Hi everyone! It is BLOGTIME again!

We enjoy so much our little garden. Bicento does such a good job preparing the potting soil, and together we care for it! Then we enjoy so much the bees, butterflies, and birds it attracts. It is very relaxful for us. The center picture shows how colorful it is! Then the third picture is some of my hobby work with seashells the big waves bring on shore. I have made about ten such creations of this kind of "butterfly" shell. The come in shades of pink and yellow. We will probably sell some of them to tourists. They sell well. But I often give them as gifts. In the next blog we want to share some pictures of our "outings" exploring our island. Now to our little talke for today:

" THE ACCEPTABLE TIME – OR --THE TIME OF MY FAVOR"
In 2 Corinthians chapter six verses one and two, we read some very catchy words: " In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you. I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation."
Yesterday was a day, which brought a lot of movement on behalf of motorists here in Aruba, because there was an announcement that price of gasoline had gone down considerably. What’s more there were those who understood the announcement to be valid for only one day, and at only a particular gas station! In all sincerity I cannot blame the motorists for their prompt action, because the price of gasoline is indeed at an all time high and any reduction would be a great relief!
But we can learn a very important lesson from this. The Scripture that we mentioned in the beginning of this message reminds the people of God, those who have believed the Gospel, that we are co-laborers with God Himself; and that we should not be neglectful and careless of so great a responsibility. This Scripture teaches us that living in the acceptable time, in the time of God’s favor is NOW, and that the day of salvation is NOW.
Often people hear, but then say: Not today, but some other day, later, yes, on a later day. However, friends that later day in all probability will not come. Observe how many people die every day here on our three islands alone, without counting the Caribbean and all the other nations. And it is not always those of an advanced age. What is more, consider what we turn our backs to, when we neglect or carelessly procrastinate accepting the grace of God, which is in His Son the Lord Jesus Christ. According to the Scripture we are considering in 2 Cor. 6:1,2, it is against God Himself that we turn our backs on when we refuse to repent and believe in His Son the Lord Jesus Christ. That is why there are other Scriptures that warn us, as: "Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts." (Heb. 4:7). Also in the same book, chapter 2, verses 1-4, we read: "We must pay the more careful attention, therefore to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away (or from). For if the message spoken by angels was binding, and every violation and disobedience received its just punishment, how shall we escape if we ignore such a great salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him." (The Lord)
God testified to the same giving testimony to that by means of signs, marvels, and various miracles and gifts of the Holy Spirit given according to His will.
Friends of all ages, all these serious warnings that we have read today from God’s Word, is that we give careful attention so that our hearts won’t become hardened and indifferent, insensitive towards the Word of God. In the book of Romans 13:11-14 we have this yet another somber warning: "And do this, understanding the present time. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because your salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. Rather, clothe yourself with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature."
The admonition for each one of us is to obey God’s Word about His Son the Lord Jesus Christ This is all for today’s Blog, we invite you to share with us if you read the Blog and were blessed or challenged by the Word. We would love to hear from you. Our address is: bbhenriquez@setarnet.aw

The Kingdom of God (continued)

(Bicento working in our little garden, and our last picture of our flowering plants and shrubs as of this week! We love to putter in our little plot!)

In our first communication about the Kingdom of God, I mentioned that the Scriptures speak a lot about this subject, as well as about the kingdoms of this world.
You will find this from the very beginning of Genesis right through to the Book of Revelations. I have to admit that it is not easy to write about or explain the Kingdom of God, and the kingdoms of this world. There are many that are believers in the gospel of the grace of God, who are confused about these two kingdoms. There are many precious believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, who believe that there is a difference between the Kingdom of God and the Gospel. The truth is that the Gospel and the Kingdom of God are inseparable, but it is important to distinguish or identify each from the other.
To begin with, our Lord Himself taught and proclaimed the Kingdom of God. From the beginning of His ministry to the very end, He taught about the Kingdom of God. Take for example, our Lord Jesus’ words to Nicodemus who was a member of the Council of Jews, in John 3:3, where Jesus tells Nicodemus this: "I tell you the truth, no one can see the Kingdom of God unless he is born again." Then answering Nicodemus’ question and observation, Jesus continues to say: " I tell you the truth, no one can enter the Kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit."
In our previous short word, we mentioned this doctrine, but we can read more about that in various Scriptures that help us to understand by faith. In 1 Peter 1:3-5 we read the following, " Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. In His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade –kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time." Here we can clearly see that the new birth is related to the death and resurrection of the Lord, and that it is the work of God the Father by means of His Spirit. Further on in 1 Peter 1: 23-25 we read this: " For you have been born again, not by perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. For all men are like grass and their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord stands forever. And this is the word that was preached to you."
Friends, in the above verses we can see so clearly that the new birth takes place when we hear the WORD of GOD, in the gospel. The Bible says "consequently faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ."
A simple study of this portion of Scripture indicates so clearly that the message and the Word mean the gospel. The word gospel simply means the good news. We can then conclude that only sinners who repent of their sins when they hear the gospel and obey God by putting their faith and trust in the Lord Jesus, Who died and was raised from the dead for us, will enter the Kingdom of God. The Bible is crystal clear about this truth! All declarations in the Scripture about this truth about the Kingdom of God are sure and irrevocable, because the Word of God is alive and endures forever.
Here are a few Scripture portions for you to read and ponder over that speak about the Kingdom of God: Acts 1:3, 19:8, 20:25, and 28:23-31. These Scriptures are all found in the Book of Acts. Read them sincerely from your heart and the Lord Himself will help you understand.

This far today in this morning’s Blog! Have you been blessed, encouraged and challenged? Write to us and share that with us at: bbhenriquez@setarnet.aw