Wrong Assumption

Charles Swindoll, noted radio Bible teacher, tells of an time he was holding meetings at a church. He noticed a man who came faithfully to every service  but would always fall asleep about halfway through his sermon. At first Swindoll was  annoyed by the man's lack of attention. He thought to himself, "If he finds me so boring, why doesn't he just stay home."

One evening after the service,  the wife of the sleeping man, approached Swindoll and told him how much her husband was enjoying his preaching. She went on to say that her husband had a terminal illness and the medication he was taking made him fall asleep. She went on to say that her husband's one wish was to hear Charles Swindoll in person before he died.

Needless to say Swindoll felt terrible for his assumption. The old saying, "You cannot judge a book by its cover," is true. We should not judge people by appearances. We don't know their situation nor the intent of their heart.

Your Storm

In my last blog, we looked at Peter, the risk-taker. He stepped out of his boat and his faith was rewarded; he actually walked on water! He was on his way to becoming a super disciple! The hardest part was behind him; getting out of the boat. Right? Then reality set in. He suddenly realized just how bad the storm was and he began to sink. Matthew 14:30

The same thing happens to us. We begin a new job, start a new relationship, go to college, or begin a family. In the beginning we are filled with hope and excitement; then the reality sets in. We see the wind: Our plans go wrong. People we were counting on let us down. Unexpected conflicts arise. Now what do you do?

People usually respond to serious problems in one of two ways: 

1. Many simply are defeated by their circumstances
2. Some choose to face the situation and overcome.

I see two life-lessons in this story that will benefit us all.

• Storms have a way of teaching us when nothing else can.
• Sooner or later, you have to turn and face the situation. Sooner or later,you have to run to God.

Taking A Risk

When I was a child we used to play a game called 'I Dare You.' It usually involved some kind of risk. To be honest, I wasn't much of a risk-taker.

The Bible is filled with accounts of people who took risks but my favorite was Peter walking on water. Stepping out of the boat was risky business. Peter had to leave the comfort and safety of the boat to go to Jesus. Jesus told him, "Don't be afraid." Do you think that's the last time in his life Peter will experience fear?

The unsettling truth is fear will never go away! Because id you want to grow spiritually, it will involve going into new territory and taking on new challenges. Fear and growth go together like macaroni and cheese. Your decision to grow is a choice between comfort and risk. Fear is the price of growth. 

Millions of people in churches today could be called "pew potatoes." They don't want to get out of their spiritual Lazy-boys. Yes, they want the comfort associated with spirituality but they don't want the risk and challenge with actually following Jesus. Peter when speaking to Jesus did not ask for a promise {Promise me I won't sink}but He asked for a command, "Lord, if it is you command me" Peter didn't ask for a guarantee, just an opportunity.

We mainly look at Peter as failing but we forget the other disciples still in the boat! The worst failure is to never get out of the boat. It was Peter's willingness to risk failure that helped him to grow.

Record Keeping

I like to keep good records. I keep track of the maintenance of my vehicles. I have a program that keeps track of my spending. I have a log to record my blood sugar. While keeping good records is essential to Christian stewardship, the Bible admonishes as not to keep record of how we have been wronged.

When people hurt us, we have two natural tendencies: remember and retaliate.
But that’s not what 1 Corinthians 13:5 tell us to do: “Love keeps no record of being wronged” (NLT). So how should you respond to the people who have hurt you? How do you handle all off those wounds and hurts that you’ve stockpiled in your memory?You don’t repeat them; you delete them.

The Bible says in Proverbs 17:9, “Love forgets mistakes. Nagging about them parts the best of friends” (LB). It also parts marriages and every other relationship you have. When we repeat our hurt by telling it to other people, gossip! We tell everybody else except God and the person with whom we have the problem. Did you know that God hates gossip? He hates it as much as he hates pride, because that’s what gossip is.

Gossip is pure and simple ego — trying to make ourselves look and feel better. Every time you share gossip, you are being prideful, and God hates pride and gossip. Love keeps no record of wrongs. Love doesn’t repeat a wound so that it turns into resentment or gossip or pride. Love responds to hurt by letting it go.

Love keeps no record of wrongs. Love doesn’t repeat a wound so that it turns into resentment or gossip or pride. Love responds to hurt by letting it go.

"Whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him and let it drop (leave it, let it go), in order that your Father Who is in heaven may also forgive you your own failings and shortcomings and let them drop” (Mark 11:25 AMP).

How Shall We Live?

Just had a very interesting 'conversation.' A person came to me and asked how I would have responded to a situation involving family member whose wife was unfaithful. My response? I told them there are only two questions we need to ask ourselves.

1. How would Jesus respond?
2. What does the Bible say how we should respond?

Their response? "That has nothing to do with it!" Really? I tried to share that it has EVERYTHING to do with it! We Bible commands us to live life as Jesus would. Colossians 2:6 And that we should live according to the principles of God's Word.

People have tried to compartmentalize their lives. Somethings are spiritual while other things are non-spiritual. But for the true Christ-follower; ALL things are spiritual. 1 Cor. 10:31

How much are you worth?

If I were to ask you "How much are you worth?"  your mind will almost automatically begin to calculate how much of this world's goods you God.

Science tells us that if you add all the elements in the average body, the sum total value would be around $160! Doesn't sound like we are very valuable does it?  But in  God's eyes you are priceless.  And so article the people you meet every day.

Jesus wants you to value people-- even the ones you don't like. The Bible says, "Treat everyone you meet with dignity." (1 Peter 2:17 MSG)

Think  of someone you know who has low self esteem. Then, determine this week to show acceptance to that person and affirm his or her value to you and to God. When everybody else treats that person like a nobody  or like she doesn’t matter, you can make her feel like she matters, because she does.

 She matters to God, so she should matter to you.

The Day the Devil Told the Truth

The Bible tells us that Satan is the Father of lies. "...When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies." John 8:44 He is also called a deceiver, hence a liar. His basic nature is flasehood. From the Garden of Eden, and the first sin, his basic method of attack is lying.

But there was one day Satan told the truth. Sort of. In Job chapter one, we find Satan confronting God about one of God's faithful servants, Job. Job 1:1 Job 1:8 Their was no one as godly as Job. And the Bible also tells us that Job had great wealth. It is here Satan tells the truth but twists the truth to question Job's character. "Does Job fear God for nothing?” Satan replied “Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land." Job 1:9-10.

The implication is that the only reason Job serves God is because God has blesses with great wealth. Satan spoke the truth by saying God protected him and had made him wealthy but that was not Job's motivation for loving and serving, as we see later in the Book of Job.

I am sure there are people that try to serve God out of a motive of selfishness. They serve God as long as things go their way and God makes life comfortable. But what if God should lift His 'hedge of protection'? What if God allowed us to lose all our possessions? Do we love and serve Him because of what He does for us and gives to us?

Job gives us our answer: "Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?” In all this, Job did not sin in what he said." Job 2:10. Job motivation for serving was his love for God. This should be our reason as well. 

"We love Him because He first loved us." 1 John 4:19

What's Love Got To Do With It?

Valentines Day is just around the corner.  Florist will do a booming business as well as Hallmark. Stuffed animals and chocolates will be given as gifts. All in the name of love.

Love is probably one of the most misunderstood relationships that human beings expeience. For most people, love is an emotion, how we feel. We love being in love.

Love is an action, not just emotion. Love is something you do.It’s easy to love somebody who loves you, isn’t it? It takes nothing at all. But real love acts and does the loving thing when people don’t deserve it, when they don’t respond, or when you don’t feel it. Actually, acting in love when you don’t feel it is the highest form of love. It’s a more mature love when you act loving toward a person who does not respond the same way.

Jesus commands us to "love our enemies" and do good to those who mistreat us.  I don't know about you but I find it impossible to command my emotions to feel a certain way. But I can DO something even if i don't feel like it!

• For God so loved the world He gave 
• If your enemy is hungry,  feed him
• If your enemy is thirsty, give him a drink

Have you also noticed that it’s easier to act your way into a feeling than it is to feel your way into an action? 

God doesn’t want you living by your  When you love somebody and do the loving thing, even when he’s not responding and even maybe when he’s retaliating, you are loving by faith. That is an action.feelings. He wants you living by faith. 

Conformed? or Transformer?

Several years ago, while helping get our Christian Campground ready for the summer, I observed something that gave me tremendous insight in the lives of many Christians. Two young boys were in the tabernacle "playing church." One was on the platform 'preaching' and the other boy was the 'congregation.' Supposedly the Holy Spirit 'blessed' the congregation of one to the extent he was motivated to get into the aisle, running and praising the Lord. 

Up to this they were not aware of my presence, so when the 'congregation' of one came to the back of the tabernacle, I stepped out of the shadows and wondered how my appearance would affect him. He was not affected at all. When he saw me he said, "Praise the Lord, brother" and never broke his stride. It was then I had my epiphany. 

I realized we have people in our congregation that have been conformed to a lifestyle but they have not been transformed by the Holy Spirit. John 5:24 They know how to conduct themselves. They have watched what Christians do, say, and act  and they conform accordingly. But they know nothing about intimacy with God. They are Chirstian actors but not genuine Christ-followers. 

Vance Havner, an old-fashioned Baptist pastor, once said ,The church has been subnormal for so long, that when it does get back to normal, people think they are abnormal.  

Be All You Can Be

Madison Avenue pays a tremendous amount of money for slogans that will not only catch the public's attention but one that will be remembered.

Several years ago,  the US Army had a TV ad that 7said, "Be all that you can be." That was well thought out because it appeals to man's God-given desire to be his best.

Jesus told His disciples,  "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."  This is a declaration that discipleship is the only true path to freedom, to being all that you were meant to be. If you want that, then Jesus says the way is to become his disciple. This is the path to freedom. It is the only way to be all.

All Bad?

This past Christmas my wife gave personal  jjournals to our daughter and daughter-in-law as gifts. Our 10 year-old granddaughter asked what a journal was and my wife said it was to record all the good things that occur during the new year.

Our grandaughter's reply? "But what if nothing but bad happens?" Spoken like a true pessimist! I guess the staying,  "You find what you are looking for" is true.

It is amazing that two different individuals can view the same situation but have totally different perspectives. That doesn't mean one is right and the other is wrong. It is just different. I tend to be a pessimist but I am trying to be more optimistic in 2014.

1 Corinthians 13:7 says that love "...looks for the best." What are you looking for?

You look just like...

I love movies, especially ones that have tremendous special effects. I enjoy all the 'super-hero' movies because of their special effects. One of those movies, X-men, has a super villain named Mystique. She is a mutant that has the ability to totally change her appearance. She can take on the appearance of anyone she chooses (great ability for a villain) at a moment's notice.

Some people today are obsessed with trying to look like some idol they admire. Herbert Chavez has determined to become like Superman. He has subjected himself to at least nineteen procedures all designed to make him look like the Man of Steel. Justin Jedlica a 32-year-old man has spent about $100,000 so that he could become a living Ken doll.

If human beings can be that passionate about transforming themselves into their idol, surely we Christians should purpose in our hearts to become more like Jesus Christ. It is God's will that His children be conformed to the image of His Son (Jesus Christ) Romans 8:29 It is the Holy Spirit who reproduces the character of Christ within us. That is not a 'super life.' It's a supernatural one.

Are you connected?

With our technology we can "connect"  to anyone around the world in just seconds. Email, cell phones, ipads, Twitter, Facebook, and texting are all a part of our everyday life. But are we truly connected? Do we really have meaningful relationships from being online with someone?  Connections influence our personal identity. Your connections give your life meaning, purpose, and identity. If you grew up in a dysfunctional  family, you probably struggle with who you really are.

Jesus said that the most important thing we should do is love God and love other people (Mark 12:30-31). Life is not about your accomplishments,  your popularity or prestige. It’s about how well you connect (love).

But there are three problems that keep us from loving fully as God intended:

1.We’re all imperfect. There are no perfect relationships because there are no perfect people.

2.Sin disconnects us. Adam and Eve had the first broken relationship and disconnected themselves from God and from each other. We’ve been excusing ourselves and accusing the people we love ever since.

3. The more disconnected we are, the more fearful we become. We crave intimacy, but we fear vulnerability. We crave acceptance, but we fear rejection.

You may not have had a say in the hand you were dealt in life. But God sent his son as your Savior to transform your cards into a winning hand. No matter what connections you’ve made in life, you will be held responsible for what you do with your connections today.

Your DNA

I was in  the mall recently when a group of teenagers walked past me.  I couldn't help but notice that their jeans had holes in them. The amazing thing is these jeans did not have holes in them due to its wear and tear. They were actually designed that way. They are  called "distressed" jeans. The tag reads "These jeans have intentional flaws in order to make them unique. "                                           

Your “genes are the same way: They have flaws that make you unique. Those flaws are part of your custom design, and God planned them for his purpose and glory.

You will never be able to make a change untilyou understand that you are wonderfully complex and uniquely flawed for God’s glory.

Follow the leader - part 2

Last post, we looked at the Apostle Peter's fear of disapproval from the crowd and as a result, he followed the continued to follow Jesus but at a distance (literally). All of us to some extend are influence by our need of approval. It may be a boss, our peers, a congregation, or a spouse. The problems comes when we put approval of others before God's approval. Proverbs 29:25  How can we overcome the fear of disapproval?

• Replace Our Fear of Others with God's approval of us. Peter had initially failed Jesus by his denial. But Peter found out that the only thing stronger than the fear of man's disapproval is the approval of God.Romans 8:31

• Replace Our Fear of Others with love for God. No one can fear man if he gives all his love to Jesus.

• Replace Our Fear of Others with love for others. How many times have we failed to share Christ with someone because we were afraid of rejection? We cannot truly love others if all our energy is directed to protecting ourselves.

• Replace Our Fear of Others with Faith in Him. Jesus told us that "In this world you will have trouble..." But He does not leave us to suffer tribulation alone: " But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

It is possible to be humanly afraid withhout giving into fear. 

Follow the leader

For those who never played the children's game Follow the leader; here is a brief description. First a leader or "head of the line" is chosen, then the children all line up behind the leader. The leader then moves around and all the children have to mimic the leader's actions. Any players who fail to follow or do what the leader does are out of the game. The last person standing other than the leader is now the new leader.

In the Gospels, we read that Jesus was arrested in the garden and was being taken to the religious leaders for a trial. Mt. 26:57-59 Peter and another disciple followed at a distance. Peter feared the crowds and the religious leaders. The fear of people's disapproval will cause us to follow Jesus 'at a distance.' He had not thought through what his commitment to Jesus might mean. Luke 14:28 CEV He made the mistake many of us make; we wait until a crisis to decide what our values are.

I believe that the reason most Christ-followers follow Jesus 'at a distance' is they fear people's disapproval. Peter's unexpected fear is a warning: decide in advance that you will stand by your convictions no matter who tries to intimidate you. 

All human are double minded. Peter wanted the approval of the followers of Jesus for following the Master but he didn't want the disapproval of the Jews for following TOO closely. He was concerned what what might happen to Jesus; he just didn't want it to happen to him.

We can conquer the fear of man. Watch for the next blog for ways to fear God instead of man.

Is That All There Is?

When you compare New Testament Christianity with the lifestyle of today's Christian; there is no question there is a vast difference. If Christians were truly honest with themselves, they would have to admit they not reached their full potential in Christ. And they would also have to admit they have not grown spiritually in years!

It is not my intention to condemn or put anyone on a guilt trip. None of us (including me) have reached our full maturity in Christ. Phil. 1:6 My concern is that most of us have become satisfied having our 'ticket' to heaven that we no longer see the need to exert any effort to deepen our walk with Christ. 

Poet Wilbur Reese wrote:

I would like to buy three dollars worth of God, please.

Not enough or explode my soul or disturb my sleep,

But just enough to equal a cup of warm milk, or a snooze in the sunshine.

I don’t want enough of Him to make me love a black man, 

or pick beets with a migrant worker.

I want ecstasy, not transformation.

I want the warmth of the womb, not a new birth.

I want a pound of the eternal in a paper sack.

I would like to buy three pounds of God, please.

For Paul, Jesus was his everything, it was his life. "To me the only important thing about living is Christ..." Most of us cannot testify that Jesus is the most important thing in our lives. Our life is not built around Him.  People look at our lives and they are often disappointed at what they see. No power. No joy. No peace. They do not see much difference in our lives and theirs. It is time that we:

Rise up, O men of God!

Have done with lesser things.

Give heart and mind and soul and strength

To serve the King of kings.

The Gospel According to Hollywood

I received this picture on Face book and wanted to ask your opinion on something that concerns me: Do the roles actors portray in movies have any bearing on their actual relationship with God? Some celebrities have made public statements about their personal faith and then star in movies that use profanity, nudity, extreme violence, etc. Is this a contradiction? Is it possible to totally separate one's faith and one's career?

Before going any further, allow me to share some disclaimers:
1) I cannot judge or will judge anyone about their personal relationship with God; only God knows their hearts. Matthew 7:1
2) Though I cannot judge the motive/intent of their heart, I can make a decision based on their lifestyle. "Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions." Mt. 7:20 NLT

Personally, I like Mark Wahlerg. I think he is a great actor and I have seen "some" of his movies. This is not an attack on him personally but is there a double standard? One for actors? One for us common folk?

I would really like you thoughts on this subject, so please respond.

Tho't for the day: Expect nothing. Appreciate everything.

Lost At Christmas?

One of the biggest challenges that men face is admitting when they are lost. I cannot tell you how many time I have been "directionally challenged." But if you do not know why we celebrate Christmas, all the festivities are pointless. If you do not know the purpose of Christmas, you too are lost.

Quite simply put Jesus came because people were lost without God. To be spiritually lost means to be separated from God, disconnected and out of whack.Without Jesus, every person in the world is lost - no matter how much power, wealth, or fame they have. Without God, we have lost:

• Our direction. Without Him, we have little idea of where and what we should do in life.
• His protection. The reason so many people are stressed is they realize they are on own their own. They have no sense of His presence or protection.
• Our potential. We'll never half of the gifts and talents we have if we are not in a relationship with Him
• Our happiness. We can everything that the world offers but without God we will never have true joy.
• Our home in Heaven. God allows us to rebel here on earth but there is no rebellion in Heaven.

But the Good News is that no one who is lost has lost one once of value to God. Even if you do not have a relationship with God, you have tremendous value to God. Lostness implies value. Whatever it costs to recover something shows how valuable that item is. You are so valuable to God that : 

"God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son so that whoever believes in him may not be lost, but have eternal life." John 3:16 NCV

That is reason to celebrate tomorrow. 

I Can Do It!

I am sure that most parents remember the daunting task of teaching their children how to tie their own shoes.

Inevitably there comes a time when the child will say,  " I can do it my self!" The wise parent will back off and allow his/her child to attempt to master the feat of knot tying. It is only when the child admits their inability that the parent can truly help them. 

How many times have we,  like children,  told God "I can do this!" Maybe not consciously,  but we try to live the Christian life in our own strength. Someone once said,  "The Christian life is not hard, its impossible!" 

By that they were saying,  it is impossible in our own strength.  If you are having difficulty living the Christian life,  maybe this will help.  Stop struggling and try trusting.  

Jesus told us that without Him we cannot do anytime.