EXPRESSIONS

Engineering Auditorium Shakes

Red, White, & Blue

He sees you all the time

Vote for the perfect candidate 24-7!

What if Jesus talked football?

Pitt Dance Team's colors of black, red, green, and white give significance to the Christmas season!

Gong Show winner recited about 'If cocaine were an alien, what it does not want you to know!'

Editors note: This is part of  the devotional I had with the Lord this morning/afternoon of August 24, 05 that I wanted to share with you all! If the questions or statements can be used as Bible study guides or discussion questions feel free to use them.

Quiet Times: (Psalm 84, Proverbs 24, and Mark 7:20-23)

"Happy are those who are strong in the Lord, who want above all else to follow your steps." (Psalm 84:5, TLB)

"For Jehovah God is our Light and our Protector. He gives us grace and glory. No good thing will he withhold  from those who walk along his paths." (Psalm 84:11, TLB)

^“He went on: 'What comes out of a man is what makes him 'unclean.' For from within, out of men's hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and make a man 'unclean.' " (Mark 7:20-23, NIV)

Observations:

Jesus stated what comes out of a man is what makes him ‘unclean’ so I asked myself what come out of men’s hearts.

Out of men’s heart come:

1. Evil thoughts

2. Sexual Immorality

3. Theft

4. Murder

5. Adultery

6. Greed

7. Malice

8. Deceit

9. Lewdness

10. Envy

11. Slander

12. Arrogance

13. Folly

I asked myself how Jesus refers to the things that come out of men’s heart.

They are all referred to as evil coming from the inside. Each one of them is considered evil by Jesus.

Interpretation

I asked myself the significance of Jesus referring to all 13 of them as evil.

The significance is seen through the eyes of the Lord. Each one of them is as bad as the other in the Lord’s eyes because each one of them make a person unclean. Jesus tells us that it starts in the heart from the inside.

I asked myself how it could be.

Then it occurred to me that we are born into sin. This is emphasized by King David in the Psalm of confession and repentance (Psalm 51). If we are born into sin then nothing good comes out of us except the evil that is already inside lurking, for all evil comes from the heart. This can be scary but I also realize there is deliverance when we admit our shortcomings or evil that has pervaded us (Psalm 32). It does not stop there though, for Jesus does not talk to people about an issue unless Jesus intends to address it sooner or later.

Implications:

I saw important implications for my own life. Since evil comes from the heart, there needs to be a transplant to take the evil heart and replace it with a heart of love. I could not do it on my own but need a surgeon to replace the heart. When I found the surgeon who could do the surgery, I accepted His surgery. He performed the surgery on me, taking the evil heart and replacing it with a heart of love, giving it life with the life giving Spirit.  For my heart to function well I need to take my medication daily. I am not talking about the prescriptions handed by pharmacists for those prescriptions cannot keep the heart clean. What I am talking about is the medication prescribed to me by the Great Physician after He did the surgery in my life. He came into my life and took the heart of evil and replaced it with His heart of love. Now as I take the 3-fold medication which is being in prayer, taking in God’s Word, and being in fellowship, my heart will function well by keeping evil away from affecting the decisions I make. It starts with acknowledging that I am in need of help and receiving the help from my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ daily. He is the One that has given me a transplant so I can live for Him now.

If I skip my medication, there are effects that show in my life but when I seek the Lord and choose to follow all He has prescribed for me, I can go back on the right track. Our Lord is a merciful and gracious Lord who is quick to forgive and restore us bringing us back to Him! Praise the Lord!

If evil comes out of the heart, then there is nothing we can do on our own to reach God. But God in His love for us reached out to us through His Son Jesus Christ so He can make us clean from being unclean. This is exciting to know for me.

I ask you now dear friend, how is your heart?

Dear friend, we are born into sin from the time our mother conceived us. (Psalm 51) There is no question about that because Adam and Eve’s sin spread throughout humanity. Because of their sin, the first murder was committed by Cain when he killed his brother Abel. In committing the murder, Cain also was guilty of evil thoughts, greed, malice, deceit, envy, and folly which were a proximate cause of him engaging in the act of murder. That is so sad because his heart was not in the right place. He was so self-focused and not focused on the Lord. So, naturally he was controlled by the evil that was pervasive within.

We may think we are not like that but are good people.

Are we really friend?

The Bible addresses the state of our heart many times.

“The LORD saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time.” (Genesis 6:5, NIV)

“The fool says in his heart, "There is no God." They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good.” (Psalm 14:1, NIV)

“Surely the mind and heart of man are cunning.” (Psalm 64:6b, NIV)

“From their callous hearts comes iniquity; the evil conceits of their minds know no limits.” (Psalm 73:7, NIV)

“Men of perverse heart shall be far from me; I will have nothing to do with evil.” (Psalm 101:4, NIV)

“A man's own folly ruins his life, yet his heart rages against the LORD.” (Proverbs 19:3, NIV)

“Who can say, "I have kept my heart pure; I am clean and without sin"?” (Proverbs 20:9, NIV)

“As water reflects a face, so a man's heart reflects the man.” (Proverbs 17:19, NIV)

“The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9, NIV)

There is no one that is righteous, not one, for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. For the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is Eternal Life in Christ Jesus.  (Romans 3:23, 6:23)

Friend, this is why we all need surgery and Father God has provided us the Surgeon. Now we have to accept what the surgeon wants to do in our lives. Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise. He wants to clean us and give us a new heart.

My favorite presentation of the Gospel is to use the bridge diagram. I am going to share a variation of it where I used 3 newspapers and a pamphlet to share the Gospel with someone.

If you have 3 newspapers and a pamphlet you can follow along.

I put two newspapers together and shared with him how MAN and GOD were together in the beginning.

Then, I pulled the two newspapers apart and told him that is what sin had done to our relationship with GOD. Sin had separated MAN from GOD and now MAN and GOD were apart and there was a big chasm.

Now MAN tried to do everything he could to reach GOD by doing good works, etc but whatever MAN did he still could not reach GOD. All his good works were falling down the chasm. His good works were not providing a way to reach GOD. I told him that you can do 99 good things and one bad thing which will still separate you from GOD because GOD in His Holiness cannot allow sin to enter His presence.

Then I told him that is how religions of the world are. In all the religions of the world, people are trying to reach GOD by their good works. They think if I do this and that, it can give me access to GOD. I told him some think praying three times a day will make them right with GOD, others think worshipping idols will make them right with GOD but the bottom line is MAN made religion and everything still falls in the chasm. All our good works we do are like filthy rags to GOD, so that will not give us access to GOD.

So, I asked him if God should ask you why should I let you into Heaven what would your response be and to think about it.

I told him if your answer is the good works you think you do, that will not cut it and GOD knows that. Then, I mentioned to him because GOD knows MAN is trying to reach Him but cannot, GOD decided to take it upon Himself to provide the WAY to MAN. GOD loved MAN so much that He sent JESUS CHRIST into the world to come and save MAN when MAN turns to Jesus for the forgiveness of their sins.

I told him we do not get access to Heaven because of anything we do but because GOD decided to reach out to us in His mercy and grace through the promise of JESUS CHRIST. JESUS died on the cross for you and shed His cleansing blood to wash away all your sin so now when you come to JESUS CHRIST and ask Him to come into your heart, He will forgive you of all your sin and live in you and you can have access to GOD and heaven.

I told him when GOD asks me why should I let you into Heaven, my response would be not because of anything I have done GOD because whatever I do is not good enough for you GOD because you in your Holiness cannot allow sin to enter your presence but because I believe in what JESUS CHRIST did for me and am covered by JESUS and His precious blood, so when you see me, you see JESUS’ blood covering over me and JESUS in front of me, I can have access to you.

Then I told him when MAN and GOD were together and sin separated MAN and GOD, creating a huge chasm, GOD in His love for us provided JESUS CHRIST to become THE WAY to reach GOD.

Now, I took the 3^rd newspaper and the pamphlet and made a CROSS out of it and put it where the separation and the dark chasm existed.   I told him the CROSS became the BRIDGE for MAN to get across to reach GOD.

I took the 1^st paper and walked it on the CROSS to show him, MAN did not fall in the chasm anymore but was able to reach GOD when MAN decided to depend on what JESUS did for him. I emphasized JESUS CHRIST and Him alone to save us from our sin and reach GOD because of His grace. I told him JESUS CHRIST became GOD-INCARNATE to reach us.

I wanted to emphasize to him that it is by GRACE we are saved through FAITH and not of any good works that we should boast!

I want to share the bridge diagram  with you here which I did not have to share with him in animation format:

“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.” (Ezekiel 26:6, NIV)

Friend, you can have a new heart in Jesus Christ. Yes, you can friend for He wants to work in your life and wants you to trust in His unfailing love, for He alone is God Eternal throughout Heaven and above. Yes, He is friend!

No matter where you have been or how your life has been you are never out of His love and never out of His reach. He loves you so much friend. Yes, He does! You can come to Him as you are and receive the grace He offers to you. He offers each of us His grace and wants to give us a new heart. This is exciting to know for He will work in you friend. Please do not give up but come to Jesus as you are and allow His Spirit to work in you and through you!

I want to share with you a poem I wrote called ‘Serving the Lord’. This is how I usually introduce myself to others.

Serving the Lord (Read Roman 12)
By Ramesh C. Reddy

Ramesh is my NAME. (Isaiah 43:1-3)

Serving the Lord is my GAME. (Isaiah 6:8)

Christ did not come for FAME. (Acts 10:38)

But to save you and me from the FLAME. (Matt 20:28)

Yesterday, today, and forever, He is the SAME. (Heb 13:8)

So, please give him your HEART. (Romans 10:9)

By giving Him a START. (John 1:12)

So, He can do His PART (Philippians 1:6)

And Satan’s fiery arrows you can DART (Hebrews 4:12)

Amen!

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 15:13, NIV)

“Happily, Eagerly Accept Redeemer Today!” (H.E.A.R.T)/”How is your heart?”

Prayer:
Dear Lord Jesus, I love you so much. Thank you for loving me beyond words and dying for my sin. Thank you for coming back to life to save me. Thank you for coming into my heart and making my heart your home when I invited you in. You live in me through the power of the Holy Spirit. Now Oh Lord, help me please to do all that brings you honor and glory. When I mess up Lord please bring me back on the right track for only your medication can keep my heart pure from evil. Thank you so much Jesus. I pray right now for the one who is confused and lost. Touch them in your power Oh Lord. Fill them with your love and bring them to you Oh Lord for with you all things are possible. Thank you so much Jesus. We entrust our lives to thee and depend on thee for guidance. Help us not to do anything that makes us unclean. The 13 things you mention do make us unclean so we need your help to replace those with the Fruit of the Spirit. Fill us with the Holy Spirit. Thank you for helping us Jesus. I acknowledge you as my Lord and Personal Savior! Thank you that you have heard us and answered us! In Your Name I Pray Jesus! Amen!

Prayer:
Jesus, I thank you for being the Bread of Life. You are the Living Bread of my life. Thank you for coming from Heaven and giving your life for the life of the world. You sacrificed yourself for humanity. Thank you Lord when we eat of you symbolically making you part of our life, digesting what you teach us by following you, we can be living Eternally, and the fruit that comes will reflect and resemble your life. I want that Father God. I want that Lord Jesus! I want that Holy Spirit! I know of a lot of people who partake of Holy Communion where the bread represents your body broken for their sin and the juice represents your blood shed for their sin. When we partake of Holy Communion, we are reminded that we are remembering you. I want to remember you always Lord Jesus. But for me to remember you always, I need to know you and acknowledge everything you said you are. So right now I acknowledge that you are my Lord and Personal Savior who died and rose again to give me life from sin. So right now, I come to you and say how sorry I am for my sin and living a life on my own. I repent of my sin and ask you to forgive me of my sin with your cleansing blood which I accept. Wash me and I will be clean from this infection of sin. Come Lord Jesus and please become part of my life as you live in me and I will live for you. I thank you Jesus for coming into my heart and making my heart your home. Thank you for living in me Jesus and I will live for you and serve you the rest of the days of my life. I do need your Spirit to reside in me and work in me and through me so I surrender all that I am and will be to you. Whatever your will is for me, please give me the strength and willingness to bear it and rejoice in you. Thank you so much Jesus. I thank you Jesus for becoming my Lord and Personal Savior. I thank you Jesus you have heard my prayer and have answered me. I thank you that I am your child Oh God. I thank you for becoming my only Way, Turth, and Life to Eternal Life. In Your Name I Pray Jesus! Amen!

(You can start your Christian adventure by reading the Gospel of John)

Friend you may feel something or may not feeling anything but do not go by your feelings. When you ask Jesus to come into your life, He will and does. He will take over from here as you depend on the Lord and let Him work in you and through you! This is exciting friend! May each one that came to know Jesus be filled with His Holy Spirit forever more and those that know Jesus come to know Him more and more! Amen!

P.S.. If you need someone to talk to, pray with, or have a  Bible study, you can email me at reddy4HisGlory2004@yahoo.com and we can set up a time that is convenient for you! You can also call me at 412-720-4579

NEXT DEVOTIONAL:
"Do you wait for your C.R.E.D.I.T?"

Express your view