I’m on hiatus this week and I am enjoying it. There is something to be said for taking a few vacation days away from work during this time of the year, despite the cold weather that makes it impossible to accomplish anything even remotely productive. I’ve enjoyed waking up each morning and drinking coffee with my wife; just being mindful of the little things in life and I’ve been reminded yet again of their importance. I also know it will end all too soon and I will find myself back to the grind of my job in no time, so I am savoring each moment as I write in my blog this morning.
Tim Tebow is playing in the Sugar Bowl this week. His Florida Gators did not meet their own lofty expectations of a national championship contest, but it is still a prestigious bowl game that will garner national attention. I am by no means a Gator fan; when I watch one of their games I can be counted on to root for the other team regardless of who they happen to be playing. But I have become a fan of Tim Tebow and not just because of his physical prowess as a quarterback, although he is a great one. I’m more inclined to be his fan due to the way he lives his life and how he stands up for his faith despite the media spotlight that has been focused upon him.
I read an article in an on-line newspaper this morning that reported his habit of writing Scripture-references on the face-black painted below his eyes before every game. He uses a new scripture for each competition and he says that it originates from whatever he is feeling in his heart on game day. Of course, I was already aware of this as it was explained during a game I was watching a few months ago, and the announcers, to give them credit, treated it as a wholesome thing for him to do. I printed the article for my daughter as she is possibly his number one fan, but I did not print the complete article for her. The commentary was good and painted Tim in a very favorable light, but the reader comments at the bottom of the article were appalling.
I’ll explain myself by saying that most of the comments had nothing to do with his success or failure on the gridiron. A large percentage were apparently left on the page in a blatant attempt to discredit his faith and his lifestyle, and some of them were even well written and bordered on the profound. I became sickened after the first page and stopped reading when one reader suggested that Tim needed to ‘loosen up’ and become more a member of the ‘real world’. But what really broke my heart was the comment that came from someone who appeared to be a Christian, quoting a verse in Matthew 6 that he used to make a point that Tim was losing his reward in Heaven for publicly displaying his faith here on earth.
What?
I wanted to post my own comment and almost did, pronouncing my opinion that if Tim were a Muslim and had used quotations from the Koran, none of this would be an issue. He would be celebrated as ‘modern’ and one who has been ‘enlightened’, etc. But that argument is tired in my mind. It no longer matters in the proverbial grand scheme of things. I also thought about commenting back to the ‘Christian’ and asking him would he feel better if Tim chose to hide his light under a bushel. A voice in my head told me to step away from the keyboard, and I was reminded of the casting of pearls before swine that Jesus mentioned and the consequences thereof. In time I will feel better and this will once again be a great day. A Christian today needs patience in these sorts of matters.
My take on Mr. Tebow’s public display of Scripture, as well as his lifestyle, is this: “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:1-2
I think Tim gets it. That’s what I see reading between the lines of the media reports and the news articles that I’ve read about him. Besides, he used these verses himself during the Florida State game.
Rightly Divided
Youth Sunday School Lesson - 12/20/09
Our lesson guide this week states that there is a right way and a wrong way to do things. I know this to be true from my own experience. A few years back as a young (and foolish) engineer, I found myself working on an electrical panel. The panel was powered with 480 volts of electricity and controlled motors in a factory. 480 volts is a lot of juice; your typical wall outlet has only 120 volts, as a reference. So anyway, I thought I had found the problem and turned the power off to fix it, then powered it back on again to check out my repair work. My repair was not correct and I blew a small fuse in the panel, so I was back to square one.
It was getting close to break time, and my partner informed me he was ready to go. I told him to wait just a second as I wanted to change the fuse and try something else. Thinking about a good cup of coffee, what I was going to do later, or maybe world peace, I reached in and grabbed the fuse. The problem was obvious: I had neglected to turn off the electricity to the cabinet. For a moment I thought my partner was joking around with me and had grabbed me from behind and started shaking me, but I could not figure out why he would do such a thing. Because of not following the proper procedures, I was being electrocuted! God intervened and the breaker tripped, thus saving my life. Other than a burn on my hand and my hair becoming a little more afro-like than normal, I was not harmed.
There are proper procedures to follow in almost everything you do in life. You must be trained to perform certain jobs and a failure to be taught the right way to do things could result in a catastrophe. Once you have been trained, it is up to you to follow the rules and guidelines when you do a job or meet certain circumstances in your life.
Paul writes to Timothy: “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” In our spiritual lives as Christians, we should never believe that salvation is as far as we need to go with our faith, yet sometimes we treat it in that manner. A Christian should always strive to grow and reach maturity in his or her faith. How can we do this? By studying God’s Word diligently and under the direction of the Holy Spirit. This should be a no-brainer to all of us by now, but there is more to the verse than simply studying to be approved – did you catch it?
Paul teaches Timothy that we should also ‘rightly divide’ the Word of Truth. The Bible is not a hard book to understand, despite what some people may tell you. If you enter into a time of serious study with prayer and a willingness to allow the Spirit to guide you as a Christian, the things God would have you know and understand will come to you clearly. One of the things to remember is that we should not read the Bible with a microscope – zeroing in on only one or two passages. The Bible is the sum of its parts, and when you compare scriptures across the whole Bible you will be able to gain a complete understanding of what God has done for us, will do for us, and what He has planned for us. The Bible does not contradict itself – it confirms itself over and over again!
This week, we are going to talk in class about what the Bible will teach us when we ‘rightly divide’ the words we read under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. We will look at how an overall knowledge of the Bible is important, and will keep us from being led astray by someone who takes a verse from here or there in an effort to make a point that may or may not be scripturally sound.
One guideline we should follow is that the Bible will never cause conflict among true Christians when they enter into a sincere time of study with a heart set on learning from God’s Word. If we meet for class and I teach something that angers you, or you ask something that angers me, we need to re-examine what we are studying. More often than not, in those situations we are not rightly dividing the Word of God, and at the very least we are not following the direction of the Holy Spirit. God’s Word should uplift us and not divide us when we use it correctly.
Finally, it is important to not only know God’s Word, but to also hide it in our heart by memory. There will not always be enough time to run home and look up a scripture that someone else quotes to us, and if we have it memorized in our hearts we will be less likely to be led astray by a wolf in sheep’s clothing. They’re out there, you know?
Our lesson guide this week states that there is a right way and a wrong way to do things. I know this to be true from my own experience. A few years back as a young (and foolish) engineer, I found myself working on an electrical panel. The panel was powered with 480 volts of electricity and controlled motors in a factory. 480 volts is a lot of juice; your typical wall outlet has only 120 volts, as a reference. So anyway, I thought I had found the problem and turned the power off to fix it, then powered it back on again to check out my repair work. My repair was not correct and I blew a small fuse in the panel, so I was back to square one.
It was getting close to break time, and my partner informed me he was ready to go. I told him to wait just a second as I wanted to change the fuse and try something else. Thinking about a good cup of coffee, what I was going to do later, or maybe world peace, I reached in and grabbed the fuse. The problem was obvious: I had neglected to turn off the electricity to the cabinet. For a moment I thought my partner was joking around with me and had grabbed me from behind and started shaking me, but I could not figure out why he would do such a thing. Because of not following the proper procedures, I was being electrocuted! God intervened and the breaker tripped, thus saving my life. Other than a burn on my hand and my hair becoming a little more afro-like than normal, I was not harmed.
There are proper procedures to follow in almost everything you do in life. You must be trained to perform certain jobs and a failure to be taught the right way to do things could result in a catastrophe. Once you have been trained, it is up to you to follow the rules and guidelines when you do a job or meet certain circumstances in your life.
Paul writes to Timothy: “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” In our spiritual lives as Christians, we should never believe that salvation is as far as we need to go with our faith, yet sometimes we treat it in that manner. A Christian should always strive to grow and reach maturity in his or her faith. How can we do this? By studying God’s Word diligently and under the direction of the Holy Spirit. This should be a no-brainer to all of us by now, but there is more to the verse than simply studying to be approved – did you catch it?
Paul teaches Timothy that we should also ‘rightly divide’ the Word of Truth. The Bible is not a hard book to understand, despite what some people may tell you. If you enter into a time of serious study with prayer and a willingness to allow the Spirit to guide you as a Christian, the things God would have you know and understand will come to you clearly. One of the things to remember is that we should not read the Bible with a microscope – zeroing in on only one or two passages. The Bible is the sum of its parts, and when you compare scriptures across the whole Bible you will be able to gain a complete understanding of what God has done for us, will do for us, and what He has planned for us. The Bible does not contradict itself – it confirms itself over and over again!
This week, we are going to talk in class about what the Bible will teach us when we ‘rightly divide’ the words we read under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. We will look at how an overall knowledge of the Bible is important, and will keep us from being led astray by someone who takes a verse from here or there in an effort to make a point that may or may not be scripturally sound.
One guideline we should follow is that the Bible will never cause conflict among true Christians when they enter into a sincere time of study with a heart set on learning from God’s Word. If we meet for class and I teach something that angers you, or you ask something that angers me, we need to re-examine what we are studying. More often than not, in those situations we are not rightly dividing the Word of God, and at the very least we are not following the direction of the Holy Spirit. God’s Word should uplift us and not divide us when we use it correctly.
Finally, it is important to not only know God’s Word, but to also hide it in our heart by memory. There will not always be enough time to run home and look up a scripture that someone else quotes to us, and if we have it memorized in our hearts we will be less likely to be led astray by a wolf in sheep’s clothing. They’re out there, you know?
Second-Rate Faith
I have a very short attention span, and it appears to only get worse as I grow older. I need to be mentally stimulated and I go the extra mile each day in an attempt to be so. I read books and browse the Internet. I watch sports on television. I go out of my way to find a challenge at work. When all else fails, you might even catch me working on a crossword puzzle.
Maybe it’s a sign of the times as I know that I am not alone in feeling this way. Since the dawn of the digital age, we have been bombarded daily with things that stimulate our mind. This is a good thing, but I can’t help my belief that it is also the cause of our chronic attention deficit disorders. Yes, I called it that because when you get down to the nuts and bolts of the matter - that's what it is.
The business training industry has undergone several changes and modified their agendas during the last few years and it is obvious that they ‘get it’. Attend any work-related seminar and you’ll be challenged not by mundane lectures, but by dynamic power-point presentations featuring incredible graphics keyed by memorable catch-phrases. They have to be that way in order to survive in the world of business-related seminars. Our schools and universities no longer attempt to teach the old English classics in literature, preferring instead to push post-modern authors and their works. I was shocked when my daughter informed me (with a puzzled look when I asked) Beowulf was not listed on her English Lit syllabus.
It is bad enough that we see this happening in our schools and universities, but I have also noted the symptoms as they invade our churches. Sermons are boring and are quickly becoming passé. The grand old hymns of Fannie J. Crosby and Robert Lowry (among others) are swiftly being replaced with modern praise and worship music. A church is noted for its programs and adaptability to the schedules of its members, and a failure in these areas could spell the end for the church that dares to miss the mark.
Does your young adult Sunday school class have doughnuts and coffee before class? Are there various programs and functions available for the youth? Is your preacher long-winded and uninteresting? Does he use a power-point slide show? Does he use a modern translation of the Bible that is easier to understand? These are the avant-garde questions to use when shopping for a church to attend. I’ve even suggested to my pastor that we open up a concession stand in the back of the church where we can sell nachos and Cokes, et al, during the services - thereby earning money for the building fund as we make things more comfortable for the membership. ‘We’ll pack ‘em in!’ I promised him.
Is this what church is really all about? Is it what we have come to these days?
I like to call it second-rate faith. It is a faith based on emotion and feelings, with no substance and no desire for growth. What can the church do for me and my family with as little or no return on my part as possible? Better said, what can God do for me with as little or no return on my part as possible?
In John 2, Jesus had performed many miracles in Jerusalem and was returning to Galilee following the Passover: “Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover, in the feast day, many believed in his name, when they saw the miracles which he did. But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men, And needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in man.”
Many believed in Him, but Jesus did not believe in them. Think about it. Why would Jesus do this? After all, we are told that they (the many) believed in Him. If you read the verses again and pay close attention, maybe you'll catch it – they believed in Him due to the hoopla surrounding His wonderful miracles. It was the excitement and emotion of the moment that thrilled their hearts and minds, but it didn’t touch their hearts. He knew when He left or no longer provided miracles for them; they would soon get over it all and go about their lives as before. Jesus wants something deeper from us than that. He wants our lives to be changed as well as our hearts.
It is something worth remembering when we attend worship services at our church each Sunday. We should ask ourselves why we are there, and specifically what our motive for being there is. If we are seeking a deeper faith and a closer relationship with Christ, then we are there for the right reasons. But if it is the doughnuts and camaraderie, the rocked-out versions of old hymns, or those delicious nachos from the concession stand – we need to re-examine our belief and commitment to Him, and in so doing earnestly seek His commitment to us.
Maybe it’s a sign of the times as I know that I am not alone in feeling this way. Since the dawn of the digital age, we have been bombarded daily with things that stimulate our mind. This is a good thing, but I can’t help my belief that it is also the cause of our chronic attention deficit disorders. Yes, I called it that because when you get down to the nuts and bolts of the matter - that's what it is.
The business training industry has undergone several changes and modified their agendas during the last few years and it is obvious that they ‘get it’. Attend any work-related seminar and you’ll be challenged not by mundane lectures, but by dynamic power-point presentations featuring incredible graphics keyed by memorable catch-phrases. They have to be that way in order to survive in the world of business-related seminars. Our schools and universities no longer attempt to teach the old English classics in literature, preferring instead to push post-modern authors and their works. I was shocked when my daughter informed me (with a puzzled look when I asked) Beowulf was not listed on her English Lit syllabus.
It is bad enough that we see this happening in our schools and universities, but I have also noted the symptoms as they invade our churches. Sermons are boring and are quickly becoming passé. The grand old hymns of Fannie J. Crosby and Robert Lowry (among others) are swiftly being replaced with modern praise and worship music. A church is noted for its programs and adaptability to the schedules of its members, and a failure in these areas could spell the end for the church that dares to miss the mark.
Does your young adult Sunday school class have doughnuts and coffee before class? Are there various programs and functions available for the youth? Is your preacher long-winded and uninteresting? Does he use a power-point slide show? Does he use a modern translation of the Bible that is easier to understand? These are the avant-garde questions to use when shopping for a church to attend. I’ve even suggested to my pastor that we open up a concession stand in the back of the church where we can sell nachos and Cokes, et al, during the services - thereby earning money for the building fund as we make things more comfortable for the membership. ‘We’ll pack ‘em in!’ I promised him.
Is this what church is really all about? Is it what we have come to these days?
I like to call it second-rate faith. It is a faith based on emotion and feelings, with no substance and no desire for growth. What can the church do for me and my family with as little or no return on my part as possible? Better said, what can God do for me with as little or no return on my part as possible?
In John 2, Jesus had performed many miracles in Jerusalem and was returning to Galilee following the Passover: “Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover, in the feast day, many believed in his name, when they saw the miracles which he did. But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men, And needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in man.”
Many believed in Him, but Jesus did not believe in them. Think about it. Why would Jesus do this? After all, we are told that they (the many) believed in Him. If you read the verses again and pay close attention, maybe you'll catch it – they believed in Him due to the hoopla surrounding His wonderful miracles. It was the excitement and emotion of the moment that thrilled their hearts and minds, but it didn’t touch their hearts. He knew when He left or no longer provided miracles for them; they would soon get over it all and go about their lives as before. Jesus wants something deeper from us than that. He wants our lives to be changed as well as our hearts.
It is something worth remembering when we attend worship services at our church each Sunday. We should ask ourselves why we are there, and specifically what our motive for being there is. If we are seeking a deeper faith and a closer relationship with Christ, then we are there for the right reasons. But if it is the doughnuts and camaraderie, the rocked-out versions of old hymns, or those delicious nachos from the concession stand – we need to re-examine our belief and commitment to Him, and in so doing earnestly seek His commitment to us.
The Power Of The Tongue
One of the hardest things to control in life is not only what you say but how you say it. Once something is said, when it gets out into the open, there is no way to ‘un-say’ it. A person who learns to control their tongue is a person that has truly found maturity and will receive a host of spiritual blessings for doing so.
I was thinking this morning of an argument I had with my oldest sister a long time ago, an argument that escalated to the veritable brink of violence. (We did that all of the time, don’t worry!) This argument may have been the worst we were ever a part of, but it was not the fruit of the argument I was trying to recall, only the cause of it. What did I say to allow it to reach that point? Or was it something she said? We were shucking corn and neither of us was happy to have been assigned the task, and that alone was probably the catalyst for the trouble. It was only a matter of time before a button was pushed - and we were very good at doing so with each other.
The night before, she had a sleep-over with a group of her friends from the church. Young girls staying over at my house with my sister, and a younger brother that was as prone to mischief as myself proved to be the recipe for the hostilities I now recall from the corn incident the following day. It happened like this: we (my brother and I) snuck out of the room we shared and slipped out the front door, stealing around the side of the house in the grim moonlight. I seem to remember that it was in the early hours of the morning, around 1-2 AM or so. The room the girls were sleeping in had its own external door, and we grabbed the door-handle and shook it, banging violently on the door with our fists. Once we heard the screams inside, emanating from girls wary of intruders, we took off running as fast as we could, sneaking back in the front door with stealth that would make a Navy Seal proud, and scrambled secretly back to our room. All the while we were doing our utmost to conceal our laughter.
Due to the fear of the incurred wrath of our parents, we stayed in our room and feigned sleep in the excitement that followed, and boy, there was a lot of it that night. It is a small miracle that the police were not called to our house to investigate a suspected break-in attempt, but it was the 1970’s and 9-1-1 was not a viable phone number back in those days. Somehow we kept our silence the next morning, although we both felt exceedingly smug about it.
I remember very little about that day until the corn incident, and it was at some point I recollect ‘fessing up to my sister that it was my younger brother and me that had caused the alarm the night before. I had grown weary of her claims throughout the day that it was one of the boys from church (that she had a crush on) who had snuck over to play a prank on her and her friends. The only way I can describe it at that point is to simply state that ‘her countenance changed dramatically.’ A cute boy from church was one thing, but her own brothers whom she detested as all pre-teen girls do? Her face flashed (not flushed, I saw it!) red and her voice rose in fury in a manner very much like a teakettle, building into a high-pitched shriek. I should have kept my mouth shut from the beginning, or at the very least, ran when I had the chance. Her words came out in machine-gun staccato as she accused me of every wrong in her life that had ever been committed, which was bad enough - but then she said something that struck a chord deep inside of me. She implied that I executed the dirty deed because I liked a girl that was staying over the night before; and furthermore that it was my way of flirting with the girl.
Despite the truth to her words (after all, I did like the girl) there is no way a boy of twelve would ever admit nor would he allow someone to implicate him of ‘liking’ a girl. Any girl. Within moments our words, fueled by the unbridled passion of our tongues, had amplified into several well-aimed corn cobs flying at each other and worse, and it was my dad who was eventually forced to intervene and pull us apart. We were in trouble and it only grew worse from that point on. Mom was called in to arbitrate and in the end we were both found guilty and sentenced accordingly.
I’ve been in other arguments in my life where the failure of my mouth-control resulted in damaging my well-being in more than one area. I could have used other examples in this case. But my point is that sometimes it’s best to just shut up. Proverbs 18:21 tells us, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.”
There is a consequence involved in the things we do in our lives, both good and bad. But there is also a debt that must be paid when we allow our tongue to become unbridled and out of control. We will always end up eating the fruit of it.
I was thinking this morning of an argument I had with my oldest sister a long time ago, an argument that escalated to the veritable brink of violence. (We did that all of the time, don’t worry!) This argument may have been the worst we were ever a part of, but it was not the fruit of the argument I was trying to recall, only the cause of it. What did I say to allow it to reach that point? Or was it something she said? We were shucking corn and neither of us was happy to have been assigned the task, and that alone was probably the catalyst for the trouble. It was only a matter of time before a button was pushed - and we were very good at doing so with each other.
The night before, she had a sleep-over with a group of her friends from the church. Young girls staying over at my house with my sister, and a younger brother that was as prone to mischief as myself proved to be the recipe for the hostilities I now recall from the corn incident the following day. It happened like this: we (my brother and I) snuck out of the room we shared and slipped out the front door, stealing around the side of the house in the grim moonlight. I seem to remember that it was in the early hours of the morning, around 1-2 AM or so. The room the girls were sleeping in had its own external door, and we grabbed the door-handle and shook it, banging violently on the door with our fists. Once we heard the screams inside, emanating from girls wary of intruders, we took off running as fast as we could, sneaking back in the front door with stealth that would make a Navy Seal proud, and scrambled secretly back to our room. All the while we were doing our utmost to conceal our laughter.
Due to the fear of the incurred wrath of our parents, we stayed in our room and feigned sleep in the excitement that followed, and boy, there was a lot of it that night. It is a small miracle that the police were not called to our house to investigate a suspected break-in attempt, but it was the 1970’s and 9-1-1 was not a viable phone number back in those days. Somehow we kept our silence the next morning, although we both felt exceedingly smug about it.
I remember very little about that day until the corn incident, and it was at some point I recollect ‘fessing up to my sister that it was my younger brother and me that had caused the alarm the night before. I had grown weary of her claims throughout the day that it was one of the boys from church (that she had a crush on) who had snuck over to play a prank on her and her friends. The only way I can describe it at that point is to simply state that ‘her countenance changed dramatically.’ A cute boy from church was one thing, but her own brothers whom she detested as all pre-teen girls do? Her face flashed (not flushed, I saw it!) red and her voice rose in fury in a manner very much like a teakettle, building into a high-pitched shriek. I should have kept my mouth shut from the beginning, or at the very least, ran when I had the chance. Her words came out in machine-gun staccato as she accused me of every wrong in her life that had ever been committed, which was bad enough - but then she said something that struck a chord deep inside of me. She implied that I executed the dirty deed because I liked a girl that was staying over the night before; and furthermore that it was my way of flirting with the girl.
Despite the truth to her words (after all, I did like the girl) there is no way a boy of twelve would ever admit nor would he allow someone to implicate him of ‘liking’ a girl. Any girl. Within moments our words, fueled by the unbridled passion of our tongues, had amplified into several well-aimed corn cobs flying at each other and worse, and it was my dad who was eventually forced to intervene and pull us apart. We were in trouble and it only grew worse from that point on. Mom was called in to arbitrate and in the end we were both found guilty and sentenced accordingly.
I’ve been in other arguments in my life where the failure of my mouth-control resulted in damaging my well-being in more than one area. I could have used other examples in this case. But my point is that sometimes it’s best to just shut up. Proverbs 18:21 tells us, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.”
There is a consequence involved in the things we do in our lives, both good and bad. But there is also a debt that must be paid when we allow our tongue to become unbridled and out of control. We will always end up eating the fruit of it.
The Beginning Of Wisdom - Centered By Fear
Youth Sunday School Lesson - 12/13/09
A young lady once told me many years ago that I was one of the most ‘centered’ persons she had ever known. And she meant her words as a compliment to me. Although looking back through the stained glass of time I can understand why she would have noted that quality in my lifestyle; I can also see where she was wrong by her assumption. I’m notably high-strung and have always been slanted that way. I worry about things I have no business worrying about, and have a tendency to be outright cynical much too often. When I am honest I will admit I can display a grating personality to others. I overachieve on some days and catch myself underachieving at other times. No, I am not perfect by any measure and if there is an emotional ‘center’ to my personality I have yet to command it.
For the past few years, since the turning of the clock pushed me beyond the age of forty, I have sought to find a physical center to my life. I’ve spent hours in the gym, every day at lunch, (usually!) seeking to control my health and well-being. Let’s face it - I strive to avoid sickness and poor health because I have an abject fear of doctors and hospitals in general. I have not been totally successful with my exercise routine, and I’ve yet to find a center to my life in the area of staying physically fit.
But I don’t sweat it either way. It is very rare to find someone that has found a complete emotional or physical center to their lives. Usually when one reaches a state of being centered in one area they will lose their center in the other. We are humans, frail creatures in a world that is apparently out to get us. Seriously.
Yet there is an area where I can find my center and when I do so, the rewards far outweigh the low-hanging fruit associated with finding an emotional or physical center to my life. I’m speaking of becoming spiritually centered in my heart, which is far more important than in any other area. It is in this area where I feel the most secure, and work hardest at staying that way.
Paul writes: “For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom: But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness; But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.”
According to these verses, there is a vital need in our hearts to become centered spiritually, whether we will admit it to ourselves or not. The lessons God would have us understand are not learned through the things of the physical world. By our own world-centered wisdom, in other words, we cannot learn the lessons of God. The world and its logic only teaches us that the great matters of eternity are foolishness, and it is not by accident when it happens that way. God wants us to believe in Him, and that is His perfect plan for all of us.
If there was a way to gain all of the knowledge of God we'll ever need merely by our own observations, we would no longer need a faith in God. According to many people today, it may seem as though faith is a weakness while knowledge (science) is the stronger option. The opposite is true when you think about it. Paul penned these words two-thousand years ago, and many of the scientific things the men of his time held up to be factual have long since been proven false. What we hold as facts today based on science and technology can and probably will be considered foolishness when our own tomorrow comes around. Meanwhile, the truth we believe by our faith in Jesus Christ will still be the truth throughout eternity. It has not changed since Paul’s time and it never will. Read this paragraph again – it is the gist of what we will be talking about in class!
Emotionally centered in my life? I’m trying. Physically centered? Age is taking care of that one for me. Spiritually centered? That is the one goal I should always strive for. It pays the best dividends.
A young lady once told me many years ago that I was one of the most ‘centered’ persons she had ever known. And she meant her words as a compliment to me. Although looking back through the stained glass of time I can understand why she would have noted that quality in my lifestyle; I can also see where she was wrong by her assumption. I’m notably high-strung and have always been slanted that way. I worry about things I have no business worrying about, and have a tendency to be outright cynical much too often. When I am honest I will admit I can display a grating personality to others. I overachieve on some days and catch myself underachieving at other times. No, I am not perfect by any measure and if there is an emotional ‘center’ to my personality I have yet to command it.
For the past few years, since the turning of the clock pushed me beyond the age of forty, I have sought to find a physical center to my life. I’ve spent hours in the gym, every day at lunch, (usually!) seeking to control my health and well-being. Let’s face it - I strive to avoid sickness and poor health because I have an abject fear of doctors and hospitals in general. I have not been totally successful with my exercise routine, and I’ve yet to find a center to my life in the area of staying physically fit.
But I don’t sweat it either way. It is very rare to find someone that has found a complete emotional or physical center to their lives. Usually when one reaches a state of being centered in one area they will lose their center in the other. We are humans, frail creatures in a world that is apparently out to get us. Seriously.
Yet there is an area where I can find my center and when I do so, the rewards far outweigh the low-hanging fruit associated with finding an emotional or physical center to my life. I’m speaking of becoming spiritually centered in my heart, which is far more important than in any other area. It is in this area where I feel the most secure, and work hardest at staying that way.
Paul writes: “For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom: But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness; But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.”
According to these verses, there is a vital need in our hearts to become centered spiritually, whether we will admit it to ourselves or not. The lessons God would have us understand are not learned through the things of the physical world. By our own world-centered wisdom, in other words, we cannot learn the lessons of God. The world and its logic only teaches us that the great matters of eternity are foolishness, and it is not by accident when it happens that way. God wants us to believe in Him, and that is His perfect plan for all of us.
If there was a way to gain all of the knowledge of God we'll ever need merely by our own observations, we would no longer need a faith in God. According to many people today, it may seem as though faith is a weakness while knowledge (science) is the stronger option. The opposite is true when you think about it. Paul penned these words two-thousand years ago, and many of the scientific things the men of his time held up to be factual have long since been proven false. What we hold as facts today based on science and technology can and probably will be considered foolishness when our own tomorrow comes around. Meanwhile, the truth we believe by our faith in Jesus Christ will still be the truth throughout eternity. It has not changed since Paul’s time and it never will. Read this paragraph again – it is the gist of what we will be talking about in class!
Emotionally centered in my life? I’m trying. Physically centered? Age is taking care of that one for me. Spiritually centered? That is the one goal I should always strive for. It pays the best dividends.
Here There Be Tygers
Following the outbreak of the Civil War, a soldier of fortune by the name of Roberdeau Wheat formed a volunteer company of infantry in New Orleans, Louisiana to fight for the Confederacy. It was a company comprised of men recruited from the city docks and wharfs that ran alongside the Mississippi River. Most of the men were of Irish descent and had less than stellar records with the local law enforcement agencies of the time. They were a rough bunch of fellows, as apt to take on each other in camp as they were to fight against an enemy in battle. Because Roberdeau could not get the rank he desired from the State of Louisiana, he ended up taking his troops to Virginia and they arrived in that State just in time to take part in the first major battle of the war.
By the end of the Battle of Bull Run, they had acquired the nickname of ‘The Fighting Tigers of Louisiana’ due to their performance in one of the hottest areas of the conflict. Wheat, newly appointed to the rank of Major, was wounded in the battle and had to be carried from the field. Once the battle was over and victory had been achieved, they were sent to the Shenandoah Valley to fight in Stonewall Jackson’s army. During Jackson’s impressive valley campaign the following spring they again distinguished themselves and this more than made up for the troubles they had caused in camp during the quiet winter months beforehand. As Wheat appeared to be the only officer that could control them, in his absence they displayed a penchant for fighting amongst themselves and the other units in the army. On more than one occasion they were accused of stealing from their comrades in other units. One Confederate soldier from Virginia went on record stating that the mere sight of them (except in battle) caused both he and his fellow soldiers ‘the utmost fear’.
Later that summer, Wheat was killed in the battle of Gaines Mill. Due to their loss of numbers during the campaigns they had been a part of, the unit was disbanded and the soldiers were separated and placed into other Louisiana regiments. The ‘Fighting Tigers’ moniker, however, stuck with them and eventually all of the Louisiana troops in Virginia shared the nickname. The name lives on today in the sports programs of Louisiana State University – their teams are known today as the “Fighting Tigers of LSU”.
I know this might be a stretch for some, but I see an analogy between those miscreants from the docks and wharves of long ago and the small Christian church I find myself a part of today. We have a tendency to fight and argue with each other. We have a penchant for saying and doing the wrong things on many occasions. But we are a tight-knit group of individuals with a common purpose and goal – fighting the devil and the forces of evil that are arrayed against us on a daily basis. I’ll admit that in this battle, sometimes we are less than tigers and more often like sheep. But through faith and our trust in what God has planned for us, the battle will be won in the end.
Jesus told Peter, “And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” Sometimes the future looks bad for our church, as with any Christian church. We encounter enemies from without and within. But we have a promise in these verses from Jesus Himself that the very gates of hell will not prevail against the church He has built. We’re also reminded that when we are at our weakest, that is when He is strongest in our lives.
Knowing this as truth, it should be easier for us as Christians to remain firm in our churches and most importantly, in our faith. We would do very well to remember that we should be more like tigers in what appears today to be the closing stages of the conflict.
By the end of the Battle of Bull Run, they had acquired the nickname of ‘The Fighting Tigers of Louisiana’ due to their performance in one of the hottest areas of the conflict. Wheat, newly appointed to the rank of Major, was wounded in the battle and had to be carried from the field. Once the battle was over and victory had been achieved, they were sent to the Shenandoah Valley to fight in Stonewall Jackson’s army. During Jackson’s impressive valley campaign the following spring they again distinguished themselves and this more than made up for the troubles they had caused in camp during the quiet winter months beforehand. As Wheat appeared to be the only officer that could control them, in his absence they displayed a penchant for fighting amongst themselves and the other units in the army. On more than one occasion they were accused of stealing from their comrades in other units. One Confederate soldier from Virginia went on record stating that the mere sight of them (except in battle) caused both he and his fellow soldiers ‘the utmost fear’.
Later that summer, Wheat was killed in the battle of Gaines Mill. Due to their loss of numbers during the campaigns they had been a part of, the unit was disbanded and the soldiers were separated and placed into other Louisiana regiments. The ‘Fighting Tigers’ moniker, however, stuck with them and eventually all of the Louisiana troops in Virginia shared the nickname. The name lives on today in the sports programs of Louisiana State University – their teams are known today as the “Fighting Tigers of LSU”.
I know this might be a stretch for some, but I see an analogy between those miscreants from the docks and wharves of long ago and the small Christian church I find myself a part of today. We have a tendency to fight and argue with each other. We have a penchant for saying and doing the wrong things on many occasions. But we are a tight-knit group of individuals with a common purpose and goal – fighting the devil and the forces of evil that are arrayed against us on a daily basis. I’ll admit that in this battle, sometimes we are less than tigers and more often like sheep. But through faith and our trust in what God has planned for us, the battle will be won in the end.
Jesus told Peter, “And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” Sometimes the future looks bad for our church, as with any Christian church. We encounter enemies from without and within. But we have a promise in these verses from Jesus Himself that the very gates of hell will not prevail against the church He has built. We’re also reminded that when we are at our weakest, that is when He is strongest in our lives.
Knowing this as truth, it should be easier for us as Christians to remain firm in our churches and most importantly, in our faith. We would do very well to remember that we should be more like tigers in what appears today to be the closing stages of the conflict.
Routine Housekeeping
Just some housekeeping chores today…
I hope you read the last four posts and contemplated on them – they may be the most important posts I'll ever blog. You see, without salvation through Jesus Christ, the rest of life makes no sense at all. The rest of the words you read here will be empty and pointless. Trust me on this.
Hunter-Bear turned fourteen years old. And my grand-daughter, Parker, had her first birthday over the weekend. “Time counts, and keeps counting.”
Did you see the Saints game yesterday? Wow. Beyond description - that one was.
We started a new quarter in Sunday School and our literature/books were late so I had to ‘wing it’ yesterday morning in class. The Holy Spirit had my back and even I learned a thing or two during the lesson. It’s funny how it always seems to work out that way. After church, the class met and discussed with the rest of the youth in the church our plans on caroling and giving out fruit baskets to the elderly. If you are out there reading and a member of the class, we need you to help in any way possible. Blessings are obtainable for those who do!
I think it's pretty neat that my current computer password works out in such a manner that the letter/symbol/number combination I type is in the shape of a cross - and I didn't intend or plan it to be that way. How cool is that?
Christmas parade in Picayune tonight. My truck is located specifically where my wife wanted it parked, although not exactly. But it is within a quarter of a mile of her instructed location. If it rains and the parade is cancelled I will have a long walk from work to retrieve the vehicle, anyway.
I signed two copies of Fast Asleep last night for a lady who purchased them for her sons as Christmas presents. I appreciated the purchase and always feel humbled when I sign one of my books for someone else. I appreciate even more the emails I receive from readers telling me how they liked or disliked the novel, and most of all when they ask questions about the characters in the story. It makes me feel like they ended up caring for each fictional person in the book as much as I did when I penned it.
I hope to be back to my regular posts in the morning, but today I have so many things going on that this is the best I can do at the moment. Let me leave you with this:
“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28
That’s good stuff!
I hope you read the last four posts and contemplated on them – they may be the most important posts I'll ever blog. You see, without salvation through Jesus Christ, the rest of life makes no sense at all. The rest of the words you read here will be empty and pointless. Trust me on this.
Hunter-Bear turned fourteen years old. And my grand-daughter, Parker, had her first birthday over the weekend. “Time counts, and keeps counting.”
Did you see the Saints game yesterday? Wow. Beyond description - that one was.
We started a new quarter in Sunday School and our literature/books were late so I had to ‘wing it’ yesterday morning in class. The Holy Spirit had my back and even I learned a thing or two during the lesson. It’s funny how it always seems to work out that way. After church, the class met and discussed with the rest of the youth in the church our plans on caroling and giving out fruit baskets to the elderly. If you are out there reading and a member of the class, we need you to help in any way possible. Blessings are obtainable for those who do!
I think it's pretty neat that my current computer password works out in such a manner that the letter/symbol/number combination I type is in the shape of a cross - and I didn't intend or plan it to be that way. How cool is that?
Christmas parade in Picayune tonight. My truck is located specifically where my wife wanted it parked, although not exactly. But it is within a quarter of a mile of her instructed location. If it rains and the parade is cancelled I will have a long walk from work to retrieve the vehicle, anyway.
I signed two copies of Fast Asleep last night for a lady who purchased them for her sons as Christmas presents. I appreciated the purchase and always feel humbled when I sign one of my books for someone else. I appreciate even more the emails I receive from readers telling me how they liked or disliked the novel, and most of all when they ask questions about the characters in the story. It makes me feel like they ended up caring for each fictional person in the book as much as I did when I penned it.
I hope to be back to my regular posts in the morning, but today I have so many things going on that this is the best I can do at the moment. Let me leave you with this:
“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28
That’s good stuff!
Playing in a rare McNeill snowfall
Accepting God
I’ve had problems in my life I thought I could handle on my own. And I’m bad about letting them 'go on and on' without resolving the issue. In the end, what usually happens is they will spiral out of control; growing larger and more complex, until I find myself wishing I had asked for help in the beginning instead of waiting until it was too late to do so.
I’m an ignorer. I let things go. That never solves anything. Left unresolved, small problems grow into larger problems and denial is no excuse. When it reaches that point, then my nature is to blame someone else. Unfortunately you can only get so much mileage out of the blame game before you are back at square one, facing your problem all over again and by this time it is much worse. They grow, you know?
When everything else is exhausted, then I usually throw my time and energy into the situation, hoping to pound the problem into submission by brute force. My will-power and stamina versus an ever-worsening situation, head-to-head and man-to-man. Sometimes I make a little progress, but again, it is a hard realization when you come to grips with the fact that the problem is too tough and you are in over your head. It is when I reach this stage that I give in, give up, and ask for help from someone stronger than me.
When it comes to judgment, we can’t ignore G_d. We cannot distract G_d by pointing our finger at someone else. We do not look better when we do so, except maybe in our own eyes. Finally we cannot work our way back into G_d’s favor with our own good deeds and careful planning. The chasm between us and G_d is too wide and too deep. In the end, we fail to meet the standard that has been set for us by His Law as recorded in His Word. This is truth. This is honesty. This is… reality.
Is there any hope at all left for us? Is there a way for us to be made right in G_d’s eyes? Can we escape His righteous judgment which we know is waiting for us in the end? In the first few chapters of Romans, Paul has given us a spiritual beat-down. He has explained how we are all sinners and how we have missed the mark. Finally we move on to chapter five, and he records a grand statement, maybe the most profound verse you’ll find recorded in the Bible:
“But G_d commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Once we understand how lost we truly are, then we can begin to comprehend where we stand on the totem-pole of spirituality. We are sinners, lost, helpless, and unable to take care of the problem on our own. But G_d has made a way. While we were in the depths of sin and despair, He sent His Son to die on the cross as payment for our sins.
That verse, the one everyone knows? After reading the first few chapters of Romans, its truth becomes apparent and we can better understand the meaning behind, “For G_d so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
We are lost without hope, facing a dark and dreary eternity ahead of us. We can’t disregard G_d and hope He will look the other way or pretend He doesn’t exist. We can’t distract G_d by pointing out all of the faults we see in our neighbors. Finally, there is no way we can make the grade by simply performing enough good deeds or living a decent life. We have to give in and accept what He, G_d, has already done for us. He provided the solution to our sin-problem that we inherited honestly from Adam.
“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that G_d hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” It is that simple. You just give in and accept what he has already done for you. No strings attached. No hidden meaning or fine print to mull over. Just a mere acceptance of what He did by faith and a belief in the One He Sent. In fact, you can accept Him today, taking care of your sin and thereby making yourself right in His eyes. You’ll be glad you did!
Take it from someone who has learned when to face a problem and also knows when to ask for help.
I’m an ignorer. I let things go. That never solves anything. Left unresolved, small problems grow into larger problems and denial is no excuse. When it reaches that point, then my nature is to blame someone else. Unfortunately you can only get so much mileage out of the blame game before you are back at square one, facing your problem all over again and by this time it is much worse. They grow, you know?
When everything else is exhausted, then I usually throw my time and energy into the situation, hoping to pound the problem into submission by brute force. My will-power and stamina versus an ever-worsening situation, head-to-head and man-to-man. Sometimes I make a little progress, but again, it is a hard realization when you come to grips with the fact that the problem is too tough and you are in over your head. It is when I reach this stage that I give in, give up, and ask for help from someone stronger than me.
When it comes to judgment, we can’t ignore G_d. We cannot distract G_d by pointing our finger at someone else. We do not look better when we do so, except maybe in our own eyes. Finally we cannot work our way back into G_d’s favor with our own good deeds and careful planning. The chasm between us and G_d is too wide and too deep. In the end, we fail to meet the standard that has been set for us by His Law as recorded in His Word. This is truth. This is honesty. This is… reality.
Is there any hope at all left for us? Is there a way for us to be made right in G_d’s eyes? Can we escape His righteous judgment which we know is waiting for us in the end? In the first few chapters of Romans, Paul has given us a spiritual beat-down. He has explained how we are all sinners and how we have missed the mark. Finally we move on to chapter five, and he records a grand statement, maybe the most profound verse you’ll find recorded in the Bible:
“But G_d commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Once we understand how lost we truly are, then we can begin to comprehend where we stand on the totem-pole of spirituality. We are sinners, lost, helpless, and unable to take care of the problem on our own. But G_d has made a way. While we were in the depths of sin and despair, He sent His Son to die on the cross as payment for our sins.
That verse, the one everyone knows? After reading the first few chapters of Romans, its truth becomes apparent and we can better understand the meaning behind, “For G_d so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
We are lost without hope, facing a dark and dreary eternity ahead of us. We can’t disregard G_d and hope He will look the other way or pretend He doesn’t exist. We can’t distract G_d by pointing out all of the faults we see in our neighbors. Finally, there is no way we can make the grade by simply performing enough good deeds or living a decent life. We have to give in and accept what He, G_d, has already done for us. He provided the solution to our sin-problem that we inherited honestly from Adam.
“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that G_d hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” It is that simple. You just give in and accept what he has already done for you. No strings attached. No hidden meaning or fine print to mull over. Just a mere acceptance of what He did by faith and a belief in the One He Sent. In fact, you can accept Him today, taking care of your sin and thereby making yourself right in His eyes. You’ll be glad you did!
Take it from someone who has learned when to face a problem and also knows when to ask for help.
Disrespecting God
If you have kept up over the last few posts, you’ll know that we can’t disregard G_d; hoping that once we come to the end of the line here on earth a celestial dirt nap will be the only thing that awaits us. There is a G_d. There is an afterlife. There is a judgment. Nature (by her very nature!) proclaims that there must be a Creator with each panoramic sunrise and in the beauty of the changing seasons. We see the Creator at work during the moment of birth in our children. We recognize Him in the power of a storm or the peaceful serenity of a warm spring day. Disregarding Him is a fool’s gamble at best - hedging our bets against indeterminate odds while knowing all along we can’t afford the cost of doing so.
We are also unable to distract G_d by pointing to the examples and/or failures of others as a method of improving our perceived worth in His eyes or our own. We will be judged on an individual basis in the end, and the chalk-line of comparison will not be with our neighbor, but by the example of holiness set forth by His Son.
Maybe we can make our own selves righteous? Is there a way that we can meet G_d on His own terms? If we do enough good deeds and live our lives just right, dotting the proverbial I’s and crossing the T’s; maybe by doing so we’ll be alright? We can keep the Ten Commandments and go to church religiously. We can teach Sunday School and get an attendance award. We can give charitably to the church and to the Salvation Army at Christmas. Heck, let’s go all out and be baptized while we are at it! That should do it.
It amazes me how many people believe this to be possible. Ask people are they saved, have they been born again, and most of the time they bring up baptism or church affiliation without answering the question. This is especially true here in the South, where church attendance is still synonymous with being a ‘good person’. We hold onto our baptismal certificates and church letters much the same way that the Jews of Paul’s day held onto their circumcision. “For circumcision verily profiteth, if thou keep the law: but if thou be a breaker of the law, thy circumcision is made uncircumcision.”
For a Jewish boy, his circumcision was proof that he was one of G_d’s chosen people. It was ceremonial and it was important. After a while, it reached a point where the ritual of circumcision over-rode everything else in spiritual matters. You could live life how you pleased, but by merely being circumcised you had all of the eternal bases covered. It sounds far-fetched, but again, there is very little difference in the way we live our spiritual lives today; clinging to our own rituals and church dogmas. When we live our lives in that manner, in a very real sense we are disrespecting G_d, substituting an ordinance or ceremony for what He would have us do in our hearts.
How meaningful is the wedding ring worn by a man that continuously commits adultery against his wife? Can a mere symbol make up for a lack of sincerity in one’s own heart? The idea of such a thing is ludicrous, but we can easily fall victim to that thought process.
We cannot work our way to Heaven. There is no teaching that instructs us from G_d’s Word that we must meet Him halfway by performing certain acts on schedule or by performing a certain church ordinance. Paul writes to Titus: “Not by works of righteousness which we have done...” Try as we might, we will never be good enough. We will always miss the mark, no matter how careful we are or how well we live our lives.
So far in Romans we have learned that we cannot disregard G_d. We’ve learned that we cannot distract G_d, either. Now Paul tells us that we can’t disrespect G_d by substituting our own works, doctrines, or creeds in an effort to make ourselves right before Him. By chapter 3 he’s laid it all out on the line for us – “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of G_d;” We have gone astray. We have failed. Maybe it wasn’t intentional on our part, and it could be that we’ve always had the best of intentions in this area. But in the end, Paul reminds us that we have ‘come short’ of G_d’s glory. All of us.
But there is a way to be right with G_d. It is not a Baptist way, a Catholic way, or any religious way in general. We simply must be born again.
We are also unable to distract G_d by pointing to the examples and/or failures of others as a method of improving our perceived worth in His eyes or our own. We will be judged on an individual basis in the end, and the chalk-line of comparison will not be with our neighbor, but by the example of holiness set forth by His Son.
Maybe we can make our own selves righteous? Is there a way that we can meet G_d on His own terms? If we do enough good deeds and live our lives just right, dotting the proverbial I’s and crossing the T’s; maybe by doing so we’ll be alright? We can keep the Ten Commandments and go to church religiously. We can teach Sunday School and get an attendance award. We can give charitably to the church and to the Salvation Army at Christmas. Heck, let’s go all out and be baptized while we are at it! That should do it.
It amazes me how many people believe this to be possible. Ask people are they saved, have they been born again, and most of the time they bring up baptism or church affiliation without answering the question. This is especially true here in the South, where church attendance is still synonymous with being a ‘good person’. We hold onto our baptismal certificates and church letters much the same way that the Jews of Paul’s day held onto their circumcision. “For circumcision verily profiteth, if thou keep the law: but if thou be a breaker of the law, thy circumcision is made uncircumcision.”
For a Jewish boy, his circumcision was proof that he was one of G_d’s chosen people. It was ceremonial and it was important. After a while, it reached a point where the ritual of circumcision over-rode everything else in spiritual matters. You could live life how you pleased, but by merely being circumcised you had all of the eternal bases covered. It sounds far-fetched, but again, there is very little difference in the way we live our spiritual lives today; clinging to our own rituals and church dogmas. When we live our lives in that manner, in a very real sense we are disrespecting G_d, substituting an ordinance or ceremony for what He would have us do in our hearts.
How meaningful is the wedding ring worn by a man that continuously commits adultery against his wife? Can a mere symbol make up for a lack of sincerity in one’s own heart? The idea of such a thing is ludicrous, but we can easily fall victim to that thought process.
We cannot work our way to Heaven. There is no teaching that instructs us from G_d’s Word that we must meet Him halfway by performing certain acts on schedule or by performing a certain church ordinance. Paul writes to Titus: “Not by works of righteousness which we have done...” Try as we might, we will never be good enough. We will always miss the mark, no matter how careful we are or how well we live our lives.
So far in Romans we have learned that we cannot disregard G_d. We’ve learned that we cannot distract G_d, either. Now Paul tells us that we can’t disrespect G_d by substituting our own works, doctrines, or creeds in an effort to make ourselves right before Him. By chapter 3 he’s laid it all out on the line for us – “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of G_d;” We have gone astray. We have failed. Maybe it wasn’t intentional on our part, and it could be that we’ve always had the best of intentions in this area. But in the end, Paul reminds us that we have ‘come short’ of G_d’s glory. All of us.
But there is a way to be right with G_d. It is not a Baptist way, a Catholic way, or any religious way in general. We simply must be born again.
Distracting God
I have a friend, and I say that with all sincerity behind my statement, that continually denies my invitation when I ask him to come and attend church with me. Is he against all churches and religion in general? I don’t think so. Possibly. He explains to me that he isn’t against the spiritual side of life; it’s only my church he holds a grudge toward.
You see, back twenty or so years ago he had a bad experience in our church. Someone said or did something that went against the grain and hurt his feelings in the process. Never mind that the person he mentions died many years ago, and the church membership as a whole is almost totally different today from what it was back then. I did not attend the church at that time myself, so I haven’t a clue as to what he is talking about when he brings up the incident.
There are others that feel that way, not only in my church community but in other churches as well. I’ll bet you’ve met a few on your own somewhere down the line. “I won’t go to that church because ‘ol so-in-so is a deacon and I saw him down at the casino over-tipping a scantily-clad cocktail waitress.” Or “Miss (fill in the blank) is a Sunday School teacher and Lord knows how she has lived her life in sin and shame.” The people that attend church are not always pure. Sometimes they may set a bad example for the rest of us. Sometimes they need to get right with G_d in their own right. Occasionally my friend may even have a valid point. But there are other churches he could attend, no?
In Romans chapter 2, Paul turns from the sins of the Gentiles and the way they attempt to ignore G_d, and points his fingers at a completely different class of sinners. These are the ones that attempt to distract G_d by pointing out the faults in others. In so doing they attempt to validate their sin before G_d, but they cannot escape the fact that we are all bound by sin. We’re all in this together.
“Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things. But we are sure that the judgment of G_d is according to truth against them which commit such things. And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of G_d?”
As a Christian, I find myself guilty of committing the same acts from time to time. Nothing makes me feel better than to see someone else that is worse than me – in my own eyes. I’ll confess I used to watch Jerry Springer. I could sit in my chair for hours and pass judgment on all of his guests, sentencing them to hell for their wicked lifestyles. If G_d loves them, then He must simply swoon when He looks upon me, because I am a very good person! I go to church regularly and have done so for all of my life. I lead the singing and I teach Sunday School. I fix the lights and assorted electrical problems when called upon. Surely G_d is blessed to have me in His Kingdom!
There is a problem with that method of thinking. In my heart I know I am not a perfect specimen of all that a Christian should be. I’m destined to sin, even in my post-salvation life. Too often I've allowed pride to enter my heart. I do not love others as I should. I hold grudges. I say the wrong things when I’m angry. If it was not for G_d’s Amazing Grace, who knows where I would be today?
Probably on the Springer show.
We cannot simply disregard G_d, and by ignoring Him expect to find a way to heaven elsewhere. But we also cannot distract G_d by pointing out the failures and misgivings of others, all the while thinking that in so doing G_d will grant us a free pass from His coming judgment. In the next verse Paul reminds us that it is the ‘goodness’ of G_d that leads us to Salvation. I’ve noticed that he didn’t say it was the ‘goodness of Shannon’ that provided my Salvation.
When I compare my life and the things I have done to the example set for me by His Son, I pale in comparison. That alone should be enough to keep me from pointing my finger of blame at someone else.
You see, back twenty or so years ago he had a bad experience in our church. Someone said or did something that went against the grain and hurt his feelings in the process. Never mind that the person he mentions died many years ago, and the church membership as a whole is almost totally different today from what it was back then. I did not attend the church at that time myself, so I haven’t a clue as to what he is talking about when he brings up the incident.
There are others that feel that way, not only in my church community but in other churches as well. I’ll bet you’ve met a few on your own somewhere down the line. “I won’t go to that church because ‘ol so-in-so is a deacon and I saw him down at the casino over-tipping a scantily-clad cocktail waitress.” Or “Miss (fill in the blank) is a Sunday School teacher and Lord knows how she has lived her life in sin and shame.” The people that attend church are not always pure. Sometimes they may set a bad example for the rest of us. Sometimes they need to get right with G_d in their own right. Occasionally my friend may even have a valid point. But there are other churches he could attend, no?
In Romans chapter 2, Paul turns from the sins of the Gentiles and the way they attempt to ignore G_d, and points his fingers at a completely different class of sinners. These are the ones that attempt to distract G_d by pointing out the faults in others. In so doing they attempt to validate their sin before G_d, but they cannot escape the fact that we are all bound by sin. We’re all in this together.
“Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things. But we are sure that the judgment of G_d is according to truth against them which commit such things. And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of G_d?”
As a Christian, I find myself guilty of committing the same acts from time to time. Nothing makes me feel better than to see someone else that is worse than me – in my own eyes. I’ll confess I used to watch Jerry Springer. I could sit in my chair for hours and pass judgment on all of his guests, sentencing them to hell for their wicked lifestyles. If G_d loves them, then He must simply swoon when He looks upon me, because I am a very good person! I go to church regularly and have done so for all of my life. I lead the singing and I teach Sunday School. I fix the lights and assorted electrical problems when called upon. Surely G_d is blessed to have me in His Kingdom!
There is a problem with that method of thinking. In my heart I know I am not a perfect specimen of all that a Christian should be. I’m destined to sin, even in my post-salvation life. Too often I've allowed pride to enter my heart. I do not love others as I should. I hold grudges. I say the wrong things when I’m angry. If it was not for G_d’s Amazing Grace, who knows where I would be today?
Probably on the Springer show.
We cannot simply disregard G_d, and by ignoring Him expect to find a way to heaven elsewhere. But we also cannot distract G_d by pointing out the failures and misgivings of others, all the while thinking that in so doing G_d will grant us a free pass from His coming judgment. In the next verse Paul reminds us that it is the ‘goodness’ of G_d that leads us to Salvation. I’ve noticed that he didn’t say it was the ‘goodness of Shannon’ that provided my Salvation.
When I compare my life and the things I have done to the example set for me by His Son, I pale in comparison. That alone should be enough to keep me from pointing my finger of blame at someone else.
Disregarding God
You just never know what a politician will say in these modern, liberated times. I guess that’s always been the case, but the idiocy of the comments today are almost overwhelming. I read a quote attributed to Nancy Pelosi a while back and it appalled me. But since it was not documented I went on-line and searched the quote along with the Speaker of the House as a keyword. I found that more of the search results pointed to her statement as being truthfully spoken than otherwise. More shameful still, her supporters apparently choose not to deny the quote and instead bask in the glow of it.
The statement attributed to Ms. Pelosi went something like this, "Americans do not need G_d any more. They have the Democratic Party." A quote of that manner taken by itself is especially troublesome. Having it emanate from the Speaker of the House, who is only two missed heartbeats away from the Executive Office of the United States, is not only problematic but also dangerous.
It is a sign of the times. Sigh. Or is it really that simple?
Paul begins his letter to the Romans by setting forth a discourse on the sins of the Gentiles. In Romans chapter 1, he writes, “For the wrath of G_d is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; Because that which may be known of G_d is manifest in them; for G_d hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:” Evidently the Romans of Paul’s day felt and were acting a little bit like Ms. Pelosi appears to be doing today.
As a nation and as a people, the United States is getting very good at holding the truth in unrighteousness. We are stuck in a rut of doing what we know to be wrong, while denying what we know to be right. Creation is no longer enough to reveal to us the truth that there is a G_d in Heaven. Instead, we have arrived at our own explanations. We have been taught by enlightened men that nature is only the result of cause and effect, produced through the chance of evolution in a random, haphazard manner. We believe this without any proof-positive on the proposed theory, and through our acceptance we deny the alternative. Paul’s words echo down through the ages, reminding us that despite our modern and enlightened logic, we are still left without an excuse.
G_d is in control. He is the Author and Master-Designer of the world we live in. There is no truth to be found in evolution and there will never be evidence discovered as proof for its theories. Meanwhile, science and technology only satisfy us momentarily, and then leave us with an aching void in our hearts that can never be filled by mere philosophical rhetoric or empty logic.
The rest of the chapter gives us a glimpse into the downward spiral of mankind when we ignore the G_d of Creation and instead follow our own devices. We are not getting better as a species. We will never reach a promised utopia by the sum of our own deductive reasoning. We cannot disregard G_d and make our own path to salvation by utilizing another means; not by government, not by false religion, and specifically not by a political party.
Sorry, Nancy. We can argue health-care reform and reactions to terrorism and you may have one or two (small) points in those areas. But you are wrong on all counts when it comes to G_d. America and Americans need G_d more today than at any other time in our history.
The statement attributed to Ms. Pelosi went something like this, "Americans do not need G_d any more. They have the Democratic Party." A quote of that manner taken by itself is especially troublesome. Having it emanate from the Speaker of the House, who is only two missed heartbeats away from the Executive Office of the United States, is not only problematic but also dangerous.
It is a sign of the times. Sigh. Or is it really that simple?
Paul begins his letter to the Romans by setting forth a discourse on the sins of the Gentiles. In Romans chapter 1, he writes, “For the wrath of G_d is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; Because that which may be known of G_d is manifest in them; for G_d hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:” Evidently the Romans of Paul’s day felt and were acting a little bit like Ms. Pelosi appears to be doing today.
As a nation and as a people, the United States is getting very good at holding the truth in unrighteousness. We are stuck in a rut of doing what we know to be wrong, while denying what we know to be right. Creation is no longer enough to reveal to us the truth that there is a G_d in Heaven. Instead, we have arrived at our own explanations. We have been taught by enlightened men that nature is only the result of cause and effect, produced through the chance of evolution in a random, haphazard manner. We believe this without any proof-positive on the proposed theory, and through our acceptance we deny the alternative. Paul’s words echo down through the ages, reminding us that despite our modern and enlightened logic, we are still left without an excuse.
G_d is in control. He is the Author and Master-Designer of the world we live in. There is no truth to be found in evolution and there will never be evidence discovered as proof for its theories. Meanwhile, science and technology only satisfy us momentarily, and then leave us with an aching void in our hearts that can never be filled by mere philosophical rhetoric or empty logic.
The rest of the chapter gives us a glimpse into the downward spiral of mankind when we ignore the G_d of Creation and instead follow our own devices. We are not getting better as a species. We will never reach a promised utopia by the sum of our own deductive reasoning. We cannot disregard G_d and make our own path to salvation by utilizing another means; not by government, not by false religion, and specifically not by a political party.
Sorry, Nancy. We can argue health-care reform and reactions to terrorism and you may have one or two (small) points in those areas. But you are wrong on all counts when it comes to G_d. America and Americans need G_d more today than at any other time in our history.
Paul's Choice
Youth Sunday School Lesson - 11/22/09
We continue on this week with our study of how we should go about making choices in our lives. This will be our last lesson on this topic, because next week is Youth Sunday and thus we will have no group class. You guys will be performing the teaching of the other classes and I hope you will volunteer to do so. Of course, as with all choices, you should take on challenges as the Holy Spirit leads you. With that being said, I’ll also take this opportunity to say that I know that you will each do a good job. You always do.
In the book this week, we examine the choice Paul made at his trial before King Agrippa in Jerusalem. It is never easy and may in fact be the hardest thing to do when we stand before others knowing that chances are we are not going to convince them of what we believe. Paul found himself in this predicament, but he made his choice to do his best and give his testimony anyway. In verse 2 he states, “I think myself happy, King Agrippa, because I shall answer for myself this day before thee touching all the things whereof I am accused of the Jews.” He was happy to give his testimony before the king, and there is a unique background to this story.
King Agrippa’s great-grandfather was the Herod in the Bible that killed all the children when Jesus was born in an attempt to stop the prophecies that were being fulfilled in Bethlehem. His grandfather beheaded John the Baptist. Agrippa’s father was responsible for killing the Apostle James. Knowing Herod’s blood-line, Paul could have easily stayed quiet or denied the charges that had been brought against him.
Instead, Paul begins his defense by acknowledging that Agrippa is an expert in all of the Jewish customs and questions. Paul follows this up by giving his own credentials as a Jew. He reminds Agrippa that he, Paul, at one time was a Pharisee who persecuted Christians both in Jerusalem and in other cities. Paul was present and held the coats of others when Stephen was stoned by the Jewish leaders. With the groundwork for his defense now laid out to Agrippa, Paul then launches into the details of his own conversion to Christ on the road to Damascus. We’ll go over those verses in detail on Sunday, but there is something recorded there that sort of jumps out at me this morning.
Jesus told Paul on the road to Damascus that he had called him “to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee;” It was a dual-calling, if you caught that. Paul was called first to be a minister. A minister is a servant, and Jesus wanted him to be a servant to the things he had seen as well as the things Jesus would reveal to him later. Our commission as Christians is not to make the message or our testimony serve our own purpose in life; we are called instead to serve the message. I think that’s important because we can easily lose our focus in this area. Secondly, Jesus called Paul to be a witness to the same things he was to be a minister to. We are commissioned as Christians not to create an experience or create the message, but to witness it and experience it for ourselves. This is a tough message to understand and you need to ponder upon it before we meet for class. I believe that churches in general have lost sight of these two callings lately, and we need to return to them before we forget what we stand for.
Paul completes his testimony and Festus proclaims him as mad, which means Festus thought he was crazy. Agrippa responds that Paul had almost convinced him to become a Christian. King Agrippa was clearly under conviction – so what stopped him from accepting Jesus at that moment? I can think of three things that prevented him from doing so.
The first thing I notice is his companion Bernice. She was sitting with him and he was fond of her. But she was sinful and immoral. Agrippa probably knew that if he accepted Jesus, he would lose her and his immoral friends as well. It was a price he was not willing to pay.
The second thing is the other man in the story, Festus. Festus was an important man in the kingdom and a proven leader. He had just pronounced moments earlier that Paul was crazy. If Agrippa accepted Jesus, he knew that Festus would think he was crazy, too. Because the praise of important people was important to him, Agrippa rejected Jesus and salvation.
Finally, there in front of Agrippa stood Paul. He was a Christian man and a good man, but he was in chains. Agrippa knew that if he accepted salvation through Jesus Christ, the chances were going to go up that he himself would be persecuted and maybe end up in chains. Agrippa was the king. He was important. How could he give up power, honor, and prestige and replace it with persecution?
Because of these things surrounding him, Agrippa missed his opportunity for salvation. Although he was almost persuaded to become a Christian, in the end he rejected Jesus and went on with his life. To me, it is one of the saddest stories in the Bible.
I look forward to seeing each of you on Sunday, and I appreciate and never take for granted how important you guys really are to me. Till then, may God bless you and keep you safe in mind, body, and spirit!
In the book this week, we examine the choice Paul made at his trial before King Agrippa in Jerusalem. It is never easy and may in fact be the hardest thing to do when we stand before others knowing that chances are we are not going to convince them of what we believe. Paul found himself in this predicament, but he made his choice to do his best and give his testimony anyway. In verse 2 he states, “I think myself happy, King Agrippa, because I shall answer for myself this day before thee touching all the things whereof I am accused of the Jews.” He was happy to give his testimony before the king, and there is a unique background to this story.
King Agrippa’s great-grandfather was the Herod in the Bible that killed all the children when Jesus was born in an attempt to stop the prophecies that were being fulfilled in Bethlehem. His grandfather beheaded John the Baptist. Agrippa’s father was responsible for killing the Apostle James. Knowing Herod’s blood-line, Paul could have easily stayed quiet or denied the charges that had been brought against him.
Instead, Paul begins his defense by acknowledging that Agrippa is an expert in all of the Jewish customs and questions. Paul follows this up by giving his own credentials as a Jew. He reminds Agrippa that he, Paul, at one time was a Pharisee who persecuted Christians both in Jerusalem and in other cities. Paul was present and held the coats of others when Stephen was stoned by the Jewish leaders. With the groundwork for his defense now laid out to Agrippa, Paul then launches into the details of his own conversion to Christ on the road to Damascus. We’ll go over those verses in detail on Sunday, but there is something recorded there that sort of jumps out at me this morning.
Jesus told Paul on the road to Damascus that he had called him “to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee;” It was a dual-calling, if you caught that. Paul was called first to be a minister. A minister is a servant, and Jesus wanted him to be a servant to the things he had seen as well as the things Jesus would reveal to him later. Our commission as Christians is not to make the message or our testimony serve our own purpose in life; we are called instead to serve the message. I think that’s important because we can easily lose our focus in this area. Secondly, Jesus called Paul to be a witness to the same things he was to be a minister to. We are commissioned as Christians not to create an experience or create the message, but to witness it and experience it for ourselves. This is a tough message to understand and you need to ponder upon it before we meet for class. I believe that churches in general have lost sight of these two callings lately, and we need to return to them before we forget what we stand for.
Paul completes his testimony and Festus proclaims him as mad, which means Festus thought he was crazy. Agrippa responds that Paul had almost convinced him to become a Christian. King Agrippa was clearly under conviction – so what stopped him from accepting Jesus at that moment? I can think of three things that prevented him from doing so.
The first thing I notice is his companion Bernice. She was sitting with him and he was fond of her. But she was sinful and immoral. Agrippa probably knew that if he accepted Jesus, he would lose her and his immoral friends as well. It was a price he was not willing to pay.
The second thing is the other man in the story, Festus. Festus was an important man in the kingdom and a proven leader. He had just pronounced moments earlier that Paul was crazy. If Agrippa accepted Jesus, he knew that Festus would think he was crazy, too. Because the praise of important people was important to him, Agrippa rejected Jesus and salvation.
Finally, there in front of Agrippa stood Paul. He was a Christian man and a good man, but he was in chains. Agrippa knew that if he accepted salvation through Jesus Christ, the chances were going to go up that he himself would be persecuted and maybe end up in chains. Agrippa was the king. He was important. How could he give up power, honor, and prestige and replace it with persecution?
Because of these things surrounding him, Agrippa missed his opportunity for salvation. Although he was almost persuaded to become a Christian, in the end he rejected Jesus and went on with his life. To me, it is one of the saddest stories in the Bible.
I look forward to seeing each of you on Sunday, and I appreciate and never take for granted how important you guys really are to me. Till then, may God bless you and keep you safe in mind, body, and spirit!
A Bunch Of Great Teenagers Of Whom I'm Honored To Teach
Sneaky Snakes
Snakes – you just can’t trust them. I know there are people out there that keep them as pets and it seems as though the bigger the snake, the more prestige they can provide to the owner. I’m not of that mindset and have never been so.
I was a teenager when I had the encounter that slanted me that way. We were fishing in a small pond and had discovered a flat-bottomed boat hidden on the bank in some brush. It was February and although it was unseasonably warm that morning, it was normally too early in the year to be worried about cold-blooded reptiles. Call us three young boys killing time on a day when there was no school to attend. We steered the leaking boat with a rotted oar out onto the pond and began fishing, oblivious to the uninvited danger lurking over in the shadows. It was a morning that was almost too perfect and held promise of being a memorable day for each of us.
Somehow we ended up on the side of the small body of water and the boat, carried by a mild breeze, began to float under a barren weeping-willow tree. Out of instinct I knew it was a bad situation, so I turned to our oarsman and advised him to steer us away from those ancient, moss-laden branches. No sooner were the words out of my mouth: I felt a heavy branch break off, fall earth-destined across my back, and land in the bottom of the boat. Pandemonium ensued as it was discovered that it was no mere branch that had flopped across my back – it was a snake! And the writhing, aggravated serpent had now joined us as an unintentional member of our fishing party.
Since I had become the newest, up-close and personal friend of the creature, I made the first move. I bailed over the side of the boat and into the murky depths beneath us. I was not alone in the cold, brackish water for very long as the middle member of our boat crew swiftly followed me over the side and we began our quest to find the nearest dry land. That left our oarsman alone at the helm, and the result was a boat now riding high out of the water on the end I had vacated, with the snake coiled up near the bow. Satan’s spawn was squirming and twisting in an effort to get away from the sudden noise and confusion that had only moments earlier ended his peaceful slumber in the old willow tree.
To the oarsman’s credit, he somehow guided the boat back to the bank. To our credit, we had an epiphany that if we used our gun to kill the snake, we would puncture a hole in the boat. In the end we used a broken log to pound the snake into submission and eventually dispatched him to his final, celestial dirt-nap. I have a picture in a box somewhere of three teenage boys holding up that dead snake alongside a tape measure, and his tally was forty-two inches in length. I felt no pity for the snake. He was, after all, not only uninvited but inherently dangerous. To allow him to share time with us in the boat as we fished would have been foolish. Someone other than the snake may have been injured.
Though we recognized and eliminated the threat on that early spring day so many years ago, I have not always been as wise in my life since that time. There have been other unwelcome and dangerous guests that entered my heart, and I allowed some of them to stick around far too long before I dispatched them. I’m talking about sins here; times I have let things hinder my relationship with God. At times I have been angry and I have held grudges. I have allowed lusts of the flesh and of the eyes to dominate portions of my life. I have wallowed in pride on more than one occasion. I’ve been known to become apathetic when it comes to how I live my life and I’ve back-slid many times in my spiritual walk with Him. Ah, you say, but those things are nowhere close to the level of danger imposed by sharing space with a poisonous snake in a small boat. But aren’t they?
Peter tells us, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:” Snakes always seem to surprise me. If I expect them, they are not a problem at all and are easily defeated. I’ve never encountered a lion in an setting other than at a zoo, but I would be extremely wary should I meet up with one, say, in a parking lot. Yet that is the way Satan works; he comes at me out of the blue and has many tools up his sleeve to use against me. He wants to devour me and is actively seeking to do so. Lions are fundamentally more dangerous than snakes, so what can I do besides simply remain sober and vigilant?
Peter completes the message: “But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you. To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.” It looks like I am going to have to suffer with that old lion for a while and I know it to be so from personal experience. He is going to come after me when I least expect it and I have to constantly remain on the lookout for his evil schemes. But in the end, I have access to God (through His Son) who promises to strengthen and settle me while he stablishes me and makes me perfect. That’s a good promise to remember and a strong anchor to hold on to when sin drops unexpectedly into my life.
I was a teenager when I had the encounter that slanted me that way. We were fishing in a small pond and had discovered a flat-bottomed boat hidden on the bank in some brush. It was February and although it was unseasonably warm that morning, it was normally too early in the year to be worried about cold-blooded reptiles. Call us three young boys killing time on a day when there was no school to attend. We steered the leaking boat with a rotted oar out onto the pond and began fishing, oblivious to the uninvited danger lurking over in the shadows. It was a morning that was almost too perfect and held promise of being a memorable day for each of us.
Somehow we ended up on the side of the small body of water and the boat, carried by a mild breeze, began to float under a barren weeping-willow tree. Out of instinct I knew it was a bad situation, so I turned to our oarsman and advised him to steer us away from those ancient, moss-laden branches. No sooner were the words out of my mouth: I felt a heavy branch break off, fall earth-destined across my back, and land in the bottom of the boat. Pandemonium ensued as it was discovered that it was no mere branch that had flopped across my back – it was a snake! And the writhing, aggravated serpent had now joined us as an unintentional member of our fishing party.
Since I had become the newest, up-close and personal friend of the creature, I made the first move. I bailed over the side of the boat and into the murky depths beneath us. I was not alone in the cold, brackish water for very long as the middle member of our boat crew swiftly followed me over the side and we began our quest to find the nearest dry land. That left our oarsman alone at the helm, and the result was a boat now riding high out of the water on the end I had vacated, with the snake coiled up near the bow. Satan’s spawn was squirming and twisting in an effort to get away from the sudden noise and confusion that had only moments earlier ended his peaceful slumber in the old willow tree.
To the oarsman’s credit, he somehow guided the boat back to the bank. To our credit, we had an epiphany that if we used our gun to kill the snake, we would puncture a hole in the boat. In the end we used a broken log to pound the snake into submission and eventually dispatched him to his final, celestial dirt-nap. I have a picture in a box somewhere of three teenage boys holding up that dead snake alongside a tape measure, and his tally was forty-two inches in length. I felt no pity for the snake. He was, after all, not only uninvited but inherently dangerous. To allow him to share time with us in the boat as we fished would have been foolish. Someone other than the snake may have been injured.
Though we recognized and eliminated the threat on that early spring day so many years ago, I have not always been as wise in my life since that time. There have been other unwelcome and dangerous guests that entered my heart, and I allowed some of them to stick around far too long before I dispatched them. I’m talking about sins here; times I have let things hinder my relationship with God. At times I have been angry and I have held grudges. I have allowed lusts of the flesh and of the eyes to dominate portions of my life. I have wallowed in pride on more than one occasion. I’ve been known to become apathetic when it comes to how I live my life and I’ve back-slid many times in my spiritual walk with Him. Ah, you say, but those things are nowhere close to the level of danger imposed by sharing space with a poisonous snake in a small boat. But aren’t they?
Peter tells us, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:” Snakes always seem to surprise me. If I expect them, they are not a problem at all and are easily defeated. I’ve never encountered a lion in an setting other than at a zoo, but I would be extremely wary should I meet up with one, say, in a parking lot. Yet that is the way Satan works; he comes at me out of the blue and has many tools up his sleeve to use against me. He wants to devour me and is actively seeking to do so. Lions are fundamentally more dangerous than snakes, so what can I do besides simply remain sober and vigilant?
Peter completes the message: “But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you. To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.” It looks like I am going to have to suffer with that old lion for a while and I know it to be so from personal experience. He is going to come after me when I least expect it and I have to constantly remain on the lookout for his evil schemes. But in the end, I have access to God (through His Son) who promises to strengthen and settle me while he stablishes me and makes me perfect. That’s a good promise to remember and a strong anchor to hold on to when sin drops unexpectedly into my life.
When We Bow
Hmm. Where do I start today? It has been a busy week for me and I have a lot going on. I neglected my blog yesterday and planned to do so today as well. I am knee-deep in another book/story and I have reached a tough pause in the plot. Some might call it ‘writer’s block’ but I call it simply being too busy with the things in this life to concentrate in that area. Either way, it is what it is…
I haven’t read too many news articles this week, (told you I was busy!) but I did see it reported amid a lot of turmoil and wasted ink that our President recently bowed to the Emperor of Japan. He did the same thing a few months back to the King of the Saudis. Now personally, it does not bother me in the least and I’m sure he did so not out of obeisance, but out of respect or whatever. Their cultures are different than ours and I understand the concept. When in Rome, etc. Or maybe he just has a spasmodic back problem that hits him at the wrong times.
What I do take away from the reports is how conservatives are upset again, and it appears to be yet one more of the many current signs that the apocalypse is upon us, to hear them tell or report it. I’m a conservative (duh) and I know where they are coming from – but I’m not interested in something that makes no difference at this point. I’m a lot more chagrined by the liberal side of the fence and their stance on the subject.
You see, on their side of the debate it is well and good for our President to bow in the presence of the ruler of another country and they are staunchly defending him for his actions. After all, the U.S. needs to show a little humility - what with all the things we tried to force on the world back during the evil Bush administration. I’m being sarcastic, but I’m not. And where is that sarcasm font when you need it! It is good for our political stance; they appear to feel, to declare our country weaker on the world stage and more willing to compromise in order to get along with everyone in the Global Community. So they say bow, Mr. President, show humility, and we support you one-hundred and ten percent!
Those same enlightened liberals would choke and blow a head-gasket if the President of the United States bowed in a church and offered a prayer in humility to the Most High. I find that ironic. Or moronic.
But you know, there is a day coming when we will all bow to the King of Kings. Not just the President, but all of us - liberal and conservative, Democrat, Republican, Independent, agnostic, and even atheist. Paul reminds us in Philippians chapter 2: “That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
I don’t know how that is going to play out. I only know that it will one day. Will those that do not believe require coercion to bow to the Savior at that moment? I doubt it. I believe that this veil of darkness that covers us will be removed, and we will recognize Him as we should have known Him all along. At that very moment in time we will all realize who He is and we will have no choice or alternative other than to bow and show obeisance to Him. Our own hearts will compel us to do so. But for many of us, by then it will be simply too late to accept Him into our hearts.
If you haven’t already done so, I invite you to take care of that situation today and not put off salvation any longer. By simply choosing to accept Him into your heart, that Day of Judgment that appears to be just over the horizon will come to you as a blessed event; something to look forward to and not a time of foreboding and doom.
I haven’t read too many news articles this week, (told you I was busy!) but I did see it reported amid a lot of turmoil and wasted ink that our President recently bowed to the Emperor of Japan. He did the same thing a few months back to the King of the Saudis. Now personally, it does not bother me in the least and I’m sure he did so not out of obeisance, but out of respect or whatever. Their cultures are different than ours and I understand the concept. When in Rome, etc. Or maybe he just has a spasmodic back problem that hits him at the wrong times.
What I do take away from the reports is how conservatives are upset again, and it appears to be yet one more of the many current signs that the apocalypse is upon us, to hear them tell or report it. I’m a conservative (duh) and I know where they are coming from – but I’m not interested in something that makes no difference at this point. I’m a lot more chagrined by the liberal side of the fence and their stance on the subject.
You see, on their side of the debate it is well and good for our President to bow in the presence of the ruler of another country and they are staunchly defending him for his actions. After all, the U.S. needs to show a little humility - what with all the things we tried to force on the world back during the evil Bush administration. I’m being sarcastic, but I’m not. And where is that sarcasm font when you need it! It is good for our political stance; they appear to feel, to declare our country weaker on the world stage and more willing to compromise in order to get along with everyone in the Global Community. So they say bow, Mr. President, show humility, and we support you one-hundred and ten percent!
Those same enlightened liberals would choke and blow a head-gasket if the President of the United States bowed in a church and offered a prayer in humility to the Most High. I find that ironic. Or moronic.
But you know, there is a day coming when we will all bow to the King of Kings. Not just the President, but all of us - liberal and conservative, Democrat, Republican, Independent, agnostic, and even atheist. Paul reminds us in Philippians chapter 2: “That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
I don’t know how that is going to play out. I only know that it will one day. Will those that do not believe require coercion to bow to the Savior at that moment? I doubt it. I believe that this veil of darkness that covers us will be removed, and we will recognize Him as we should have known Him all along. At that very moment in time we will all realize who He is and we will have no choice or alternative other than to bow and show obeisance to Him. Our own hearts will compel us to do so. But for many of us, by then it will be simply too late to accept Him into our hearts.
If you haven’t already done so, I invite you to take care of that situation today and not put off salvation any longer. By simply choosing to accept Him into your heart, that Day of Judgment that appears to be just over the horizon will come to you as a blessed event; something to look forward to and not a time of foreboding and doom.
Barnabas' Choice
Youth Sunday School Lesson – 11/15/09
When I read over the story for our class this week, I was a little dismayed at first. Barnabas? You’ve gotta be kidding me, right? Most of us who attend church regularly will have no idea of who he was to begin with. In a way, that is a good thing this week because we should be constantly striving to learn more from God’s Word, and anytime we uncover something new from the Bible, it is important. I challenge you to read your Bible daily, because I can promise that you will learn something helpful each time you choose to study it.
The young Christian church after Pentecost was a church struggling to meet its needs and pay its debts. In order to do so, the church as a whole depended on the goodness of each member to provide for their daily needs as well as those of the church in general. This worked very well, for we read in Acts 2:34-35: “Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold, And laid them down at the apostles' feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need.”
This is not a confirmation that a government or society based upon Communism is a good thing, although the theory of communism was expressed by Karl Marx as ‘from each according to his ability, to each according to his need.’ The only form of government ordained by God is a Theocracy, which is what the children of Israel had in place when they entered the Holy Land under Joshua. A Theocracy has God in charge from the top down, and we will see a return to this form of government when Jesus returns.
But back to our story – Barnabas was the surname the disciples gave him. He was known as Joses and he was from Cyprus. He was Hebrew and traced his lineage to the priestly tribe of the Levites. A surname is a last name; therefore if you met him on the street you would know him as Joses Barnabas. Barnabas means ‘son of consolation’ and this is an example of his character the disciples saw in him. If you look up the word consolation, you will find that it means, “One that consoles; a comfort”. Obviously the disciples saw something in his personality and daily life that moved them to call him by this name.
Barnabas, we are told in the verses, had a piece of land that he owned. He had a choice to make. He could have simply not brought up the fact that he owned the land, or he could have said that he wanted to keep the land for himself. No one was forced to give up their possessions and turn them over to the disciples. By the surname they had given him we know that he must have already done a lot of other things for the church by that point. No one would have thought less of him and there was no arm-twisting going on or a requirement that new believers give to the church. However, Barnabas followed the Holy Spirit in his heart, and he sold the land and brought the money to the disciples. He made his choice to help the church in the spreading of the Gospel of Jesus by doing so.
We can contrast his choice by reading about another couple’s choice within the first verses of the next chapter. Ananias and his wife, Sapphira, also sold a piece of land and brought the money to the disciples. However, they chose to keep back a portion of the money they received for themselves, but did not tell anyone they were doing so. They wanted honor and glory for performing a good deed, even though they were not telling the whole truth. The Bible tells us that they chose to lie about it instead. As a result, the judgment of God fell on them, and He punished them severely.
Barnabas was blessed by God for the choice he made. No where in the rest of the book of Acts does it mention that he regretted his decision or ever found himself in need. The next time we read about him he is defending a new convert named Paul from the perceptions of the church that revolved around a problem with his checkered past. God rewarded Barnabas by giving him a discerning spirit in matters like that.
So what can we learn from the choice made by Barnabas? When we compare his choice to the one made by Ananias and Sapphira, we can see that the choice he made was legitimate and came from his soul. He gave to the church with an honest heart and a genuine desire to further God’s work, not out of a desire for personal gain or glory.
I doubt if any of us will be required to sell our possessions in this day and age and give them to the church. But by the same token, the young people in our class will be needed by the church down the road to become preachers, deacons, Sunday School teachers, or to serve God in some other capacity. Will you be ready for the challenge? Will your choice be made out of honesty and sincerity as a means of furthering the Gospel of Christ in our world today? It is definitely something worth thinking and praying about. Why not start today?
When I read over the story for our class this week, I was a little dismayed at first. Barnabas? You’ve gotta be kidding me, right? Most of us who attend church regularly will have no idea of who he was to begin with. In a way, that is a good thing this week because we should be constantly striving to learn more from God’s Word, and anytime we uncover something new from the Bible, it is important. I challenge you to read your Bible daily, because I can promise that you will learn something helpful each time you choose to study it.
The young Christian church after Pentecost was a church struggling to meet its needs and pay its debts. In order to do so, the church as a whole depended on the goodness of each member to provide for their daily needs as well as those of the church in general. This worked very well, for we read in Acts 2:34-35: “Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold, And laid them down at the apostles' feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need.”
This is not a confirmation that a government or society based upon Communism is a good thing, although the theory of communism was expressed by Karl Marx as ‘from each according to his ability, to each according to his need.’ The only form of government ordained by God is a Theocracy, which is what the children of Israel had in place when they entered the Holy Land under Joshua. A Theocracy has God in charge from the top down, and we will see a return to this form of government when Jesus returns.
But back to our story – Barnabas was the surname the disciples gave him. He was known as Joses and he was from Cyprus. He was Hebrew and traced his lineage to the priestly tribe of the Levites. A surname is a last name; therefore if you met him on the street you would know him as Joses Barnabas. Barnabas means ‘son of consolation’ and this is an example of his character the disciples saw in him. If you look up the word consolation, you will find that it means, “One that consoles; a comfort”. Obviously the disciples saw something in his personality and daily life that moved them to call him by this name.
Barnabas, we are told in the verses, had a piece of land that he owned. He had a choice to make. He could have simply not brought up the fact that he owned the land, or he could have said that he wanted to keep the land for himself. No one was forced to give up their possessions and turn them over to the disciples. By the surname they had given him we know that he must have already done a lot of other things for the church by that point. No one would have thought less of him and there was no arm-twisting going on or a requirement that new believers give to the church. However, Barnabas followed the Holy Spirit in his heart, and he sold the land and brought the money to the disciples. He made his choice to help the church in the spreading of the Gospel of Jesus by doing so.
We can contrast his choice by reading about another couple’s choice within the first verses of the next chapter. Ananias and his wife, Sapphira, also sold a piece of land and brought the money to the disciples. However, they chose to keep back a portion of the money they received for themselves, but did not tell anyone they were doing so. They wanted honor and glory for performing a good deed, even though they were not telling the whole truth. The Bible tells us that they chose to lie about it instead. As a result, the judgment of God fell on them, and He punished them severely.
Barnabas was blessed by God for the choice he made. No where in the rest of the book of Acts does it mention that he regretted his decision or ever found himself in need. The next time we read about him he is defending a new convert named Paul from the perceptions of the church that revolved around a problem with his checkered past. God rewarded Barnabas by giving him a discerning spirit in matters like that.
So what can we learn from the choice made by Barnabas? When we compare his choice to the one made by Ananias and Sapphira, we can see that the choice he made was legitimate and came from his soul. He gave to the church with an honest heart and a genuine desire to further God’s work, not out of a desire for personal gain or glory.
I doubt if any of us will be required to sell our possessions in this day and age and give them to the church. But by the same token, the young people in our class will be needed by the church down the road to become preachers, deacons, Sunday School teachers, or to serve God in some other capacity. Will you be ready for the challenge? Will your choice be made out of honesty and sincerity as a means of furthering the Gospel of Christ in our world today? It is definitely something worth thinking and praying about. Why not start today?
Coming Soon - Persecution?
Like a moth to a porch lamp on a warm summer night, I am drawn to the radio talk shows on my morning drive to work. I can’t help it, even though most of the time they can have a tendency to almost make my blood boil. Sometimes the topic for the morning can border on the ridiculous, but the comments of the callers on those mornings can help me recognize and temper my own reactions to the adverse subjects we are faced with these days.
One of the callers this morning was very angry – in fact he was irate. He brought up his own topic which revolved around if a Christian had killed people on a military base, the media would be all over the story (like white on rice, he put it). And before the day was over, he continued, we would know the church the guy attended, what denomination it was a part of, and legal action would be sure to follow. He is probably correct in his manner of thinking. Didn’t someone say recently that we red-staters cling to our God, guns, and religion a little too tightly or something like that?
There is an all-out attack on God these days, I can tell by the amount of chain-emails I get on the subject. Usually the sender wants me to forward them with my signature added to the bottom of a list, but only if ‘I’m not afraid or ashamed’ to do so. That’s a tough call on my part. I received one yesterday that was supposedly a petition being passed around to prove that we are still a Christian nation - and we only needed five-thousand signatures to prove it. Only five thousand?
I’m not making light of the subject. When someone preaches that our Christian values and ethics are under attack, I can sing the second verse. I know these things to be true in my heart. I hate the idea that my children can no longer pray in school, the Ten Commandments have been removed from our courthouses, and nativity scenes are now taboo at Christmastime. I despise the fact that there is an effort afoot to change the Pledge of Allegiance to remove the stanza about ‘One Nation Under God’. It is hard for me to comprehend the various changes and translations of our Bible, and how preachers these days seem more inclined to speak words of political correctness from the pulpit in an effort to be perceived as ‘tolerant’ and thus protect the church’s tax-exempt status.
But am I a militant Christian? No. I do not believe that if we work really hard on the political front and come together as Christians in time for the 2010 elections, there will be a dramatic change in our country’s opinion on Christianity as a whole. America’s policy toward things such as tolerance or diversity of thought and religion are more than likely too far gone at this point. I believe that things are going to continue to deteriorate, regardless of political climate or who controls what in our government offices. And I know that sounds cynical at best and opinionated at worst.
I haven’t thrown in the towel, so to speak - not by a long shot. But these times we live in were already foretold by Jesus long ago when he said, “Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.” I used to think and still do that He was only talking about the Jews when he made this prophecy. But I see our current society’s persecution of all things Christian getting worse each day instead of better. I have a sense of foreboding in my belief that we may only be scratching the tip of the iceberg with the things we see happening so far. The Bible and the Christian faith are simply too oppressive and narrow-minded to a world that no longer feels or desires to be constrained by decency and morals.
Now is the time to circle the proverbial wagons, those of us who truly believe God’s Word and those of us who really put our faith and trust in Him. What will happen to us if down the road they close our churches and forbid us to exercise our faith because it might be considered offensive to others? What is going to happen if we really begin to be persecuted for His name’s sake? Will we walk away and disregard our beliefs? Will we 'drop the cross' and follow after another religion that is considered more acceptable by those in charge? When the Son of Man returns, will He find any faith at all left on the earth?
Stay tuned… it might get interesting before it’s all over with and done.
One of the callers this morning was very angry – in fact he was irate. He brought up his own topic which revolved around if a Christian had killed people on a military base, the media would be all over the story (like white on rice, he put it). And before the day was over, he continued, we would know the church the guy attended, what denomination it was a part of, and legal action would be sure to follow. He is probably correct in his manner of thinking. Didn’t someone say recently that we red-staters cling to our God, guns, and religion a little too tightly or something like that?
There is an all-out attack on God these days, I can tell by the amount of chain-emails I get on the subject. Usually the sender wants me to forward them with my signature added to the bottom of a list, but only if ‘I’m not afraid or ashamed’ to do so. That’s a tough call on my part. I received one yesterday that was supposedly a petition being passed around to prove that we are still a Christian nation - and we only needed five-thousand signatures to prove it. Only five thousand?
I’m not making light of the subject. When someone preaches that our Christian values and ethics are under attack, I can sing the second verse. I know these things to be true in my heart. I hate the idea that my children can no longer pray in school, the Ten Commandments have been removed from our courthouses, and nativity scenes are now taboo at Christmastime. I despise the fact that there is an effort afoot to change the Pledge of Allegiance to remove the stanza about ‘One Nation Under God’. It is hard for me to comprehend the various changes and translations of our Bible, and how preachers these days seem more inclined to speak words of political correctness from the pulpit in an effort to be perceived as ‘tolerant’ and thus protect the church’s tax-exempt status.
But am I a militant Christian? No. I do not believe that if we work really hard on the political front and come together as Christians in time for the 2010 elections, there will be a dramatic change in our country’s opinion on Christianity as a whole. America’s policy toward things such as tolerance or diversity of thought and religion are more than likely too far gone at this point. I believe that things are going to continue to deteriorate, regardless of political climate or who controls what in our government offices. And I know that sounds cynical at best and opinionated at worst.
I haven’t thrown in the towel, so to speak - not by a long shot. But these times we live in were already foretold by Jesus long ago when he said, “Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.” I used to think and still do that He was only talking about the Jews when he made this prophecy. But I see our current society’s persecution of all things Christian getting worse each day instead of better. I have a sense of foreboding in my belief that we may only be scratching the tip of the iceberg with the things we see happening so far. The Bible and the Christian faith are simply too oppressive and narrow-minded to a world that no longer feels or desires to be constrained by decency and morals.
Now is the time to circle the proverbial wagons, those of us who truly believe God’s Word and those of us who really put our faith and trust in Him. What will happen to us if down the road they close our churches and forbid us to exercise our faith because it might be considered offensive to others? What is going to happen if we really begin to be persecuted for His name’s sake? Will we walk away and disregard our beliefs? Will we 'drop the cross' and follow after another religion that is considered more acceptable by those in charge? When the Son of Man returns, will He find any faith at all left on the earth?
Stay tuned… it might get interesting before it’s all over with and done.
Bad Things/Good People
A seven-year-old girl was killed in New Orleans this weekend as she lay sleeping in her bed. A stray bullet came through the wall of the apartment in which she lived, striking her in the neck, and she was pronounced dead upon arrival at the hospital. Her mother described her as a typical little girl, “She talked about everything: Sponge Bob, Hannah Montana, everything on TV. She was the life of the party. She was just a beautiful, well-loved child." No suspects have been arrested and it appears to be the result of random violence; a violence the innocent little girl was not a part of until it found her sleeping peacefully on a Sunday morning.
In Fort Hood, a memorial service has been scheduled, and the crowd is expected to be over five thousand strong. Last week, Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan fired more than 100 rounds, killing 13 people in a building on the base where deploying soldiers go through health screenings. Right now it appears as though a ‘blame game’ has begun in the media, rife with political correctness and the associated double-speak. However, the gut-wrenching aspects of the article I read were the comments from loved ones describing those that lost their lives in the attack. They were normal people; men and women with normal dreams, hopes, and plans for the future. They were people very much like you and me.
I wonder about both of these incidents, and I could have written of other tragedies this morning as the news reports are full of them these days. I wondered because it seems as though the seven-year-old and the faceless victims of Fort Hood were all apparently in the wrong place at the wrong time. But was it that simple? The little girl was innocent, and the brave soldiers at Fort Hood were young and full of life, ready and willing to serve their country. Why did this happen? How could a loving God allow this to take place? People are asking this question, you know. Is there an answer?
We live in a fallen world. From the time Adam and Eve first shared the forbidden fruit and continuing on through our present day, it has been so. The world is not going to get better, and people are not born ‘good’ in their natural state. We inherited sin and our fallen nature from Adam and there is no getting around that problem on our own. Sure, everyone is capable of doing good things, even extraordinary things at times, but the sinful condition that dwells within us will always rise to the forefront. It is waiting there in our hearts, simmering just below the surface. And it is not only people who find themselves in this state; it is all of creation that defines this fallen world in which we reside. Paul writes, “For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.”
Groaning and travailing. I should have used those words. It fits what we see in our world today to a tee. We see creation groan with each new earthquake or natural disaster, and travail with each epidemic or pandemic that arrives on the scene. But is it God who causes these things to take place out of vindictiveness or judgment, or is it the result of a world that is no longer what it was originally designed by its Creator to be? I’ll let you decide for yourself, but my mind has been made up on this subject for a long time now.
Whether we care to admit it or not, sin affects all of us. Even as Christians we do not receive a free pass to no longer sin or have sin influence our lives. Paul continues, “And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.” We are stuck in our sinful bodies, with a carnal mind that if left unchecked can lead us to ruin or far worse. Our bodies are still part and parcel to the decaying world that we live in, despite the redemption of our souls through the perfect sacrifice Jesus provided for us.
But it will not always be this way and a better world is coming. Paul adds: “For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” Then Paul closes the thought with, “Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.”
Oh for that day to come! I look forward to a time of deliverance from the ‘bondage of corruption’ that our fallen world finds itself in today. And it can’t happen soon enough for me.
In Fort Hood, a memorial service has been scheduled, and the crowd is expected to be over five thousand strong. Last week, Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan fired more than 100 rounds, killing 13 people in a building on the base where deploying soldiers go through health screenings. Right now it appears as though a ‘blame game’ has begun in the media, rife with political correctness and the associated double-speak. However, the gut-wrenching aspects of the article I read were the comments from loved ones describing those that lost their lives in the attack. They were normal people; men and women with normal dreams, hopes, and plans for the future. They were people very much like you and me.
I wonder about both of these incidents, and I could have written of other tragedies this morning as the news reports are full of them these days. I wondered because it seems as though the seven-year-old and the faceless victims of Fort Hood were all apparently in the wrong place at the wrong time. But was it that simple? The little girl was innocent, and the brave soldiers at Fort Hood were young and full of life, ready and willing to serve their country. Why did this happen? How could a loving God allow this to take place? People are asking this question, you know. Is there an answer?
We live in a fallen world. From the time Adam and Eve first shared the forbidden fruit and continuing on through our present day, it has been so. The world is not going to get better, and people are not born ‘good’ in their natural state. We inherited sin and our fallen nature from Adam and there is no getting around that problem on our own. Sure, everyone is capable of doing good things, even extraordinary things at times, but the sinful condition that dwells within us will always rise to the forefront. It is waiting there in our hearts, simmering just below the surface. And it is not only people who find themselves in this state; it is all of creation that defines this fallen world in which we reside. Paul writes, “For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.”
Groaning and travailing. I should have used those words. It fits what we see in our world today to a tee. We see creation groan with each new earthquake or natural disaster, and travail with each epidemic or pandemic that arrives on the scene. But is it God who causes these things to take place out of vindictiveness or judgment, or is it the result of a world that is no longer what it was originally designed by its Creator to be? I’ll let you decide for yourself, but my mind has been made up on this subject for a long time now.
Whether we care to admit it or not, sin affects all of us. Even as Christians we do not receive a free pass to no longer sin or have sin influence our lives. Paul continues, “And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.” We are stuck in our sinful bodies, with a carnal mind that if left unchecked can lead us to ruin or far worse. Our bodies are still part and parcel to the decaying world that we live in, despite the redemption of our souls through the perfect sacrifice Jesus provided for us.
But it will not always be this way and a better world is coming. Paul adds: “For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” Then Paul closes the thought with, “Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.”
Oh for that day to come! I look forward to a time of deliverance from the ‘bondage of corruption’ that our fallen world finds itself in today. And it can’t happen soon enough for me.
A Refuge In The Storm
This weekend served to remind those of us that live in this region that hurricane season is not quite over with yet. We watched as Ida formed in Central America late last week and began her track northward, and by Sunday afternoon all of the local television stations were abuzz with predictions of when and were she would make landfall. Those that live along the Gulf Coast and in New Orleans have learned to take our storms seriously; especially in the aftermath of Katrina.
As I write my blog, she appears to be headed for Mobile, Alabama and she has been downgraded to a mere tropical storm. At most, my county can expect a little wind and a lot of rain. The Gulf waters do not pack enough heat in November to keep a hurricane in fighting trim, so most of the news stories seem to revolve around the audacity of Mother Nature’s feeble attempt to throw a storm at us this late in the year. But I remember well a November hurricane back in 1985 that gave me quite a scare, so it is not as if there is no precedent for it – at least not for me.
I was a newly-arrived seaman at U.S. Coast Guard Station Panama City, Florida that fall, having completed boot camp only a few weeks prior. I cannot remember the name of the storm, but I remember that our boats were merely 41-feet long, and even in waves of less than six feet they were rough and caused me to become seasick. The arrival of the storm caused me considerable dread as a result, because as I mentioned, I was new to boats in general and had no idea of what we would be required to do. I remembered the videos I had been shown by my recruiter; boats crashing through heavy seas, sailors in life jackets hanging on for dear life, and the promised glory that comes from making a dramatic rescue while becoming a hero. Suddenly, I felt slightly less than brave with the realization that it might be me that would be called upon to perform such a feat. What was I thinking, I wondered, and how did I get so far from home?
We were required to evacuate our families as best we could and then return to the station for duty. I did as I was ordered, which proves the power of the discipline instilled in me while at boot camp, but I was very ill at ease as the weather began to pick up. We loaded the boats with all of our survival gear and put to sea as the wind made a dramatic shift to the northeast. We joked and laughed as young men do when faced with danger, and I did my best to play the part of a brave soul, but inside my heart was a wild animal called panic, and it was simmering and barely under control. The waves in St. Andrew’s Bay cow-licked and broke over our bow as we turned…north! My fears were allayed for the moment as our crew was told we would be headed up the Intercoastal Waterway to find a suitable anchorage, and therefore be available to assist others after the storm had passed.
A few miles up the canal, we came alongside a tug and barge which had been lashed securely to the levee, and we tied our boat to the barge, spending the night in the relative safety of the strong anchorage they provided. At possibly 12 times our length, it was hard to fathom enough wind or water to move something that large in the narrow canal. We ate with the crew of the tug that night, and I decided at that moment that if they ate like that every night, I had made the wrong career choice. They were very hospitable and could not seem to do enough for us.
There were a few moments later that night that caused a little alarm, and I learned the meaning of Acts 27:29 when the Bible says the storm-ridden crew of Paul’s ship ‘wished for the day’. But overall the evening passed without incident and the following morning we thanked the crew of the tug and returned to our base to begin helping others that were not as fortunate.
I learned the importance of a strong anchorage during that dark night so many years ago. Through the storms that batter me, (and I’m no longer talking about hurricanes or gales, but spiritual and emotional drama) I need something bigger than me to hold onto. The Bible states in Hebrews: “…we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil.”
It is only when I attempt to face the storms in my life on their own terms, out in their depths and on my own, that I appear to have problems. Jesus is the anchor for my soul, and He is sure and steadfast. He helps me face the storms I encounter in my life no matter how difficult they may appear to be. And, much like a tug and barge to a small boat during a late-season hurricane, His refuge is always secure.
As I write my blog, she appears to be headed for Mobile, Alabama and she has been downgraded to a mere tropical storm. At most, my county can expect a little wind and a lot of rain. The Gulf waters do not pack enough heat in November to keep a hurricane in fighting trim, so most of the news stories seem to revolve around the audacity of Mother Nature’s feeble attempt to throw a storm at us this late in the year. But I remember well a November hurricane back in 1985 that gave me quite a scare, so it is not as if there is no precedent for it – at least not for me.
I was a newly-arrived seaman at U.S. Coast Guard Station Panama City, Florida that fall, having completed boot camp only a few weeks prior. I cannot remember the name of the storm, but I remember that our boats were merely 41-feet long, and even in waves of less than six feet they were rough and caused me to become seasick. The arrival of the storm caused me considerable dread as a result, because as I mentioned, I was new to boats in general and had no idea of what we would be required to do. I remembered the videos I had been shown by my recruiter; boats crashing through heavy seas, sailors in life jackets hanging on for dear life, and the promised glory that comes from making a dramatic rescue while becoming a hero. Suddenly, I felt slightly less than brave with the realization that it might be me that would be called upon to perform such a feat. What was I thinking, I wondered, and how did I get so far from home?
We were required to evacuate our families as best we could and then return to the station for duty. I did as I was ordered, which proves the power of the discipline instilled in me while at boot camp, but I was very ill at ease as the weather began to pick up. We loaded the boats with all of our survival gear and put to sea as the wind made a dramatic shift to the northeast. We joked and laughed as young men do when faced with danger, and I did my best to play the part of a brave soul, but inside my heart was a wild animal called panic, and it was simmering and barely under control. The waves in St. Andrew’s Bay cow-licked and broke over our bow as we turned…north! My fears were allayed for the moment as our crew was told we would be headed up the Intercoastal Waterway to find a suitable anchorage, and therefore be available to assist others after the storm had passed.
A few miles up the canal, we came alongside a tug and barge which had been lashed securely to the levee, and we tied our boat to the barge, spending the night in the relative safety of the strong anchorage they provided. At possibly 12 times our length, it was hard to fathom enough wind or water to move something that large in the narrow canal. We ate with the crew of the tug that night, and I decided at that moment that if they ate like that every night, I had made the wrong career choice. They were very hospitable and could not seem to do enough for us.
There were a few moments later that night that caused a little alarm, and I learned the meaning of Acts 27:29 when the Bible says the storm-ridden crew of Paul’s ship ‘wished for the day’. But overall the evening passed without incident and the following morning we thanked the crew of the tug and returned to our base to begin helping others that were not as fortunate.
I learned the importance of a strong anchorage during that dark night so many years ago. Through the storms that batter me, (and I’m no longer talking about hurricanes or gales, but spiritual and emotional drama) I need something bigger than me to hold onto. The Bible states in Hebrews: “…we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil.”
It is only when I attempt to face the storms in my life on their own terms, out in their depths and on my own, that I appear to have problems. Jesus is the anchor for my soul, and He is sure and steadfast. He helps me face the storms I encounter in my life no matter how difficult they may appear to be. And, much like a tug and barge to a small boat during a late-season hurricane, His refuge is always secure.
True Religion
Religion is a funny thing in this day and age. Ok, I need to re-phrase that because it does not allow me to wrap my mind around it quite well enough this morning. Religion in our modern, enlightened world now borders on the absurd.
Absurd - Inconsistent with reason or logic or common sense. Incongruous and inviting ridicule. Preposterous.
Again, our society will worship anything or nothing at all. We can base a religion on junk-science, on government, even on celebrities, especially those that have passed on to a celestial dirt nap. A religion is based on faith and a belief in something extraordinary. I’m not simply talking about Christianity when I say that – all religions were started in this manner. Prove me wrong.
I was reading the various news articles on the Fort Hood massacre this morning, and that incident was incredibly appalling. When I first heard the news on the way home from work yesterday afternoon, I’ll admit that my immediate thought was that it would have something to do with Islam or the perpetrator would at least be Islamic. I was right, but that does not give me unlimited capital to bash the religion of the attacker as I write this. They have their faith and belief system and they will answer for it one day. It is the same dilemma, shared by those that worship government, celebrities, or those that choose to bow at the altar of science and technology. Christians are in that mix as well – we will all face a Day of Judgment in the end. There is no use looking for specks when we have a 2” x 4” stuck in our own eye.
In no way am I defending the attacker of Fort Hood yesterday. I think he should be dispatched toward that Day of Judgment as soon as possible. An hour ago would not be soon enough, in my opinion. I'm a military veteran as well, but I digress.
Christians have their own set of difficulties that we will surely answer for. True, I have never seen or read about a Christian that strapped a twenty-pound explosive on his belt and took out a loaded subway train in the name of God, Jesus, or the Holy Spirit. If a Christian entered a crowded market or mall and started shooting while chanting “God is good!” – the media would break their necks in an effort to be the first to report it. Christians are not apt to behead those that will not accept Jesus as Lord and Savior, but are more often than not on the receiving end in those-type situations when they occur on the mission field.
But we have our own issues. We are fractured into too many denominations that share very little in the way of common beliefs. We argue over things like should a priest be allowed to marry, should a woman be a preacher, and should we speak in tongues or not speak in tongues. We have several thousand interpretations of our own Holy Bible with subtle variances in the implied interpretation of key scriptures. We argue whether or not the Old Testament still applies to us, and whether the New Testament leaves out possible alternative paths to salvation. We can’t agree on homosexuals, abortion, or a limit to our involvement in the government process. I found it ludicrous a year or so ago when a debate was launched by a group trying to decide if Jesus would be a Democrat or Republican if He voted today.
The Christian church today more closely mirrors the church at Laodicea mentioned by Jesus in Revelation than at any time in her history. We have become so wrapped up in the world in an effort to fit in and avoid emotional persecution or invite ridicule that we appear to have lost our calling. We have adopted the world’s policy of being ‘politically correct’ with the result that ‘tolerance’ has replaced ‘Thus saith The Lord’ from our own pulpits. As a by-product, our toothless faith cannot lead others because we cannot lead ourselves. By this alone, I know the end is near.
So what can we hold onto as the sands shift within the modern church, when the world spirals in so many different directions and all of them bad? Is there any degree of honest faith left in the world today? Which Christian denomination is the true one – the one that will carry us through the storms that enter our lives?
James wrote: “Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.” I cannot pin my spiritual fortunes on a denomination, a cult, or even the government and science. Instead I can only help those I have the ability to help; those who can’t help themselves. And I must, at all costs, remain unspotted by the things of the world. It is a tall order, but there will be blessings to be gained from living as such.
To find a pure religion is a tall order these days, but at least I now know what to look for.
Absurd - Inconsistent with reason or logic or common sense. Incongruous and inviting ridicule. Preposterous.
Again, our society will worship anything or nothing at all. We can base a religion on junk-science, on government, even on celebrities, especially those that have passed on to a celestial dirt nap. A religion is based on faith and a belief in something extraordinary. I’m not simply talking about Christianity when I say that – all religions were started in this manner. Prove me wrong.
I was reading the various news articles on the Fort Hood massacre this morning, and that incident was incredibly appalling. When I first heard the news on the way home from work yesterday afternoon, I’ll admit that my immediate thought was that it would have something to do with Islam or the perpetrator would at least be Islamic. I was right, but that does not give me unlimited capital to bash the religion of the attacker as I write this. They have their faith and belief system and they will answer for it one day. It is the same dilemma, shared by those that worship government, celebrities, or those that choose to bow at the altar of science and technology. Christians are in that mix as well – we will all face a Day of Judgment in the end. There is no use looking for specks when we have a 2” x 4” stuck in our own eye.
In no way am I defending the attacker of Fort Hood yesterday. I think he should be dispatched toward that Day of Judgment as soon as possible. An hour ago would not be soon enough, in my opinion. I'm a military veteran as well, but I digress.
Christians have their own set of difficulties that we will surely answer for. True, I have never seen or read about a Christian that strapped a twenty-pound explosive on his belt and took out a loaded subway train in the name of God, Jesus, or the Holy Spirit. If a Christian entered a crowded market or mall and started shooting while chanting “God is good!” – the media would break their necks in an effort to be the first to report it. Christians are not apt to behead those that will not accept Jesus as Lord and Savior, but are more often than not on the receiving end in those-type situations when they occur on the mission field.
But we have our own issues. We are fractured into too many denominations that share very little in the way of common beliefs. We argue over things like should a priest be allowed to marry, should a woman be a preacher, and should we speak in tongues or not speak in tongues. We have several thousand interpretations of our own Holy Bible with subtle variances in the implied interpretation of key scriptures. We argue whether or not the Old Testament still applies to us, and whether the New Testament leaves out possible alternative paths to salvation. We can’t agree on homosexuals, abortion, or a limit to our involvement in the government process. I found it ludicrous a year or so ago when a debate was launched by a group trying to decide if Jesus would be a Democrat or Republican if He voted today.
The Christian church today more closely mirrors the church at Laodicea mentioned by Jesus in Revelation than at any time in her history. We have become so wrapped up in the world in an effort to fit in and avoid emotional persecution or invite ridicule that we appear to have lost our calling. We have adopted the world’s policy of being ‘politically correct’ with the result that ‘tolerance’ has replaced ‘Thus saith The Lord’ from our own pulpits. As a by-product, our toothless faith cannot lead others because we cannot lead ourselves. By this alone, I know the end is near.
So what can we hold onto as the sands shift within the modern church, when the world spirals in so many different directions and all of them bad? Is there any degree of honest faith left in the world today? Which Christian denomination is the true one – the one that will carry us through the storms that enter our lives?
James wrote: “Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.” I cannot pin my spiritual fortunes on a denomination, a cult, or even the government and science. Instead I can only help those I have the ability to help; those who can’t help themselves. And I must, at all costs, remain unspotted by the things of the world. It is a tall order, but there will be blessings to be gained from living as such.
To find a pure religion is a tall order these days, but at least I now know what to look for.
Jesus' Choice
Youth Sunday School Lesson - November 8,2009
As we continue this week with our study on Christian choices and how we should go about making them, we arrive at the story of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. This choice remains the most crucial choice ever made on the earth, even more critical than the wrong choice made by Adam and Eve in another garden back in the beginning of the Bible. A look at how those choices, both made in gardens, shaped the human race is a study in contrasts and something well worth our time and effort to look into.
I see several things in this passage of scripture that may not be readily apparent if you only perform a casual reading of the verses. First, Jesus was not a martyr. A martyr is someone who gives his or her life willingly for a cause. We think of Joan of Arc as an example of a martyr and others like her. A martyr goes willingly to their death because they have no other option besides changing their outlook or compromising their beliefs. We read in Matthew 26:53 that Jesus could have called ‘more than twelve legions of angels’ if He had wanted to change the situation. He had a choice, and it was a tough one – an agonizing one. Jesus’ choice was to go to His death as a sacrifice for our sins, knowing that it was His Father’s will that He do so.
I also notice that unlike a suicide bomber, Jesus does not rush haphazardly to His death. I read in verse 39: “And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.” If you read this verse carefully, you will notice that although He is torn by the dilemma He faces, there is no indication that Jesus would disobey His Father. He simply asks God if there is another option besides going to His death on the cross. Neither a suicide bomber nor a martyr seeks another option – their minds are made up from the beginning. Once Jesus understands that there is no other way to bring salvation to the world, He readily accepts His Father’s will.
This is the central idea and the key thought of our lesson on choices this week. Jesus made the choice to put His Father’s will over His own will. We should always thank God for the decision that Jesus made on that dark, lonely night in the garden. His obedient choice removed the curse on mankind that came about as a result of Adam’s disobedient choice that was made back in Genesis. Philippians 2:8 explains this better for us:” And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.”
Sometimes we will be called upon to make tough choices in our lives. At times we may have to make a decision that goes against what the world considers to be ‘good’ or ‘wise’. But at all times and during all of our choices, from the important ones to the ones that seem to be small, we should always seek God’s will before we choose which path to take. We need to trust our Heavenly Father and do our best to seek His will for our lives. He knows better than we do and can see the future we will have ahead of us. Once we fully trust God in our lives, becoming obedient to His will can become an easier thing for us to do.
Finally, there is something unique about Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane that we may never know and can never fully comprehend. In fact, we will never truly understand all that happened on that night almost two thousand years ago. What we do know is that it all came down to Jesus making a choice – His will or His Father’s will. In the end He chose His Father’s will and in so doing He made a way for us to receive salvation through His death on the cross the following day. His death paid the penalty for our sin.
In our own daily lives as Christians, when faced with difficult choices, we should always seek to place God’s will over our own will. Remember the Lord’s Prayer: “Thy (not my) will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven.”
As we continue this week with our study on Christian choices and how we should go about making them, we arrive at the story of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. This choice remains the most crucial choice ever made on the earth, even more critical than the wrong choice made by Adam and Eve in another garden back in the beginning of the Bible. A look at how those choices, both made in gardens, shaped the human race is a study in contrasts and something well worth our time and effort to look into.
I see several things in this passage of scripture that may not be readily apparent if you only perform a casual reading of the verses. First, Jesus was not a martyr. A martyr is someone who gives his or her life willingly for a cause. We think of Joan of Arc as an example of a martyr and others like her. A martyr goes willingly to their death because they have no other option besides changing their outlook or compromising their beliefs. We read in Matthew 26:53 that Jesus could have called ‘more than twelve legions of angels’ if He had wanted to change the situation. He had a choice, and it was a tough one – an agonizing one. Jesus’ choice was to go to His death as a sacrifice for our sins, knowing that it was His Father’s will that He do so.
I also notice that unlike a suicide bomber, Jesus does not rush haphazardly to His death. I read in verse 39: “And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.” If you read this verse carefully, you will notice that although He is torn by the dilemma He faces, there is no indication that Jesus would disobey His Father. He simply asks God if there is another option besides going to His death on the cross. Neither a suicide bomber nor a martyr seeks another option – their minds are made up from the beginning. Once Jesus understands that there is no other way to bring salvation to the world, He readily accepts His Father’s will.
This is the central idea and the key thought of our lesson on choices this week. Jesus made the choice to put His Father’s will over His own will. We should always thank God for the decision that Jesus made on that dark, lonely night in the garden. His obedient choice removed the curse on mankind that came about as a result of Adam’s disobedient choice that was made back in Genesis. Philippians 2:8 explains this better for us:” And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.”
Sometimes we will be called upon to make tough choices in our lives. At times we may have to make a decision that goes against what the world considers to be ‘good’ or ‘wise’. But at all times and during all of our choices, from the important ones to the ones that seem to be small, we should always seek God’s will before we choose which path to take. We need to trust our Heavenly Father and do our best to seek His will for our lives. He knows better than we do and can see the future we will have ahead of us. Once we fully trust God in our lives, becoming obedient to His will can become an easier thing for us to do.
Finally, there is something unique about Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane that we may never know and can never fully comprehend. In fact, we will never truly understand all that happened on that night almost two thousand years ago. What we do know is that it all came down to Jesus making a choice – His will or His Father’s will. In the end He chose His Father’s will and in so doing He made a way for us to receive salvation through His death on the cross the following day. His death paid the penalty for our sin.
In our own daily lives as Christians, when faced with difficult choices, we should always seek to place God’s will over our own will. Remember the Lord’s Prayer: “Thy (not my) will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven.”
"Passing" Judgment
Feeling elated over the Saint’s victory last night – the game I worried about yesterday, I went online early this morning to check the news. I paid particular attention to the sports pages, both on the nationally syndicated sites as well as the local ones. Nothing beats reading the fine details of how your team forged their success and how plans are already being made for taking on next week’s opponent. It used to be the sports pages of the newspaper and a hot cup of coffee. The coffee remains today, but the Internet gives you far more news from different angles and opinions, all within a veritable blink of an eye.
During my browse, I read an article from the Atlanta Journal Constitution (I like to read the opposing team's view of the game as well) that gave me pause due to the tone of the report. Atlanta’s quarterback could seemingly do no wrong over the past year and a half. The city adopted him; he was their hero and would surely lead them into the promised land of postseason play for many seasons to come. At twenty-four years of age with a cannon for an arm and an even sharper intellect, he fit the part. However, that tone apparently changed overnight in the viewpoint of the columnist whose article I happened to read this morning. His opinion is that the success was a fluke and the hero quarterback from a year ago is merely a flash in the pan.
Because of one ‘less than stellar’ performance against a very good team, the writer was apparently ready to throw him under the bus. I can’t begin to imagine how the young quarterback will feel if he should happen to read the article himself. We are so quick to elevate people to hero-worship status these days, and more often than not, we easily cast them aside at the least sign of weakness. It’s a shame, I tell you. But we live in a society that thrives on tearing people down when they do not meet our lofty expectations.
As a Christian, I have found myself doing the same thing on many occasions and it is not a trait that I am proud of. In my own mind I can elevate a preacher or a deacon to super-saint status and then become disenchanted when they turn out to be merely human in the end. I’m quick to judge, although the Bible is rife with passages against doing so, and as a ‘fruit’ judge I’m not always honest and fair when I feel I have been let down. If I am going to judge other Christians by their fruit, then I better make sure my own fruit can pass the inspector’s test beforehand. I’ve heard it said that people who live in glass houses should never throw stones, and there is a lot of truth in that statement.
Maybe that is why in Matthew chapter 7 Jesus prefaces his discourse on knowing false prophets by ‘their fruit’ in stating, “Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.” As for some of those preachers or deacons I mentioned above that may or may not have let me down - who was it that put them up on the pedestal in the first place? They were human like me and have feelings and emotions like me. I need to be more careful in this area.
Meanwhile, to the writer who wrote the article blasting Atlanta's young quarterback for not being what everyone perceived him to be – I found no less than six grammatical errors in your column. Maybe the readers of the AJC should throw you under the bus for not meeting their expectations as a writer.
But who am I to judge?
During my browse, I read an article from the Atlanta Journal Constitution (I like to read the opposing team's view of the game as well) that gave me pause due to the tone of the report. Atlanta’s quarterback could seemingly do no wrong over the past year and a half. The city adopted him; he was their hero and would surely lead them into the promised land of postseason play for many seasons to come. At twenty-four years of age with a cannon for an arm and an even sharper intellect, he fit the part. However, that tone apparently changed overnight in the viewpoint of the columnist whose article I happened to read this morning. His opinion is that the success was a fluke and the hero quarterback from a year ago is merely a flash in the pan.
Because of one ‘less than stellar’ performance against a very good team, the writer was apparently ready to throw him under the bus. I can’t begin to imagine how the young quarterback will feel if he should happen to read the article himself. We are so quick to elevate people to hero-worship status these days, and more often than not, we easily cast them aside at the least sign of weakness. It’s a shame, I tell you. But we live in a society that thrives on tearing people down when they do not meet our lofty expectations.
As a Christian, I have found myself doing the same thing on many occasions and it is not a trait that I am proud of. In my own mind I can elevate a preacher or a deacon to super-saint status and then become disenchanted when they turn out to be merely human in the end. I’m quick to judge, although the Bible is rife with passages against doing so, and as a ‘fruit’ judge I’m not always honest and fair when I feel I have been let down. If I am going to judge other Christians by their fruit, then I better make sure my own fruit can pass the inspector’s test beforehand. I’ve heard it said that people who live in glass houses should never throw stones, and there is a lot of truth in that statement.
Maybe that is why in Matthew chapter 7 Jesus prefaces his discourse on knowing false prophets by ‘their fruit’ in stating, “Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.” As for some of those preachers or deacons I mentioned above that may or may not have let me down - who was it that put them up on the pedestal in the first place? They were human like me and have feelings and emotions like me. I need to be more careful in this area.
Meanwhile, to the writer who wrote the article blasting Atlanta's young quarterback for not being what everyone perceived him to be – I found no less than six grammatical errors in your column. Maybe the readers of the AJC should throw you under the bus for not meeting their expectations as a writer.
But who am I to judge?
Worrying With Joe And Max
I’ve got ulcers from the worrying I’ve done, and they worry, too. – Joe Walsh
Tonight is the big game. The undefeated New Orleans Saints are playing their nemesis, the Atlanta Falcons, on the national stage of Monday Night Football. I’m a life-long Saints fan, and though on paper they appear to have the better team, I am worried that they will not play very well and lose the game as a result.
I’m worried about my youngest daughter and her plans for college. I’m hoping that she will be alright in the long run. Most of all, I just want her to be happy in life with whatever direction she chooses to take. She has decided to move home and commute to class each day – dorm life does not sit well with her due to her value system. (I say that with not a little pride as I do so) I’m ready for her to come home, but I am worried that my feelings may be based upon a desire to be overprotective of her when it comes right down to the crux of the matter.
My oldest daughter is getting married next spring and she is very thorough in every decision that she makes. But I still worry about her, and I’m also losing sleep wondering how I will pay for the elaborate ceremony we are planning for her and her groom. A wedding is one of the biggest days of your life and I want hers to be not only memorable, but special as well.
I worry about my sons, both of them. One is now a father in his own regard, and the other is many years away from becoming such. But both of them will face a world full of trouble that is seemingly arrayed against them. And worst of all, they will face the same things that I did in my own life up to this point.
I worry because though they are my children, all four of them, I cannot see into their hearts. I lie awake a lot of nights worried that they may have accepted God’s gift of salvation in their heads, but not their hearts, because I know that as their father it is my responsibility to lead them down the right path in that regard. Did I do a good enough job explaining that to them?
You don’t worry about it, I’ll worry about it. I’m going to be up all night worrying anyway. – Joe Walsh
I worry about my wife because she has health issues a lot these days and there is no way I could live my life without her. The health issues are minute, but it seems as though there is something new every week and so I worry. I worry over my bills. I worry about my church. I worry about my job. I worry about my 401k plan and how will I ever be able to retire before I reach 88-years of age or so?
My parents are good people. I worry that I’ll be unable to live up to the example they have set for me and that I’ll never measure up to being a good son to them.
I worry about Afghanistan, I worry about the poles, and if they drop the big one, we’ll all live in holes. – Joe Walsh
Worry never solves anything. Nothing will ever compute as a product for the amount of worrying that I do. Jesus said, “Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?” Worrying is not the cure for all of my troubles in life. But I worry anyway, as if the thought itself has some mystical power - my well-thought-out worry will somehow become a talisman to protect me from the things I cannot control.
I’m reading a Max Lucado book this week entitled Fearless. In the book, as always, he brings out a very dramatic point that 'hit the nail on the head' for me. The disciples came to Jesus because the crowd of over five thousand people were hungry and they had nothing with which to feed them. Gleaning through the possibilities they came up with only five loaves and two fish. Max states that they were counting to seven instead of counting to eight. As in, they had five loaves, two fish, and they had Jesus. With God anything is possible. I need to remember that priceless gem when I catch myself worrying over problems. I need to include Jesus in the calculation of solutions to the things in my life that plague me with worry and doubt.
On my own and left to my own devices, all I can do is worry about things. But with Jesus in the picture, well, that’s a whole-new ballgame! Go Saints!
Tonight is the big game. The undefeated New Orleans Saints are playing their nemesis, the Atlanta Falcons, on the national stage of Monday Night Football. I’m a life-long Saints fan, and though on paper they appear to have the better team, I am worried that they will not play very well and lose the game as a result.
I’m worried about my youngest daughter and her plans for college. I’m hoping that she will be alright in the long run. Most of all, I just want her to be happy in life with whatever direction she chooses to take. She has decided to move home and commute to class each day – dorm life does not sit well with her due to her value system. (I say that with not a little pride as I do so) I’m ready for her to come home, but I am worried that my feelings may be based upon a desire to be overprotective of her when it comes right down to the crux of the matter.
My oldest daughter is getting married next spring and she is very thorough in every decision that she makes. But I still worry about her, and I’m also losing sleep wondering how I will pay for the elaborate ceremony we are planning for her and her groom. A wedding is one of the biggest days of your life and I want hers to be not only memorable, but special as well.
I worry about my sons, both of them. One is now a father in his own regard, and the other is many years away from becoming such. But both of them will face a world full of trouble that is seemingly arrayed against them. And worst of all, they will face the same things that I did in my own life up to this point.
I worry because though they are my children, all four of them, I cannot see into their hearts. I lie awake a lot of nights worried that they may have accepted God’s gift of salvation in their heads, but not their hearts, because I know that as their father it is my responsibility to lead them down the right path in that regard. Did I do a good enough job explaining that to them?
You don’t worry about it, I’ll worry about it. I’m going to be up all night worrying anyway. – Joe Walsh
I worry about my wife because she has health issues a lot these days and there is no way I could live my life without her. The health issues are minute, but it seems as though there is something new every week and so I worry. I worry over my bills. I worry about my church. I worry about my job. I worry about my 401k plan and how will I ever be able to retire before I reach 88-years of age or so?
My parents are good people. I worry that I’ll be unable to live up to the example they have set for me and that I’ll never measure up to being a good son to them.
I worry about Afghanistan, I worry about the poles, and if they drop the big one, we’ll all live in holes. – Joe Walsh
Worry never solves anything. Nothing will ever compute as a product for the amount of worrying that I do. Jesus said, “Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?” Worrying is not the cure for all of my troubles in life. But I worry anyway, as if the thought itself has some mystical power - my well-thought-out worry will somehow become a talisman to protect me from the things I cannot control.
I’m reading a Max Lucado book this week entitled Fearless. In the book, as always, he brings out a very dramatic point that 'hit the nail on the head' for me. The disciples came to Jesus because the crowd of over five thousand people were hungry and they had nothing with which to feed them. Gleaning through the possibilities they came up with only five loaves and two fish. Max states that they were counting to seven instead of counting to eight. As in, they had five loaves, two fish, and they had Jesus. With God anything is possible. I need to remember that priceless gem when I catch myself worrying over problems. I need to include Jesus in the calculation of solutions to the things in my life that plague me with worry and doubt.
On my own and left to my own devices, all I can do is worry about things. But with Jesus in the picture, well, that’s a whole-new ballgame! Go Saints!
Peter's Choice
Youth Sunday School Lesson - November 1, 2009
During this quarter, we have been studying about making important spiritual choices and how they can affect our lives. We have been using examples from the Bible of others who made choices and we have learned how doing so changed their lives. Some of the choices were good (Daniel), some were bad (Adam), and some were somewhere in between (Martha). We should understand by this point that choices will always need to be made in our lives and it is up to us to use the wisdom we can gain from studying God’s Word to make our decisions valid and our judgment sound.
This week, we will cover the story of Peter in our class, and boy did he make a lot of choices! In one eight-hour period of his life he made several choices that ranged from very bad to very good. This should prove to us that we will never know when we will be called upon to make a choice; therefore we should always be prepared spiritually when called upon to do so.
Our story begins in Matthew 26, though it is mentioned in the other gospels as well. Jesus and his disciples were having the Passover dinner and during the meal Jesus tells them that they will all abandon Him very soon. He says that they will be ‘offended’ by Him. Peter immediately makes a choice to speak up and say that it will never happen, that “Though all men shall be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended.” I believe that Peter meant this in his heart when he said it, but we should always be careful of what we say. We may think we are strong and that we will never stray from God, yet Paul warns us, “Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.” (I Corinthians 10:12) Peter thought he was strong – he had been following Jesus every day for three years! With his answer to Jesus, he is almost bragging about his spiritual courage and strength. To boast of your righteousness is never a wise choice, as we will find out later in the story.
During the night, Jesus is arrested and sure enough, the disciples all abandon Him - except for Peter. He makes a wise choice, sort of, because the Bible tells us that he followed them from ‘afar off’ to the place they were taking Jesus. Once there, while outside in a courtyard, we read that when asked about his relationship with Jesus, Peter denies that he knows Him three times. And the third time he begins cursing and swearing to those gathered around the fire. Obviously this is a bad choice. Peter could have fled with the other disciples. He could have remained silent when asked about his friendship with Jesus. The point is, he had other choices he could have made in this situation besides denying that he knew Jesus and swearing to prove his point. Would those choices have been better? We’ll talk about that in class on Sunday. In the meantime, please be thinking about it.
Just about the time Peter completes his outburst, he hears the rooster crow and sees Jesus looking at him as the soldiers are taking Jesus to the next court setting. Peter remembers bragging a few hours earlier and his heart breaks because he knows Jesus was right, but also because he is ashamed of how he has acted. The Bible says he left the courtyard, weeping (crying) bitterly. We read later that Peter repented and Jesus forgave him. Peter went on to work for the Lord and became a founder of the church, as Jesus also prophesied. The decision by Peter to repent is obviously a good choice. Sometimes we may fall in our Christian walk, but we should never give up. Jesus is ready to forgive us when we confess our failures to Him, and he will pick us up and put us back on the right path.
Peter made a lot of decisions during that night and early morning so very long ago. The Bible records these examples so that we can learn from them and possibly not make the same mistakes ourselves. We will always be called upon to make choices in our lives and some of those decisions will be spiritual choices. Sometimes we might have to make several decisions during a very short period of time. Using the examples provided to us by God’s Word will go along way towards preparing us to make the right choices when the time comes for us to do so.
During this quarter, we have been studying about making important spiritual choices and how they can affect our lives. We have been using examples from the Bible of others who made choices and we have learned how doing so changed their lives. Some of the choices were good (Daniel), some were bad (Adam), and some were somewhere in between (Martha). We should understand by this point that choices will always need to be made in our lives and it is up to us to use the wisdom we can gain from studying God’s Word to make our decisions valid and our judgment sound.
This week, we will cover the story of Peter in our class, and boy did he make a lot of choices! In one eight-hour period of his life he made several choices that ranged from very bad to very good. This should prove to us that we will never know when we will be called upon to make a choice; therefore we should always be prepared spiritually when called upon to do so.
Our story begins in Matthew 26, though it is mentioned in the other gospels as well. Jesus and his disciples were having the Passover dinner and during the meal Jesus tells them that they will all abandon Him very soon. He says that they will be ‘offended’ by Him. Peter immediately makes a choice to speak up and say that it will never happen, that “Though all men shall be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended.” I believe that Peter meant this in his heart when he said it, but we should always be careful of what we say. We may think we are strong and that we will never stray from God, yet Paul warns us, “Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.” (I Corinthians 10:12) Peter thought he was strong – he had been following Jesus every day for three years! With his answer to Jesus, he is almost bragging about his spiritual courage and strength. To boast of your righteousness is never a wise choice, as we will find out later in the story.
During the night, Jesus is arrested and sure enough, the disciples all abandon Him - except for Peter. He makes a wise choice, sort of, because the Bible tells us that he followed them from ‘afar off’ to the place they were taking Jesus. Once there, while outside in a courtyard, we read that when asked about his relationship with Jesus, Peter denies that he knows Him three times. And the third time he begins cursing and swearing to those gathered around the fire. Obviously this is a bad choice. Peter could have fled with the other disciples. He could have remained silent when asked about his friendship with Jesus. The point is, he had other choices he could have made in this situation besides denying that he knew Jesus and swearing to prove his point. Would those choices have been better? We’ll talk about that in class on Sunday. In the meantime, please be thinking about it.
Just about the time Peter completes his outburst, he hears the rooster crow and sees Jesus looking at him as the soldiers are taking Jesus to the next court setting. Peter remembers bragging a few hours earlier and his heart breaks because he knows Jesus was right, but also because he is ashamed of how he has acted. The Bible says he left the courtyard, weeping (crying) bitterly. We read later that Peter repented and Jesus forgave him. Peter went on to work for the Lord and became a founder of the church, as Jesus also prophesied. The decision by Peter to repent is obviously a good choice. Sometimes we may fall in our Christian walk, but we should never give up. Jesus is ready to forgive us when we confess our failures to Him, and he will pick us up and put us back on the right path.
Peter made a lot of decisions during that night and early morning so very long ago. The Bible records these examples so that we can learn from them and possibly not make the same mistakes ourselves. We will always be called upon to make choices in our lives and some of those decisions will be spiritual choices. Sometimes we might have to make several decisions during a very short period of time. Using the examples provided to us by God’s Word will go along way towards preparing us to make the right choices when the time comes for us to do so.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)