Why Ask For Help From A Drowning Man

If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. —2 Corinthians 5:17

In today’s culture when someone says “Prejudice”, the narrow definition is racial prejudice or bias. Actually the root of the word has to do with having an opinion about something.  That could be a dislike, even hatred, of people of other races.  That is one of the prejudices that is part of our old nature. Let’s use that as an example.  Men have argued for years that one race is superior to another.  Typically it is the majority race that holds that view.  It is part of the old nature.  So what does the Bible say? Well, man was created in God’s image. (Genesis 1:26) Genesis does not say only white or red or black or yellow or brown.  So God must not have been referring to skin color or national origin.  Paul wrote “there is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female” (Galatians 3:8) in the Body of Christ.  Jesus prayed “That they may be as one, as we are one" (John 17:11).  John wrote “If you say you love God and hate your Brother, you are a liar and the Truth is not in you.” (1 John 4:20)

We try to justify our prejudices – the opinions born out of our old nature – by turning to those who look like us, act like us, think like us, vote like us, live like us to seek affirmation … and we will always find approval from those who have the same prejudices we do or at least are tolerant of our prejudices. If you want someone to say your sin is OK ask another sinner.  

When drowning, why would you seek help from someone who is drowning beside you?  The Word is the place you go to know what is Truth.  The Spirit is the one that affirms and confirms what is right and what is wrong … the Spirit convicts us of our sins. (John16:8)  

I know a good number of Christians that hold on to opinions – prejudices that were born out of their old nature.  I am one, come to think of it.  So what to do.  It’s actually a simple solution that is impossible to accomplish by wishing it so …. it requires faith not will power.  We must surrender our prejudices – our old nature – to God.  Offering ourselves, daily, as a sacrifice. Confessing our sins, daily. (1 John 1:9) 

As you develop your spiritual acuity, (one day you will have 20-20 spiritual vision) you will see those opinions or prejudices for what they are and abandon them by faith and through the power of the blood of Jesus.  “What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.  What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.”

The goal of our new life is to be more like Jesus and less like the world. 

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

Step Into The Water

 "So it was, when the people set out from their camp to cross over the Jordan, with the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people, and as those who bore the ark came to the Jordan, and the feet of the priests who bore the ark dipped in the edge of the water (for the Jordan overflows all its banks during the whole time of harvest), that the waters which came down from upstream stood still, and rose in a heap very far away at Adam, the city that is beside Zaretan. So the waters that went down into the Sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, failed, and were cut off; and the people crossed over opposite Jericho." - Joshua 3:14-16

Martie and I were called to missions in 2004 -  we didn't see it coming. Oh we new that we would be involved in ministry to some level - and had been - but we never imagined we would be asked to "lay our nets down" and follow Jesus.

"And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. Then He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” They immediately left their nets and followed Him. Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. He called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him." - Matthew 4:18-22

When you are called to lay your nets down, whatever those nets are, you must be willing to abandon the path that you are on and follow Jesus on the path that He is walking. So - we found ourselves going places that we never imagined. But like the old commercials on TV selling Ronco kitchen knives - "Wait there is more!"

After about 6 months leading a disaster relief effort in Mississippi, we sensed that we were to start to ministry - a non-profit - to continue the work we were doing in disaster relief into the future. We had already laid our nets down - left secular work - and had no desire to pick them back up again. We had already done what most people were only willing to do for a week or two. But God was taking us deeper and further than we had ever imagined.

My mom had great spiritual wisdom so we called her to talk about what we believed the Lord was telling us. She asked us a few questions and then said, "The River Jordan didn't back up until they stepped into the water." That was a reference to Joshua chapter 3. We knew exactly what she was telling us. First - she was affirming that she believed it was God directing us. Second - she was telling us that we needed to step out in faith in response to God's direction even if we could not see the promise before we did. Just like the nation of Israel crossing the River Jordan at flood stage. So we did and now this is 20 years later. 

In the study, Experiencing God, Dr. Blackaby said that when God speaks it always results in a crisis of belief which requires major adjustments in our lives and our obedience to walk by faith and not by sight in the context of those adjustments. 

There is a whole spectrum of possibilities with respect to God's call to each of us. We are not all called to do the same things in the Body of Christ. But we are all called to do something.

"For I know the plans that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope." - Jeremiah 29:11

Don't think that God does not want to use you in His eternal plan - that you have nothing to offer - He does and you do. When - where - and how is up to God not us. The only question that remains is - what will your answer be?

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

Temptation - I Hear You Knocking, But You Can't Come In

"There is no temptation taken you but such is common to man" - 1 Corinthians 10:13

 “Joab withstood the greatest test of his life, remaining absolutely loyal to David by not turning to follow after the fascinating and ambitious Absalom. Yet toward the end of his life he turned to follow after the weak and cowardly Adonijah. Always remain alert to the fact that where one person has turned back is exactly where anyone may be tempted to turn back." Oswald Chambers

As a Christian there are a few things that are certain. One is that you are going to heaven.  You have eternal life in Jesus.  Another is that you are going to face temptation until you do ... go to heaven. The question is .. How will you respond to temptation when it comes your way?  Temptation is not sin, but what you do with temptation can lead to sin. 

“When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.” -  James 1:13-15

You will face opportunities to sin by way of temptation every day.  First you must recognize that your struggle with temptation is a spiritual issue not a physical one. 

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”  - Ephesians 6:12

The point is that if you try to defeat temptation through shear will power or I suppose, more appropriately, “won’t” power, you will fail.  You are trying to do something that is impossible for the natural man.  It’s likened to trying to save yourself.  You need faith and the Spirit of God to be saved, not works or personal effort.  The next time you are tempted do what Jesus did when tempted by the devil in the wilderness … trust in God and His Word.

"Your Word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against You." - Psalm 119:11

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

God's Comfort - A Bridge Over Troubled Water

When He was alone…the twelve asked Him about the parable. —Mark 4:10

“When God gets us alone through suffering, heartbreak, temptation, disappointment, sickness, or by thwarted desires, a broken friendship, or a new friendship— when He gets us absolutely alone, and we are totally speechless, unable to ask even one question, then He begins to teach us. There are vast areas of stubbornness and ignorance the Holy Spirit has to reveal in each of us, but it can only be done when Jesus gets us alone.” - Oswald Chambers 

“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.  And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” - James 1:2-4

Pastor Rick Warren said it this way, “God never wastes a hurt”.  We are saved for eternity, but we continue to live out this life in a fallen – sin-sick world.  What we experience in this life, both good and bad, God uses to shape us into the image of His Son.  We gladly accept the fact that Jesus suffered and died for us, but we often have a problem with accepting pain and suffering in our own lives.  Like God is supposed to prevent that from happening.  

Job said (Job 13:15) “Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him;  I will surely defend my ways to his face.”  The first half of that verse is quoted often .. the second half … not so much.  There is nothing wrong with asking God for understanding … but don’t lose hope in the asking.  Don’t doubt God .. even though what you are experiencing is difficult to endure.  

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.  For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ.” - 2 Corinthians 1:3-5

Do you believe that? Well, you may have trouble believing it in the midst of your trouble, but it is no less true.  If you seek God and put your hope in Him, you will find comfort.  If you blame God and turn away in your heart, you will not.

Jesus said (John 16:33) “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” Paul wrote (Romans 8:38-39) “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  And that my friend is the Truth!

As I was thinking up a title for this post .. it's post number 3336, and that is a lot of titles!  A song by Simon and Garfunkel came to my mind.  Bridge Over Troubled Waters.  "When you're down and out. When you're on the street. When evening falls so hard I will comfort you. I'll take your part, oh, when darkness comes. And pain is all, is all around. Just like a bridge over troubled water, I will lay me down. Just like a bridge over troubled water I will lay me down"  

That's what God is like!

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

Tempted To Lose Hope

“let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.” —Hebrews 10:22-23

Have you ever been discouraged? Of course you have.  Have you ever lost hope because life made a left turn when your thought you were going to the right?  It is the reality of living in a world that has rejected the One who created it. A world that suffers under the burden of sin and the brokenness that sin brings.

I was talking with someone the other day.  They were sharing their concern for their child.  The child, who once had been “sold out” to Jesus, was now struggling with their faith.  Questioning their faith and God.  I would hazard a guess that most Christian parents know that concern. But it is not like pulling your child out of the street by the arm so they don’t get hit by a car.  When it comes to facing life and the struggle it brings, they must choose to get out of the street on their own.  You can certainly pray for them and should.  But no amount of talking (or nagging) will  coax them out of the street.  You must love them through their struggle of faith.

I told my friend that what we see is like looking at a picture.  A moment in time.  We should be careful that we don’t draw the wrong conclusions about their life.  I asked if they could remember a point in time when the child professed their faith in Jesus. “Yes” was the answer. 

I am an eternal security guy. I believe that once you are adopted by faith into the family of God, nothing can change that.  I believe that being sealed by the Spirit (Ephesians 1:13-14) is a forever thing.  I believe that when Jesus said (John 10:28) “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.”) That “no one” means no one, including the person who has been given eternal life. The person who was born again.

I told my friend that they needed to trust God and believe His Word is truth.  (Oh, did that sound like Proverbs 3:5-6?) That the certainty of salvation applies to their child even when they see the child wandering into the street – not embracing their faith.  As parents, we struggle to understand why what happened to them, happened to them.  Is God really there? Does their faith really matter? Don’t draw the wrong conclusion from the snapshot you are looking at.  God sees from beginning to end.  We only see what is now and what we can see in the photo album representing their life in the past. God is sovereign.  He’s got this.  (Hebrews 11:1) “Faith is the substance of things hoped for.  The evidence of things not seen.”  So I encouraged my friend and I encourage you, friends, with this. 

“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 

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

Spiritually Ambushed By Anger

Anger – you know the feeling don’t you? That feeling in rises up inside of you? Like a jug quickly filling up with water until it overflows. You face is flushed.  Your heart is racing. But is it anger or frustration or disappointment? Often times they are indistinguishable and their expression through you is likewise indistinguishable.  Many people try to explain how they respond or excuse how they respond to life and problems by pointing to their ancestors and their family’s dominant country of origin.  

I realize that many books have been written on this subject. Many people are in therapy for anger. Christian people.  Anger is a secondary emotion, meaning why we get angry is because there is something at the root – working behind the scenes – and a life situation serves as a catalyst for our anger to rise up.  

I also realize that people can find verses in the Bible that would suggest that anger is “OK”, it is not sin. But anger is like a loaded pistol.  The gun can go off by accident or can be used for harm intentionally.  It can be indiscriminate, hurting the innocent as well as the guilty.  Anger can be so dominant that the easiest thing is to yield to it and not resist.  My point is that accepting anger – even rage, is not consistent with your new life in Christ.

Most people are not looking for opportunities to be angry … Those opportunities come suddenly upon us, like an ambush, with ferocity.  Then it is over – the smoke clears – the causalities lie wounded all around.  And we say to ourselves “It’s not a sin to be angry.” In an effort to justify the harm we have done.  So what to do.

First – understand, and accept, that Anger is not a fruit of the Spirit.  

“The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.”  - Galatians 5: 19-21

 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” - Galatians 5:22-23

These verses contrast the differences between your life in the flesh and your life submitted to the Spirit of God – the Spirit that is in you 

“Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own”  - 1 Corinthians 6:19

How can we reconcile anger and the damage it does with our new nature and the fruit that it bears? I’ll answer that. We can’t!

Second – Have you ever heard or said “You make me so angry!”? No one can “make” you angry.  But they can provide the opportunity for you to express anger.  Everything is going fine then the ambush is sprung and you find yourself in the “kill zone”.  In ambush-eze, the kill zone is the place where most all of the fire power is directed. Anyone in that area when the ambush starts is a gonner.  The only way to not be a gonner is to do what makes no sense at the time, face the firing and charge it – fighting your way through it.  It is your only hope of survival. In this case, the best defense is a good offense! When you are getting angry, you need to recognize it immediately and deal with it spiritually.  Like salvation – you can’t succeed by trying harder.  You need to attack with the sword of the Lord.  The ambush is within – it’s not the circumstance that gave rise to the anger.

Third – The best thing to do is to avoid the ambush altogether. To see the signs of danger and go another way.  That requires discernment which comes from the Spirit which requires the discipline of seeking God and hiding the Word in your heart (Psalm 119:11)  I recall an a time at ROTC advance camp at Fort Bragg, N.C.  It was my turn to lead the platoon during a training exercise in the woods.  I was leading the platoon on the most secure route and not necessarily on the fastest route to our objective.  That meant that we cut across difficult terrain.  I reached our objective without incident. Afterwards, I was told that there had been an ambush set up at an intersection along the road that I had bypassed waiting for us.  The thing was we never showed up. We went another way.

You must be sensitive to the signs of an anger ambush and avoid them.  We choose how we respond to life – in the power of our flesh or in the power of the Spirit of God.  Your success will depend upon your training and preparation.  Most Christians lack an enthusiasm for spiritual growth and maturity. They are content with keeping a firm grasp on their ticket to heaven and talking about how much they love the Lord – around other Christians.  But when faced with the withering fire of a deadly ambush – they falter and fail.  

Perhaps you are thinking that avoiding anger is impossible. It is not any more impossible that the Son of God dying for your sin and you receiving eternal life.  If God can do that, why would you think that your problem with anger is bigger than that? You need to deal with the root of the problem. Paul talks about this in Romans 7:21-25 (read it) You don’t need to try harder – you need to Faith harder.  

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 Holy Spirit Is In You

"Abide in Me…" —John 15:4

“The Spirit of Jesus is put into me by way of the atonement by the Cross of Christ. I then have to build my thinking patiently to bring it into perfect harmony with my Lord. God will not make me think like Jesus— I have to do it myself. I have to bring “every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5). “Abide in Me”— in intellectual matters, in money matters, in every one of the matters that make human life what it is. .... You say, “Yes, Lord, just a minute— I still have this to do. Yes, I will abide as soon as this is finished, or as soon as this week is over. It will be all right, Lord. I will abide then.” Oswald Chambers, My Utmost For His Highest

“When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.”  - Ephesians 1:13-14

The Holy Spirit enlivens your new self toward God.  You put your faith in Jesus and God puts His Spirit in you.  The very same Shekinah Glory that led the Children of Israel in the desert … the very same that resided in the Holy of Holies in the temple.  Now you are the temple … and that Spirit leads you, or will if you will follow.

“Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.” -  1 Corinthians 6:19-20

Think about how amazing that is.  Now think about the reverence that you show with respect to that amazing fact of your new life in Christ.  Wouldn’t it be wonderful if there was some physical – visible change when you accepted Jesus .. .when you were born again by the Spirit?  

“How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!” Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” - John 3: 4-8

Nicodemus didn’t understand because even though he was a teacher of the precepts of God, he only had a natural understanding of the facts he was teaching.  Be careful that you don’t make the same mistake.  The Spirit of God will give you understanding but only if you seek it.  If you rely on yourself and your culture you will miss it and will struggle in your Christian life.  

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 God Gives You Opportunity

"Preach the word!  Be ready in season and out of season.  Convince, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and teaching." -  2 Timothy 4:2

You never know when God is going to give you the opportunity.  Be ready.  As it happened I was reading Ecclesiastes chapter 3 this morning.  There is a time or season for everything.

I took Martie's car in for a service one morning.  It was going to be a wait so they offered to drop me off at a store or restaurant and then they would pick me up.  The young man who drove was talking with me - idle banter - when he asked me what I did.  I told him and he said that he was from Salt Lake City and new a number of missionaries.  Although I did not ask, I assumed he was Mormon.  We chatted a bit about the life God has called Martie and me to.  As it happened, he also picked me up.  Our conversation led to discussing how to love your wife and how to deal with conflicts - differences of opinion.  I pointed him to scripture.  Before I got out of the car, he asked me if I was doing OK, if I was having trouble.  I told him that when you are in the center of God's will, you are always doing OK.  God provides. I gave him my card and encouraged him to look us up on the Web.  planting seeds.

It doesn't end there.  It took a while longer on the car service so they asked if they could take me home and they will come back to get me when the car is done.  New driver.  We talked about our being from Alabama and why we were in Texas.  About how hot it was in Texas and I added that we were used to it having lived in Haiti for 4 years.  He asked if the Haitians were open to the Gospel.  That surprised me.  So I talked to him about Christians in Haiti and the openness to the Gospel there.  That morphed into a conversation about the small church he attends and the fact that they don't do much with missions.  I talked to him about Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the uttermost parts.  I encouraged him that his little church should be faithful in Jerusalem and trust that God will bring the increase and ministry direction.

All of this just because Martie's car needed a service.  My point to you is be ready .. but more be willing.  You never know when and where God will give you opportunity to speak life into someone.  Maybe today!

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 - Not About Getting What You Want

"…being justified freely by His grace…"  —Romans 3:24

“It is only when we get hungry spiritually that we receive the Holy Spirit. 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.” - Oswald Chambers, My Utmost For His Highest

One morning Martie, my wife, asked me what I was thinking about that I would write in this BLOG.  I told her that I really didn’t do it that way.  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 3,330 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 … but believing those things are true … 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 loving and trusting 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 natural disasters, wars 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.

Consider the Black Friday phenomenon  .. which it seems has crept into Thursday. While I was trying to find money to help people recover from a Hurricane, people were spending money – hand over fist – to satisfy their lust for more – because they certainly didn’t need it – not really.  A pastor of the church we are connected to in Texas, preached on needs and wants one Sunday.  With respect to the rest of the world, I think it is safe to say that 99% of what we buy is to satisfy our wants.  Our needs were met a long time ago.   

"Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart" - Psalm 37:4

The emphasis here is on our focus on God and His changing what we desire to conform to what He desires.

 “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

God Is The Source

"when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, then your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. He led you through the vast and dreadful wilderness, that thirsty and waterless land, with its venomous snakes and scorpions. He brought you water out of hard rock. He gave you manna to eat in the wilderness, something your ancestors had never known, to humble and test you so that in the end it might go well with you. You may say to yourself, “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.” But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today." - Deuteronomy 8:12-18

The problem with the people of Israel had to do with focus. Oh, they knew what God had done for them, but that was then. Now they were hungry or thirsty. It was as if God had done nothing for them - at least nothing lately. We all can have a very short memory. Not much has changed!

The United States has been called the "Land of Opportunity". Millions of people have immigrated here from all parts of the world with the hop of gleaning some of that opportunity for themselves. There is nothing inherently wrong with someone wanting a better - more stable life. Freedom from hunger and sickness. The trouble comes when the fruit of the opportunity becomes a god and we lose our focus on the God who created everything we value. 

Wealth and prosperity are the gods of this country and many others. 

"For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs." - 1 Timothy 6:10

Notice it is not having money or possessions that is the problem - it is when they become gods (small "g"). When your devotion is focused on them. God becomes a notation in your life. Subordinate to the things of the world that He created. 

"Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever." - 1 John 2:15-17

My purpose here is not to accuse but to caution. Living in this world is a slippery slope. It is so easy to lose focus on our faith in God and put our faith in what God has created. Be alert my friends. 

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 Continued Struggle With Personal Sin - The Elephant In The Room

If you love Me, keep My commandments. —John 14:15

“Our Lord never insists on obedience. He stresses very definitely what we ought to do, but He never forces us to do it. We have to obey Him out of a oneness of spirit with Him. If I obey Jesus Christ, the redemption of God will flow through me to the lives of others, because behind the deed of obedience is the reality of Almighty God.” Oswald Chambers

It's the elephant in the room, our continuing to choose our own way, to obey our own voice and not His. To make our own rules and disregard His commandments.  We don’t want to talk about it.  We don’t want to think about it.  We prefer to pretend the elephant is not sitting on our sofa.  And what were His commandments?  Love God, love others, deny yourself, follow Jesus.  

None of which we can do on our own, and all of which, when we try to do on our own, we fail miserably.  I can remember the words from one of our grandchildren when she was 5 or 6.  “Let me! I can do it myself!”  Some might call that self-assurance.  I would call it not wanting to be told what to do. Oops! Where have I heard that before. Oh, yes, it was in the Garden.  It’s how this mess got started. 

 The Greek word used for sin is “hamartia” (ham-ar-tee'-ah) which means to miss the mark.  Aiming for one thing and hitting somewhere else.  Henry David Thoreau wrote in Walden, “There are a thousand hacking at the branches of evil to one who is striking at the root.” The point here is that we very often deal with sin by trying harder, hacking at the branches of sinful behavior, instead if striking at the root, hitting the target if you will, dealing with sin at its source, a divided 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

Come to Jesus and Live

“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." - Matthew 11:28-30  

"The first thing I must be willing to admit when I begin to examine what controls and dominates me is that I am the one responsible for having yielded myself to whatever it may be. There is no power within the human soul itself that is capable of breaking the bondage of the nature created by yielding. For example, yield for one second to anything in the nature of lust, and although you may hate yourself for having yielded, you become enslaved to that thing. (Remember what lust is— “I must have it now,” whether it is the lust of the flesh or the lust of the mind.) But yielding to Jesus will break every kind of slavery in any person’s life." Oswald Chambers

The yoke of the master of lust or self-centeredness is a harsh one.  There is no peace only the demand for more … there is no blessing only a moment of satisfaction before the need to be satisfied rises up again.  There is no love, only the suggestion of affection which is really a tool to get what you want.  But then there is Jesus … 

 Chris Rice – “Come to Jesus”

“Weak and wounded sinner,  Lost and left to die,  O, raise your head for Love is passing by, Come to Jesus and live

Now your burden's lifted, And carried far away,  And precious blood has washed away the stain... so Sing to Jesus and live,

 And like a newborn baby, Don't be afraid to crawl, And remember when you walk sometimes we fall... so Fall on Jesus and live,

 Sometimes the way is lonely, And steep and filled with pain, So if your sky is dark and pours the rain... then Cry to Jesus and live,

O, and when the love spills over, And music fills the night, And when you can't contain you joy inside... then Dance for Jesus and live,

 And with your final heartbeat, Kiss the world goodbye, Then go in peace, and laugh on Glory's side... and Fly to Jesus and live.” 

So, what are you waiting for? An invitation … you’ve got it!

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

Willing To Cross The Road

 Do you care about other people? The kind of caring I am referring to is about loving others which, as a Jesus follower is more than merely being concerned or having a benevolent attitude, or your feeling bad for someone when you hear about a tragedy on the news - it is an action – a response to a situation that someone else finds themselves in. Very often that action will require a sacrifice of some sort on your part.

Jesus and His disciples were having breakfast together

"So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?”  [Peter] said to [Jesus], “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” [Jesus] said to Peter, “Feed My lambs.” Jesus said to Peter again a second time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?” Peter said to Jesus , “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” Jesus said to Peter, “Tend My sheep.” Jesus said to Peter the third time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?” Peter was grieved because Jesus said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?” [I think maybe Peter was thinking to himself - how many times do I have to answer that question] And [Peter] said to [Jesus], “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.” Jesus said to Peter, “Feed My sheep." - John 21:15-17

Jesus asked Peter 3 times if Peter loved him. Jesus basically told Peter - walk your talk!

In John 14 Jesus said "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me." - John 14:23-25

So, there it is. Jesus was telling Peter that if Peter loves Jesus, then Peter can show it through obedience.  In the same way, if we say we love God but don't obey Him then the undeniable conclusion is that we don't love God like we say we do.  We may want to – but – we don’t! There a verse related to this idea that has been a cornerstone in the foundation of our lives and ministry. Galatians 6:2.

"Bear one another's burdens and fulfill the law of Christ."

We are told – commanded actually – the Bible is not a book of suggestions! To join others in carrying the load that they are bearing. And what is the law of Christ?  It’s found in Matthew 22:37-39. Love God and then, because we love God, the inevitable result of our sincere love for God is that we love others.  

It is easy to have a sympathetic thought when we hear of someone dealing with a hardship, but it’s not so easy to come alongside them and help them bear their load. It will cost you something. 

I am thinking about the man in the ditch in Luke chapter 10.  The 2 religious men who claimed to love God walked on the other side of the road because they were too busy to help another Jew. Not their problem. Then there was the Samaritan - they were despised by the Jews - and the last person that a Jew would expect to get help from - but the Samaritan crossed the road and sacrificed his time and money to help someone - helping someone if the tables were turned would probably not give him the time of day. It was someone the Samaritan had never met before. But the remarkable thing is that the Samaritan did not hesitate to extend grace and mercy to someone he did not even know.  

So how about you? Is your plate too full to make room for others? Is your life too busy to say yes to Jesus when you feel the spiritual urge to respond? I am certain you remember to story about the sheep and the goats in John 25.

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.  He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me." - John 25:31-40

If you are indeed born again then you are a sheep. The sheep saw the need and responded to it. They were reflecting Jesus. 

No greater love has one man [or woman] than this – that they lay down their lives for others! John 15:13

Will you love others like that? I don't need to hear your answer - The Lord is not waiting to see if you really do love Him - He already knows. When you do love God you can't help but love others - even - especially - when it is not convenient. The personal cost will not be a consideration. You will gladly lay your life down – Just Like Jesus.

Jesus did not heal everyone - my point is that we must love but, at the same time, be discerning - be sensitive to the prompting of the Spirit and cross the road when the Spirit gives us unction. 

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 Jesus?

To believe who Jesus is - requires faith. 

"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

 Jesus is God

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it." John 1:1-5

These are the verses that the Spirit used to illuminate my mom's heart - that caused her to understand who Jesus was and is - which led to her salvation and a spiritual heritage. She was the first of 15 children in her family to raise her children to follow Jesus. 

Jesus is the Christ

"So they said, “Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven." - Matthew 16:14-17

Understanding who Jesus is comes only by spiritual revelation. You cannot deduce it with your own intellect. Just like with my mom. Just like me. Just like every other person who is born again.

Jesus is our High Priest 

"Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need." - Hebrews 4:14-16

Just like the high priest did for the nation of Israel - Jesus makes intercession for us - we who are part of spiritual Israel. He is our eternal atonement - the sacrifice once for all - our propitiation - the mercy seat that satisfies the wrath of God for sin.

Jesus is King

"Jesus answered [Pilate], “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here.”  Pilate therefore said to Him, “Are You a king then?” Jesus answered, “You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice." - John 18:36-37

The truth of who Jesus is a spiritual revelation. even though the Jews looked forward to the day the Messiah would appear - they were spiritually blind. Just like Pilate they tried to understand who Jesus was from their preconceived ideas that came from the wisdom of natural men. Just as Jesus said to Nicodemus -  

"[Nicodemus] Do not marvel that I [Jesus] said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.” Nicodemus answered and said to Him, “How can these things be?” Jesus answered and said to him, “Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things? Most assuredly, I say to you, We speak what We know and testify what We have seen, and you do not receive Our witness." - John 3:8-11

Jesus is the First Born and Our Brother

"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." - Romans 8:29

Spiritually we are God the Father's offspring - sons and daughter. Jesus is the oldest brother if you will. Jesus is a reflection of the Father.

"Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.” 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." - John 14:5-9

And as Jesus is a reflection of the Father - as we are conformed to the image of Christ - we reflect the image of our heavenly Father as well. So if someone should say to us - show us the Father - we can say - "If you have seen me, then you have seen the Father!" 

Jesus is All We Need

"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

I heard a preacher say once, "When Jesus is all we have - that is when we understand that Jesus is all we need." 

There is a song "More Like You" that resonates with this idea.

More like You - Jesus, more like You - Fill my heart with your desire - To make me more like You

More like You - Jesus, more like You - Touch my lips with holy fire And make me more like You

Lord, You are my mercy - Lord, you are my grace - All my deepest sins - Have forever been erased

Draw me in your presence - Lead me in Your ways - I long to bring you glory - In righteousness and praise. <end>

***

Think 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 Speech Reflects Your Heart, Your Heart Reflects Your Faith

Those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart….For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. These are the things which defile [someone] … —Matthew 15:18-20

 “If I will take an honest look at myself, becoming fully aware of my so-called innocence and putting it to the test, I am very likely to have a rude awakening that what Jesus Christ said is true, and I will be appalled at the possibilities of the evil and the wrong within me. But as long as I remain under the false security of my own “innocence,” I am living in a fool’s paradise." - Oswald Chambers, My Utmost For His Highest  

Our old nature does not go away when we are born again, but when we are born again, we no longer have to live in subjection to our old nature.  We have a choice.  But, because it is a choice, we can choose poorly and allow the old nature to dominate us. One of the sure-fire ways that I can tell where a person is spiritually is by listening to what they say and how they say it. 

In other words, your speech will eventually reveal your heart.  We often make excuses for our old nature.  “That is the way our family is.” “I was just kidding.” Actually we don’t have to make excuses for our old nature.  It is what it is.  It will never get better.  It can only be replaced with our new nature.  If our heart is yielded to the Lord then what comes out of our mouths will reflect the Spirit of God.  Love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.  (Read Galatians 5:16-25 to understand the contrast).  

We are all vulnerable to spiritual relapses, but the traits of our old nature should not be the dominant characteristic of who people think we are, what they have come to expect of us and how we behave toward others and the Lord.  We must stop making excuses for what we know is wrong and does not honor God.  Our mission in this life is to reflect Jesus, to glorify God, to proclaim the Gospel through the living out of our lives.

In his poem ‘Sermons We See’ Edward Albert Guest wrote "I’d rather see a sermon than hear one any day". 

“The path of the righteous is like the morning sun, shining ever brighter till the full light of day. But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know what makes them stumble. My son, pay attention to what I say; turn your ear to my words. Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; for they are life to those who find them and health to one’s whole body. Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. Keep your mouth free of perversity; keep corrupt talk far from your lips. Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you. Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways. Do not turn to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil” -  Proverbs 4:18-27

You can’t do that on your own, since the day you were born again you are on a spiritual quest and it’s spiritual strength that you need to be successful. 

 Think 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 Nature That Rules Our Hearts

…to those who are…called to be saints… —1 Corinthians 1:2

"We have seen what we are not, and what God wants us to be, but are we willing to be battered into the shape of the vision to be used by God? There are times when we do know what God’s purpose is; whether we will let the vision be turned into actual character depends on us, not on God. If we prefer to relax on the mountaintop and live in the memory of the vision, then we will be of no real use in the ordinary things of which human life is made." - Oswald Chambers, My Utmost For His Highest

How do you approach life?  I mean .. as you live from one event to another .. from one breath to another breath … what is it that determines how you respond to the events in your life? What you think .. what you do .. what you say.  As Christians we have a choice, actually.  Because this new life we live, we live in the flesh by faith, we can choose to respond in the natural or in the supernatural.  We can respond as the world does, or we can respond like Jesus did. How you respond is determined by your true disposition.  If you see your new life as merely an attribute, like being a citizen of the United States or having red hair, then you are in trouble spiritually.  You can hope to respond to life differently, but it is not going to happen.  Often times, we confuse a spiritual response with natural constraint.  Let me explain by example.

Mary is talking to you when she says something that is very offensive. How do you respond?  Naturally, you might be thinking an unkind thought, but you restrain yourself so as not to give her an indication of how you really feel away.  Spiritually, you are not affected by the words, but see Mary’s heart, the source of what comes out of her mouth, and so, you pray for her.  You hold no grudge against her, but have forgiven her for the offense.  You show compassion for Mary.  Like Jesus did for those who crucified Him.  The offense will not be logged away in your heart to be pulled up at some time in the future.  

Let’s say your children are like whirlwinds in your house.  They won’t listen so you yell at them.  You just can’t take it anymore.  You can’t help yourself.  You are right … your old nature is stronger than your will to not yell at your children … but your old nature is not stronger than your new nature, whose source is the Creator God.  You will respond to life from your true nature .. which nature is that?  The one that rules your heart.  Not the one that you want to rule, but the one that actually sits on the throne. 

 Living supernaturally does not just happen, it is a deliberate process, yielding your life to God each day, living by faith, meditating on the Word (BTW when was the last time you read the Bible on your own?)  Or is the only time you see the Word of God is when they show it on the screen at church? You are a child of God, don’t be satisfied with anything less.

What nature really rules your heart? Your life will shout it out - and those close to you will see you for who you really are.

Think 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 A Man Loves A Woman

“If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing." - 1 Corinthians 13:1-3

The other day, as I was leafing through the pages of my Bible, I notice a diagram I had made from either a sermon or a teaching some years back. The diagram depicted a simple truth. God loves us and because of that love we are to love others.  You can find that in Matthew 22:37-39 when Jesus condensed all of the Law into two commands – Love God and Love Others.  Also in 1 John 4:19 – We love because He loved us first.  Love is so important which is why God prompted Paul to write about it in 1 Corinthians.

That love is at the root of a marriage relationship or should be if that relationship is to glorify God and be what He intended it to be. If the relationship is based on something else, then it will fall short.  Well – there’s more – in Ephesians 5:25 – Paul wrote that husbands are to love their wives as Christ loved the Church.  Meaning that the husband must be willing to lay his life down for his wife.  Give up his dreams even.  The husband has been given great responsibility as the head of the wife.  With responsibility comes authority.  The problem is that many men want to cling to the authority part and shirk their responsibility as the “spiritual” head of the family.  

In 1 Peter 2 and 3, Peter wrote about submission. That wives should submit to their husbands.  Submit to what? His God-given authority. In today’s “progressive” culture, many woman struggle with this.  Why? Because they don’t trust their husbands to NOT abuse their authority and shirk their responsibility. But – Peter goes on to say “Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers.” 

In Ephesians 5:22-25 Paul talks about mutual submission out of reverence for Christ. “Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything. Husbands love your wives as Christ loved the Church and gave Himself up for her." Submitting to the needs of our wives in deference to our own needs. I look out for my wife and my wife looks out for me. Pretty cool - if you do it.

All of this love and submission is in the context of our faith and not our natural life.  The problem is that many see it as problematic because they are looking at it through the lens of their natural, sinful life.  

The bottom line is that success in marriage is dependent upon both partners mutually submitted to each other and both submitted to the Spirit of God– loving each other with the love of God. And if things don’t seem to be working – evaluate that.  When a marriage fails, most assuredly the culprit will be our sin nature.  And if you are unevenly yoked – meaning that one of you is not a Christian – that does not relieve the Christian of their responsibility to obey God.  There is so much more to be said – but so many have already said it.  Love each other just like Jesus and the Father loves you. It takes faith to do that.  

Think 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 For Today - Applying Your Faith

"Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions. But if that servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed in coming,’ and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and get drunk, the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know" - Luke 12:43-46

It is like someone thinking, "I can clean the house up before my folks get back." But they come back early. But what Luke was writing about was how we treat God - not our parents. When Jesus said that we are to love God - the Father - with our heart, soul, mind and strength - it was not when we get around to it. It was every day - 24x7x365. 

If we choose to live like the world figuring that we can get our act together afterward, we have missed it. Jesus sacrifice and God's grace is not a pass to sin when we want knowing that our sins have been covered by Jesus' blood!

"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

When someone dies, their bodies are no longer responsive to what is going on in the world. That is because they are dead - no longer living. (Are you amazed at how insightful I am? Probably not!) But that is the picture of how we should be toward the world and the things of the world after we are born again. But it is a struggle to not respond to the world and the temptation to sin. 

The issue is one of heart surrender. That is not a "one and done" thing. It is an every day - moment by moment thing - so long as our hearts are beating - our lungs are breathing - and the blood is flowing. 

"I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." - Galatians 2:20

Though we live in the flesh - we live by faith in Jesus. That should matter to you. That should affect your choices and how you live this life. Does it? Is your faith hypothetical or applied? Faith is like math. You can learn about math - simple addition to calculus and beyond. You may even get 100's on your tests. Even a college degree in Mathematics. But there is something called "Applied Mathematics". Applied mathematics is the application of mathematical methods by different fields such as physics, engineering, medicine, biology, finance, business, computer science, and industry. Thus, applied mathematics is a combination of mathematical science and specialized knowledge.

If you are taught to not stand in the road - but when a car or truck approaches and you fail to get out of the road, you will get run over. Applying what you  know.

Think 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 

Red And Yellow, Black And White We Are Precious In His Site

Jesus loves the Little Children. All the children of the world. Red and yellow, black and white, they are precious in his site. Jesus - and the Father, love the little children of the world.

 Over the years, I have heard a number of people refer to humankind as being “all God’s children”. It’s one of those sayings that sounds good, but is patently false. It is a subtle way of denying the need for Jesus and the Cross.

"But it is not that the word of God has taken no effect. For they are not all Israel who are of Israel, nor are they all children because they are the seed of Abraham; but, “In Isaac your seed shall be called." - Romans 9:6-7

The Jews believed that because they were ethnic Jews they were in. But God said that being genetically descended from Abraham was not enough. 

What is true is that God is the Source of all creation.  And Jesus is at the center of it.  

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.”  - John 1:1-4

 Jesus is the “living” Word.  [It was this truth that the Spirit used to open my mom’s eyes and salvation]  I am not going to address the Trinity this morning. Spiritual reality is so different from our human reality.  We try to cram spiritual understanding into the shoes of our natural understanding but those “feet” are just too big!  They don’t fit.  

The temptation is to reject Spiritual truth because of the limitation of our natural understanding.  A common mistake.  

“The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit.” - 1 Corinthians 2:14

So back to the main point – God’s children.  We are all God’s natural creation but we are not all His spiritual children.  We must be adopted into His family.  

“having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will” - Ephesians 1:5 

I cannot adopt my own children, neither can God - they are already His.  Without His adoption through Jesus I, who is not a child of His, am bound for hell.  Once adopted I have eternal life with God in heaven. Pretty simple really.  God loves his creation and that is why He sent Jesus to make it possible for us to become His children by Faith. (John 3:16)

Saying we are all God’s children may sound sweet but it is a bitter falsehood – a deception.  Only the Spirit of God can convince people of that truth.  That they need a Savior. We have an obligation to share the Gospel when given the opportunity. And you will have the opportunity. Don’t give people who are lost false hope. 

“Speak the truth in love.” - Ephesians 4:15

Think 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 

Are You Following The Cloud Or The Crowd?

"Whenever the cloud was taken up from above the tabernacle, after that the children of Israel would journey; and in the place where the cloud settled, there the children of Israel would pitch their tents. At the command of the Lord the children of Israel would journey, and at the command of the Lord they would camp; as long as the cloud stayed above the tabernacle they remained encamped. Even when the cloud continued long, many days above the tabernacle, the children of Israel kept the charge of the Lord and did not journey. So it was, when the cloud was above the tabernacle a few days: according to the command of the Lord they would remain encamped, and according to the command of the Lord they would journey. So it was, when the cloud remained only from evening until morning: when the cloud was taken up in the morning, then they would journey; whether by day or by night, whenever the cloud was taken up, they would journey. Whether it was two days, a month, or a year that the cloud remained above the tabernacle, the children of Israel would remain encamped and not journey; but when it was taken up, they would journey. At the command of the Lord they remained encamped, and at the command of the Lord they journeyed" - Numbers 9:17-23

OK - so you get the idea. The eyes of the people were on the Cloud. They were not doing their own thing. When God say go - they went. When God said stay - they stayed. That is pretty much how Martie and I have been living our lives for the past 21 years. There is not a cloud around our house - but there is an awareness of the presence of God. We are constantly on the watch for a sign from the Lord that it is time to stay or time to go. 

I recall when our missionary journey began - we were serving in Mississippi after Hurricane Katrina. We would drive up to Montgomery to check on our house every other weekend or so. On one such weekend - Martie told me that we could no longer stay in Montgomery - our place was in Mississippi. That is where the cloud had settled, although we didn't think of it in those terms at the time. I could, but won't) share a number of other instances where the cloud has moved and we followed. The point is that it is always God who decides when and where to go and when and where to stay. We don't get to know for how long or choose the place. What we do get to decide is whether we will be obedient to God.

So back to Israel and the Crowd. Read Numbers and you will see how the people complained - because while God met their needs, He did not necessarily fulfill their wants. 

"So all the congregation lifted up their voices and cried, and the people wept that night.  And all the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron, and the whole congregation said to them, “If only we had died in the land of Egypt! Or if only we had died in this wilderness! Why has the Lord brought us to this land to fall by the sword, that our wives and children should become victims? Would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?” So they said to one another, “Let us select a leader and return to Egypt." - Numbers 14:1-4

When the Cloud was crossing the Jordan River - the people - the Crowd - pushed back - and said NO to God. 10 of the spies said it was too dangerous and they should not cross - stay - in other words. Only 2 spies - Joshua and Caleb - said they should go. The consequence - they wandered in the desert for 40 years until that disobedient generation had passed away. The only ones left were Joshua and Caleb and they eventually led Israel into the promised land.

By the way - the crowd will often try to convince you that you should listen to the crowd and not to God. Maybe along with a subtle threat of rejection if you don't go along with them. It is a point of making a choice - follow the Cloud or follow the crowd. Listen for the voice of God and do what He says.

What has God been saying to you? It is OK to stay if that is God's plan and place for you. 

Think 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 

Taking Up Your Cross

"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

I am certain that if you are reading this then you are familiar with a number of "go to" verses. Particularly in the New Testament. Matthew 16:24 is one of them. I was thinking about a friend who senses they are being called to full-time ministry. That caused me to think back about Martie's and my journey. How did we end up on the mission field. 

I got to thinking that it was the moment that we decided that what we wanted was no longer important. Money in the bank. A comfortable home. A nice car. A secure future. None of those things mattered when set against God's call for us to leave those things and follow Jesus. That brought to mind another verse. 

"Then a certain scribe came and said to Him, “Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go.” And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” Then another of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” But Jesus said to him, “Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead." - Matthew 8:19-22

I have known many people that were excited at the thought of following Jesus, but when they were faced with counting the cost - they faltered. Jesus was challenging those disciples to see the world as He saw the world. He told the one, you will have to leave home and there will be no place you can go back to that you would call home. To the second - well first  - we don't know if his father had died or if he wanted to wait until after his father died. In either case - Jesus told him that following Jesus would require sacrifice and a new set of priorities.

That is what happened to us. As Paul said 

"Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ" - Philippians 3:8

Paul set no store in the things that he had once valued - things that guided his choices and decisions until the day he met Jesus on the road. 

I recall talking to some people who were serving - helping in Haiti full time. Some of them complained - incessantly - about how difficult life was in Haiti. I told them that if God had not called them to serve in Haiti then they should go home because doing what we were doing was too difficult if we were doing it on our own. God never calls you to do anything that you can do on your own.

So what to tell my friend - should they ask for my advice. Maybe what I just told you. 

Think 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 

How to Pray

"One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” He said to them, “When you pray, say: “‘Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation." - Luke 11:1-4

I think that everyone knows that story and can recite the Lord's prayer or most of it - even some unbelievers can. 

I think the question was asked because the disciples wanted to pray properly. I wrote a BLOG not too long ago about having a clean heart and clean hands when you approach God to pray.  When we pray we are having a conversation with God. It is not a dialogue in the sense of talking with your spouse or a friend - it is a spiritual conversation. One in which God may speak, act or do nothing. That doesn't mean it did hear you. 

I was talking to my wife about this today and we recalled two acrostics (a word where each letter refers to another word) Payer and Acts that are used by some as a way to remember "what or how to pray".

Pray : Praise God - Repent of your sins - Ask - Yield

ACTS : Adoration - Confession - Thanksgiving - Supplication

"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." - 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

The point is that we should have a constant focus on God. Be intentionally connected to Him. Understand Who He is and WHOSE we are.

Be mindful of our fallibilities and proclivity to sin. Ask God in light of those truths. Be careful how we pray.

"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." - James 4:2-3

In other words we pray for the wrong things. 

Come to God in humility and willing to accept His will and not insist on having your own way.

Prayer does not need to be long or flamboyant. Go to the Father with humility and love for Him with a clean heart and clean hands. But I encourage you to pray.

Think 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