As in the sports world, so in the race of faith, it is not where we start that matters; it is how we finish.

The best vision most of mankind hopes for is, nebulously speaking, "a better world," whatever that means. That is so inferior to our biblical vision. For us, God's plan is "a new heaven and a new earth" where "the old order of things has passed away," where God "makes all things new," where He himself is present among His people, and a new world where "there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain." (Revelation 21:1-8) Such a world is the destiny of all who put their trust in Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord and the eternal loss of all who do not.

If you want to know how this world ever got in the mess it's in, read the Bible. If you want to know how we can get out of the mess we're in, read the Scriptures. If you want to know where history is headed, read God's Word. And if you want to learn how it is all going to turn out, read its prophecies. Everything else is guesswork by people who don't know where they came from, where they're going or who they are, and where they are headed. Does that sound like the blind leading the blind?

If we do good deeds, memorize scripture, and pray daily in order to receive a blessing from God, we may have heard the gospel but missed the point. God is the blessing. Don't waste your life trying to be a good Christian. Forsake your life in seeking Christ.

A study of Acts 19:23-41.

"'Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.' (1 John 4:1) How do you test them? Study your Bible. God will never tell anyone anything that viola

"Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me y

The next time this world sees Jesus, He will arrive smoking hot. Pity all those who think not.

"Praise our God, all you His servants, you who fear Him, both great and small. Salvation and glory and power belong to our God, for true and just are His judgments." Revelation 19:1,5

"Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world--the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life-comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever." 1 John 2:15-17