Jesus Will Return Soon

Jesus Will Return Soon “I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.” 2nd Corinthians 6:2 I believe that too many people in today’s society do not take seriously the importance of being ready if Jesus should return today. They are too busy with their daily routines and supporting, in most instances, lifestyles that they cannot afford. I believe that these folks have their priorities completely out of order as they are looking at the things of the world which will mean nothing to them in determining where they will spend all eternity. The Bible tells us that things of this earth will rust and pass away, and are only temporal things, but an everlasting life will last for all eternity. There are several questions we need to ask ourselves. Are we personally ready for the return of Jesus? Have we accepted Him as our Savior or have we been to busy with other priorities on our to-do list? All of us need to really think about our priorities and get our life right with God. We do not know the year, the day or the hour that Jesus might return, but we do know that Jesus will be coming one day, and it is so important that we be ready for this day. We cannot continue to put off thinking about this day and using the excuse that we will take time for God next year or next week, when we get our other priorities taken care of. It may be too late then as God is not going to give us a warning so that we can get ready at the last minute. We must begin to get our house in order today, and not put off something as important as our salvation and our future. It is so imperative for all of us to share the importance of the return of Jesus, and let our children, our families, our friends and neighbors know the importance of being ready for his return, and what is at stake for them. Jesus is going to return soon, and we must be prepared and ready. My Daily Devotional Volume III September 6 Robert William Brock, Jr.

Forget The Past

Forget the Past “Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead.” Philippians 3:13 So many times when I have counseled friends, fellow church brothers and sisters and neighbors about various problems and issues in their lives, the primary cause of the majority of their problems and issues is that they are not able to forget the past. In today’s society so many marriages begin with baggage left over from broken homes, such as abuse, drug and alcohol addiction and divorce that the foundation is not strong enough to weather any kind of problems and issues that families can face. When godly family core values are not present in a family, children grow up without a foundation in which to build their families on, and when issues and problems arise they are not equipped to know how to handle them. Paul tells us in the scripture above that this baggage needs to be forgotten, and that we need to look at what lies ahead. I have seen people live with their past, and it places them in a dark and lonely arena. There is no life in the sea of regrets and hurts, as there is only a place of hopelessness and despair. Instead of staying in the past God wants us to look ahead to each new day with a fresh hope in what we can accomplish and to depend on Him for all our needs. The Bible tells us that His mercies are new and fresh every morning, and that His grace is sufficient for this day. We can see how God provided for the Israelites in the wilderness as He gave fresh manna daily during their journey. We can trust Him to give us what we need each day and look forward to living one day at a time. The years ahead can be the dawning of grand and glorious days for you if you follow God’s word to forget the past and depend upon Him for your future. My Daily Devotional Volume III September 5 Robert William Brock, Jr.

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving. Let Us Give Thanks “Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song.” Psalm 95:2 The last Thursday of November, Thanksgiving Day, along with many of our holidays, is observed by most Americans as a day of feasting. It is sandwiched between Halloween, a day that has become a day relegated to ghosts, witches, demons and other wicked creatures, and Christmas, which signifies the birth of our savior Jesus Christ. Today, millions of Americans regard Thanksgiving Day only as the day before they head off to the malls to begin their shopping for Christmas. Somehow our perception of Thanksgiving Day has gone askew, as we’ve forgotten the reason for celebration of that first Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving Day historically was a time of feasting for the pilgrims and Indians. In the early 1600’s the pilgrims had only been in the United States several years, when they hosted the first feast to celebrate life with their Indian friends, and give thanks to God for His provision in their difficult circumstances. Thanksgiving Day should be a time that each of us should give thanks to God for what He has given and blessed us with. We as Americans are extremely blessed, and Thanksgiving should be a time when we show our gratitude to others by sharing some of our blessings with them. It should be a time when we share our love with a special friend, and show the people around us that we care about them. We should make it a time when we focus on God, and thank Him for our material wealth, our health, our country, our church and our families. It should be a time of thanking God for everything He has provided to us.

Do You Need A Makeover

Do You Need A Makeover “Come near to God and he will come near to you.” James 4:8 The scripture above is such a powerful verse as it tells us that when we become closer to God, He will reciprocate and draw closer to us. This reminds me of some of the programs on television where people are having makeovers that are supposed to change their lives. They are attempting to change their appearances and behaviors to become a new person which is going to change them forever. Although their outward appearances may be enhanced and their attitudes about themselves may be uplifted, it is their inward beings that need to be changed. God can give us a complete makeover when we draw ourselves closer to Him. He can renew us and make us a new person. He can change a lifeless person from the inside, and make him a completely new being. God tells us that when we want to become more like Him, we must spend more time with Him for that to happen. In order to have a complete makeover we must devote more time to God. We can do this in our prayer life, in our thoughts and in our daily lives and actions. We can practice love with our fellow man; we can forgive others that have harmed us and done wrong to us; we can read and study God’s Holy Word and get His wisdom; we can begin to help our fellow man by showing our love, and helping to provide for their needs. There are many ways that God teaches us throughout the Bible where we can draw closer to God. When we reach out to God He will reach out to us. Our lives will change, and the fruits of the Spirit that He promises us will begin to spring up in our lives, and we will experience the love that God has for us. When we reach out to God, and begin to live our lives with Him being first in all we do, we can then experience an extreme makeover that will last for all eternity. My Daily Devotional Volume III September 2 Robert William Brock, Jr.

We Can Take Back Our Nation

We Can Take Back Our Nation “But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness.” 2nd Peter 3:13 There has been much discussion in recent days and years about the coming of the end of time, and the return of Jesus Christ to this earth. No one knows the day or the hour of Jesus’ return, but according to Biblical accounts the prophesies of the Bible are being fulfilled each day. Our great country is turning their back on God and His teachings, and I am sure that God is disappointed with what He is seeing. As we look back on the history of the people of Israel we can see that when God became dissatisfied with what was going on in the land He destroyed it. This is seen when God destroyed the earth and allowed only Noah and his family to survive and repopulate the earth. We can see what God did again with the accounts of the wicked cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, as He destroyed them. With the sexual immorality, drugs, abortion and dysfunctional families that is so prevalent in our society today, and the overall turning away from any Christian moral family values, our nation is again in danger of God taking His revenge against us. It is time for all parents to begin to take a stand and reverse this trend in our society by bringing back godly family values to their homes, and restoring these godly values in their everyday actions and teach these values to their children. Parents can reclaim this great nation by returning to the biblical principles of the Bible, and practicing these principles in their everyday lives. If we continue this downward spiral our children and grandchildren are going to feel and see the wrath of Almighty God come against them and see His wrath. It is time for parents to wake up and begin to take the action needed to teach our children about God and begin to live a life that is pleasing to God. My Daily Devotional Volume III September 1 Robert William Brock, Jr.

A Child's Family Fortune

A Child’s Family Fortune “My son, if your heart is wise, then my heart will be glad; my inmost being will rejoice when your lips speak what is right.” Proverbs 23:15 Don’t you wish that all parents could experience the joy from the scripture above as their children would speak and live a life that is pleasing to God? All parents could experience this joy and happiness when they leave their children with the “Family Fortune” I discussed in the previous devotional. As parents, we cannot force our children to know and serve God, but we can, however, minimize the possibility of them going astray and maximize their potential to love God by living a godly life before them. The Bible tells us that it is the responsibility of every parent to pass on the eternal riches of knowing and honoring God to their children. There is no doubt that parents are the most powerful influence upon their child’s spiritual development. At some point however, as the child matures they must begin to take ownership and possess the godly heritage for themselves. A youth must initially receive and begin to live by faith in the Lord Jesus on their own. Making the transition from “passive” to “possessive” toward their spiritual heritage is not easy for some, but for others it is a natural process in their spiritual development. The fact is, most youth and young adults are going to be severely tested in their faith and love for God as they come into their own. They are going to be tempted by peer pressure and unfortunately by their teachers and other influential adults in our society today. The statistics tell us that many of our young people are failing the “test” of faith once they launch out on their own. I know that for me, and I hope that for all of you, this is one “test” that we as parents cannot allow our young people to fail. Parents must leave their children a “Family Fortune” that will follow them always. My Daily Devotional Volume III August 31 Robert William Brock, Jr.

The Family Fortune

The Family Fortune “Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6 When I look at our society today I see so many families who are dysfunctional and their children are left to find out about God on their own. This creates a cycle where our children imitate their parents and have their own dysfunctional family. I believe that as Christian parents, giving a godly heritage to our children is a deep-rooted core value that is necessary to keep families together and stop this devastating trend in families today. Whenever we hear the words, “Family Fortune,” we immediately think of the wealthy of our culture. But we have something to give our children of greater value than money, assets and mansions. We have a “Family Fortune” from our Heavenly Father to pass on to our children. It is a fortune that far exceeds all earthly riches. It is the riches of a godly life lived and worked out in front of our children on a daily basis. The Biblical story of the prodigal son illustrates the impact of a godly parent on his children. Though the father was rich in earthly treasure, he was even richer in spiritual treasure. When both sons went astray, one to extreme carnality and the other to extreme judgmentalism, it was the godly life of the father that was the catalyst for change in their lives. Both sons eventually returned to the godly wisdom, counsel and lifestyle of their father who raised them to do what was right in the sight of the Lord. He had given his sons more than money and wealth. He gave them something that rescued them from the corruption of their own soul. He gave them a godly heritage. Your prayers, lifestyle and unconditional love is a major part of what God uses to influence the direction and destiny of your children, and will enable parents to give their children a godly heritage, and a family fortune that will lead them to an eternal life. My Daily Devotional Volume III August 30 Robert William Brock, Jr.