Walking On The Other Side Of The Road

"Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ." - Galatians 6:2

"Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost (sic) to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!" - The New Colossus, Emma Lazarus November 2, 1883 

That is a quote taken from a plaque on the Statue of Liberty. It speaks to an attitude of compassion. This nation is a nation of immigrants. Our country was founded on Biblical principles lived out by fallible people. But as I reflected on Galatians 6:2, the story of the Good Samaritan came to mind. Taking on the burdens of strangers - well not even strangers - just others - will always cost you something. The motivation for reaching out to others is not with the hope of me benefiting from the benevolence, but me being obedient to the Word of God. It is an expression of the love of God through me.

"We love because he first loved us. Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen." - 1 Joun 4:19-20

The Levite and the priest did not love God, they loved themselves and their religion. That did not include another Jew in a ditch or for certain, Samaritans. Walking to the other side of the road where the person in need is requires me to lay my life down - perhaps for someone who does not deserve my kindness. Sound familiar? It should - if you are a Christian you are benefiting from God's love, grace and mercy.

"But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." - Romans 5:8

Recall - grace is getting what you DON'T deserve, and mercy is not getting what you DO deserve. The man in the ditch was a Jew and Jews did not like Samaritans. But a Samaritan looked past that fact and did what the priest and Levite were unwilling to do - go out of their way to help someone in need.

"On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”  “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?” He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.” 29 But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” ... “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise." - Luke 10:25-29, 36-37

And my encouragement to you is - Go and do likewise. But I must caution you - in the face of the Spirit saying yes, your flesh - under the guise of pragmatism and being responsible - will say no - it's not your problem.

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

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

You Can’t Lead Others To A Life Where You Won’t Live

“Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” - Matthew 28:18-20

They could not make disciples if they, themselves, were not disciples already. You can’t lead where you won’t go – You can’t teach what you don’t know – You can only re-create what you are.  You may have heard your pastor preach on the Great Commandment and the Great Commission.  The Great Commandment is from Matthew 22:37 – Love God with all of your heart. mind, soul and strength.  

For many Christians – faith in Jesus is only about personal salvation – that’s it.  A one way ticket to Heaven.  But there is so much more to our new life.  In the Great Commission, Jesus said to make disciples which is much more than “merely” being witnesses and leading people to Jesus. Important as that is – more important is the changed life that should result from the rebirth and conformance to being like Jesus.  A disciple should be indistinguishable from the One the disciple is following.  Jesus said (Luke 9:23) “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.” Being a disciple of Jesus starts with the Great Commandment – Loving God and not yourself – and then being a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1) – “For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it.”  (Mark 8:35)

Here is the deal – you do what is important to you.  If pursuing God and the new life in Christ is not important to you, you won’t do it.  Talking about it and doing it are two different things. Merely showing up at church on Sunday is not enough. The simple expression of intent is not enough – being a disciple is fulfillment of that expression. So – you can’t lead someone else to being a disciple if you are not willing to go there yourself.  You can’t teach someone about the precepts of God and His will if you don’t know and embrace them yourself. If you are not a disciple of Jesus – merely saved – then you cannot be an example of a disciple of Jesus to others – you can only show them what a marginal Christian looks like. 

Now and again, we all need to consider our new life and our purpose on this earth.  And if we find that we are lacking – we need to repent and get back in step with Jesus – loving God and loving others.

“O to grace how great a debtor daily I'm constrained to be! Let thy goodness like a fetter, bind my wandering heart to thee. Prone to wander Lord I feel it, prone to leave the God I love. Here's my heart, O take and seal it, seal it for thy courts above”   

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 

Explaining The Bible To The Lost

I now send you, to open their eyes…that they may receive forgiveness of sins… —Acts 26:17-18

I was once asked how to explain how another Christian could explain the Bible to a lost person.  My answer … “You can’t!” You can have them look the words up in a dictionary if they don’t understand their meaning.  After all, they are ‘just printed words”, right?  But there is more to the word of God than stories and words in the English language.  Did you know that in Haitian Creole there is no word for “fox”?  (Luke 9:58) “Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.””  Instead, the word in the Creole Bible, Bib La, used is “shen” which is dog.  What! Then how can their Bible be accurate?  Listen. I probably have the minority view on what I am about to say.  The important thing is not if it’s fox or dog.  The important thing is that in order to follow Jesus, it means giving up your life. (Luke 9:57-60) “As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” He said to another man, “Follow me.” But he replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.””

 “This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words. 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. The person with the Spirit makes judgments about all things, but such a person is not subject to merely human judgments” - 1 Corinthians 2:13-15

Jesus told Nicodemus that he had to be born again, spiritually, and Nicodemus, a teacher of the Law, did not understand what Jesus was saying (John 3). The Bible is a spiritual book. 2 Timothy 3:16 says that it is God breathed meaning the inspiration is from the Spirit of God not men’s contemplation and wisdom.  Salvation is not a mortal decision – I have decided to follow Jesus – but it is a spiritual awakening and spiritual transaction that is initiated by God and is very personal. It is a mix of faith and grace (Ephesians 2:8-9) And unless the Spirit of God is involved, it is impossible for someone to understand the “true meaning” of the words in the Bible.  But ... that is not to say that God will not use those words as a catalyst, in concert, with the working of His Spirit.  So, my answer to the original question should have been …. It is important to expose the Lost to the Word of God, but it is the Spirit and not you that will give them understanding and only then.  Our part is to lift Jesus up in word and deed, and the Spirit will convict them of sin and draws them to the Father. 

Bottom line - it is the Spirit of God that brings conviction of sin and spiritual understanding. God may use us to speak Truth - but that is the limit our role. Salvation in response to what we say is between God and the sinner. 

Things that make you go hmmmmmm!

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 

Walking Like A Christian

We were buried with Him…that just as Christ was raised from the dead…even so we also should walk in newness of life. —Romans 6:4

"No one experiences complete sanctification without going through the burial of the old life. If there has never been this crucial moment of change through death, sanctification will never be more than an elusive dream.  Death means you stop being. You must agree with God and stop being the intensely striving kind of Christian you have been. Has there been a point in your life which you now mark as your last day? Is there a place in your life to which you go back in memory with humility and overwhelming gratitude. Will you agree with Him that this is your last day on earth? The moment of agreement depends on you." - My Utmost For His Highest

Can you say this about yourself without reservation? (Galatians 2:20) “I …… I am crucified with Christ.” Your old nature and its desires are dead to you.  You no longer prefer what your culture or the lusts of your flesh say are right.  “Therefore, it is no longer I who lives, but Christ in me.” When people see me, they see Jesus.  “And the life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loves me and gave Himself up for me.”  You live a life fully dependent upon God and according to His will, not your own.  You walk by faith and not by sight.  (2 Corinthians 5:17) “old things are passing away and all things are becoming new” Is there a change in your life, more than the fact that you go to church on Sundays? 

I was talking to another Christian the other day.  During the course of our conversation, he began to say something in response to something I said.  But he “caught the word” which was profane as it came out of his mouth and used a word that was not profane.  [I almost typed the second phrase but that would have caused you to think about the profane phrase] I suppose he did that in deference to me and not the Spirit of God.

“Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear.”  - Ephesians 4:29

Does your speech reflect that which is good and brings glory to God and encouragement to others, or does it reflect your culture?  Do you tolerate language in the media, TV and movies that you would never say yourself? Do you allow your kids to be exposed to it.  Would you not watch a movie or television program because they used profanity, promoted extra-marital sex, or some other activity that is clearly contrary to the Word of God?  

Is your faith really the most important aspect of your life from which everything else springs? You know the answer but let me watch you for a few days and I can answer that question for you.  So can your family and the world my friend. Listen. the difference between criticism and encouragement is motive.  I am not being critical ... as Paul said .. I am the chief of sinners ... I, too, struggle with my flesh.  My motive is to encourage you to grasp the new life that you have in Christ and live it to its fullest potential.  You can do it.  I know you can through Christ who gives you strength.

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 

Having A Childlike Faith

…unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. —Matthew 18:3

"These words of our Lord refer to our initial conversion, but we should continue to turn to God as children, being continuously converted every day of our lives. When God through His sovereignty brings us into new situations, we should immediately make sure that our natural life submits to the spiritual, obeying the orders of the Spirit of God. The response of the natural to the spiritual should be continuous conversion, but this is where we so often refuse to be obedient.  we must “put on the new man…” (Ephesians 4:24). Our natural life must not rule— God must rule in us.  There are areas of self-will in our lives where our pride pours contempt on the throne of God and says, “I won’t submit.” What God sees as stubborn weakness, we call strength. There are whole areas of our lives that have not yet been brought into submission.  Slowly but surely, we can [must] claim the whole territory for the Spirit of God.” - My Utmost For His Highest

Something that I have noticed with children as they grow up.  When they are small … say less than 10 or 12 … they never question their parents, at least most don’t. Small children believe their parents know everything and can do anything.  The children depend upon their parents for everything.  The parents make the rules, provide food, shelter, emotional comfort and clothing.  But then something begins to happen … as the children grow older, they begin to question their parents.  They become more demanding - independent.  They want to make their own rules.  They want to decide what they will eat and when they will eat it.  They see their parents as fallible and not quite so all-knowing.  They consider it to be unfair when a parent denies the child’s “right” to have their own way.  They begin to trust in themselves and resist their parents.  So … when Jesus said be like children … He might well have said ... don’t be like adults and teenagers.

As Christians, we are to have a faith in God like small children have in their parents.  I will use a well-worn verse, once again.  (Proverbs 3:5-6)  “Trust in the Lord and not yourself”.  Why do you suppose that God thought it necessary to include that admonition in His revealed Word? Right – because He knows us and our inclinations.  He created us with a will.  Now think about this.  He gave us our own will, but then asks that we submit that will to His.  Free will says you don’t have to ... and very often we don’t!  We are to follow Jesus’ example.  And if you want to follow Jesus … if you really want to follow Jesus … then you will pick up your cross daily (Matthew 16:24) … which is to say … sacrifice your will in favor of the Father’s will …. Believing that our God is greater than any other.  That you can trust Him even when you don’t understand everything.  To decide that you are not going your own way or the way that everyone else is going.  Can you do that? Yes! Will you do that?  Time will tell.  Personally, I hope so.  You will never experience the new life God intends for you until you do.

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 

Meeting Daily Struggles In Life Head On

We…plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain. —2 Corinthians 6:1

"The grace you had yesterday will not be sufficient for today. Grace is the overflowing favor of God, and you can always count on it being available to draw upon as needed. “…in much patience, in tribulations, in needs, in distresses”— that is where our patience is tested (2 Corinthians 6:4). Are you failing to rely on the grace of God there? We tend to make prayer the preparation for our service, yet it is never like that in the Bible. Prayer is the practice of drawing on the grace of God. Don’t say, “I will endure this until I can get away and pray.” Pray now — draw on the grace of God in your moment of need. Prayer is the most normal and useful thing; it is not simply a reflex action of your devotion to God. We are very slow to learn to draw on God’s grace through prayer." - My Utmost For His Highest 

Living your new life in Christ requires constant focus on the One who has given you that new life.  

"Therefore, we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." - 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 

The fact is that most of us spend very little time each day focused on our spiritual nature – the unseen – the eternal.  Instead, we are consumed with the natural life and all of the challenges it brings.  Relying on and drawing on the grace of God to endure and prosper in a sin-sick world.  Listen – there are not “magic words” that you can keep in your pocket until the time of trouble comes.  Living a successful life – success from the Father’s perspective – means that you are living the natural life in the confidence that comes from making your spiritual life and relationship with the Father through the Son by faith in the power of the Spirit and His Word. 

"Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." - Joshua 1:8-9

These are the words spoken by God to Joshua when Joshua was established as the leader who would take the nation of Israel into the promised land.  Recall that Joshua and Caleb were the only two men among the 12 spies who were sent into the land by Moses who saw the natural challenges from God’s perspective. Although they saw giants like the others had – they saw the power of God as greater.  Like David – when he confronted Goliath.  All three saw the world in the context of who God is.  And the same is true for us.  Is your heart totally devoted to God? Only you can answer that question.  It should be. That is what God desires – even commands.  And it is always for your own good and for God’s glory.

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

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

Fulfilling Your Mission - Called To Cast Seed

"A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path ... Some fell on rocky places ... Other seed fell among thorns ... Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown." - Matthew 13:3-9

I was pleasantly surprised the other day when someone commented, favorably, on one of my devotional posts. I did not know they were reading it. Not that it is important for me to know - but it is nice to know that someone has heard the sound when one of my trees "falls in the forest" now and again. Nice but not necessary. With that unexpected encouragement, Matthew 13 came to mind. 

"Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations" - Matthew 28:19

We are called to share the Good News - cast the seed if you will, as we have opportunity and the Spirit leads. For some reason we think that our words will always fall on "good soil" - a heart that has been prepared by the Spirit to receive the Word. And so, if our interchange does not result in a profession of faith, we feel as though we failed in our mission. We all would readily admit that we can't save anyone does not stop us from thinking their salvation is somehow dependent upon our zeal or eloquence. In fact, our mission is simple - cast the seed. Of the four places where the seed fell, only one was eternally productive. That is not to say that if you share the Gospel with 4 people, then one will be saved. That is what a friend of ours called "stinkin' thinkin'". In other words, carnal logic and desire. 

Some years back, some men at the church we were attending decided to meet at one of their homes to watch a football game. I decided to go, even though watching football is not one of my favorite things to do. (Please don't tell my Alabama friends!) During the game, I brought up some spiritual topic and was told that the men had come to watch football and not talk about Jesus. Ding! Ding! Ding!  Woot! Woot! The bells and sirens went off in my head. I complied and remained silent. Thinking back, it may well have been that someone in that group needed to hear about Jesus. But they would not that night. 

When the Spirit prompts you to speak, speak. Just be certain it is the Spirit and not your flesh. Don't try to figure out what kind of soil you are standing on before you obey the Spirit. Just fulfill your mission.

"In your hearts honor Christ, the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect" - 1 Peter 3:15

And if you are wondering if God would really ask you to share your faith - He already has.

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

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

Your Salvation Is Not Fire And Forget

I have been crucified with Christ… —Galatians 2:20

"To become one with Jesus Christ, a person must be willing not only to give up sin, but also to surrender his whole way of looking at things. Being born again by the Spirit of God means that we must first be willing to let go before we can grasp something else. The first thing we must surrender is all of our pretense or deceit. Along each step of this process, we will have to give up our claims to our rights to ourselves. Are we willing to surrender our grasp on all that we possess, our desires, and everything else in our lives? Are we ready to be identified with the death of Jesus Christ? If you are faced with the question of whether or not to surrender, make a determination to go on through the crisis, surrendering all that you have and all that you are to Him. And God will then equip you to do all that He requires of you." - My Utmost For His Highest

Our faith requires constant care and attention.  There is song [Bless Thou Fount] that goes “Prone to wander, Lord I feel it.  Prone to leave the God I love.  Take my heart Lord, take and seal it.  Seal it for Thy courts above.” In the Army there was a missile that could be fired from a Cobra Helicopter called a TOW missile.  TOW stands for Tube-Launched, Optically Tracked, Wire Guided.  Once you fired the missile you had to track it – guide it – until it hit the target.  Failure to do so meant you would miss the target.  The next generation of missiles called Hellfire missiles were “fire and forget”.  Once you fired them, they followed a laser to the target directed by someone else, you didn’t have to sit and wait for the missile to hit the target. My point?  Our faith is more like the TOW than the Hellfire.  We can’t just launch our faith and then move on with life, our faith … our faith - your faith … requires constant attention, like the TOW missile, until we hit our target which is Heaven.  I am not suggesting that you are going to lose your salvation … but you will miss the life God intends … and that should matter to you.  I want to encourage you to think about it and then pray about it and then do something about it. 

"So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." - 2 Corinthians 4:18

After we are born again, as we live our new lives out, we are faced with the temptation to continue in some of our old ways. You know the ones .. the ones that the Spirit says to abandon, but our devotion to them keeps us from giving them up .. we cling to them … perhaps even try to hide them from God, like Adam and Eve thought they could hide behind the bushes when God came to see them.  The problem is, eventually, we see those things as acceptable Christian living .. but what we really done is compromised our faith and hindered our relationship with the One that made being Christian possible to begin with.  The thing that will help you examine your life .. if you are so inclined … is the Word of God and the conviction of the Spirit that results.  But even then, when you see the Truth and are convicted in your heart over your disobedience to that Truth, you are faced with a decision to yield to it, confess and repent, or to continue in it.  The story about the rich young ruler in Jesus is told in Matthew 19, Like 18, and Mark 10.  Shared three times, it must be significant, don't you think?  Anyway .. this guy had decided what it was that he needed to do to have eternal life, but Jesus said, “Sell all you have and give it to the poor.”  In other words ... “you love the treasures of this world more than you love God, give them up.”  Maybe you are not rich … but what is it that you love more than God? Nothing you say? What is it that you are still hanging to that is contrary to the “right you know to do”. Keep your eyes on the target until you accomplish your mission, and you find yourself in heaven.

"[Therefore], let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith." - Hebrews 12:1-2

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 

Doing What You Don't Want To Do

“I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. .... For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. .... So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me.” - Romans 7:15-23

In Romans 7, Paul described his and our conflict between the flesh and spirit. As we live our new life in Christ – we continue to struggle with our sin nature.  We all have hurts, habits, and hang-ups that are rooted in our old nature and the inescapable fact is that we still live in a fallen world. We continue to do the very things we know we should not do and often feel helpless to stop doing those things.  Even though we know that what we do is contrary to our new nature and the will of God we feel a compulsion to yield to our flesh.  We want so badly to have things set aright, but can’t seem to let go of our old habits and thinking instead of choosing to grab ahold of God.

In the same way that I may want someone else, my children for example, to make the right choices – to change the direction of their life, but I can’t make them do it.  They must decide that they will – take the leap – and go in a new direction – trust in God and not themselves.  Victory over our sin nature is by the power of God and not our will or should I say, won't power. Maybe you know someone in the same struggle.  If you do – pray for them – encourage them – don’t preach to them.  More than likely they already know what to do – they just don’t have enough trust to make the leap of faith.  Or maybe you are that someone.  I don’t know your struggles, but God does.  I pray that in the midst of your struggle, you will find comfort and strength and peace and confidence in Him.  

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 Is About BE-ing and Not Merely DO-ing

…be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect. —Matthew 5:48

"Our Lord’s exhortation to us in Matthew 5:38-48 is to be generous in our behavior toward everyone. Beware of living according to your natural affections in your spiritual life. Everyone has natural affections— some people we like and others we don’t like. God will give you plenty of real-life opportunities to prove whether or not you are “perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.” Being a disciple means deliberately identifying yourself with God’s interests in other people. The true expression of Christian character is not in good doing, but in Godlikeness. If the Spirit of God has transformed you within, you will exhibit divine characteristics in your life, not just good human characteristics. God’s life in us expresses itself as God’s life, not as human life trying to be godly. The secret of a Christian’s life is that the supernatural becomes natural in him as a result of the grace of God, and the experience of this becomes evident in the practical, everyday details of life, not in times of intimate fellowship with God."- My Utmost For His Highest

When the rich young man approached Jesus (Mark 10:17-22) I think the man was certain that he had done everything right.  He had not murdered anyone, not committed adultery, not stolen, had not born false witness, not defrauded, and had honored his father and mother. But Jesus told him there was something that he lacked and then told him to sell everything and give it to the poor.  You see, God looks at the heart of man, man looks at the deeds of man.  God wants our total devotion (Matthew 22:37), man is satisfied with a form of godliness.  We think that the answer is in the “DO-ing”, when the answer is really in the “Be-ing”.  The young man went away sad because what he offered Jesus as proof that he should be given eternal life was a not good enough.  Jesus asked for the very thing that the man loved more than God – money and possession.  The man had it backwards. 

Doing good does not result in being good.  Being good results in doing good.  James wrote that faith without producing works is dead (James 2:17)  Because of our faith, the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) should be evident in us.  Good works are a natural result of true faith.  Not the other way around.  BTW, Martin Luther struggled the Book of James because he was all about being right by faith and not works. He missed the point.

True faith is not a result of good works. (Ephesians 2:8) “We are saved by grace through faith, not of works.”  Lest someone should try to take credit for being good enough. f we could be good enough then we didn't need Jesus to go to the Cross for us. The young man was doing the right thing for the wrong reason.  King David said 

“Create in me a clean heart and renew a right spirit within me. …. For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.” - Psalm 51  

Is there something in your heart that demands your devotion above God?  Something that you trust in more than the One who is trustworthy.  Our redeemer is faithful and true and is deserving of our total devotion.  Take some time to examine your heart … let the Holy Spirit search in those locked closets and clean them out.  Fulfill the purpose for which you were created and saved.  Bringing glory to God begins with a heart totally devoted to Him.

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 

Slip Slidin' Away

"But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called today," - Hebrews 3:13

My wife and I tease about the fact that simple conversations can spark my brain to recall a song - sometimes as far back as grade school that supports the context of our conversation. I wish that were true for remembering people's names! I was thinking about all of the wonderful Christians that we have met over the years - hundreds. Many of those people have had a significant impact on our lives - but the passing of time had eroded our connection with them - to our regret. That is when the Paul Simon song "Slip Slidin' Away" came to mind. "Slip slidin' away, slip slidin' away. You know the nearer your destination the more you're slip slidin' away" 

And that is when I thought about Hebrews 3:13 and the people we know or knew. Some have passed but most have not. I think that if I told many of them that I was thankful for the impact they had on my spiritual walk, they would be surprised to know that. I recall some time ago; someone I had not seen for many years thanked me for the encouragement I had been to him - I was surprised and at a loss frankly. My influence had not been intentional on my part. I had not "targeted" him, if you will, to disciple Him - but whatever I did or said unintentionally impacted his life. 

"Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven." - Matthew 5:16

Our light is not a laser beam but more like that of a lantern - illuminating the space it occupies at the moment. The light of others has shown on all of us - encouraged us - built us up - unbeknownst (love that word!) to the one who was casting the light of Life.

So what does all of this have to do with Paul Simon's song. I have become aware, of late, that I am getting older - yes, it's true! I am. I have past the tipping point in my life where there is more life on this planet behind me than there is ahead of me. Time and opportunity are slip slidin' away. I need to let those people who have encouraged me in my faith know that they have encouraged me. And in doing so - encourage them just as my friend encouraged me so many years ago.

"... encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing." - 1 Thessalonians 5:11

These BLOG posts are meant to encourage you - but they are not personal - meaning, they are not specifically directed at a person. They are not a laser beam but light from a lantern. Reflect on those who have been a positive influence on your life and let them know - a phone call, email, text, or maybe a personal conversation - time is slip slidin' away.

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