SCRIPTURE:
And he said to them, "I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God come with power." (Mark 9:1, NIV)

Observations:
I asked myself in what 5 ways can Jesus' promise be broken down into?
1. 'I tell you the truth'
2. 'some who are standing here'
3. 'will not taste death'
4. 'before they see the kingdom of God'
5. 'come with power'

I decided to look at point 1 today:

Interpretation:
I asked myself the significance of Jesus starting of with, 'I tell you the truth?'
It is possible those who were standing there with Jesus were hearing all kinds of things that were not the truth and Jesus makes a promise to them that is the truth. But more than that, whatever promises Jesus makes to them,  no matter how hard it is for them to perceive it and believe it, Jesus lets them know it will come true and He proves that by everything Jesus had already said and done in the first 8 chapters of Mark.

Implications:
I saw important implications for my own life here. Just as Jesus spoke the truth about things to come and things that will happen, I need to make sure that when I speak to others about things to come and things that will happen, that it be the truth. As an example, this means when I give someone my word about things to come in the paper at http://www.pittsburghstandard.com, I speak the truth and it will happen. If I cannot guarantee something then I should not say anything because then my word becomes meaningless. I am so excited that when Jesus speaks, I can believe it and it will happen. Praise the Lord!

HOW GOSPEL GIVES ME TESTIMONY REGARDING T.R.U.T.H:
I am so excited that I began to believe in the words of Jesus as the truth years ago which helped me come to Jesus. I had severe asthma and at times I felt I would die, but one day I realized if the Bible says, 'Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow' that means whatever Jesus did then, Jesus could also do now. Since I heard about the miracles Jesus had done by hearing Bible stories and watching a biblical cartoon called 'Flying House', I knew Jesus could heal me of my asthma. So, I gave my life to Jesus Christ who healed me of my asthma. I could do things that I never could after becoming a Christian from a Hindu background. I believed in the truth of the things Jesus did and said. Years, later it is this same truth that propelled me into campus ministry because I wanted to share with others that Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life and no one can come to the Father except through Jesus as stated in John 14:6. I believed in the truth of Jesus' message and today as I look at the word 'truth', it makes me realize how careful I need to be with my words. If people cannot take me seriously by the words that I speak because I do not keep my word, people can start thinking that I don't tell the truth. When that carries over, it could also affect people's beliefs when I talk about the One who is the Truth because they won't be able to trust the words of my mouth. So it is very important that in every facet of my life, that others see me as speaking the truth and evidence that backs up that truth. It starts with 'Proclaiming the Truth' and 'Living the Truth'. Years ago, that was the vision of our InterVarsity chapter at Pitt. You too can be an example of truth when you proclaim the truth and live the truth by being very careful of the words you want others to trust in.

I ask you now dear friend, what is truth to you in life?
Dear friend, no matter who asks you that question, truth is not relative but truth is always absolute. That means when Jesus says, 'I tell you the truth....' or 'verily, verily, I say unto you...', it is going to happen. That means the entire Word of God is the Truth too and absolute because Jesus said, 'Thy Word is Truth' in John 17. But before that, Jesus had also said, "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life" in John 14. In John 1, I learned, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. Through Him all things were made...". Jesus is the Word and the Word is Truth which means Jesus is the Truth which is verified by John 14.

Truth will always be absolute and don't let any professor or post-modernist tell you that truth is relative and what you make it out to be. Truth is what God makes it out to be and the Truth is revealed in Scripture for our daily living. It is this Truth that will govern our lives as we turn to the One who gives life.

You can have that Truth and experience that Truth in your own life now in Jesus Christ. I don't know about you but it is exciting to know that I can serve a God who is the Truth and whatever He says will always come true. Now this addresses what the Bible calls prophecy. Truth will never be a prediction because predictions can be false too. Not with God's truth because it will always be true. Since it is always true, then we can be confident that we do have a manual without any errors to live our daily lives. I like to call that 'Breathe In Bible, Live Eternally' or as a song goes: 'Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth!' (B.I.B.L.E.)

"All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." (2 Timothy 3:16-17, NIV)

Friend, whatever you learn in college, please remember that Jesus is the Truth who loves you so much that He died for your sin to give you new life. Jesus had to do that for there was no other way to ransom you or I from the sin that captivates us. It is only His covering of precious blood that could wash us clean and make us right in God's sight. Now when God looks at us and we belong to Christ, His judgment will pass over us because Christ's blood covers over all our sin, making us whiter than freshly fallen snow.

It is not enough to know this knowledge for our Salvation but it has to be acted upon and received. It is a gift of grace by the Lord Jesus Christ to us and I don't know about you, but I love receiving a gift. This is the best gift we can ever receiving, the Salvation of our souls. That can only happen by having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ as our Lord and Personal Savior. It is He who will give us a new beginning guiding us by His Life, His Way, and His Truth. When we follow Him, our lives will reflect His Truth in words and deeds because we will be transformed by His grace.

May you come to know Jesus Christ knowing Totally Redeemer Understands Truth's Hope!

"Totally Redeemer Understands Truth's Hope! (T.R.U.T.H)/"What is T.R.U.T.H to you in life?"

Prayer:
Dear Lord Jesus, thank you so much for letting me learn about Truth. I loved the way you started out Mark 9:1 with 'I tell you the truth'. Anytime you speak, we can have confidence that you keep Your Word. Thank you Your Word is Truth and that You are the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Thank you for reminding us that You are the only Way, the Truth, and the Life to the Father. Help me to always remember that. Thanks for loving us so much that you died on the cross for us and shed Your precious blood to give us new life. We love you Jesus and ask you to be always part of our lives. Thanks so much Jesus. Thank you for hearing my prayer and answering me. In Your Name I pray Jesus! Amen!

Lord Jesus, You are my all in all. You are my Prince of Peace, Rock, Savior, and Friend. You are my Holy Father guiding me through to live a life of righteousness, holy righteousness. Oh God, I need you more than ever. I need to feel your hands around me holding me tight. I need your love to surround me so that you can glow in my life. Help me please Jesus. I desire in your presence. Thank you for guiding me to live a life of righteousness. Oh God you love me more than ever. You hear my voice when I cry out to you. When I seek your face, you fill me up. You are my all in all. Thank you Jesus so much for your help no matter what I face, your grace is available and you take my case. Thank you for hearing us and answering us. In Your Name I Pray Jesus! AMEN! (Most of the prayer is from a vineyard song called “All in All”)

You don't have to be locked away anymore for Christ is here to free you and give you peace to LIVE out your actions.

How do you look at GODISNOWHERE?

One of my pastors, Pastor Hugo SHARED this example one Sunday at the RESURRECTION DAY SERVICE in the combined worship service of Pittsburgh Chinese Church-Oakland & Oakland International Fellowship:

If you look at it as GOD IS NO WHERE, you will still be lost in your sin and be in bondage locked away in your sins and problems finding no peace.

But  as my pastor spoke to the congregation and spoke to me, I am here to tell you that GOD IS NOW HERE.

Yes, friend God is aLIVE and wants to bring a transformation in your life through the GRACE of our Lord Jesus Christ for He paid the penalty on the cross to rescue you and me and came back to life to save us and LIVE with us.

Yes, friend that is exciting to know that we can experience HIS SAVING GRACE & LIVING GRACE.

When we mess up, we can go to Jesus with our shortcomings and He will forgive us and RESTORE us to Him and we will find peace in Him.

^"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 6:23, NIV)

"But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:7-9, NIV)

Friend, we need Jesus because we have been separated from God due to our sin. Because of our sin, Jesus had to pay the price to become our bridge so we can reach God now not of our own good works but because of the finished work of Christ, the Lord on the cross.

"For it is by GRACE you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9, NIV)

Come to Jesus as you are and pray this prayer to accept Jesus as your Lord and Personal Savior. He will transform your life around! Praise the Lord! You don't have to have all the answers! You can come as you are!

If you want to be a soldier in the Lord's army, you can become it right now. Now is the time of Salvation! You do not have to wait but can pray this prayer and give your life to Christ to serve Him daily! There is no draft but coming to Christ is voluntary. He loves you so much and wants you to come to Him! He will take care of you, guiding you and leading you!

PRAYER:
Dear Jesus, I love you. Thank you for loving me so much and thank you for choosing the cross to die for me. You became the Son of Man and lived here on earth. Then you humbled yourself and became obedient to death-even death on the cross. Thank you for dying on the cross for my sin. You died on the cross so that I can be covered in your blood and cleansed by your blood as I acknowledge that I need you and cannot enter Heaven without you being my pathway. So, Jesus I confess all my sins to you and all the ways I have tried to get into Heaven when you already provided the means and the Way. Thank you for all that you have done for me. "The cross is the place, a wonderful place where accused and condemned find mercy and grace. Thank you Jesus, it is at the cross where the wrongs we have done and the wrongs done to us were nailed at the cross. Thank you Jesus, at the cross you died for our sins and at the cross you gave your life for us." I thank you for that and thank you for coming back to life to save us. Thank you Jesus for being there for me! Thank you for loving me. I love you Jesus! Please take me as I am and make my life into something that you will be proud of. I surrender my life to you and need your help to live for you. I am forever grateful for what you have done for me and I can never repay you. I want to live for you and need your help. Help me Jesus please. I thank you Jesus for saving me! Thank you for hearing my prayer and answering me. Whatever your will give me the willingness and strength to bear it. Thank you Jesus! I acknowledge you as my Lord and Personal Savior! In Your Name I Pray precious Jesus! Amen!