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SALVATION....
Its Your DECISION
by Pastor Max
Solbrekken, D.D.
Jesus
said, “For what shall it profit a
man, if he shall gain the whole
world, and lose his own soul? Or
what shall a man give in exchange
for his soul”? (Mark 8:36-37)
SALVATION
- THE MOST IMPORTANT DECISION YOU
WILL MAKE
We
make important decisions every
day. Are we thinking about how
our decisions are affecting others
and the impact that can last for a
lifetime and on through eternity.
The
Bible tells us YOU REAP WHAT YOU
SOW.
What does this mean, You reap what
you sow. It all revolves
around the decisions you choose to
make in life. If you are
planting sin and evil, you will be
rewarded with a crop of sin and
evil. If you are planting
compassion, love and kindness - you
will grow lovely crops of goodness
back to yourself.
DON'T
FORGET - YOU REAP WHAT YOU SOW
DESTINY
IS NOT CHANCE, YOUR DECISIONS AFFECT
YOUR DESTINY
"Destiny
is not a matter of chance, it is a
matter of choice; it is not a thing
to be waited for, it is a thing to
be achieved."
-William
Jennings Bryan
WE
INFLUENCE OVER 400 PEOPLE IN OUR
LIFETIME
WE
INFLUENCE AT LEAST 400 PEOPLE IN OUR
LIFETIME -
The
decisions we make, the attitudes we
exhibit and the way we conduct our
lives have an enormous influence on
a lot of people.
Children copy the actions of their
parents, co-workers watch and are
affected by your decisions. It
has been estimated, by experts in
the funeral business - that most of
us will influence at least 400
people in our lifetimes.
ARE
YOU A GOOD INFLUENCE OR A BAD
INFLUENCE ?
ARE
YOU A GOOD INFLUENCE OR A BAD
INFLUENCE - ARE YOU MAKING GOOD
DECISIONS?
And
the question arises: Am I
influencing people in a good or a
bad way? Am I steering them toward
the "straight and narrow"
path, or am I nudging them down to
the "broad and wide"
precipice?
ARE
YOU A GOOD EXAMPLE TO YOUR CHILDREN
ARE
YOU A GOOD EXAMPLE & INFLUENCE
ON YOUR CHILDREN, FAMILY &
FRIENDS
What
kind of role models are we?
What kind of role model are you for
your children, what kind of role
model as a Christian? What
sort of impressions do we leave in
the minds of our children,
grandchildren, friends and
neighbours?
ARE
WE TEACHING OUR KIDS ABOUT GOD,
ETERNITY AND ETERNAL LIFE
ARE
WE TEACHING OUR KIDS ABOUT GOD,
ETERNITY AND EVERLASTING LIFE?
Are
we teaching our children, our
offspring to be responsible,
productive and God-fearing, or are
we sloughing-off with the non-caring
attitude: "What can I do? No
one listens to me anyway! I've done
my share, let someone else do
it"! Are you preparing
your children for eternity, have you
taught them about God and are you
being a good example to them.
PARENTS
& GRANDPARENTS - YOU HAVE A HUGE
OPPORTUNITY AND RESPONSIBILITY TO
YOUR LOVED ONE
Parents
& Grandparents have
an enormous opportunity and
responsibility to leave behind a
legacy of honesty, fairness and
compassion. It is incumbent upon us
all to bequeath to our loved ones -
not only material things - but those
of enduring value, like truth,
faith, hope, love and unselfishness!
DECISIONS
- YOU REAP
WHAT YOU SOW
YOU
REAP WHAT YOU SOW
It
is a proven fact that we reap what
we sow, and the harvest is always
more than the planted seed. Having
grown up on the farm, I can vouch
for that!
And
as a clergyman, preacher and
counselor to thousands of people for
more than three decades, I am forced
to concur that the "wild oats
of immorality" pays off in
bushels! I have listened to many
stories of grief and heartbreak from
the lips of backsliders and willful
sinners!
The
same is true with respect to good
planning, dependability, hard work
and a balanced lifestyle!
Reform
Party Leader Preston Manning touched
a raw nerve some time ago, when he
addressed the problem of Canada's
deficit; with regards to
unemployment insurance and welfare.
He
spoke about getting people off
welfare by eliminating the
economy-crippling deficit, which is
threatening our survival as a
wealthy nation! Manning zeroed in on
"fifth generation welfare
people"!
DECISIONS
- ARE WE MAKING GOOD DECISIONS FOR
OUR CHILDREN ?
WE
ARE OUR CHILDREN'S ROLE MODELS - ARE
WE MAKING GOOD DECISIONS ?
That
brings home the point of this
booklet. Many people on welfare in
this country have known nothing but
the welfare state, because their
parents and forbears before them
were their role models. And they
were on welfare!
The
danger is that we can get stuck in a
situation where there seems to be no
way out and eventually - if we don't
make up our minds to resolve the
problem - it is possible to get
comfortable in a negative situation,
taking it as normal.
I'm
happy to say that my Norwegian
maternal grandfather, Ole Heskin who
immigrated to Canada in 1904,
followed by my parents Anne &
Ingvar Solbrekken in 1927, refused
to accept government assistance in
the "hungry thirties",
wanting to make it on their own. And
they did!
THE
MESS WE ARE IN
IS DUE TO OUR DECISIONS
I
believe that a good share of our
problems must be laid at the feet of
greedy, vacillating and weak-kneed
politicians, who have for years made
unrealistic promises in order to be
elected!
And
in some cases, they have
intentionally cultivated a certain
segment of the population as a
ready-made vote-getting-bloc, by
keeping them dependent upon their
largesse. Nowhere is this more
evident than in the U.S.
Democratic Party!
But
that is changing too! Many poor
black people in the USA are now
voting Republican for the first time
and shaking themselves free from the
Democratic Party's WELFARE STATE
POLICY OF DEPENDENCY on government,
in order to "get the vote
and win the next election"
mentality!
And
that was the major problem which
faced Russian president Boris
Yeltsin during their last election.
Many of the old guard communists -
who ate out of the trough - are
willing to sacrifice freedom and
support socialism for "the free
meal", want the yoke back on
their necks!
I
am encouraged to see some of
Canada’s First Nations Indian
leaders speaking out against the
welfare system that for decades has
kept their people dependent upon
government handouts!
When
the Gospel of Jesus Christ is
preached among them, their lives are
changed & many thousands of
Canadian Indians are now faithfully
serving the Lord!
They
are freeing themselves of
superstitions, fears, occultism,
drunkenness & gambling, and
becoming a driving force for good in
our nations!
THE
FIRST NATIONS INDIANS ARE PERFECT
EXAMPLES OF HOW IMPORTANT DECISIONS
HAVE AFFECTED THEIR LIVES
I
have spent 40 years preaching the
gospel among the First Nation
Indians, and I believe their
potential to affect Canada
positively is enormous!
I
know they have suffered terribly
through sexual & other abuse
heaped upon their children by
homosexual perverted priests and
others during the many years which
the Roman Catholic Church, Anglican
Church and United Church operated
residential schools in Canada. They
are very resilient however, and the
Evangelicals & Pentecostals are
bringing new life and hope and
blessing to them in Jesus’ Name!
Hallelujah!
In
my opinion, isolating the Indians on
reservations with very little access
to higher education, treating them
as second class citizens, taking
away their hunting and fishing
rights and the incentive to work -
by doling out welfare grants - has
done them enormous damage!
The
politicians who did these things are
most certainly guilty of failing to
plan for "the long haul".
And that's a tragedy, when you
consider how their present decisions
will affect our children and
grandchildren!
Regardless
of our background, position in life
or age, we should all have some
goals to aspire unto. Someone said, "People
with goals succeed because they know
where they are going".
WE
NEED TO TEACH OUR CHILDREN MORALS,
TRADITIONS AND THE IMPORTANCE OF
THEIR DECISIONS
For
those of us who have children or
grandchildren, our burning desire
should be to help them grow into
wise young men and women, who are
able to look after themselves and be
of assistance to others. We
need to teach them to make the right
decisions for their lives, for their
futures and for eternity.
SENIOR
CITIZENS ARE IMPORTANT AND THEIR
WISDOM, ADVICE AND INTELLECT IS
VALUABLE
It
is "laziness of mind"
which dictates that SENIOR CITIZENS
should only vegetate, wither up or
blow away! I am adamant in saying
that the wisdom and intellect found
in older people is one of this
nation's greatest resources!
THEN,
LET'S USE IT! LET US LOOK TO THE
OLDER GENERATION, THE SENIOR
CITIZENS FOR ADVICE AND LEADERSHIP!
The
Psalmist David understood his role
as the leader of Israel and in his
old age, his responsibility to pass
on godly wisdom to the next
generation!
"O
God, Thou hast taught me from my
youth: and hitherto have I declared
Thy wondrous works. Now also when I
am old and gray-headed, O God,
forsake me not; until I have shewed
Thy strength unto this generation,
and Thy power to every one that is
to come." (Psalms
71:17-18)
STORY
OF THREE GENERATIONS OF ISRAELI
KINGS
In
the book of 2 Chronicles we see the
effects of pride and self will in
the life of King Uzziah
affecting his grandson Ahaz,
who became an ungodly king. (2 Chron.
28:1)
Apparently,
Uzziah's son Jothan, took a
lesson from God's severe judgment
upon his father (2 Chron. 26:16) and
served God and his country well, but
Ahaz reverted back to the ways of
his grandfather Uzziah!
HOW
IMPORTANT IT IS FOR OLDER ADULTS TO
BE GODLY EXAMPLES AND ROLE MODELS TO
THE YOUNG!
When
I think about grandfathers, uncles
or fathers, sexually or physically
molesting their offspring, relatives
or any child, it makes my blood
boil!
CHILD
ABUSE OFFENDERS & SEXUAL
OFFENDERS Should be Severely
Punished. Is this how a
positive role model would act
towards a child. The decisions these
sexual offenders have made, not only
will affect them for eternity but
will also affect their victims for a
lifetime.
In
my opinion such people should be arbitrarily
horse-whipped in order to learn
a lesson and teach others the
unacceptability of their actions!
And the mandatory punishment of castration
should be seriously considered in
Canada - as is used in the USA - in
the cases of rapists and child
sexual predators, perverts and
molesters!
Only
a warped, sick, demon-inspired mind
could conceive of doing harm to
babies, little children or women! As
well as the elderly!
And
although there have been a barrage
of court cases across Western Europe
and the USA recently, in which
parents and even grandparents have
been unjustly accused by
money-hungry, demon-deceived
psychiatrists and psuedo-psychologists,
the terrible problem of incest and
child abuse exists on an
unacceptably large scale!
Here
are the concluding words of a
remarkable speech given a number of
years ago by Grove Patterson, editor
in chief of the Toledo Daily
Blade.
"My
years in the newspaper business have
convinced me of several things,
among them that people are basically
good and that we came from some
place and we're going some place, so
we should make our time here an
exciting adventure.
"The
Architect of the universe didn't
build a stairway leading nowhere and
the greatest Teacher of all, the
Carpenter from the Galilean plains,
gave us the secret time and time
again; 'As ye believe, so shall it
be done unto you'."
I
BLAME SIGMUND FREUD & HIS ILK!
People
who like to blame others for their
misfortunes often have a hard time
forgiving and forgetting the past.
Many refuse to let bygones be
bygones, so constantly live in a
turmoil filled with hate, animosity
and bitterness. I blame
Sigmund Freud and his ilk.
My
advice to such people is this:
"Drop that heavy load. Take
your problems to Jesus and let Him
look after them. And don't pick them
up again, but leave them on God's
holy altar"!
Allow
me to share a parting word from
George Bernard Shaw:
"People
are often blaming their
circumstances for what they are. I
don't believe in circumstances! The
people who get on in this world are
the people who get up and look for
the circumstances they want, and if
they can't find them, make
them!"
It
is unfortunate that someone
couldn’t have gotten through to
the weird, kinky father of
psycho-analysis before he infected a
generation of psychologists &
psychiatrists with his erroneous
teachings.
Sigmund
Freud was not original, however. He
learned from Adam who refused to
take responsibility for his
rebellious & sinful actions.
He
blamed the woman - his wife Eve -
for his sin and ultimately God, for
giving him the woman. “...the
woman whom Thou gavest to be with
me, she gave me of the tree, and I
did eat”. (Gen. 3:12)
HAVE
YOU MADE THE MOST IMPORTANT DECISION
OF YOUR LIFE
WHAT
ABOUT YOU, MY DEAR FRIEND -
HAVE YOU MADE THE MOST IMPORTANT
DECISION OF YOUR LIFE
The
most important decision of your
life, my friend, is what you do with
the claims of Christ! Whether to
believe that He is the Son of God
and the Saviour of the world or to
reject His claims on your life!
YOUR
DECISION WILL DETERMINE YOUR ETERNAL
DESTINY
Your
decision will not only determine
your eternal destiny but will
greatly affect the way you live your
life, do business and treat your
family and your neighbours!
And
ultimately, your decision will
affect your children and
grandchildren, as they will
automatically look to you as a role
model! THEY WILL FOLLOW IN YOUR
FOOTSTEPS. The decision is yours.
YOUR
DECISION WILL AFFECT YOUR CHILDREN
Jesus
said, “For what shall it profit a
man, if he shall gain the whole
world, and lose his own soul? Or
what shall a man give in exchange
for his soul”? (Mark 8:36-37)
Here,
the words of warning from our Lord
Jesus: “Whosoever therefore shall
be ashamed of Me and of My words in
this adulterous and sinful
generation; of him also shall the
Son of man be ashamed, when He
cometh in the glory of His Father
with the holy angels.” (Mark 8:38)
“Verily,
verily, I say unto you, he that
heareth My word, and believeth on
Him that sent Me, hath everlasting
life, and shall not come into
condemnation; but is passed from
death unto life.” (John 5:24)
The
Bible states unequivocally: “And
this is the record, that God hath
given to us eternal life, and this
life is in His Son. He that hath the
Son hath life; [and] he that hath
not the Son of God hath not life.
These things have I written unto you
that believe on the name of the Son
of God; that ye may know that ye
have eternal life, and that ye may
believe on the name of the Son of
God.” (1 John 5:11-13)
MAKE
THE RIGHT DECISION - CHOOSE JESUS
Jesus
said, “Come unto Me, all ye
that labour and are heavy laden, and
I will give you rest.” (Matt.hew
11:28)
“...and
him that cometh to Me, I will in no
wise cast out.”
(John 7:37) May God bless
this nation and may the decisions we
make be the wise ones. Make
the most important decision of your
life to accept Jesus Christ into
your heart. Make the decision
that lasts for all time and
eternity.
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