Ray Ruppert's Blog, page 6

Your Purpose in Life

Do you have any idea what your purpose in life is? Why areyou here on this earth, in this country, at this time in history? If you don’tknow, then do what King David did in Psalm 57:2

I cry out to God Most High,
to God who fulfills his purpose for me.

What is this? David is saying that his purpose is what Godhas in store for him. My purpose and your purpose in life is not to get what wewant. It isn’t to have the ideal life. It isn’t to have all the good things inlife. No, our purpose is determined by God and He will fulfil it. He will makeit happen.

David knows there will be opposition in this world. Satanwill try to divert us from God’s purpose. So, he adds this in Psalm 57:3.

He will send from heaven and save me;
He will put to shame him who tramples on me.
God will send out his steadfast love and his faithfulness!

God’s purpose for you and me, whom He has chosen, is to besaved. God sent Jesus from heaven to save us. Satan tries to trample us, butJesus trampled on Satan and disarmed him when He died on the cross.

Because of God’s steadfast love and faithfulness, He has a purposefor us and that is to become more and more like Jesus as we go though this lifeand then be with Him forever in heaven.

Have you cried out to God Most High for salvation throughJesus Christ? If not, you can. Just follow one or more of these links.

https://tinyurl.com/short-gospel

https://tinyurl.com/one-verse(video)

https://tinyurl.com/Gospel-video

Copyright by Ray Ruppert

God’s most important message to us.

 

God’s most important message to us summed up in one verse.#wagesofsin #allhavesinned #freegift #eternallife #death #repent #trustjesus

Would you like to know God’s most important message to us?This is summed up in one verse in the Bible, Romans 6:23. Let me draw you apicture of what the verse means.

This box represents what we can find out from this verse.

We are represented by this person. Notice, we are runningaway from God.

The verse starts off with “The wages of sin is death.”  What does that mean?

Wages are what is owed to someone who has done some kind ofwork.

It is what we do so let’s put that under us.

The next word is sin. Sin is any attitude or action that isagainst God and misses the standard of His perfect moral purity.

We have all sinned in big or little ways, so we’ll put sinunder us.

Next is death. Death represents the great separation thatexists between us and God.

We’ll put death under us also.

This now represents us on one side of cliff and God on theother.

Let’s continue with the verse, “but the free gift of God”

The word but is very important. It tells us that there is adramatic difference in this part of the verse.

We’ll put that word at the bottom of the chasm.

Now look at “free gift.” The gift is free and that means thereis nothing we can do to earn it. We can only receive it.

It is a gift that comes from God.

We’ll put free gift under God and Of God under God also tomake sure we remember the gift comes from God.

Now the verse continues to explain that the free gift iseternal life.

Since the gift of eternal life is from God, we’ll put itunder God as well.

Now look at the difference between the two sides of chasm.

On one side we are running way from God because of our sinand eventually, we will receive the wages of our sin which is death.

On the other side is God who has a gift of eternal life. Inbetween is that word “but.”

Now the rest of the verse reveals how we get the gift. Itsays, “In Christ Jesus our Lord.”

This gift of eternal life is in Christ Jesus. He is the onethat gives us the gift of eternal life.

Didn’t I just say God has the gift? How is it that Jesusgives us the gift?

He is Lord. That means that Jesus is God in the flesh, andHe never sinned.

That is why He and He alone could pay our debt for our sinswhen He died on the cross.

Now there is a way for us to receive the gift of eternallife from God.

But we must repent from our sins. That means we must turnaround in our thinking and follow that path to God through Jesus Christ.

To do that we must trust in Jesus’ death for our sins andobey Him as your Lord.

If God has given you a desire to trust Jesus alone, giveyour life to Him, and obey Him, then

Pray with me.

Dear Jesus, I know I’m a sinner. Thank you for dying for myoffenses. Forgive me. I trust in you alone to save me. Come into my life andguide me.

Read more about God’s salvation at https://tinyurl.com/short-gospel.

God’s most important message to us summed up in one verse.#wagesofsin #allhavesinned #freegift #eternallife #death #repent #trustjesus

Wages of sin, all have sinned, free gift, eternal life,death, repent, trust Jesus

Copyright by Ray Ruppert

Take Refuge

Where do you take refuge when everything around you seems tobe going to pot? Take a lesson from King David as he turns to the only sureplace of refuge in Psalm 57:1.

Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me,
for in you my soul takes refuge;
in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge,
till the storms of destruction pass by.

If we want to take refuge in God, the first thing we need todo is ask Him to be merciful to us. Really! Look at ourselves in contrast tothe holiness and perfection of God. There isn’t a single day that we don’t needmercy because of our rebellion against him.

The next thing we need to do is to really want to take refugein God instead of the false assurances of the things of this world. This is asoul or spiritual desire to be with God. If we are afraid of God, we won’t havethis desire. Frankly, that desire to be with Him comes only from God and itstarts when we are born again.

That desire isn’t just because we want to escape the trialsof this life. It is something that we desire even when we are experiencing goodtimes.

We can only take refuge in God when we trust Him witheverything in our being. We must first trust Him for our eternal salvationthrough Jesus Christ and Him alone. Then we can trust that He has our life hereon earth in His hands and that He is working everything in our lives for oureventual good.

Then it doesn’t matter if the storms of destruction arepassing by because we know Him and really take refuge in Him. To be born againand trust Jesus, Watchmy video on the Gospel on YouTubeorread on this Gospel link.

Copyright by Ray Ruppert

God really does know what’s going on in our country, in o...

God really does know what’s going on in our country, in ourcities, and especially in our own hearts. Listen to what was confronting Davidin Psalm 55:9-11

Confuse the wicked, O Lord, confound their speech,

for I see violence and strife in the city.

Day and night they prowl about on its walls;

malice and abuse are within it.

Destructive forces are at work in the city;

threats and lies never leave its streets.

David could have written this today or just about anytime inhistory and for the future as far as we can see. We think it is worse today thanit was back then because we have so many more ways to do violence and havestrife in our cities. I don’t need to list the problems. Besides, if I did,some of you would actually agree with some of the malice and abuse. Then youwould be yelling at me.

But this is for sure, regardless of your belief system, destructiveforces are at work in the city. Satan is wreaking havoc. There are threats andcounter threats by those who are wicked or very much deceived by those who arewicked. So we have lies that never leave the streets.

Sounds mightily depressing, doesn’t it? But David and I havefaith that the Lord is in control. He tells us in verse 22

Cast your cares on the Lord

and he will sustain you;

he will never let the righteous fall.

The cities may fall, and I can guarantee you that the wickedwill pass away. But if you know Jesus Christ as your Savior, you will outlivethem all in eternity. If you don’t know Him, you are in trouble because Davidsays in verse 23, “But you, O God, will bring down the wicked into the pit ofcorruption.”

Want to know Jesus? Watch my video on the Gospel on YouTube orread on this Gospellink.

Copyright by Ray Ruppert

Peter Walking on the Water

You have probably heard about Jesus walking on the waterthen Peter give it a try. Yup, he gets within reach of Jesus then panics andstarts to sink. The smart guy he is, he calls to Jesus to save him. Then weread this in Matthew 14:31-33,

Jesus immediately reached out hishand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did youdoubt?” And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. And those in the boatworshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

With only one hand, Jesus saves Peter. Now, I wonder howJesus got him back to the boat.

Did Peter walk back to the boat on the water while Jesusheld his hand?

Did Jesus drag Peter though the water back to the boat?

Did Jesus carry Peter back to the boat?

Maybe we aren’t told because God wants us to imagine howJesus helps us today. Sometimes we walk hand in hand with Jesus when thingsseem to be going great. Sometimes we feel like Jesus is carrying us when thingsare terrible. Maybe we are peevish, and Jesus must drag us to safety.

I don’t know where you are at in your walk withJesus, but you can thank Him for taking care of you regardless of the circumstances.If you haven’t started to walk with Him yet, you can always call on Jesus, whois the Son of God to save you and walk with you through life right up to thepearly gates. 

How did Jesus get Peter back in the boat? What does that sayto us? #jesuswalkingonwater #peterwalkingonwater #jesusholdsus #jesussaves

 

Copyright by Ray Ruppert

Run and Hide

When we are afraid, I mean really terrified that something bad is going to happen to us, one of our first tendencies is to run and hide. This is what David had to say when he was overwhelmed with fear in Psalm 55:4-7 (ESV), 

My heart is in anguish within me;

the terrors of death have fallen upon me.

Fear and trembling come upon me,

and horror overwhelms me.

And I say, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove!

I would fly away and be at rest;

yes, I would wander far away;

I would lodge in the wilderness;

David isn’t talking about seeing a snake or a spider and suddenly freaking out. No, this is a fear that has settled into his heart. His emotions are not just startled, they are churning, and it gives the impression that this has been going on for some time. His fear has paralyzed him so that he sees no way out.

His desire is to run and hide. How many times does that thought cross our minds when things in life become difficult? Is this the response that leads some people to alcohol or other drugs to keep from facing the realities of life? Is it what leads some people to find solace in an extramarital affair because they just can’t face the problems in their marriage. It is also the concept of thinking that the grass is greener on the other side of the fence.

Fortunately, David also tells us what he did rather than run and hide. In Psalm 55:16-17, he shows his trust in the Lord.

But I call to God,

and the Lord will save me.

Evening and morning and at noon

I utter my complaint and moan,

and he hears my voice. 

When David calls upon the Lord in prayer, he doesn’t hold back. While he says he utters his complaint, there isn’t a hint that he is complaining about the Lord or that he is angry at God. His complaint should be understood in the same way as when we go to a doctor, and he asks us what is wrong. Then we provide our complaint, the symptoms of our problem.

This is really important because there are too many people who say that it is OK to be mad at God. They say that He is big enough to take it. If we understand the sovereignty of God, then being mad at God (because He is in control of our circumstances), is accusing God of doing wrong, of sinning.

Long before Peter told us to cast all our anxieties on God (1 Peter 5:7), David told us the same thing, a better way than running from our problems and hiding. In Psalm 55:22, he wrote, 

Cast your burden on the Lord,

and he will sustain you;

he will never permit

the righteous to be moved. 

Rather than running and hiding, we must run to the Lord in prayer. We must trust Him and believe that His plan for us is to sustain us through our difficulties. If we don’t believe that He works everything for our good (Rom 8:28) then our anxiety and terror that makes us run and hide is a matter of unbelief. That good that He is working in us is so that we won’t be moved by our circumstances. Our faith will be proved genuine by the circumstances (1 Peter 1:6-7).

If you don’t have a personal, saving, relationship with Jesus Christ, then you are not one of the righteous and you can’t rest upon any promise of being sustained through your difficulties. If you want to be one who can trust God in your circumstances, then Watch my video on the Gospel on YouTube or read on this Gospel link.

Copyright by Ray Ruppert

Election Terror

If you don’t vote, you have no right to whine!

This week before the national election is one that brings terror to many people. The aftermath of the elections usually has the same effect on people who expect the worst if their party isn’t in control. They identify with David in Psalm 55:4-5: 

My heart is in anguish within me;
the terrors of death have fallen upon me.
Fear and trembling come upon me,
and horror overwhelms me. 

Is this what you feel like when you look at the choices on the ballots or who won? Do you fear that the wrong people will get into office and destroy our country one way or another? If so, here is how David started off this Psalm. Psalm 55:1 says,

Give ear to my prayer, O God,
and hide not yourself from my plea for mercy! 

Through it all, we must remember that God is in control. He is the one who removes kings and sets them up as Daniel told us in chapter 2, verse 21. David assures us that God does hear our petitions. He also reminds us what will happen to ungodly leaders.  David says in Psalm 55:19;

God will give ear and humble them,
he who is enthroned from of old,
because they do not change
and do not fear God. 

So much for them. But David also calls on us to cast our burdens on God and remember the end of the ungodly politicians. It may not happen in our lives but in eternity, as David says in Psalm 55:23,

But you, O God, will cast them down
into the pit of destruction;
men of blood and treachery. 

You may say that is all good and fine, but I’m living in the here and now. How does all this help me? We must do what David does at the end of the Psalm, he says he will trust in God. Do you trust in God, or do you trust in politicians? If you are looking only to find relief in this world and not for eternity, you will always be disappointed and even in terror. If you aren’t trusting in God through Jesus Christ, I’m sorry to say, you are one of those that God will cast down. If you haven’t put your trust in Jesus Christ, then you will be with the ungodly rulers and politicians forever. Peace instead of terror can only come through Jesus Christ after you have found salvation in Him. If you haven’t turned to Jesus, watch my video on the Gospel on YouTube or read on this Gospel link.

Copyright by Ray Ruppert

What’s in a Name?

What is so special about a name? Why do we get upset when someone mispronounces our name or spells it wrong? Our name is a representation of who we are. When bullies call us names, they are trying to demean us and make us less than who we are.

So, what about God’s name? What does it say about Him? Psalm 54:1 says, “O God, save me by your name.” Right there we should sit up and take notice. The name of God is connected to salvation. David was only thinking about being saved from his enemies. But it foreshadows more than that. But let’s look at some other verses that mention God’s name to see what else God’s name reveals.

In Exodus 3:14-15, God revels His name in two ways. First, He says He is “I Am.” Not exactly a name but it tells us that He exists only because of His own person. Not created and always exists from eternity past and to eternity in the future. No beginning or end. Then He says His name is “The LORD” a form of “I Am.”  English Bibles use LORD in all capitals, but the Hebrew is YHWH which we pronounce Yahweh. They wouldn’t pronounce it because His name is holy.

When He appeared to Moses in Exodus 34:6, He said His name twice and explained that His name reveals that He is “merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.”

In Psalm 20:1, we learn that the name of God protects us. Psalm 79:9 connects His name to salvation and atonement for our sins. Isaiah 30:27 reveals that there is also judgment in God’s name.

Then we come to the name of God who is Jesus. Matthew 1:21 and 23 tells us that Jesus is the one who will save us from our sins and that He is also called Immanuel and that means God is with us. God put on humanity and came to bear our sins. Acts 4:12 tells us that there is salvation in no other name than Jesus.

If you think messing up your name is an insult to you, think of what an insult it is to God to use his name flippantly. Just using “OMG” without proper respect of God and all He is, is a violation of God’s third commandment.

Breaking any commandment is sin and results in condemnation for eternity because the wages of sin is death. But remember there is salvation in the name of Jesus. That means turning to Jesus for salvation will take away even the sin of abusing God’s name. If you want to know more about salvation through Jesus, watch my video on the Gospel on YouTube or read on this Gospel link.

Copyright by Ray Ruppert

When Foes Fail

The Bible has some conflicting passages about how we should react when evil people stumble. But we must look at them carefully. For instance, Psalm 52:6-7 says:

The righteous shall see and fear,
and shall laugh at him, saying,
“See the man who would not make
God his refuge,
but trusted in the abundance of his riches
and sought refuge in his own destruction!”

At first glance this passage seems to encourage us to laugh at unbelievers who get caught up in their riches then lose their wealth or they die and can’t take it with them. On the other hand, we find a conflicting passage in Proverbs 24:17-18:

Do not rejoice when your enemy falls,
and let not your heart be glad when he stumbles,
lest the Lord see it and be displeased,
and turn away his anger from him.

Should we laugh at those who we know are evil and get their due punishment? Or should we not rejoice in their misfortune? To make it more applicable to the current world situation, do we rejoice when we hear the head of a terrorist organization has been killed?

If I read these conflicting verses correctly, I see the Psalm simply saying that people do rejoice and laugh at the calamity of their enemies. It isn’t a command to laugh at them. It shows that even godly people have insensitivity to the misfortune of others.

The proverb, however, provides us with a better way to behave at the misfortune of our enemies or those who have rejected Jesus. We recognize that God is in control of what happens to them as well as us. When our attitude is wrong, the Lord may spare our foes simply because of our wrong attitude.

Jesus told us to love and pray for people who persecute and abuse us. When we see the rich following their wealth to destruction, when we see enemies of the cross perishing, we should pray for them and seek their salvation.

That’s why every one of my posts calls people who don’t know Jesus to repent and turn to Him for salvation. If you are one of those I’ve mentioned and don’t know Jesus but want to know His love for you, watch my video on the Gospel on YouTube or read on this Gospel link

Copyright by Ray Ruppert

Good & Bad News

The Word of God often brings good news and bad news within a few verses. Psalm 52 is a good example. Verse one sets the tone for this short Psalm.  

Why do you boast of evil, O mighty man?
The steadfast love of God endures all the day.

Look at the contrast as David asks an evil man why he boasts but affirms that God’s love is steadfast. We are told that this guy is evil primarily because he is lying, plotting evil, and verbally cutting down people. But that’s not all, he trusts in his riches instead of God. But David reminds him of God in verse five.

But God will break you down forever;
He will snatch and tear you from your tent;
He will uproot you from the land of the living.

Judgment will come for evil people. They die and they are gone. But there is still eternity and where will they be then? Let’s just put it this way, it is better if you don’t go there. It is better to do as David says in verse eight, “I trust in the steadfast love of God forever and ever.” He brings us back to the good news that those who trust in the Lord for their salvation will be wrapped up in His love for eternity.

If you want to accept the good news and escape the bad by trusting in the Lord, watch my video on the Gospel on YouTube or read on this Gospel link.

Copyright by Ray Ruppert