The end of the beginning is the beginning of the end. It’s kind of like the tail wagging the dog. But the statement is true. The hot topic these days is global warming. The earth is heating up in more ways than one. They say if the polar ice melts the oceans will rise 200 feet. That means I would have to move to Arkansas or there abouts. Where I live is only 25 feet above sea level. I like the mountains, but everybody and their brother would move to. Have you seen all the TV shows on the end of the world? With the coming of global warming, more scientist have said that the world is coming to an end. Duh! You know when God talked about this very thing, after the flood. He told Noah that the earth would never be destroyed by water again. Next time it is by fire. That is about 5000 years ago. Jesus was talking to His disciples. They asked Him when was the end of the earth and the beginning of the kingdom of God. Jesus replied, (Matt.24:4-8 KJV) “Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.”
Sounds very like the evening news, doesn’t it. That is because it is. This was spoken over 2000 years ago. And it is true today. Is it the beginning or the end for you?

The chemical element called NaCl, Salt. Man has used it since the beginning of time. The Oceans are full of salt. It also is naturally occurring on land deposit. At one time it was used as money. People have gone to war over salt. A basic item in most people’s lives. We as a human need salt to maintain a chemical balance in our body. If you loss too much salt in your body system you will dehydrate. It is safe to say that it is an important part of our life. It is also a descriptive term that applies to man. You have met a person who was called salty. He is course and abrasive. It is a life giving and necessary item for us. The bible talks about it also, where it applies to man. In Jesus’ first teaching He talked about salt. He said, you are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his effectiveness, wherewith shall it be salted? It is good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. Are you effective in the kingdom of God? If not, why?

People always try to obtain peace through the use of things. People use drugs, alcohol and money to obtain peace. I have seen people contort their bodies to reach peace. Some people climb mountains. Some people isolate themselves to find it. In 1983, Congress declared The Year of the Bible in the United States. They took a Gallup Poll to find out what was the most important things in people’s lives. The results were as astonishing as Congress passing a bill to declare The Year of the Bible. People said what they wanted most in their lives was Love, Joy and Peace. These are the first 3 gifts of the Holy Spirit. You see you can never obtain peace through the things of the world. The only way you can obtain peace is through a relationship with God. You have got to understand that having chaos in your life isn’t the lack of peace. People look at me in the middle of turmoil and think I’m crazy because I’m not going crazy. I laugh a lot also. Because I understand the scripture that says, the peace of God that passes all understanding, will keep your mind and your heart.

Sometimes my sons asked me why I watch a certain movie. The movie doesn’t have much to do with my beliefs. I tell them that there is something there. I see in that movies something that speaks to me. I am very cautious about just watching anything. The bible says that the eyes are the windows to the soul. It is how we receive input from this world. The bible also says to guard what you see. It is most important not to damage our hearts. I was a music director for a radio station and listen to many albums. I like music, especially Contemporary Christian. When I listen to albums, usually there was one song that stood out of the crowd. It was funny because the song I liked usually wasn’t the song picked by the music company. I played their music and listened to mine. It is always about what you perceive. People see things and know it is wrong and do it anyway. Do what is right because it is right and not because it is convenient.

Did you know that when Jesus spoke these words in a parable, everyone around Him understood? You see, the temple was divided into 3 sections, the outer court, the inner court and the Holy of Holies. The outer court was for Jewish people and righteous Gentiles to come into the temple to offer sacrifices. The inner court was for the priest only. Now the Holy of Holies could only be entered into by the high priest once a year. Then the priests tied a rope around the high priest’s ankle. So if he died in the presence of God, they could pull him out of the holy of holies. The outer court was called the way, the inner court was called the truth and the holy of holies was called the life. Christians, non-Jewish followers of Christ were called the followers of the way. To most people amazement, Jesus has never been or will be a Christian. Jesus was and is an orthodox Jew. He isn’t Caucasian. He is a Middle Eastern Jew. He has a dark complexion. The bible says He was the most handsome man that live. The understanding of who He is comes with the knowledge of God.

I am watching TV and seeing the corruption of man. The latest news, executives taking bribes and kickbacks. Do you know why laws were made? Because man wouldn’t listen to God and obey. Laws were instituted in the beginning of time. It started with Adam. He had one law only. His law was don’t eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. He didn’t obey and was thrown out of the Garden of Eden. When he did disobey, death enter into the world. People began living a 1000 years until they became so corrupt that God destroy most of mankind with a flood. He started again with Noah and his family. God did something different with Noah, He established government and the power to control people. You can see for yourselves how well that worked. Do you know how many laws there are in America? There are millions of laws, some old and some new. But they are ever changing. God reduced all of His laws to two. They are to love God above all things, and to love your neighbor as yourself. In these 2 laws contains all of the law and the prophets. It is over 6000 years of laws. How many people do you know that obey these 2 laws?

Is space the last frontier? People want to discover the unknown. I look at images in space and marveled at God’s handywork. I saw a nebula that was further across than the diameter of our galaxy. It is so vast that no one has ever seen the end. How small does that make you feel? Or how large is our God? If He can make the universe and hold it in the palm of His hand, how big is God? God made a point of being personal to each person. He wanted people to know that He can be reached. He isn’t the man upstairs or someone out there. The heavens were made for man to see who God really is. He told the Israelites that He would be with them, fire by night and a cloud by day. Then He turns around and says I will be in you, to live with you. I will write my laws in your heart and mind. He told Ezekiel this 3000 years ago. So what can God do for you? Do you think He can solve your problems? How do you go about asking Him to solve your problems? As people pursue knowledge, pursue God. He is the great unknown until you find Him. Once you begin to know God, the secrets of the universe are revealed. They belong to Him. The bible says if you draw near to God, He will draw near to you.

In our physical world, there are four dimensions. They are height, depth, width and time. The last one is combined with space to form the spacetime continuum. That is a mouthful. But what is being said is that time has substance. Just like a rock or a brick. We are given by our Creator a certain amount of time, no more and no less. So we have control over our time. We can do what we want with our time. No one else can use it or have it without our consent. No one can take it from us. God gave it to us to use wisely. Then can you tell me why you waste your time trying to replace God with things. One woman told that she loved a certain football team, that when she went to games she would have a religious experience. Some people love to shop until they drop. Some people love making money. Some people love animals. You can pick a subject or object and you will find people who love it with devotion. I was such a wreck when I came to God. That afterwards, I didn’t want to pursue anything but God. I still don’t. Everything comes to me. If I have a need, the need is met. When I first started with God, I gave my car to a needy family. God sees to it that I am never without transportation. What I am talking about is when we stand before God, will He say, I never knew you, depart from Me.

What kind of condition is humanity in? The Information Revolution is upon us all. There was the Stone Age, the Bronze Age, the Iron Age, the Dark Ages, the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, the Reformation, the Industrial Age and now we have the Age of Information. The strangest thing is that we still have poor people, starving people, war-torn countries and people who only care about money. The human condition hasn’t changed in 6000 years. Why you ask? The things of life have gotten better, better food production, better medicines, better construction and better materials. Oh yes, let us not forget cars, planes and trains. It is very simple. The reason why it hasn’t changed in 6000 years is because man is still in charge of it. God had been trying to get man to accept His way of life for his betterment. God knows what man needs and wants. He can decide what is best for us. If we allow Him to change our lives, things will get better. As the bible says, man thinking himself to be wise, became fools.

When I started with God, He gave me everything I needed to live and work in the kingdom of God. I had nothing to bring into the relationship but myself. I began to use the tools God gave me. They really worked in my life. The 3 main gifts were faith, word of knowledge and discerning of spirts. I developed them to be profitable to God. They are tools like a hammer or saw. They were not inherent or did they come from me. As long as I can remember they worked in my life. The bible says that the gifts and calling are without repentance. The day you accept the Lord is the day they are there. I began to move in the other 6 gifts as well. People saw that I belonged to God. The gifts were making me powerful in the kingdom. My ego began to build to a point where I was thinking how great I was. I was headed for a fall. One day as I was talking to God, I said how He needed me. God promptly corrected me. He said, “I don’t need you, I want you.” I am His son. I belong to God. He loves me more than anything and wants me near Him. But God is sufficient in Himself. As the bible says, Ro 12:3 “For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.”