The Essence Of Sin

"Satan disguises submission to himself under the ruse of personal autonomy. Ne never asks us to become his servants. Never once did the serpent say to Eve, “I want to be your master.” The shift in commitment is never from Christ to evil; it is always from Christ to self. And instead of his will, self-interest no rules and what I want reigns. And that is the essence of sin." – This Day With The Master, Dr. Dennis F. Kinlaw

Dr. Kinlaw was an accomplished Methodist pastor, professor, administrator, evangelist, teacher, and author. The senior pastor at the church we attend shared that quote the other day. When I read that quote, it helped me to better understand Satan's strategy. Another way to look at what it is that tempts us to not choose God.

"For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world." - 1 John 2:16

Remember Jesus temptations in the wilderness? Those three ways in 1 John 2:16 were at the root of Jesus temptations by the devil in the wilderness in Matthew 4. Jesus, the second Adam, tempted to choose Himself - His own interests and not obedience to God. Just like the first Adam in the Garden. The Word is replete with warnings for us to be on our guard against our old nature and its penchant for protecting its own interests and wellbeing. 

"Therefore, do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble." - Matthew 6:31-34

Another verse that comes to mind is .... 

"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

My encouragement is to be careful my friends lest you be tempted by that which seems reasonable and spiritually harmless. Choosing to embrace self-interest, as reasonable as it seems, is your first step away from your walk with God.

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

Almost Making It To The Top

In Greek mythology Sisyphus (/ Sis a fuss /) was the founder and king of Ephyra (now known as Corinth). Zeus punished him for cheating death twice by forcing Sisyphus to roll an immense boulder up a hill only for it to roll down every time it neared the top, repeating this action for eternity .

I don't know if you have read any Greek mythology when you were in high school but I did.  I won't go into any more detail than to say that I have used the myth of Sisyphus a number of times as an analogy for a number of life's circumstances.  One in particular is this new life in Christ that we live. What does it take to get it right? To get to the top of the hill. It seems that being the Christian we are supposed to be can be just out of reach. Just when you think have it figured out - you find out that you don't.  Do you remember the rich young ruler?

"Now behold, one came and said to Him, 'Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?' So He said to him, 'Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.' He said to Him, 'Which ones?' Jesus said, 'You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, Honor your father and your mother, and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' The young man said to Him, 'All these things I have kept from my youth. What do I still lack?' Jesus said to him, 'If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.' But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions." - Matthew 19:16-22

"If you want to be perfect" The young man thought that doing or good works was his ticket to heaven. Did you notice that Jesus did not mention the greatest commandment? Love God with all ... Or did He? In fact the only commandments he mentioned were the last 6 of the 10 commandments with no mention of the first 4. Or perhaps He did. When He told the man to sell everything, it was because there was something he loved more than the Father - possessions. The young man had rolled the stone nearly all the way to the top when Jesus stopped him in his tracks and the stone rolled back to the bottom of the hill - again! 

When the man started the conversation, calling Jesus "good teacher", Jesus pointed him to the Father knowing his heart was far from God.

"For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows." - 1 Timothy 6:10

Being conformed to the image of the Son of God is a process - it can be a painful one.  God will demand that you let lose of the things that your flesh loves and depends upon. That can only be done by faith.  The secret is to stop trying to push the stone and trust the one who made the stone and the hill.  I know I have shared this quote before but I love it so.

"I am not what I ought to be, I am not what I want to be, I am not what I hope to be in another world; but still I am not what I once used to be, and by the grace of God I am what I am" - John Newton (he wrote Amazing Grace)

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

Christian, Don't Forget That The Spirit Of God Is In You

"Abide in Me…" —John 15:4

Oswald Chambers said that "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.” 

“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 should show with respect to that amazing fact as you live out 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? A visible reminder. Like every morning when you look in the mirror? But there isn't. The changes take place are on the inside - starting in the heart.

“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 although 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 spiritual understanding but only if you seek it.  If you rely on yourself, consensus or your culture you will miss it and 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

God With Us Is The God Who Saves Us

We live in spiritually troubling times. It is good to be reminded that this world is not our home - we are just passing through and all because of Jesus!

"Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel." - Isaiah 7:14

As I listened to a sermon one Sunday, it was if pieces to a puzzle were being fitted into place. The pastor's words were not something that I did not know, had not heard before but something that I did not see - until that moment. Of course, the verse in Isaiah is a prophecy about Jesus or should I say Immanuel - meaning God with us. Not God, the Father, that no man has seen. (John 1:18) It was His Son that the Father sent that the world has seen. (John 3:16) 

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 1:1-4

It takes the revelation of God - by the Spirit - for us to understand who Jesus is. Like Jesus told Peter - when Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” [and]  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. Jesus is the Word - God the Son. It was that revelation that was the turning point in my mom's life - one day as she sat under the tree in our back yard reading John chapter 1, the Spirit opened the eyes of her heart and she believed that Jesus was Lord and God- that the Father raised Him from the dead having died for her sins and the sins of the world. 

"Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.” - Luke 1:30-33

His name is Immanuel and His name is Jesus - Yeshua Hamashiach - Jesus the Messiah.  "Yeshua" signifying salvation and "Hamashiach" referring to the Anointed One - God who is our salvation. The two names go together like a hand in a glove. Perhaps that is old news to you. To me is was old - but at the same time was newly refreshed. But like the TV commercial says, "Wait - there's more!" 

Jesus returned to the Father after His resurrection.

"And I [Jesus] will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans." - John 14:16-18

Jesus told Nicodemus that he had to be born again of the Spirit. But that was something that could not and would not happen until Jesus had ascended and the Spirit had descended.  The Spirit is in every one who confesses the name of Jesus. The Spirit of God is the seal of God's promise of salvation (Ephesians 1:13-14) and the means by which we are connected to God the Father by faith in God the Son. 

“These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. 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 14:25-26

So we celebrate God the Father sending His Son (John 3:16) so that we might be saved from the penalty of sin and adopted as children of God. To be adopted means that Someone who is not your father has adopted you as His own. 

"Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure." - 1 John 3:1-3

Now that is something to celebrate! 

Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God. - Psalm 42:5

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

Do You Still Love God When Things Don't Go Your Way

 “Let our plea for mercy come before you, and pray to the Lord your God for us, for all this remnant—because we are left with but a few, as your eyes see us— that the Lord your God may show us the way we should go, and the thing that we should do....Then they said to Jeremiah, “May the Lord be a true and faithful witness against us if we do not act according to all the word with which the Lord your God sends you to us. Whether it is good or bad, we will obey the voice of the Lord our God to whom we are sending you, that it may be well with us when we obey the voice of the Lord our God.” - Jeremiah 42:2-3,5-6

What the people wanted was for God to bless their choices - even if the devotion of their hearts was actually divided between the Lord and the world. They were not sincere when they told Jeremiah that whether they liked what the Lord said or not, they would obey His word. That was not true. 

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways  acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the Lord and depart from evil. It will be health to your flesh, And strength to your bones. - Proverbs 3:5-8

Those verses I quote a lot. The reason is that they are woven into the fabric of every book and verse in the Bible. Trust God and not yourself. No matter what. Our new life in Christ is a life of faith which is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen. As is Matthew 22:37-40

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’  On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”

The entire bible "hangs" or is hinged on those verses.  The problem? We don't love God with all our heart, soul and mind. Often times our devotion is a function of whether the Lord does what we want Him to do. Rather than us serving Him - we expect Him to serve us. Paul wrote that .... 

men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. - 2 Timothy 3:2-5

Since they have a form of godliness, when confronted with the Truth, they will deny they do not love God. Yet their lives will prove out the truth. Just like the Jews Jeremiah was dealing with.  

So how is it with you and the Lord? Where is your trust? In Him or in yourself? I don't want you to tell me - I hope you will sort it out with the Lord.

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

Rock Steady As You Run This Race Of Life

 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. - Hebrews 12:1

There are many people who start out strong with their faith and then their interest in living a sanctified life seems to fade away. I used to run a lot - a long time ago. 10K's and 8 mile runs.  I remember there would be some in those runs who would take off like rabbits at the sound of the starting pistol. About 2 miles into the race, I would often see them walking or pulled on the side of the road. They had great intentions but did not finish well - if they finished at all.

I would run 5 miles a day and 10 miles on Saturdays to prepare for those "fun runs". My goal was to finish, not first, but doing the best that I could do. Keeping my eyes fixed on the finish line. I would fix my eyes on the next object down the road - not having the finish line in sight. Running my pace, settling in - breathing - in time with my feet pounding the road and as we used to say in the Army - "rocking steady". The preparation required sacrifice on my part. Blisters, shin splints, rain or shine, hot or cold. Setting time aside to run. With respect to our faith, if you don't discipline yourself, if you don't accept that running in the race of faith is going to require sacrifice, you may not finish well. 

I remember running 2 miles during a PT test. As I ran the track I could see a friend of mine who had stopped running. He was one of those rabbits. We had to pass the PT test - it was part of our training. So I stopped and encouraged him to keep running at a slower pace.  The evaluators told me to leave him and finish - I chose to finish with him. We both passed - but just barely.  That low PT score did not hinder the plans the Lord had for me - but I believe I chose the higher ground that day. John 15:13 comes to mind.

What is it that is weighing you down? Preventing you from running well? What ever it is, you need to cast it off.  Your old nature will push back.  Human reasoning will step in and try to convince you that you must hang on to that something because you really need it. That only means that you are in a spiritual struggle. It is a battle for the devotion of your heart. As I told a friend, if you are not getting shot at, spiritually speaking, you are not in the battle or the race. You are merely a by-stander. My hope for me is that I can say with Paul at the end of my days on this earth.

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

That is my hope for you as well!

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 Should Take Off Your Sandals In God's Presence

…having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus… —Hebrews 10:19

We must never lose sight of who God is.  You think, “Oh I know who He is.  He is the (fill in the blank). Yet we can become irreverent in our attitude and even references to God.  Have you ever heard someone call God “the man upstairs”?  Normally when I hear that I assume that the person is not born again, but that is not necessarily so.  

I was checking out of the grocery store this afternoon. I noticed the person at the register had Mateo on his name badge. He also had Hispanic characteristics - black hair, brown eyes, a brown hue to his skin. I had just purchased a Carmel apple for my wife - her favorite. I held up the apple and said "para mi esposa" meaning "for my wife". Then I apologized and told him it was presumptuous of me to assume he spoke Spanish.  But I was pretty sure he did when I saw his name. We both had a chuckle and he commended me for getting it right. But I might have been wrong. Same goes for someone who shows disrespect toward God. They may be a Christian but have not been taught reverence,

Do you remember reading about when God spoke to Moses on the mountain?

 “When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!” And Moses said, “Here I am.” “Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” Then he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.” At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God.” -  Exodus 3:4-6 

Why take off his sandals?  When you are in the presence of the Creator God, you must stand clean before Him.  Taking off his sandals represented all of the things that Moses had picked up from a sinful the world.  As Christians, we have access to the Holy of Holies – to be in God’s presence through the blood of Jesus – remember the veil was torn. But that does not mean that we can approach God with sin in our heart .. any way we want to .. like the relationship is up to us and not God. 

Years ago it was customary for people to dress up in the “Sunday-go-to-meetin’ clothes” when they went to church.  Then it was akin to taking off their shoes in the presence of God.  Today – there is a casualness with respect to church attire. Shorts and flipflops are considered acceptable.  It’s not really about the clothes you wear on the outside but the condition of your heart on the inside. Jesus said 

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

A person may think their own ways are right, but the Lord weighs the heart. -  Proverbs 21:2

I want to encourage you to consider how you approach God.  How you refer to Him. He is not the "man upstairs. Jesus is not "JC". If you are going to talk with Him – your heart must be clean.  You should have a reverence toward Him.  Moses had to look away because of God’s glory. I have a pastor friend who stands in bare feet when he preaches.  When I first saw that, I thought it was a little quirky.  But on reflection, it is actually out of great reverence toward God.  A reminder to himself that what he is doing has eternal consequences as he is fulfilling his God-given purpose. A physical reminder that he has a great responsibility to a holy God and must stand clean before Him.  Something to think about.

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

Stop Trusting Yourself To Be Holy

He [Jesus] Himself has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." —Hebrews 13:5

In my experience the greatest enemy facing me and my desire to follow God and yielding to His leading and ways is, well…. It’s me.  I find it so easy to agree with God and acknowledge His precepts as right, and yet, when faced with life I turn to me and not Him.  

The phrase Living by Faith is not intended to be a plaque on the living room wall … or merely a pleasantry that we acknowledge as being right.  To live by faith – in God – means to trust Him first.  Living by faith is not like one of our bodily functions controlled by the autonomic nervous system ... like breathing and heart beats … something that you don’t have to think about … Living by faith is intentional … an act of our will. 

If you are struggling in your faith, it is most likely that the source of the struggle is you .. not your circumstances or other people.  Like the man who said to Jesus “Help me with my unbelief”  (Mark 9:21-24)  “Jesus asked the boy’s father, “How long has he been like this?” “From childhood,” he answered. “It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.” “‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.” Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!””

I find that I quote that scripture a good bit these days. I am thinking the reason is that we all struggle with unbelief.

In this life on Earth, we are not spared form hardship or heartache, but … we can endure whatever life brings our way if we will only have faith in the One who sent His Son … Who created us from dust and breathed life into us. Our first creation was our natural birth and then again in our rebirth when He sealed us with His Spirit – the Breath of God.  

Therefore, 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

I know that trusting God in the midst of the turmoil of this present life can be difficult .. maybe you think impossible … If Christians neglect the disciplines of the faith … if Sunday is the sum total of the time they spend with the Father … then when the test comes ... and it will come, they will likely get a failing grade.  Not because God was not able to sustain them, but because they chose to ignore Him and trust themselves.  Why is something that seems so simple, so hard to do? Because its our nature to trust ourselves even if it always leads to failure.  Remember that is the definition of insanity.

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

Works Without Faith Are Dead

Thus 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 without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. - James 2:17-18

“Beware of any work for God that causes or allows you to avoid concentrating on Him. A great number of Christian workers worship their work. The only concern of Christian workers should be their concentration on God.- Oswald Chambers

James 2:14-26  “….. faith without works is dead.”  That is a pretty common Bible reference.  Good works are a natural product of our faith.  

“we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” - Ephesians 2:10

Our good works are for God’s glory not ours.  The problem so many of us have is that works can supplant our devotion to the One who called us to the work.  When that happens faith no longer has anything to do with the work we are doing.  Two people can be passing water to thirsty people.  One is a Christian and one is not.  The thirsty person’s thirst is quenched by both.  You see you can do “good things” and not have the power of God behind what you do.  That is what makes it so easy to abandon God and make what you are doing all your own. You might still wear a T-shirt or hat or bracelet that makes reference to your faith or to Jesus, but your heart is far from God.  There is no eternal power in what you do.  Like the Pharisees, you have become a “whitewashed tomb filled with dead men’s bones.” I must constantly remind myself that what I do, I do because I am a child of God and I am about my Father’s business.  If I don’t nurture my spiritual life, then my natural life will soon take over.

We were working on a home. It was a really a cool house .. in a rustic sense … we had occasion to pour a cement landing outside the back door.  I was doing some shovel work preparing the area when I felt something solid under the point of my shovel.  I scraped the dirt away to find pavers – a brick path.  As I followed the bricks I uncovered a patio.  Time and neglect had taken over what was once a beautiful garden patio.  It took a great deal of effort, but eventually the patio was restored.  It’s the same with our spiritual lives.  If we neglect the disciplines of our faith, soon God’s handiwork will be covered over.  You might still “do” what you were doing before but you have become like those Paul wrote about in 2 Timothy 3:5, “having a form of godliness but denying its power”. 

You see – work, no matter how well intentioned or how good or helpful - without faith it is dead.  There is no spiritual power. Each of us must examine what we do and why we do it. Just as with our salvation – saved by grace through faith and not works – we can bring glory to God by faith in our work so long as we don't get in our own way.

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

Do You Know It When God Shows Up?

Some years ago, I saw a miracle happen.  Some of you reading this may have seen one yourself. God showed up in an impossible situation.  My oldest sister, who had significant lung and heart problems was in the hospital.  Her lungs had stopped working.  She was on a ventilator.  The hospital staff was trying to prepare the family for the inevitable.  The family had accepted the fact that our sister was not leaving the hospital alive this time.  While I was talking with my sister she wrote on a pad of paper, "I may go to heaven today"  She was ready to see Jesus. 

So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. For we walk by faith, not by sight. We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord. - 2 Corinthians 5:6-8

In 1976, as a brand spanking new Christian, I had led my sister to the Lord.  In preparation for her death, I had reminded her of that, of whose she was, a child of the King.  That her hope was in Heaven.  That God knows her name, she is not forgotten. I had put the call out for prayer to the Saints. Her children and husband had asked me to pray for her, multiple times over the days preceding her writing that note to me.  Her family had a look of desperation in their eyes. They were helpless and perhaps, hopeless.  And then, God showed up. The unimaginable happened. The doctor removed the ventilator tube and she started breathing on her own.  The previous morning she had been making her peace with God.  Saying her last goodbyes. Family was flying in expecting the worst.  But that afternoon, she was sitting in a chair, eating and talking.

I was talking to her daughter after the miracle about faith and confidence in God.  So very often when we pray, we pray without real hope.  We are really not expecting God do intervene.  Oh, we would love it if He did, but we don't have the confidence that He will.  Perhaps He is not really listening.  I reminded her of Jesus responding to Peter on the water and the disciples in the boat … "Why did you doubt?' "Where is your faith?"

Like the father of the boy that Jesus was about to heal. 

So He [Jesus] asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. And often he has thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.” Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!” - Mark 9:21-24

As I looked around the waiting room in CICU that day, I saw relief on the faces of those who loved my sister. But I was amazed to see that they missed the fact that Jesus had just showed up in their midst.  He reached out His hand and pulled Sherrie up from the water.  He had stretched out His hand and said, "Peace, be still." to the storm that was raging in CICU that day.  No glory to God. No recognition of God's answered prayer.  They focused on what happened - Sherrie was not going to die - and not why she was not going to die.  

This has given me pause to reflect.  Proverbs 3:5-6 are verses that are part of the scriptural foundation in my life.  That day, I was reminded that, for the most part, people don't trust in God but see the world in the light of their own understanding.  The lost, blind to spiritual things, are incapable of seeing God at work, although they do see the result of His working.  They just don't know why something happened.  Luck maybe. But the Saints should have been shouting Hallelujah in the halls, instead they were looking for their car keys so they could go home and get some rest. 

I want to encourage you to be watchful and aware.  This faith of ours is not a vain faith.  The Bible does not just represent some nice thoughts that help us get through life.  God is real.  He still intervenes in the affairs of man.  He hears the prayers of the Saints. And from time to time, He shows up and does something miraculous.  That time, it was for my sister's good and for His glory. And I praise Him for it.  Hallelujah!

Some years later my sister did pass. From the same malady as before. And today - absent from the body - she is present with the Lord. Hallelujah again!

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 Sin Of Profiling - Jumping To The Wrong Conclusions

You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel! “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean. - Matthew 23:24-26

Martie, my wife, had a follow-up doctor's appointment today. As we sat in the waiting room - a man and woman came it - I am guessing in their 40's or early 50's. Two things that were noticeable. First the man was in a wheel chair and he had a prosthetic leg that extended up to his hip. The second thing was they were both heavily tattooed. Faces, necks, arms, torso and legs. I wondered how difficult their lives had been and might be. Then the Holy Spirit showed up and reminded me that I was looking at the outside of the cup. That what I saw on the outside was what many people looked like on the inside - hidden from the eyes of those around them.

The Pharisees spent time looking good when all the while, their hearts were far from God. The Spirit said to me - before you jump to conclusions about anyone, look at their hearts. It wasn't long before a patient came out of the back room having seen the doctor. He was disabled. Moving with difficulty. The couple was very kind and respectful to him - showing compassion to someone they did not know. Then the Spirit said what I have shown you - write it down! So that is what I am doing.

For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise. - Galatians 3:27-29

It is natural for us to look at the outside of others - race - nationality - language - social standing - vocation - tattoos - whatever makes them different and judge them. Judge them without even knowing them. Today they call the profiling. People who are different from us can make us uncomfortable. And so we distance ourselves from them without knowing them. Project negative attributes on them and then respond to them accordingly. To our shame. Looking at the heart of a person requires spiritual discernment. To have spiritual discernment requires that my heart is in tune with God's heart. I must be  submitted to the Spirit of God.

Be careful about jumping to the wrong conclusions. Instead .... Stop - Look and Listen for the Spirit to speak

Let brotherly love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. Remember those .... who those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body. - Hebrews 13:1-3

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

Saying No To Jesus

Come to Me… —Matthew 11:28

“In every dimension in which you are not real, you will argue or evade the issue altogether rather than come; you will go through sorrow rather than come; and you will do anything rather than come the last lap of the race of seemingly unspeakable foolishness and say, “Just as I am, I come.” As long as you have even the least bit of spiritual disrespect, it will always reveal itself in the fact that you are expecting God to tell you to do something very big, and yet all He is telling you to do is to Come….” Oswald Chambers

I don’t think that people’s sins are what keep them from coming to Jesus.  I think it is an unwillingness to give up self-dependence ... what they consider to be their independence.  Control, if you will. After all don't we admire a "self-made-man or woman" In that case what does God have to do with it? 

They do not want to depend upon anyone, especially Jesus, for answers to their life’s questions.  They want to figure it out on their own.  I have watched as some have tried and tried and tried to fix whatever it was that was broken in their lives.  They use the same methods, over and over, only to experience the same outcome.  Someone once said the definition of insanity is “doing the same thing over and over, expecting a different outcome.” 

The fact of the matter is that they want to prove that they can do it on their own. Wanting so badly, so that they can be like God, (not that they would ever admit that) and so they refuse to yield, even to their own detriment. It is as if they are thinking “I would rather fail than turn to Jesus”.  

Jesus is the stone that the builders rejected. - Acts 4:11 

I have watched the Haitian builders construct foundations using stones … the masons will examine each stone to see if it fits.  If not, they toss it aside.  That is what people do with Jesus.  And what they have rejected, what doesn't fit in their lives, is in fact  the Cornerstone.  The gate is narrow that leads to Jesus, which means compared to those who reject the cornerstone, those who experience rebirth will be few. My wife and I were going to worship last Sunday. The door greeters opened both doors. Rather than walk through the middle I moved to the right and told the greeter - I prefer entering by the narrow gate. The other guy looked confused by my comment. The guy on the right laughed - he got it!

I cannot convince someone to yield to Jesus, just like I could not be convinced.  It took the power of the Spirit to rend my heart. But we can pray and we can love and 

we can be ready to give an answer for the hope that is within us. - 1 Peter 3:15

 Are you spiritually ready and willing to do that? Before you answer .... 

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

Are You Good Enough To Get Into Heaven?

Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why are those happy who deal so treacherously? You have planted them, yes, they have taken root; They grow, yes, they bear fruit. You are near in their mouth but far from their mind. - Jeremiah 12:1-2

I just read a news article from US News that quoted Donald Trump - "President Donald Trump has said he does not think "there’s anything that's going to get me into heaven.” "I think I'm not, maybe, heaven-bound. "I'm not sure I'm gonna be able to make heaven. But I've made life better for a lot of people."

My conclusion is that President Trump does not have assurance of his salvation, but he is being honest about it. Revealing his heart to the world. He has the same problem that the rich young ruler had - along with millions of others.

Now behold, one came and said to Him [Jesus], “Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?”  So He said to him, ]“Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.” He said to Him, “Which ones?” Jesus said, “‘You shall not murder,’ ‘You shall not commit adultery,’ ‘You shall not steal,’ ‘You shall not bear false witness,’  ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ ”  The young man said to Him, “All these things I have kept from my youth. What do I still lack?” Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. - Matthew 19:16-22

Why did the young man call Jesus good? - Although the Bible is not explicit about the man answering the question, Jesus went on to ask about the man doing "good" things - which he said he had done. So I think the man called Jesus "good" because of the good things Jesus was doing. And so is President Trump and so are untold millions of other people. Trusting that their good deeds will be their justification and righteousness.

But Jesus could see the young man's heart and saw that his god was his wealth and his hope was in doing good things not the God of heaven.  Jesus said the Good can only be found in the Father - the source of life. And the thought of giving up his god - money to follow Jesus was out of the question for the young man. So he went his own way.

Do you think that Donald Trump would be willing to give up his billions to follow Jesus? Having wealth is not a sin - the wealth having you is. Donald Trump could have a change of heart - and I pray that it will - just as I pray for the untold millions of other people who are doing good things. Thinking that is enough.

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. - Ephesians 2:8-9

Pray for all of our leaders that they might be saved. 

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

Spiritual Change Agent

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. -  1 Timothy 3:16-17

The pastor at our church explained those verses like this. Doctrine : What's right. Reproof : What's not right. Correction : How to get right. Instruction in Righteousness : How to stay right.

There is a good deal of emphasis, in this country in particular for Christians to read the Bible. As Pathfinder Mission, we have distributed a lot of Bibles personally to people we have met. Both in the United States - English language and in Haiti - Bib La (the Bible) in Haitian Creole. Allow me to share some statistics. 

79% of adults in the United States are literate, meaning 21% are illiterate. So when someone says that you should read your bible -  the assumption is that you can read. When our pastor was encouraging us to read our Bibles it was a pretty safe assumption that nearly all, if not all, could read.

Despite proclaiming the Bible as the literal word of God, over 88% of U.S. Protestant Christians cannot name the first five books of the New Testament, revealing a profound gap between biblical literacy and general literacy.

About 37% of Americans read the Bible at least once a week. 59% of Americans say they read the Bible occasionally. 20% of Americans say they’ve read the entire Bible at least once. 35% of Americans say they never read the Bible

According to a report from the World Bank, nearly 50% of Haitians over 15 remain illiterate. When we gave a Bible to an adult in Haiti, our hope was that someone in the family could read it to them.

But ... for the Word to do its work does not require that you necessarily read it yourself, but that you hear it. James did not not say be readers only. In fact the New Testament epistles or letters were being read aloud to the churches the apostles sent them to.

But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. - James 1:22

When Joshua commended the people to meditate on the Book of the Law - they didn't have a copy on their coffee table - they would go to the temple to hear it read and taught.

This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. - Joshua 1:8

Immediately after we became Christians, my folks sent us some scripture memory cards - to help us meditate on the Word day and night.

How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word. With my whole heart I have sought You; Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments! Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You. Blessed are You, O Lord! Teach me Your statutes. With my lips I have declared All the judgments of Your mouth. I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies, As much as in all riches. I will meditate on Your precepts, And contemplate Your ways. I will delight myself in Your statutes; I will not forget Your word. - Psalm 119:9-16

Is that something that you can proclaim to the Lord about yourself?

There is a spiritual dynamic between the Word of God and the Spirit of God that takes place or can take place in the life of every believer. We are transformed.

do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. - Romans 12:2

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

Did I Really Ask Jesus Into My Heart

These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. 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 14:25-26

Have you ever heard someone speak about asking Jesus into your heart? I have heard many people talk about Jesus in their heart. But I don't think He is. What I think is that Jesus was returning to heaven and the Father was sending the Spirit. Let me explain.

if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved - Romans 10:9

You are not saved if Jesus is in your heart - but you must have faith and believe that Jesus is Lord of all and the Father raised Him from the dead.

Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. - John 3:5-6

Yes, it is a fact that you must be born again, spiritually, to enter the kingdom of God. 

In Him [Jesus] you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory. - Ephesians 1:13-14

And when we are born again by faith - God, the Father, seals our hearts, if you will, with the Holy Spirit. We are adopted as children of God.

Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? - 1 Corinthians 3:16

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

Is Jesus in us? No, the Holy Spirit is in us. So where is Jesus

It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. - Romans 8:34

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. - Hebrews 4:14-15

Jesus is the eternal sacrifice - After His ascension, He sat down at the Father's right hand. He will return but not in our hearts.

[Jesus said] But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth. Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, who also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven. - Acts 1:8-11

[The Father] has appointed [Jesus] heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds [John 1:1]; who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high. - Hebrews 1:2-3

So where is Jesus and where is the Spirit. Jesus is in Heaven and the Spirit is in every Believer.

I may have "the love of Jesus down in my heart. Where? Down in my heart!" - but I have the Spirit of God in me.

Lastly, the Father is conforming us into the image of Jesus by His Spirit and the Word of God.

For whom He [the Father] foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed [transformed Rom 12:2] to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. - Romans 8:29

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 You Don’t Get What You Want

Perhaps one of the most abused or misused verses in the Bible is in Matthew chapter 7. 

Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone?  Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! - Matthew 7:7-11

The wrong thinking is that if I want it then God will give it to me.  If He doesn’t, I will be upset with God because I have decided I need what I asked for.  But actually, there are a few reasons that I see that might affect God’s answer to your prayer.

First.  

You have failed to examine your heart.  You have some un-confessed sin tucked away in the corner of your heart.  You have decided that the sin doesn’t matter.  That you can stand before a holy God even though you have quenched the Spirit with the sin that you are embracing.  Yes, you are a child of God.  Washed in the blood.  But you need to clear the air … approach God with clean hands and a clean heart. 

Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place? The one who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not trust in an idol or swear by a false god. - Psalm 24:3-5

Second. 

In God’s wisdom, there is a better answer to your prayer than the one that you have decided is the best one.  This is a test of submission to the will of the Father.  Are you really committed to seeking His will or is it only when His will agrees with yours? 

Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done. - Luke 22:42

Third.  

As the King James Version says “You ask amiss”.  Is it your flesh, your old nature, that you are seeking to satisfy? 

You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. - James 4:2-3

If everything in your life is for God’s glory, why are His answers not good enough when you don’t get what you asked for? If God’s will for you is for your good and His glory, then the test is, can you trust God even when He is silent.  When He says wait or no. When you don't get what you asked for.  God is not here to serve us.  It is quite the opposite.  Even grocery stores are delivering what they sell to homes.  You nearly don’t have to leave the house anymore.  But God does not take delivery orders. 

It is so very important that we have the right view toward God.  Unlike the TV show, God does not want to “friend you” on Facebook!  He is not your buddy.  He is the creator God who sacrificed His Son that you might be adopted and eternally blessed – for His glory and for your good.  We all should keep that in mind when we approach Him in prayer. 

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 Impossibility Of Being Perfect

Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. - 1 Peter 4:12

Have you ever asked, "Why is this happening to me?" Why are they treating me this way? Hidden behind those questions is the underlying assumption “I don’t deserve it!”  Here is the deal … bad things will happen to “good” people … even to someone as good as you are.  Did you deserve what happened to you? Perhaps or perhaps not.  Whichever the case the issue is how will you respond to what happened. For most of us our response is to hunker down in our foxhole and fire back with “righteous indignation” and perhaps sorrow if the offender happens to hold a close place in our heart. 

You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you. “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that?  And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. - Matthew 5:38-48

I recall some years ago my wife and I were serving on the gulf coast of Mississippi after Hurricane Katrina. It was January as I recall. I had not planned on the weather being cold there - but it was. I was talking to a group of volunteers about the house they were going to work on. One of the men saw that I did not have a coat and he asked me about it. I told him that I had not planned for the cold weather and did not have a coat. The fact was that my comfort was not my primary concern. So he took his coat off and gave it to me. I was shocked, frankly. I thank him for the gift of the coat. Then I said with a grin, "You know the bible says that if a man asks you for your coat, give him your shirt also. YES, I know I actually misquoted Matthew 5. He smiled back and said "You can have my coat but I am not giving you my shirt!" That coat that is still hanging in my closet waiting for the next cold day. I think about him every time I put it on!

Matthew 5 says "Be perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect."  Wow! How hard is that?  It’s not humanly possible. You will never respond the way Jesus told you to if you try to do it on your own.  The response to others in 1 Peter and Matthew 5 are not derived from the human will but by faith in Jesus and the power of the Spirit in you.  Stop trying to live the Christian life in obedience to the Word of God through your own human determination ... it just does not work.  What is impossible for you is "HIM-possible" for Jesus.  

I can do all things through Christ 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

Making Decisions In The Framework Of Our Faith

“Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.” - Galatians 5:25

Charles Hummel wrote a book “Tyranny of the Urgent”.  The idea behind the book is that we often let what seems urgent not what is most important be the deciding factor with respect to what we do.  What is “important” juxtaposed with what feels “urgent”.  (OK hang with me here!) Hummel wrote that there are 4 possible combinations of life situations that we will encounter  those things that are – Urgent and Important – Urgent and Not Important – Not Urgent and Important – Not Urgent and Not Important.  

So what does that have to do with our faith?  Our natural emotions are tied to feelings of urgency.  Something happens and our emotions – our "Spidey senses" – kick in telling us that this must be acted upon immediately, it's urgent.  The key is knowing if what feels so urgent is actually important and then keeping life in perspective with respect to that knowing.  

As a Christian, how do we decide what is important  Our guide, the Bible's answer says, with the Spirit as our guide, it is God, others (world, culture, family), and lastly you. (Matthew 22: 37-39, Romans 12:1-2, Mark 9:35) There are many other references, but those are sufficient for my point.  As Christians, what is important is determined first by our relationship with God, His revealed Truth and our willingness to trust and obey. Our challenge is to respond to life in the framework of our faith not by our feelings or emotions.  

The root of our struggle is the tension between the old life and the new life. The fact that we live in a physical world but have a new spiritual reality that is supposed to be our primary perspective – the filter by which we determine what is important and what is urgent.  In the context of Hummel’s book – Our relationship with God is the determinant with respect to deciding what is important and what is urgent.  For some Christians – it’s OK to agree that we should not love the world or the things of this world (1 John 2:15) but what about retirement – the children’s college – my new car – my job.  Where do they fall into the mix?  

What my point, friend, is that all of that falls into its proper place when God is in His proper place.  A classic question is “Do you believe that what you believe is really real?” If you do – God will always be first – and if you don’t – God will often be left in the dust in favor of what is urgent – what your flesh tells you is important.  We are faced with these decisions every day.  But – if we are not spiritually minded – we are bound to choose poorly.  If the Chief End Of Man is indeed to “Glorify God and Enjoy Him Forever” then God must be first and must be the One who determines what is important and what is urgent to us.  

“So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.” - Galatians 5:16

You are going to be challenged today with this dilemma – what to respond to and how to respond.  If you are a Christian – the choice is always clear but requires faith and obedience to respond correctly.  Keep the things of life in their proper place … don’t let your emotions rule .. that place belongs to God.  

Keep the main thing ... the main thing.

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

My Best Testimony Is Not What I Say But What The World Sees

If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the one who sent me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin. Whoever hates me hates my Father as well. - John 15:18-22

The world will tolerate Christians as long as Christians keep the Truth to themselves. Jesus was telling his disciples, and every Believer since then, to not expect the world to embrace you or the Truth you represent.

Do you ever feel like hiding your light (your faith) under a basket to avoid rejection? It's a natural response. Like being in school and being picked on because you are different. The clothes you wear, the way you talk, the way you look. But in this case - it is because you are eternally different.  Being different is not really the problem like when you were a child - it is that now your difference reminds other people of their sin. It is the presence of the Spirit of God in you. Your embracing the Word of Truth as compared to the truth the world embraces. Sinful man does not like that. Just like you didn't like it at one time in your own life. Their animosity is not necessarily because of what you say but because that you are spiritually different from the majority of the people on this planet.

Things are morally corrupt in many if not most countries today. Certainly times have been bad before but not quite so blatant as today. People are proudly wearing their sins on their sleeves. But the darker the night the brighter our light. 

People need to see Jesus - and you my friend may be the only Jesus they will ever see. Remember that - like you once were - they have no capacity for living a righteous life apart from being born again.

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the flesh and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus - Ephesians 2:1-6

And what happened to us can happen to them but - 

How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. - Romans 10:14-17

The manifestation of Christ in you is the loudest sermon most people will ever hear. 

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 Means To Be A Child Of God

The Difference Between Jesus and The Rest of Us

I thought it might be good to "camp out" on this idea for a bit. There are many things in the Bible that I think "hurt our brains" if we dwell on them - so we just move on - accepting them as true. One of those things is the deity of Christ and our adoption as sons as daughters of God by faith.

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 was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. - John 1:1-4

Jesus, the only Son of God, existed from the beginning. The beginning of what? Eternity. Does eternity have a starting point? Uh - no. That is a hard idea for our mortal minds to wrap around. There was a beginning for mankind. A starting point in eternity that can be looked back to as a reference for our existence. 

Jesus was begotten - not made.

What God begets is God; just as what man begets is man. What God creates is not God, just as what man creates is not man.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. - 2 Corinthians 5:17

C.S. Lewis explained begetting is of the same being with the Father. “When you beget, you beget something of the same kind as yourself,” Lewis explains. “A man begets human babies, a beaver begets little beavers and a bird begets eggs which turn into little birds.

When we are born again - we are given a spiritual nature and are adopted into the family of God - but we are not the same as God - Jesus - or the Spirit. We are still God's creation and have eternal life through God's provision and the willing sacrifice of the Son who is part of the Godhead. We will never be part of the God head. We were not begotten by the Father - we were adopted by the Father and given a spiritual nature by faith. We are not a blood relative if you will. 

For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. - Romans 8:29

If I am adopted into a family today, there is a legal transaction that makes me part of the family. So I am in a family but not by natural birth. BTW, the adoption process has a cost - in the case of my adoption into God's family, it cost the sacrifice of His one and only begotten Son. John 3:16

Jesus said to Nicodemus (I seem to be quoting this a lot lately!) 

Jesus answered him [Nicodemus], “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. - John 3:3-6

All of mankind are not the children of God - but are God's creation. We were made by God and not begotten of God.

[God the Father] predestined us [his creation] for adoption to himself as sons [and daughters] through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. - Ephesians 1:5-6

Therefore - as I understand it - there is a difference between me and Jesus - Jesus is that natural Son of God - begotten - not made. Where I am God's adopted son making Jesus my brother through the adoption - made spiritually alive by the Spirit of God and redeemed by faith in Jesus- which is a new birth - part of the adoption - which is sealed by the Spirit. 

See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. - 1 John 3:1

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

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

Being Religious Is Not Enough

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. - John 14:6

I was watching the news the other day when they reported about the Mormon church incident - which is tragic. This country was founded on the idea of freedom of religion - which in its essence is that people have the right to believe anything or in anything they want to believe or believe in. People have the right to safely assemble to worship in the context of their faith - whether you or I agree with their faith or not. It is a right as a citizen of this country.  

Christians are not in the majority

77.2 percent of the world's inhabitants identify with one of five major religions: Christians - 32%, Muslims - 23%, Hindus - 15%, Buddhists - 7%, and Jews - 0.2%. The remaining 22.8% put their faith in some other belief system or in themselves. But to say that 32% of the world population is Christian and heaven bound would be inaccurate without first clarifying what being a Christian - a Christ Follower - means. 

It has never been more important to know what you believe and why you believe it. 

One might ask - can 68% or more of the world be wrong about God and life? The answer is, actually 100% of the world has been wrong about God and life - that is until some of them met Jesus on the road. Many people, who are part of that 32% identify with the Christian faith but, like Nicodemus, they have not been born again. John 14:6 is pretty clear about how a person gets to God - it's Jesus.

The United States Is Not A Christian Nation

Let me clarify what I believe to be a misconception in our country and around the world - the United States is not a Christian nation - a Jesus-following country. The United States is secular. It is a conglomeration of faiths. True our founding documents allude to God and there are Biblical references in some of our documents - even on our currency - but I would not be surprised if our currency doesn't lose the "In God We Trust" at some point.

But let's refocus on Nicodemus. Like Jesus told Nicodemus, to have eternal life you must be born again by the Spirit and that does not happen until you confess .... confess what?

If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. - Romans 10:9

When you make that confession, you are answering a question that Jesus posed to His disciples.

Who do they say the Son of Man is? - Matthew 16:13

The disciples said that people - believed that Jesus was someone special - but was still just a man.  But Peter said ...

“You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”  And Jesus answered 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 16:16-17

You see - believing Jesus is "the Way, Truth, and Life" is a spiritual revelation from God. Many faiths acknowledge that there was a man named Jesus - maybe even that, that He was more than a man - but they stop short of agreeing with Peter. Why? Because they have had no spiritual revelation.

You May Not Be A Christian And Still Do Good Things For Humanity

Just to make a point clear - just because people are of other faiths does not make them not evil - many do good things for humanity - but like the rich young ruler, they are lost - a people without hope - Gathering with other people who believe the same way that you do, finding consensus, does not make all of you right - the only way that you can all be right is if you are all born again by the Spirit.

Christ the Power and Wisdom of God

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

So for a refresher - People cannot be saved through human intellect and mental assent that something is true but only through the spiritual revelation of God. And the only way anyone can be saved is by putting their faith in Jesus. 

And who is this Jesus? Take some time and read Isaiah 53

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

Christians Are A Work In Progress

Therefore, 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

We lived in a travel trailer parked next to a church – on a major highway – on the approach end of an airport for 2 years.  The highway was under construction and had been for years.  For local residents, it seemed like the work had been going on since they could remember, with no end in sight. Not too different from the process of sanctification that happens in a Christian’s life.  That change – that construction – just doesn’t seem to happen fast enough in other people – not in me of course – but in other people.

Don’t you wish you had the power to change someone – quickly.  I mean – change their behavior – cause them to do what you want them to do? I have thought that many times for our children and their children.  If I could only get them to see the truth of what I say and the danger and consequences of the choices they were making.  Unfortunately, their understanding only comes after they are suffering the consequences of their poor choices. If only I had the power to change them and get them to see so they could avoid the heartache that is sure to come. Of course, as a parent, your heart hurts for them. And sometimes, you may even wonder – “What did I do wrong?” – “I feel like a bad parent because I could not get them to change course.”

Martie and I were watching a church service one Sunday – we did that sometimes – holed up in our little missionary cave – and the preacher said “No one has to be taught how to sin, we are all born with that nature.”  It was then that I was reminded that what I wanted to see in my children and their children was a change in their nature and then a change in their heart and then a change in their life choices.  2 Corinthians 5:17 says if we are in Christ – born again – the old nature will decrease and the new nature will increase.  The most important thing you can do for your child is lead them to Jesus – but the choice to yield their hearts to God is theirs, not yours. Oh – and to clarify – our lives are no different than theirs.  My mom felt the very same way about me and the other 6 children in our family.  Our three children have all professed faith in Jesus.  And we all still make poor choices – all of us.  We have a new life that is under construction. 

So, today, I don’t want to change my kids or their kids – I want them to fully yield their hearts to the Lord and let Him do the supernatural work of sanctification.  You may have heard this before – my mom told me that her mom told her “When children are young, they step on your toes, and when they are older, they step on your heart.”  It is the nature of things.  “Nothing new under the sun ..” (King Solomon).  

The take away here – love you kids – you don’t have to like what they do. Pray for your kids. Be an example for your kids of what a Christian is supposed to look like – be like – behave like – love like.  Dr. James Dobson says values are “caught” not “taught”.  What do you value? God’s truth or the culture’s truth?  If they make poor choices – you don’t have to pretend they were good choices – you just keep loving the One who made them. 

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

On What Or On Whom Is Your Hope Built?

Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,  through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance;  and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. - Romans 5:1-5

I make every effort to see everything in this life in the context of my new life in Christ. Remembering that all that I read, hear, and see has spiritual context. Today I went to the VA clinic for my annual checkup. So the routine is that I arrive before my appointment time and then sit in the waiting area for my name to be called "Veteran Elgin". 

As I sit in that waiting room I look at each of the other "veterans" that have come to the clinic for one reason or another. I try to imagine them as young men and women in uniform. What I most often see is people without much hope. Lonely - downhearted - a look of hopelessness on most of the faces. They are careful not to make eye contact with anyone.  In fact - of the 13 people sitting around me, all but 4 (including me) had their eyes glued to their smart phone. If I was trusting only in what this world has to offer - I might feel the same way. With that thought I am reminded of a song - 

My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus and His righteousness. I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus' name.

Refrain: On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand: all other ground is sinking sand; all other ground is sinking sand.

When darkness veils his lovely face, I rest on his unchanging grace; in every high and stormy gale, my anchor holds within the veil. - Edward Mote (1834) - Public Domain

When I see the doctor, he invariably asks me "How are you doing?" To which I reply "I am blessed! I have been watching people who are downtrodden physically and emotionally for the past 30 minutes and am thankful for the health and life I have been given."

And because of that, I make it a point to say something encouraging and kind when I meet people, most anywhere - in the doctor's office - in the grocery store - it doesn't matter. I believe that most people are looking for a reason to be hopeful. And when I say something to them, they brighten up for a moment. It doesn't cost you anything to be kind to someone. Well, I suppose with the exception that you have to set yourself aside for a moment and focus on someone else.

Say to those who are fearful hearted "Do not be afraid The Lord your God is strong with His mighty arms. When you call on His name He will come and save” ... With everlasting joy on their heads. They shall obtain joy and gladness, And sorrow and sighing shall flee away. - Isaiah 35:4,10

As Christians, we have been given a message of hope. We have a responsibility to spread that message wherever we go. You don't have to look far to see someone who needs to hear 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