Re-building the wall – Part 3 - A story of success

In order for us to complete and achieve anything in our lives it is important that we persevere, that we do not become discouraged or distracted, that when things get tough and sometimes out of control we do not take the easy option and just throw in the towel and give up.

Source: quotesgram.com

In Part 1 (link) and Part 2 (link), of this article I considered the human desire for success.  In order to demonstrate this I looked at the story of the re-building of the wall of Jerusalem, which can be found in the Old Testament in the book of Nehemiah. God showed me five factors that made Nehemiah and the people of Jerusalem successful in completing the wall within just 52 days; Prayer, Preparation, Passion, Perseverance and Perception (The five P’s).  In Part 1 I discussed the importance and significance of prayer and in part 2 I discussed preparation and passion. In this final part I will conclude with perseverance and perception.

Perseverance – Dictionary.com defines perseverance as ‘steady persistence in a course of action, a purpose, a state etc., especially in spite of difficulties, obstacles, or discouragement’. In order for us to complete and achieve anything in our lives it is important that we persevere, that we do not become discouraged or distracted, that when things get tough and sometimes out of control we do not take the easy option and just throw in the towel and give up. It would have been easy for Nehemiah to think that the task ahead was too big or to give up before even starting especially as he received a great deal of opposition and ridicule throughout; Nehemiah 2: 19-20  ‘But when Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite official and Geshem the Arab heard about it (the plan to re-build the wall), they mocked and ridiculed us. ‘What is this you are doing?’ they asked.  Are you rebelling against the king I answered them by saying, ‘The God of heaven will give us success. We his servants will start rebuilding, but as for you, you have no share in Jerusalem or any claim or historic right to it’ and later in the book whilst the work is in progress, there is further opposition and ridicule;  Nehemiah 4: 1-3 ‘When Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he became angry and was greatly incensed. He ridiculed the Jews, and in the presence of his associates and the army of Samaria, he said, ‘What are those feeble Jews doing? Will they restore their wall? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they finish in a day? Can they bring the stones back to life from those heaps of rubble—burned as they are?’ Tobiah the Ammonite, who was at his side, said, ‘What they are building—even a fox climbing up on it would break down their wall of stones!’

Source: www.patheos.com

Nehemiah did not let opposition and ridicule put him off, and neither should you or I. People may oppose us and may even ridicule us and even become angry, just as Sanballat did above, however if our work or plans are of God then we should stand fast and persevere. If we find ourselves in these types of situations then maybe our faith is being tested and we are told to hand these types of situations over to God; James 1: 2-5 ‘Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you’. Praise God,

When we are born again we become a new creation in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17) however, being born again does not give us entry into a new sanitised World where everything is perfect. While we are on this earth God has a plan and purpose for our lives (Jeremiah 29:11), and we would not be able to do His work and save souls if we are separated from the those who need us the most.  We will undoubtedly experience opposition and ridicule in parts of our life, often from the very people we are trying to save however we must persevere because we have Almighty God on our side, our God, the only God, hallelujah!; Romans 8:37 ‘No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us’ and Deuteronomy 28:13 ‘The Lord will make you the head, not the tail. If you pay attention to the commands of the Lord your God that I give you this day and carefully follow them, you will always be at the top, never at the bottom’. Be encouraged! Romans 8:31 ‘If God is for us, who can be against us?’

Perception - is defined as; 'the ability to see, hear, or become aware of something through the senses' and 'Intuitive understanding and insight'. Nehemiah was aware of what was happening, he was aware of the opposition and the difficulties he was likely to face.  He did not bury his head in the sand and try to ignore it, he dealt with it!  Ignoring difficulties in our lives and burying our heads in the sand will not make our troubles go away. When we take our head out of the sand, all we are left with is a dirty head and our troubles will still be there.

Nehemiah was perceptive enough to realise that things were happening that could affect the success of the work ahead and that something needed to be done. He therefore decided to organise the workers: Nehemiah 4:13-19 ‘Therefore I stationed some of the people behind the lowest points of the wall at the exposed places, posting them by families, with their swords, spears and bows. After I looked things over, I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, ‘Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your families, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes’. When our enemies heard that we were aware of their plot and that God had frustrated it, we all returned to the wall, each to our own work. From that day on, half of my men did the work, while the other half were equipped with spears, shields, bows and armor. The officers posted themselves behind all the people of Judah who were building the wall. Those who carried materials did their work with one hand and held a weapon in the other, and each of the builders wore his sword at his side as he worked. But the man who sounded the trumpet stayed with me. Then I said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, ‘The work is extensive and spread out, and we are widely separated from each other along the wall. Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, join us there. Our God will fight for us!’

The story of the re-building of the wall of Jerusalem is a wonderful example of how anything is possible in God. Prayer, preparation, passion, perseverance and perception were crucial factors in the successful re-building of the wall. Maybe we should take a little time to look into our own situations, possible things that we are struggling with or maybe something that has not succeeded to see if we can learn any lessons from the Word of God. Psalm 20:4 ‘May he give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed’. 

Praise God!

Author: Gary O’Neill 

May God bless and enrich your life

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Re-building the wall - Part 2 - A story of success

Nehemiah understood the importance of preparation and so should we. Preparation is important in our personal lives, our working lives, our Christian lives, everywhere

Source: www.pinterest.com

In Part 1 of this article (link), I considered the human desire for success and that each year a great deal of money is spent on books and other material to try to find the 'secret' of success, however this is not actually a secret at all, as the formulae for success is freely available in the Word of God. In order to demonstrate this I looked at the story of the re-building of the wall of Jerusalem, which can be found in the Old Testament in the book of Nehemiah. I explained that a few months ago whilst reading the book, God planted the following question in my mind; ‘How was it possible for the wall of Jerusalem to be re-built in just 52 days?’ Nehemiah 6:15 ‘So the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth of Elul, in fifty-two days’. As I started to look into God’s Word for an answer to this question God showed me five factors that made Nehemiah and the people of Jerusalem successful in completing the wall within just 52 days; Prayer, Preparation, Passion, Perseverance and Perception (The five P’s). In Part 1 I discussed the importance and significance of prayer and in this article I will consider two further factors, preparation and passion. Part 3 will conclude with perseverance and perception.

Preparation – Note that Nehemiah did not rush blindly into the task, in fact if you read Nehemiah 2:13-16 you will see that he took the time to prepare by inspecting and surveying the wall first; ‘By night I went out through the Valley Gate toward the Jackal Well and the Dung Gate, examining the walls of Jerusalem, which had been broken down, and its gates, which had been destroyed by fire. Then I moved on toward the Fountain Gate and the King’s Pool, but there was not enough room for my mount to get through; so I went up the valley by night, examining the wall. Finally, I turned back and re-entered through the Valley Gate. The officials did not know where I had gone or what I was doing, because as yet I had said nothing to the Jews or the priests or nobles or officials or any others who would be doing the work’. Before embarking on the task ahead Nehemiah decided to work out the scale of the job and what was needed.  He kept quiet until he was confident that he knew what was required and he did not make any rash statements or make any promises he could not keep.

Source:www.pinterest.com

How many times have we started something without sufficient preparation only to end in failure? How much time have we wasted trying to get a new gadget or appliance to work because we have ignored the instruction manual? How many times have we got lost because we have not prepared for the journey ahead? Nehemiah understood the importance of preparation and so should we. Preparation is important in our personal lives, our working lives, our Christian lives, everywhere. There are numerous references to preparation within the Word of God including; Proverbs 24:27 (NLT) ‘Do your planning and prepare your fields before building your house’ and Matthew 24:42-43 ‘Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming. But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into’. The old adage ‘if you fail to prepare then prepare to fail’ emphasises the importance of preparation and how this is important to success.

Passion (Love) - If we have a real passion, even love for something then we are unlikely to fail.  Nehemiah had a passion for God and for his people, a real love. Look at the words Nehemiah uses; Nehemiah 1: 3-6 ‘They said to me, 'Things are not going well for those who returned to the province of Judah. They are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem has been torn down, and the gates have been destroyed by fire. When I heard this, I sat down and wept. In fact, for days I mourned, fasted, and prayed to the God of heaven. Then I said, 'O LORD, God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps his covenant of unfailing love with those who love him and obey his commands, listen to my prayer! Look down and see me praying night and day for your people Israel'. Nehemiah’s passion to re-build the wall of Jerusalem was motivated by his love for God and love for the people of Israel.  In our own lives, if any of our loved ones are in need and require our help we do not need to think about helping them, we just do it.  This is what love is and by demonstrating love we are following the command of Jesus who tells us to love; John 15:12 ‘My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you’ and the apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 13:13 tells us ‘So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love’. If we have a real passion or love for something then anything is possible, as Nehemiah demonstrated by re-building the wall of Jerusalem in 52 days.

It is worth understanding why Nehemiah was so passionate about re-building the wall and what drove his motivation;

1. The lack of fortified walls around the city left the people defenceless against enemies. Weather, wild animals, opposing people, and other opponents could easily enter and cause trouble for to the people.

2. A city with broken walls revealed a defeated people. The Jews who had returned to their homeland were both living in unsafe conditions and humiliated at living in a destroyed city. (Nehemiah 2:17).

3. Rebuilding Jerusalem’s walls would show God’s blessing upon His people again. (Nehemiah 1:9).

4. Rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem was an important sign to the enemies of Israel. Nehemiah told their enemies. Nehemiah 2:20 ‘The God of heaven will give us success. We his servants will start rebuilding, but as for you, you have no share in Jerusalem or any claim or historic right to it’.

5. Rebuilding the walls showed that God was with His people. (Nehemiah 6:16)

In Part 1 I discussed prayer and in this article I have discussed preparation and passion. In the next week’s final part of this blog I will consider the final two of the 5 P’s (Perseverance and Perception) that contributed to the successful completion of the re-building the wall of Jerusalem.

Author: Gary O’Neill

May God bless and enrich your life

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Re-building the wall - Part 1 - A story of success

It is fair to say that the task facing Nehemiah and the people of Jerusalem (to re-build the wall of Jerusalem) was not easy and to complete this is just 52 days would have seemed humanly impossible, however nothing is impossible in God. Amen.

Source: www.cbtsavannah.org

A measure of success really is a matter of perspective and our human nature will discern success differently from person to person.  One person may see success as having an affluent life style with endless worldly possessions and lots of money, another may see success as gaining a promotion at work or maybe somebody may see success as simply being able to find the next meal.   Each year £100's and £1000's are spent on books and other material to try to find the 'secret' of success, however the fact of the matter is that finding a way of being successful is not actually a secret at all, as the formulae for success is freely available in the Word of God. This is one of the great wonders of the bible in that it is far more than a book of words.  Within the bible we find the answers to every need or circumstance that we will encounter during our lifetime, we just need to find time to read the Word of God to allow our Father to communicate and direct us.

A particular book in the Old Testament that I am constantly drawn back to is the book of Nehemiah.  This is a relatively short book with only 13 chapters however there is so much packed into these chapters that I could find words for an endless amount of blog articles.  If you have not read this book for a while I would really encourage you to do so in order to see what God has got to say to you through His word. Each time I read the book I get a new blessing and a few months ago whilst reading the book God planted the following question in my mind; ‘How was it possible for the wall of Jerusalem to be re-built in just 52 days?’ Nehemiah 6:15 ‘So the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth of Elul, in fifty-two days’. To understand this in context it is first worth appreciating the size and scale of the wall around Jerusalem before it was destroyed by King Nebuchadnezzar in circa 600BC.  You can read an account of the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians in 2 Chronicles 36:15-19.   ‘The length of the wall is 4,018 km (2,496.6 miles), their average height is 12 metres (39.37 feet) and the average thickness of walls is 2.5 metres (8.2 feet). The wall also contained 34 watchtowers and 8 gates’ (Wikipedia). Although the precise accuracy of these statistics can be questioned it is fair to say that the task facing Nehemiah and the people of Jerusalem was not easy and to complete this is just 52 days would have seemed humanly impossible, however nothing is impossible in God. Amen.

As I started to look into God’s Word for an answer to this question God showed me five factors that made Nehemiah and the people of Jerusalem successful in completing the wall within just 52 days; Prayer, Preparation, Passion, Perseverance and Perception (The five P’s). God also showed me that if I apply these five P’s in my life (and if you apply these in your life) then we cannot fail because our success will be directed by God Himself.

Source: www.bereanbaskets.com

Prayer – If you read Nehemiah 1 in its entirety you will note that the whole chapter is a prayer.  In fact the prayer is very emotive and expresses the pain and anguish felt by Nehemiah; Nehemiah 1:3-5 ‘Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire. When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven’. You will also note that Nehemiah ends the prayer by asking for success; Nehemiah 1:11 ‘Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of this your servant and to the prayer of your servants who delight in revering your name. Give your servant success today by granting him favor in the presence of this man. I was cupbearer to the king’. 

Prayer is so important because it provides us with guidance and protection. We should always remember to seek our Father's guidance at all times when we have decisions to make that will impact on our lives and the lives of others.  It is worth asking ourselves if we pray often enough or do we depend on our own understanding? Nehemiah prayed reverently before embarking on the task of re-building the wall of Jerusalem and also reverently throughout the task. Prayer will enable God to firstly let us know if He wants us to go to the place we are heading and if He does, by continually praying, He will give us direction and help us to navigate along the way.  It maybe through prayer that we will be told that God has a different direction for us or a different plan for our lives and this will save us wasting our time on something that was never His will for us in the first place.
  
The importance of prayer is demonstrated throughout the Bible.  Jesus Himself provides us with many examples of Prayer and in fact before He selected His 12 disciples He consulted with the Father.  Luke 6:12-13 ‘One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God. When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles’.

Proverbs 3:5-6 ‘Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight’.

Philippians 4:6-7 ‘Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus’.

There are many other scriptures in the Bible that demonstrate the importance and the power of prayer.  If we live a prayerful life we are much more likely to have happy and fulfilled lives because we will know that our Father is watching over us and directing us.  Nehemiah recognised this also and must have realised that he could not have undertaken and completed the mammoth task of re-building the wall of Jerusalem without the guidance and protection of our Father through prayer. Matthew 6:33 tells us; ‘But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well’. It is up to us to ‘seek first His kingdom’ and the way we can do this is through prayer.

The other factors that contributed to the successful re-building of the wall of Jerusalem (Preparation, Passion, Perseverance and Perception), will be discussed in Part 2 and Part 3 of this article. 

Author: Gary O’Neill 

May God bless and enrich your life

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Since Jesus came into my heart

There is a season for everything (Ecclesiastes 3:1) and all things will come together for good at the right time for those who believe and trust in God (Romans 8:28)

Source: Crosscards.com

When I was a child I was attacked by a dog, which as you would expect was a very frightening experience. The dog was so angry that not even my mom could stop him from attacking me. As you can imagine this left me with a fear and a dislike of dogs. This incident was never really a problem for me until I gave birth to my daughter and son. I realised that as they grew older that my fear of dogs was affecting them. They also had a fear of dogs as a result of learned behaviour and the example that I had been setting them. 

Eighteen years ago after many lengthy discussions with my husband we both decided to buy our daughter a puppy, at the time she was 11 years old. She chose a King Charles spaniel and she named him Trigger. My daughter loved her dog so much however I experienced real problems accepting this tiny, vulnerable puppy into my home and life. At this time I was a Roman Catholic and I believed in God with all my heart and I prayed really hard to accept this dog as part of our family. At the time I never really understood the work of the Holy Spirit and how He could set me free from this bondage and fear that I had towards dogs. It became extremely difficult for me to be comfortable in my home with Trigger living in it. I thought about finding Trigger a new home but my real problem was that my daughter adored him and so did my son and husband. I prayed really hard to God asking for help, I even paid to see a councillor to try to find a way that I could accept Trigger. It would take too long to explain the reasons in this blog however I decided that Trigger had to go. Finding the courage and the words to tell my daughter was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do. As you can imagine she was heartbroken and she sobbed and sobbed and sobbed for what seemed like forever. 

My daughter is now 29 years old and she still has a box with Trigger's favourite things in it. Trigger went to a good home where he lived with a hairdresser who had his own business so he was with people who loved him all day long. The new owner agreed for my daughter to visit whenever she wanted however when she did go and visit him it was always so painful for her to say goodbye. 

Approximately 7 years ago (11 years after Trigger) my family again begged me to take on a puppy. The owner of the puppies was a drug dealer and the puppies were being neglected. My heart felt so sad for the puppies but I still said no, never ever, not after the last experience. Unknown to me at this point in time I was not the same person I was when we had Trigger, the big difference was that about 8 years after letting Trigger go I gave my life to the Lord. I was a new creation and the old Tina had gone; 2 Corinthians 5:17 ‘Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come; the old has gone, the new is here!’ and Psalm 107: 13-14 ‘Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress. He brought them out of darkness, the utter darkness, and broke away their chains. The Word of God told me that the Holy Spirit living in me would be my strength in my time of weakness 2 Corinthians 12:10 ‘That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong’. The word of God also taught me to Trust in God and lean not on my own understanding Proverbs 3:5 ‘Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding’.

Source: Own

My family would not let it go and they repeatedly asked me to take on one of the puppies. I sought the council of a Godly person who said that I would be ok this time and that the Holy Spirit would help me learn to love the little puppy. In my carnal self I was really scared that I would hurt the people I loved all over again. After much prayer and fasting I agreed to take one of the puppies. I was so nervous on the day that this little trembling, vulnerable wreck of a puppy arrived to become a part of our family. My daughter named him Prince. Prince left his mother 4 weeks early because we were afraid that he would die if he remained where he was. My daughter was overjoyed with this tiny bundle cradled in her loving arms. She immediately went off to the pet shop to buy him the best of everything. I prayed so hard to God, I was practically begging him to help me learn to love this little life. God answered those prayers and ever so slowly my heart started to love him. It was a joy to watch Prince playing happily in the garden with everyone and to watch my daughter love him so much. Prince could never replace Trigger but the blessing of Prince has helped to heal us all, Praise God.

Prince as a puppy - Source: Own

It is really hard to put into words and explain how God has blessed my life through Prince. I love him so much. Prince’s unconditional love for everyone just blows me away. I am not the best dog owner in the world and I always seem to be telling Prince off for one thing or another, but his love for me never ever changes. He is so full of life and he just makes me so happy. Prince can be very naughty on his walks he is not very friendly with other dogs. I do discipline him but I just cannot stay cross with him for long. In Princes’ mind I suspect that he thinks he is protecting me from any danger because it is my anxiety towards other dogs that he is picking up on. 

I wrote this blog so I could share how good and amazing God is and it is only because of the power of the Holy Spirit living in me that I could learn to love Prince. I believe with all my heart that I am protected every day by the full armour of God (Ephesians 6:10-18). Having Trigger and then giving him up was a very sad and painful time for my family, pain that on one level I feel that I caused to the people I love. If I knew the Holy Spirit at that time the way I know him now I believe that Trigger would have stayed. God’s perfect love would have cast out all my fears at that time 1 John 4:18 ‘There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love’.

A few months after having Prince I went back to see Trigger. I went back to see him for me not for him. I wanted to somehow let him know I was sorry, even though I knew as a dog he would not understand. When I got there his owner told me that he had passed away a few months earlier. My heart felt sad that I had missed the opportunity to see him but I could hear God’s words comforting me and telling me that there is a season for everything (Ecclesiastes 3:1) and all things will come together for good at the right time for those who Believe and Trust in God (Romans 8:28). 

God Is Good All The Time AMEN. 

Author: Christina O’Neill 

May God bless and enrich your life

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A tree and it's fruit

The standards that determine eternal judgement are not a person’s standards, not a church’s standard, not a preacher’s standard, but only God’s standards set forth in His Bible.

Source: fralfonse.blogspot.com

Matthew 7:15-23 ‘Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruits you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them. Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’

In the course of my college education, I ran across an inscription posted at the top of the college library entrance that read, ‘Read not to believe or take for granted, nor to refute or contradict, but to weigh and consider’. That inscription has had a huge impact on my life. I try to embrace that attitude when I read, listen and observe. A similar attitude shows up in the book of Thessalonians. A directive was issued to the Christians in Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians when he admonishes them to test all things to the scriptures so that you will not be led astray.

Source: blog.creativesmatter.com

Again, Matthew 7:15 says ‘Watch out for false prophets. They will come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves’ and Matthew 7:16 says, ‘By their fruits you will recognize them'.  Scripture says that the wolves will come in sheep’s clothing. The wolves can be ever so clever. They will wear the sheep’s clothing of doing good deeds and intentions for the cause of something good or for the cause of Christ, but beneath it all, their true intensions or desires are to do something that will serve their own best interests. And that is the deal killer for Jesus. The false prophet can wear the cloak of religiosity and represent itself in the form of a person, preacher, teacher, church, missionary, evangelist, and many other ways. Here is the rule that will test a false prophet in my judgment. If a person or entity is acting on behalf of God and only God’s standards of righteousness and serves to glorify God, then he/she is a true prophet for the purpose of God. If, on the other hand, he/she has any self-serving motive, like pride, prestige, power or possessions, then he/she becomes a false prophet that dilutes God’s purpose and leads many astray. The scripture says cursed are those who lead one astray.

Matthew 7:16 says ‘By the fruits you will recognize them’.  All fruit comes from a nourishing source like a tree, vine, etc. Matthew 7:17-18 tells us that good fruit comes from good nourishment (like God’s truth), but bad fruit comes from deception, which is anything other than God’s truth. Bad fruit leads to bad things. Matthew 7:19 says, ‘Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire’. Jesus is telling us to get out into the world and bear good fruit, fruit that will truly represent His plan and purpose.  If the tree does not get out into the world and does not bear good fruit, it will be cut down and thrown into the fire.

Matthew 7:21-23 says ‘Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?  Then I will tell them plainly, I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers’. These scriptures are self-evident.  If you were a false prophet and stood before Jesus He would say, ‘I never knew you, away from me you evildoer’. Jesus is the only way into heaven. Not knowing Jesus is the only way into hell which is eternal damnation of suffering and pain.

Remember, the standards that determine eternal judgement are not a person’s standards, not a church’s standard, not a preacher’s standard, but only God’s standards set forth in His Bible. We are responsible for our own choices.

Author: David Leatherman 

May God bless and enrich your life

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