. You may want to believe that "all roads lead to God." You may really and sincerely hope that every religion is basically true and that they somehow all blend beautifully together.
The great world religions do not all teach the same thing. And I say that with respect for all people to believe what they choose to believe. We don't need to vilify, threaten or attack one another. We need a civil discourse, and we need to agree to disagree. But on the other hand, let's not foolishly say every religion is teaching the same thing, because they are not. For instance, take these three truths into consideration:
1.Concerning the existence of a personal God. Buddhists deny it altogether. Hindus believe that God is formless and abstract, taking the form of a trinity as well as millions of lesser gods. In direct contrast, the Bible teaches that God is a personal deity, who created man in His own image, loves us and wants to have a relationship with us.
2.Concerning salvation. Buddhists believe salvation comes by self-effort alone – with no personal God to help or guide you. Hindus believe you achieve salvation by devotion, works and self-control. Muslims insist that man earns his own salvation, pays for his own sins, and that you can never be certain if you have achieved salvation or not. In stark contrast, the Bible teaches that Jesus Christ died for our sins, and if we will turn from our own way and follow Him, we can be forgiven and have the hope of heaven.
3.Concerning Jesus Christ. Buddhists believe Jesus was a good teacher, but less important than Buddha. Hindus believe Jesus was just one of many incarnations, or sons of God. They teach that Christ was not the one-and-only Son of God. He was no more divine than any other man, and He did not die for man's sins. Muslims will tell you that Jesus Christ was only a man, a prophet equal to Adam, Noah or Abraham, all of whom are below Muhammad in importance.
Do you see my point? It doesn't work to believe in all of the above. The tenets of these religions directly contradict one another. They cannot all be true. These belief systems are diverse and contradictory. In reality, they have little to nothing in common.
Jesus claimed to be the only way to the Father. It is not enough to admire Him or think of Him as a "great moral teacher." We must examine His unique claims and make a decision concerning Him.
C. S. Lewis, the great Christian thinker and author of "The Chronicles of Narnia," said, "A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic – on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg – or else he would be the Devil of Hell. ... You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to" ("Mere Christianity," 52).
Make your decision about what you believe, based on the facts, not on your feelings.

WWID

He began looking for just the right moment to hand him over (Matthew 26:16)



This verse caught my attention years ago. And even after "getting my attention" I found I soon had no problem handing Him over. I dont get it, I will never understand it and I would now (finally) never say I wont do it again..and I know for sure its not only me..go way back to the 1700s a 22 year old penned these words.. "Bind my wandering heart to Thee.Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, Prone to leave the God I love; Here's my heart, O take and seal it,Seal it for Thy courts above."

Its amazing to me here right in a middle of a worship song we are telling God I love you with all that I am yet with All that I am I find it easy to leave you. Sometimes I struggle but just as many times I simply choose something or somebody else with little or no hesitation.
Its not like I havent tasted Your love, Grace & Mercy. Your blessings have been countless for me and my family. Personally I could have never imagine having such a beautiful wife and son. And opportunity to travel throughout the world. And even in the midst of these "mission trips" I was more prodigal than those I was talking to about needing Jesus. "Prone:" having a tendency or inclination : being likely- Yes thats me (you?). Prone, so easy for me thats why I dont get much of "Christian TV" for "ITS ALL GOOD" until a scandal hits the airwaves. I believe it would help a lot more for Believers to admit their faults and as I posted in a earlier blog not just hey I havent read my Bible in awhile or I eat too much chocolate. No, find a friend (a good one) and share the demons and darkness in your life. Because hey if you are human (or close to it) you have such in your life.
The Blessings, the Bible Reading, devotionals, Christian Music, Christian friends, Church, Prayers..etc etc..You think this would amount to a wall of protection and a engrave reminder not to go our own way. It just seems to come down to the most basic God in all of our lives which is Self, I, ME...if I had a WWJD (and NO I dont, havent had one and dont plan on it) I believe I could wear it while "proning" with no problem. See I would just look down at it and my very desire to please self would blur it and I would see WWID (what would I DO) and when its left up to me, self alone then I know I would be "fulfilling" Matthew 26:16 handing Jesus over as this seems like the "right moment" to do it.
Thank God for His grace and mercy, it is relentless. He loves like no other and I am forever thankful for He is the Only that truly is who He says He is...Jesus, Lover of my Soul. We may know love from another but we will only find Unconditional Love in Him.

"Lucky?"

"Good Luck", "Best of Luck" "I was lucky" these are words that bother me. Unless of course you are about to adventure in a recreational game or some intense video gaming. Perhaps you found a coin, yes it was on heads so now you are Really lucky. But when I hear how somebody survive a near fatal crash, or sickness/disease is gone and they use the word luck. To me it cheapens everything about life. To use the same word "luck" when we find a coin or made a good shot,won a game and then mix it in with a life changing experience doesnt seem to add up to say the least. I mean I know people mean well for the most part and sometimes just dont know what to say. But when Im facing surgery or a crisis I dont want luck. I dont want the "power/outcome" of finding some loose change. I want to believe and know there is more than luck to it. Matter of fact when it comes to surgery I dont want the doctor to be lucky. Thats right I would actually like him to be good than lucky. When life is filled with blessings its not luck its "simply" you are being blessed. Enjoy it but dont cheapen it. Perhaps we could even if this out by celebrating when we find a coin. Thats right at that very moment stop and give a huge acceptance speech thanking God, family, friends, teachers,etc that if it wasnt for them you never would have found that penny. It wasnt luck no it was fate, unforgettable. A reason to journal, to live..or maybe it was just luck? ...A Penny for your thoughts?

All I Needed to Learn...

Everything I Needed to Know I learned in Kindergarten, Preeschool, School, Universities, Life, a cave...you name it and Im sure a person will claim to learned his/her "everything" there. Learning indeed is a process to say the least. But perhaps more than anything or rather any place its the womb where we have everything we Need. And this is most important to have before we can even begin to learn. You see the Creator chose to create us in our mothers womb to first of all have a relationship with Him and live a life that would define that we are in relationship with a living God. Countless reminders in His word tells us of this creation: "For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb.I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. "Psalm 139
Before I was born the LORD called me; from my birth he has made mention of my name..And now the LORD says—he who formed me in the womb to be his servant" Isaiah 49:1,5
Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations." Jeremiah 1:5
While we were in Canada we became friends with some young ladies from South Korea and they informed us that they have 2 ages, one is what is the norm to most of us in that at birth its day one for the child. But in South Korea many parents see their newborn child as 9 months old and will celebrate the babys first birthday in just 3 months. I do believe there is something beautiful in that as it recognizes the life that has all along been taking place. When you hear the heartbeat of a child in the womb and see a heart the size of a grain beating on the video its a moment of silence that puts you in awe. Of course we are missing out on this in that its common place for many in the world to have an abortion. And there are those who treat a child like they are a burden or confuse to which is to be loved on more the child or the pet.
But back to the womb the place where God touched us, already breathed life into us and through all the good, bad, the questions and answers in life He instilled in us a reason and will to live. And yet I know that life has twisted many hearts and blurred even snuffed out the reason for some to go on. But its there in His word, and I will take God at it.Life is not fair (at times far from it) but God is good! He promises everything we need is in Him. Not in material things, not in getting 3 wishes or even prayers answered but that we will see no matter how much we learn (or failed to learn) or how far we go we can always come back home and He will always be our only need.







"You're all I need when the world is closin' in my strength is runnin' thin when i'm lost in the storm You're all i need there's no need to look anywhere there's nothing that can compare to the love that You give You're all i need You're all that i want nothing in this world could give me more" "you're all I need" -Kry

How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them!

Who Let The Dogs Out (& other love songs)

Maybe I didn't treat you
Quite as good as I should have
Maybe I didn't love you
Quite as often as I could have
Little things I should have said and done
I just never took the time
You were always on my mind
You were always on my mind

For years I thought this was a love song that is based on a relationship between a man and a woman. But once again TV has proved me wrong. For within the last year the only time I hear this song is during a ASPCA commercial. Never knew pets were Willie Nelson fans but thats for another time. Look I have nothing against pets matter of facts I really like dogs for a pet. I mean what could be better for a pet than a dog, well besides the talking hamster from Bolt. BUT come on can we cut down on comparing dogs to humans. Im sure mr Nelson wasnt thinking of a pet and for those who are when you sing or hear that song Well you are long overdue for some help. This commercial even tells me if I agree to give monthly support they will send me a photograph of the dog I am supporting. WHAT? You mean the dog cant do it on his own. Hearing the love song, seeing the pain they are in and now I get One photo of "my own personal dog". You would think the least he/she could do would be to write me personally. My own "petpal", maybe with a certain money amount they could offer pawprints from his days as a puppy.

This past summer my wife and I are in Kenya and on the tv is an old show of Oprah which was a tribute to dogs. And as they told stories of abuse (yes abuse to any pet is wrong, agree!) Oprah said yes you know its been said "we will be judge as people by the way we treat the least of these"-No Oprah that hasnt been said concerning a animal that barks or meows and drinks out of a toliet bowl. Obviously lets not do any harm at all to pets (we wont refer to football players at this time, too easy) but lets realize their is a difference in a needy pet and a needy child. So can we please just stop with the love songs for rover and mittens, and "confusing" pets with children. Thats right take the dog out of the stroller. And if you are one of the thousands giving monthly support for those "homeless pets" make sure the photo isnt stockphoto. And let me know when you get that letter signed with a paw print.

Lady Diana & Mother Teresa

Awhile ago I came across the following in a book called culture making. The author related how Princess Diana and Mother Teresa died the same week. And how much of the world would give anything to be famous like Diana but so few will even come close yet almost all of us could easily be giving of ourselves...



....The moralistic turn to take at this point to urge us all to become more like Mother-to take up the vocation of service and among the poor, foregoing the accumulation of possessions and privilege. And there is no doubt that when Jesus met at least one young man of privilege, he invited him to do exactly that. There’s a difference, as the black preacher said between having a title and a testimony. Diana had the title, I can hear him say, “But Mother had the testimony.”
Furthermore, there is an unsettling asymmetry between the Princess and the Mother. I dare say that precisely no readers of this book ever could, in any possible scenario, take Princess Dianas place-either her royal station, her worldwide celebrity or her magnetic grip on every nearby camera. Leaving aside the fact that most of us are not subjects of the British Crown, you and I are simply not cut out for the job. Princess Diana’s singular life was just that, singular. There will be, in our lifetime, an absolutely tiny number of women (or men) who will charm the cameras and manipulate the celebrity press so effectively that they reach her level of fame. For the rest of us to chase that kind of popularity and visibility would be both foolish and futile. Of course, the sad conclusion of Dianas short life is that even for them to chase that kind of popularity and visibility would be both foolish and futile.
And yet there is nothing-absolutely nothing-stopping us from taking Mother Teresa’s place. None of the intrinsic barriers to taking up the life of a celebrity princess apply to those who might want to take up the life of a servant to the poor. As I write there are hundreds of people volunteering at the Missionaries of Charitys home for the dying in Calcutta. Some have been there for a day or two; others have stayed for years or decades. Hey obviously will not necessarily achieve Mother’s worldwide recognition but they are living, in every material respect the life she lived. At the end Mother Teresa was a wizened old woman whose face bore a crease for very year of her life, with all the plastic surgery money could buy, you or I will never look like Princess Diana in her prime-but for absolutely no cost except a life of love, we could look like Mother Teresa. For nearly all of us, becoming a celebrity is completely, categorically impossible. For all of us, becoming a saint is completely, categorically possible. So why are so many trying to become a celebrity and so few trying to become a saint?

Culture Making- Andy Crouch

JUST Read this...

Throughout the past few months I have discussed with family and friends the use of the words JUST. I looked it up a few different places and a friend of mine emails me the definition “Definition of "just": fair; right. It’s such a small word that is over used in conversations but especially in prayer. And I think it’s safe to say it’s in prayer so much we don’t even realize it. And usually after a “just” we follow up with a healing, blessing, a saving of a life. Ex: “We JUST ask that you give complete healing.”. We just ask that you bless us financially (and perhaps overlook the ways we blew money and bought things we didn’t need-okay with that we JUST ask for mercy as well). Just seems a difference to me in asking a doctor to JUST give his opinion and just give me a triple bypass or a lobotomy. Nothing to it. I don’t hear people saying just lend me a dollar after a just it’s usually followed up with triple to four digits money amount. Such a loaded word from “Just do it” to “Just sign on the line and its yours”-be it the TV, car, house, surgery, etc… How about “can we just be friends?” Or “oh I forgot there’s just one last thing” I know this is next to meaningless but I also know this word to me is always follow by a major request or suggestion. Anyway thanks for reading this now if you choose to reply please Just follow up your reply with a blank check..