The Candlestick

Almost Persuaded

2009-08-25T06:03:00.001-05:00

1 Corinthians 2:3-5 I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling, and my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God.

Almost Persuaded? There are many who believe God needs a little help when it comes to the gospel message. There are many different approaches and techniques that are employed in order to get someone to make a decision for Christ. Asking the right questions that will produce just the right amount of guilt and shame, using endless reasoning trying to explain the gospel so that it will be logical, coaxing with all of the good fortune that will follow and the list goes on and on. So what’s the problem? Does it really matter what means we use as long as someone gets saved? Paul answers this question as he tells us the proper way to go about sharing the gospel. He tells us to go in “weakness and fear” in other words not puffed up like we’re the master salesman making the sale of the century. By doing this we are getting out of God’s way letting the gospel message speak for its self. The gospel of Jesus Christ is the power of God unto salvation. It is perfect and doesn’t need anything added to it.

Paul warns that if one is persuaded into making a “decision” then their faith “rest on the wisdom of men” and not “the power of God”. The wisdom of men is flawed and will crumble allowing the faith that rest upon it to fail but that which rest on the power of God will forever survive. The truth is we can do more harm than good when we stray from the prescribed method of preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. Let’s imitate Paul and simply share Jesus using nothing but the awesome power of God!

Till Death Do Us Part

2009-08-20T06:12:00.001-05:00

Romans 6:10-11 For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

Till death do us part? Every man and every woman ever born into this world is born with a nature that is less than perfect. That’s right, a fallen nature that is corrupted and driven by sin. Paul refers to people in this condition as “sons of disobedience” and “children of wrath”. We are all born into the slavery of sin that is, we are alive to sin and therefore can do nothing but serve sin. The bonds of sin can only be broken in death; Christ the perfect sinless one “died to sin once for all”, therefore “the life that He lives, He lives to God”. Christ defeated the power of sin by subjecting Himself to its ultimate power, death. However death has no dominion over the King of kings and Lord of lords; He took up His own life conquering death once and for all!

God by His amazing grace has made it possible for all those who by faith trust in Jesus as Lord and Savior can be freed from the bonds of sin by accepting His death as their own. Now if one was a servant to sin and death has broken the bond to that master than how much more should one serve Christ who set him free? Paul writes, “Even so consider yourselves dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus”. By dying to sin and being “born again” into the Kingdom of God you can freely serve righteousness because death has no more dominion over you. Born once die twice. Born twice die once. How about you? Have you died to sin and are now alive to God in Christ Jesus or are you still on life support?

I'll Be The Judge

2009-08-18T06:12:00.001-05:00

Romans 13:1 Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God.

I’ll be the judge of that? I am a Christian and know the truth. I can see the corruption that lies within the governing authorities therefore I will pick and choose which laws I will abide with; after all I have enlightenment that they don’t have. Unfortunately that is the attitude that some take when it comes to the governing authorities. It is true that corruption and evil exists inside civil governments but does that give us the right to rebel against it and lay it aside to be our own judge? Since taxes go to line the pockets of crooked politicians shouldn’t I be able to adjust my taxes as I see fit, after all I don’t want to support evil? Are they all evil? How is it possible that we can know that? The answer is we can’t know that is why we are instructed “to be in subjection to the governing authorities”.

Paul tells us that if we are doing “good” as we should that they are not a terror to us. In fact he tells us that they are a “minister of God”. How’s that? God has established civil government for our benefit, to protect the innocent and punish the guilty. We are left with the question, how is it that an evil authority can exists if the purpose of civil government is to be a “minister of God”? Paul by the Holy Spirit writes, “For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God”. Even the authorities who are less than righteous God is able to use according to His will. Sure, we can’t understand it but then again… that’s why He is God. To put it simply, If we fail to be obedient to the “governing authorities” we fail to be obedient to God. How about you are you above the law or below the law?

Mind Set

2009-08-13T06:01:00.001-05:00

Romans 8:6-8 For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

A mind set? We’ve all heard and maybe even been encouraged to do something by these words, “you can do anything you set your mind to”. Parents are quick to encourage their children with these words in order to help them learn how to be determined and to apply themselves by focusing their might and will. Some subjects are harder to learn than others in school the ones that are hard require extra determination from the individual to be able to learn them. A “mind set” is a determining will, the innermost willing, judging, and planning self. It is here that the “do or die” attitude is birthed that charts the course to be taken by the individual.

The Apostle Paul writes by the Holy Spirit that “The mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God”; because it is in opposition to His righteousness. The mind that is set on exalting self and charting a course to satisfy the lusts of the flesh, “does not subject itself to the law of God”; therefore offending God’s righteousness. Believing that it is possible to serve ourselves and God at the same time is to be deceived for “those who are in the flesh cannot please God”. Only living a life with a “mind set on the Spirit” are we able to please God. This means that we have determined and charted our course that leads to eternal life in Christ Jesus and not to sin that leads to death. How about you? How is your mind set…on the Spirit or on the flesh?

Wanting Contentment

2009-08-12T06:25:00.010-05:00

Psalms 23:1 The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want.

Wanting Contentment? Jesus is the good shepherd; “the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep”. How much more than is the good shepherd willing to provide for His sheep? He doesn’t provide just any old grass for His sheep, the “green pastures” is where He leads them to. He doesn’t provide just any old water; the “still water” is where He leads them to. The good shepherd loves and cares for His sheep; Jesus says that the hired hand cares more about himself than he does the sheep. With nothing but the best provided by the loving shepherd there is no need to “want” for anything else.

The truth is we find ourselves from time to time “wanting” even coveting what others have. The spirit of discontentment runs in epidemic proportions these days. Buying, selling, trading, returning, quitting, divorcing and the list goes on; most of which stems from the new wearing off of something and being bored with it, then desiring something new. So how do we find ourselves in this condition? The good shepherd “leads” the sheep and the sheep follow Him. We find ourselves “wanting” when we get out in front of the shepherd and expect Him to follow us where we go. Even when we pray we are sometimes guilty of asking the Lord to “go with us”, when we should be praying Lord “lead us”. If we have to turn around and look back to see the Lord we are going the wrong way. How about you? Do you find yourself wanting and looking back or content and looking forward?

Help Wanted

2009-08-11T06:32:00.001-05:00

1 Samuel 12:24 Only fear the LORD, and serve him in truth with all your heart; for consider how great things he hath done for you.

Help wanted: King of Israel? Israel was jealous of the nations around them that had mighty warriors for kings. Israel’s king was God Himself, ruling the nation; a mighty king who had done many incredible things to preserve and protect Israel from their enemies. The problem was that they could not see him nor could their enemies. For that reason they pleaded with God to have a human king, to which God gave them King Saul. Samuel was God’s prophet, spokesman to the people, who warned them that their attitude was sinful and rebellious towards God. Samuel prays to God to send rain as a sign to the people that they are in fact being wicked in their desire for a king. God sends the rain and the people are convicted of their sin against Him. They plead with Samuel to pray for them that they may not die for their transgressions against God. God in His tender mercies and knowing their weaknesses honors their plea. Samuel not only prays for them but also instructs them in “the good and right way”.

The forces of hell would like for us to believe that when we sin against God we are doomed with absolutely no chance to reconcile. On the contrary, when we sin against God and realize what we’ve done and turn back to the “good and right way” He will be faithful to forgive us our trespasses. God’s spokesman Samuel told the people that if they truly regret their sinful actions they will then chart a new course of action. He tells them to “Only fear the LORD, and serve him in truth with all your heart; for consider how great things he hath done for you”. The truth is when we occupy our time reflecting on all that He has done for us the less time we have to covet what others have. How about you? Have you counted your blessing lately naming them one by one?

Someone To Lean On

2009-08-06T06:01:00.001-05:00

Romans 1:11-12 For I long to see you so that I may impart some spiritual gift to you, that you may be established; that is, that I may be encouraged together with you while among you, each of us by the other’s faith, both yours and mine.

Someone To Lean On? Jesus told His disciples that it was necessary that He ascend to heaven so that the “Comforter” would come. The disciples had Jesus to lean on; His words comforted them when they were discouraged. The problem was that they couldn’t all always be with Him. With the arrival of the “Comforter”, the disciples as well as all believers have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit to minister to them 24/7. The Holy Spirit’s ministry is compounded exponentially as He empowers believers with “gifts” to minister to others. The Apostle Paul is well aware of this ministry of the Holy Spirit as he writes to the church at Rome. He knows that if he can get there to them that he can administer his gifts to them in order to strengthen and encourage them. However Paul would not be so bold as to think that he was the only one to have something to offer. On the contrary, he knows they have something for him too. He says, “That I may be encouraged together with you while among you, each of us by the other’s faith, both yours and mine”.

God does not intend for His children to walk through this world alone. He has gone to great lengths to insure that we have all that we need to grow and persevere in our faith. Many believe that one can live a Christian life on their own “forsaking the assembling of ourselves together”, but they become weak and vulnerable to attack from the wicked one. Christian fellowship is essential to our spiritual health. Oh that we would learn from Paul how to minister to our brothers and sisters in Christ. How about you? Are you encouraging and strengthening your brethren? Are you being someone to lean on?

Set Apart

2009-08-04T08:08:00.000-05:00

1 Samuel 8:19-20 Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, "No, but we will have a king over us, that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles."

Set Apart? God commands His people, those who are called by His name to be sanctified, to be set apart from the rest of the world, to be holy. This never has been and never will be optional, He demands separation. So why do we fight so hard against it? Why do we still desire to be like all the rest? This is not a new problem it has always been this way even back in Samuel’s day. God’s people were tired of being ruled by God they wanted a man, someone they could see that would go out into battle before them and be a mighty warrior…a king like all the other nations had. God let them have what they wanted and it didn’t take long for them to discover that they should have listened to God. The truth is that our position with God (being reconciled by saving grace through Jesus’ sacrifice) is the easy part, God takes care of that but our experience with God (fellowship with Him) is yet another story. Our fellowship with God is based on our level of obedience to Him and His Word; the conscience determination to be “Set Apart” by Him, and for Him. Through the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit we have the ability to do it, He has given Him to us to do just that but we have to take the initiative He will not do it for us. How about you, have you come apart from the rest to be Set Apart for Him?

Who's Following Who

2009-07-30T06:14:00.001-05:00

John 1:38-39 And Jesus turned and saw them following, and said to them, “What do you seek?” They said to Him, “Rabbi (which translated means Teacher), where are You staying?” He said to them, “Come, and you will see.” So they came and saw where He was staying; and they stayed with Him that day, for it was about the tenth hour.

Who’s Following Who? It might seem as if these days it is hard to tell who is a Christian and who is not because so many claim to be and yet still look like the rest of the world. At least the ones who make a life career of criminal activity and just reek of evil, you know without a doubt that they are without Christ. But the ones who just do their own thing leaving everyone else alone, never cause trouble and are basically “good people” you don’t know if they are unless you ask. Has it really come to this? Can the believer and the non-believer look so much the same that you can’t tell the difference?

There are many characteristics that define a “follower of Christ”; one in particular we find in this passage here. Two men who heard that Jesus was “The Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world” began to follow Jesus from place to place. Jesus turns to them and asks, “What do you seek”? Now one might expect them to say something like, “we are seeking eternal life”, or maybe “seeking forgiveness”, or “looking for a miracle” something big and exciting. But these two men simply asked, “Where are you staying”? The truth is that a true follower of Christ has an overwhelming desire to be with Him and let’s nothing else get in their way. Priorities tell a lot about a person because what a person desires most they will prioritize and make a way to fulfill that desire. Those who desire to abide with Jesus He graciously accommodates; He told them, “Come, and you will see. So they came and saw where He was staying; and they stayed with Him that day”. How about you? Are you following Jesus from place to place or are you expecting Him to follow you?

Roll With The Punches

2009-07-29T06:35:00.001-05:00

Acts 16:25 But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God, and the prisoners were listening to them.

Roll with the punches? When Paul met Jesus on the road to Damascus he was never again the same. Before he met Jesus, he had a zeal for the Jewish heritage and the “Law of Moses”; but now he had an even stronger zeal for Jesus Christ. Once the largest enemy of the Church (next to Satan) and now the strongest most dedicated advocate the Church has ever known (next to Jesus). Paul finds himself along with Silas in a dungeon, in shackles all because he cast some demons out of a poor slave girl in the name of Jesus. They were unjustly arrested and locked up; Paul being a Roman Citizen could have stated such and they would have released them immediately. Paul wasn’t worried about being unjustly attacked, beaten, and jailed because he knew without a doubt that his future was in the hands of God. If he was to suffer he was sure that God had a good reason for it, so he wasn’t going to fight it he was just going to praise it!

With forty stripes save one in a cold dark dungeon “about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God”. God must have been extremely pleased with the praises of Paul and Silas, in fact you could say that it was “earth shaking”. The prison doors flew open and the chains that bound them fell off causing the jailor to attempt taking his own life for fear that they would all escape. Paul knew that God didn’t send the earthquake so that he could escape; no, it was for the sake of the jailor and his family. Paul shared the gospel with this man and he and his household were saved. We tend to interfere in what God is working out in our lives by seeking an escape from our own pain and suffering. But we need to be more like Paul and see beyond our own pain and suffering so we can see God and His glory. We need to “let go and let God”. How about you? Are you able to praise Him in the dark dungeons of life or are you trying to find your way out?

Dangerous Curves Ahead

2009-07-28T06:29:00.001-05:00

Proverbs 3:5–6 Trust in the LORD with all your heart; and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.

Dangerous curves ahead? Life in this world is a journey through mortality, from life to death; the moment we are born the process begins. When mortality reaches its end immortality begins in the everlasting and the quality of that existence is determined by how we navigate through our journey of mortality. Are we navigating through this world trusting in how we perceive things to be, taking the paths that seem right to us? What do we have to soundly base our decisions on, a hunch or a whim? There is a way that seems right to man but after all man is mortal, he is dying, should his ways be trusted? Isn’t it too important of a matter to be so careless and trivial about? One false move on the wrong path by one careless decision can end in tormenting darkness, separated from God for all eternity.

The paths of life are rough and treacherous with snares and pitfalls at every turn that can’t be seen until it is too late. What are we to do, being in such great peril who can save us from certain destruction? The truth is it all comes down to who you know. How’s that? To successfully navigate the paths of life that lead to everlasting life one must be able to see what is ahead of them. That’s right the path you are on must be made “straight” in order to avoid all of the danger zones. Removing your feeble confidence that you have in yourself and placing it in the Lord God through His Son Jesus with all of your “heart”; “acknowledging” or knowing that He is to be the basis for everything you do and everywhere you go, “He will make your paths straight”. You see it’s not about being on the right path it’s about who is directing your path. How about you? Are you entrusting a mere mortal with your eternal destination or are you acknowledging the Eternal One?

Maximum Overload

2009-07-23T06:36:00.001-05:00

Acts 11:25-26 And he left for Tarsus to look for Saul; and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. And for an entire year they met with the church and taught considerable numbers; and the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.

Maximum Overload? Barnabas went to Antioch where the Spirit of the Lord was moving on the people and many were being saved. When he arrived he realized that God was pouring out His grace on these people. Barnabas rejoiced and began to encourage and teach the new believers; with the numbers increasing rapidly it didn’t take long for Barnabas to figure out that he was going to need some help. So Barnabas “left for Tarsus to look for Saul; and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch”. When it comes to ministry all too often we take too much upon ourselves trying to do it all single handedly. It is very noble to desire working hard for the Lord but when we “overload” we can hinder more than help. How’s that? If Barnabas had taken on this situation by himself he would have only been able to disciple a small number leaving many out in the cold. He could have looked at this situation with his own accomplishments and rewards in view, he would have really been able to rack them up here; but he would have done so at the expense of the spread of the gospel.

We are to labor together sharing in the harvest with one goal in view, the advancement of the Kingdom. Barnabas understood this and that is why he went to Tarsus after Saul. Because his heart was right with the Kingdom in view, Barnabas and Saul were at Antioch “for an entire year they met with the church and taught considerable numbers; and the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch”. How about you are you working with the Kingdom in view or are you suffering from maximum overload?

Nothing to Offer

2009-07-22T06:42:00.001-05:00

Matthew 21:19 Seeing a lone fig tree by the road, He came to it and found nothing on it except leaves only; and He said to it, “No longer shall there ever be any fruit from you.” And at once the fig tree withered.

Nothing to Offer? Jesus on His way back to Jerusalem from Bethany where He had spent the night after a rough day of running the money changers out of the Temple comes to “a lone fig tree by the road” and curses it. Now a seemingly insignificant little fig tree that wasn’t bothering anyone just minding its own business appears to be the subject of Jesus’ wrath. Why would Jesus curse or condemn this little fig tree? It is true that the fig tree wasn’t hurting anyone but it wasn’t helping anyone either. How’s that? The fig tree was created for a purpose and it failed to fulfill that purpose; scripture declares that “all things were created by Him and for Him.” That fig tree had its whole life to prepare and bring forth fruit that was worthy to be offered to its creator when He came by. However that fig tree had only mustered up “leaves” to adorn itself having nothing to offer its creator. Refusing to bear fruit left Jesus with one course of action He said, “No longer shall there ever be any fruit from you.” We too were created for a purpose, not to stand alone, not to adorn ourselves, but to bear fruit worthy to be offered to our Lord and Savior when He comes. How about you are you fulfilling your intended purpose or are you barren and alone?

Don't Fight It

2009-07-21T06:20:00.001-05:00

Acts 9:15-16 But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel; for I will show him how much he must suffer for My name’s sake.”

Don’t fight it? The greatest persecutor of the early church in his day was now out of commission and ready to receive a new mission. Saul of Tarsus had just met Jesus on the road to Damascus, the encounter left him blind and helpless for three days. Jesus told him to go into Damascus and wait for further instruction. This would have given him plenty of time to ponder the question that Jesus asks him there on the Damascus road. Jesus asks Saul, “Why are you persecuting me”? All that he had believed in and fought for was nothing but a farce; Jesus truly was the “Son of God” just like the Christians that he persecuted had claimed. What shame, what remorse, what sorrow that he must have experienced those three days as he sat in darkness waiting to hear from the Lord again?

The Lord instructs Ananias to go to Saul but Ananias is fearful of Saul for he knew his reputation. The Lord tells Ananias that Saul “is a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel”. Yes, Saul was going to be a tool in the hands of Almighty God, used to bring Him glory and honor! Having his fear relieved encouraged by the words of his Lord, Ananias went to Saul and laid his hands on him restoring his sight. Saul was the worst of the worst, by his own account he was the “chief of sinners”, but Paul became the greatest Apostle the Church has ever known. Saul couldn’t fight against Jesus any longer because God had a purpose for him to fulfill, proclaiming the gospel of Jesus that would forever change the world. How about you, have you been fighting against God’s purpose for your life? The Apostle Paul would surely say to you… don’t fight it you can’t win.

Give Me Your Eyes

2009-07-17T06:13:00.000-05:00

Luke 23:34 But Jesus was saying, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” And they cast lots, dividing up His garments among themselves.

Give Me Your Eyes? As Jesus completes His earthly ministry of healing the sick, comforting the afflicted, teaching the Word of God, forgiving sins, loving the unlovable and the list goes on; we find Him in His final hour at Calvary. It is here that He continues what He started ministering to others until His last breath, interceding to God the Father on mankind’s behalf. As they drive the nails through His hands and feet He shows that He is still the “High Priest” as He says, “Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing”. Looking past the surface only to see a lost soul who is doing what comes natural to them. Jesus is well aware that “lost people” act like “lost people” walking according to their sinful nature. Yet Jesus extends the offer of mercy and grace making it a point not to condemn them. Jesus made it clear He did not come to condemn but to “seek and to save the lost”. How easy it is to get caught up in the snare of self-righteousness; condemning people and writing them off because of their sinful behavior as if they had no hope. We have all certainly been guilty of this from time to time. May we learn from the Master how we should love, forgive, and intercede on their behalf. Jesus, Give me your eyes for just one second, give me your eyes so I can see everything that I keep missing, give me your love for humanity. How about you? Do you see people through your eyes or the eyes of Jesus?

On a Mission from God

2009-07-15T06:11:00.000-05:00

Acts 8:26-27 But an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip saying, “Get up and go south to the road that descends from Jerusalem to Gaza.” (This is a desert road.) So he got up and went; and there was an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure; and he had come to Jerusalem to worship.

On a mission from God? Philip not only proved himself to be a follower of Christ but of the Holy Spirit as well. We find Philip here being instructed by the Holy Spirit to “Get up and go”, He had a particular place that He wanted him to go at a particular time. The end result of Philips obedience to the command of the Holy Spirit was that a man who was searching for Jesus was able to find Him. The Ethiopian eunuch was reading the scriptures but needed someone to help Him understand. God sent Philip to this man to do just that. Philip was God’s instrument that He used to reveal His Son Jesus to him. The Ethiopian eunuch became a converted child of God; and Philip? He was blessed and privileged to be a part of the miracle of God’s salvation; and all because he was obedient to the call. How many times do we turn down the generous offer of the privilege to be part of such a great thing? Philip had no idea of what the Holy Spirit was sending him into; the Spirit never told him, he just “got up and went”. Not bad for a man who was called on to “serve tables”; Philip was faithful in the little things and therefore trusted with much. How about you are you poised and ready to be on a mission from God?

Here Comes the Bride

2009-07-14T06:32:00.000-05:00

Revelation 19:7-8 Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready." And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.

Here comes the Bride? After many months, sometimes years of planning and preparing for the big day the wedding march begins and everyone stands and turns to see the bride appear in her fine white gown, beaming with beauty. When she walks down the aisle the chapter of pain staking preparation closes and a new chapter of an exciting future begins. This is the moment that she has been waiting for. This is the moment she has worked so hard for. She is ready! Or is she? Have you ever had to wait and wait and wait because the Bride wasn’t quite ready yet? The crowd becomes nervous and the Groom even more so. Where is she? What is taking so long?

Sometimes I wonder if those are some of the questions that the angelic hosts are asking as they wait with anticipation to see the bride who “has made herself ready”. What must the Groom be thinking? Could it be that His Bride is not quite as excited about their big day as He is since she is not quickly getting ready? If the “fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints” and that is required in order to be presented to the Groom then could it be that the Church is lacking in “righteous acts”? Could the Church be more concerned with other things that are distracting Her keeping Her from getting ready? One thing is for sure; in spite of all the delays that day will eventually come when the angels will say, “here comes the Bride”. How about you, are you doing your part to get ready?

Running Balance

2009-07-09T05:50:00.001-05:00

Matthew 19:30 But many who are first will be last; and the last, first.

Running Balance? At times it may seem that the Christian life is very costly in the sense that we are to give freely of ourselves, preferring others over ourselves. It may even appear that there is a lot more going out than coming in. Praise God that we have something to go out! He is the one that supplies all that we are able to give. How many times have we given thought to having a bank account that had an endless supply of money that would allow us to spend, spend, spend without any need to keep track of the balance? How much more when it comes to mercy and grace? We have an endless supply in Jesus Christ, ready and available to dispense to others liberally without having to worry about running out. Jesus shares with His disciples here that they haven’t given up anything that will not return to them many times over. He goes on to say that those who desire to be “first” in this life by being more concerned about what comes in rather than what goes out, “will be last” in the kingdom. However, the ones who are “last” because they put others ahead of themselves and give freely what has freely been given them will be “first” in the kingdom. How about you, are you in the lead or falling behind?

Against All Odds

2009-07-08T06:05:00.001-05:00

Nehemiah 6:15-16 So the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth of the month Elul, in fifty-two days. When all our enemies heard of it, and all the nations surrounding us saw it, they lost their confidence; for they recognized that this work had been accomplished with the help of our God.

Against all odds? People tend to stop and take notice when something happens that is out of the ordinary; something that defies all natural ability and confounds human logic. Feats that can only be explained or described as being supernatural, leaving one marveling at the sight of it. Take for instance Nehemiah’s account of the rebuilding of the mighty wall around Jerusalem. The Israelites had just returned to their homeland after being captive in Babylon and Persia for many years. The home they returned to was in ruins from the battle that landed them in captivity. The Temple had been rebuilt and now the walls that protected the city and the people needed to be rebuilt. The problem was that their neighbors seen this rebuilding as a threat to them both politically and economically. They went to great lengths to thwart their efforts by attacking them. However, because they were following the commands of the Almighty God under the leadership of Nehemiah, they were able to not only rebuild the walls but fight off the attacks of their enemies at the same time. An impossible feat to say the least, what should have taken years to accomplish took “fifty-two days”.

Nehemiah tells us that their enemies “recognized that this work had been accomplished with the help of their God”, causing them to lose “their confidence”. The application is the same for the Christian today, obedience to God’s direction in our lives will cause supernatural things to happen. People will stop and take notice that God is present in our lives and this brings Him glory and honor. The opposite is true as well; disobedience to God’s leadership will render our lives powerless and ordinary, and thus robbing God of His glory. How about you, are you experiencing the supernatural or the ordinary?

Right Place, Right Time

2009-07-07T05:52:00.001-05:00

Esther 4:14 For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place and you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether you have not attained royalty for such a time as this?

Right place, Right time? Being at the right place at the right time is what it takes for certain, significant events to take place in our lives. When these things happen and we reflect back on the events we are amazed at how it all came together in such a perfect way. Realizing that even if one, seemingly minor, detail were to be different or out of place it could have changed the entire outcome. There are many who write such occasions off as coincidence but how is it possible for coincidence to be so intelligent? The truth is that it’s not possible. The word coincidence means by chance which if by chance then there is no intelligence. One must conclude that there is a perfect intelligent being that orchestrates such affairs with impeccable precision. We know Him as the “Living God”, the creator of all things, and it is by His providence that we see such things happen.

Esther was a Jewish girl who was a captive of the Persian Empire who became the Queen of that very empire. Defying all odds she was placed in a position that would be vital to saving the entire Jewish race of people. Esther’s cousin Mordecai reminds her of this as he asks, “Who knows whether you have not attained royalty for such a time as this”? Mordecai realized that God was in this, for it would take an act of God to change the outcome of the events that were set in motion. The wise Mordecai believed so strongly that God would have His way that he told Esther, “For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place and you and your father’s house will perish”. Yes, God would simply make another way if she would not embrace her role in saving the people from annihilation. How about you, do you believe that where you are at is merely coincidence? Have you embraced your role?

You Can Count On It

2009-07-02T06:08:00.001-05:00

Mark 13:31 Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.

You can count on it? There are many things in life that we would like to think we could count on to be rock solid able to withstand anything and everything. All too often we put our faith and trust in someone or something only to be let down somewhere along the line because of a fault that surfaces exposing the corruption. The older we get the more we understand how flawed and corruptible people and things really are; realizing that even those who are closest to us can falter, even ourselves. We see before our very eyes people deteriorate and die. We see things that deteriorate even to the point of ceasing to exist. Where is our hope? Where is our guarantee? This is what the disciples wanted to know from Jesus.

Jesus speaking to His disciples as He tells them of the things that must come to pass before His return makes this profound statement. He assures them that all things that are in and of this world are corrupted and will without exception perish, even “Heaven and earth will pass away”. But there is hope. There is a guarantee. There is one thing that we do have that is perfect and incorruptible that will not deteriorate or cease to exist. That’s right, there is one exception to the rule as Jesus comforts His disciples with these words, “but My words will NOT pass away”. People, places and things will fail you but the words of our Lord and Savior are tried and true and will be with us forever more! How about you? What are you counting on?

Secret to Success

2009-07-01T06:01:00.001-05:00

Isaiah 55:11 So shall my word be that goes forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

If it is to be, it is up to me? Ask a successful professional and you will most likely find that they believe that this little string of two letter words is the secret to their success. If this phrase encourages someone to rise above the challenges that they face and to work hard at achieving the goals that lay before them, then it can be a good thing. There is certainly nothing wrong with developing a good work ethic of doing your own work; but is it possible that someone can go too far with this and become servant to it? A little success from following this principle can make one believe that they are very powerful and in total control of their own destiny.

Unfortunately some of this kind of philosophy has spilled over into the church. The kind that says, “We can do it”; developing programs and techniques that are designed to increase the numbers on the roll books with success. Certainly strategy and hard work are essential but under whose power is it being done, man’s or God’s? If under the power of man there is much pressure and responsibility put on the people that are not required. How’s that? We just need to focus on being obedient to God and let Him worry about the results. When sharing Jesus with someone else we need not to worry about making a mistake that will cause someone to not be saved. Sorry, but we do not have quite that much power. The saving business is God’s business not ours. We are only responsible for delivering God’s Word the rest is up to Him. God says, “It shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it”. Glory Hallelujah! That relieves a whole lot of pressure knowing that I am not responsible for the outcome only for my obedience to share! The scriptures warn us to not think more highly of ourselves than we ought to. Therefore according to God, if it is to be, it is up to HE. How about you, are you relying on what you can do or what God can do?

Reality Check

2009-06-30T06:09:00.001-05:00

Psalms 90:12 So teach us to number our days, that we may present to You a heart of wisdom.

Reality Check? From time to time it is a good idea to get a reality check of where we are really at in this thing called life. It is amazing how well the human mind can turn a “blind eye” to the realities of life. How’s that? Just look at how people live; constantly on the go burning the candle at both ends, taking extreme risk all in the name of entertainment and sport; and they do all of this while people around them are dying at a very consistent rate. Statistics still prove that ten out of ten people die but yet people live like it’s not even happening. Like an ostrich with its head buried in the sand, the attitude of the day is “if I don’t think about it, it won’t happen to me”. Sometimes we slip and fall and if we fall hard enough we are reminded real quick that we are in fact mortal to this world. Have you been there? Have you stopped to take an account of your life and realized that it will eventually come to an end? If coming to an end then what… are you ready for what’s next?

Satan’s job is to hurry us through life so fast that we don’t have time to prepare for the next and sad to say he is good at what he does. The Psalmist understood this which is why he asks God to “Teach us to number our days”. How many do we have left… could today be the last one? A wise person takes the time to prepare in advance. Unless one deals with their offences against the One who created them and reconciles those differences with Him, they are not yet prepared. There are many who will argue that’s not reality. They will say, “God is not real” and turn a blind eye, and keep on going. “The fool has said in his heart, there is no God”, but are you willing to bet your life on it? A person who numbers their days is conscience of their mortality and seeks to gain immortality through making peace with God. By accepting His ONE and ONLY way of peace, you will one day meet God and be able to present to Him “a heart of wisdom”. How about you, have you had your reality check?

Limited Knowledge

2009-06-25T06:42:00.000-05:00

Romans 16:19-20 For your obedience has become known to all. Therefore I am glad on your behalf; but I want you to be wise in what is good, and simple concerning evil. And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.

Limited Knowledge? There are certain things in this life that we will never acquire the knowledge of. It is impossible to know everything, there is just too much to know. Even if it were possible would we really want to know everything? The answer would have to be yes. Why? Because knowledge is power and fallen human nature desires power. Remember it was the desire for knowledge and power that got us into this mess. Remember the Garden of Eden? It is worth taking note that the final instruction given to the church at Rome was that of being “wise in what is good and simple concerning evil”. In other words Paul is instructing them to acquire knowledge of what is good and to shun knowledge of that which is evil.

People today are exposed to more knowledge in one day than most people were in a whole year not so long ago. With so much more exposure there is a natural increase in the amount of evil knowledge available. Are we taking measures to guard our hearts and minds from evil? Or do we just roll with the flow thinking we can handle it? I have heard more than one old timer say, “Simple is good there will be less to answer for”. Could they have been on to something? We definitely need to be more selective than we are. Stop and think about what you are filling your mind with on any given day. Now stop and think about what you are letting your children fill their minds with on any given day. What is winning out…good or evil? I am convinced that this is why we have so much trouble with the devil. How’s that? Paul writes that if we heed this command that “the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly”. Stop and think about it, if we are powerless over Satan it could be because we are indoctrinated by him. We have the power of choice to control the type of knowledge we receive. We just need to do it. How about you, do you have limited knowledge?

Inciting Worship

2009-06-24T06:33:00.001-05:00

Psalms 34:3-4 O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together. I sought the LORD, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.

Inciting Worship? People are usually very quick to stir up others to take part in celebrating the things that happen in their lives. What kind of joy would there be in celebrating something such as a birthday or a promotion at work all by ourselves? That would be ridiculous; we would never think of such a thing. Such things must be shared with others especially those whom we love. King David was very gifted at inciting people to spontaneously praise and worship the one true and living God. He would simply share his experience with God just like we find here where he says, “I sought the LORD, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears”. This was a huge event in the life of David that warranted celebration, lifting up in praise the One who was responsible. This was just too big in his eyes to be celebrated alone. No, it would require the whole congregation of Israel! His God is larger than life and nothing else compared to the greatness of knowing Him, therefore the celebration had to be huge as well.

There is certainly nothing wrong with celebrating events in our lives that are important to us. But how much more should we celebrate what God has done and is doing in our lives? The sad truth is that all too often today people are more bent on inciting people to partake in sin with them than to take part in worshipping God. May we be like David and desire within our hearts to “magnify the Lord and exalt His name together”. The truth of the matter is that we will make the biggest deal out of what is most important to us. How about you, does your god warrant a full scale celebration?

Reasonable Service

2009-06-23T06:18:00.008-05:00

Ezra 7:10 For Ezra had set his heart to study the law of the LORD and to practice it, and to teach His statutes and ordinances in Israel.

Reasonable Service? Ezra a scribe and priest of Israel had grown up during the time Israel was in exile, he was a captive in the Babylonian empire. When the exile had ended the people headed back to their homeland to rebuild the Temple that been destroyed earlier. With a new Temple in place the people were in need of a spiritual leader to teach them and to be their priest. Ezra headed for Jerusalem to do just that. He was ready he had spent many years preparing for this time that God would use Him to minister to the people. Because Ezra was obedient to God’s call on his life, others were blessed. How many times do we rob God of being a blessing to other people because we are disobedient to His call on our life? “Ezra had set his heart”, he had appointed his path, determined the goal, made a conscience decision of what his life was going to count for.
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Ezra knew that in order to reach his goal of being all that God wanted him to be he would need to know what God’s Word said, know how to live it, and know how to teach it. Well after all he was a priest and a scribe shouldn’t we expect him to do that, wouldn’t that be his reasonable service? There is this common misperception that only those who are called to be ministers are to devote their lives to these things and everyone else’s responsibility consists of showing up to listen. All who are under the blood of Christ are commissioned to share the gospel with others. In essence we are all called to be ministers in one way or another. We determine to do a lot of things in our lives, many of them very difficult but none will pay more dividends than that of “setting our heart to study the law of the LORD and to practice it, and to teach His statutes”. How’s that, how do we know that we will be blessed by God? This passage is an explanation of the previous verse that says, “The good hand of his God was upon him”. From cover to cover the Word is clear, obedience brings blessing and disobedience brings punishment. How about you, are you doing your reasonable service?

Who Do You Love?

2009-06-18T06:04:00.001-05:00

1 John 2:15-16 Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world.

Who do you love? Jesus said that you cannot serve two masters, for you will love one and hate the other. The way of the world is contrary to the way of God, completely opposite in nature. Serving the intent and desires of one alienates the other. Contrary to popular opinion it is not possible to play both sides of the fence and please either one. John says not only are we not to “love the world” but neither “the things in the world”. What does he mean by this, aren’t we to love everyone? The word “world” as used here means order of things; the order of things as we know it is sinful in nature, evil and ungodly to the very core. John goes on to explain what some of these sinful ways are that define the order of things; he says they are the “lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life”. Another word for lust is desire; what is it that occupies our time, what is it that we can’t get off of our mind, what is it we are willing to pour our life into? The answers to these questions will tell us who we really love.

There are many who believe that they love God and are at peace with Him; according to John though we can know for sure by an honest inspection of ourselves to see what it is that makes us tick. We are to love what God loves and to despise what God despises. Sin and all of the worldly things it encompasses God despises because it cost Him a great price. How could it be possible that His children would take pleasure in the very thing that caused Him to sacrifice His Son? The truth is it’s not possible. John says “If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him”. How about you, based only on the evidence of your daily life, who do you love?

Pro-Choice

2009-06-17T06:05:00.006-05:00

Matthew 27:17 So when the people gathered together, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release for you? Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?”

Pro-Choice? Life is really a series of choices, isn’t it? We spend our entire day making choices, beginning with deciding what time to get out of bed, what to have for breakfast, what clothes to wear for the day and on it goes for the rest of the day. We would most likely be astounded if we knew exactly how many choices we make in our life time. We should really weigh out each and every choice that we make because many of the choices we make have definite and long lasting impact on our lives. The truth is mankind has always placed a high value on his ability to make choices, willing to do whatever it takes to protect that ability. You could say that some things never change.

Take for instance the choice that is offered to the people here in Matthew’s gospel. The choice is about the freedom of one of the two men in question. On the one side you have a man named Jesus, whose life was marked by compassion, love, healing, forgiveness, goodness and life. On the other side you have a man named Barabbas, whose life was marked by rebellious insurrection, hate, cruelty, destruction, and even murder; a real poster child of evil. “So when the people gathered together, Pilate said to them, Whom do you want me to release for you”? Whom would they choose? It was time for a vote of the people; would they choose a man who represents life or a man who represents death?

Mankind really hasn’t changed in the last two millenniums. People still place a higher value on their right and ability to choose over any Godly moral value that God has established. Until a person comes to the end of their self and is willing to lay down their sovereignty and submit to the sovereign will of God; they will choose evil over good every time. It wasn’t so much that the people really loved Barabbas and wanted him back, on the contrary they didn’t like Barabbas. It really came down to whom they hated the most and that just so happened to be Jesus. Why did they hate Him so much? Because He is the “light of the world” He exposed the darkness of their hearts, causing them to make a choice as to which kingdom they were going to give their allegiance to. The irony is that they accused and charged Jesus of the very thing that Barabbas was guilty of, insurrection. Yes, life really comes down to just one important choice that we will make; eternal life or eternal damnation. How about you? Are you still protecting and defending your sovereignty, or have you chosen life in Jesus Christ?

Supernatural Strength

2009-06-11T06:25:00.001-05:00

Isaiah 53:6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

Supernatural Strength? Sheep are interesting to say the least they are without a doubt harmless creatures; very timid, meek and mild mannered and can be frightened very easily. They are non-predatory animals, very weak and not concerned about their territory. Sheep also tend to flock together when grazing as there is safety in numbers from predatory animals. However there are some who will stay to the outer rim of the flock to graze because the grass is better and more plentiful out from underneath the crowded flock. Once in the lush grass the outer sheep will simply eat their way right off the path only to end up isolated from the rest and exposed to certain danger.

Isaiah says, “All we like sheep have gone astray”; we like the sheep prefer the greener grass and are willing to risk everything even our very life for it. The sheep are not stupid animals they know exactly what they are doing, but the desire for bigger and better gets the best of them. Eventually out away from the protection of the Shepherd the vulnerable sheep will meet a very violent end in the jaws of a hungry wolf. The person who desires to be turned their “own way” away from the Shepherd, doing what seems to be right in their own eyes are facing the same kind of peril. Turning our own way is rebellion towards God and God being the righteous Judge that He is, cannot let the iniquity go unpunished, there must be an atonement made.

All the sheep have gone astray and are guilty and deserve the end they will meet. The only problem is that will leave the Shepherd without any sheep. What will He do? He will pay for their iniquity. He will provide the atonement and bring them back into the fold. But there are so many, how is it possible for anyone to bear the weight of the sins of the world? It will take a special man, someone with supernatural strength to bear the weight. It will take the God man, Jesus Christ. Isaiah says, “And the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all”. Jesus was the only one that met all of the qualifications that justice demanded. How about you; are you grazing with the flock or are you on the outer rim?

Inerrant

2009-06-10T06:18:00.001-05:00

Psalm 19:7 The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.

Inerrant? There are some things in this world that we expect to have imperfections for one reason or another. Understanding that the manufactures (mankind) are imperfect we can safely expect that the products they make will be no greater than they. Now, there are those who believe that they are perfect and therefore can produce something perfect, but without exception the flaw will eventually show up. Therefore for something to be perfect it must be made by a source that has an equal or greater quality. Some would say, “what about the Bible, it was written by men who were imperfect, so it must be errant”? They would be correct if in fact the writers of the Holy Scriptures were the very “source” of the words that it contains. Glory be to God, that is not the case at all! Ask yourself this question, if God is able to bring into existence all that we see with just a “Let there be…”; is it then possible and reasonable for us to expect that He would reveal Himself to us by bringing about His Word? Imperfect men undeniably wrote the scripture but the “source” for the very words of the Scriptures came from the Spirit of God Himself. Can God use an imperfect tool to create something that is perfect? The bottom line is this, anything that God wills to do will be done. There is none greater than He that can thwart His plans.

God provided for mankind two very important things. First He has provided us with His “Law” (Word) which reveals to us our sinful condition leaving us standing before Him guilty and helpless realizing that there is no way that we can measure up to God’s righteous standard, no way that we can save ourselves from the condemnation. What’s so good about that you say? That takes us to the Second important provision which is a “perfect sacrifice” in Jesus Christ that is able to do that which we cannot do ourselves. In this very sense the Psalmist declares, “The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul”. If it were not perfect we would be “of all men most miserable” with absolutely no hope. How about you, do you believe that the law of the Lord is perfect? Has it converted your very soul?

Hall of Shame

2009-06-09T06:01:00.009-05:00

Matthew 26:14-15 Then one of the twelve, named Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, “What are you willing to give me to betray Him to you?” And they weighed out thirty pieces of silver to him.

Hall of Shame? Every year there is a list that is published of the 100 most popular baby names of the year; it is no wonder that the name “Judas” never makes the list. Truth be told, if there were a list of the top 1000 names it still would not make the cut, it’s just a name you never hear of. Who would ever wish for their child to live under what that name represents? Words like shame, disloyalty, traitor, low-down, rotten, snake; are but a few that describe the man that bore this name. For all eternity he will be forever known as the man who sold out Jesus the Son of God who did nothing but good.

Judas justly deserves this title. However, he does not deserve this title for everyone else. How’s that? Judas is not the only one to sell out Jesus for thirty pieces of silver. In fact people sell Him out for a whole lot less. Christians are followers of Christ, representatives if you will, just like Judas was. As a Christian we are to be as Jesus was, that is loving, forgiving, caring, doing that which is good in the eyes of the Lord. But there are times that an attractive offer comes along and tempts us into bringing dishonor to our Lord. If the price is right we will take it and put Jesus to open shame.This is nothing short of idolatry and God takes idolatry very seriously. There is no room for a fence rider in God’s Kingdom. You are either for Him or against Him.

Some people will live their whole lives in the shadows just like Judas, sneaking around looking for the next “good deal”. But in the end the shady dealings will be exposed for what they are, evil. You will not find a “better deal” than Jesus. Do not fall for the gods of this world that are competing for your allegiance; but rather sell yourself out to Jesus! How about you, are you still looking for a better deal?

Storm Shelter

2009-06-04T06:13:00.001-05:00

Psalms 34:22 The LORD redeems the soul of His servants and none of those who take refuge in Him will be condemned.

Storm Shelter? People who live in the Mid-west are all too familiar with storms and their awesome destructive power. The storms that spawn tornados are more likely to come in the spring than any other time of the year. It is for this reason that people begin to prepare for the danger that is coming early on. Each year more and more people will invest in some kind of shelter for protection as the tornadoes go through and hit a little closer to home than before. Underground shelters are the shelters of choice because the protection it offers far exceeds the destructive power of the storm; tornadoes cannot dig holes. To survive the storm you must take refuge in the right shelter that offers superior protection.

God’s Word warns people of a coming storm that has very destructive power this storm is called Judgment Day. Unlike tornadoes this storm has the power to destroy everything that it comes in contact with leaving no stone unturned. Man made shelters such as being a good friend to others, doing good deeds for those in need, and even the best of all manmade shelters the one called religion, will not hold up to this storm. There is only ONE shelter that is superior to this storm that is coming and His name is Jesus Christ. Each year that passes, the storm comes closer and closer to home, every day is another day closer to condemnation. Prepare your shelter before it is too late and choose the ONE that is guaranteed to “save” you from the storm. Invest your life in Jesus and be His servant, for “The LORD redeems the soul of His servants and none of those who take refuge in Him will be condemned”. How about you? Are you ready for the storm that is coming?

Gang Activity

2009-06-03T06:28:00.000-05:00

Ephesians 5:4 And there must be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks.

One of the guy’s? One of the girl’s? To be part of the gang is the thing to do for most people. Whether it is the gang at school, the office, or the neighborhood; group acceptance and participation is of utmost importance to most because of the fear of rejection and ridicule. More times than not these groups will develop a personality made up of the strongest personalities of its members. The group will have certain things they like to do, certain places to go and certain topics of discussion they like to discuss. As a member of these groups you are called on to defend it; how’s that? How many times have we heard this kind of statement when one’s activity is challenged, “Oh it’s not that bad, we aren’t killing anyone”? True, they may not be killing anyone but the real question is, are they building up the people or tearing them down? Unless God plays a leading role in the group it will not build up but rather, it will tear down.

Tearing down is not something that one can notice, because it happens ever so slowly like erosion. In the name of fun people like to flirt with sinful behavior; walk as close as they can to the edge, ever so careful as to not fall in head first. The problem is you can’t walk next to it without getting some of it on you and before you know it, it consumes you. James tells us that “sin when it is finished brings forth death” nothing good can come from it. The Word tells us that these kinds of groups like to “eat, drink and be merry”, meaning they like to have a “good time”. Humor plays a leading part in the personality of such groups; people who like to laugh and cut up with one another telling jokes that are less than clean and dropping sexual innuendo. Paul tells us that “there must be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting” because it is “not fitting”. It simply does not fit it’s like trying to put a square peg in a round hole. A Christian should not be a part of these things. Oh…so now you are a “stick in the mud, an old fuddy duddy, you use to be fun”, sound familiar? So what are you suppose to do now? Paul says, “but rather give thanks”, this is what builds up a group of people. How about you? Have you been building up or tearing down? You may need to find a new gang.

Tipping the Scales

2009-06-02T06:18:00.001-05:00

Proverbs 11:1 A false balance is an abomination to the LORD, but a just weight is His delight.

Tipping the Scales? When buying or selling in the ancient world things were either measured out by volume or by weight. When measured by weight, a scale was used with a “known weight” on one side and the item to be bought or sold on the other side; thus determining the weight by balancing the scales. These “known weights” were stones that had markings on them to verify their weight and were considered to be a “just weight”. However, there were some peddlers that were less than honest that would carry two sets of weights in their bag, one for buying and the other for selling. The ones used for buying were heavier and the ones for selling were lighter than what they were marked.

Shady deals are nothing new to be sure; they are just done a little differently today. The “false weights” have been replaced with “misrepresentation” and the dreaded “fine print”, that requires nothing short of a law degree to decipher. The motive hasn’t changed either it’s the same today as it was then, just plain old greed caused by covetousness. It is easy to understand why those who have not committed their lives to the Lord Jesus can do such things; for they live only for themselves with very little consideration for others. But on the other hand it is hard to understand how someone who has committed their life to the Lord Jesus can do those things; for we are to prefer others over ourselves.

Paul says let it not be ONCE named among you, as becomes saints. We are told that “A false balance is an abomination to the LORD”, He doesn’t take lightly this offence because He deals justly and righteously with ALL. The Proverb goes on to declare that “a just weight is His delight”, this is what pleases the creator of all things because He is gracious and merciful. Jesus Christ our great example shows us how to measure out to others as He tipped the scales completely over in our favor when He gave His life for us. How about you? Which kind of weight are you dealing with?

Can I get a Witness

2009-05-28T06:35:00.001-05:00

Luke 7:22 Jesus answered and said to them, "Go and tell John the things you have seen and heard: that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the gospel preached to them.

Can I get a Witness? John the Baptizer was in prison and knew that he was not getting out of the situation alive so he sends a couple of his disciples to Jesus with a question. He wanted to be absolutely positive that he got it right. He wanted to be sure that he led the way for the real Messiah and that it was in fact Jesus of Nazareth. The question went something like this, “Are you the one or should we look for another”? With the end drawing near doubt was hovering over John like a rained soaked cloud that just won’t go away so he began to frantically scramble. What if I was wrong, what if he was not the one, what if all of this was in vain, what if I am about to die for the wrong one? John had many, many questions and was looking for some answers. Questions that are spawned from fear and circumstance meant to destroy our faith are coming if they haven’t already. We like John will look for answers. Will we find them?

Jesus could have offered John’s men a simple yes and sent them back to him, but we all know that is not the way Jesus does things. What if Jesus had sent the simple answer back, would it have been enough? Would it have solidified John’s faith? I think if we were in John’s sandals and being truthful we would say, no. The simple answer is never enough. Jesus so loved John that He was going to give him better than the simple answer, he sends back witnesses to the numerous prophecies being fulfilled at that very moment. Proof, the evidence that John was absolutely right! But then again…Jesus is always looking for a witness. How about you? You will most likely come across someone this very day that is going through a situation such as John’s, will you be a witness for Jesus?

Render unto God

2009-05-27T07:42:00.001-05:00

Mark 12:17 And Jesus said to them, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” And they were amazed at Him.

Getting more than you bargain for? That’s what happened to this group of Pharisees and Herodians who despised Jesus and attempted to set Him up by asking whether or not it was lawful to pay a tax to Caesar. They believed that He would say that it was unlawful to pay tribute to Caesar, thus making Him guilty of treason. Being punished for treason they would finally be rid of Him for good. In their minds this was a fool proof plan; surely He would not say that the oppression of a tax on people was alright for He only spoke the “way of God in truth”. After paying Jesus a fair amount of “lip service” saying, “We know that you are truthful and defer to no one”, they fire the loaded question at Him. Jesus treats this situation for what is, like a pesky fly that is being a nuisance and needs a good swat. He tells them to bring a coin to him and look at it. He then asks them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this”? They answer it is “Caesar’s”. Jesus simply tells them that since Caesar’s image is on the coin it must be his therefore they should “render” or give it back to him.

I am sure that they were not expecting that one; trying to get one over on Jesus they have placed their own wealth in jeopardy. If Caesar owned it all they should give it all back to him, I am sure that Caesar wouldn’t disagree with that one. If that’s not bad enough He drops another one on them saying, “And to God the things that are God’s”. Jesus reminds them that just as the coins that are made in the image of Caesar are Caesar’s; they are made in the “image of God” and likewise belong to Him and should “render” themselves to Him. “And they were amazed at Him”, for they got more than they bargained for! Jesus’ words still ring true today, God is not concerned about your money He wants what is rightfully His, and that is You! How about you, have you “rendered” yourself to Him?

Humble Pie

2009-05-26T06:37:00.002-05:00

Luke 14:10 But when you are invited, go and sit down in the lowest place, so that when he who invited you comes he may say to you, 'Friend, go up higher.' Then you will have glory in the presence of those who sit at the table with you.

Humble Pie? Usually when it comes to pie the only thing we need to know is apple or cherry? We may even ask for both because they taste so good, and go down so easy. But that is not the case with humble pie, it taste anything but good and is very hard to swallow! Jesus was invited to the house of a Pharisee for Sabbath dinner along with several others. He noticed that the prominent seats toward the head of the table filled up quickly leaving only the seats at the far end of the table open. Jesus tells these proud fellows that they might want to move down a couple of seats just in case someone more important than them shows up and they have to be asked by the host to move down. Was Jesus trying to help these proud fellows save face or was he condemning their pride, or both? One thing we do know for sure is that God despises pride and He gives us many, many, warnings about avoiding it at all cost.

Honor is given not assumed. Jesus goes on to tell these proud fellows that if they intend to exalt themselves they will in fact be served the humble pie. But if they humble themselves then someone else will exalt them by asking them to take the seat of honor. Puts a whole new light on choosing which seat to sit in, doesn’t it? The head of the table, the center stage, the front of the line, the corner office, the penthouse, and even the front seat of the car just beg and plead for us to take them! After all we deserve it, right? But just remember it is those kinds of places that we are more likely to be served Humble Pie. How about you? It is time for desert, which one will you be served?

On Wings of Eagles

2009-05-21T06:03:00.001-05:00

Deuteronomy 32:11-12 Like an eagle that stirs up its nest, that hovers over its young, He spread His wings and caught them, He carried them on His pinions. The LORD alone guided him, and there was no foreign god with him.

On wings of eagles? There is no bird quite as majestic as the eagle. With its enormous wing span, powerful talons and incredible vision it is an amazing creature. Moses here in a section referred to as “The Song of Moses”, makes a comparison between an eagle and her young and God and His people, speaking of Jacob in particular. Moses was nearing the end of his journey with God and the Israelites; shortly after commissioning Joshua to take his place he begins this wonderful song. This song is filled with praise to God as well as hope and encouragement to the people through the remembrance of where they have come from as a people. Moses reminds them how an eagle teaches her young to fly higher than any other bird by first “stirring up its nest” driving the young to the edge of the nest. Next the eagle “hovers over its young” pushing them from the safety and comfort of the nest. Falling from the great height of the nest the young eagle tries its best to begin to fly however, more times than not the eagle cannot fly the very first time. The great speed of an eagle allows it to swoop down underneath the falling eaglet and catch it on its back. The eaglet then is “carried” on the pinions taken to a greater height than the nest and shook off to try flight again. This process is repeated over and over until the young eagle learns to fly on its own.

Moses reminds the people of the great care and love the Lord has for His people, concern that is unmatched by any other. If we want to be able to rise above this world we must be like Jacob where Moses writes, “The LORD alone guided him, and there was no foreign god with him”. We must look to Him and Him alone for all that we are and ever will be. How about you? Are you learning how to fly high above this world?

Trembling Devils

2009-05-20T06:11:00.001-05:00

Luke 4:34 Let us alone! What business do we have with each other, Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are; the Holy One of God!

Even the devils tremble? Jesus had arrived at Capernaum and went straight to the synagogue to teach and preach the Word of God. We are told that the people were amazed at His teaching because He spoke with authority which was something they were evidently not use to. While He was teaching, a man that was possessed by unclean spirits interrupts the message with a violent verbal outburst saying, “Let us alone”! We must conclude that this man was possessed by more than one demon and they were severely threatened by Jesus’ presence; threatened because they knew that He had power and authority over them to do as He wills. They wanted Him to leave them alone doing their business of tormenting lost souls, almost as if there was some kind of professional courtesy to be afforded them. Maybe if they let Him know that they know who He is by using His name, “Jesus of Nazareth”, He will then leave them alone and go away. With Jesus still not leaving and the demons now shaking in fear of His awesome power ask, “Have you come to destroy us”; and who said that demons were stupid? Finally as a last resort, pulling out all of the stops, they proclaim that they know that He is deity saying, “You are the Holy One of God”!

Surely one would think that after all of that, exhibiting fear, knowledge, belief, and confession of His deity, Jesus would not only let them be but also… save them. Save them? Yes, by popular Christian standards today most would call these demons “saved”. Of course that’s preposterous because they are demons. However if we didn’t know that we were talking about demons we would most assuredly say that anyone who exhibits that kind of fear, knowledge, belief and confession must surely be a Christian. The truth is that the demons know the Word of God, and they know the Son of God; James tells us that they “believe and tremble”. However, they like so many lack one thing; true repentance. Repentance, that causes one to submit to God’s authority rather than rebel against it. How about you, do you have what the demons lack?

Bad Things and Good People

2009-05-19T06:46:00.001-05:00

Psalms 34:19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivers him out of them all.

Why do bad things happen to good people? This is the age old question that people ponder as they watch life’s events unfold. Logic tells us that there should be good for good and bad for bad, in a perfect world that might be true but unfortunately that is not the case. The world in which we live is not perfect; it is defectively cursed by the sin of the people who inhabit it and therefore we are subject to the effects of that sin. When the earth quakes, the seas rage, or the sky wails, they are not selective about whom they will afflict, no, they will afflict all who are in their path. The Psalmist declares that not only do righteous people suffer afflictions but they suffer “many”. So why does God allow the righteous to suffer these things? All of these things are faith builders. That’s right, by experiencing peril and then being delivered by the hand of God our faith is built up. Time after time of depending on Him to deliver us from the things that afflict us, strengthens our faith.

We are running a race building up endurance for that final stretch that will take us across the finish line. If we have that experience and we know without a shadow of a doubt that He will deliver us every time no matter what; then when it is time for our final deliverance we shall be confident. A person’s only defense from such things in life is the presence and power of Almighty God in their life. God does not tell us here that He will only deliver us from some of the afflictions, no, He says ALL of them! Even in death the righteous are delivered from the final and worst affliction of all, an eternity in hell. As hard as it is to do we must thank God for the rain that comes our way and praise Him in the storm for He is the mighty deliverer. How about you? Do you trust in the LORD to be your deliverer?

Purpose Driven

2009-05-14T06:24:00.001-05:00

Luke 1:41-42 And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. Then she spoke out with a loud voice and said, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!

Purpose Driven? One of life’s biggest struggles is realizing what ones purpose in life is. What am I here for? What is the point? These are the questions that linger in a person’s mind as they wander through life without any real drive just kind of going through the motions. Look around and see those who know what their purpose is; they can be identified by their passion and drive to fulfill that purpose. One such person was a man named John we know him best as John the Baptizer. Gabriel, an angel of the Lord told John’s father before John was conceived that he would have a purpose to fulfill. That’s right; he was born with a God given purpose already in place. Not only did his mother and father know this but apparently he did too as he acknowledges the presence of his Lord from his mother’s womb. John’s purpose was to prepare the way for Jesus the Messiah. We find in Scripture that John was relentless in doing just that. He was so driven by his purpose that many thought he was literally crazy.

That’s a great story you say…but come on that was a particular person for a particular thing…that just doesn’t happen anymore. Are you sure? Is God done working, is He now just sitting back waiting on it all to end? Here’s the thing, John was by all accounts nobody special. He was so average his last name should have been Doe. God uses the insignificant to do the significant. He has a purpose for your life. So how do I find out what my purpose is? By being obedient to God’s Word. As we are actively involved in a real relationship with God the purpose will rise to the surface. When you discover it and the fire is lit, let it consume you and drive your very existence. Give God all the glory, He is worthy!

Everything Has a Price

2009-05-13T06:40:00.002-05:00

Mark 8:37 For what will a man give in exchange for his soul?

Everything has a price? You’ve heard it said that “nothing is free, there is no free lunch”. That means you may not pay for it now but somewhere along the line it will cost you something. Much like being the winner of a contest where you receive a brand new car, what could be better than that! The fine print will remind you that you will be paying some pretty stiff taxes to get it. And if that’s not enough, each year you will be reminded as you pay your personal property taxes that you won a free car. That’s right, there may not be any direct expense in receiving something for free but you can count on there being some indirect expenses.

Jesus is talking to His disciples here asking them some tough soul searching questions. He had just rebuked Peter for allowing Satan to use him to make a very selfish move. Jesus had just told them that He must be killed and after three days rise again when Peter steps up and tells Jesus that there was no way that he was going to let that happen. On the surface that sounds like a very noble, brave and courageous thing to do but the problem is this; Jesus was sharing with them God’s divine plan to save the world and Peter wanted to stop it. Peter was only thinking of himself, of how all of this would impact his life. Jesus goes on telling them if they want to be His followers, they must be willing to deny themselves and forget all about their own self interest. Salvation in Jesus Christ is “free” to all who will “believe”, there is nothing you can do to earn it and there is no amount of money that can buy it. However once you have it, it will cost you everything! The believer must reckon himself as dead to the world and alive to Christ. He died so that we could live (eternal) therefore we must die (deny self) so He can live through us.

After explaining all of these things to His disciples He asks, “What will a man give in exchange for his soul”? What is the preservation of your soul worth? Are you willing to forsake all and stake your claim on Jesus Christ only and nothing else for eternal life in heaven? Jesus asks, “What will a man give”? Sad to say there are many who are not willing to give anything but rather keep all that this life has to offer. How about you, if you have “believed on His name” for salvation; have you forsaken all and given your life to Him in return?

Anything but Ordinary

2009-05-12T06:38:00.001-05:00

Luke 1:36-37-38 Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren. For with God nothing will be impossible." Then Mary said, "Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her.

Anything but Ordinary? Mediocrity…Status Quo…Average Joe. For some these are words of comfort that describe a safe existence, while yet for others these are words that strike fear into the very core of their being. Certainly there is nothing wrong with living an ordinary life that is consistent, safe, and true but can a person miss out on some life altering encounters with God by preferring to do what is safe? What if Mary would have ignored Gabriel, the Angel of the Lord, and refused to be used by God in this way? After all she was a normal, average, ordinary Jewish girl that was engaged to be married before this day. This encounter that would move her from ordinary to extraordinary was a serious interruption to her plans that were already made. Has God desired to interrupt your plans? How have you responded? We certainly can take our cue from this young Jewish girl she responded, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord!” Is it fearful to step out in the unknown? You bet it is! But that is where we will encounter the Most High God. We must always remember that “with God nothing will be impossible.” How about you? Are you ready to say goodbye to ordinary?

Unmistakable

2009-05-07T06:23:00.001-05:00

Matthew 24:27 For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes even to the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be.

Unmistakable? There are some things that just do not need to be identified; you just know without a doubt what they are. Lightening is one of those things that when it happens it is unmistakable. You do not have to wonder if it was this or that, it just is what it is. It is no wonder that Jesus illustrates His second coming with lightening. On a dark night just before the storm you can look up in the sky and watch the lightening streak across the sky. Traveling miles and miles in the blink of an eye, lightening displays the awesome creative power of God. The intense flash of light that occurs can be blinding as it lights up the entire midnight sky. As the storm thickens the lightening becomes more and more furious, you cannot help but to stop and watch.

Jesus warns His disciples that in the last days there will be those who will come claiming to be Christ and desire others to follow them. He tells them not to be deceived by their claims and fall into their trap. There will be those who will claim that Christ has come and that they should come and see, He tells them not to go because they (we) will know without a doubt when He comes. Just like “the lightning comes from the east and flashes even to the west”, filling the sky with His glory, so shall His coming be! John the revelator says that “every eye shall see Him”, in order for the entire world to see the coming of the Lord He must fill the sky from the east to the west. As beautiful and awesome as lightening is to behold, it is equally dangerous and destructive. For all who are ready and awaiting His return, they will glory at His appearance in the sky. However those who are not ready will as John writes, “wail” at His appearance for they will be taken by surprise. How about you, will you know Him when He comes? Will you be ready?

Dazed and Confused

2009-05-06T06:32:00.000-05:00

Luke 4:36 And they were all amazed and said to one another, "What is this word? For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and they come out!"

Can’t see the forest for the trees? Let’s face it, there are just some times when we really blow it. Sometimes we get so wrapped up in the details that we completely miss the main point. When this happens we are left somewhat confused and frustrated because details do not make much sense without the main point tying them all together. Such is the case of these people who were in the synagogue where Jesus was teaching. They were so amazed at the way He spoke “with authority” and the power of His words to drive out demons that they missed who He was. Realizing who Jesus really was would have made it all make sense they would not have been left with a question. The demon recognized Jesus as “The Holy One of God” and gave it away but nobody was apparently listening.

But it gets much worse. The people who would have been present there that day were people who would have been taught on a daily basis the old scriptures of the prophets that told of the coming Messiah. They were trained in the details of what to watch for, what He would look like, and the things that he would do and say so that they would recognize Him when He came. Evidently there were just too many details and it clouded their vision. We are left standing two thousand years later asking “how can this be, how could they miss it”? The truth is that it is still happening today. How’s that? People can spend their whole life in church and be taught the details about the “The Holy One of God” and ask question after question and still miss the point. It is time to stop looking at the trees and time to start looking at the forest. Jesus is the Son of God and is worthy to be worshipped. Any questions?

Commonality

2009-05-05T06:35:00.001-05:00

Luke 23:12 That very day Pilate and Herod became friends with each other, for previously they had been at enmity with each other.

Commonality? Jesus had been taken before Pilate by the accusations of the Jews that Jesus was inciting people to rebel against the Roman authority. Claiming to be their king (that they did not want) was enough for them to take him in and turn him over to the Roman authorities for execution. The governing authority of Jerusalem, Pilate questioned Jesus and found no fault with him. Pilate heard that Herod was in town, he was the governing authority over Galilee where Jesus was from, so he sent Jesus to him. Herod found no fault with Jesus so he mocked him and sent him back to Pilate. Now a most interesting thing occurs. Pilate and Herod were two very different men, who were completely incompatible in many respects. We know that they did not like each other at all in fact they were political enemies. Now, after both of them have met and dealt with Jesus they somehow become friends. That’s right; Jesus had brought them together by exposing their commonality. You see they didn’t have any thing in common except for their rejection of Jesus.

There are many who believe that one can remain on the fence with Jesus but according to the Scriptures that is not true. Jesus said that if one is not for Him then they are against Him. When Jesus comes through people go to one side of the fence or the other. People may be divided about a lot of different things but when it comes to Jesus they unite together either for Him or against Him. There are two crowds of people. Pilate and Herod chose to remain in the “It’s all about me” crowd where they had commonality. How about you? To which crowd do you have commonality?

Going Back for Seconds

2009-04-30T06:32:00.001-05:00

2 Kings 2:9 When they had crossed over, Elijah said to Elisha, “Ask what I shall do for you before I am taken from you.” And Elisha said, “Please, let a double portion of your spirit be upon me.”

Going back for seconds? When it comes time to sit down and have some good home cooking, it’s hard to resist going back for more when it tastes so good. Even if we are full to the point of being miserable we want to get as much of a good thing as we can possibly handle. Elisha was a student of Elijah’s; he was in line to be the next prophet of Israel. He had seen Elijah do some pretty amazing things all because the Spirit of God was upon him. He witnessed fire come down from heaven several times by the command of his voice to devour those who blasphemed his God. Elisha also learned from Elijah how to follow and serve God by walking in His ways and communing with Him. Elijah’s life was lived for the sole purpose of pleasing God while Elisha observed.

When it came time for Elijah to go be with God he tells Elisha, “Ask what I shall do for you before I am taken from you”. Elisha had been at the table with Elijah and had tasted of the goodness and greatness of God long enough to know that he wanted more than just a single helping! Elisha asked for a “double portion”, he wasn’t sure if he could handle it, but it didn’t really matter to him because he was not going to settle for less. It would have been easy to take the safe and sure road that he was already familiar with from traveling with Elijah, but he knew in his heart that he had not seen all that was possible with God. He desired to venture out into uncharted territory to get all that he could possibly handle. Turns out that God did some incredible things with Elisha and all because he simply asked for it in faith believing. The key here is that one must first taste the goodness of God before they have a desire for more. How about you, is you’re Christian experience powerless and dull? Come and dine, the Master calleth, come and dine; you may feast at Jesus table all the time.

Scratching an Itch

2009-04-29T06:33:00.000-05:00

Acts 17:13-14 But when the Jews from Thessalonica learned that the word of God was preached by Paul at Berea, they came there also and stirred up the crowds. Then immediately the brethren sent Paul away, to go to the sea; but both Silas and Timothy remained there.

Scratching an Itch? One of the joys of spring and summer is getting to spend lots of time outdoors after being cooped up in the house for the winter. New leaves now adorn the trees, the grass has returned to green, the creeks are full from the spring rains and everything has fully come back to life. Clean and fresh, this is the scene the outdoorsmen live for. But there is at least one element that is not so anticipated, the dreaded poison ivy. A brush with this stuff could definitely slow things down a little. The thing about poison ivy is that uncontrollable itch that comes from the irritation that so desperately needs to be scratched. The problem is that if we succumb to the irritation and mess with it we will not only prolong it but cause it to spread and then the problem is worse than before.

The Apostle Paul was like poison ivy to the Jews who were always scheming to get rid of him. They were irritated by his message; it was like an uncontrollable itch that drove them insane. So what did they do? They scratched the itch. They relentlessly chased Paul everywhere he went in order to stop him from spreading the message. I guess they didn’t know anything about poison ivy, huh? God really does have a great sense of humor. The one thing they didn’t want to happen happened and they were largely responsible, they are the ones who put Paul on the run taking the message with him. Many think that it won’t be long before American Christians are put on the run because of the rising hostility and deteriorating freedoms. But…that may not be such a bad thing; we may need to be scratched a little.

Near and Dear

2009-04-28T17:14:00.003-05:00

Revelation 1:20 The mystery of the seven stars which you saw in My right hand, and the seven golden lampstands: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands which you saw are the seven churches.

Near and Dear? There appears to be this growing sentiment among people that one can be a follower of Jesus Christ (Christian) without being a part of His Church. They might say something like “I love Jesus but I just can’t deal with the church”. There are many different reasons why people take this position. Reasons like being done wrong by a church, or I had a bad experience with one, and the old adage that it is full of hypocrites. It is true; there are many people who have been treated wrongly by the church. But can that really be grounds for a total rejection? The answer lies in Jesus. How’s that? John the Revelator finds King Jesus in all His glory. When He first sees Him he finds Him standing in the midst of the “seven lampstands” (1:13); completely surrounded by them. He doesn’t keep us in suspense very long; He tells us that they “are the seven churches”. The Church is a living organism and has perpetually grown through the ages and a church today that truly has Jesus Christ as its head is part of those first seven churches. Jesus Himself built the church; He laid the foundation for it in His blood. It is His bride to be. He loves her more than is possible to describe. She is so near and dear to His heart that He stands at the center, holding her close and communing with her. He will never leave or forsake her. Knowing how Jesus feels about His Church how can we feel any different if we truly love Him?

Diverse and United

2009-04-23T06:31:00.000-05:00

Revelation 7:9-10 After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, saying, "Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!"

Diverse and United? These two seemingly contradictory terms accurately describe the residents of the heavenly kingdom. People from all different walks of life; John describes them as being from every “nation, tribe, peoples, and tongues”. They are people with different cultures, habits, methods, characteristics, manners, customs, languages, and even personalities all present for this scene in heaven. How is it possible that so many different kinds of people can be together and yet be so united? John says that they all were crying out praises to God the Father and God the Son for their Salvation. King Jesus is the key. He is the reason for the unity. Personal differences and preferences mean absolutely nothing when in the presence of almighty God. There will be no division in heaven. God is one who puts together not take apart. The obvious question then becomes, if we are going to be diversely united in heaven because of Jesus’ presence then why not now? Is He not among us? Just because someone looks different, acts different, and speaks different does not mean that they are any less valuable to God. How about you? Do you look beyond those who look like you?

Anticipation

2009-04-22T06:42:00.000-05:00

Revelation 5:9-10 And they sang a new song, saying: "You are worthy to take the scroll, And to open its seals; For You were slain, And have redeemed us to God by Your blood Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, And have made us kings and priests to our God; And we shall reign on the earth."

Anticipation? It would seem that as a child time would drag on forever as we would wait in anticipation for the summer or Christmas vacation to begin. It seemed like a millennium for our birthdays to come around, they just couldn’t get here soon enough, especially our 16th. Wouldn’t it be great if everything that we really want to do would happen immediately after having the desire to do it? Not really. We would miss out on experiencing the emotions that anticipation brings. Anticipation sparks all kinds of emotions like hope, excitement; joy, eagerness, and imagination the kind of things that really make your heart want to sing. Now magnify that by a million times and look at the scene in heaven as The Lion of Judah steps up to take the scroll and break the seals. The four living creatures and the twenty-four elders who have been waiting for so long with bowls full of the prayers of the saints in their hands, are so overjoyed that they burst out in a “new song” praising God. The day that they have waited for so long has finally come! Breaking the seals is the beginning of the end. King Jesus will now right all that has been wronged. The Saints who have been persecuted will finally be avenged as their mighty King administers justice on the wicked. The final redemption of Gods children to be brought home to begin eternity with Him is the anticipation. How about you? Are you longing for that day, are you waiting in anticipation?

Who Is This Guy?

2009-04-21T06:31:00.000-05:00

Luke 12:13 Then one from the crowd said to Him, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me."

Who is this guy? Jesus was among a large crowd of people doing what He did so well, passionately teaching them about His Father and His Kingdom. Jesus encouraged them not to fear those who will try and harm them for His name sake. He reassured them that God will not forsake them. Reminding them that God is aware of everything about them, even the very number of hairs on their heads. He also instructed them to rely on the Holy Spirit for utterance when they would be in need of a defense. Then all of the sudden out of left field comes this guy. Who is he? Did he just get there? Did he just come in off the street? Was he the only one that didn’t know what was going on? Completely off topic he doesn’t even ask Jesus, he commands Him to tell his brother to share the loot with him. Incredible! How is this possible? How self-centered can you be to not listen to the Master because you are so consumed by your own desires? Oh but wait…now this guy looks familiar… yes we’ve seen him before? That’s right; we have all been that guy at one time or another. Rather than humbly listening to the Lord we try and instruct Him. Do you think Jesus went and told this man’s brother to share the loot with him? Exactly… this man did nothing but embarrass and shame himself before God and all the people. How about you, have you seen this guy lately?

Comfort Zone

2009-04-16T06:13:00.001-05:00

Matthew 14:27-28 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.” Peter said to Him, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.”

Out of the comfort zone? Many believers tend to stay inside the comfort zone, the safe place they find or create where there is control over their surroundings. Willing to do only the things that they are comfortable doing, without any fear or pressure, this seems to be the goal of the day. Thinking that if they can just get to that place, then there will be no more required of them to do. This is a safe course of action to be sure but the question becomes; is it productive for the Kingdom? Fear is a real thing that attacks believers and that fear is driven by the forces of hell. God’s Word tells us over and over to “fear not”, for fear is a form of bondage and Jesus has set us free from that fear. God will not ask you to do anything that you cannot do by and through the power of His Spirit. Fear causes mediocrity and mediocrity is the state of the average church and church member today; spiritually powerless in an ever changing world. Civilized and tame with no intention of stepping out of the boat into the realm of the unknown where Jesus is.

Thank God for Peter who shows us what real courage is all about. He was not willing to let this chance slip away from him forever. His master was doing the impossible, walking on the water and he wanted desperately to take part in what He was doing. He was obedient to Jesus when He said, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid”. Yes, Peter was willing to leave the comfort and protection that the boat offered him, in order to have an intimate personal experience with his Lord! Peter’s obedience and action effected more than just Peter, for the other disciples witnessed the impossible take place and it caused them to fall at Jesus’ feet and worship Him. How much worship are we robbing from Jesus by letting fear rule our lives and keep us trapped inside the boat? How about you, are you ready to get out of the boat? Jesus is holding out His hand.

Extreme Measures

2009-04-15T06:13:00.001-05:00

Mark 2:4-5 Being unable to get to Him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above Him; and when they had dug an opening, they let down the pallet on which the paralytic was lying. And Jesus seeing their faith said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”

Extreme Measures? Believing and trusting in something so much that one is willing to do whatever it takes, no matter the costs; this story is a classic case of faith in action. This man had nothing to lose and everything to gain; he was paralyzed and could do no worse. He had most likely been in this condition all of his life and had conceded to the fact that it would never be any different. But then he heard of this man named Jesus who had been going throughout the land speaking with authority and performing miracles such as causing the lame to walk and making the blind see. This truly was “good news” to his ears as a glimmer of hope entered into his heart. I imagine he began to wait and listen for any word that Jesus was coming to his town, while his heart continued to fill with hope. He must have told his friends that he knew with all of his heart that Jesus was the answer. If he could just get to him he would be healed, he was never so sure of anything in his life!

And then one day it happened. Jesus had come. It was time to spring into action and get down to the place where Jesus was. So he gathers his friends to carry him down to the place. They were ready, willing and able because they knew how important this was to their friend that so passionately believed. They arrive at the house where Jesus is and the worst possible scenario has come true; there was a crowd so large that there was no way to get into the house to see him. What would they do? Is it possible that his soaring spirit had been crushed at the sight of this? All hope was lost, or was it? His friends who had witnessed his belief sprung into action, they had not come this far to turn back. No, it was time to take extreme measures. Up on the roof they went tearing away at the only barrier that was between them and Jesus so they could lower down their friend into His presence. Jesus was impressed; He witnessed the faith of the paralytic through the actions of his friends. That’s right, the measures that were taken was a testimony to the faith of this man. He shared that faith with his friends and they too believed and were able to move a mountain. How about you? Does your faith spill over onto your friends?

Can't Sleep

2009-04-14T06:11:00.001-05:00

Proverbs 17:22 A joyful heart is good medicine, But a broken spirit dries up the bones.

Can’t Sleep? Depression is a very real problem with people today; in fact statistics show that about ten percent of the population deal with some form of depression. Medical science proves that depression can and will harm the physical condition of the body, while peace and joy is found to be beneficial for the body. Imagine that; medical science proving Biblical truth that has existed for millenniums. Here is what they say, “During deep sleep, our bodies immune system is under repair. Lack of deep sleep is common amongst depression sufferers due to the excessive time spent in REM. Without this time to repair, our immune system is weakened, making us more susceptible to disease”. In fact they have reported that depression can actually reduce the size of the brain as well as cause Osteoporosis (thinning of the bones).

Lots of things happen in life that can bring people down into the pit; but when we find ourselves there we need to remember to look up. King David ended up in such a place because he strayed away from the Lord but when he realized where he was he cried out to God saying, “restore unto me the joy of my salvation”. David realized that the joy that comes from a right relationship with the Lord God was the medicine he so desperately needed. The Apostle Paul writes that there is nothing such as tribulation, distress, persecution, and so on that will separate God’s children from His love. Having this assurance we can stand joyous and victorious even in the darkest hours of life. Praise God that we can lay our head on our pillow at night and take comfort in the fact that we rest in Him. Like Paul, “I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I’ve committed unto Him against that day”! How about you, are you able to sleep?

A Word From God

2009-04-10T06:14:00.002-05:00

Isaiah 40:5 And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.

A word from God? The prophet Isaiah tells of a coming day when all flesh will see the glory of the Lord revealed. His glory revealed in His Word. Yes, we can definitely see the glory of the Lord throughout the pages of Holy Scripture but that is not what he is describing to us here. The Apostle John tells us that “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us”, speaking of none other than Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. He is the one come from the Father to show us His glory. Jesus said, “If you have seen me you have seen the Father”, for He is God come in the flesh. Everyone that Jesus came in contact with beheld the glory of God through Him and they were never the same. Is this the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy? Not entirely for Isaiah said that “all flesh shall see it together”, and as we know not all flesh was there present with Jesus. The first advent of Jesus did not allow all to see the glory of the Lord, however He is returning one day with “great power and glory” and “every eye shall see Him”.

There are many who have claimed to be the Christ and many who will continue trying to deceive others; but one thing is for sure, when the King of Glory returns it will be unmistakable! This we can count on “for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it”. Moses upon the mountain pleaded with God to see Him, to behold His glory; God hid Moses in the cleft of the rock and passed by to where Moses caught just a glimpse of Him which forever changed him. All of God’s children long to see their Savior, the Word who came from heavens glory expressing God’s unmatched love for us. How about you? The day is coming when all flesh will see Him as He is, will you be ready?

Throwing Good After Bad

2009-04-08T06:14:00.002-05:00

Mark 4:25 For whoever has, to him more shall be given; and whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him.

Throwing good after bad? There comes a point in time when you realize that something is not working and is never going to work. It is at that point you make a decision not to invest anymore of your resources into it, after all what’s the point of throwing more good after bad? A garden that is planted in unfertile ground will never produce a worthy crop, if the soil is bad it will not bring you a return on your investment. It would be senseless to wait around until the next planting season and try sowing it again. However the ground that is fertile will produce a bountiful crop that is worthy. When the next planting season comes around you will undoubtedly use the good ground that gave you such a good harvest.

Jesus explains to His disciples this very principle in a parable that leads up to this statement of truth. He tells them that the “seed” is the Word of God and it will produce only in “good soil” which is a heart that is ready to receive the gospel. Jesus makes it clear that there will be “seed” scattered everywhere but that “whoever has, to him more shall be given”; the hearts (good soil) that produce fruit will be used again and again. Jesus also makes clear that “whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him” the heart that does not produce fruit is not guaranteed more seed to come his way. So how does one have a heart that is ready to receive the Word? Just as the ground must be plowed up and broken to receive the “seed” so must the heart to receive the Word. The Psalmist declares that a “broken and a contrite heart God will not despise”. Until a person comes face to face with the reality of their sin that separates them from God and is crushed by the weight of it to the point of repentance their heart will not be ready. How about you are you producing a bountiful harvest or do you need to prepare your soil?

Something to Talk About

2009-04-07T06:13:00.001-05:00

Malachi 3:16 Then they that feared the LORD spoke often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name.

Something to talk about? People are always talking, usually about something that is currently going on in their lives or something they have a genuine love for. The man who shares with his friends the play by play action of last night’s ball game. The woman who shares with her friends what new things her children are doing, and so on. Within just a few minutes of talking with someone you can tell what their passion in life is. There will be a distinguishing characteristic that will show through. A strong characteristic of one who loves and fears the Lord is fellowship with others who love and fear Him. It is a joy to their heart to share with one another what He is doing in their lives and what they are discovering about Him.

Here is one such group that the prophet Malachi wrote about. When everyone else seemed to be at odds with God because of their disbelief and disobedience, there was this group who was not going to be swayed by what was going on around them. When things got tough they stood strong and did not waver, no, they “spoke often one to another”. The thing about being one of God’s children is the strong sense of family ties, a real love one for another. Sadly there are those who claim to be part of the “family of God” but want nothing to do with the family. It has been said, “I don’t have to go to church, I can worship God by myself, it’s nobody’s business, and I just can’t get into the whole church thing anyway”. Jesus clearly tells us that the world will know that we are His disciples by our love one for another. Jesus knew about this characteristic that would show the world who the children of God are. Most importantly it brings God pleasure to see His children assembling together, fellowshipping and talking about Him one to another. Malachi writes, “and the Lord hearkened, and heard it”; the word “hearkened” means that He inclined His ear. He went out of His way to pay extra attention to what they were saying. Yes it is true, the believer has something to talk about for his God is the Lord of all creation, of water, earth and sky, the heavens are His Tabernacle; He is the God of wonders! How about you, do you have something to talk about?

Hard to Shake Off Tradition

2009-04-02T06:18:00.000-05:00

Matthew 13:57 And they took offense at Him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and in his own household.”

Hard to shake off tradition? It might be easier to climb Mt. Everest than to change something that has always been viewed a certain way. Jesus is referring to the time He went back to Nazareth, His home town where He would have been well known and remembered by the people in a certain way. They knew Him as the carpenter’s son, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joseph, Simon and Judas; a common person from a common family. This was their view of who Jesus was and could not believe in their own hearts that He could be any different than that. When Jesus came to them and began to teach and perform miracles, they were astonished and could not believe that it was true; not from the “carpenter’s son”. They questioned the origin of His wisdom and power much like the Pharisees that accused Him of being Beelzebub the chief of the devils. Their preconceived ideas about Jesus caused the door of their hearts to be shut tight from receiving the truth. Jesus was not able to perform but a few miracles there because of their unbelief. Many missed out on the truth and the blessings that He was bringing to them simply because it could not possibly be different than what they already knew and believed.

Many people today miss out on the wonderful things that God has for them for the same reason. For some it is because they view Jesus as the “baby in the manger” and find it impossible to commit their life to a “baby Jesus” and since that is all that they have ever been taught, they cannot get passed it. There are many different views and ideas out there about the person of Jesus Christ but if they are not anchored in the Word of God they are unfounded. Approach the Word of God without ANY preconceived ideas, with an open heart and mind; forsaking tradition and the “because I’ve always heard it that way” attitude and let God speak the truth to you. How about you, why do you believe what you believe? Is your belief based on the word of others or the Word of God?

Stinking Thinking

2009-04-01T06:33:00.001-05:00

Isaiah 55:9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

What were you thinking? People have a tendency to rely heavily on their God given ability to think and reason within themselves to guide them through this life. The use of this ability is not necessarily a bad thing, in fact that is one thing that sets us apart from the rest of God’s creation. The problem lies in the fact that we are part of a fallen race that is riddled with sin and therefore inherently flawed. To put it bluntly, our thinking and reasoning stinks! Although we tend to amaze ourselves and each other with some of the things we are able to do, when put in contrast to God we aren’t even on the map. God relates the distance between the heavens and earth to show us how much we come up short compared to Him, after all He is omniscient (all knowing).

Here is the proof that we are flawed; hearing God’s warnings and knowing God’s wisdom we still think we can make our own way that seems right to us. Sound familiar? That’s right, as our children make that transition from childhood to adulthood they have the same attitude. The quest for independence causes them to believe that even though all of the lights are red and they should stop they can make it anyway, because they are different and it won’t happen to them. Mom and Dad can only stand to the side and shake their heads (remembering they were the same way) and know that they sometimes have to learn the hard way. Parents know that it would be a whole lot easier on them if they would just listen to their wisdom. You get the picture, the difference is that we cannot see the results down the road but God can; all the more reason to listen to Him. Therefore, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding”. How about you? Are you to busy thinking and planning your way to listen to the One who has all the answers?

April 1, 2009 "The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God" Ps 14:1

A Matter of Life and Death

2009-03-31T06:32:00.001-05:00

Matthew 12:37 For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.

A matter of life and death? According to Jesus our words are nothing to sneeze at, they have much to do with our eternal destination. How’s that, I thought that was a matter of the heart not the mouth, what is Jesus saying? Once again Jesus is speaking to a crowd of the religious elite who had just accused Him of being a devil after He cast out demons from a man who was a blind, mute. They could not accept the fact that the Son of God was there and performing miracles right in front of their faces. If they were to believe, it would destroy their whole program of righteous works that they were so proud of. They were the protectors and keepers of the law of God. When it came to law they were the upper crust, the elite; if anyone was going to heaven it would be them, or would it? Faced with the possibility of this man Jesus ruining things for them they began to say evil things to and about Him. Jesus begins to tell them that you can tell what kind of tree you’re looking at by the type of fruit that it bears. They were spewing so much venom that He called them a “brood of vipers,” in their own folly they were showing everyone that their hearts were nothing but evil.

Whatever is close to ones heart, whatever one dwells on, whatever is ones focus in life, is what one talks about. The words that flow from our mouths are a product of what’s in our heart. It is a condition of the heart that determines our eternal destination; however it is our words that expose what that condition is. Standing before our creator in His holy court to be judged in that day for our crimes against Him, our words will be used as evidence either for us or against us. Evidence that proves, whether or not our heart is covered in rebellion and sin or is covered with the blood of Jesus Christ. How about you? Have you paid attention to your words lately?

Formal Introduction

2009-03-26T06:07:00.001-05:00

Matthew 11:27 All things have been handed over to Me by My Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father; nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.

A formal introduction? You might have heard the old saying, “that all roads lead to heaven”. According to Jesus that is not the case at all. His statement here tells us that one must first “know” God the Father. What is He talking about, everyone knows who God is, don’t they? Sure, many people have knowledge or an understanding of who God is but that is not what Jesus is saying. He is saying we must know Him relationally not intellectually. Through history you might know the likes of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson but if you have never met them and been formally introduced, then you do not know them relationally. “Sounds easy enough, I will just talk to God and get to know Him”. Not so fast, there is a little bit of a catch. Jesus said, “nor does anyone know the Father except the Son”, that is to say not just anyone of their own free will can know God on their own. Why? Because of sin mankind has been disconnected from having a one on one spiritual relationship with God. There is a gap that must be bridged in order to get to God, and that Bridge is Jesus Christ! Jesus said, “All things have been handed over to Me by My Father”, because the Father is well pleased with His Son. Jesus has full authority and power over all of creation. He alone has the ability to reconcile people to God the Father. It is true; He does declare that there is none that know the Father except Him. However, He goes on to say “and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him”. So, all roads do not lead to heaven. There is only one and it is more of a narrow path than a road. Jesus is the “Way, the Truth, and the Life”, and no one comes to the Father but through Him. How about you? Have you been formally introduced?

Flawless

2009-03-25T06:02:00.002-05:00

Deuteronomy 32:4 The Rock! His work is perfect, for all His ways are just; A God of faithfulness and without injustice, Righteous and upright is He.

Flawless? Moses begins a song of praise to God that begins with recognizing His perfect righteous character. After all that Moses and the Israelites had been through on their journey from Egypt to Canaan with God, he marveled at His righteous acts of judgment. They were continually sinning against God and He would continually punish their sin along the way. The people for the most part did not understand that God’s correction was for their own good and because He loved them. Moses on the other hand understood that even though His judgments were painful they were righteous and just indeed. All too often we tend to view God’s judgment on sin in our lives through the eyes of the Israelites, questioning His very righteousness. How many times has it been said, “Why God, how could you let this happen”, almost as if to say that God is responsible for evil?

The Israelites firmly believed in their hearts that God had brought them out to the desert to die of thirst and hunger and therefore wished to go back to slavery in Egypt. The question is why did they not understand God’s character in the same way that Moses did? Moses was continually interacting with God in a personal relationship becoming more and more the man God wanted him to be. The people were doing just the opposite, continually rebelling against God’s authority over them given to Moses. Lack of interaction with God is the culprit for this kind of attitude; this is why Moses reminds the people that God is in deed, a perfect and flawless God. We should take great comfort in the fact that He is flawless because this reassures us that we are worshipping the one true living God. If God had a flaw in His character this would be a huge problem because it would prove that He was not God. How’s that? A flaw is a sign of weakness. Weakness is a sign of being inferior to something else. Only the one true living God can be sovereign and have ultimate power over ALL things and inferior to none. How about you? How do you see God’s character, through the eyes of the Israelites or the eyes of Moses?

False Advertising

2009-03-24T06:09:00.001-05:00

Matthew 10:34 Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.

False advertising? There are many ways that one can be guilty of false advertising. One way would be to advertise a much higher quality than one actually has, like promoting something that is worn out to be “like new”. Another way is to advertise something completely different with the intent to switch them over to something else, the old “bait and switch”. Then there is the “failure to disclose”, advertising all of the good points and failing to disclose the bad points. The question is why do people advertise like this, why do people try and deceive others? More times than not people will do this with the intention of personal gain.

With all of that in mind, who is this Jesus that is being promoted in Christianity today? There are those who promote Jesus as being some kind of magic genie in a bottle; claiming that all of your wishes and desires will be met by him. While others promote Jesus as some kind of investment or stock; claiming that one will receive a significant return on the money they give. And yet others promote Jesus as some kind of happily ever after fairy tale; claiming that if one has had a terrible life then with Jesus the rest of their life will be a bed of roses. All of these things are not entirely incorrect. However, when they are isolated from the full council of God with the intent for personal gain such as financial, social or even for the sake of numbers, it is in every sense of the word false advertising.

Someone who comes to Christ for any other reason than that of recognizing that they are a sinner in need of a Savior, will ultimately reject Him as Lord. Why do so many make a decision and then fall away? When what was promoted does not come true for them they feel that they have been lied to so they throw down their decision and walk away. Jesus Christ is the “Lamb of God” that takes away the sins of the world, but He is also the “Lion of Judah” that is coming back to judge the sins of the world. Jesus never sugar coated His words they are very clear; to follow Him will not be easy. He says, “I came not to send peace, but a sword”, that tells us there will be some hard times ahead. Sure that might scare some away who are not ready to make that kind of commitment; but by counting the cost before we enter in we will be able to finish the race. The stakes are high but the prize is great, eternal life in the presence of Almighty God. How about you? Are you placing your trust in the true Jesus as described in God’s Word?

Reap what you Sow

2009-03-19T06:15:00.001-05:00

Numbers 23:19 God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: has he said, and shall he not do it? or has he spoken, and shall he not make it good?

Reap what you Sow? There are some things that just cannot be changed, no matter how hard one tries or pleads. If you plow up a garden and plant tomato seeds in the dirt, with a little time and water you will end up with a tomato. Now somewhere along the line you might change your mind and decide that you would rather have corn, so you beg and plead with the sprout to bear corn instead of tomatoes. You can wait around all you want but you will not change the outcome. You will get a tomato. You might even think you would like to jump from a tall building and go sailing freely through the sky all on your own with no help from any kind of device. You might do all kinds of wishing and hoping and even pleading with God to do this, but the law of gravity says that not only will you go down, but it will be very fast!

There was a man named Balak who sent a man named Balaam to ask God to curse Israel because he felt threatened by their presence in the land. God had to remind Balak that He was “not a man, that he should lie” for He had blessed Israel and promised them that they would be a great nation. He also reminded him that He was “neither the son of man, that he should repent”, or change his mind. If God were able to lie or be sorrowful for something He has done, or a decision that He has made He would be no different than man. God is perfect in every way. In Him there is no iniquity. There is no situation or circumstance that catches Him off guard. There is nothing that is unforeseen to Him. We cannot all the time depend on the word of people because they are inherently flawed by sin. However, when it comes to God we can rest assured that what He says He will do. If God has promised to you eternal life through Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, there is nothing, I repeat nothing that will change the outcome. How about you? Are you standing on the promises of God?

The Agony of Defeat

2009-03-18T06:04:00.001-05:00

Matthew 9:36 Seeing the people, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd.

The Agony of Defeat? Living in a state of defeat is a horrible place to dwell. Sadly, there are many Christians who are living a spiritually defeated life today. They have been battered and bruised, choked by the cares of the world, completely powerless to overcome such things. Like a fighter who has had the fight knocked right out of him, they wander around aimlessly, in a daze, questioning the very existence of God. Asking their self “If God is really out there than why do I feel so defeated and hopeless to all that is happening to me”? These are the kind of people that Jesus saw here. He describes them as being “distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd”. Matthew tells us that Jesus “felt compassion for them” at the sight of what He saw. This word that is used for compassion means more than just a “oh how sad” feeling that soon passes. This word actually is better described as “gut wrenching”, the kind of sight that literally makes you physically hurt. God does not enjoy seeing His people in this condition; neither does He want them to be in this condition. So the question then becomes how does one get in this condition, or better yet how does one get out? Jesus gives us a clue by his reference to the sheep being without a shepherd; He says the sheep have gone astray. Sheep on their own away from the Shepherd have no guidance and no protection making them vulnerable to being overtaken. Living a life of victory instead of a life of defeat is only possible by staying and not straying. The Good Shepherd will “lead me beside the still waters” He will provide “green pastures” and protect me from the enemy; but most importantly He will love His sheep. How about you? Are you living a life of victory or a life of defeat?

Scurrying Around

2009-03-17T06:08:00.001-05:00

Psalms 119:165 Those who love Your law have great peace, and nothing causes them to stumble.

Scurrying Around? Many people these days seem to be moving through life in a very agitated manner, at a pace that is nothing short of frantic. Bouncing from one thing to the next; if something does not instantly satisfy it is dropped like a hot potato and off they go again. Always on the lookout for that next thing that might be better than the current. With all of this frantic motion running to and fro, many bumps and bruises are sure to follow. Just like running through a maze chasing after the prize, you are bound to run into a wall or two. What’s the big hurry?

God created mankind to be a creature of worship, everyone needs someone or something to worship. This desire causes each one to search for a god to worship. The problem is that all of what the world has to offer will only satisfy for a short period of time, leaving the person thirsting for something to fill that void. Jesus said that “Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again”: comparing water to worldly things. Since the thirst cannot be quenched by worldly things they continue to frantically search. When and how will the madness stop? Jesus also said that “Whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst”. Yes, Jesus is the water of life that will quench the thirsty soul forever and ever, never to thirst again. Committing our life to Jesus fills the void and causes an undying love for God, His (law) Word, and His righteousness. The race through the maze is now over for those who have found Jesus and “great peace” is now at hand “and nothing will cause them to stumble”. How about you? Are you done scurrying around?

After the Storm

2009-03-11T06:00:00.003-05:00

Matthew 8:26 He saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.

Calm after the storm? Jesus and His disciples were in a boat crossing the sea when a “great storm” came upon them. Jesus was fast asleep in the boat with the disciples on watch and they were very fearful. Such a great storm could overtake their little boat. It seemed that they had no options; they were completely at the mercy of the storm, or were they? Isn’t that how we sometimes view the storms of life, as if we are at its mercy? Oh but wait! They remembered they had their teacher Jesus with them who had done some pretty amazing things in the past. They awoke Him saying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing”! We too seem to wait until all hope is lost before we cry out to the only One who has the power to help. Could it be because we too forget that Jesus is with us? Jesus relates their fear to a lack of faith; He says “Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith”? Had they not been with Him long enough or seen enough of His power to have the assurance that as long as they were with Him they would be ok?

Their master was fast asleep with absolutely no concern for the storm; this begs the question, why? Jesus was clear on His mission; He knew that His life was not going to end until His two-fold mission was complete. All Christians like the disciples should follow Jesus’ lead and do as He did. His concern was for others not for Himself, He lived His life to “seek and to save the lost”. Jesus “arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea” that’s right; the creator of all things had it under control. As long as we have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ we have nothing to fear, for “perfect love cast out all fear”. Every time the Master of the Sea calms the storm there is a “great calm” that follows. How about you, are you trying to weather the storms of life all alone? If so do as the disciples and call out for Jesus to save you.

Tough Guys

2009-03-10T06:01:00.000-05:00

Luke 9:54 And when His disciples James and John saw this, they said, "Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did?"

Tough Guys? There are just some people who have nothing better to do then bully other people. You know the kind… we call them Tough Guys. Usually propelled by the belief that they are somehow physically and/or mentally superior to others, they throw their weight around in order to intimidate them. Always trying to prove themselves (mostly to their own egos) they really do nothing more than make themselves look silly. Although it should never happen, it does unfortunately happen among Christians too. Spiritual Tough Guys may not be throwing their physical weight around but they certainly can throw their spiritual weight around. A person can be dead on right, doctrinally speaking, and still be dead wrong because of the mean spirit they have about being right. Being a spiritual bully is less than becoming for a follower of Jesus Christ; according to Jesus that is.

James and John, the “Sons of Thunder”, had a moment of being spiritual Tough Guys. They had just been through a whirlwind of incredible experiences right alongside of Jesus. They were sided by side when Jesus had fed the multitudes with five loaves and two fish, and were privileged to witness the transfiguration of Jesus as he met with Moses and Elijah on the mountain. It appears that all of this went to their head because they were part of a select group that had special privilege to be so close to the one who was performing all of these incredible things. We find them assuming position and power that they may or may not have had. Jesus and His disciples needed a place to stay in Samaria on their way to Jerusalem. The Samaritans did not receive them; they would not give them a place to stay. The Sons of Thunder puff out their chest with authority and presume to destroy the Samaritans. Where does this submit or die attitude come from? Obviously it does not come from Jesus. He rebukes them and tells them basically to check their spirit because it isn’t right. He came to save not destroy. If we find ourselves in the shoes of James and John, ready to destroy with words those who do not agree with us, we better stop and evaluate from whence our spirit comes. Don’t be a Tough Guy.

Home Invasion

2009-03-09T05:28:00.002-05:00

Luke 11:26 Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first."

Home Invasion? Evil manifest itself in many different forms, one of the most heinous forms of evil is when a person violates someone else in their own home. Our homes are supposed to be a refuge, a place where we feel safe and secure from all the things that go on outside the walls of our sanctuary. But when someone forces their way into the house and takes over with the intent to do harm, peace and safety quickly disappear. Trying to protect ourselves by providing our own security will inevitably fail because there is always someone stronger than ourselves. But what if we had the best security available? What if we had a strongman, one who was stronger than everyone else, to guard the house and fend off the perpetrators? Then we would truly be safe and secure.

Jesus tells a group of religious people a story about a man who had a home invasion, a man who was overcome by an evil spirit. That man got rid of the evil spirit himself, he kicked him out and cleaned up his house. In other words he was living a sinful life under the power and direction of the evil one; and then one day decided he was going to straighten up and live right under his own power. Jesus tells how that spirit went out and wondered around leaving the man alone. But the spirit could not find rest; he could not find a place to live that was as nice as the one that he was kicked out of. So he decides to go back and he finds the place to be “swept and put in order”. Since there was not a strongman to guard the house, because the man decided to provide his own security and was lax, the evil spirit was delighted to move right back in; only this time he was not coming alone and this man’s “last state” would be much “worse than the first”. Unless the strongman (Jesus) cleans out the house and guards it you will never be safe and secure. At any moment you may experience a Home Invasion. How about you? Who is providing your security?

Warning Labels

2009-03-05T06:03:00.003-06:00

Proverbs 22:3 A prudent man foresees the evil, and hides himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished.

Warning labels? As consumers we are constantly buying products. Rarely will you buy something these days that does not have a label on it warning of some kind of danger. Why so many warning labels? Most likely because people will try and do just about anything. Just look at the label on the back of a chemical bottle it will warn that you should not drink it. Sounds kind of silly but the fact is that someone, at one time or another, has consumed it causing them serious harm. So that others will not bring harm to themselves they have posted the danger. It is wise or “prudent” to learn from other peoples experiences to avoid causing harm to ourselves. However if we are naïve or “simple” about such things it is possible that we too will cause harm to ourselves. Steering clear of such things will definitely be good for our physical well being but there are some serious dangers to our spiritual well being as well.

There are some warning labels that God has put in place for us that will prevent harm to our spiritual well being. The book of James tells us that when “lust is conceived it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is finished brings death”! This is an absolute truth that will have the same outcome time after time. Many before us have been down this path and have tried anything and everything to have a different outcome but they have not succeeded. All too often we like to walk just as close to the evil as we can without falling in. We are naïve to think that we can walk by it without getting some on us. We should learn from others and “foresee the evil” and then “hide” ourselves from it; we should run the other way. How about you, have you been reading the book of warning labels?

Steeped in Tradition

2009-03-03T06:03:00.001-06:00

Acts 2:17 And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams.

Steeped in Tradition? Simon Peter preaches to the religious elite of Israel the words of Joel the Prophet in response to their outrageous accusations that the Apostles were drunk with wine. This took place on the day of Pentecost when God fulfilled this prophecy, pouring out His Spirit upon all flesh. There were many different people groups speaking many different languages that were present for this event. And yet each one was able to hear the gospel in their language all because of the power of the Spirit of God. The result? 3000 were converted and baptized into the Church that is built on Jesus Christ Himself. So what does that have to do with tradition you say? The religious elite were so far off the map in their relationship to God that anything happening that was more than status quo was wrong, sinful, of the devil, and even blasphemous. They did not worship the Living God they worshipped their religious system, a set of rules and regulations. Anything more or anything less than that which was specified by the way things have always been done was unacceptable.

Steeped this far into the tradition of their religion they were completely oblivious to the awesome power of God this historical Day of Pentecost. The God they claimed to worship they didn’t know at all. He showed up and they didn’t recognize Him. Sad to say, that things really haven’t changed much over the last two millenniums. A true relationship with God through His Son Jesus, sealed by the Holy Spirit, will cause supernatural things to happen in the life of the believer. We must not be so “programmed” that we do not leave any room for the Holy Spirit to show up and do something supernatural! Contrary to popular opinion God is not a boring God. He is infinite in all things. Therefore we can always expect to be learning something new about His character and experiencing His power in our lives. Tradition in and of itself is not a bad thing until it trumps God as our guide. How about you? Are you living and walking in the Spirit or are you living and walking in tradition?

The Patsy

2009-03-02T11:58:00.002-06:00

Matthew 7:21-23 Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name, and in thy name have cast out devils, and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

The Patsy? No one likes to be duped, being deceived and taken advantage of, left to be the fall guy. Unfortunately for many this is the case when it comes to spiritual matters. There are evil forces at work deceiving many into believing that what they are doing is good. Evil does not look evil all the time, in fact more times than not it appears to be good, and yes even godly. Satan is the master of deception and he is at the top of his game. He is going to hell and he knows it. His goal is to take as many with him as he can; the problem is he knows that nobody would ever consciously choose to go with him to a place so horrible. Therefore he must cause them to believe that the other possible destination is where they are going because that would be the place of choice for everyone. So his task is large to say the least for he must carefully disguise himself so that no one will recognize that they are following a roaring lion who wishes to devour them.

Satan’s method of choice is religion. That’s right; his method is to get people to worship their religion while believing that they are worshipping God. Anyone can be religious just by taking part in Christian activity. Like being a member of the local church and attending service regularly. Even in the ministry of the church, like being a Bible teacher, music or youth minister, and yes even a preacher. To do any of these things are good and godly but that does not make one right with God and fit for the Kingdom of Heaven. In fact many who live their life doing things such as these will say in that day “Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name, and in thy name have cast out devils, and in thy name done many wonderful works”?

So how can one know that they are not playing the part of “The Patsy”? Jesus says, “He that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven” will be the ones who enter into His Kingdom. The will of God is that we repent of the sin that separates us from Him. To despise the sin and turn from it, leaving it behind never to return; and then seek His righteousness found in His Son Jesus Christ. Has this change of direction ever taken place in your life? Does your world revolve around you or the one who created you? Take heed friend and do not be “The Patsy”.

Marvelous Grace

2009-02-26T05:57:00.001-06:00

Micah 7:19 He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.

Grace that is greater than all our sin? Mankind’s iniquity and sin against God is very powerful, for sin has the power to separate mankind from Him. God is a holy and righteous God who cannot and will not have fellowship with evil. Sin has the power to enslave mankind. Sin is like quicksand, once in it you will succumb to its end unless someone else intervenes because it is more powerful than you. Mankind is not strong enough to break the bonds of sin on his own. It takes one who is greater and more powerful to free one from its bonds. What is more powerful than the sin that enslaves and separates? The marvelous, infinite, matchless grace of Almighty God is. But how will such a mighty and powerful God ever forgive the trespasses and offences that mankind has perpetrated against Him? God would be just in not forgiving those who sin against Him and allow them to be separated from His presence for all eternity in hell. But thanks be to God that He has Grace that is greater than all our sin! Yes, God’s grace, receiving something so great that we do not deserve!

The prophet Micah declares to Israel, who had sinned greatly against God, that all hope was not lost. That’s right, he says that “He will turn again he will have compassion upon us”; God is a loving, compassionate and forgiving God! Just as they had to turn from their sin and “call upon the name of the Lord”, we too must do the same in order to be saved from sin. When we call on His name “he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea”. No matter what it is that has you in its bonds, it can be overcome by the awesome power of God’s grace; grace that is greater than all our sin! How about you, are you living in bonds of sin, or have you been set free?

Windows to the Soul

2009-02-24T06:07:00.002-06:00

Matthew 6:22-23 The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!

Oh be careful little eyes what you see? The eyes are the windows to the soul. How’s that? What we choose to look at and absorb through our eyes declares what is on our heart. Think about it, why does someone watch a football or basketball game? The only answer that fits is because they enjoy the game, watching it played out gives them pleasure by fulfilling a desire they have. Why does someone go to see a horse show or maybe a dog or cat show? There again the answer must be because it fulfills a desire that they have in their heart. Are these things wrong? Not at all, in fact these things might even be considered to be wholesome. When the eye only takes in good, wholesome and godly things then, “thine eye be single, thy whole body be full of light”.

The deliberate control of what passes before our eyes declares to the world that there is a holy and righteous God who resides in our heart and soul. The opposite is true as well; if we deliberately focus our eyes on that which is “evil” we prove that the “light of the world” Jesus Christ is not present in our heart and soul. We know that people tend to argue and nitpick over what is good and what is evil, what we should watch and what we shouldn’t watch. I say let God be the Judge. He gives us the Holy Spirit for just such a task. This we can be sure of, if our eye is single and our whole body is full of light, then the light will keep out the darkness! But if our eye is evil and our whole body is full of darkness, then the darkness will be great! Here is a good rule of thumb to go by; if you have to question whether something is good or evil it most likely is evil. How about you? Do the things you desire to watch tell you something about who your god is? Remember…be careful little eyes what you see.

Fear

2009-02-22T22:13:00.000-06:00

Revelation 1:17-18 And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, "Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last. I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.

To fear, or not to fear? For the aged Apostle John it had been several years since he stood in the presence of the Lord. This time on the island of Patmos, John was “in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day” when he encountered his master. John sees Jesus as never before; His very presence was fearful and caused John to “fall at His feet as dead”. Then something amazing happens, Jesus says some very familiar words to John, He says “do not be afraid”.

On several occasions John heard his master say these comforting words. Once was in the middle of a raging sea in a boat where Jesus came walking up to John and the others on the water causing them to be fearful. Another was when John along with Peter and James witnessed the transfiguration of Jesus on the mountain as He met with Elijah and Moses and they were fearful. And then there was the time he and the others beheld Jesus divine glory as He appeared to them after three days in the tomb causing them great fear.

The disciple “whom Jesus loved” is a great example to us all and there is much to learn from his experience with Jesus. We too should have a healthy fear as we enter into His presence understanding who Jesus is; but more times than not we take it very, very lightly. By not fearing I believe we miss out on something very special, something that is only available to those who truly worship Jesus, and that is His comforting hand. There is true peace and comfort to be found in the words of Jesus, the great and mighty; when He says “do not be afraid”. How about you? Have you experienced the kind of peace that only comes after the fear?

I Can't Hear You

2009-02-19T06:02:00.001-06:00

Psalm 34:17-18 The righteous cry, and the LORD hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles. The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saves such as be of a contrite spirit.

I can’t hear you? Did you know that there are some things God cannot do? That’s right, like tell a lie for instance; in Him is no evil and therefore He cannot perform evil acts. Contrary to popular opinion God does not hear everyone who calls out to Him. He has made it clear in His word that there are conditions that have to be met in order for Him to hear our prayer. God has every right to turn a deaf ear to the sin ridden rebel who calls out to Him for help but yet wishes to continue in the sin that has separated him from God.

Here the psalmist declares that “the Lord hears the cry of the righteous and delivers them out of all their troubles”. Who are the righteous and why does God only hear them? They are the ones that have repented of their rebellion and have a restored relationship with God. They have come to the end of themselves; their hearts have been broken by the realization of their sins before a holy and just God. Their spirit has been crushed; they have been humbled and realize that they are nothing apart from God’s amazing grace. They love righteousness and hate sin. They desire to become more like Jesus and less like the world. They desire to follow Him no matter the costs. God only hears the righteous because “God is a Spirit and must be worshipped in spirit and truth”. The first prayer that God will ever hear from someone is a prayer of “true repentance”. True repentance is evidenced by the “broken heart” and “contrite spirit”.

It is sad, but for many God is no more to them than a magical genie of sorts that they will call upon when they are in dire straits. Expecting God to help them out when they spend their days cursing Him, and when He does not answer their selfish little prayer they get all the more angry and curse Him even more. How about you, is the condition of your heart and spirit allowing God to hear you?

Time Defined

2009-02-17T05:35:00.000-06:00

Revelation 1:8 "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End," says the Lord, "who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty."

Time Defined? The whole concept of time boggles the human mind can we really define it? Time is such a big part of our very existence; by it we measure the distance between birth and death and everything in between. We live and walk through each day in tune to the time. We wake each day, we work, we eat, we take care of business, we go here, and we go there, all according to what time it is. We use time to look back and see where we’ve been and what we’ve done. We use time to look forward and dream about the things we want to do and patiently wait for the time to pass by. In time we understand that there is a beginning and an end to everything…that is, everything that has been created. Time is much bigger than man; although we would like to subdue time and control it and even travel through it we cannot, for it is impossible.
It is because we live inside the element of time, bound to it that we cannot fully comprehend eternity. That is why it is so important that we listen to what Jesus is saying. He tells us that He is time! That’s right; Jesus is the beginning, the end, and everything in between; past, present, and future. There is no time that exists outside of Him; it is completely under His control and one day He will bring it to a close. When this occurs, those who have faithfully followed Him will begin their existence outside of time and will no longer be bound by its restraints. Seeing that time is defined by Jesus how then should we react? Would we be wise to take an inventory of how we use the time we have? Should we then commit to giving more of it to Him? How has your time been defined?

No Secret

2009-02-16T05:52:00.000-06:00

Revelation 1:7 Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen.

It is no secret? The return of Jesus the Christ, the King of kings, will be the single largest, most spectacular event of ALL time bar none. We really have to question the thought that His return would be somewhat secretive. Why would He who promised that He would return as the Lion of Judah come in stealth mode? He already did when He came as a lamb. Why would He descend from heaven with a “shout” and a “trumpet” and be heard by some and not others? Why would the King of Glory not want to be seen by all of His creation at the end of days? Only those who believe will see you say?
Jesus reveals His divine, sovereign self to John on the small island of Patmos and tells Him to write down these things that are true. John gives a stern warning that Jesus is coming back and then he describes in what manner. John says, “He is coming with clouds”; just like the angels told the disciples when Jesus ascended into heaven after His resurrection. Then it gets a little bit more interesting as John says that “every eye will see Him”. Does “every” mean “every”; could that be just “every eye” that believes? What about “they who pierced Him”, did they believe? How will “all the tribes of the earth mourn” if they do not know that the time of judgment is upon them?
The truth of the matter is that, it is only a secret because those of us who know keep it to ourselves. How about you will you seize the opportunity today to share the secret?

Binding Contract

2009-02-12T06:26:00.001-06:00

Matthew 5:37 But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.

A Binding Contract? The society in which we live today has become so polluted with greed that we have to have binding contracts to protect our personal interest. Double talk is the language of the day for people, saying what they do not mean and not saying what they do mean. You have heard the saying, “what people say and what they mean are two different things”. That’s right, talk can be so jumbled up and misleading that it has to be interpreted. Why do some people make it so confusing, what is the motivation for all of this? Could it be “for the love of money”; the desire for more, that leads to this deception? Plotting and scheming ways to get more out of someone than one is due?
Dishonest people prey on the elderly in order to swindle them out of their retirements for their own gain. The older generation is the target because they are from a time when a handshake and a word were worth something; in fact it was as good as gold. Sad to say but that kind of honor and integrity are becoming extinct in our day. Jesus commands His followers here to be clear on what they communicate, your “yea” should mean yea all the time and not change to “nay” if the circumstances change. We spend a lot of time complaining about the rate of inflation in our society but one of the largest contributing factors to inflation is fraud. People believe that just because something doesn’t work out for them that they can just pass it on to someone else to pay for.
Christians must not be a part of this kind of behavior. Christians are representatives of Jesus Christ. How serious should we take this matter? Jesus says, “Whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil”. Evil is the source of double talk; the devil is a liar and the father of it. How about you, do you say what you mean and mean what you say?

A Hand Up

2009-02-10T13:44:00.001-06:00

John 21:17 He said to him the third time, "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?" Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, "Do you love Me?" And he said to Him, "Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You." Jesus said to him, "Feed My sheep.

A Hand Up? When we witness someone fall there are at least three things we could do. First, is to do nothing and just keep on going about our business. Second, is to kick them while they are down; belittle them, tell them how bad they are and how they should have made better choices. And third is to give them a hand up; brush them off and help them to continue on their way. Here we see Jesus, our great redeemer, model for us option number three. Peter had some problems just like you and me; he was human and failed his master. Jesus had warned Peter that when things got heated up Peter would deny Him three times. Peter’s pride and spunk got the better of him when he boasted about following Jesus to the death and then it wasn’t long that he took a big fall.
Peter was a broken man who was on the floor; so much so that we find him going back to what he knew, fishing for fish rather than fishing for men. Peter can’t even do that right as we read that he and few other disciples fished all night and came up empty. Then Jesus shows up and tells them where to catch the fish and then He calls them to the shore and feeds them breakfast. After breakfast Jesus begins to give Peter a hand up. He begins to ask Peter if he loves Him, and Peter responds “you know I love you”; Jesus does this three times. We are told that “Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time”. Why would this grieve Peter? Could it be that Peter realized that Jesus was forgiving him once for each time that he denied Him? Peter, the great Apostle, the one who would lead the great day of Pentecost, needed to be restored. Jesus graciously obliged and gave him a hand up. Who is there in your life that is down on the floor and needs a hand up?

Holding Out

2009-02-09T13:39:00.000-06:00

John 11:47-48 Then the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered a council and said, "What shall we do? For this Man works many signs. If we let Him alone like this, everyone will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and nation.

Holding Out? Some things are just too hard to give up, so we tend to hold out for as long as we can until we end up in a position that we have to let go. The funny thing is that we usually know the inevitable, but we do it anyway. Here is a group of religious people that so loved their “place and nation” that they were willing to kill the Son of God in order to keep it. Alright, let’s give them the benefit of the doubt that they didn’t know for sure that He was the Son of God. Let’s look at what they did know. They said that “This man works many signs”, therefore they knew that He was not an ordinary man. Some of these men witnessed Jesus bring a man back to life who had been dead for four days sealed in a tomb, just days if not hours before. They knew that He said that He and the Father were one. They knew that if He continued that “everyone would believe in Him”. Even if they believed Him to be nothing more than a prophet it is still no excuse for their actions. The bottom line is…they knew who He was, and that He was a threat to their precious way of life. It is ironic that they were so worried about the Romans coming to take away their “place and nation” because roughly 40 years later that would be the case. In 2000 years not much has changed there are still too many people who hold out, and hold on to earthly things while they with knowledge deny the King of kings. How about you are you holding out?

Pro-Choice or Pro-Life

2009-02-05T09:56:00.001-06:00

John 10:17-18 Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father."

Pro-Choice or Pro-Life? These two terms we are all unfortunately very familiar with as they have become entrenched in American culture since the seventies. One side says that the individual right to “choose” whether to keep or terminate a pregnancy is more important than the “life” that they are hosting. The other side says that the individual right to “live” is more important than the “choice” of the one who is hosting the life. As with all things we should filter it through God’s Word and see what His point of view is on this divisive subject. Jesus models for us both Pro-Choice and Pro-Life. How’s that you say? Jesus was Pro-Choice in the sense that He “chose” to give up His life rather than to keep it. He could have decided to be selfish and think only of himself and refused to go to the cross but He willingly went. Jesus was also Pro-Life. He deemed that the “lives” of others were more important than His own fleshly existence. His sacrifice made it possible for others to live. So we have to ask the question; if Jesus believed that the lives of others were more important than His own, then can we really say that there was a choice? Even though He could choose, for Him there was but one choice. Why? Because of His amazing love. Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world, red, and yellow, black, and white they are precious in His sight; Jesus loves the children of the world.

A God Thing

2009-02-04T09:22:00.001-06:00

John 9:11 He answered and said, "A Man called Jesus made clay and anointed my eyes and said to me, 'Go to the pool of Siloam and wash.' So I went and washed, and I received sight."

A God Thing? As the story goes, Jesus and His disciples were walking along and came up on a man who was blind from birth. An interesting conversation ensues about the cause of the man’s condition. The disciples ask Jesus if he is blind because of his sin or his parent’s sin, completely absent of any compassion for the man’s handicap. But Jesus saw things a little different. He saw this man’s condition as a prelude to the demonstration of His amazing power, and the opportunity for Him to show compassion, both of which would bring glory to God the Father. In an amazing display of faith the man does exactly as Jesus commands him and he receives his sight. Why so amazing you say? How does a man who was minding his own business obey a man whom he did not solicit, had never seen, and who had made mud with spit and rubbed it on his lame eyes? Oh and did I mention that we are told in the same story that never before, since time began, had a man blind from birth been given sight? Surely this man was aware of that fact. It was a God thing. If we were to put ourselves in this man’s sandals and look through his blind eyes wouldn’t we have some questions, some reluctance to do what he was told to do? An honest answer would have to be yes. That is why his faith was so amazing. But then again, it was a God thing. You see the story is not really about the blind man, it’s about God and His wonderful works! How about you are there things that have happened in your life that can only be explained as being…a God thing?

Shooting Straight

2009-02-02T09:42:00.001-06:00

John 7:43 So there was a division among the people because of Him.

Shooting straight? As another election season concludes we can now scale back on our daily regimen of politics and hopefully spend less time listening to the politicians. Politicians are an interesting, complex group of people. Imagine the balancing act that they perform as they try to win as many supporters as they possibly can. They have to try and please or appease large numbers of people because there are so many different views about the issues of the day. Part of the art of a politician is to blur where they really stand on the issues because they would prefer a neutral stance. If you are for them or neutral then their chances of receiving your vote are better than 50/50. Plainly put, politicians want to please everybody and that means doing a little fence riding. Jesus was no politician. He never colored, shaded or minced His words. Anytime He ever spoke he caused people to divide into two camps; you either loved Him or hated Him. Nothing has changed in the last 2,000 years; Jesus was and is a straight shooter, you know where He stands. You are either for Him, or against Him. Every morning that we arise to start a new day we make a choice as to whose side we will be on; will you stand with Him today?

Gone Fishing

2009-01-29T10:26:00.000-06:00

Matthew 4:19-20 He said to them, “Follow Me and I will make you fishers of men.” Immediately they left their nets and followed Him.

Gone fishing? Fishing for some is a sport, for some it is a form of relaxation, and for others it is a profession. Those who make a sport of it can’t wait until their day to day responsibilities are complete so they can head down to the lake to do the thing they love to do. The tired business man who needs a break may not be quite as excited about it but none the less covets his time to relax with a fishing pole in his hand. A great way to rest and have fun for those kind but what about the professional who is tired and needs a break, what is he to do?
Peter and Andrew were professional fisherman going about doing their thing, making a living casting their nets to catch fish. It is possible that they could have been tired of making a living catching fish, just worn out from doing the same thing day in and day out. They were most likely asking themselves this question, “is this really all there is to life”? And along comes Jesus walking by the sea and He says to them, “Follow Me and I will make you fishers of men”. As strange as this might have sounded to them the important thing to note is the lack of questions about it. There was no analyzing the job description, no questioning whether or not it was possible, absolutely no second guessing the one who was speaking to them.
Why you ask? When a person meets Jesus and sees (by faith) Him for who He is, all things make perfect sense, there is nothing that is impossible. I believe that Peter and Andrew immediately and fully understood what He meant by being “fishers of men”. Apart from Jesus life really doesn’t make any sense at all; this is why people spend so much time and money on science to try and figure it out. These fishermen who had become the fish, Peter and Andrew, had just been caught by the Master Fisherman and were now ready to do the same. Yes, they had swallowed it hook, line, and sinker this is evidenced in the fact that “Immediately they left their nets and followed Him”. How about you have you hung a sign in your window that says “Gone Fishing”?

Good Teacher

2009-01-27T08:27:00.000-06:00

John 6:5-6 Then Jesus lifted up His eyes, and seeing a great multitude coming toward Him, He said to Philip, "Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?" But this He said to test him, for He Himself knew what He would do.

Good Teacher? Everyone undoubtedly remembers at least one good teacher that they had growing up. It is usually the one that you were able to connect with the best, the one who taught you the most, and the one who made learning a joy rather than a pain. Let’s face it there are some really good teachers and then there are some that are not so good. So what is it about teachers that makes the difference in one being good and one not so good? For some, teaching is nothing more than a job, a means to an end. But for others, the special ones, they teach from the heart. They live to teach others, they have an overwhelming desire to share their knowledge with others. Good teachers derive their satisfaction by seeing their effort make a difference in someone else’s life.
There are a lot of good teachers on this earth but there has only been one Good Teacher, His name is Jesus. Talk about a class full of misfits! Jesus spent three long years with His disciples lovingly teaching them many of the same things over and over. When most would have thrown in the towel and give up on the gang, He very patiently kept teaching them until they finally got it. Jesus used every opportunity to teach something no matter how small or insignificant it might have seemed. Part of good teaching is testing the student just like Jesus did by asking Philip, “Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?” Bad for Philip because he did not get a passing grade on this one; but he would eventually graduate because his teacher, the Good Teacher, would make sure that he did. How about you, are you learning from the Good Teacher?

Working the Crowd

2009-01-26T09:20:00.000-06:00

John 5:44 How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek the honor that comes from the only God?

Working the crowd? An entertainer’s job is to perform some kind of act for a crowd of people to elicit a positive response from them. The response may be in the form of laughter, an ooh and awe, applause; it may even bring them to their feet. Since everybody is different the entertainer has to work them to figure out what it is that excites them. The entertainer lives and thrives off of these responses, it is what keeps them going and striving harder to gain even more praise for their actions. When one is successful they will eventually fill the house with dedicated fans that come only to see them and to shower them with praise. Unfortunately this happens to religious people such as the ones that Jesus is speaking to here. This group was so wrapped up in gaining the praise of others, especially from their peers, for their so called “righteousness” that they were completely oblivious to God who is the source of righteousness. Talk about ironic? To be esteemed by others is fine, but when that becomes the motivation to do better rather than “seeking the honor that comes from the only God” we are in big trouble and need to take a look and see if we are in fact working the crowd. Working the crowd is nothing short of hijacking the glory that belongs to God. It may be wise to think about working behind the scenes.

Faith Support

2009-01-22T09:14:00.001-06:00

John 4:41-42 And many more believed because of His own word. Then they said to the woman, "Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world."

Faith Support? I am always amazed at the stories of people who survive some rather extreme situations; such as being stranded in the middle of nowhere in a blizzard where the temperature is sub-zero. With only a friend or a loved one at their side, they will share whatever they have in order for both of them to survive. They may only have one coat or blanket, candy bar, or bottle of water but they will support each other with all including their own body heat until they are both rescued. This is what friends do. This is what loved ones do. According to God’s Word the same can be true when it comes to our faith. How’s that? The faith of one can support another until they are themselves rescued by Jesus. The townsmen believed the Samaritan woman’s testimony about Jesus, that He was Messiah; they were in fact sharing in her faith. But after they met Jesus and experienced His words for themselves they were no longer in need of her faith support in order to believe. Who is it in your life that is stranded and in need of rescue? Are you willing to share your faith with them?

Schooled

2009-01-21T09:14:00.000-06:00

John 2:1-2 On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Now both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding.

Schooled? Learning is a little bit different for everyone. There are those who require much lecture and explanation in order to learn. And then there are those who need a more “hands on approach”, a demonstration of what is being taught. Object lessons are good. Illustrations are great. But you just can’t beat seeing the lesson in action with firsthand experience. All Christians have been commissioned to “go and make disciples” for Jesus. But we have to ask ourselves, are we doing a good job? Are we truly teaching others about Jesus by following His example? We can clearly see that there is a big difference in telling others about Jesus and showing others Jesus. Jesus was now three days with His disciples, walking with them and teaching them the ways of His Father. As Jesus and His band of brothers arrive at Cana there is a wedding taking place and His mother informs Him that there is a need. Jesus had been teaching His disciples telling them who He was, that He was the Son of God and now it was time for a demonstration; they needed to see it in action! And so the story goes that Jesus turned the water into wine and rescued the pending wedding disaster. But more than that, we are told that “He manifested His glory and His disciples believed in him”. They had been schooled. We can demonstrate the power of Jesus in our lives to others simply by not resisting His transforming power. What is He telling you to give up? What is He telling you to add in? Transformation requires both.

The Right Tool

2009-01-20T10:02:00.002-06:00

Ezra 1:1-2 Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and also put it in writing, saying, Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: All the kingdoms of the earth the Lord God of heaven has given me. And He has commanded me to build Him a house at Jerusalem which is in Judah.

The right tool? Selecting the right tool for the job is the first step in repairing something that is broken. Not all tools are created equal. There are some tools that can be used for many different applications but there are others that have only one use, these are specialty tools. You do not use a screwdriver to hammer in a nail (although it has been tried), you use a hammer; a hammer is made specifically for driving nails. There are a lot of different kinds of tools, numerous in fact and the real trick in repairing something is selecting the right one for the job. It happens from time to time that God also has things that need repaired, and He too selects a certain tool to use for the repair. Sometimes God uses the most unexpected tool available to do something incredible. Here we see evidence of God using Cyrus, king of Persia to orchestrate the rebuilding of the Holy City, the Temple and returning the exiles to their homeland. On the surface it may seem like no big deal but we need to realize the totality of the situation. Just who was this king Cyrus? Cyrus was a world conqueror who revolted against his father and his grandfather laying claim to the royal throne. He literally moved across the face of the known world and took control of everything in his path including the great Babylon who destroyed Jerusalem and took the Jews into captivity. And did I mention that he was a godless man, a pagan? The great and mighty God is not above using anything or anyone to accomplish His will. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Our Father, Hallowed be thy name. Do not believe the lie that you are insignificant and cannot be used by God. How about you are you the right tool for the job?

All Ears

2009-01-19T13:45:00.000-06:00

Nehemiah 8:2-3 So Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly of men and women and all who could hear with understanding on the first day of the seventh month. Then he read from it in the open square that was in front of the Water Gate from morning until midday, before the men and women and those who could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law.

All Ears? It has been said that we hear what we want to hear. Although everything audible is scooped up in our ear, we pick and choose what gets through the gate to our heart because much of what we hear simply goes on through and out the other ear as if we never heard it. There are many different ways that we might reason our selection process but the bottom line is this, what we do not want to influence us we reject. On the other hand if we think that what we are about to hear will benefit us, we become nothing but ears. Nothing but ears describes the people whom Ezra the priest was speaking to here in the great book of Nehemiah. The exiles had returned to the Holy City, the walls and Temple had been rebuilt, the census had been taken and everyone knew that it was all done by God’s power and might. Now they were ready to gather together and soak in God’s holy Word, read to them by Ezra the priest. They stood for hours in the town square to not only listen, but to listen attentively. Why is it so hard for people today to sit and listen to God’s Word for a fraction of the time? Why is it so hard for people to remain attentive? Are people simply going through the motions listening to the Word but not hearing it? When we let God’s Word into our heart to the point it begins to reshape our lives we develop a hunger for more. The returning exiles had begun this process. They were daily walking with God, and He was reshaping their lives. They were hungry, they were all ears.

Impaired Vision

2009-01-15T09:27:00.000-06:00

2 Corinthians 4:17-18 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

Impaired Vision? Anyone who has had a driver’s license for any length of time at all will tell you that there are a few bad situations that they would prefer to avoid if at all possible. One of those situations would have to be trying to drive through a severe downpour of rain. There comes a point in the storm that the rain comes down so fast and so hard that it literally becomes blinding and you can do nothing but stop and wait. Wouldn’t it be great if we had x-ray vision to see through the storm allowing us to keep moving towards our destination? Life for the follower of Christ at times can be inundated with storms; storms with such great intensity that they can shake you at your very core, impairing your vision, and stop you dead in your tracks. If a follower of Christ finds themselves in this predicament it is only because they are looking through their natural eyes and not their spiritual eyes. God has graciously given us sight to see through the here and now and to see the everlasting; “I once was blind but now I see”. That’s right; we have the ability to see right through even the most severe storms of life with spiritual x-ray vision. Our spiritual eyes help us to understand that the storms will not last “but for a moment”, they are temporary compared to eternity; they are but “light affliction”. There may be a torrential downpour in your path today be sure and view it with the spiritual eyes that your Heavenly Father gave you.

Chapter and Verse

2009-01-14T09:52:00.000-06:00

Matthew 4:5-6 Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written: He shall give His angels charge over you, and, in their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone.

Chapter and Verse? Do you remember when you were a child in Sunday school and your teacher would teach you to memorize the books of the Bible, all 66 of them? And after learning them you would move on to use that knowledge by engaging in Bible drills. All the kids in your class would take up their swords and try to be the quickest at finding the chapter and verse that was given by the teacher and then read the passage. Then there was the endless amount of verses to memorize and recite and the fun you would have seeing how many you could do. Thank God for Sunday school teachers who make learning the Bible fun and exciting! But what happens as you grow up, why does learning the Scriptures become so laborious? Why is it easier, to just rely on what the preacher says or what can be heard on the radio or television? Do we really understand the necessity of knowing the Holy Scriptures and searching them daily? The truth of the matter is that the devil knows more about the Holy Scriptures than the average follower of Christ. And the irony is that the Scriptures can do nothing for him and everything for you. As seen in this encounter with Jesus, Satan can quote the Holy Scriptures, he knows what they say. How about you, will you be outdone by him?

Don’t rock the boat

2009-01-13T07:15:00.001-06:00

Matthew 2:3-4 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. Gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born.

Don’t rock the boat? Herod had gotten the news that there was going to be some rough water ahead for him. It was told to him that the King of the Jews was going to be born; for Herod this was troubling to say the least. He was king, how dare one come on the scene that would threaten his empire and his way of life that he so dearly loved. This news caused him to call in “the experts” to find out where this was going to happen so that he could intervene. Herod would lie and deceive the Magi who were seeking this newborn King by telling them that he would like to come and worship the new king as they were. His evil plan was to remove the threat to his beloved kingdom. Looking at Herod we would say “what a wicked, evil man this was”, but the truth of the matter is that there are many Herod’s today. Have you ever intentionally gone out of your way to avoid a Christian because of your sinful behavior? You know the old saying “actions speak louder than words”, this avoidance says that we are content with our way and do not want anything to threaten it. True Christians bear the light of Jesus, this light exposes the darkness of evil. Jesus says “everyone who does evil hates the light and does not come to the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed”. Interestingly enough, the so called “experts” the chief priest and scribes, were not as interested in finding this newborn King as Herod was…but that is another day. How about you are you seeking to live your life in Christ the “Light of the world”, rather than living in the dark as King Herod hoping that no one will rock the boat?

Indoctrination

2009-01-12T09:46:00.000-06:00

1 Corinthians 15:33 Do not be deceived: "Evil company corrupts good habits."

Indoctrination? Jesus warns of those who will come with false doctrines disguising themselves as one of the sheep in order to prey on them. He also says that on the inside they are ravenous wolves but that their fruit gives them away. There are many within the confines of Christianity that desire power through the following of others rather than leading others to follow Jesus. We are to go forth and make disciples of and for Jesus not of and for ourselves. The Apostle Paul writing to the Corinthians explains this very thing to them because they had been led astray by the false teaching that there is no resurrection of the dead. He warns them that although they have had the truth, and had established “good habits” in the truth, they were in fact being corrupted by the “evil company” they were allowing into their fellowship. It seems like today more than any other time before that people are open to anything and everything, willing to believe even the most bizarre things imaginable. Churches that do not closely examine who they allow into their fellowship are destined for problems. Who we keep company with impacts who we are and what we believe much more than we give it credit for. Knowing this we should guard our hearts and minds accordingly. Have you been taught something new lately? Have you searched the scriptures to see if it’s true? Have you been taught something your whole life and believe it to be true without searching the scriptures? A good teacher will always encourage their students to read it for themselves for they know that the Word is much more powerful than they are.

Suffering for Jesus

2009-01-08T08:20:00.003-06:00

1 Peter 4:14 If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God rest upon you.

Suffering for Jesus? True followers of Jesus will, without exception, run into others who will revile them for their allegiance to Him and His cause. This should not be a surprise to believers, Jesus clearly taught that the world hated Him and they will also hate His disciples. Why such hate and abuse by those who don’t believe? Jesus said that they are lovers of darkness because their deeds are evil. Jesus is the light of the world; His light exposes the evil deeds that are done under the cover of darkness. This divine light also shines through Jesus’ followers which causes the world to reject and revile them. This kind of persecution should be like a road marker for the believer. When taking a trip to a place we have never been before we rely on road markers to let us know that we are on the right path. Seeing these signs along the way gives us assurance and peace of mind that we will arrive at the place we intended to go. Peter says, “Happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God rest upon you”, if we are being “reproached for the name of Christ” we should have Great joy! This is our road marker that tells us that we are on the right path; it causes us to know that what our Lord and Savior said is true! Jesus suffered greatly, more than we can even imagine. Why would He do this? He did it because He is “the good Shepherd: the good Shepherd gives His life for the sheep”. “He gave His life, what more could He give; Oh how He loves you, Oh how He loves me, Oh how He loves you and me”. How about you, have you seen any road signs lately that tell you which path you are on?

Common Union

2009-01-07T10:14:00.001-06:00

1 Corinthians 11:26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup; you proclaim the Lord's death till He comes.

Common Union? The New Testament Church has two ordinances that it observes that are directives of our Lord Jesus; Baptism and the Lord’s Supper aka Communion. Both of these ordinances are symbolic in nature; they are observed by followers of Jesus Christ as a testimony of their association with Him. In Baptism the follower identifies with the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus; this is pictured in the act of being submersed under the water and then raised up out of it to a new life. This act professes to the world that they are a true follower of Jesus Christ and that they are forever changed and united with Him. Jesus also directed the Disciples to commemorate His sacrifice for them by meeting together and partaking of the bread and wine; once again as a testimony of their association with Him. The bread and wine are symbolic of His body which was broken and His blood which was shed for the sins of many. Observing the Lord’s Supper is communion with Him; reflecting and meditating on His sacrifice that paid for our salvation. This is done not to be sorrowful and mourn His death but rather to celebrate because He has conquered death, hell and the grave and is returning in all His glory one day! By taking part we are in fact “proclaiming the Lord's death till He comes”. How about you, have you followed the Lord Jesus in Baptism? Have you taken part in the Lord’s Supper? Do you and Jesus have a Common Union? There is still time…

With all due respect

2009-01-06T12:15:00.001-06:00

1 Corinthians 9:19 For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win the more.

With all due respect? Honor and respect for a person, who is in a prominent position over others because of their achievements, is a good thing. They are due respect, you could say that they have earned their stripes. That is the system in which we live where everything is graded and scaled into rank and order. But is it always a good thing? Is it possible for it to be a bad thing? What happens when the one who is elevated becomes detached from the ones they are over because of the boost to their ego; after all they deserve honor and respect, right?

The Apostle Paul was one such person. He had the right to operate head and shoulders above everyone else. His pedigree was unmatched by most; He had a unique encounter with the risen Christ that only others could dream about; He had a vision of heaven that others would have to die to see; Paul’s missionary efforts were of the highest degree. If someone had grounds for boasting in their position it would be the Apostle Paul; that is what he meant by “I am free from all men”; you could say that he was at the top in the ranks of the Apostles.

Here is where it gets interesting; you see Paul realized that this prominence could actually hinder his work in the spread of the gospel. So what is Paul to do, he is faced with this painful decision to make and it is completely up to him? Should he act according to the honor and respect that is due him or does he lower himself into the trenches for the sake of the gospel? Then Paul does something completely amazing; he does what Jesus did! Who would have thought? Sounds like a no-brainer, you say? Well we need to ask ourselves, when was the last time that we refused what was rightfully due to us for the sake of someone else? When was the last time that we participated in something that was done differently than the way we like it for the sake of someone else? The Apostle Paul realized on the road to Damascus that fateful day that it wasn’t all about Paul, it was all about Jesus. Today you will have the opportunity to yield to another, will you?

Here comes the Son

2009-01-05T10:40:00.002-06:00

Romans 13:12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.

Here comes the Son? The Apostle Paul makes an urgent plea to his readers to be diligent in their efforts to be more like Jesus as the time is rapidly expiring. “The day is at hand”, the time of our redemption draws nigh; the Son’s return is ready to breach the horizon. “The night is far spent”, the rule and reign of darkness is about to draw to a close. As the darkness nears its end the workers of evil, that perform their sinful deeds under its cloak, intensify into a frenzy knowing the Light of the World is about to dawn. Children of light get ready, put on the armor, take up the sword of the Lord, the Word of God and fight against the “works of darkness” and do not be a part of them this is Paul’s message. It is easy to get caught up in the ways of the world, walking as they walk, participating in the same deeds; all while being deceived into believing there is plenty of time to do the right thing later. We are warned time and time again not to wait until the Son dawns to “put on the armor of light” for then it will be too late, we must be ready. The daystar will be rising soon, how will you be found when the Light of the World returns from glory?