Living Like Your In The 4th Quarter

"So teach us to number our days, That we may gain a heart of wisdom." - Psalm 90:12

I joke with my wife when I stop watching a game - football - golf - whatever the sport might be by telling her "I predict that someone will win and someone will lose." Another fact is that all football games are won at the end of the 4th quarter - or in some cases, overtime. A fact you can stick in your pocket - in 2024 only 7 of the 111 games played in the NFL went to overtime.

But a 4th quarter may not be as long as we think. It's 15 minutes in football - and 12 minutes in basketball. Most games are won and lost in the last quarter. Sometimes in the last seconds of the game. Sometimes when the odds said that the losing team was too far behind. Then, sometimes, a miracle happens.

For me and my bride, we are turning 75 this year. I liken that to the 4th quarter of life. 75% - well you get the idea. Actually only God knows how much time we have.

We must be careful we don't have the attitude of the the man who decided to build bigger barns - 

"Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. And he thought within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?’ So he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.” ’ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?" - Luke 12:16-20

We should live every day like it will be our last. Everyday we should give the day to the Lord saying, "not my will but your will be done Lord." 

If you lived like that - I mean really lived like that - how would your life change. We are not promised tomorrow. 

"Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”; whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.” - James 4:13-15

How does that truth change your perspective or does it? I said that we were living in the 4th quarter of our lives - but tomorrow the Lord may call the game for us. 

Don Moen wrote a song called "When It's All Been Said And Done"

"When it's all been said and done There is just one thing that matters Did I do my best to live for truth? Did I live my life for You (Lord)?

When it's all been said and done. All my treasures will mean nothing. Only what I've done for love's reward. Will stand the test of time"

We should all live like we are in the 4th quarter and there is only time enough for one more play on the clock. The players are exhausted by the end of the game. It takes grit and determination to finish well. Same for us. My hope is that when it has all been said and done I can say .... 

"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." - 2 Timothy 4:7

Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory. 

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone 

Let Them See Jesus

"And you became followers of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Spirit, so that you became examples to all in Macedonia and Achaia who believe. .... to establish you and encourage you concerning your faith, ... that no one should be shaken by these afflictions ... May the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another and to all, just as we do to you, so that He may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints. " - 1 Thessalonians 1:6-7, 3:3,12-13

Do you watch the news much? Martie and I have struggled with whether we should continue. The preponderance of the news is about what bad people have done or what tragedy has befallen them - very little - maybe at the very end - one snippet about something good. We used to say in the Army that one "you messed up" can erase 10 "you did well". What is wrong in the world carries a lot of weight and seems to be what the people want to know about. Or at least that is mostly what they are being told about.

My guess is, though, that most people really crave good news. Some words of hope. Mankind does not seem to be doing a good job of fixing the problems that have persisted, generation to generation. The technology has changed but the underlying source of the problem has not. We live in a fallen - corrupted world. It will not get better until Jesus returns. Sounds pretty dismal doesn't it.

But there is hope - there is good news. Through faith in Jesus, mankind can find love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23) If you are a Christian, and I assume you are if you are reading this, then you can be a light in a world without hope. Living by faith - people can get a glimpse of Jesus through your life. Not just by what you say but by what you do.

"sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear" - 1 Peter 3:15

It is more than telling people that Jesus saves - although that is an eternal truth and worth telling. But it about living a transformed life - being the fragrance of Christ - 

"For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing." - 2 Corinthians 2:15

That does not happen by trying harder but by "faithing" harder. Living a surrendered life by faith.

Then you will let them see Jesus.

Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory. 

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone 

Not Everyone Is Cheering For You

"This you know, that all those in Asia have turned away from me, among whom are Phygellus and Hermogenes. The Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my chain; but when he arrived in Rome, he sought me out very zealously and found me. The Lord grant to him that he may find mercy from the Lord in that Day—and you know very well how many ways he ministered to me at Ephesus." - 2 Timothy 1:15-18

I deo not think that I would be understating it to say that I have met more resistance from other professing to be Christians than from those declaring that they were not. Apparently Paul experienced something similar from Christians in Asia. Not a lot of details, but it is a reminder of the realities of ministry.

Christian leaders have a responsibility to "protect the flock" from outside threats. But there are times when the threats are from within. Why is that? Because Christians carry their new life around in jars of clay. What can start as a genuine call of God can turn into an expression of the old nature. How do you know? The Word gives us a reference to use.

"Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like" - Galatians 5:19-21

I could share a number of examples from my own experiences, but I will limit it to one. We were serving in a disaster area. It is very stressful in those places - not just on the locals affected by the disaster, but for the people who have come alongside to help them. You have to work at keeping your focus on your mission and your strength from God. Martie and I had left everything behind, believing that God had called us to service. It was not long that I was being accused of a number of things that were contrary to representing Jesus by a particular person in the group. The volunteers were dumfounded as they knew that the accusations were blatantly untrue as they were witnesses. I was beside myself. My reputation and character were being impugned. So, I talked to some mature, impartial Christians about the problem seeking their advice. They first discounted what was being said as false, and then told me to do and say nothing. To let God vindicate me.

I must say, that is not what I was thinking about doing. The temptation was to stand up for myself. Confront the person - mano y mano. The "old man" wanted to rise up and settle things. But my spirit was affirmed that the spiritual counsel was the right course of action. I was reminded that Jesus had been silent before his accusers. And I was vindicated although my accuser continued to resent me from that day. That experience became a spiritual marker for us. It was a pivot point. God had already shown us that we were to start a ministry which is now Pathfinder Mission. It was that provocation that resulted in our yielding to God stepping into His call. 

We learned that love is the motivation for praying for those who despitefully use you. That you must choose love and trust in God when you are in the midst of a trial and not trust in yourself.

"But I [Jesus] say  unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you" - Matthew 5:44

That is an act of faith and not of will. You don't do it because you "have to" you do it because you "want to". That happened about 17 years ago - but I still remember the spiritual lessons learned. I had forgiven the person back then. I still remember the incident, obviously. I tell people that you forgive but not forget. The way that you know you have forgiven is that no emotion rises up in your heart when you do remember - only love - grace and mercy.

Had I not experienced the hardship, I would not have learned a great spiritual truth. I better understand why James wrote what he did. 

"My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him." - James 1:2-5

Godly wisdom is knowledge plus experience wrapped in obedience and tied with a faith bow. 

Not everyone you meet or even serve with will be cheering for you, but God has your back.

Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory. 

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone 

Is Your Life Goal to Burn Out Or Rust Out

"And as for you, brothers and sisters, never tire of doing what is good." - 2 Thessalonians 3:13

I often tell people that I plan to burn out and not rust out with respect to my serving the Lord and others. The American dream is work hard and then retire from work and focus on yourself. There is nothing inherently wrong with resting or pursuing your hobbies or checking off whatever you have written on your bucket list. 

I do think it is a mistake to imagine that you have no eternal value in your later years in life. I must say that I am frustrated a bit with the local church in that its activities are organized around age. Once you hit 50 you are about to crest the hill of being useful in the church. Sound exaggerated? Perhaps, but really not that far from the truth. Oh, people are respectful enough, but they can be patronizing as well.  

The challenge is for the older folks to not fold up their tents and call it a day. Do you know how old Abraham was when Issac was born? 100. Sara was 99. No, I am not suggesting that our goal should be to start another family when we get our first social security check. But I am suggesting that God can and will use people, no matter their age if they are willing to walk by faith and not by sight. (2 Corinthians 5:7)

I just shared a story with a friend about something that happened while we were serving in Haiti. I was asked to build an orphanage and have it ready in a very short period of time. My response to the request was that God would have to provide - make a way for it to happen - if that was going to happen. One day, about three weeks before the date we had to be ready I was talking to a Haitian pastor at the work site. He asked when I would be done and I told him what my deadline was. He laughed and said, "Nothing happens quickly in Haiti." My response to him was "Pastor, if you remember, Sara laughed." He got my point. It is my same point to you. Don't limit God. Oh - the orphans walked through the gate on the day that had been set. I could not have orchestrated that - only God could.

"But Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." - Matthew 19:26

God never asks us to do anything that we can do on our own. And then He gets the glory, and we have a testimony to the world.

So don't hang up your spurs quite yet my friend. There is a lot more ridin' to be done. (Thought I would throw in a little Texas talk!)

Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory. 

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone 

The Primacy Of Our Spiritual Life

"With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may bring to fruition your every desire for goodness and your every deed prompted by faith. We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ." - 1 Thessalonians 1:11-12

Why do you do what you do? Why do you treat people the way you treat them? Well - Paul wrote that "every deed" should be prompted by faith. In other words there is nothing that we do that should be birthed from our old nature. No words said. No attitudes held. No actions taken that do not have their root in our spiritual natures. 

At the core of our faith is love. We love God first and others next - finding the power to love them is born out of our love of God. Seems simple doesn't it. That gives some context to what John wrote.

We love Him because He first loved us.  If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?  And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also." - 1 John 4:19-21

If every deed and thought is to be prompted by love, then what Paul wrote to the church in Corinth is brought into context.

"Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails." - 1 Corinthians 13:4-8

Take a moment to consider your interactions with people - face to face - on the phone - even on social media. What kind of grade would you give yourself if you used 1 Corinthians 13 as the measuring stick? My point - Who we are by faith in Christ is who we should be to everyone we interact with. The Word of God is not a guide - it is a directive. 

"He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God?" - Micah 6:8

Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory. 

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone 

Being Holy In An Unholy World

…unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. —Matthew 5:20

“The characteristic of a disciple is not that he does good things, but that he is good in his motives, having been made good by the supernatural grace of God. … The purity that God demands is impossible unless I can be remade within, and that is exactly what Jesus has undertaken to do through His redemption… The great wonder of Jesus Christ’s salvation is that He changes our heredity. He does not change human nature— He changes its source, and thereby its motives as well.”  Oswald Chambers, My Utmost For His Highest 

"Woe to me!" I cried. "I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty." - Isaiah 6:5

When Isaiah was in the presence of the Lord, he was suddenly and painfully aware of his sinful nature. That awareness was inescapable.  His very nature was laid bare before God.  There was nothing He could do to make it right or to hide it.  It was necessary for God to intervene on Isaiah’s behalf. 

“Then flew one of the Seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar: And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.” - Isaiah 6:6-7

In the same way God intervened on our behalf on the day of our rebirth through Jesus. The question that came to my mind this morning is this. After so many days, months or years have passed, are we still aware of our dependence upon the Father’s intervention in our lives? That we are a people of unclean lips and cannot stand in the presence of a holy God on our own merit.  Or have we “adjusted” to our new life and really don’t see our sins as being significant. As far as we are concerned, we are maintain our sin life at an acceptable level.  The truth of the matter is displayed in the way we live our lives. We must all be on our guard. We might even have a casual attitude towards God and Jesus. I have heard some refer to the Creator of the universe as "the man upstairs" and Jesus Christ as "JC". Oh that we were like Isaiah.

“Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” - 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

Well ……. Do you?   

Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory. 

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone 

But What About Him

"Then Peter, turning around, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following, who also had leaned on His breast at the supper, and said, “Lord, who is the one who betrays You?” Peter, seeing him, said to Jesus, “But Lord, what about this man?” Jesus said to him, “If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you? You follow Me.” Then this saying went out among the brethren that this disciple would not die. Yet Jesus did not say to him that he would not die, but, “If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you?" - John 21:20-23

Have you ever been resentful about other people. Perhaps you felt that you were not getting your fair share of whatever was at a premium. Opportunity - love and affection - recognition. I was thinking about my brothers. If something was going to happen to me, typically that was not to my advantage, I wanted to know about the impact on my brothers. Maybe we got into a scrap over something, as brothers will do from time to time. I was the oldest and so I was held most accountable. But still, I wondered - but what about them?

Jesus had been talking to Peter about Peter's future. Jesus had just asked Peter 3 times if Peter loved Jesus. I am not a Greek scholar, but I was told once that the first time Peter replied that he loved Jesus like a friend, then a brother, and finally as Lord. Recall Peter had denied Jesus three times before His crucifixion. Frankly I don't know if the number three ties those events together, but I have heard some say it does. I will leave that to your study if you are so inclined.

So Jesus had just told Peter that later in life Peter's life would be very difficult. Peter turned and saw John and asked, "Well what about John?" Jesus' reply was, "What is that to you?" Almost like sibling rivalry. I remember the Smothers Brothers where Tommy would say to his brother, "Mom always liked you best!" For most of us that is more fear than fact. As far as Jesus was concerned, there was no favoritism - only the will of God. 

"But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust." - Matthew 5:44-45

Are you ready to rest in that. Or is your love for God conditional? His love for you is not.

Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory. 

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone 

The Mystery And The Struggle

"This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus." - Ephesians 3:6

The Jews had long believed that as the Chosen Nation, if anyone who was not Jewish wanted to have a relationship with the Creator God, Jehovah - then they must embrace the Jewish faith and abandon their heritage, beliefs and practices. In fact, the disciples struggled with the idea that Gentiles might share in the Promise through faith in Jesus. Some required that the Gentile Christians practice the Jewish traditions even to the point of physical circumcision. It was Paul - a former Pharisee that showed them the error in their thinking. He even confronted Peter in the matter. Still Paul would go first to the Jew and then to the Gentile on his journeys. He wrote to the Church in Galatia ....

"There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus." - Galatians 3:28

To the Church in Colossi he wrote ....

"You have put off the old man with his deeds and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him, where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all and in all." - Colossians 3:9-11

"All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." - Romans 3:23

All means all - it doesn't matter the race or religious leaning - we all need a Savior. Just like Jesus told Nicodemus - even Nicodemus needed to be born again by the Spirit. God does not favor one race or nation above others, although He may, from time to time, use a nation or race to accomplish His eternal plans.

"So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, and they are full of greed." - Ephesians 4:17-19

Peter struggled with wanting to go back to the practices of the Jewish faith - to what he had been raised in. Paul, writing to the Church in Ephesus, was encouraging them to not return to the secular life that they had been saved from. There is a song that goes, "Prone to wander, Lord I feel it. Prone to leave the God I love. Take my heart Lord. Take and seal it. Seal it for Thy courts above."

It is a struggle that we all face and will continue to struggle until we face Jesus. That is why we must be reminded of the dangers and the temptations to live as we once did.  What we read in the Bible are not stories about past generations but about every generation.

Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory. 

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone 

The World Needs To See Jesus

"Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.” Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority." - John 14:8-10

So the disciples wanted Jesus to usher them into the presence of God the Father. They wanted to see God. Jesus response - If they had seen Him (and they obviously had) then they had seen the Father. That reminds me of John 17.

"My [Jesus] prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me." - John 17:20-23

So if you have seen Jesus then you have seen the Father. Likewise, if people have seen you then they should see Jesus and, in turn, they will see the Father. And then - the world will know that the Father sent the Son and, in turn, the Son has sent us. I suppose the question is - who do people see when they see you and me? I personally find that very convicting.

As I typed this out a painful memory came back to me. A negative example, if you will. When I was probably a freshman in high school, I had done something - don't know what - not even then - and my mom said to me - "Don't do that, you remind me of your father!" My folks were divorced when I was 2 years old. A strong message - don't act like your dad. At the time neither she nor I were Christians - but thank you Jesus, that all changed some years later. Do we remind people of the world or of heaven? The natural or the spiritual? Do our lives preach hopelessness or hopefulness?

I am not talking about putting on our spiritual game face. Giving the appearance of being a Christian. I am talking about being the fragrance of Christ in all that we do and say, all the time - everyday - under any provocation to act otherwise. 

"Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place. For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing." - 2 Corinthians 2:14-15

Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory. 

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone 

Merely A Reflection In The Mirror

"Do not merely listen to the word and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like." - James 1:22-24

I took the following excerpt from a recent Yahoo News post. "Thursday’s bipartisan National Prayer Breakfast, where President Donald Trump affirmed he now “much more strongly” believes in God, went off the rails once lawmakers closed their Bibles and opened their social media accounts."

The idea for a National Prayer Breakfast first came from a Methodist minister in the1930's, but today religious leaders of many faiths attend, including [a number] Christian denominations, Islam and Judaism. In another article, a politician was quoted as saying "Christian prayer has no place in the Capitol." One of the pillars of this country is the idea of freedom of religion. From a secular perspective that makes sense - that people of other faiths might live in harmony with all people having no fear of isolation or persecution. However, for people of any particular faith, few if any believe that there is more than one true religion - that being theirs. 

Certainly, our country was founded largely by those of the Christian faith, but the country has evolved. With respect to faith, race and culture the United States is not the "melting pot" that I was taught about in grade school in the 1950's. It is stratified and by its nature weak at the seams. 

As Christians we must have a spiritual understanding of the natural world we live in. We have a dual citizenship. One on this planet and one in Heaven. (Philippians 3:19-21) Our primary allegiance is to the Creator God and secondarily to our country. Until Jesus returns there will always be a tension between the Body of Christ and the world in which we live - to include all other faiths. So what should we do? Do what Jesus did. But I might add, they still crucified Him.

OK, so much for my social commentary. 

The news post reminded of the verse in James chapter 1. We look in the mirror, turn away, and forget what we just saw. In the same way, we can attend an event - maybe church on Sunday and before we hit the door on our way to our car the Pastor's sermon is a distant memory. The conviction we felt from the Spirit as the Word was preached has faded. And we are back in the "real world". Our minds fixed on our bellies and what we are going to do on a Sunday afternoon. Like those lawmakers who had just left the Prayer Breakfast. Their response to the Prayer Breakfast is like church can be. It was a social - even mandatory event - where their attendance was expected. Yes, kind of like church can be. 

When we look in the mirror, we should see the reflection of Jesus in the saved sinner looking back at us. Not forgetting who were once were and who we are and will be for eternity.

Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory. 

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone 

Living By The Spirit

Death no longer has dominion over Him.…the life that He lives, He lives to God. Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God… —Romans 6:9-11

"Eternal life is not a gift from God; eternal life is the gift of God. The energy and the power which was so very evident in Jesus will be exhibited in us by an act of the absolute sovereign grace of God, once we have made that complete and effective decision about sin. “You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you…” (Acts 1:8)— not power as a gift from the Holy Spirit; the power is the Holy Spirit, not something that He gives us. The life that was in Jesus becomes ours because of His Cross, once we make the decision to be identified with Him. If it is difficult to get right with God, it is because we refuse to make this moral decision about sin. Even the weakest saint can experience the power of the deity of the Son of God, when he is willing to “let go.” Then Jesus will have complete and effective dominion in us, and people will take notice that we have been with Him." - Oswald Chambers - My Utmost For His Highest

“When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished, and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.”  -  Acts 4:13

The difference in Peter and John was that they had the Spirit of God in them.  Peter had just been with Jesus when Peter denied Jesus.  Peter was operating out of his flesh – his old nature when that happened.  But in Acts, they were speaking with power and wisdom that could not be explained except that these men had been with Jesus.  They reflected Jesus in their words and with the authority by which they spoke.  It is the same with us.  The power of our new life is totally, 100%, dependent upon the power of the Holy Spirit in us.  Imagine that you are driving down the road and someone reached over and turns the ignition key to the off position.  The engine stops .. the power steering is gone .. the car is unresponsive – dead if you will.  Well, that is how it is when we attempt to live the Christian life on our terms … without the Holy Spirit. 

“Do not quench the Spirit" - 1 Thessalonians 5:19

Like turning the key to off, we can disregard the Holy Spirit … trust in ourselves … and fail.  Are you having trouble being the Christian you know you should be?  Most probably it is because you are not walking in the power of your new nature. 

"So I [Paul] say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law." - Galatians 5:16-18

And that, my friend, is the truth!

Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory. 

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone 

Who Is Your Testimony About?

I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ… —Colossians 1:24

"If we simply preach the effects of redemption in the human life instead of the revealed, divine truth regarding Jesus Himself, the result is not new birth in those who listen. The result is a refined religious lifestyle, and the Spirit of God cannot witness to it because such preaching is in a realm other than His. When we say, “What a wonderful personality, what a fascinating person, and what wonderful insight!” then what opportunity does the gospel of God have through all of that? It cannot get through, because the attraction is to the messenger and not the message. If a person attracts through his personality, that becomes his appeal. If, however, he is identified with the Lord Himself, then the appeal becomes what Jesus Christ can do. The danger is to glory in men, yet Jesus says we are to lift up only Him (see John 12:32).” Oswald Chambers - My Utmost For His Highest

I was talking with a painter and his son one day while rebuilding a house.  The conversation drifted from what had to be done in the house, to more personal matters … who we are, why we are what we are.  I feel strongly that God has these men helping for His purpose.  But as I shared a little about my past and why I was in Texas, the young man smiled and said that what I was doing was a great thing.  And so back to Mr. Chambers.  If all I do is impress those men with my service and fail to communicate whom it is that I serve and why, I have failed in my mission.  Testimonies are good but are hollow and vain without the Gospel at their center.  You can impress people with the “whats” in your life but fail in your mission if you do not tell people “why” you do what you do.  Paul said ....  

“And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.” - 1 Corinthians 2:1-5

If people are not drawn to Jesus, but to you, then you have missed the point of your encounter with them.  Be careful that you don’t neglect the Gospel, your primary mission in your new life, in favor of people being impressed with who you are or what you do.  Every bit of that is for the glory of God, not your personal glory.  Don’t be like the some of the Pharisees.  

“Nevertheless, many even of the authorities believed in him, but for fear of the Pharisees they did not confess it, so that they would not be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God." - John 12:42-43

Like a friend would tell me whenever I would say, "Well George, what do you think?" His response - every time - "Jesus Saves"

Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory. 

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone 

The Cost Of Your Faith

"So, they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me.  I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.” When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.” Therefore, many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary, and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him. But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. Then the chief priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the Sanhedrin. “What are we accomplishing?” they asked. “Here is this man performing many signs. If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our temple and our nation." - John 11:41-48

The Sanhedrin was a Jewish judicial and religious council during the time of Jesus and in the early years of the Christian movement. Composed of seventy-one members, including the High Priest, it held significant power but could not sentence a person to death under Roman law. The religious leaders were concerned - not that they were going to miss the Messiah, but that there would be a negative consequence from the Roman government if they allowed it to continue.

"Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in him. But because of the Pharisees they would not openly acknowledge their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue; for they loved human praise more than praise from God." John 12:42-43

Have you ever worried about what others might think or how they might treat you because of your faith in God and salvation through Jesus? I had a friend who once told me that he felt he had to drink alcohol because it was expected of him. We were both in the Army at the time. He was speaking out of his unfounded fears. I could argue that the Bible speaks against excess with respect to alcohol - I know others would disagree. Paul said although something might be OK to do, if it causes your brother to stumble, don't do it out of deference to their weakness. When I would attend something call a Dining In which was a formal military dinner for the officers of the unit there were a series of toasts made - to the wives, to the president, etc. Everyone had a wine glass for the toasts which were filled by the waiters. I would turn my wine glass upside down and toast using my water glass. I noticed that a few others would do the same once I did it. You never know when your obedience will give courage to others. BTW, nothing was ever said to me, and I had a moderately successful career. 

"If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels." - Mark 8:38

Why would Jesus have to speak to that? I think because it is a problem for all generations. Our spirit maybe willing but our flesh is weak. If we put our trust in the wrong place - in the world for example or the opinions of others - Christians or not - we have lost focus on what we are called to do.

"Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God." - Psalm 20:7

Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory. 

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone 

What To Do About Sin After We Are Born Again

"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us." - 1 John 1:9-10

I heard a sermon this last Sunday about dealing with our sin after we are saved. The pastor said that the Book of John is about salvation and 1 John is about living the Christian life. Then he expounded on 1 John 1:9. You are most likely aware that there are two camps with respect to eternal security - once saved always saved and the other is, you can lose your salvation once you have it. I, personally, am in the first camp. And so, what I am going to write about is what to do with sin when we sin as Christians.

First - Jesus told Nicodemus in John 3 that we must be born again by the Spirit. He referred to two events in our lives - the natural birth and the spiritual birth. He didn't qualify the new birth with the caveat that if you sin again - ever - you will have to be born again and again and again.  Later in John chapter 10 Jesus told the religious leaders that His sheep belong to Him and no one else and He is not letting them go. 

"My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand." - John 10:27-29

No one can change that.  "NO ONE" is all inclusive BTW. That means that once I am a child of God - it is a done deal and cannot be undone by anyone - even me, the person in question. I hasten to add that there are many people who are religious but, like Nicodemus, have not been born again by faith. They have never been in the Father's hand, are not one of the sheep, but do associate with the sheep. Maybe every Sunday even. Since they have never been saved, they can't lose something they never had.

If a Christian sins but there seems to be no eternal consequence - ugh! as I am writing this I realize how deep this can go and I must resist - this is a BLOG post not a book! Is that to say that sin doesn't matter after you are saved? Paul addressed this in Romans chapter 6.

"What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?" - Romans 6:1-3

The suggestion here is an acknowledgement that we will continue to sin but we should not abandon ourselves to sin. Since we are saved by grace it doesn't matter how we live and what we do. WRONG!! We have been called to be salt and light. We been sanctified by the Spirit though faith and are, each one, temples where the Spirit resides. 

"Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?" - 1 Corinthians 6:19

As we travel through this life we will sin and that does impact our walk but not our salvation. I am reminded of Jesus washing the Disciples' feet. 

"Then He [Jesus] came to Simon Peter. And Peter said to Him, “Lord, are You washing my feet?” Jesus answered and said to him, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but you will know after this.” Peter said to Him, “You shall never wash my feet!” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.” Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head!” Jesus said to him, “He who is bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean" - John 13:6-10

Jesus' point was that once saved our "feet" will pick up dust along the road (we will sin) and we need to wash our feet - but not our whole body. So bring that into the context of 1 John 1:9. We need to confess our sins (wash our feet) so that our relationships and our witness will not be hampered. The Spirit, who is in us, will convict us of our sins. 

"And when He [the Holy Spirit] has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment" - John 16:8

And when conviction comes, and it will even if we resist it, we must confess - which means to agree with God - and get our feet clean again.  That requires surrender - just like Peter. I suspect that there are a good number of Christians that carry a sack-full of unconfessed sin and then they approach God as if they have clean hearts and clean hands. Maybe they don't see the need when they approach a holy God. And if they don't see the need, perhaps it is because they have no part with Jesus to begin with.

I will leave you with a question to consider - What do you think happens if a Christian dies with unconfessed sin? With dirty feet?  

Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory. 

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone 

We Will Know When We See Jesus

I have been thinking about how to best frame this post. I am writing about what happens when Christians die. I hear people make reference to other Christians who have passed from this life as waiting in Heaven - that they are looking down on us - And the ones who are left behind are looking forward to the day when they are reunited as a family. I heard a pastor say, just today, that when Christians die they go to heaven. That is true but the question I am addressing is when do they go to heaven? Let's look at what the Bible says? But first some perspective. There are two groups of people in this world. Saved and Lost. Heaven bound and hell bound. What happens to mankind is God's plan not ours. We are just trying to understand spiritual truth the best we can. 

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." - Isaiah 55:8-9

God the Father sent Jesus the Son to save us - give us eternal life - spiritual life - born again spiritually by faith - sealed eternally by the Spirit of God. That is John and Ephesians.

I recently watched the interview of the father of one of the American Airlines pilots that died in that midair collision at Reagan National. He said his son was a spirit in a body and now he is a spirit. It rekindled my thinking about what we Christians believe about physical death. What happens when we close our eyes for this last time this side of heaven? Martie and I both will be 75 this year. We know we are on the back side of this mortal life. We may have 15 or 20 years left on Terra Firma, only the Lord knows for certain. But we know that there will come a day when we breathe our last breath, just like all preceding generations - just like you. And then what? 

We know God has revealed the fact that there will be a resurrection of the dead and a place for us in heaven. Jesus said ... 

“Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.” John 14: 1-3

Jesus was leaving and then coming back. But if we were with Him already, wouldn't it stand to reason that He would not have to come back to get us. Confusing? It is for me. It's like Paul was saying - that we see as through a glass darkly. Not a clear picture. Paul wrote to the Church in Thessalonica .... 

"For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord." - 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17

Honestly, I don't know that anyone really knows exactly what happens. The reference to falling asleep I can relate to. I fell asleep last night and like all the other times, I did not remember going to sleep. I never have any awareness of the passage of time while I am sleeping. I woke up this morning - with this issue on my mind actually, but I had no sense about how long I had slept until I looked at the clock.  I am thinking that perhaps Jesus and Paul used the idea of sleeping because that is what death is like. We have an earthly perspective on time, but I think the heavenly reality is quite different. Jesus struggled with the Jews in particular because they lacked spiritual understanding. Even the disciples needed explanations of His spiritual parables. At the time, they lacked the Spirit of God to help them. Peter gives us some insight into the contrast of the natural and the spiritual with respect to time.

"But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day." - 2 Peter 3:8

Whether it is one day in Heaven or a thousand years on earth, the time we were asleep would seem like a moment. To put that verse another way. If I live 80 years on this planet that is the same as living for 115 minutes or just short of 2 hours in Heaven - according to my math. So, if the Lord tarries for 5 days in Heaven, that is 5,000 years on planet earth. That would mean that I could "sleep" a long time but would not know it. You get the idea? 

When a loved one passes, we look for comfort, like the father of that Airline pilot. If the one who has died was not a Christian - there is no consolation about eternity that you can give those who remain. Apart from Jesus, the lost are bound for hell. I know that is a hard truth that we really don't want to share with those who are grieving. For Christians who die, we have an eternal hope. For that dad, he is confident that his son, spiritually speaking still exists and is only asleep or may be awake in heaven. Do you remember the story of the girl who everyone thought was dead?

"When Jesus came into the ruler’s house and saw the flute players and the noisy crowd wailing, He said to them, “Make room, for the girl is not dead, but sleeping.” And they ridiculed Him. But when the crowd was put outside, He went in and took her by the hand, and the girl arose." - Matthew 9:23-25

I think that was a spiritual lesson for those who have ears to hear and eyes to see. Referring to those who are born of the Spirit. I think that we, with good intentions, mistakenly impose earthly constructs on heavenly realities. But we won't really know until we know and that will be when we are face to face with Jesus. 

The bottom line, whether we are sleeping waiting for Jesus to take our hand or we are in heaven waiting for the end of days, it should have no effect on how we live our lives while we still have breath. My thinking is that I will stop trying to figure it out and not stress over what I don't know. Resting in what I do know. What's that you ask?

Jesus saves! My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus and His righteousness. On Christ the solid rock I stand - all other ground is sinking sand. I don't really need an answer because it is a win-win as far as I can tell. We will know when we see Jesus.

Now if I can just figure out how many angels can stand on the head of a pin? Just kidding!

Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory. 

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone 

Our Primary Motivation

"Jesus answered them and said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him....And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst." - John 6:26-27, 35

For the natural man or woman it is natural that they are drawn to the things of this world. To food and drink and shelter and then to the things of the world that bring comfort and pleasure. It's natural - instinctual even. But for the Christian who has been born again by the Spirit, we should have a new primary motivation. That being doing the will of the Father. 

"But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you." - Matthew 6:33

It is not that we should forsake eating or being comfortable, but that satisfying our flesh and natural desires should not be our primary motivation with respect to how we live and make life choices. Our choices and actions should always be in the context of our new life. 

"Then Jesus said to His disciples, If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me." - Matthew 16:24

If you want to be like Jesus, and I assume you do, then you have to lay your old life and its desires aside and seek the kingdom of God. Paul encouraged the church in Rome ....

"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God." - Romans 12:1-2

It is a common, even prevalent, theme in the New Testament and why do you suppose that is? Because it is a common problem for virtually all Christians. We all struggle with a virtual tug of war between our old and new natures. And whichever one is strongest is the one that will prevail. 

"Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever." -  1 John 2:15-17

Why do I share so much scripture? Because it is the means by which the Spirit of God speaks to us and teaches us. 

"All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work." -  2 Timothy 3:16-17

My words may poke you, but the Word of God will pierce your heart. 

Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory. 

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone 

Who Is Your Neighbor - Compassion or Convenience

"On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”  “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?” He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.” But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’ “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise." - Luke 10:25-37

In Matthew 22, Jesus referred to those commandments as the two greatest. Think about it. If that must be true of you to have eternal life then of course they must be the greatest. More to the point - if you don't love your neighbor as yourself then the reason is that you don't love God with all your heart, soul, strength and mind.  The reason? Because our expression of love toward others is a reflection of our love of God. John wrote .... 

"If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?" - 1 John 4:20

It is the same idea. In the story of the Good Samaritan, the priest and Levite were too self-focused to care about one of their countrymen - a fellow Jew - who was in trouble and needed help. Then along comes a Samaritan - the last person that would help a Jew - and the last person a Jew would ever help. The Samaritan went above and beyond out of compassion for the man in the ditch, a man he did not know and likely would not have helped him if the tables were turned. So, like it or not, the expert in the law had to admit that it was the one, the Samaritan, who showed mercy proved to be the true neighbor. 

There is an old saying, "A friend in need is a friend indeed" It was not until about a year ago did I work through what that meant. A person who is a friend and helps someone when they are in need is a true friend - or neighbor. Some are willing to help if it is convenient, but few are willing to help when it is not - convenient. That is showing mercy. For the Jewish man in the ditch, he most likely did not deserve for the Samaritan to show him mercy and grace. Mercy, meaning not getting what you deserve. Grace, meaning getting what you don't deserve.

I am reminded of a song sung by Matt Maher, "Your Love Defends Me".  You are my joy.  You are my song. You are the well, the One I'm drawing from. You are my refuge, my whole life long. Where else would I go? Surely my God is the strength of my soul. Your love defends me. Your love defends me. 

Another one is The Love Of God.  The love of God is greater far than tongue or pen can ever tell; it goes beyond the highest star, and reaches to the lowest hell. The wand'ring child is reconciled by God's beloved Son. The aching soul again made whole, and priceless pardon won. Refrain: O love of God,  how rich and pure! How measureless and strong! It shall forevermore endure— the saints’ and angels’ song.

Rest in, walk out, and show the love of God wherever you go.

Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory. 

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone 

Saving Faith

"Then they said to the woman; Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world." - John 4:42

The woman was the woman at the well. She had testified to the town about Jesus - the Messiah. But her testimony was not enough to save others. Just like my faith cannot save my children or my siblings or friends. My folk's faith could not save me. Not that we didn't wish that it could be so. 

"But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach): that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart, one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." - Romans 10:8-10

God uses the testimony of the Saints - word and deed - to declare that Jesus is the Way and Truth and Life, but no one comes to the Father except by Jesus. (John 14:6) That is our mission in our generation. Declaring the Gospel to the multiple generations living in our time. What they do with the Truth is between them and God. According to the Bible, most will turn away. Many of those may be ones that we love as family and friends. 

"Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it." - Matthew 7:13-14

Why is getting through the narrow gate difficult? Because we must choose Jesus over the world. Our message is the same today as it was in the days of Joshua.

"And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." - Joshua 24:15

Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory. 

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone 

Another Look At John 3:16

"Jesus answered [Nicodemus], “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit ..... For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. ... He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him." - John 3:5-6,16-18, 36

I was reading through John chapter 3 this morning. Something caught my eye. A realization. Something that seemed deeper than the promise of God in verse 16, as if that was not enough! What might that be?

We are born into this world as condemned men and women. The Father did not send the Son to condemn the world. It was already condemned. And so, none of us have any hope beyond this life - but this natural life is not the end of our existence. We all get our start in the same place. Born of water. Born of flesh. We experience ups and downs - joy and sadness - plenty and want - and then we die. At least to the things of this world - but there's more. Being condemned, we all will face a day of reconning.  

But God, the Father, did not send Jesus to condemn mankind but to save it. Man chose to justify himself through his flesh and works. Thinking he knew better than God who created him. The Father sent the Son so that mankind might be redeemed - born again by the Spirit. It is the only way that mankind might be restored to the Father and spend eternity in Heaven. Those who reject Jesus are bound to face the wrath of God. eternal separation. I guess you could think of it this way. The world has been declared guilty already. All have sinned - are convicted. What they are waiting for is the sentencing. We know what the penalty is. And that will be an eternal sentence to hell. 

Shouldn't that give the redeemed a sense of urgency about warning others of the wrath to come and salvation by faith in Jesus. After I returned from Vietnam and before I started college, I went back to work at my stepdad's family's shop. We made mattresses and boxsprings and sold furniture. When I would make a delivery with my stepdad, he would most often leave a Gospel tract on the nightstand or end table as we left. He and my mom became Christians while I was in Vietnam. I wasn't a Christian then and thought it was intrusive - rude - and inappropriate for him to impose his faith on others. I didn't understand that he was casting spiritual seed. The people might throw it away or they might read it and the Spirit might bring conviction to their hearts and they might be saved.  My stepdad got it. He was responding to the prompting of the Spirit. I didn't get it until the day that my heart came under conviction and I too was saved by faith and born again. 

Don't miss the opportunity to cast seeds of your own. God will give you opportunity to do you part and He will be faithful to do His part. 

Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory. 

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone 

You Are What You Eat

... by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. —Galatians 6:14

“If I dwell on the Cross of Christ, I do not simply become inwardly devout and solely interested in my own holiness— I become strongly focused on Jesus Christ’s interests. The Spirit of God has set a great many people free from their sin, yet they are experiencing no fullness in their lives— no true sense of freedom. The kind of religious life we see around the world today is entirely different from the vigorous holiness of the life of Jesus Christ. “I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one” (John 17:15). We are to be in the world but not of it— to be separated internally, not externally (see John 17:16). Consecration (being dedicated to God’s service) is our part; sanctification (being set apart from sin and being made holy) is God’s part. We must make a deliberate determination to be interested only in what God is interested." - Oswald Chambers, My Utmost For His Highest

I have known a good number of Christians who have made tremendous errors in spiritual judgement.  Those errors have derailed their lives and brought grief and heartache … sometimes that lasts a lifetime.  And yet, they persist in making the same choices based upon their emotions … their desire to “fix" the problem themselves or satisfy the need that seems to dominate their lives.  Although they may sing “Jesus loves me this I know” … time and again they choose their own path and solutions over the path that God has laid out for them (Proverbs 16:9) They quench the Spirit and listen to their flesh.  They ignore the Biblical counsel of their friends and family … and repeat the same mistakes that they have made in the past with, predictably, the same result.  When I see this happening, my heart breaks because I know the joy they have rejected for the trouble that they will inevitably embrace as they meet the consequences of their choices.  Does that sound dismal? That’s because it is.  God has called us out of that life.  But our faith must be more than a philosophy … a “get out of hell free” card.  The great gift we have came with a price .. Jesus on the cross .. yet even that is a distant thought.  That truth is not enough to motivate us to choose God .. to follow the Spirit .. to sacrifice the flesh.

So why does that happen? For one reason, many, if not most, of us do not separate ourselves from our old life.  It’s one thing to be in the world as a Christian.  It’s quite another to participate with the world.  To embrace what we know to be sin in an effort to secure the world’s substitute for God’s will and way.  The interesting thing is that while I might speak to the wayward Christian to encourage them to draw close to Jesus, only the Spirit of God can bring conviction to their hearts and only they can yield to that conviction and turn to God in repentance.  So, what to do.  Well.  Be an example.  Love them ... not their sin … like Jesus.  Pray for them.  And bear the hurt in your heart as you watch them struggle with the impossibility of the life they have chosen.  Jesus spoke to the problem … the Apostles wrote about the problem to the churches ... this is not a new problem in our generation.  It is the struggle between the flesh and the Spirit natures.  The nature that you feed is the one that will dominate your life. Like the old TV commercial - "You are what you eat"

Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory. 

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone 

Reflecting Your Father

Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself…" —Matthew 16:24

There are two sides to this coin - I am referring to our lives on this planet.  The natural and the supernatural.  I am sure you have heard the saying “The apple does not fall too far from the tree.”  Or how about “He is just like his dad.” I remember that one. Before I type what, I am going to type, let me preface it by saying my mom was a godly woman who led many to Jesus.  Before her rebirth ... well she was just like every other person who needs Jesus.  My parents were divorced when I was 2 years old.  I was one of four, the youngest, from my parents' marriage.  We lived with my mom.  Years later, my mom admitted she got married for the wrong reason .. one of 15 children she wanted out of the house.  Many people make choices like that.  The consequences of those “flesh” choices reverberate through their lives and the lives of their children and maybe even their children.  

OK, so one day I did something she didn’t like and she said to me “Stop doing that you remind me of your father!” I can remember thinking, “Don’t be like your father or you will lose the love of your mother.”  It proved to be a deterrent from my wanting to be like him in any way.  Well, that is the natural. It’s not an issue of who you are reflecting but “what” you are reflecting in who you are reflecting.  There is a significant interest in finding your genetic roots.  Ancestry.com is advertised a lot on television.  People want to know.  Ancestry.com is connected to – sponsored by the Mormons.  Knowing where they came from genetically is an important part of their belief system.  To simplify the search, the Bible tells us ... we came from Adam.  We are all a reflection of Adam.  And so...

“All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” - Romans 3:23

In other words .. we are not like our heavenly father.  People think they can find meaning and perhaps comfort in knowing their ancestry.  What they need to know - who they need to know is Jesus. Jesus told Nicodemus … “You must be born again … by the Spirit” - John 3:3-8

So on to the supernatural. Being a reflection of our Father in heaven is always a good thing. But to do that you must be born again and walking after the Spirit and not the flesh. Jesus said (John 14:9) “If you have seen Me you have seen the Father.” 

Jesus was and is a reflection of the Father.  They are indistinguishable.  Jesus prayed (John 17:21) “that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me” 

Paul wrote (Romans 8:29-30) “For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.” 

 Jesus said (John 5:30) “I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me.”  

When we reflect Jesus, we reflect the Father. There is no room for our old nature or its individuality.  Our identity is in Christ.  (2 Corinthians 5:17) “..old things are passed away .. everything is becoming new”  

But be on your guard because your flesh will surely rise up and demand its place in your life.  All I can say is you must take it to the altar (Romans 12:1-2)

Final note:  I shared the Gospel with my dad on his death bed. He told me that he prayed to accept Jesus as his Savior. I won’t know for sure if my dad was being honest or just trying to appease me with his death bed profession of faith until I get to heaven, but I pray that we both are reflecting our heavenly Father.  Me here on earth and him in glory.

Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory. 

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone 

When Seeing Is Not Believing

"For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse, as it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.” Clearly no one who relies on the law is justified before God, because “the righteous will live by faith.” The law is not based on faith; on the contrary, it says, “The person who does these things will live by them.” Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us... For if the inheritance depends on the law, then it no longer depends on the promise; but God in his grace gave it to Abraham through a promise.... So, in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise." - Galatians 3:10-13,18, 26-29

Imagine that you are standing on the South rim of the Grand Canyon, and you are told that your life depends upon your ability to jump across the Grand Canyon to the North rim. Impossible task you say? Of course it is. No one can do it - well, actually, there is One and He said He would jump for you. And He did. All mankind faces an impossible challenge. We must live a sinless life in order to be acceptable to God and escape an eternity in hell. Separated from Him. We must jump over the great chasm called Hell in order to get to Heaven. But we can't do it on our own. Only by faith in Jesus.

"But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast." - Ephesians 2:4-9

I cannot point you to a specific scripture to support the thought I am about to share, but I think that after Judgement Day there will be eternal passion in the heart of every person, lost or saved, to be with the Father - the Creator God. For the saved it will be a reality. For the Lost it will be eternally denied. I think that will be hell for the lost. That was not God's intent - but He allows it. You think Jesus did not have a choice? He did but He chose the Father's will and not His own.

"... we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them." - Ephesians 2:10

God's purpose for all mankind was interrupted by sin. On that Day, facing an eternity in Hell, many will look to Jesus for salvation, but on that Day they will be beyond saving. As they cry out to Jesus, He will sadly say - "You didn't know me yesterday, I know you not today." It will be too late to pray. So many put off today what they won't be able to do tomorrow. 

Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory. 

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone 

Our Life's Goal

"We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins." - Colossians 1:9-14

Paul framed the successful Christian life for the Colossians and all Christians really. It goes far beyond just trying to be a better person. It starts with seeking Spiritual wisdom and understanding. That is wisdom and understanding - call it a Christian world view, if you like - that finds its roots in being submitted to the Spirit of God. Like Paul wrote in Romans - that we offer ourselves as a living sacrifice - which means that we are not living for ourselves but for God and that life is a spiritual one enabled by the Spirit of God who seals us for heaven and guides us in all spiritual truth. 

Living in a way that is pleasing to God. And how might that be? The only way that we can please God is by faith and not works. Where our primary devotion is to Him. Devoting our lives - heart, soul, mind, and strength to God.

Our lives bearing Spiritual fruit. Love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Those characteristics in the Christian life that are manifested through an abiding relationship with the Spirit of God and steadfast faith in Jesus. The fruit of the Spirit is a demonstration of Who is at the root of our lives. 

"I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." - Galatians 2:20

And as we live our lives in this manner, we grow in spiritual knowledge. It changes the way we live and do. It is not something that we are really aware of until we pause, now and again, and look. It is kind of like aging. I recently posted a collage of pictures as the background on my computer screen of Martie and me. The pictures probably represent a span of about 20 years - less than half of the time that we have been married - but enough time to see how age has crept in and changed the way we look. That is not something you notice day to day - but you see it after a few years when you compare where you are to where you were. It is similar to our spiritual maturity. We don't see it - but we are not, or should not be, the same as we were 5 or 10 years ago.  Our spiritual understanding has deepened. The way we respond to life has changed. 

More and more, like Paul mentioned to the Colossians, we demonstrate endurance and patience in life. But it mostly transparent to us. I mentioned to Martie that we are not aware of how others see us - but I can see how they respond to us. My hope is that it is because of our demonstrated faith. How we are living our life out.

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." - Philippians 4:6-7

The last point Paul made was that we are to be thankful. Not so much because God answered our prayers the way we wanted Him to, but that God listens to us as His children and is faithful to give us what we need. Our condition for loving God is not that He gives us everything we want. 

Oh, that we could be like the Colossian church. 

Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory. 

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone 

Out of the Heart The Mouth Speaks

"But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection..... But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." - Philippians 3:6-14

I met someone the other day for the first time. Then I listened to how great he was and about the significant things that he had done, significant at least in his estimation. He was and is a legend in his own mind, as it were. And so, as I have with other people, particularly men, in the past, I discounted everything I heard as self-glorification. That is exactly the opposite of what Paul did. Oh, not that he had not accomplished significant things in the eyes of his Jewish peers, but all of that paled in significance to what Jesus had done in and through him. People being impressed with Paul would not move them one inch closer to heaven - but faith in Jesus would firmly plant both of their feet in heaven. Paul was called out to tell the Gentile world about Jesus - not Paul. 

I get it - I want people to think kindly toward me. But more important than that, we should want them to see Jesus in us. We must be careful that our egos or insecurities don't get between them and Jesus. That when we finish our encounter with them that they leave thinking that they want to be more like Jesus - not us.

What and who we talk about is a reflection of what is stored up in our hearts. I try to make it a habit to listen closely to people because I want to hear their hearts. 

".... out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks." - Matthew 12:34

Jesus said that if we seek the glory of men, we have our reward. 

"Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward." - Matthew 6:2

There is something called the Shorter Catechism. Catechesis is a practice of teaching the Christian faith using questions and answers. The Shorter Catechism has 107 questions and answers. I wonder why they named it "Shorter"! The first question is this.

(Q) What is the chief end of man?

(A) Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.

If we, Christians, should be about anything, it should be glorifying God and not ourselves.

After writing this, the Spirit brought another verse to my mind - that I should not attempt to remove a speck from my brother's eye ... but first, remove the plank in my own. (Matthew 7:3) Ouch!!

Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory. 

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone 

Your Life Should Speak Louder Than Your Words

"Go to this people and say, “You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.” For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise, they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them. Therefore, I want you to know that God’s salvation has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will listen!" - Acts 28:26-28

The nation of Israel knew that they had been chosen by God as His witness to the world. The mystery that was kept hidden from them was that God intended to extend His grace and mercy even to the Gentiles. The seed of the promise to Abraham was spiritual in nature not natural. Circumcision for the men was a physical sign of the Jews identity as members of the "chosen race". 

"But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned." - 1 Corinthians 2:14

That mystery could and would only be accepted and understood when a person's spiritual eyes and ears were opened - Jew or Gentile. Until that happened the Truth would be considered folly to the perishing.

"For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God." - 1 Corinthians 1:18

That fact should not be a reason for us to withhold our testimony to the world around us. You do not know whose heart will yield to the Gospel. So do not remain silent in these dark times. Let your life speak louder than your words.

I wrote a poem some years ago - 2009 actually - which I recently converted to a song. The title is "The Life of a Preacher Man". One of the verses goes 

"Yes the preacher’s just a man like me, but with a bigger load to bear

God sent him to preach the Gospel to a world that doesn’t care"

and He sent you too.

Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory. 

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone 

Loving God More

"Naked I came from my mother’s womb, And naked shall I return there. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; Blessed be the name of the Lord." - Job 1:21

"The gift of the essential nature of God is placed and made effective in us by the Holy Spirit. He imparts to us the quickening life of Jesus, making us truly alive. He takes that which was “beyond” us and places it “within” us. And immediately, once “the beyond” has come “within,” it rises up to “the above,” and we are lifted into the kingdom where Jesus lives and reigns (see John 3:5)." - Oswald Chambers, My Utmost For His Highest

When I sit down to write these devotions, I ask the Lord, what am I supposed to say today.  And “out it comes”.  Very often, there will be some event – interaction from the previous day that the Lord uses as a launching point.  So in that regard what I write is not premeditated as such, but more spontaneous … although that is not to say that there are not years of life that undergird what I write.  I’ve done this 3246 times so far, plus this one …. Frankly I am amazed by the process and perhaps more amazed that God is using me in this way.

So to the point. As Christians we live our lives on this earth with a tension between the spiritual and the natural.  The preaching of the earthly health and wealth gospel … God wants you to be rich and healthy … is the carnal Christian's attempt to resolve that tension.  The idea is that God will give you money .. which He tells you not to love … and health .. which He tells you that you will face affliction and hardship of many kinds … and so … you can really be independent of God .. all of your earthly needs will be met … do you see the heresy in this?  God wants us to give up our dependence upon earthly comforts and assurances and trust Him, alone.  When Job lost everything, the assumption was that he had done something wrong .. why?  Because he lost his earthly possessions. What was the truth .. there was something spiritual at work that superseded the natural.  The same is true in our lives.  The thing is, you must be willing to submit to that … to yield your devotion and dependence upon the natural and trust God's provision.  What do you hunger for?  I see people struggling after disasters and war and poverty, while Americans are trying to figure out if they should go ahead and buy that $1000 iPhone and get rid of their $700 iPhone.  The Church in the United States is the “frog in the pot” with respect to materialism.  We don’t know that we are being cooked … instead, we think the water temperature is just right.

"You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures. Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God." -  James 4:2-4

Ugh! That does not leave a lot of wiggle room does it. I guess I should quote Jesus to bring this to a close. 

“And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says: ‘Hearing you will hear and shall not understand,  And seeing you will see and not perceive; For the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, And their eyes they have closed, Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, So that I should heal them.’ But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear" -  Matthew 13:14-16

And I would add .. He who is convicted – let him repent. 

Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory. 

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone 

Asking For One Thing And Getting Another

"And fixing his eyes on him, with John, Peter said, “Look at us.” So he gave them his attention, expecting to receive something from them. Then Peter said, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.” And he took him by the right hand and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. So, he, leaping up, stood and walked and entered the temple with them—walking, leaping, and praising God." - Acts 3:4-8

Whenever I read this passage, my mind goes back to our work at the Haitian orphanage in Jacmel. I oversaw the building of 2 orphanages there. My good friends and Brothers, Pastor Doug Moyer and John Turnbull and I reenacted the encounter with the lame man for the orphans. Doug was the lame man - John and I were Peter and John. The message was and is the same. Very often we are looking for one solution, but God has a greater one in mind. The lame man did need money but more than that - he needed Jesus. 

We tend to focus on his physical healing - which was wonderful on its own, but he believed in the name of Jesus. And that brought a greater healing. His physical healing was a demonstration of his spiritual healing. 

I think about what I pray about, and wonder are some of those prayers misdirected? Am I looking at the wrong things - worried about the wrong things - demonstrating my dependence or devotion to the things of this world more than on God? Like the lame man, we may find that we ask for one thing, but God gives us another. Do we recognize it for what it is, a greater blessing, or are we dismayed for not getting what we asked for?

"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." - Philippians 4:6-7

It is easy to read it, but harder to do it. That is because it requires faith and trust.

Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory. 

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone 

Running The Race

"And now, compelled by the Spirit, I [Paul] am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me.  However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace." - Acts 20:22-24

When I was much younger, I used to run in road races - not marathons. I did do a half marathon once, but mainly it was 10K races. That is 6.2 miles. But as I was re-reading Paul's words my mind flashed back to the people I ran the race with. There were always the rabbits who would take off like a shot at the sound of the starting pistol. Most would lose "steam" somewhere down the road. Then there were the rest of us. Not trying to be the best of all the runners, just trying to run their best.

I think that is what God expects of us. To run the race set before us the best we can. We don't all start at the same time, nor will we finish at the same time, nor at the same speed - hey, the races are not even the same distance. It seems that the course for some is run on a flat road while others run in the mountains. Whatever course we find ourselves on, we must run - run the best we can. Run with our whole heart in it. We may not be the best in the race, but we will all share in the prize at the end of the race. 

I don't know that you think about participation trophies that some kids receive nowadays just for playing on a team - win or lose. But - I think that there is a spiritual lesson in there somewhere. Could it be that our task is to play on a team, learn some life lessons, and not quit? Is that praiseworthy? I think it is. Someone once said, "It does not matter if you win or lose, but it is how you play the game."

God has a purpose for each of us. It could be as a preacher, or simply as a person being preached to. The question is are we faithful in the place where God has purposed us? Are we running the race for the glory of God or for our own glory? While I was in the Army I took a Physical Training (PT test) at least once a year. On one occasion as I ran the quarter mile track - 8 times around for 2 miles - I noticed that a friend of mine had stopped running and was trying to catch his breath - he was in trouble - failing the PT test was not an option.

So, I stopped to encourage him to keep moving. To look past the pain in his lungs and legs and to finish the race. Focus on the goal. The evaluators started calling out to me to leave him and finish the run. But I encouraged him to run with me and we finished together under the maximum time allowed. We both passed the test. My score was impacted but my score was not my concern - it was to help my friend who was struggling with his race. 

Maybe you know someone who is struggling with their race. That someone may just need another Christian to come alongside and encourage them to press on. Any names come to mind? It reminds me of Paul's encouragement to the Corinthian church. 

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds through Christ. Now if we are afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effective for enduring the same sufferings which we also suffer. Or if we are comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation." - 2 Corinthians 1:3-6

Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory. 

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone