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Hello. I'm Jeff. My wife and I host Message of Hope. Message of Hope wants to be your weekly inspirational, motivational and non judgmental friends to help you through your week as we share battle truth and life experiences to let you know you're not alone. Let's join Sandra to see what message of hope she has today. Hello, I'm Sandra. Today. I want to talk about something that I think is critically important to everyone on the face of the Earth, and I will explain as a share. Years ago, I was reading the Left Behind series of books written by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins. I had never been an avid reader, and I was amazed at how this Siri's had immediately captured and held my attention that it actually had me looking forward to reading more daily. So much so that I read not only the first book in the series, but I think it was the 1st 5 or six books in the series. Before I stopped, I didn't complete the entire Siri's, and I'll explain why later. Right now I want to give you a little backstory on myself. I was raised in an attended church and was very active in whatever church I attended my whole life, and I always felt that I treated others well and I tried to do the right things. I considered myself a good person and felt a ziff. I was living a decent life and therefore pretty confident that I was secured a place with God for eternity and that because I was a good person, that God would be pleased with me. At least that was my hope. As I've gotten older, I have learned that everyone has their own perspective of themselves, and even someone that I might think of as a bad person might actually think of themselves as a good person. And they maybe it's not my place to judge. But let's be honest. Most all of us think of ourselves as good people. What matters is wood. Are we measuring that decision from? I'm just saying that the only way we can be certain of whether we're being the right kind of person and living our lives in a way that is pleasing to our father God, is to compare ourselves against what the Bible shows us that we should be modeling our lives after we cannot depend on our own judgments of ourselves. We cannot depend on our friends or any other person's judgment of us, either, because any of these sources could Onley measure us against what they themselves considered good according to how their family or conditions or life experiences dictated what was good in their opinion. But the Bible warns us in second Corinthians, 10 12 by saying, for we dare not make ourselves of the number or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves. But they, measuring themselves by themselves and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise. There it is, the Bible states. It's not wise to seek to measure ourselves by our own self, nor by others. So back to the left behind Siris. The biggest wow moment for me was when the fictional character Bruce Barnes, who was an assistant pastor of a small church and who thought he was a Christian prior to the rapture, had a harsh and very rude awakening when he realized that he was left behind. He was both shocked and dismayed that all the things he had done for the church and other people were not enough for him to be included in the rapture. After all, he thought he was a good person. He had stood in the pulpit and preach the word toe, Others who believed it and they changed their lives through it and all of whom had been raptured while he had been left behind. It was at that point that he realized he was not living out his life as he had breached, nor as instructed in the Bible, but had only gone through the motions to do something he thought was good. This was an eye opening moment to me. I remember panicking and thinking, What about my life? Do I know that I'm living as God intends? And would he say, Well done, My good and faithful servant to me, I wanted to share this today because God says it's important that we all measure ourselves against the only place that has no bias of how it was raised or the culture. It's been raised in the only source for pure, unadulterated truth, and that is in the scriptures found in the Holy Bible. When we look in Matthew 7 21 through 23 it reads. Not everyone who calls me Lord will enter God's kingdom. The only people who will inner are those who do what my father in heaven wants. On that last day, many will call me Lord. They will say, Lord, Lord, by the power of your name, we spoke for God and by your name. We forced out demons and did many miracles. Then I will tell those people clearly get away from me, you people who do wrong. I never knew you. This is what was being described in my understanding as I read the left Behind book and what had happened to that character, Bruce Barnes. As I looked at my own life, I realized many times I did things for the church or for other people to impress them so they would see me as a good person. Or it would be a feel good for myself that I was a good person and living as I should. Now I realize some of those times I was just going through the motions, feeling like I was accomplishing a lot of things for God. But it was just busy nous and going through the motions to emulate toe others that I was who I proclaimed to be a Christian and to be brutally honest. I see now that sometimes in my busy task, I would inwardly be grudge. The task I was doing in God's name, mind you because now I didn't feel like it or I wasn't currently in the mood to do it as I had men when I committed to it. And besides that none of those people that I wanted to impress with the task where anywhere around when I performed them. And on occasion I even asked myself, Why am I doing this? So you see, my heart was not in the right place at the time. I was doing something and not even in the right place. At the moment. I committed to it either, but rather so that others, like my friends, my peers or my pastor would hear me vocalize that I would take that project gone and think that I was an awesome person for doing so. Lord, forgive me, Matthew goes on to say in verse 24. Therefore, who so ever hear it? Thesing Sze of mine and do with them I will like in him unto a wise man which built his house upon a rock and the rain descended and the floods came and the winds blew

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and beat upon that house and

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it fail not, for it was founded upon a rock. And everyone that here it thes things of mine and do with them not shall be likened into a foolish man which built his house upon the sand and the rains descended and the floods came and the winds blew and beat upon that house and it failed. And great was the fall of it. I guess I had part of it, right. I had read or listen to God's word and I was going through the motions of doing what God's word instructs. But the heart with which I did it was not right. But the scripture we just read tells me that in doing these things with the right heart and an earnest desire to please God doing things, is he instructed that it means it will be good for us. It will strengthen our character, and it will prove us out over time and help us to overcome hardships that we all face in our day to day lives so that we will be ableto weather the storms in our lives, and we will come out on the other side of the storm victorious. So am I saying that we should not get busy doing things for God until our hearts and our intentions air right? No, absolutely not. To get things right, it takes practice and putting others before ourselves definitely takes practice. Just a CZ. You aren't a quality concert pianist. The minute you set down to a piano for the first time, it takes practice and lots of it. And we are very me minded people, especially in America. And we have to learn to love others as much as ourselves. And that takes a lot of practice. You see, had I not began to be active in actually doing things for God, I might not have ever realized that I didn't quite have the techniques down pat the way God wanted them to be done so that I could work on getting better at doing things with the right intention and the right heart with a heart that was trying to love and care for others the way I loved myself as commanded. We all have to start somewhere in order to become who God wants us to be. So where do we start, John? 3 16 through 21 for God so loved the world that he gave his only son that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned. But whoever does not believe is condemned already because he has not believed in the name of the only son of God. And this is the judgment. The light has come into the world. And people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things, hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light. So that may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God. So we start with believing in God. Yeah, over. And his son, Jesus Yeshua, who died for our sins. Then by studying God's word old and New Testament, we learn howto walk out our life in the way he instructs as pleasing to him. And as we walked through our days doing the best, we can confess all of our sins to him with a sincere heart asking forgiveness and make a sincere effort to sin no more. And we share the good news with others along the way, as we learned to live and love like God. I had shared earlier that I did not complete the series of books, and I will explain now. I was spending a lot of my free time reading them and had not read my Bible for quite some time. And one day, while reading the Siris, I felt as if God spoke to my heart and he told me that if I put his much interest and effort into reading his word, as I did into reading a story written by man, then I would be learning what I desired to know straight from the source, instead of through a mirror human's perspective and understanding. So I quit reading them, and I tried to get better at reading the Holy Bible instead, Please don't get things twisted. I'm not saying you should or should not read this series of books. Obviously, I got something that was very profound and eye opening for me by reading what I read.

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And we each need to listen to that still small voice as it instructs us individually as to what is best for us. I'm

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just sharing my experience. I have one last chapter I would like to share with you, and it gives those who believe and live a life for God, great comfort and, ah hope for our future.

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And it's from John 14. And it reads. Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God, believe also in me in my father's house are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself that where I am there you may be also And whether I go, you know, and the way you know Thomas said into him. Lord, we know not whether thou doest and how can we know the way. And Jesus said unto him I am the way the truth and the life. No man comes into the father but by me. If you had known me, you should have known my father also. And from henceforth you know him. And you have seen him. Philip set into him. Lord, show us the father and it suffices us. And Jesus said unto him Have I been so long time with you? And yet has thou not known me, Philip? He that had seen me has seen the father. And how say it's thou Then show us the father believe us thou not that I am in the father and the father in me the words that I speaking to you. I speak not of myself but the father that dwells in me. He does the works, believe me, that I am in the father and the father in me or else believe me for the very works. Say barely I saying to you he that believeth on me, the works that I do Shall he do also and greater works. Then these shall he do. Because I go into my father and whatsoever you shall ask in my name that will I do that? The father may be glorified in the sun. If you ask anything in my name, I will do it. If you love me, keep my commandments and I will pray the father and he shall give you another comforter that he may abide with you forever. Even the spirit of truth whom the world cannot receive. Because it see if him not neither know with him, but he know him for he dwell it with you and shall be in you. I will not leave you Comfort Lis. I will come to you yet a little while and the world. See if me no more. But you see me because I live, he shall live also at that day you shall know that I am in my father and you and me and I in you. He that hath my commandments and keep it them. He it is that love with me. And he the love with me shall be loved of by my father. And I will love him and will manifest myself to him. Judah said to him not a scary it. Lord. How is it that that would manifest? I step into us and not into the world. Jesus answered and said into him. If a man loved me, he will keep my words. And my father will love him. And we will come into him and make our abode with him. He that loves me, not keep It's not my sayings and the word which he here is not mine but the father's which sent me these things. I have spoken to you being yet present with you. But the comforter which is the Holy Ghost whom the father will send in my name. He shall teach you all things and bring all things to your remembrance whatsoever. I have said into you peace. I leave with you. My peace are given to you not as the world give it. Give a thigh into you. Let not your heart be troubled neither Let it be afraid. You have heard how I said into you. I go away and come again into you. If you loved me, you would rejoice because I said I go into the father for my father is greater than I. And now I have told you before it came to pass that when it comes to past, you might believe hereafter I will not talk much with you for the prince of this world coming and had nothing in me but that the world may know that I love the father and as the father gave me commandment. Even so, I do arise. Let us go hints Amen as well as encouragement and hope In that chapter, Jesus himself says in verse 15 if you love me, keep my commandments in verse 21. He that had my commandments and keep it them He it is that loves me. And he the love with me shall be loved of by my father. And I will love him and will manifest myself to him. And in verse 23 Jesus answered and said it to him. If a man loved me, he will keep my words and my father will love him. And we will come to him and make our abode with him. And in the final verse 31 Jesus said. But that the world may know that I love the father. And as the father gave me commandment. Even so, I do so. Even Jesus himself says the way he shows us that he loves his father God, is that he does the things his father God gave as commandments to do. Even Jesus uses scriptures to assure his love for God. And we're told we are to do as Jesus did. So the battle is telling us the only way to get an accurate and true assessment of our life is to use the same thing to measure ourselves with as Jesus did. And that is God's word, a man. As I wrap up here today, I encourage you to go to our website at M s, G o f h o p e dot com. And on the podcast head, you will find Episode 36 where you can re listen to this podcast and find the references for the scriptures we read together today so that you can study them for yourself and make any adjustments according to what God alone lays on your specific card. We thank you so much for listening to our podcast and for helping us to spread the good news of Jesus Christ by liking and sharing with your friends. And if our podcast has helped you in any way, we would love to hear about that. You can contact us at M s, G o f h o p e one at gmail dot com or on our website through messaging This episode Number 36 What are you measuring yourself with? Will be the last episode in our series. One podcast. We will pick back up shortly after the first to the year as we begin Season two in 2019. Now, as I log off, I want to bless you with a prayer given to the sons of Aaron. Ready? Let's pray The Lord bless you and keep you The Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you. The Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace until next time, Salo.