Tag: Sin

SOWING AND REAPING

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Shelby G. Floyd

Sowing and Reaping

We have all heard it said that you will reap what you sow—the proverb is a true axiom in the physical, moral and spiritual realms of life. It is the law of cause and effect.

ADONI-BEZEK REAPED WHAT HE SOWED

In the history of God’s dealing with his people Israel we have many examples that bear this out. For example, after the death of Joshua, there was still land to be taken and enemies to be subdued. God promised Judah that he had given the land of the Canaanites into their hand. Judah invited the Simeonites to join them in the battle and together they defeated the Canaanites and Perizzites:

Judges 1:4-7
Then Judah went up, and the LORD delivered the Canaanites and the Perizzites into their hand; and they killed ten thousand men at Bezek. And they found Adoni-Bezek in Bezek, and fought against him; and they defeated the Canaanites and the Perizzites. Then Adoni-Bezek fled, and they pursued him and caught him and cut off his thumbs and big toes. And Adoni-Bezek said, “Seventy kings with their thumbs and big toes cut off used to gather scraps under my table; as I have done, so God has repaid me.” Then they brought him to Jerusalem, and there he died.
NIV

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THE VIRGIN BIRTH OF JESUS CHRIST

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Shelby G. Floyd

isaiah-7-14-scroll
The above title is a specific and accurate description of how God brought Christ into the world to be our Savior. Jesus Christ is both divine and human, “regarding his Son, who as to his human nature was a descendant of David, and who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 1:3-4).

Jesus Christ Was Human and Divine

From the divine standpoint, he has always existed and always will. Late in the first century, the apostle John spoke of the preexistence of Christ in these words: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God” (John 1:1-2). Then, later in the chapter, John described the human nature of Christ when he said, “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth” (John 1: 14). This is definitely a reference to the virgin birth of Christ. Continue reading “THE VIRGIN BIRTH OF JESUS CHRIST” →

COME CLOSE TO GOD

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Shelby G. Floyd

Close to God

Our God is great, but he wants a close relationship with all of his people. Sadly, many Christian people never realize the nearness of God in their daily walk with God. Many of God’s children feel that God is far away and not interested in their joys and sadness. However, this is not the case. God has demonstrated over and over again, that if we will seek him out he will be found to be close at hand.

Near the end of the New Testament revelation, the apostle James exhorted the Christians of the dispersion to, “Come close to God and He will come close to you” (James 4:8). Man left God, but God did not leave sinful man. Because of the great love, mercy and grace of God, he made the first and last move to reconcile man back to himself. This he did by sending his beloved Son from heaven to earth to redeem us from eternal separation. Now it is up to each one of us to make our move back to God and enjoy the close fellowship that was enjoyed in the Eden Paradise. Continue reading “COME CLOSE TO GOD” →

NO MORE EXCUSES

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Shelby G. Floyd

no more excuses

On one occasion, Jesus went to the home of a prominent Pharisee for dinner. A man sitting at the table with Jesus said, “Blessed is the man who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God” (Luke 14:15). His statement provided Jesus the context to teach the parable of The Great Banquet. The man giving the banquet sent out invitations and when it was time for the banquet he said, “Come, for everything is now ready” (Luke 14:16). But they all made excuses for not going to the great banquet: Continue reading “NO MORE EXCUSES” →

MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS

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Shelby G. Floyd

MYOB

The apostle Paul exhorted the Christians at Thessalonica to increase their brotherly love more and more: “But concerning brotherly love you have no need that I should write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another” (1 Thessalonians 4:9; Matthew 22:39).

Then he points out some practical ways brotherly love can be accomplished: “that you also aspire to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you, that you may walk properly toward those who are outside, and that you may lack nothing” (1 Thessalonians 4:11-12). Continue reading “MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS” →

Enthusiastic Evangelism

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Shelby G. Floyd

1 Cor 15-58

There is plenty of work in the congregation for each one of us to do if we will do it. Solomon sagely advises people to work while we can: “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the grave, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom” (Ecclesiastes 9:10). Life is short and we only live here once. Whatever we can accomplish for the Lord must be done now. We cannot come back and take care of lost opportunities. Continue reading “Enthusiastic Evangelism” →

THE SOUL GOAL

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Shelby G. Floyd

Soul Goal

The sole goal of most people today is how much profit they can accumulate of this world’s goods and riches.

The Worth of the Soul
Jesus taught that we should value our soul over everything else in this world: “Then Jesus said to His disciples, ‘For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul’” (Matthew 16:26 NKJV)? According to Christ there is no profit if one could gain the whole world (which is impossible), and then end up losing one’s soul. Continue reading “THE SOUL GOAL” →

WAKE UP

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Shelby G. Floyd

sleeper

Sleep” is used in several different ways as a metaphor to illustrate the Christian life and death. It sometimes refers to “the sleep” of death: “Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed—in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed” (1 Corinthians 15:51-52). Continue reading “WAKE UP” →

SEVEN SERVANTS

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Shelby G. Floyd

077-Seven-Servants-Graphic--608x608

Jesus Christ is the best example of being a servant. He did not ask his disciples to do that which he refused to do himself: “And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave— just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:27-28). There is great joy and satisfaction in learning to serve others in a cause that is greater than us. The cause of Christ demands that we learn to be a servant. Continue reading “SEVEN SERVANTS” →

RUNNING THE RACE OF FAITH

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Shelby G. Floyd

8

How many of you have participated in the Indianapolis Mini-Marathon? How many of you would like to? How many of you plan to run some day? That would be a great challenge would it not? In order to run in that race it would require a lot of training in order to be in good shape to finish the race.

I was involved in track when I was in high school. I ran the 220 yards, 440 yards, and 880 yards race, which was a half-mile. I remember that I was always able to finish the race. Sometimes I won the blue ribbon, sometimes the red ribbon, and sometimes not so good. But I always finished the race.

Today I speak to you about “Running the Race of Faith.” This is a good time at the first of the year to consider a subject like that. Everybody loves sports. Many times we talk about sports fanatics. The word sports “fan” came from the word “fanatics.” A fanatic is someone who does unreasonable things in regards to sports. But a fan is someone who does reasonable things in support of his favorite team. Therefore it is a good thing to be a fan and support the team that we love. Continue reading “RUNNING THE RACE OF FAITH” →