Sunday's Thought

(C) Allen Pearson

"Whoever confesses

that Jesus is the Son of God,

God abides in him,

and he in God."

- 1 John 4:15, ESV

Many people make becoming a Christian harder, or more of a difficult thing than what it is.  There are no jobs or chores you have to do.  There is no exam where you have to get an "A" to pass in order to make it to heaven.  Nor, can you just be a good person. Nor, have you been too bad to be forgiven and loved by God. He loves everyone. God wants to see everyone make it to heaven. 

Its a matter of accepting Christ, believing in Him and confessing your sins to Him. Just do this-

Admit
Admit that you are a sinner, just like everyone else born into this world, until we  confess to Jesus Christ and ask His forgiveness:

"(23) for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, (24) and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus," 

-Romans 3:23-24, ESV

"(23) For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." -Romans 6:23, ESV

Believe
Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ:

(16) “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, 

that whoever believes in him 

should not perish but have eternal life." -John 3:16, ESV 

Confess
Confess your sins in a prayer to the Lord Jesus Christ:

(9) "because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. "

- Romans 10:9, ESV

(13) For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”  

 -Romans 10:13, ESV

Pray
"Lord Jesus, I know I am a sinner and do not deserve eternal life. 
I believe You died and rose from the grave to make me a new creation 
and to prepare me to dwell in your presence forever. 
Jesus, come into my life and take control, 
forgive my sins and save me. I place my trust in You alone
 for my salvation and I accept your free gift of eternal life."

Amen

Now, you're a Christian - Welcome to the family.  So, what's next-

• Find a 100% Bible-believing, teaching, preaching church. A few places to search for a church:
• Southern Baptist Convention
• Southern Baptist Conservatives (Virginia and Texas)
• Church of the Nazarene 

• Find believers (Christians) to fellowship with.

• Get baptized.

• Read the Book of John.

• Get in a Bible Study.

• Daily: Pray and read the Bible.

• Find a Mentor.

• Learn how to Pray.

Wednesday's Words - Encouragement from God's Word

(C) Allen Pearson, All Rights Reserved

"You will seek me 

and find me,

when you seek me

with all your heart."

- Jeremiah 29:13, ESV

Sunday's Thought

(C) Allen Pearson

"For with the heart one believes

and is justified, 

and with the

mouth one confesses

and is saved."

- Romans 10:10, ESV

God's Plan of Salvation for man is a simple matter of accepting, believing and confessing.  Not as complicated as many make it out to be or it may seem to be.

Interested in learning more about God's Plan of Salvation and His Plan for you? Please visit Peace With God!

Garden Perspectives: Caladiums

"Beauty of Caladiums"
(C) Allen Pearson, All Rights Reserved

Caladiums capture my attention as a gardener and a photographer for their beautiful intrinsic colors and varied designs.  It's almost as if God created each leaf to be like none other like He did man, each leaf, a plant of its own with no two alike.

Wednesday's Words - Encouragement from God's Word

(C) Allen Pearson, All Rights Reserved

"Be sober-minded; be watchful.

Your adversary the devil prowls around 

like a roaring lion,

seeking someone to devour."

- 1 Peter 5:8

Sunday's Thought

"A Summer's Flower"
(C) Allen Pearson, All Rights Reserved

The Deceitfulness of Riches

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“And these are they which are sown among thorns; 

such as hear the Word, And the cares of this world, 

and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, 

choke the Word, and it becometh unfruitful.” - Mark 4:18-19

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
There are many misconceptions and illusions about money. Money can buy some things but not others. It can buy marriage, but it can’t buy love. It can buy four years in college, but it can’t buy an education. Money can hire a doctor, but it can’t make you well. Money can take you almost anywhere except to heaven. It can buy almost anything except happiness. Some people think money means security. But there’s no security in money. It fades away.

ACTION POINT:
The Bible speaks of the deceitfulness of riches because earthly treasures can be wiped away so easily. Are you putting your trust and hope in things of eternal value?

For more from Love Worth Finding and Pastor Adrian Rogers, please visit www.lwf.org.

To learn about salvation, please visit Assurance of Salvation. Devotion used by written permission of Love Worth Finding.

Devotion used by written permission of Love Worth Finding.

Wednesday's Words - Encouragement from God's Word

(C) Allen Pearson, All Rights Reserved

"Be angry and do not sin;

do not let the sun

go down on your anger, 

and give no 

opportunity to the 

devil."

- Ephesians 4:26-27, ESV  

Sunday's Thought

(C) Allen Pearson, All Rights Reserved

"because, if you confess with your mouth

that Jesus is Lord 

and believe in your heart that God

raised him from the dead, you will be saved."

 - Romans 10:9, ESV

In this day and age of complicated processes or chores and being rewarded or recognized for what you have done good for your company, community or whatever, it is difficult to believe that something great can be received for free.  

Free? Yes free... free for the asking. These days it seems anything worth anything you must either work for it or pay a pretty penny to get it.  Not with God's Plan of Salvation.  He loves you, He wants the best for you- ALWAYS- He wants you to spend eternity with Him- some day- He wants the absolute best for you! 

As I look back over my life, I can see God's magnificent Hand with me through all my days.  This isn't to say that I have had an excellent trouble-free, problem-free life because I haven't had.  However, I have seen God's Hands and Love over me through the trouble and problems. 

If you would like to accept God's Gift of Salvation, please follow these steps:

Admit
Admit that you are a sinner, just like everyone else born into this world, until we  confess to Jesus Christ and ask His forgiveness:

"(23) for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 

(24) and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus," 

-Romans 3:23-24, ESV

"(23) For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."

 -Romans 6:23, ESV

Believe
Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ:

(16) “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son,

that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." -John 3:16, ESV

Confess
Confess your sins in a prayer to the Lord Jesus Christ:

(9) "because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord 

and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead,

you will be saved. "

- Romans 10:9, ESV

(13) For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”   -Romans 10:13, ESV

Pray

"Lord Jesus, I know I am a sinner and do not deserve eternal life. 

I believe You died and rose from the grave to make me a new creation 

and to prepare me to dwell in your presence forever. 

Jesus, come into my life and take control, 

forgive my sins and save me. I place my trust in You alone

 for my salvation and I accept your free gift of eternal life."

Amen

So, now what?
Now, you're a Christian - Welcome to the family.  So, what's next-

• Find a 100% Bible-believing, teaching, preaching church. A few suggestions to search for a church:
• Southern Baptist Convention
• Southern Baptist Conservatives (Virginia and Texas)
• Church of the Nazarene

• Find believers (Christians) to fellowship with.

• Get baptized.

• Read the Book of John.

• Get in a Bible Study.

• Daily: Pray and read the Bible

• Find a Mentor

• Learn how to Pray

#God #Jesus #GodsPlanofSalvation #Salvation

Wednesday's Words - Encouragement from God's Word

(C) Allen Pearson

"Delight yourself in the Lord,

and he will give you the desires 

of your heart."

- Psalms 37:4

Happy 4th of July! Independence Day!

Used by Permission, GraphicStock

Happy Independence Day!  When you see someone in Military uniform, especially today, be sure to stop and say "THANK YOU!"

Many men and women have given so much so we can have the freedoms we have today.  Military families have given up many things that we don't know about so their soldiers could do their jobs and fight for our freedoms.

So, take a second and say "Thank You!" with the biggest smile you can muster!

THANK YOU USA MILITARY ARMED FORCES!

Sketching Your Wildlife Garden

"Purple Cone Flowers in Garden"
(C) Allen Pearson, All Rights Reserved

I like to sketch how I want my garden to look before I begin any work in construction.  While I am an artistic photographer, not an illustrator or landscape artist, I use some very basic skills which anyone can do.  If you would like to learn further and go into excellent detail about garden design, I recommend visiting Paper Garden Workshop with Lisa Orgler. Paper Garden Workshop- Designing Your Garden Defining Structure.

While she goes into excellent detail which is very useful and helpful for creating a detailed plan, I use a sheet of graph paper, pencils, and colored pencils to do some general planning and design. I am basically trying to provide myself with an overview.

Before you start drawing, measure the area in which you plan to create your garden. Convert the squares on the graph paper to equal an even or easy measurement such as one square equals 5 feet or 10 feet.  If you are designing a smaller garden, you could use smaller measurements like 2 or 3 feet- it’s up to what you are comfortable with and want to design. Once you’ve determined the measurement you want, draw out the parameters of the project.

For me, I don’t always have the time to sit down and design the entire garden all at once.  Knowing that I design a simple legend in a small corner of the page so I could refer back when I return and would remember when building the garden. I’ll use letters to signify certain flowers that I enjoy and want to plant in the garden.

Examples of typical symbols I use:

X or O     Rocks

PC          Purple Cone Flowers

BS          Black-Eyed Susans

DS          Daisies

WFM     Wildflower Meadow

An          Annuals

TRP       Trails or Paths

You get the idea- keeping it as simple as possible will be beneficial in the long run when constructing the garden.

If you are not one who can visualize a project in your mind, here are a few more options.  Use colored pencils in your sketch to signify different aspects of the garden. Visit the website of your favorite garden center and select photos of the plants you would like to grow in the garden.  Save copies to your computer for printing.  Print copies as needed of each plant then delete the photos.  For personal use like this, that’s not a problem or an infringement.  However, do not use them for other purposes without the permission of the photographer or owner- like the garden center.

Once you have sketched out the plan, you are ready to begin construction or to hire someone to build the garden area for you. Since I am not able to do all the digging and building in my gardens, I hired professionals to do the work.

Be sure to talk to the person you hire making sure they are familiar with what you want to do creating the garden. I recommend asking at a local garden center if you should do any soil amendments when digging the garden.  If you live in Northern Virginia with all its red clay, you will probably need to do so for the plants to grow.

Sunday's Thought

Used by Permission, GraphicStock

Independence Day is just a few days away, as you have undoubtedly heard with all the barrage of sales going on at all the local stores. Seems it's a great way to push those summer items and maybe a few fall season ones too- while forgetting why we have a celebration every 4th of July.

The 4th of July, also known as Independence Day, is the day which Americans celebrate the birth of the United States, and commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence in 1776 on July 4 by the Continental Congress.

The day brings many family and community celebrations across the country which feature fireworks, picnics, music, and almost everything you can imagine.  When I was growing up, the day was celebrated by going to a family reunion picnic in the woods and mountains of West Virginia. While it was awesome to see relatives every year, I was one of those curious and adventurous boys who wanted to spend time exploring rather than eating food and talking with family.  However, I did take the time for family and enjoy their company. Later in life, I realize how important those times really were. People are most important and spending time away from hectic schedules to break bread with them is truly important.

Most of my family has passed away, gone onto other things in this life or are having celebrations of their own. As we start a new tradition in my family of a party to celebrate the day, I am reminded of all the sacrifices made over the years to allow us the freedoms which we have in this country. Not only by those who diligently worked to write the Declaration of Indepence but so many people who fought in battles and wars to protect our rights and freedoms. I cannot thank these people enough.

A more important freedom though was given by God to mankind many years ago. A freedom unlike any other, one family or friends cannot give you nor can any government program or military role get it for you.  Only you can accept it.

What am I talking about? God gave His only Son for your freedom.  He died on a cross so you and I can be free from the burdens of our sins. He forgives us for all we have done. A true gift to man, as you cannot buy it or work for it.  You just have to ask for His Gift by following these steps:

Admit
Admit that you are a sinner, just like everyone else born into this world, until we confess to Jesus Christ and ask His forgiveness:

"(23) for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 

(24) and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus," 

-Romans 3:23-24, ESV

"(23) For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."

 -Romans 6:23, ESV

Believe
Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ:

(16) “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, 

that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life."

 -John 3:16, ESV 

Confess
Confess your sins in a prayer to the Lord Jesus Christ:

(9) "because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord

 and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, 

you will be saved."

- Romans 10:9, ESV

(13) For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” -Romans 10:13, ESV

Pray

"Lord Jesus, I know I am a sinner and do not deserve eternal life. 

I believe You died and rose from the grave to make me a new creation

and to prepare me to dwell in your presence forever. 

Jesus, come into my life and take control, 

forgive my sins and save me. I place my trust in You alone

for my salvation and I accept your free gift of eternal life."

Amen

What Next?

Questions? Do these-

• Look for a church, Southern Baptist Convention, Southern Baptist Conservatives.
• Find believers (other Christians) to fellowship with. 
• Get Baptized.
• Purchase a Bible.
• Read the Book of John.
• Get in a Bible Study.
• Daily: Pray, Read Scripture.
• Find a mentor.

"On a Hill Far Away"
Used by Permission, GraphicStock