What does the term born again mean as Jesus spoke to us?
Posted : 2 Jun, 2012 10:22 PM
LEN'S LINES ---A Little Religion On A Positive Note By Len Granger
Born Again
When the Lord blesses us with a new born child, we as the parents agree on a name and the birth is recorded in the official records. The local newspaper usually lists the wonderful event for all to view . Relatives, friends and neighbors congratulate us and want to see the newborn child and we are very proud parents.
As we go through life and our physical body is nourished with love and care by our parents as we grow to be a fine boy or girl. However, being raised in a Christian family and learning to love the Lord Jesus Christ in Sunday School and by attending church with our parents, we also see the positive life the Lord can give us.
As a child we may not have fully understood that we needed to have both a relationship with our parents and with our Lord Jesus Christ. We see in the Bible, 1 Corinthians, Chapter 13, Verse 11. " When as a child I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child, but when I became a man, I put away childish things".
At an accountable age for our actions, we decided to ask the Lord into our life and give our life over to Him as a Christian. When this happens it is like being born again a second time with a new spiritual body, as we want to serve our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We remember the time and place and it is recorded with a baptismal service soon after, as we announce to the world our new spiritual birth as a Christian.
We see in the Bible where Jesus is speaking to us in the Book of John Chapter 3, Verse 3, " Jesus answered and said, " Most assuredly I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God".
As we pray and worship the Lord, each day we grow from a newborn Christian to where we are in our stage of Christian growth today. As we grow in faith, we find ourselves bubbling over with the joy the Lord provides and we want to share the Gospel with those we come in contact.
No matter what our background or our condition today, we can experience the second birth by asking the Lord Jesus Christ to come into our life and repent of our sin. Yes, the Lord is there to reach His hand out to us and carry us over the trails and tribulations we face each day, as He puts us under His care on the solid higher ground . We are all sinners saved by His grace, and He offers it to us freely.
As we age, we realize that no matter how much we exercise, eat the right foods, and protect our physical body, someday we will lay it in the grave. Our spiritual body, however if we put our Hope, Trust and Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, will live on for eternity as He takes us home to be with Him,
Trust this Sunday we will all be in the church of our choice singing and worshiping the Lord. God Bless America
LEN'S LINES --- A Little Religion On A Positive Note By Len Granger
Plans
As we go through life, we have often laid out our plans and pray to the Lord for His guidance. We may go ahead and make all the arrangements and believe everything is going well as scheduled. We may not have had a positive answer from our loving and gracious Lord Jesus Christ, however, we feel we will get an answer from our Lord before the date of the planned activity.
If we proceed with our plans on our own, we see in the Bible where even our Lord speaks of Nations and peoples plans. Psalms 33-4 "The Lord brings the council of the nations to nothing, He makes the plans of people to no effect".
I think all of us can remember in our lives times when the Lord changed our plans, maybe cancelled a trip, or told us no in His own way to our well laid plans. Then the Lord often gives us a reason why He took the actions that we thought at the time were not in our best interests.
Recently, we called the farm butcher to place on his schedule a day and time he could arrange to come on the farm. We wanted to butcher a bull while it was still tame as we have a young bull calf for next year as a replacement. He gave us a time and date. We arranged for the same day to have a grandson disk the garden area. The weatherman said rain was predicated later in the day but we would have all the activity accomplished before noon. For a couple days we prayed to the Lord for a successful day that we had scheduled.
On the morning of the planned activities, by 9AM there was a steady downpour of rain that soaked the ground and put all planned activities to a halt. The butcher and his crew had arrived and said it will be another week, as rain is predicted for area all this week, so we will call you a new date. I called my grandson it would be another week or more before it will be dry again, as we cancelled the disking of the garden.
I felt discouraged that all the planning had to be cancelled. But the Lord has plans for us that we do not see or can even imagine will effect us and those around us. Even the farm animals are in His plan, as the Lord is ruler of the universe. we see in the Bible: Psalms 36-6 " Your rightness is like the great mountains; Your judgments are a great deep; O Lord, You preserve man and beast".
Later in day, I went out to feed the chickens and noticed the cattle all in a huddle and calves, some a week old, in the middle. The bull was guarding the cattle and had his head to the ground looking as big as possible. Around the cattle were circling coyotes as I watched and yelled at them, but I was ignored. After several minutes the coyotes left leaving one, but he finally decided to leave as he faced the bull. The guardian was there when he was needed as our Lord had cancelled the days planned activities.
We did not know or understand the way of our Lord as He does His will. . Our plans and prayers are in His hands as we place our trust, hope and faith in our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ.
Trust this Sunday will find us all singing and worshiping our Lord Jesus Christ in the church of our choice, God Bless America
Christ died for us because the Father and the Son loved the unlovable.
Posted : 2 Apr, 2012 11:01 PM
Thank you for the wonderful post. We are blessed by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ shedding His blood for us on the cross that we might as Gentile be saved.
LEN'S LINES --- A Little Religion On A Positive Note By Len Granger
Easter
Easter Sunday, the most important religious day in the Christian community, is a day of giving. We celebrate this day by attending our church, see the display of Easter Lilies, give Happy Easter greetings to everyone, and share an Easter meal with family.
Our Lord , Jesus Christ gave us the greatest Gift of all time. He was the Christian Passover Lamb, as He laid down His life for our Salvation. Our loving and most gracious Lord gave us a spiritual eternal life by His love for us, we see in the bible, I Corinthians 5-7 "For even Christ, our Passover, is sacrificed for us"
In the Old Testament we see in Isaiah: 53-7 " He was oppressed and He was afflicted. Yet, He opened not His Mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter". This was told many centuries before God sent his Son in the form of a Man to provide for us the way as Gentiles to become God's children. If we put our trust and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, who offered Himself for us, we begin a spiritual life and find an eternal presence with Him in Heaven.
In the Gospel according to John, we see were he writes where Jesus dies on the cross according to the Gospel's chronology. It was a time when the Passover lambs were being slaughtered in preparation for the feast. John 19 Verse 31.we read : "Therefore, because it was Preparation Day, that the bodies should not remain on the cross on the Sabbath. the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken and that they might be taken away". ---but when they came to Jesus and saw He was dead already they break not his legs--- but pierced his side".
With the permission of Pilate, we see where Joseph of Arimathea, (a disciple of Jesus) and Nicodemus in verse 42, " So there they laid Jesus, because of the Jew's Preparation Day, for the tomb was nearby". Then we see in John 20- verse-1 " Now on first day of the week, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb" In verse 17, Jesus said to her. "Touch me not, for I am not yet ascended to My Father, but go to my brethren and say to them, "I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God."
Easter is therefore the Christian Passover, and has been observed by the early Christians on Sunday. This is owing to the Lord's resurrection on the first day of the week, which is strongly suggested in the New Testament evidence. It is a wonderful day to celebrate the greatest gift that ever has been given to all mankind by our loving Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Trust this Easter Sunday we will all be in the church of our choice, singing and worshiping our wonderful Lord and Savior. God Bless America
Do You Pray to the Lord for a safe trip in the Military?
Posted : 18 Mar, 2012 08:49 PM
LEN'S LINES --A Little Religion On A Positive Note By Len Granger
Pray For A Safe Journey
In this busy world, Do we look to our Lord in prayer for a safe journey through the path of life? Are we following in the footsteps of our Lord down the roadway he takes us or do we sometimes stray into the wilderness. If we continue to put our faith and look to Him whenever we stray, Our Loving and Gracious Lord is there to receive us back under his protecting arms. Our daily prayer and reading of God's Word the Bible, gives us a wonderful personal relationship with the Lord of our Salvation.
We see in Matthew 7- where we must ask the Lord for his guidance and protection, Verses 7-8, " Ask and it will be given to you, seek, and you will find, knock, and it will be opened to you. " For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened to you".
When ever or where ever we plan a journey through life our travel plans should not be complete until we pray for the Lord's guidance. He may want us to delay or even cancel our plans as He knows best and we cannot see the future. Being in the service many years ago, my travel plans were set by the Air Force, but I still prayed to our loving Lord for his protection on a trip that was full of adventure and might hold unknown danger.
As the plane winged over the Mediterranean Sea, high above the beautiful blue sea, the trip was enjoyable. They had sent me as a member of an inspection team to Adana AFB, Turkey. for the next month. The base runway is one of the longest so the pilot flew the aircraft, a C-54 four engine prop just above the runway for some distance. Then he cut the engines and the plane dropped on the surface and blew two tires on one side, causing swerving and a very rough landing. I thanked the Lord for a safe flight and was put up in a cabin type tent, as the base was still undergoing construction. The area is only some 20 miles from the birthplace of Paul the Apostle , in Tarsus , and I was able to cross the Roman Bridge in use today that Paul used to begin his travels.
The inspection went as planned and when finished I had no travel established to return to Greece, so the transportation officer set up a trip across Turkey. First, was 2 days by a coal burning steam train, going through 27 tunnels with the smoke coming in the train windows. On arriving at Ankara, the capital of Turkey, the train was late, so was rushed to join the plane at the end of the runway before it left. The THY (Turkish Airlines), was an old DC-3 and we had a rough storm ahead which caused the passengers a lot of grief as we passed through. I prayed knowing the Lord was in control, and went to sleep only to be awaken by the hostess fearing I was in trouble. The aircraft landed safely in Istanbul, a seaport city, where I was to catch a BEA (British European Airways) plane back to Athens.
This plane was the latest in that day, with turboprop engines, and I looked forward to another peaceful trip over the beautiful shinning sea. The next day as we rolled down the runway for takeoff an engine failed and the pilot was able to bring the plane to a stop just short of end of the runway and the awaiting water of the sea. We waited 3 days for another engine to arrive from London, so was able to visit the area. The flight home to Greece was uneventful and I thanked the Lord for a safe journey and his protection over that eventful month of my life. We never know what lies a head as we travel through life but it helps to have the Lord as a travel companion.
May we all join in praising and worshiping our Lord Jesus Christ in the church of our choice this Sunday.
Twenty Thousand articles by Tweny Thousand Writer's:
Posted : 6 Mar, 2012 09:12 AM
There maybe 20,000 writers but only the way to salvation makes any real difference in our lives, An email friend asked why I put my trust in the Lord so wrote this. Maybe I am 20,001.
LENS LINES ---- A Little Religion On A Positive Note By Len Granger
Trust
Where do we put our trust as we go through life with all it's turmoil and dark and gloomy times? Are we one that says, " I do not trust anyone but myself?". I can gather many riches and be self sufficient in my time of need. Then again, we may put our trust in a friend who will always stay by us we believe? Or maybe we are saying, " I put all my trust in the government as they will take care of me?"
Did we ever notice that even our government realizes it is not able to make decisions with all the government officials and knowledge available without turning to a higher authority? On our coins, money and official buildings we see the words of our nations founders as they looked for guidance. Our country has been successful in many ways because we have a partner we can trust. Yes, IN GOD WE TRUST, is everywhere we look in our nation and God has been good to us in His council of nations.
We see in the Bible where our Lord Jesus is telling his disciples and others that were listening, Matthew 10 verses 24-25: "Children how hard is it for those who trust in riches to enter the kingdom of God? "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God".
So we can see that riches, friends, and government are not the answer we are seeking. They may help us in the immediate short time but over the long haul, only our loving Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is the answer. The Son Of God, who shed his blood on the cross for our salvation , if we put our trust and faith in Him, He will carry us over our times of need.
One of these days we will all lay down our physical body to rest and leave it. Our spiritual body lives on in eternity forever, and pray we will all be in the hands of our Gracious and All Mighty Lord and Savior and be rejoicing by His side.
Trust this Sunday will find us all in the church of our choice, worshiping and praising our trusted friend and Savior Jesus Christ.
Where do we put our trust- Self,friends, or government?
Posted : 6 Mar, 2012 08:57 AM
An email friend asked why I put my trust in the Lord so I wrote this column.
LENS LINES ---- A Little Religion On A Positive Note By Len Granger
Trust
Where do we put our trust as we go through life with all it's turmoil and dark and gloomy times? Are we one that says, " I do not trust anyone but myself?". I can gather many riches and be self sufficient in my time of need. Then again, we may put our trust in a friend who will always stay by us we believe? Or maybe we are saying, " I put all my trust in the government as they will take care of me?"
Did we ever notice that even our government realizes it is not able to make decisions with all the government officials and knowledge available without turning to a higher authority? On our coins, money and official buildings we see the words of our nations founders as they looked for guidance. Our country has been successful in many ways because we have a partner we can trust. Yes, IN GOD WE TRUST, is everywhere we look in our nation and God has been good to us in His council of nations.
We see in the Bible where our Lord Jesus is telling his disciples and others that were listening, Matthew 10 verses 24-25: "Children how hard is it for those who trust in riches to enter the kingdom of God? "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God".
So we can see that riches, friends, and government are not the answer we are seeking. They may help us in the immediate short time but over the long haul, only our loving Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is the answer. The Son Of God, who shed his blood on the cross for our salvation , if we put our trust and faith in Him, He will carry us over our times of need.
One of these days we will all lay down our physical body to rest and leave it. Our spiritual body lives on in eternity forever, and pray we will all be in the hands of our Gracious and All Mighty Lord and Savior and be rejoicing by His side.
Trust this Sunday will find us all in the church of our choice, worshiping and praising our trusted friend and Savior Jesus Christ.
My wife before we got married told me sex can be found on any street corner but true love takes time to develope < we had 6 children and 55 years together, Sex really has no place in a discussion over email but face to face ,
When I was in 1st and 2nd grades , there was a girl that I really enjoyed being with each day. I would go out of my way to school (we walked blocks to school in those days) .just to have the opportunity to be with a girl named Coralie. That name is not often given to a girl even today. Along about the end of the school year she moved from the area and her name and great times we had has always stuck in my mind. This happened in Iowa and when I joined the Air Force they sent me to California. There one day I attended a USO dance held by the high school girls and would you believe met a beautiful girl, and her name was Coralie. She was one of the top dancers and I never learned to dance, the daughter of the Chev Plant Manager and I was just a one-striper in the Air Force, but she invited me home that day to visit with her parents. We hit it off from the very start and one month after graduating from high school we were married. Just 6 months after meeting and she was just 17 and I was 20 so we had to have our parents permission to get married at that age. In 55 years, we traveled the world, had six children, had a farm and several other businesses together. We had a high respect for each other, even though I never learned to dance. When I found another girl named Coralie, I never let her go
The possibility of finding a Christian lady within driving distance on here is questionable. Lots of overseas women wanting to get here. I just remember the 55 years I had with my wife who went home 3 years ago. Also can recall questioning whether to get on the bus to the dance, against my better judgement. Was married in Baptist church and tried to live for the Lord. Len
When I was in 1st and 2nd grades , there was a girl that I really enjoyed being with each day. I would go out of my way to school (we walked blocks to school in those days) .just to have the opportunity to be with a girl named Coralie. That name is not often given to a girl even today. Along about the end of the school year she moved from the area and her name and great times we had has always stuck in my mind. This happened in Iowa and when I joined the Air Force they sent me to California. There one day I attended a USO dance held by the high school girls and would you believe met a beautiful girl, and her name was Coralie. She was one of the top dancers and I never learned to dance, the daughter of the Chev Plant Manager and I was just a one-striper in the Air Force, but she invited me home that day to visit with her parents. We hit it off from the very start and one month after graduating from high school we were married. Just 6 months after meeting and she was just 17 and I was 20 so we had to have our parents permission to get married at that age. In 55 years, we traveled the world, had six children, had a farm and several other businesses together. We had a high respect for each other, even though I never learned to dance. When I found another girl named Coralie, I never let her go
Men over 50 are pretty much set in their ways as are ladies. You are not going to change any one but there is exceptions. When my wife went home to the Lord 3 years ago, she setup a companion for me, her sisiter in law, Her brothers wife that we have know for years. It is a sister brother relationship and we each sleep with our two dogs. Miss cuddling and the dogs snore along with me, so send out 3 part harmony.
Before long she will return to her city and home so am praying for the Lord to answer my prayers. He says he will send me a companion and drop her in my lap. Hope she is not too heavy???Christians need a little humor as it is good for our health. I will be 80 soon so have little hope but still pray for answers. Len
