Today is the world championship fight between Floyd Mayweather and Connor McGregor.  Millions will be watching the fight and millions of dollars are being wagered (wasted) in Las Vegas.

            Who is going to win? Everyone asks.

            My answer:  Who cares? Champions come and go and all of them will soon be forgotten. Nobody remembers the champions from yesteryears. Their fame and their money are gone and they are now too old to fight.

            Are Christians ever too old to keep fighting? I have felt like that lately. I have been knockdown several times in the past few weeks and sometimes I don’t have the strength or the will to get up again.

            When boxers get knockdown, they have people in their corner telling them to get up again. It is good for a boxer to know that he is not alone in the ring. It is good to have people around you to clean your cuts, to give you water, to dry your sweat and to motivate you to stay in the fight until you win.

            We are also in a fight. Every day we must fight,

           “…not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age,                                                                      against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6:14)

            Our enemy is numerous and strong. We must,

             ^“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” (1 Peter 5:8)

           We will be attacked almost every day one way or the other. We may suffer persecution or endure temptation or even be knockdown by personal attacks. There is very little we can do about that. We have little or no control over our circumstances or the people that surround us and sometimes we can barely control ourselves.

           Nevertheless, there are voices calling for us in our “corner.” I can hear the Holy Spirit convicting me of my sin and sinful reactions; I can remember the Word of God reassuring me about the future; I can listen to Jesus telling me to get up and follow him and I can feel the love of the Father all around.

            I need to stop writing now because I need to get up again…and fight

           Alexander Gonzalez

            

            “You shall add oil to it…”

            I enjoy eating bread.  There are many varieties I like, such as Cuban, French, Italian, White Mountain, garlic, etc. I can eat these breads with or without butter, but my favorite additive is olive oil.

            Olive oil (and a little touch of salt or black pepper) brings up the flavor to another dimension.  Any type of bread “anointed” with, or dipped in olive oil becomes a delicacy, a delicious and mouthwatering feast.  Olive oil can transform dry bread into a meal coveted by everyone.

            Oil was indispensable for the grain offerings; without oil they were unacceptable.  The oil was added to the flour, or it was mixed with it, to make unleavened cakes and wafers.  As you know, it is impossible to bake bread or cakes without some kind of oil.

            It is also impossible to be a Christian or live the Christian life without the Holy Spirit.  In the Old Testament, the oil was used for some offerings and to anoint Kings and priests.  In the New, the Holy Spirit replaced this archaic use of oil

            We are anointed with the Holy Spirit today!  To be anointed is to be filled and empowered by the Spirit, to serve God in a mighty way.  We need to pray and ask God to fill us with his Holy Spirit every day, so we can become very effective and powerful Christians.

            Is your life a bit dry and tasteless today?  Ask God for a “touch of oil.” He will not anoint your head with olive oil or give you a second baptism with the Spirit, but he will fill us with his Spirit and we shall become powerful, useful and pleasing to God.

            A. G.

                                                               Accepted

            “…and it shall be acceptable…”

            Heaven is a gift from God.  Those who want to live in heaven, must receive Jesus as Lord and Savior, and beg Him with repentance and true faith to enter into their hearts.  To be accepted by God however, is in my opinion at least as important or perhaps even more so, than to “accept” Him (like some say).

            The offerings and sacrifices of the Israelites had to be without any blemish.  God would not accept any lamb, ram or bull that were sick, lame, blind or defective in any way. God expected and demanded the best.

            Let us probe ourselves to see if what we are doing is acceptable to God.  Do we have a godly attitude?  Are we serving God or looking for fame or approval?  Is there pride in our hearts? The heart must be the first area to be examined for impurities.  Jesus will only accept a clean and pure heart; a heart that is “broken and contrite” (Ps. 51:17).

            We are accepted by Christ, who in turn makes us acceptable unto the Father.  This is the work of God’s grace in our previously “unacceptable” and sinful lifestyle.  We were redeemed by the blood of Jesus, transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit, and accepted forever by God the Father.

            If the world despises and rejects us, have no fear for Jesus is here.  Perhaps you will never win an Olympic gold medal (a past dream of mine), or be crowned in a beauty contest, but you are accepted (and loved) by God.

            Desist from pursuing popularity in an effort to be accepted by humans.  You are accepted by God, therefore do works that are acceptable and that bring glory to the Lord.

            A. G.

           There are people in our schools that are extremely important. As a teacher, I value the contributions of substitute teachers, for without them many academic instittutions would be forced to close its doors. It is comforting to know that when I have to miss school for any reason, a substitute will take my place. Nowadays, substitutes are just a click away on my computer. Finding a good substitute is another story.

           This world is also filled with substitutes. There is a bunny in the spring, a turkey in the fall and red clad fat man in the winter. They, along with many others are very poor (and evil) substitutes of our Lord Jesus Christ. Since the creation of the world, mankind has looked for many substitutes to worship them instead of the blessed Creator. We have worshipped all the hosts of heaven and the beasts of the field. Even Israel, the redeemed people of God, worshiped a golden calf or bull, instead of praising their Deliverer.

           Christianity is no exception to the rule. The church of Jesus Christ started well and it expanded to all the known world, but soon heresies, idols and false teachers infiltrated our ranks. The Roman Catholic church is a clear example of this perversion. Their local “churches” look like old pagan temples filled with idols (they call them saints and virgins), candles, incense and chants. The worst and most blatant substitution of all is the Pope. He is the bishop of Rome, the Pontifex Maximus and the vicar of Christ on earth. This last title (vicar) means that he is Christ’s substitute in this world. 

           There is no substitute for Christ! No one can take his place; not the pope, not church leaders, not famous preachers or Christian singers. There is only one Jesus, the only begotten Son of God and God in the flesh. He will never share his divine glory with anyone. Teachers and pastors need substitutes from time to time, but Jesus is irreplaceable, indivisible, and indispensable.

            The most beautiful part of all this is that Jesus is our eternal Substitute. He died on the cross in our place and He intercedes on our behalf every day before the Father. Furthermore His substitutionary work reaches every part of our lives, in fact, our lives are not our own for He bought us with His blood (1 Corinthians 6:20) and has substituted His life for ours (Galatians 2:20).

 Alexander Gonzalez

My soul is cast down / I am a prisoner of fear

I don’t want to drown / Lord, are you even here?

 

I cry out your name / Amid my great distress

I long for your embrace / For I am alone and depressed

 

Who can save me from this situation? / Who can change my life and set me free?

I call unto you, Lord of my salvation / Please answer and deliver me

 

I cannot carry this burden alone / I don’t even want to take another step

Bring to my heart a brand new song / And bury all my failures and regrets

 

I want to follow you and never stop / To be a light that shines in the dark

I don’t want to quit or ever give up / But sometimes the pain is too much

 

I will sing your praises again / I will worship you in this valley of death

I will lift and exalt your Holy Name / I will love you until my last breath

 

I don’t see the end of this tunnel 

I don’t know when this storm will subside / All I know is that you are by my side

That your purpose is faithful and true

All I know is that I need you, Jesus

And that is why I crying to you.

 

Alexander Gonzalez