Don't Be Satisfied With Good Enough

"For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes." - Romans 10:2-4

What does it mean to be right before God? For some Christians and unbelievers, it is a self-defined righteousness. It is a mix of the natural and the spiritual. Oh - not the really bad part of the natural - just the part that is contrary to God's word but acceptable in the eyes of man.  Most would consider you a nice and honorable person if you are like that. But then, most don't have any idea what right living and right standing before God are. It is a relative measure where you are compared to other people. It is easy to find people that are not as good as you are. You don't have to look far to find them. And when you do, it gives you a warm and fuzzy feeling that you have arrived. The point is not living a life of constrained behavior but a yielded heart.

As Christians. our goal must not be that we are seen as "good" in the eyes of man. This is the same world that Jesus warned the disciples about.

"If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you." - John 15:18-19

You might say, "The world does not hate Christians." OK, take a stand on something that the world has declared as right and good, but God has declared as sin. The line will be drawn quickly. You will be quickly labeled as being out of touch with the truth - their truth. How important is acceptance by the world to you? Ok, closer to home - your co-workers - your friends - your family. Enough to reject the Truth to embrace a lie all for acceptance. Choosing to go along to get along.

"For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man." - Romans 1:18-23

And if you find the Christian life difficult to live, that is because it is if you are only trusting in your won't and will power and not the power of God that is in 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 

Recognition - Remorse - Repentance - Reconciliation

"Some Pharisees came and tested him [Jesus] by asking, is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife? What did Moses command you? he replied. They said, Moses permitted a man to write a certificate of divorce and send her away. It was because your hearts were hard that Moses wrote you this law, Jesus replied. But at the beginning of creation God made them male and female. For this reason, a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. So, they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, let no one separate. When they were in the house again, the disciples asked Jesus about this. He answered, anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her. And if she divorces her husband and marries another man, she commits adultery." - Mark 10:2-12

Very often I find myself writing about issues that I suspect will make some readers uncomfortable, but my hope is that it will provoke your thought and reflection on the realities of living in a fallen world. Divorce is an all-too-common event, in our culture in particular. When I tell people that Martie and I have been married for what will be 53 years in January, many reply - "wow, that is uncommon these days, or words to that effect.

In the United States, "when it comes to first marriages, 43% (eventually) are dissolved. Second and third marriages actually fail at a far higher rate, though, with 60% of second marriages and 73% of third marriages ending in divorce." - Legal Advisor article (Revealing Divorce Statistics In 2024) In case you are wondering, divorce rates among Christians are not much better. Recent surveys and studies suggest that approximately 20 to 25 percent of Christian marriages end in divorce, with higher percentages reported among millennials and younger generations of believers.

The woman at the well.

"The [Samaritan] woman said to him, Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water. He told her, go, call your husband and come back. I have no husband, she replied. Jesus said to her, you are right when you say you have no husband. The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true. ... The woman said, I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us. Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you—I am he. .... Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, He told me everything I ever did." - John 4:15-18, 25-26,39

Notice Jesus did not say to the woman that she needed to be restored to her first husband. Although divorce is destructive to the very fiber of marriage and family, it is not the unpardonable sin for which there is no forgiveness. I will leave that to your own study if you are so inclined to pursue it.

Given that one exception to the possibility of forgiveness by God's grace, we should not consider our sins to be OK so that grace might abound.

"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

I am quite certain that Jesus had an admonition for the woman at the well, just like He had for the adulterous woman.

"When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.” Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness but have the light of life." - John 8:10-12

If you will indulge my alliteration - after we sin, there should be recognition - remorse - repentance and reconciliation. "Stuffing" our sin by quenching the Spirit does not get us a "pass" from God. You may fool your friends but not God.

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation." - 2 Corinthians 5:17-19

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 Rightly

"And he called the people to him again and said to them, “Hear me, all of you, and understand: There is nothing outside a person that by going into him can defile him, but the things that come out of a person are what defile him.” And when he had entered the house and left the people, his disciples asked him about the parable. And he said to them, “Then are you also without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile him, since it enters not his heart but his stomach, and is expelled?” (Thus, he declared all foods clean.) And he said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person." - Mark 7:14-23

Jesus was making a spiritual distinction. Our natural "bent" is to look at the physical and impose it on the spiritual. Jesus said instead we should consider the spiritual and impose that on the physical.  The Jews has strict dietary laws that, if not followed, were considered to be sinful. Jesus "debunked" that thinking - making it clear that God judges the heart and not the stomach. The Apostle Paul expanded on that teaching. 

"Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a person to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble. It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother or sister to fall." - Romans 14:19-21

However, even though it is lawful or OK to do something, it may be better to refrain if a weaker brother might stumble by you doing it. When Cain was asked where his brother Abel was, after Cain had killed him, Cain responded with, "Am I my brother's keeper?" The answer is "Yes" in light of the second greatest commandment.

"Teacher [Jesus], which is the greatest commandment in the Law? Jesus replied: Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." - Matthew 22:36-40

Consider that with Jesus' admonition recorded in John 15

"My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends." - John 15:12-13

Willingness to set your own life aside for the good of others. If the question rises up in your heart - "Why should I not be able to do what I want if it is not wrong or sinful?" I would counter with this.

"If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them." - James 4:17

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 

Straining At The Oars Against The Wind

"Then Jesus went around teaching from village to village. Calling the Twelve to him, he began to send them out two by two and gave them authority over impure spirits." - Mark 6:6-7

The disciples were with Jesus but when He sent them out, He had to give them authority to do spiritual things. Spiritual power is gained by association. You cannot go to church - watch enough sermons - even read the Bible often enough to do what God calls you to do - has purposed you to do. 

"And if any place will not welcome you or listen to you, leave that place and shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them." - Mark 6:11

Just because you have the spiritual power does not mean the world will embrace you. In fact, most of the world will not. 

"He saw the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was against them." - Mark 6:48

When I was in Army flight school, I used to go fishing early on Saturday mornings for a few hours. Stress relief. There was a pond - a rather large pond that I would fish on. I used a small john boat with a trolling motor to fish out of. On one particular day I was fishing with Martie.  As we turned the boat back toward the car, a strong wind picked up.  It was blowing in the opposite direction of the place we wanted to go to. Hard as I paddled with the trolling motor set on high, the boat was pushed back on the opposite shore. I had to yield to the wind. The boat belonged to the people who owned the pond, so we abandoned the boat and walked back around the shoreline through brambles. Martie helping me carry the fishing gear and me carrying the car battery and motor. Life is like that. The winds of life are very often against you. You don't have enough strength to overcome the force of the wind. 

You are faced with a choice. Surrender to the wind or surrender to the Lord. 

"Then he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel [to all of us]: Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts." - Zechariah 4:6

We all need to stop straining in our own power - surrender to the Lord.

"I can do all things through him who strengthens me." - Philippians 4:13

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 

Where Is Your Mission Field

"And when He got into the boat, he who had been demon-possessed begged Him that he might be with Him. However, Jesus did not permit him, but said to him, “Go home to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He has had compassion on you.” And he departed and began to proclaim in Decapolis all that Jesus had done for him; and all marveled." - Mark 5:18-20

The demon-possessed man had been living in the tombs - in isolation - when he met Jesus. His deliverance was an incredible - unimaginable event. He was ready to join up with Jesus, to go wherever Jesus went. But Jesus had another mission for him. "Go home to your friends and tell them." His mission field was at home. He was to be a living testimony to those close to him. You don't have to go to a foreign land to serve God and be faithful to your calling.

Did you notice that Jesus told the man to tell others what God had done for him. That is called a personal testimony. 

"But 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

What has God sent you to do and where has He sent you to do it? Since God told me to lay my uniform down and follow Him, Martie and I have been on a remarkable journey - living like gypsies often times - (I call us Gypsies for Jesus). Today, although our traveling days may be behind us, our mission and ministry continue and will until we are called home. 

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 All Need Help To Understand

"And with many such parables He spoke the word to them as they were able to hear it. But without a parable He did not speak to them. And when they were alone, He explained all things to His disciples." - Mark 4:33-34

Jesus spoke in parables. Speaking to people about spiritual things by using analogies - stories. The people could hear the words but did not understand their meaning. And so, it is with the Word of God. The disciples, as close as they were with Jesus, did not understand either - they needed some help. In the same way we need some help to understand spiritual truth. Before Jesus ascended, He told the disciples - 

"But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you." - John 14:26

Like Jesus and the disciples, it is the Spirit of God that reveals spiritual truth to us. To the unsaved - the Word is just words - stories - parables.

"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

Read the parable of the seed in Mark 4. Our place is not to prepare the ground but to cast the seed. The result is spiritual - super-natural if you will - beyond our influence. As I have written before, you cannot explain spiritual truth to someone without the presence of the Spirit of God. We are merely the messengers - as if that were not amazing enough!

A thought just occurred to me. One of God's traits is that He is omniscient - all knowing. Man's undoing was the desire to be like God - more to the point to be "God" and not need the Creator. Just recently artificial intelligence (AI) has gained traction in nearly every facet of commerce, social networking and education. The knowledge of the world is now at our fingertips through it. Helping man to be omniscient, more like God, if you will. (Now if you asked Bill Gates, I am pretty certain that he would not agree with that as the motivation.) There is some concern that AI could evolve on its own and become malevolent. To "take over" - and man could lose control.  The thing is - AI is limited to what is known - what has been revealed in the natural - but not what is unknown - only revealed in the super-natural. That is the Creator God's domain. www.GodIsInControl.hvn (I made that website up)

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 Challenge Of Having Dual Citizenship - In The World But Not Of it

"Then Jesus’ mother and brothers arrived. Standing outside, they sent someone in to call him. A crowd was sitting around him, and they told him, Your mother and brothers are outside looking for you. Who are my mother and my brothers? he asked. Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother." - Mark 3:31-35

Does that seem odd to you, that Jesus would essentially ignore his family - His earthly mother and brothers in favor of the people sitting at His feet - listening to His teaching? There is an undeniable tension for those who are born again and in ministry in particular. The tension is between devotion to biological family and the natural world and the family of God. For all of us adopted as sons and daughters of the Creator God by faith in Jesus who is God - the Father's first born among many. Intentionally living with an awareness that, as Christians, we all have been adopted out of the world into the kingdom of God.

"having predestined us to adoption as sons [and daughters] by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved." - Ephesians 1:5-6

Jesus was teaching a spiritual truth. when He didn't say, "Oh sorry folks, my mom is here - see you tomorrow!"  His point being - we must look beyond the physical to the kingdom of God. Since, as Christians, our primary citizenship is in heaven. 

"For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ." - Philippians 3:20

Our loyalty is first to God and then to the world. Did Jesus have affection for his mother and brothers? Of course He did. But there was a greater point to be learned. I see pastors and Christian leaders struggle with this issue - often. Not with loving God first, but with managing the ministry God has called them to with the demands of their personal family. Both require time and attention. Is there a point of balance - yes. Finding it can be a challenge. We often tend to think of the tension in terms of all or none. One or the other. Too often we end up choosing the world over God, convincing ourselves that we really haven't. The Bible says you cannot love both the world and God. You will love one and hate the other. (Matthew 6:24) Choosing God first is not the same as forgoing a ministry meeting so you can spend time with your wife, son or daughter. Neglecting your responsibilities as a husband or father - wife or mother -  to your spouse and children is actually sin. 

"I [Jesus] have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world." - John 17:14-16

There is a saying that goes, "Christians are in the world but not of the world." That is not actually a verse but a paraphrase of verses in John 17.  Having spiritual awareness of your standing in the world and your need to keep that in its proper place is critical to a successful walk of faith. Keep in mind ... 

"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?" - 1 John 4:19-20

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 It Takes To Make It

"Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.  And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from the evil one." - Matthew 6:11-13

One day at a time, dear Jesus. That is all I am asking of you. When the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray - that is what He told them to do. Ask God for enough for today. Our daily bread or portion. A little later He said this ...

"seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." - Matthew 6:33-34

Focusing on today. There is a saying in Haiti, "Ti pa ti pa", meaning gradually, small steps or step by step. Put another way, answering the question, "How do you eat an elephant?" Answer, "On bite at a time." Ask God to provide for what you face today. Then tomorrow, and then the next day. 

"Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” “Sir,” they said, “always give us this bread.” Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty." - John 6:32-35

"You can have all this world. More than silver, more than gold. You are the treasure that I hold. Now that I've tasted of Your goodness. Nothing else will satisfy. Just give me Jesus." Give Me Jesus, Fernando Ortega.

When we think of our daily bread, I think most often, our minds go to the natural - physical, relational, financial issues. But, on reflection, I think it must start with a hunger for the "Bread of Heaven." - the spiritual. everything else is subordinate to that - don't you think so? We say that we love God with our all, but when we are faced with the fires of life - when we feel the heat from them - it is in our nature - our old nature - to give those things primacy in our minds. It is not wrong to pray for those things - but it is wrong to let them dominate us.  

Seek first His Kingdom. 

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 

Obedience and Trouble

"As he [Jesus] went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him." - John 9:1-3

I think some Christians live with the false assumption that the troubles that come their way are a result of some sin on their part. If they were living "rightly" then they would live a trouble-free life. The fact is that spiritual obedience does not mean you will avoid the troubles of our natural lives. Jesus said, 

"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." - John 16:33

Notice the words. "You WILL have trouble" Trouble in this life is unavoidable, but don't lose heart - trust in Jesus. 

"Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 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 4:5-7

How you respond in times of trouble is a testimony of faith - or at least it can be. It is possible to be at peace and yet be up to your ears in turmoil. It is all a matter in where you have placed your faith and trust. Proverbs 3:5-8 speaks to what we should do and then what we often do.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones." - Proverbs 3:5-8

Do you see it? We are supposed to trust God and not ourselves. Not be wise in our own eyes but understand Who God is and trust Him!

God's purposes can and will be accomplished in and through us in spite of the troubles we face.

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance." - James 1:2-3

There is, or was, a building materials store in Jacmel, Haiti with the name, Perseverance - like a little Home Depot in Haiti. Each time I drove past that store - or when I would stop in to buy materials, my heart was warmed because the name caused me to remember James 1. We faced considerable adversity during our time in Haiti, small in comparison to what the Haitians face every day - but God proved Himself faithful at every turn.

Someone once said, "There is no testimony without a test." 

"I lift up my eyes to the hills—where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth." - Psalm 121:1-2

I encourage you to read that entire Psalm. And then ... 

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 Difference Between good and GOOD

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." - Ephesians 2:8-10

I am certain that many of those reading this recall at least hearing about Vince Lombardi. 

"It was the summer of 1961 and Vince Lombardi started Green Bay Packers training camp holding something that needed no explanation and said…“Gentlemen, this is a football.” In five words, he communicated his point: if you want to be successful, we’re going to remember the basics and make sure we’re executing the fundamentals. You never graduate past the basics. Yes, you build on them but you never move past them."  (Mark Tiderman, Jr.)

So I would hold up Jesus and say, "This is the source of our salvation and right standing before a holy God." The basics of our faith. Saved by grace through faith not by our "good" works. In his letter to the church in Rome, Paul wrote that 

"And if by grace, then it cannot be based on works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace." - Romans 11:6

Grace is unmerited favor. Mercy, on the other hand, is not getting what we do deserve. Paul wrote to the church in Ephesus that we cannot be good enough to merit God's favor. Once we are born again by faith then there are good works that God has prepared us to do by the power of His Spirit. If what we do does not have, at its root, a spiritual seed, then it will not accomplish God's purposes. I recall telling a group of what they called "Ex-patriots" (meaning that they were living in one country - Haiti - but were citizens of another - the United States) that if they were in Haiti and God had not called them to the work, then they should go home. That was not well received. Each one was doing a "good" thing in their mind - but if they were doing it without the prompting of God merely out of a desire to do a good thing, then they should not give God the credit. It was a work of the flesh not faith.

"So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works." - James 2:17-18

Good works are a natural result of faith. God purpose it. Faith apart from works is a dead faith - meaning it is not producing the fruit it was intended to produce. Doing good things apart from faith is like an apple tree producing oranges. The tree branches do not decide what fruit will be produced - the Root does.

 "A certain ruler asked him [Jesus], Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life? Why do you call me good? Jesus answered. No one is good—except God alone." - Luke 18:18-19

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 

Don't Just Clean The Outside Of The Cup

"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean.  In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside, you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness." - Matthew 23:27-28

The tendency of human nature - our sinful nature is to become more sinful - not less. Transformation happens on the inside and is demonstrated on the outside. The United States is not a Christian nation, although the majority of the world thinks it is, at least in name. Our country was founded on Biblical precepts but also declared the right for people to believe whatever they wanted to believe - to practice the religion of their choice. I read this report from NBC news recently.

"the U.S. has grown even more secular in the eight years since Obama left office, with a record 28% of adults now identifying as religiously unaffiliated, according to the Pew Research Center, surpassing evangelical Protestants and Catholics to now be the largest religious group in the country. As recently as 2007, when Obama was preparing his first presidential run, the religiously unaffiliated — who include people who identify as atheists, agnostics and “nothing in particular” — made up just 16% of the country in Pew’s data. And presidential historian Michael Beschloss said Americans have grown more cynical about their politicians and what their religious affiliations might say about their character. “We’ve learned a lot about a lot of politicians who seemed to be very religious but did not necessarily follow the tenets of their faith in one way or another,” said Beschloss, noting religion has become as much about policy as personality. “So, for many people, religion may no longer say much about someone’s personal character.” NBC News

That is not just a problem for politicians. To be a politician you must be willing to compromise. So too for people who are not politicians. Or at least that is what one might be led to believe. Go along to get along. Cooperate and graduate. The Pharisees promoted a faith that they, themselves, were unwilling to practice. Do as I say and not as I do. What the world needs to see are people who are demonstrating their faith by the way they live and the choices they make. Being as vocal about what they are for as they are for what they are against. 

"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean." Matthew 23:25-26

As a Christian you do not hold the majority view on issues of morality and justice. And you shouldn't. You will always be part of the minority. 

"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it." - Matthew 7:13-14

While we were serving in Haiti, we often hiked into remote areas. On one such trip I saw the gate shown in the picture included in this post. It reminded me that as much as I want all to believe, not all will believe. But some will. Be the light. Resist compromise. Stand for the truth, as God has revealed it, not as our culture defines it. Let your life be a reflection of your heart and faith. 

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 

Can These Dry Bones Live

"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." - Romans 8:35-39

Martie and I travel by road a good bit and are, admittedly, totally dependent upon the GPS in our vehicle. Years back we used a Road Atlas and would plot our route on a physical map before ever leaving the house. Then as one of us drove the other would follow along on the map. Those days are long gone. Now, we just hop in the truck, type in our destination and "voila" the route appears. As I drive, I don't pay much attention to the map, just listen for the voice to say something like "turn right at the next exit and you have reached your destination".

I am getting a little "long in the tooth". My personal odometer rolled over 74 years a couple of months back. I am watching as people in my generation are passing, having reached their destination. Some are people I know, both Christians and lost. People that I have had a personal relationship with at some point in my journey. It is a stark reminder of the verse.

"And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment" - Hebrews 9:27

I don't stay up at night worried about life and death. But I do understand that more of my life is behind me than is ahead of me. And one day I will hear the words, "turn right at the next exit, you have reached your destination." 

I recently saw an article about how archeologists found the bones of some Vikings in Scotland. My roots go back to northern Scotland in a town named Elgin (pronounced with a "hard" G like gun). Yes there is a family connection. Anyway, there is also some history with the Vikings in that area and so I am drawn to those articles when I find them. But I digress. The article included a picture of a man's skeleton being uncovered. Seeing that I was reminded of another verse. 

"The hand of the Lord was upon me, and he brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of the valley; it was full of bones. And he led me around among them, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley, and behold, they were very dry. And he said to me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord God, you know." - Ezekiel 37:1-3

One day these bodies that we have will be nothing but dry bones. But we are sons and daughters of the Creator God, because we have been adopted into the "family of God" by faith in the Son. God formed us out of the dust. Dust that He created as well. One day we will be like the Viking. But unlike that Viking, our "dry bones" will live - for eternity. But in the meantime, while we have another breath, join me in resolving that we will continue live the rest of our lives well. Faithfully pressing on with the strength the Lord provides for His purpose and the proclamation of the Gospel through deed and word. 

"For I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day." - 2 Timothy 1:12

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