The Deciding Factor

     How can you tell if a person is of God or not? What is the key? What is the deciding factor?
     According to the Bible, it's love.
     I John chapter 4 verse1 says: "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world."
    We are not supposed to just accept everyone and believe what they are saying. That's gullibility, not faith. We are supposed to 'try the spirits' to make sure that they are of God.
    I John chapter 4 goes on to say: "Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:  and every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God:  and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come and even now already is it in the world."
    If a person is not of God, they won't be able to confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh. In fact, from my experience, they won't even like to hear the name of Jesus Christ. That name has power in the spiritual realm that causes the little minions of the devil to want to run! I have seen His name bring about a physical reaction from unbelievers. It's like blinding them with the light, exposing their darkness and they physically back off, turn away and flea.
     Furthermore, it says: "Beloved, let us love one another:  for love is of God:  and everyone that loveth is born of God and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love."
     And there you have it. God is love.
     Now, what more do you need to know?
     Look beyond a man's/woman's religion. Look beyond his/her monetary wealth, the colour of his/her skin, the car he/she drives. Even look beyond his/her church attendance.
     If he does not or cannot love, he does not know God.
     Of course, believers fall down on occasion; we make mistakes, fail others, even commit crimes. We are human. The question is, do we love? (If you're asking, "What is love?", you can read I Corinthians chapter 13 to find out exactly what Love is.)
     I John 4 verse 16 says: "...God is love and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God and God in him."
     Or, you could say, "God is love and he that lives in love lives in God and God in him." That to me means that if you are a believer, God's love is alive in you. And it will show!
     The opposite of that? --You might say, "hate". But, really what is hate? It's fear. Fear is weakness. Love is strength.
     "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear because fear has torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love."
     Again, none of us is perfect. But, if we suffer from any type of fear, we should know that that is not of God. Chase away your fears with the love of God.

Everything is a Miracle

     Albert Einstein said,
     "There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle."
     Take, for example, the lowly bumble bee. Aerodynamically, he is not built to fly. His wings are too small to be able to support his plump body in the air. But, the bumble bee doesn't know he is defying the laws of nature. So, he flies!
     A human cell has a brain, waste disposal, factories, transportation and communication. Yet, we are not able to see a cell with our earthly eyes. How could so much detail and intelligence exist in such microscopic dimensions? If one of these cells fails to do its job, the results could be fatal to the entire body.
     It's a miracle that the human body can survive, considering how easily it can be destroyed. Unseen germs can bring down giant men. There's nothing "supernatural" about catching a disease.
     If a person flips a light switch, it's not considered a miracle that the light goes on. Talking on a phone these days is a normal part of life. We don't stop to consider there are no wires attached nor that the person we are talking to is miles away. But, how could anyone say that's not a miracle?
     No less of a miracle is my new granddaughter. She arrived in brand new condition, no assembly required. It's a mystery how her bones were formed in her mother's womb.
     Likewise, spiritual birth is a miracle.
    
     "It took a miracle to put the stars in place.
     It took a miracle to hang the world in space.
     But when He saved my soul
     Cleansed and made me whole,
     It took a miracle of love and grace."

     I think it was Paul McCartney who turned to his wife after she'd given birth to their first child and asked,
     "How did you do that?"
     To me, a miracle is something that cannot be explained to my satisfaction. That's why, to me, everything is a miracle.