Life in the Light

Are You Possessed?

2012-01-18T12:46:00.004-06:00

"And He came down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and He was teaching them on the Sabbath; and they were amazed at His teaching, for His message was with authority. In the synagogue there was a man possessed by the spirit of an unclean demon, and he cried out with a loud voice, 'Let us alone! What business do we have with each other, Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are—the Holy One of God!' But Jesus rebuked him, saying, 'Be quiet and come out of him!' And when the demon had thrown him down in the midst of the people, he came out of him without doing him any harm. And amazement came upon them all, and they began talking with one another saying, 'What is this message? For with authority and power He commands the unclean spirits and they come out.' And the report about Him was spreading into every locality in the surrounding district" (Luke 4:31-37).

Let's examine a little more closely the demon’s words: “I know who you are—the Holy One of God!” No sooner does the demon utter these words than Jesus tells him, "Be quiet!” Verse 41 tells us, “Demons were also coming out of many, shouting, ‘You are the Son of God!’ But rebuking them, He would not allow them to speak, because they knew Him to be the Christ.” Why was Jesus silencing these demons? Why would He tell them to be quiet? If the whole idea was to display His divine authority, then why would He object to these demons calling Him the Son of God? I think there is a very important reason why Jesus silenced these demons on the issue of His identity. I think it’s because He didn’t want them to have any part in defining who He was.

God and God alone is the only one who has the right to define who we are, and He had already defined Jesus. Remember His words when Jesus was baptized, “You are my beloved Son, in you I am well-pleased (Luke 3:22).” God defines us as well when we arise from the waters of baptism. We become His children. We are identified as Christian. And we must protect our identity by the way that we live. We must guard against identity theft.

The devil is constantly trying to define our identity. He is always trying to challenge our identity as a Christian. That is precisely what he tried to do to Jesus when he tempted Him. In Luke 4:3 the devil says to Jesus, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.” “If you are the Son of God…” One can detect a tone of mockery. Satan questions who Jesus truly is in the hope that He might do the same. Then the devil leads Jesus up to a high place and shows Him all the kingdoms of the world and says to Him, “I will give you all this domain and its glory; for it has been handed over to me, and I give it to whomever I wish” (Luke 4:6). The only catch is that Jesus must bow down and worship the devil. Once again Satan tries to steal Jesus’ identity. He attempts to redefine Him by offering Him a shortcut deal. He promises all the power with no pain. Finally Satan leads Jesus up to Jerusalem and has Him stand on the highest point of the temple. He says, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here" (Luke 4:9). The devil is prompting Jesus to put His power on display. In essence he is saying, "You won’t die prematurely and everyone will immediately accept you as the Messiah." Here again we see Satan trying to coerce Jesus into doing it his way rather than God’s way.

The devil is implying something with the words, “If you are the Son of God?” He’s questioning the identity of Jesus. At the heart of the battle is an issue of identity.
Satan challenges our identity as well. When we’re in the desert. When we feel spiritually depleted and emotionally parched. He whispers in our ear, “You’re not really a child of God. You’re not saved. If you are saved, then why don’t you feel like it? If you love God so much then why do you do so many things wrong? Why are you such a failure? Do you think God loves a failure? Don’t you think God is sick and tired of forgiving you?” The whispers increase and intensify and the more they do the more they prick at your innermost being. Eventually he pulls out the biggest tool in his arsenal—-the past. For some he zeroes in on defining moments; moments we’d like to forget. He focuses on major mistakes, regrettable decisions and dishonorable acts. He uses abuse and rejection; whatever he can to beat you to despondency because he knows that everyone has a past. He is well aware of the fact that everyone has things in their past that they are trying to move beyond. His goal is for you to define yourself by your past failures. We all know personally how disheartening it is when the devil is calling us a failure and has ample evidence with which to prove his point.

Hear something loud and clear: the devil is not authorized to define your identity. He is not the divine authority. God is! Satan may drag up the past, he may use current struggles or he may even speak a certain amount of truth to get your ear. But in the end, not only is his definition of your identity false, it’s also contrary to who the Father has called you to be. Listen to your identity according to the word of the Lord, “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy” (1 Peter 2:9 & 10).

As Christians, we belong to God. We are marked as His own. We bear His identity because we were made in His image. When we made the decision to leave a life of sin, He redefined us. He gave us a new life, and He gave us a new name as well. The name Christian, which literally means "adherents of Christ" or "those who belong to Him." In Galatians 2:20 Paul writes, “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me…” Paul was possessed; not by a demon, but by Christ. He was consumed by Christ. He belonged to Christ. His identity was Christ. Are we possessed? Does our identity reflect the one who purchased us with His own blood?

Knowing Your Enemy--Part 2

2012-01-12T08:23:00.003-06:00

I hear athletes all the time talk about “putting on their game face.” Just prior to competition they get mentally prepared by focusing in on the task at hand. They recall the scouting report. They go over the game plan in their head. They visualize what they must do in order to be successful. Some call it getting into the zone. The “game face” is an intense look an athlete exhibits that shows that he or she is focused and intent on doing whatever it takes to achieve victory.

Satan has his game face on. At times it may be the face of a subtle serpent (Gen. 3:1ff). He attacks through distraction, attempting to take our eyes off of the prize. At times he employs the face of "an angel of light" (2 Cor. 11:13-15). The mission of this face is to deceive. Or, Satan may take on the face of a "roaring lion" (1 Pet. 5:8). The mission of this face is to destroy. We must prepare ourselves for battle by being able to recognize the face. In 2 Corinthians 2:10 & 11 Paul wrote, “But one whom you forgive anything, I forgive also; for indeed what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, I did it for your sakes in the presence of Christ, so that no advantage would be taken of us by Satan, for we are not ignorant of his schemes.” Ignorance is costly when it comes to battling Satan. We must guard our hearts, and we must be keenly aware of his devices.

In chapter 4, verses 7 & 8 of his epistle, James gives us a key piece of strategy for combating the devil: “Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” The language of this passage denotes warfare. James is speaking militarily. A good soldier puts himself in complete subjection to his captain. He will resist by standing bravely in the face of the enemy. God, of course, is our leader, our general and our commander. Strong as the devil is, God never permits Satan to conquer the man who continues to resist him. Satan cannot force the human will; therefore, the man who finds himself closer to God and serving faithfully in His army, finds himself closer to victory.

We must also go into battle prepared. We learn from Jesus, when He faced Satan in the wilderness, that our best weapon is God’s Word. After the devil tempted Jesus to turn the stones into bread, a weary and hungry Christ responded, “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds from the mouth of God (Matt. 4:4).” The Word is our sword in the fight against Satan. It is our most valuable possession when we stand toe to toe with the enemy because it is truth that sustains us in the face of a liar.

Peter gives us another crucial piece of advice. He tells us to "be of sober spirit, be on alert" (1 Pet. 5:8a). The KJV uses the word "vigilant." The idea here is to be awake and mindful to what the devil’s devices are, for he is prowling around searching for his next victim. We must respect our opponent in the sense that we realize what he is capable of. We must watch and we pray. Our senses must be alert to the fact that the devil is always seeking an opportunity to devour us. We must make certain that we are hard to swallow.

There is an outfit out of Union, NJ that calls itself Red Devil Tool Company. Their slogan is: “It’s easy with the devil.” Obviously they are boasting that their tools transform difficult tasks into simple ones. This slogan doesn’t transfer over into life. It's not easy with the devil. Satan presents a beautiful and attractive picture of sin and immorality, but never does he present the entire picture. Never does he show sin’s tragic results: the heartache, the anguish, the dysfunction, the brokenness, the pain and, of course, the separation from God. Life isn’t easy with the devil. In fact, it’s the most difficult life of all. Let’s not be ignorant of his devices. Let’s not fall prey to his lying and deceitful nature. Let's not become the roaring lion's lunch!

Knowing Your Enemy

2012-01-04T09:25:00.003-06:00

Strategy is crucial when fighting a battle. To be successful in war a General must do his homework. He must devise a plan and plot out a course for victory. Perhaps no one was better at this than Hannibal. Hannibal lived around 200 B.C. and is universally ranked as one of the greatest military commanders and tacticians in history. One military historian even dubbed him the father of strategy. Hannibal lived in a period of tension in the Mediterranean with both Carthage and Rome vying for control of the region. Considered by many as the greatest hero of Carthage, Hannibal is best known for his achievements in the Second Punic War, where he defeated the Roman army in a series of battles. Hannibal’s reputation as a brilliant strategist was due, in part, to his decision to use elephants in battle. These war elephants, as they were called, proved to be highly successful. For years Roman soldiers and their horses were ineffective against these elephants. Until one day Hannibal met his match when it came to strategy. A man by the name of Scipio Africanus, commander of the Roman Republic, finally devised a plan for defeating the great Hannibal. At the Battle of Zama, near Carthage, Hannibal entered with 58,000 infantry, 6,000 cavalry and 80 war elephants. The Roman army came in fairly well stocked with soldiers also: 34,000 infantry, 3,000 Roman cavalry and 6,000 Numidian cavalry. They were doomed to fail, however, without the proper strategy. Scipio Africanus made a brilliant strategical move. He used trumpets to fight the battle. By blowing these trumpets the elephants became startled. Realizing that elephants would only charge forward in a straight line, Scipio intentionally left gaps in his line of troops. As the elephants charged through these gaps the Roman soldiers simply picked off Hannibal’s troops as they passed by. Scipio’s troops then fell into formation and continued to march on. Carthage lost approximately 31,000 soldiers and an additional 15,000 were wounded, whereas the Romans only suffered about 1500 casualties. The battle resulted in a loss of respect for Hannibal by his fellow Carthaginians, and eventually he went into voluntary exile. The Battle of Zama also marked the last major battle of the Second Punic War with Rome the victors. The conditions of defeat were such that Carthage could no longer battle for Mediterranean supremacy. Still, to this day, military historians laud the brilliant strategy of Scipio who found success on the battlefield by using his mind before using his weapons.

Strategy is crucial when fighting a battle, and Satan is a highly-skilled tactician. He’s a brilliant strategist. He knows our faults, our weaknesses, our downfalls, our temptations, and it’s his job to exploit them. Satan knows he can’t dethrone God; therefore, he attempts to do the next best thing—-destroy mankind. He makes sin appear attractive. He presents immorality as being pleasant. He promises pleasure but pays with pain. Satan is crafty, cunning and always probing to see what forbidden fruit we will find tempting to our eye.

Ephesians 6:11-12 reads, “Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.” While we are engaged in spiritual warfare, we're also involved in one on one combat. Satan has singled you out. He desires for you to live as far from God as possible. He doesn’t care if you choose to follow him or join the Church of Satan or some other demonic cult. He simply wants you not to choose God, and not to follow Christ.

I once read an article discussing how one of the more difficult things about the Vietnam War was that it was sometimes hard to determine who the enemy was. They didn’t always wear uniforms, nor did they have distinguishing details that pointed them out. One particular U.S. soldier was quoted as saying, “We don’t know who is the enemy and who is friendly, so we walk up and ask them, ‘Are you the enemy?’ and if they answer, ‘Yes,’ we shoot them. Do we know our enemy? Do we know who we are fighting against? Are we wise to his schemes? Are we cognizant of his devices? Do we know how to combat him?

If we are going to be successful in winning the spiritual battle, we must develop a game plan. We must devise a strategy. We must know our opponent, and be confident and prepared to withstand whatever he throws at us. We face a formidable foe, but not an invincible one.

Over the next few posts we will be discussing our great adversary and what we can do to assure victory!

Christmas on Sunday? How Inconvenient!

2011-12-13T10:52:00.007-06:00

Many churches are cancelling services this Christmas since it falls on a Sunday. I intended to blog about this inconsistency, then I read a recent post from my friend Steve Higginbotham. Like always, he says it much better than I ever could; therefore, I have included his thoughts below. For more of Steve's insightful thoughts go to www.PreachingHelp.org.

I’ve been reading in the news lately of several churches who are deciding to cancel their Bible classes and worship services on Christmas Day because it falls on Sunday. Several rather influential churches have announced that they are closing their doors on Christmas day, which of course, falls on Sunday this year. Apart from the obvious inconsistency in this practice and their oft repeated statement, “Jesus is the reason for the season,” there is another factor I would like for you to consider.

According to these churches, the reason for closing their doors on Christmas is because they value families, and want families to be able to spend time together. Having to schedule opening presents, a meal with all the trimmings, and all that goes along with Christmas, around Bible study and worship service is considered too inconvenient, so those who have preached we need to put “Christ back into Christmas,” will be locking the doors to their houses of worship, keeping those who have accepted their message locked outside in the cold.

But now consider. Where will this end? How long will it take for someone to see the logical end of such a position, and call for its implementation less sporadically. Imagine this Spring the following AP News Headline…Churches Cancel Worship Services Since Easter Falls On Sunday. “In order to promote family time, churches across America will be closing their doors on Easter Sunday so that families won’t be inconvenienced with having to schedule their Easter egg hunts and Easter egg paintings around Bible study and worship…”

Who are we fooling? This isn’t about valuing family. It’s about individualism. It’s about consumerism. It’s about having what we want, when we want it, the way we want it. And apparently, even God can’t be allowed to get in the way.

Friends, while I value my family and respect others who value theirs, I am reminded that family should not be elevated above my relationship to the Lord. It was Jesus who said, “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple” (Luke 14:26).

Are these churches really prepared to stand by their logic which elevates family over the Lord when special occasions fall on Sunday? If so, I wonder what will occur on Easter, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Labor Day Weekend, 4th of July, President’s Day, Groundhog Day, etc… I guess time will tell.

Steve Higginbotham

What Tim Tebow Can't Do

2011-12-06T09:47:00.003-06:00

The following is an article by Jason Gay that appeared recently in "The Wall Street Journal." I found it to be a good read in light of all the criticism (some very unwarranted) that Tim Tebow has faced. Tim's uncle, James, is one of our Deacons at Oldham Lane, so I do have somewhat of an association. I don't know Tim personally, but I do root for him, if for no other reason than because he stands for something in a world that has little to no conviction. And what he stands for is the best thing anyone could stand for--faith in Christ Jesus. I applaud Tim Tebow for having such a faith, even when it is constantly under attack.

What Tim Tebow Can't Do
By Jason Gay

He cannot fly. He cannot see through walls. He cannot talk to the animals, not even cats. He's never picked up an automobile and tossed it across the road. He's failed to publish poetry in Russian. He can't explain Ryan Reynolds.

These are just a few of the many things Tim Tebow can't do.

Every day we are reminded of more things Tim Tebow can't do. He cannot throw a proper pass. He cannot stand still in the pocket. He can't run a conventional offense. He runs, but he doesn't run gracefully. He runs upright and frantic. He runs like he's stealing a toaster from the mall.

He's a cavalcade of failures. Why the Denver Broncos give him a paycheck, nobody knows.

Because Tim Tebow never lets you relax. He never puts a football game away in the first quarter. He forces you to watch the whole thing, with commercials and no fast-forwards. It's never pretty.

He doesn't put up Tom Brady's numbers. He doesn't put up Tom Brokaw's numbers. He's not impressing Broncos legend John Elway. John Elway acts as if he'd let the Broncos bus abandon Tim Tebow at a rest stop.

"Oh, where's Tim?" John Elway would say forty miles down the road. "Hmmm, that's too bad."

You can see why Elway's unconvinced. Tim Tebow can't do it the normal way. Tim Tebow can't get through an interview without mentioning his faith. Or giving credit to his teammates. Tim Tebow never sounds full of Tim Tebow.

He doesn't even get mad when people say nasty things about him. When people say Tim Tebow needs to improve, Tim Tebow says he needs to improve. Who does that?

Nothing seems to rattle him. He smiles and doesn't sulk. When Tim Tebow is bummed, he doesn't pull down the blinds, blast the Fleetwood Mac and drink red wine out of a Mason jar, like everybody else does. He's a total weirdo.

Do you know what else Tim Tebow has never done?

Tim Tebow has not climbed all Seven Summits. He's never built an invisible jet or hosted the Country Music Awards. If he has solved the mystery of Loch Ness, or washed dishes at The French Laundry, it's never been written about. Tim Tebow's portrait does not hang in the Louvre. Sandra Bullock has never made a Tim Tebow movie. Tim Tebow has never made a Sandra Bullock movie.

Sure, Tim Tebow has been on the cover of Sports Illustrated, but has he been on the cover of Dwell or Bon Appetit? That's right: no. Loser!

Do you know that Tim Tebow has never hosted a late-night talk show in Denmark? That he's never been the CEO of The Gap? That he wasn't a serious candidate to be manager of the Red Sox? Tim Tebow has never won a professional motocross race. He's never even come in second in a professional motocross race. Tim Tebow did zero to solve the NBA lockout. Zilch.

Here is a small list of other things Tim Tebow has never won:

Wimbledon, a MacArthur "Genius" grant, "Project Runway," "The Price is Right," the Nathan's Famous hot dog eating contest, the Booker Prize or a Grammy for best spoken-word album.

That's embarrassing. Why do people care about him?

Yes, Tim Tebow beat the Miami Dolphins, the Oakland Raiders, the Kansas City Chiefs, the New York Jets and the Chargers of San Diego. But Tim Tebow has not beaten the Detroit Lions. Or the Detroit Pistons. Or the Detroit Red Wings. Or Manny Pacquiao. Or Dara Torres. Or Real Madrid. Or Gary Kasparov.

Tim Tebow doesn't fight the law, but if he did, the law would surely win. Okay, maybe not.

Despite all of these issues, people still like Tim Tebow, which is mystifying. It's as if they can't recognize his flaws. They're blinded by hype. They're willfully ignorant. They want to believe in a myth.

One day they will see all of Tim Tebow's shortcomings. How he's never once sang O Canada at a Vancouver Canucks game. How he's never captured a live dinosaur. How he's too chicken to run for President.

Tim Tebow never, ever makes everybody happy. He can't really do anything besides win football games. Since when did anyone care about that?

Happy Thanksliving!

2011-11-21T10:40:00.004-06:00

Six weeks into the wilderness, the Israelites had to say good-bye to Elim with its 70 date palms and its springs of water. As their food supply dwindled, they began to feel stranded and betrayed. Although God had provided for them before, they still lacked confidence. Their hunger and the hot sand made their faith evaporate. Instead of recalling all that God had done for them up to this point, they moaned and groaned over their current situation. Rather than trusting in God’s divine leadership, they began questioning His leader.

Exodus 16:1-3 reads, “Then they set out from Elim, and all the congregation of the sons of Israel came to the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after their departure from the land of Egypt. The whole congregation of the sons of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. The sons of Israel said to them, ‘Would that we had died by the Lord’s hand in the land of Egypt, when we sat by pots of meat, when we ate bread to the full; for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.’”

The Israelites’ disgruntlement was voiced to Moses, but it was really directed at God. Although Moses was their physical leader, God was their divine guide. So, while they were accusing Moses of bringing them out of the desert just to watch them die, it was really the Almighty that they were being critical of. It didn’t take long for the Israelites to become spoiled, and their self-indulgence led to short-term memory loss.
They forgot about the harsh treatment they had to endure in Egypt; the oppression, the beatings, the humiliation. They also forgot about the miraculous power of God on display when He brought the 10 plagues upon Egypt, and their song of victory at the Red Sea. They had also forgotten the sweet water of Marah and the 12 springs of Elim.God was their map and compass, their protector and provider, but their self-absorbed pessimism had blinded them to the joy of their past deliverance. Now Egypt suddenly looked better than the wilderness. “Would that we had died by the Lord’s hand in the land of Egypt!" How could they be so ungrateful? How could they have forgotten so quickly the gracious blessings and wonderful providence of God?

Before we condemn the Israelites, let us examine our own lives. Are we guilty of taking our blessings for granted? Do we find ourselves moaning and groaning when we should be thanking and praising? Having an attitude of gratitude means being thankful for what we have rather than being disgruntled over what we lack. The Apostle Paul wrote, “Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need” (Phil. 4:11 & 12). Paul had learned the secret of how to be filled and how to be hungry. What was his secret? He gives the answer in verse 13: “I can do all things through Him [Christ] who strengthens me.” The secret to Paul’s strength was not Paul; it was Christ. Paul had learned how to find contentment in any and every situation because he had learned that the source of contentment does not rest in circumstances or conditions. Contentment is found in Christ and, therefore, can be enjoyed even in the midst of great suffering.

Thanksgiving is a holiday that I am somewhat ambivalent about. On one hand I really enjoy it, mainly because I like to eat. On the other hand, I am not fond of the concept of dedicating one day a year to being thankful. As Christians, thanksgiving should be an every day event. We have been blessed beyond measure. We should have an attitude of gratitude that expresses itself each and every day of our lives as we give all glory to the source of our blessings.

Like the song states, "Count your many blessings, name them one by one. Count your many blessings see what God has done." May we continuously count our blessings, not just one Thursday in November, but each and every day.

Shane's Song

2011-11-09T18:42:00.001-06:00

When I was living in Missouri, I had the pleasure of meeting Shane. Shane was a resident at Red Rose Inn, a retirement home in our community. I am not certain what caused Shane's condition, but he was at Red Rose Inn because he could not take care of himself. Although he was probably only in his mid 30's, Shane was confined to a wheelchair, unable to walk or speak clearly and had very little control of his arms. I met Shane when I started visiting Red Rose Inn for our monthly church singing. Every third Sunday of the month a group from the Mill Street Church of Christ would meet at Red Rose to sing to the residents, and Shane was always anxiuosly awaiting our arrival. He would take a songbook and sit right beside me, and as we sang a few songs he would be singing right along with us; belting out a noise that didn't sound anything like the song we were singing, but brought a smile to his face nonetheless. And even though his mouth could not form the words and his tone was a deafening shriek, he gave his best effort in singing praises to the Lord.

One dear old lady, who was also a resident there, would get quite upset at this display. She would always scold Shane for singing. I guess his joyful noise was not all that joyful to her. I, however, couldn't help but wonder, "What does God think of Shane's singing?" And, although I cannot know for certain, I feel confident that God was very impressed with his vocal performance. I think Shane's cries of praise touched God deeply. What was a rather ear-shattering sound to us, I think was a beautiful anthem to our Lord.

Shane had been dealt a pretty hard hand in life; confined to a wheelchair, living in a nursing home, limited use of his limbs and very little ability to communicate. And, yet, despite his lot in life, he felt compelled to sing. I respect Shane greatly for his courage to sing out, even though his song was not all that soothing to the ears. I admire him for still having a song in his heart in spite of what he has to endure on a daily basis. It is my hope and prayer that Shane always sings out. After all, his song is not for me or for anyone else; it's for His Lord.

Under Pressure by Keely McCurley

2011-11-03T07:51:00.001-05:00

I’m going to be completely honest with you. Let’s just get this out of the way. I’m not perfect. I face hardships every day, just like many of you who are faithful Christians. I make a lot of mistakes.

It’s hard being a preacher’s kid. I deal with what every Christian deals with. I struggle with all the sin that the world pushes on me. Some try to help me in my struggle. They are a little more cautious about what they say around me. Some simply don’t care. They talk worse around me than they do others. And others will avoid the preacher’s kid because he/she can’t go to parties, say certain things, etc.
I’ve been fortunate enough to have good friends that look after me. One friend will even cover my ears when someone starts swearing in front of me. Friends like that are great to have around. Others don’t have it so easy. I mean, why do you think preacher’s kids get such a bad reputation of being the “rebel child?” They don’t want to live up to the expectations and be left out of the “in crowd.” They don’t have someone to hold them accountable.

It’s important to always keep in mind the words of Peter in 1 Peter 2:9, which reads, “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of the darkness into his marvelous light.”

I’d like to leave you with this thought: no matter what happens, no one can make you sin, that is a personal choice. Read Romans 12:9-21. Here, Paul gives the reader every righteous virtue of a Christian. It’s a hard checklist to follow, but I know that if I can work on one quality a week, I’ll be prepared and become a better Christian because of it. God bless you on your journey.

The Christian & Facebook

2011-11-01T13:43:00.004-05:00

Is the world obsessed with Facebook? Consider these staggering statistics.

* As of 2011, there are 500 million active Facebook users; that’s approximately 1 in every 13 people on earth. Half of them are logged in on any given day.
* 71.2% of the U.S. web audience is on Facebook. About 70% of the Facebook userbase resides outside the U.S.
* 48% of 18 to 34 year olds check Facebook right when they wake up. About 28% check Facebook on their smart phones before even getting out of bed.
* The 18 to 24 college-age demographic grew the fastest at 74% in one year.
* The 35+ demographic now represents more than 30% of the entire userbase.
* 48% of young Americans said that they got their news from Facebook.
* A record-breaking 750 million photos were uploaded to Facebook over New Year’s weekend.
* Facebook was the most searched term in 2010 for the second year running. “Facebook Login” and “Facebook.com” were the second and fifth most popular U.S. search terms in 2010, respectively.
* Combined, Facebook-related searches accounted for 3.48% of the top 50 searches of 2010; that’s a 207% jump from 2009.

In just 20 minutes on Facebook there are…
* 1 million links shared.
* 1,484,000 event invites.
* 1,972,000 friend requests accepted.
* 2,716,000 photos uploaded.
* 2,716,000 messages sent.
* 1,851,000 status updates.
* 1,587,000 wall posts.
* And 10,208,000 comments made.#

I think it’s safe to say that a large portion of our society and the world has become obsessed with Facebook. But is it a healthy obsession? The internet can be a fascinating tool. It can be used in a very productive and beneficial way. However, it can be just as destructive and just as detrimental to those surfing the web. Like a lot of things, we must be wise about using this resource. We must have our filter turned on. And we must be careful not to allow ourselves to become obsessed. Many of the 206 million internet users have been sucked into cyberspace to the point that they no longer live in reality, and Facebook is just one of the more popular sites that have consumed the individual.

Should a Christian be on Facebook? Yes, if they understand the proper usage. Yes, if they keep it in its proper perspective. Yes, if they use Facebook as a means to tell the world about Christ. No, if they allow it to control their lives. No, if they use Facebook in an unChrist-like manner. If a Christian is using Facebook to spread gossip, to slander, to lie, to post pictures that are clearly inappropriate, to have a cyber-affair, etc., then, NO, they shouldn't be on Facebook, or any other social networking site for that matter.

Facebook has become a god for some. The essence of idolatry is bowing down to something other than God; giving our allegiance to something that is not God. It’s not just about bowing down to a statue or worshiping a graven image. It’s allowing something else to take control of our heart. Few of us would ever think that our use of Facebook or the internet or video games, etc., could ever reach that level, but consider the amount of time and energy that is given to these things. Is an inordinate amount of time spent engaged in these activities, especially when compared to your personal bible study, prayer or even worship? Are you ignoring the will of God to devote time to these things? Generally speaking, how is your relationship with the heavenly Father? Are you giving the much needed time and attention to this most important relationship, or are you too entrenched in technological entertainment to foster an intimacy with God?

Another pitfall connected with Facebook concerns the honoring of our spouse. Perhaps the greatest benefit to Facebook is the fact that it allows one to reconnect with old friends. You can catch up, get reacquainted and talk about the good old days. It’s a wonderful tool when it comes to reestablishing relationships. But, like a lot of things, it can be abused. More and more individuals are having cyber-affairs on Facebook. Men are reverting back to their teen-age years and reconnecting with old flames. Women are flirting with men from their past. It’s an emotional affair. It’s an illicit relationship, just without the physical sex. The cyber world can be a barren wasteland. Sin is around every corner, and it has infiltrated Facebook. Some older men and women post very immodest and revealing pictures that border on pornography, all for the purpose of catching a wandering eye. Are you secretly looking for that old boyfriend or girlfriend? Are you already caught up in adultery through the sending of messages and photos? Are you being unfaithful to your spouse by using Facebook in this manner? If so, log out, deactivate your account, smash the computer into a thousand little pieces, do whatever it takes to be faithful to your God and to your spouse.

Is the allure of Facebook causing you to steal from your employer? All across this nation, employees are sitting in their cubicle, staring at a computer screen, but often what appears on that screen is not the work they have been hired to do. Countless employees are logging on at work, not so much to do their work but to shop online, to surf the web and, yes, to use Facebook. Many employees are not giving a full day’s work because they’re spending time at Farmville or posing as a Mafia Don or a sorority girl. Are you spending your hours at work or at play? If you’re spending work-time by playing on Facebook, how is that not stealing from the company? Are you not robbing your employer when they are paying you to do a job, but instead of doing that job you’re playing on the computer?

Are you lying on Facebook? Is the person you present on Facebook the real you? Are you being deceptive by selling yourself as someone you’re not? Some go out of their way to fool others and themselves into believing they are something that they’re not. It may sound and seem rather harmless, but lying is still a sin.

Are you gossiping on Facebook? Gossip saturates our society. Virtually everyone likes a juicy piece of gossip. Facebook allows the gossiper to get the latest rumor out even though they are unable to speak face to face with another. Don’t post things that should be kept private. Don’t post and re-post sensitive information. And don’t use Facebook as a platform to relay hear-say, half-truth or rumor. Like lying, gossip seems so harmless, but it’s still a sin.

Letting your light shine applies just as much to the cyber world as it does the world we live in. If, as a Christian, you’re going to use Facebook then understand the opportunity it affords you. How many of the 500 million active Facebook users in the world are Christians? My guess is the percentage is extremely low. That means Christians have a wonderful opportunity to show and preach Christ to others. And we must always remember that whether it be online or out in the real world, we represent more than ourselves. The Apostle Paul wrote, “For not one of us lives for himself, and not one dies for himself; for if we live, we live for the Lord, or if we die, we die for the Lord; therefore whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s” (Rom. 14:7-8). We are representative of the One we follow; therefore, everything we say, everything we do, everything we think, everything we look upon, everything we type, must reflect our identity.

# Facebook Statistics, Stats & Facts for 2011. Digital Buzz Blog. Jan 18, 2011. http://www.digitalbuzzblog.com/facebook-statistics-stats-facts-2011/.

Watch Your Mouth!

2011-10-18T13:42:00.003-05:00

The tongue is a very interesting organ. We use it to taste our food, to eat and to aid in digestion. We use it to show our dislike for something or someone as we stick it out. We can use it to lick stamps or an envelope. We use it to tell our friends how much we love them, and then use it to gossip about them behind their backs. We use it to sing songs of praise to God on Sunday and to utter curse words with our buddies on Monday. We use it to uplift a person and to tear them down. We use it to pray to God and slander fellow Christians.

A word can accomplish nearly anything and everything. Some were told that they were worthless and would never amount to anything, and they believed it. Some were told they were ugly and have lived as an ugly person ever since. Some were gossiped about or lied to, and now they don’t trust anyone. But then there are those who have risen to incredible heights because someone believed in them when no one else did. Words of encouragement gave them the confidence they so desperately needed. There are some who have great security and confidence because someone has never forgotten to tell them and show them that they are loved. Some of us have heard the words, “I forgive you,” and it has made all the difference. Words can create us and they can destroy us. The tongue is vital, but it’s also volatile.

Peter confidently told the Lord, “Even if I have to die with you, I will not deny you” (Matt. 26:35). And with the very same tongue He denied Jesus with oaths and cursing (Matt. 26:69-75). James says that the “tongue is a fire.” Fire can be used to bring warmth and to cook food. Fire can be used for some good things. But used in the wrong way, it can cause immeasurable pain, even death. For the same organ to produce both good and bad, righteous and unrighteous speech, is inconsistent at best and sinful at worst. Christians are commanded to bless and not curse. Paul says so in Romans 12:14, “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.” To praise God and curse men with the very same tongue is contrary to the nature and character of a Christian. James drives this point home in verses 11 and 12 of James Chapter 3:

“Does a fountain send out from the same opening both fresh and bitter water? Can a fig tree, my brethren, produce olives, or a vine produce figs? Nor can salt water produce fresh.”

The answer to all of these rhetorical questions that James' asks is, of course, “No!” The reason being is because it would defy their very nature. And the same reasoning applies to the Christian.

My friends, we need to get control of our tongues. We need to be fully aware of the power our tongue has—both for good and for evil. We need recognize the devastation that is caused when we lie, gossip, slander, are overly critical, rude, mean-spirited, condescending, insulting, etc. We may not can change the world, but let’s work on changing our little part of the world. Let’s make certain that we are using our tongue for all the right reasons. Let’s make sure we our affirming who we are by the things that we say!

“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my rock and my Redeemer” (Psa. 19:14).

Letting Your Light Shine

2011-10-06T14:17:00.004-05:00

Former professional basketball player, Charles Barkley, is almost as famous for running his mouth as he is for being the "Round Mound of Rebound." Several years ago he made the emphatic statement, “I am not a role model!” What Sir Charles didn’t realize, or just refused to recognize, is that, like it or not, he was a role model. Millions of young kids watched him play basketball. They wore his jersey. They bought his shoes. They imitated his jump shot. They aspired to be like him. He may not have asked for it. He may not have particularly liked it, but the influence could not be denied.

Whether you are a professional athlete or just an average Joe like me, we all have influence. Some have a grander stage, but we all have the power to influence others, whether for good or bad. What Charles Barkley failed to acknowledge is that, as a professional basketball player, he didn’t just represent himself. He represented the fans, the organization he played for, his teammates and his family. Every time he acted out by throwing a fit on the court or by getting in trouble off the court, he cast a negative light on himself and all those who were associated with him.

As Christians, we have to understand that we represent more than just ourselves. Romans 14:7-8 reads, “For not one of us lives for himself, and not one dies for himself; for if we live, we live for the Lord, or if we die, we die for the Lord; therefore whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s.”

Remember the words of Jesus in Matthew 5:14: “You are the light of the world.” Remember that in John 8:12 Jesus claimed to be the "light of the world." Scripture also tells us that God is light (1 Jn. 1:5). Therefore, Jesus is paying us quite a compliment when He refers to us as lights of the world. It would mean that we share in the characteristics of God and Jesus. It also means that He demands nothing less than for us to be like Him. The light we shine is not our own. We are not light because of some illuminating power within us. We are light because of our connection to the source of light— Jesus Christ. The light we shine is a reflection of Him; therefore, it’s not about us and whether we want to be a role model or not. We are! Our influence is directly connected to our identity. Because of who we are and who we represent, we are to be influential.

Like it or not, we all have influence. The question is: Are we a good influence or a bad influence?

"Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven." -Matthew 5:16

A Church without Walls!

2011-09-27T12:23:00.004-05:00

In the year ahead, the Oldham Lane Church of Christ will be in the process of expanding its auditorium to accommodate our recent growth. Building projects can be very exciting. They can also be an enormous headache. When finished, the new, renovated auditorium will be able to seat about 750 to 800 people comfortably.

Without a doubt, expansion beats the alternative. We would much rather be growing than declining. However, it is my prayer that the church never becomes confined by its 4 walls. Church statistics indicate that when an auditorium reaches 80% capacity that worshipers, especially visitors, will tend to look elsewhere. Its like going to a restaurant. If the place is packed with nowhere to sit, you typically won't go back, even if the food was good. Similarly, people will get discouraged if they have trouble finding a seat or a parking space. So the elders at Oldham Lane have decided to pay close attention to this trend and make the necessary arrangements to accommodate potential members. I agree with this step. I think the added space is necessary. If we're going to make it our mission to be a soul-saving church then we need a place for God's people to come and worship and fellowship. My only contention, as I stated previously, is that sometimes we put too much stock in a building and don't invest enough in the souls.

We should never adhere to the mindset of Ray in the movie "Field of Dreams"--"If you build it, they will come." We must go! We must step beyond the walls of our building and seek those who are lost. Christianity is not something that occurs at a building, twice a week, at an agreed upon time. Christianity must go with us in the world. We must be a people who strive to be a light in the community around us and who preach a sermon every day by the way that we live.

I am excited about this building project. I appreciate the foresight of our elders. I am thankful that we have a facility to congregate in every Sunday and Wednesday that shields us from the elements and allows us to worship the Father in total comfort. But it is just a facility. We could sit on the hot pavement in the parking lot and still worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The church is not a building made of brick and mortar. The church is us! It's the people! It's brothers and sisters in Christ who have been called out to make a difference in this world. A building should never confine us. We must be a church without walls.

Battle at Kruger

2011-09-21T08:16:00.000-05:00

Some have asked, "Why is the Youth Group at Oldham Lane called "The Herd." This video explains it.

Enjoy, and think about the many spiritual applications!

More Dogs, Less Cats!

2011-09-13T11:10:00.003-05:00

The following is an excerpt from a recent press conference with Coastal Carolina Head Football Coach David Bennett, the 2010 Big South Conference Coach of the Year. As a former coach, I always appreciate the passion, the zeal and the humor of coaches!

A Cry for Forgiveness!

2011-09-07T08:48:00.004-05:00

Many of us struggle with forgiveness. Do I have to forgive someone who continues to let me down? Must I forgive someone who takes advantage of me? Do I have to forgive one who doesn’t ask for it? Forgiveness seems like a novel idea until you are the one who has to do it. Perhaps nowhere is our questions concerning forgiveness answered more clearly than at the cross.

Jesus approached the topic of forgiveness on many occasions during His earthly ministry.
“For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, then your heavenly Father will not forgive your transgressions” (Matt. 6:14 & 15).

In Matthew 18:21 & 22, Peter asks the question, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” Jesus answers, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven."

In Mark 11:25 & 26 it reads, “Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father who is in heaven will also forgive your transgressions. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father who is in heaven forgive your transgressions.”

Luke 6:37 states, “Do not judge, and you will not be judged; and do not condemn, and you will not be condemned; pardon, and you will be pardoned.”

In Luke 11, verse 4, as part of The Model Prayer, Jesus tells His disciples they should pray, “And forgive us our sins, for we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us.”

FORGIVENESS IS COMMANDED! Jesus stated, in no uncertain terms, that “if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” This means that an ongoing relationship with God becomes severely strained when we refuse to extend forgiveness to those who have inflicted harm. People cannot be tightly connected with God, experience His favor or have an optimal relationship with Him and at the same time be stubbornly unforgiving toward others. When we do so, we are trivializing the suffering that Jesus went through to extend forgiveness to us.

WE SHOULD FORGIVE BECAUSE OUR HEAVENLY FATHER HAS FORGIVEN US. Forgiveness hinges on our ability to see ourselves and other people from God’s perspective. All of us have received what we didn’t deserve. Someone died for you. Someone gave their life as an atoning sacrifice so that you could have forgiveness. And there is nothing that anyone has or could ever do to us that would exceed what we have done to God. Any wrong that has been perpetrated against us could never compare to what Jesus went through to extend forgiveness to us.

We must show mercy as we have been shown mercy. And if we refuse to do so, our Heavenly Father will not grant us forgiveness. If our master can forgive the astronomical debt we owe Him, then certainly we can forgive others the paltry debt they owe us. Because nothing we have to forgive can even faintly or remotely compare with what we have been forgiven of. When man had done his worst, Jesus prayed, not for justice, but for mercy. He pleaded that His enemies would be absolved of their evil actions when He cried out, "Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing" (Lk. 23:34). And He prayed this, not after His wounds had healed and after He had time to get over it, look back and reflect. No, He prayed this while His wounds were still open.

SO OFTEN IT’S NOT FORGIVENESS WE OFFER, BUT REVENGE WE SEEK. Do we have enough faith to leave justice in the hands of God? Hebrews 10:30 states, “‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay.’ And again, ‘The Lord will judge His people.’ It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”
Romans 12:19ff reads, “Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord. But if your enemy is hungry, feed him, and if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap burning coals on his head. Do not overcome evil with evil, but overcome evil with good” (Rom. 12:19-21). We tend to view forgiveness is a show of weakness. Forgiveness means we’re condoning the perpetrator’s actions. We believe that the perpetrator should suffer for a while.

On the cross we see Jesus void of pride. As the nails were being driven through His body, when the pain was fiercest, when the jolts of anguish were the sharpest; He prayed! When His nerves were the most tender and the agony most unimaginable; He prayed for the criminals. How could He do such a thing? Because Jesus was about the Father’s business. Remember His prayer in the garden—“Yet not as I will, but as you will?” Jesus still called God “Father” while being treated unjustly. Jesus had confidence in the Father. In His darkest moment, Jesus was nailed to a cross but He clung to the Father. Jesus had the power to come down from the cross and wipe all His persecutors from the face of the earth. But on the cross we see a Man who showed incredible restraint, choosing forgiveness instead of revenge; all because He deferred to the Father. Do we have enough faith to leave justice in the hands of our heavenly Father? Can we say “Father” when we are being crucified?

FORGIVENESS DOESN’T MEAN THE DISMISSAL OF WRONGDOING. In Luke 17:3 it reads, “If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him.” The two imperatives, “rebuke” and “forgive,” are conditional. I may not rebuke my brother for a sin he has not committed; nor may I forgive him of a sin which he refuses to repent of. While we are to cultivate a forgiving attitude, we are not at liberty to simply dismiss a brother’s evil, thus freeing him from his obligation to get things right with God. The transgressor must still be held accountable for his reprehensible conduct. We can forgive the one who sins against us, but we cannot bring about the ultimate absolution of sin before God. It’s important that we let a brother who has sinned against when they have sinned in the sight of God as well.

FORGIVENESS IS MORE OF AN ATTITUDE THAN AN ACT. Just prior to Jesus’ telling of The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant, Peter asks the question, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” Peter thought he was being generous; he probably thought he was really going to impress Jesus by suggesting that he should forgive a brother 7 times. The Pharisees only required a person to forgive 3 times. But Jesus responds by telling Peter not to even stop at 7; the number He uses is 70 times 7, but we mustn’t take this to mean a literal 490 times lest we miss the point. Peter understood that when a person sins against another and repents, he must be forgiven, but Peter must have been astonished when Jesus said that you must forgive your brother 70 times 7. What Jesus was saying was that as long as a man is sincere in repenting, one must continue to forgive him. There is no limit. One is to forgive as often as his brother repents because this is the way God does it.

But what about the one who never seeks forgiveness from me? Do I still have to forgive him? The answer is still, “Yes!” There are some who would say, “I don’t have to forgive if the one who has wronged me doesn’t ask for forgiveness.” But that’s a selfish way of thinking. It’s a prideful statement as well. Jesus prayed for His enemies from the cross! An attitude of forgiveness is about what you need to do in order to be like Christ. It is true that you cannot control the actions of other human beings. You can only control yourself; therefore, in order to be Christ-like, you must do what it takes to rid your heart of bitterness, anger and hatred because such things can ruin us spiritually. Paul writes in Ephesians 4:31, “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.” How do you put away all bitterness and wrath and anger? Well, one definite way to do so is through a heart of forgiveness. Your willingness to let go of an offense through a heart of forgiveness does not absolve the guilty party. They should still seek forgiveness, but you cannot control what they do. All you can do is make certain that you are living Christ-like.

If Jesus had come down from the cross, His prayer could not have been answered. In other words, Jesus went as far as humanly possible to see to it that His persecutors could have forgiveness. He didn’t just die for the good people. He died for the criminals; the very people who mocked Him, ridiculed Him, spit in His face, tortured and crucified Him. Let us think about that the next time we personally contemplate forgiveness.

Be Good for Goodness' Sake

2011-08-30T10:20:00.003-05:00

When I was very small, my mom would take me and drop me off every morning at Ms. Melba’s Pre-School. Each and every morning before she would give me a kiss and leave me for the day she would get down on my level, look me straight in the eye and with a stern tone to her voice, she would say, “You be good, you hear me?” And I would always respond, “I will.” What did she mean by that? I’m pretty sure she meant, “Act better here than you do at home.” “Be good” meant to act right, to listen to Ms. Melba, and do as I was told so that I would not get in trouble and have to miss Bozo the clown or juice and cookies.

To my knowledge, I was always good. I can never remember being bad enough to get in trouble, and I’m sure I would have remembered because my mom would have beat me half to death when I got home. But here’s the all important question, was I good because I loved my mom and, more than anything, I didn’t want to disappoint her? Or, was I good because I just didn’t want to get in trouble? The answer is perhaps a little of both, but probably the latter more than the former.

Are we seeking goodness for fear of the alternative? Or, are we seeking goodness because we love God so deeply that we want to please Him in everything that we do? Are we seeking goodness because we know where bad people go and we don’t want to go there? Or, are we seeking goodness because, above all else, we desire to be who the Heavenly Father wants us to be? Certainly we should desire to be good considering the alternative. Anyone who knows anything about the reality of hell would never want to go there. But, more than a strong desire not to go to hell, we should have a stronger desire to do good because we love God so much and, as His children, we want to do everything in our power not to disappoint Him. That should be what drives us. That should be what motivates us. That should be why we seek to promote goodness in a world that desperately needs more of it!

The Great Omission

2011-08-23T08:26:00.003-05:00

How important is focus? Focus is crucial in many things. We hear about the importance of focus when it comes to sports. Reporters, coaches and athletes talk about keeping your eye on the goal and staying focused. This is something I reiterate to young kids when I’m coaching baseball. I see so many young athletes strike out or make an error and they fall apart. They hang their head and start crying. I tell them, “You’ve got to forget about it and move on. You’ll have other opportunities. Maintain your focus. Your team needs you!” Focus is also highly important in our careers. Each person in the workforce, regardless of their chosen profession, must stay focused on the task at hand in order to get the job done. Failure to focus can lead to poor performance and, perhaps, even losing a job if it becomes habit.

Focus is critical when it comes to our spiritual lives as well. With so many things tugging at us from every direction, it’s easy for us to get sidetracked and lose sight of what’s most important. Christians have done some noble deeds and stood for some worthy causes in the past. We have protested certain injustices. We have tried to block legislation that would make certain sinful acts legal. We have marched in the picket lines. We have joined the tea parties. We have preached against various heresies from the pulpit. But in my estimation, we have allowed these efforts to distract us from our real purpose. Should we ignore social ills? Should we not speak out against sin? Should we avoid politics? Should we stop preaching against error? Absolutely not! That’s not what I’m saying at all. What I am saying is that we can’t lose focus. We mustn’t forget what we’re supposed to be about. I'm speaking, of course, about EVANGELISM!

In Acts Chapter 5 the apostles were thrown in prison for healing the sick and preaching Christ. This prison could not hold God’s messengers for in the night an angel of the Lord comes and opens the gates. Notice the command of the angel: “Go, stand and speak to the people in the temple the whole message of this Life” (Acts 5:20). They were not told to go and tell people how terrible the world is. They were not told to go and picket or organize a protest. They were not told to go and feed someone. They were told to go and carry out their primary mission—to seek and save the lost. Please don’t misunderstand what I’m saying. I am in no way suggesting that standing up for the ills of society is wrong or unnecessary. I’m not saying that it is not our duty as Christians to help one in need. In fact, the apostles did this. Jesus fed the hungry. He healed the sick, but that was not His primary purpose. That was not His main mission. In John Chapter 6, we see that the masses continued to follow hot on Jesus’ heels. Unfortunately, they followed, not because they wanted to hear Jesus’ profound teachings, but because they wanted to have their stomachs filled again. Jesus had just performed the miracle feeding of the 5000. The crowd was hoping for another meal but Jesus tells them, in essence, I’m not going to feed you again. Jesus offers them the bread of life that will save their souls, but He refuses to give them more physical sustenance. Why? Because of His mission. The feeding was a means to an end. It wasn’t an end in and of itself.

Friends, we need Christian men and women active in politics. We need to stand up when our morals are under attack. We need to seek to meet the needs of others. But we mustn't allow these efforts to sidetrack us from our main purpose. We need to use our influence to bring others to Christ. We need to meet the needs of others for the purpose of showing them Christ and, hopefully, saving their soul. However, acts of Christian service should be done for the purpose of fulfilling our mission. The best way to serve others is by being evangelistic. If you want to change the world don’t start by joining a political action committee. Don’t start by running for office. No, if you want to change the world then start by being evangelistic. The way to change the world is one soul at a time!

Think to Thank

2011-08-16T13:39:00.004-05:00

The following letter was written by a college student to her mother. It reads:

“Dear Mom: Sorry I haven’t written sooner. My arm really has been broken. I broke it, and my left leg, when I jumped from the second floor of my dormitory during the fire. We were lucky. A young service station attendant saw the blaze and called the Fire Department. They were there in minutes. I was in the hospital for a few days. Paul, the service station attendant, came by to see me every day. And because it was taking so long to get our dormitory livable again, I moved in with him. He has been so nice. Paul and I plan to get married just as soon as he can get a divorce. I hope things are fine at home. I’m doing fine, and will write more when I get the chance. Love, Your daughter, Susie.”

“P.S. None of the above is true. But I did get a ‘C’ in Sociology and flunked Chemistry. I just wanted you to receive this news in its proper perspective!”

If mom remained conscious during the reading of the entire letter she probably breathed a sigh of relief at the end. I guess the daughter had learned something at college after all. Truth is, it would serve us all well to gain some perspective at times. When the world seems to be carrying us away in its current, when stressful times hit, or when we trivial matters start to affect our attitude; that’s when we could use a little perspective. My parents were good at teaching me how to have perspective in life. At the dinner table they would say things like, “Eat all your vegetables. There are little children in other countries that are starving.” At that time I thought to myself, “If they were having to eat these vegetables they would be starving." Or when I was acting a little spoiled my mother would say, “Do you know how fortunate you are to have the things you have; a roof over your head, nice clothes, new toys and parents who love you?” My grandfather often tried to shed perspective on life by telling me how he used to walk 10 miles to school, uphill, both ways. He’d tell me about how easy I had it compared to when he was growing up. It’s easy to get caught up in our surroundings and lose perspective. It’s very easy to take things for granted or to start to feel a sense of entitlement. Many of us our blessed beyond what we deserve, but rarely pause long enough to give thanks to the source of those blessings.

Are you a “taker” in your relationship with God, or are you a “giver?" Certainly, all of us have been the recipient of divine blessings, but are you a sponge that soaks up those blessings and never gives anything in return? Are you careless with your blessings? Or are you dispenser? Do you dispense thankfulness to your heavenly Father for all that He has blessed you with?

We don’t deserve anything! And despite what our culture would lead us to believe, we are not entitled to anything. Don’t ever think that you are so wonderful that God owes you something. Thanksgiving is about understanding that everything you have is a gift from God. Someone is taking care of you, even though you don’t deserve it. Life itself is a gift. Don’t be careless with this gift.

What Matters Most

2011-08-02T13:48:00.004-05:00

"Don’t preach politics from the pulpit!" I’ve heard it said many times. I suspect that the same people who would rather me keep politics out of my preaching would prefer I keep it out of my blog as well. However, it cannot be denied that there are times when politics and Christianity mix. Though many in our world would rather keep them separate, there are definitely instances in which politics and faith become intertwined. Where one forces the hand of the other.

To say that there is much concern over the direction our country is headed is an understatement of astronomical proportions. The economy, health care, border security, the national debt, etc., are all major topics of debate in the political arena these days, but are they of utmost importance? I say, "No." I am well aware of the fact that this blog post will not be well-received by some. The slightest mention of certain subjects sets off a firestorm of debate. Many have reduced these issues down to "partisan" or "political," but truly they are not. They are biblical.

When it comes to our country's welfare, a lot of things matter but only one thing matters most. Where we stand on abortion matters more than where we stand on alternative energy. Where we stand on gay marriage matters more than where we stand on the environment. Where we stand on human cloning and harvesting human embryos matters more than where we stand on foreign policy. Moral recession is much more costly and has far more devastating effects on society than an economic recession. The economy may be bad. We may have another Black Tuesday or another Great Depression (and that would certainly be devastating), but society would eventually recover. A recession of moral values, however, could leave our country in such godless ruin that it might never be restored.

Unfortunately many Americans, including Christians, tend to suppress these moral issues; focusing more on economic reform, international diplomacy, alternative energy, immigration, the war in Iraq and global warming. It’s a problem that many Christians are driven by their pocketbooks rather than their faith. That’s why they say, “Give me a better economy!” “Give me health care!” “Give me help with my loans!” What they should be shouting is, “Give me a morally sound country in which to raise my children!” “Stop blurring the line between right and wrong!” “Stop ignoring God and stop promoting unrighteousness!”

Please do not misunderstand me, without a doubt the economy, the war, immigration, health care, etc. are all important issues. They do matter. If you are a veteran of the War in Iraq, are currently serving in our nation’s military, or have lost a loved one in combat, then you have every right to feel strongly about the conflict in the mid-east and anywhere else for that matter. If you are a banker or an investor, then you will certainly watch the economy with a wishful eye; hoping that something can be done to boost it. Associated with the economy, virtually all of us who drive automobiles would like to see a decrease in gas prices, whether it be through off-shore drilling in Alaska, building more refineries, or plugging more money into developing alternative energy. All of these issues are important, and some will hit home harder with certain individuals. But, at some point, we must recognize what is important for the short-term and what is important for the long-term; what is temporal and what is eternal.

In Matthew Chapter 23, beginning in verse 23, Jesus states, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others. You blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel (Matt. 23:23-24).” The Pharisees had been conscientious about the keeping of religious rituals such as tithing, even to the point of giving a tenth of the tiny herbs pulled from their gardens. Yet, at the same time, they were ignoring the condition of their hearts. The Lord rebuked them for using a strainer to remove an unclean gnat, but not hesitating to swallow an equally unclean camel. Jesus didn't tell them that it was wrong to be concerned about the “small” things such as tithing. He did state, however, that the lighter things cannot take precedence over the weightier matters. Notice His words once again, “…but these things you should have done (the lighter) without neglecting the others (the weightier). In other words they all matter, but justice, mercy and faithfulness matter most.

In 2 Peter 3:10, Peter states, “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up.” If this world, as we know it, is to be destroyed then we can safely say that, while issues like the economy, health care, illegal immigration, etc. are important, they should receive the proper emphasis. These are not the weightier matters since these things will pass away. However, morality and godliness carry eternal weight, and because these present things are only meant to be temporal, we cannot afford to promote them above eternal issues. The weightier matters must take precedence in order to influence current trends, and to help insure moral stability for the future.

The most effective way to influence the direction of our country is through fervent prayer, the practice of righteousness and the preaching of the gospel. 1 Timothy 2:1 & 2 states, “First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.” The prayer for our leaders needs to be a prayer to preserve justice, for them to have soft hearts that can be influenced by truth, and for them to protect the values of our country that help the church to flourish. 1 Timothy 2:1-4 shows that the purpose of praying for our leaders is so that we may “lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and gravity.”

The wise man stated, in Proverbs 14:34, “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people.” Along with prayer, we need to do our part to open God’s word, embrace it and live righteously before Him. The Bible clearly teaches that the righteousness of a nation’s citizens determines its success, and the lack of it contributes to its demise.
This can be seen in the great flood, the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah and the nation Israel in the book of Judges. If righteousness exalts a nation, then it stands to reason that the measure of exaltation is directly proportional to the measure of righteousness.

Prayer is vital, practicing righteousness is crucial but may we never discount the potentially earth-changing impact of the gospel. The more we evangelize and convert sinners to Christ, the more His influence will spread and dominate the communities in which we live. The parable of the leaven teaches this very principle (Mt. 13:33ff).

Pray, practice righteousness and preach the gospel! These are the things that truly make a difference. They are the things that matter most!

No Worries!

2011-07-27T09:08:00.004-05:00

It’s been said that worry is like a rocking chair; it gives you something to do, but it doesn’t get you anywhere. Worry has also been described as wasting today’s time to clutter up tomorrow’s opportunities with yesterday’s troubles. Worry is the diet of our day because too many folks are plagued by the “What if” disorder. What if my car breaks down? What if I get laid off from work? What if my house burns down? What if I get sick? Many of us can’t even be satisfied with prosperity. If things are going well, we worry that things are too good and that something bad is waiting to ambush us when we least expect it. From breakfast to bedtime our lives are characterized by worry.

In Matthew Chapter 6, beginning in verse 25, Jesus states, “For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing...But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own” (Matt. 6:25, 33-34). The Greek word for worry in this passage is merimnao and it signifies “a distracting care.” The same word is used in Philippians 4:6 where Paul writes, “Be anxious for nothing.” When Jesus says, “Do not worry about your life” or “do not worry about tomorrow,” He’s not telling His followers not to be concerned. Jesus is saying, “Do not let worldly concerns become such a distraction to you that it’s all you think about. Do not let these things consume you to the point that you can barely function.”

Worry indicates a lack of faith. In verse 30 of Matthew 6 Jesus says, “You of little faith!” The anxious are characterized as having little faith. Therefore, the key to overcoming worry is faith; a faith in God who knows our needs and who will supply us with necessities of life. We conquer worry through faith. We can trust that God will take care of us. The birds of the air get food without the toilsome efforts of sowing and reaping. God takes care of them because He created them, but they are not His children. We are. Therefore, why should we expect anything less than the utmost care and concern from our Father? The lilies of the field are adorned in beauty, yet they have not the wherewithal to provide for themselves. Even Solomon, one of the most magnificently attired kings Israel ever had, never arrayed himself in such beautiful clothing. God’s relationship to the lilies of the field is that of Creator and creation. But His relationship with us is Father and children. We are much more valuable for we are the crown of His creation.

Since God gave us life, we can trust Him for the things which are necessary to support that life. Our Lord paid the ultimate price for our salvation. He died for you and me. Will He not take care of us in lesser things?

The Game of Life

2011-07-19T10:55:00.004-05:00

My vacation was a little disjointed. Because of the success of my son's baseball team I had to split my time off into two half weeks. Much of last week was spent at the Section 2 Tournament in Garland, TX. What a treat to watch my son play ball and make lasting memories.

During those four days, I had a lot of down time to ponder things in the hotel. I thought about what it was like to be in Zane's shoes. Ten years old, playing ball and loving life. How nice it would be to go back and relive those days knowing what I know now. Unfortunately, that's not an option. So instead I'll do my dead-level best to help him understand the magnitude of life's blessings each and every day.

James wrote, "Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away" (Jas. 4:14). Life is short, and life is precious. I want my son (and all my children for that matter) to grasp the fact that this life is temporary and fleeting. None of us are guaranteed tomorrow; therefore, we must spend our time wisely. And by wisely, I'm not speaking of playing baseball. It is certainly a blessing to be able to play games and enjoy the recreations of life, but the best life lived is one that is lived for Christ.

It is my prayer that, as all of us play this game called "Life," we will relish the time we have and the opportunity to make lasting memories. May we overcome the strikeouts and celebrate the victories. And may we never forget what is most important--living faithfully in this life so that we can enjoy the next!

A Little R & R: Rest and Reconnecting!

2011-07-03T08:12:00.003-05:00

It's vacation time again. Beginning tomorrow, I will have a week off to get away from the office and enjoy more time with the family. Undoubtedly, that time will be filled mostly with watching my son play baseball. Nevertheless, it will be time well spent.

When I became a minister ten years ago, I had this idea that preaching would never feel like work because, after all, I would be working for the Lord and that's not truly a job; it's a privilege. I have since learned that it is indeed a privilege, and it is indeed a job! I thoroughly enjoy preaching, but it is hard work. The irony is that sometimes the work can be so taxing that it takes away from your time with God. Like any other job, preaching can be so consuming that your relationship with the Lord can suffer. It sounds odd, but it's true.

And so this week I am going to spend some time with my family reconnecting and giving them the attention they deserve. I am also going to slow down and foster that most important relationship with my heavenly Father. Connecting with Him is a privilege I never want to take for granted! I'll let you know how it goes.

"Cease striving and know that I am God." -Psalm 46:10

More Funny Church Signs

2011-06-16T10:46:00.006-05:00

Out of Order

2011-06-08T09:35:00.004-05:00

Research has shown that the sign “Out of Order” is one of the most effective and most adhered to signs there is. People often ignore speed limit signs. They disregard the warning on a pack of cigarettes. They pay little attention to traffic signs stating “No U-Turn,” “No Left Turn,” or “Yield.” There are hundreds of signs posted all over our towns that simply don’t get heeded. But “Out of Order?” Now, that’s a sign people pay attention to. We don’t like this sign because it means inconvenience for us. How many of you have ever been traveling and had to make an urgent pit stop only to find that the bathroom was out of order? How many of you have ever pulled into a gas station, running on fumes, only to find that yellow covering or plastic bag over the pump and the words “Out of Order?” I don’t know about you, but I tend to think that sometimes the clerk will place an out of order sign on a machine because they don’t really want to fix it. It’s easier to slap a sign on it and leave it for someone else to mess with. Nevertheless, the words “Out of Order” are words that carry a very negative connotation. It is a phrase that represents something being amiss or not functioning properly. It is not a phrase we like to see, and it’s not a phrase our Lord is fond of either.

Unfortunately, there are many Christians walking around wearing an “Out of Order” sign. They are out of service. Something is amiss. They are not functioning properly. Rather than fixing what is wrong, they have decided that it’s just much easier to wear the sign. We expect certain things to operate properly. We get rather upset when something we rely upon stops rendering service and, yet, we accept it in ourselves all the time. We stop functioning spiritually. We slap a sign on hearts that states “Out of Order” and we go about our business. Is this an adequate description of yourself? If so, take courage my friend. There is hope. You can escape the doldrums of apathy. You can function properly again.

Out of order Christians have a life that is out of order. What’s most important is not what receives the utmost attention. What should be first priority is way down the list, if it’s even on the list at all. What should be garnering the emphasis is merely an afterthought. Many times, instead of putting first things first, we put first things last. So it only makes sense that if we want to repair our spiritual brokenness that we must get things back in their proper order.

Matthew 6:33 is a piece of scripture that we often read and even agree with, but don’t internalize. This is a very demanding and challenging piece of scripture, but many Christians often ignore it or simply pass over it. Taken from Jesus’ famed Sermon on the Mount, it reads, “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” This is a direct command from our Lord. It is an authoritative command and, yet, even those who profess to be loyal followers often treat this admonition lightly. It is an indisputable fact that it’s always easier to theorize about doing what’s right than it is to practice it with passion. It’s simple to know what to do. It’s difficult to do what we know. There are many reasons why it’s hard for us to get our priorities in order. The primary reason is because of our attachment to the world. We are so earthy fixated that we become consumed with the things of this world. Our consumption of the world pushes out the spiritual. Adjusting priorities becomes a very difficult thing because conflicts of interest arise. These conflicts of interest require the exercise of judgment, and our judgments don’t always agree with one another. At times, we are deeply conflicted within ourselves. This breeds fellowship with the world. We become out of order, and many times we know that our priorities need fixing but, once again, there’s that conflict. We know we need to be at church on Sunday, but we would really like to go to the lake and relax, and so we conjure up justifications in our mind to ease our conscience. Justifications like: It won’t hurt to miss one Sunday. We need to spend some family time together. Such rationalizations and justifications do not pass the credibility test. We may fool other people. We may even fool ourselves, but we aren’t fooling God with our flimsy reasoning. He “knows the hearts of all men” (Acts 1:24). He knows precisely how serious we are about serving Him. A religious façade or spiritual strut does not pass the test. You are completely transparent before God. He knows when you’re out of order, and He knows what it takes to repair your malfunction.

Motive plays a huge role in virtually all of our decisions. Do we earnestly desire to be repaired? If so, then we will commit to seeking right things and doing right things. We will rearrange our priorities and get our lives in order. We will seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and not the passing pleasures of this world.
Being a Christian is about much more than what I can do and what I can’t do. At the heart of many Christian’s struggles is the issue of priority. Godly priorities determine a Christian’s behavior. If his priorities belong to God, his behavior will be godly. If the Christian is determined to live a godly life one day at a time, he or she will find victory.

Nothing From Nothing Leaves Nothing

2011-05-24T08:34:00.003-05:00

Spontaneous Generation is the belief that life came from the non-living. In other words, life just happened. It was purely accidental. This begs the question, “Where did the non-living matter that produced the living matter come from?” The answer to that question is elusive, which means that one must simply accept that it was there. Obviously, a great deal of faith is required to adhere to this theory.

The evolutionist begins with the idea that life magically came into existence, then it evolved. But what evidence is there to support such mysticism? Robert Jastrow, renowned astronomer and evolutionist writes, “Perhaps the appearance of life on the earth is a miracle. Scientists are reluctant to accept that view, but their choices are limited: either life was created on the earth by the will of a being outside the grasp of scientific understanding, or it evolved on our planet spontaneously, through chemical reactions occurring in nonliving matter lying on the surface of the planet. The first theory places the question of the origin of life beyond the reach of scientific inquiry. It is a statement of faith in the power of a Supreme Being not subject to the laws of science. The second theory is also an act of faith. The act of faith consists in assuming that the scientific view of the origin of life is correct, without having concrete evidence to support that belief” (Until the Sun Dies, New York: Norton, 1977, p. 62-63). Did you catch Mr. Jastrow’s last assertion—“without concrete evidence?” If there is no concrete evidence, then why is such a theory passed off as scientific fact?

How does something come from nothing? The bottom line is--it can’t. Something cannot come from nothing. It's not possible. Something is, thus something always has been. That “something” that always has been is not simply matter. The Second Law of Thermodynamics implies that matter is not eternal, so “something” can’t be matter; therefore, it must be a non-material “something” that has always been and that produced the something that now is. If there is nothing, there will always be nothing. Something cannot come from nothing. The evolutionist often refers to the Christians’ belief in a divine Creator as nonsensical and illogical, but there’s nothing more nonsensical and illogical than the argument that something comes from nothing. The living doesn’t come from the non-living. Highly organized, fully integrated bodies with cooperating parts don’t develop from a mass of mere matter. It takes a whole lot more faith to believe in such nonsense than it does to believe in an all-powerful creator of the universe.

The Evolutionary Clock is Broken

2011-05-11T14:01:00.002-05:00

My last few posts have been dedicated to exposing the lie of evolution. Evolution is a circular argument. Nowhere is this more evident than when examining the time factor. Time is critical for the evolutionist because long periods of time are necessary for their theory to be carried. All of the talk about the earth being millions and billions of years old, as well as their dating techniques, are all based on evolutionary assumptions.

The evolutionist says, “This fossil is 70 million years old because it is in this rock that is 70 million years old.” But a student asks, “And how do you know the age of that rock?” The evolutionists says, “Because it contains a fossil that is 70 million years old.” This is a rudimentary example of just how ridiculous the evolutionist’s argument becomes. R.H. Rastall, some years ago, wrote, “It cannot be denied that from a strict philosophical standpoint geologists are here arguing in a circle (“Geology,” Encyclopedia Britannica, Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1956, Vol. 10, p. 168).

A recent example that exposes the flaw in the evolutionary clock is Mt. St. Helen’s. On May 18, 1980, Mt. St. Helen’s erupted, causing a new lava dome to form at the site. Not long ago, it was “dated” by the radiometric method. You want to guess how old it was said to be? It yielded a date of 2.8 million years. Obviously, the evolutionary clock is broken. One more reason to dismiss this baseless and godless theory.

The Falsity of Fossils

2011-05-05T08:28:00.003-05:00

Without question, the evolutionist places a lot of stock in fossils. Fossils, however, in NO WAY prove evolution. In fact, the existence of millions of fossils, nearly all in sedimentary rock, cannot be explained by evolution’s theory of slow, constant processes over long periods of time. Since nearly all fossils are found in sedimentary rock, the presence of most fossils must be considered to be the result of some great water catastrophe that affected the entire globe. Is there a great water catastrophe that happened long ago in our earth’s history? Absolutely. We know it simply as “the flood.”

The fossils that are found all over the world represent great numbers and varieties of organisms that were buried together. Fossils, like trees, are found in many layers of strata. These layers would be dated millions of years apart according to evolutionary chronology. Footprints of hoofed animals and dinosaurs have been found together in Uzbekistan and Virginia, yet mammals and reptiles supposedly are separated by millions of evolutionary years. In coal beds that allegedly pre-date the beginning of life, plants and human tools have been found together. Neither geology nor paleontology proves evolution. The assumed sequence of evolution, from simple life-forms, to fish, to amphibians, to reptiles, to birds, to mammals, to man and the supposed cause of the infinite varieties of plants and animals is nowhere in fossil record. There is not merely a missing link. There are hundreds of links missing. Professor Robert Jastrow explains it like this: “It is in the nature of biological evolution that it always proceeds slowly.” This makes absolutely no sense. If evolution has occurred at a very slow rate, the fossil record should reveal virtually every minute change as one species evolves into another. Although some have tried to explain away these missing links, no credible solution has been offered. Professor George G. Simpson of Harvard thought he was smart enough, I guess, to throw people off the scent when he wrote, “[T]he argument from absence of transitional types boils down to the striking fact that such types are always lacking unless they have been found.” Wow! What a brilliant thought.

Although most life-forms that we know today are represented in the fossil record, there are many millions of fossils that should represent the transitional forms of life between the major “kinds” that are missing. Rather than being in some kind of ascending order, according to the theory of evolution, many are out-of-place. It is commonly believed that it takes vast amounts of time for fossils to form. This is supposedly one of the “proofs” that the earth is millions of years old. This doesn’t add up when you think about the fact that when animals die, they are usually devoured by other animals or simply decay. Consider a rather bizarre news item: According to an article published on January 5, 2000 by The Reuters News Service, doctors in Taiwan performed surgery on a 76 year-old woman. During the course of the surgery, they found a fossilized fetus in her abdomen that had been conceived 46 years ago; that’s not a vast amount of time. The report asserted that only 3 such cases in history have ever been recorded. The tiny fetus weighed 0.7 ounces and had solidified into a rock-like substance. It had become hardened through calcium buildup.

When all is said and done, the fossil record only proves that we are dealing with a mixed-up theory.

For more study, check out:

Problems for the Theory of Evolution by Wayne Jackson. http://www.christiancourier.com/articles/147-problems-for-the-theory-of-evolution.

Those Missing Links by Wayne Jackson. http://www.christiancourier.com/articles/306-those-missing-links.

LIES, LIES & MORE LIES!

2011-04-27T09:25:00.003-05:00

In December of 1912, a man by the name of Charles Dawson, an amateur archaeologist, and Sir Arthur Smith Woodward of the British Museum of Natural History, announced that they had discovered a man-like skull in a pit near Piltdown, England. Along with the skull was a jawbone that appeared to be very ape-like except for the teeth. Although a few scientists questioned the relationship of the skull with the jaw, most were in agreement that Piltdown Man was an authentic link in human evolution. Somewhere around 500 publications were written on the subject. However, the bones were kept under tight security for some reason, even from evolutionists. By 1950, a dating method had been developed for assigning a relative age to fossils. In 1953, after a series of tests, it was determined that the Piltdown skull and jaw were of completely different ages. The skull was a few thousand years old (not a million as formerly alleged), and the jaw bone was that of a modern ape. Eventually it was discovered that the teeth had been ground down artificially to appear human, and it was a sloppy job at that. It was also discovered that the jaw bone had been stained chemically for the purpose of making it appear ancient. When all was said and done, the “fossil” turned out to be nothing more than a human skull with an ape’s jaw attached. If this were not embarrassing enough, a number of the world’s leading “evolutionary experts” were also fooled by the hoax for over 40 years.

Evolution is a bill of goods that has been thrust upon society as scientific fact when, in reality, it is nothing more than a bogus attempt to explain away the existence of God.

Evolution Exposed!

2011-04-14T07:47:00.004-05:00

Not long ago, I was watching a nature program on the Discovery channel. The documentary began with a scene of a forest with wildlife prancing around and birds singing in the background. The narrator then made the statement, “65 million years of evolution has brought us to this point.” I found it interesting that there was no disclaimer on her statement. She didn’t say, “It is believed by many that 65 million years of evolution has brought us to this point.” She definitely didn’t start out by stating, “It is merely a theory that 65 million years of evolution has brought us to this point.” No, the soft-spoken narrator didn’t say anything of the sort. Instead, she made her very direct statement as if it were the acceptable and commonplace view. She presented it as if it were absolute fact. And she is certainly not the only one who has done so. College professors, school textbooks, the average man on the street readily accept evolution as THE origin of our universe. No debate. No discussion. In fact, to suggest anything otherwise is to show your complete ignorance. Harvard geneticist, Richard Lewontin, stated, “The problem is to get [people] to reject irrational and supernatural explanations of the world, the demons that exist only in their imaginations, and to accept a social and intellectual apparatus, science, as the only begetter of truth.”

Most individuals are not aware of the fact that there is really no incontrovertible scientific proof to establish that the earth is billions of years old. Such a belief is grounded in a series of assumptions that are based on evolutionary premises. Time is a crucial element in the Darwinian Theory. Dr. George Wald of Harvard University called it the “hero of the plot.” Vast amounts of time are essential for the millions of years of evolutionary changes to occur.

Any scientist will tell you that science is “the study of a body of facts or truths systematically arranged and showing the operation of general laws." It’s a systematic knowledge of the physical and material world gained through observation and experimentation. If science is the study of a body of facts or truths, if it truly is knowledge gained through observation and experimentation, then it must be done openly and honestly, considering all of the variables and all of the factors, with no bias or slant, right? That, however, is not the approach of many scientists who attempt to persuade, intimidate and even lie in order to get people to accept their propaganda concerning evolution.

What is troubling is the lengths that some people will go to in order to desperately hang on to a theory riddled with holes. A man by the name of Ernst Haeckel is responsible for the comparative drawings of embryos that appeared in many school textbooks. You may remember seeing this chart when you were a student in Junior High or High School. The images depicted are embryos of a fish, a salamander, a tortoise, a chicken, a hog, a calf, a rabbit and a human. They appear side by side at three stages of development. These illustrations were employed to show the striking similarities between them and, thus, support Darwin’s theory of organic evolution. It was even stated that the depictions were “by far the strongest single class of facts” in favor of the theory that all organisms share a common, universal ancestor. There was but one problem with Mr. Haeckel’s drawings—-they were fake! Haeckel actually doctored the drawings to make them appear more similar than they actually are. Haeckel was charged and ultimately convicted in a university court. During the trial, Haeckel admitted to altering the drawings, but sought to defend himself by saying, “I should feel utterly condemned and annihilated by the admission, were it not that hundreds of the best observers and biologists lie under the same charge. The great majority of all morphological, anatomical, histological, and embryological diagrams are not true to nature, but are more or less doctored, schematized and reconstructed” (as quoted in Bowden, 1977, p. 128). It gets better. This conspiracy was first exposed in 1860 when Haeckel’s colleagues accused him of fraud; however, many of you who were students in the 60’s and 70’s still saw these drawings in your science textbooks. What’s even worse is that they’re still being used today in upper-division textbooks on evolutionary biology as “proof” of the theory of evolution.

Over the next few weeks, we will continue to look at the incriminating evidence exposing the lie of evolution.

For further study read these articles by Wayne Jackson at ChristianCourier.com.

Evaluating Evolution in Plain English. http://www.christiancourier.com/articles/1228-evaluating-evolution-in-plain-english.

Problems for the Theory of Evolution. http://www.christiancourier.com/articles/147-problems-for-the-theory-of-evolution.

Those Missing Links. http://www.christiancourier.com/articles/306-those-missing-links.

Frauds in Science. http://www.christiancourier.com/articles/413-frauds-in-science.

The Necessity of Baptism (Part 5)

2011-03-29T13:54:00.003-05:00

Why was our Lord Jesus Christ baptized? Though sinless, He Himself submitted to the act of baptism. Why? Jesus was baptized to identify Him as the Son of God at the beginning of His ministry. Also, Jesus' baptism was a visual precursor to our Savior’s ultimate death, burial, and resurrection. And finally, it was an example of obedience.

In verse 15 of Matthew Chapter 3, Jesus persuades John by telling him, “Permit it at this time; for in this way it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Righteousness is associated with the commands of God. The psalmist stated, “For all your commandments are righteousness” (Psa. 119:172). To fulfill righteousness, therefore, is to be obedient to the Father. Christ demonstrated by His baptism, on the very first day of His public ministry, that he was committed to doing the Father’s will, and that certainly included baptism.

If we have an intense desire to please God, if we truly hunger and thirst for righteousness, then we will seek to obey God’s will in all matters. Baptism precedes salvation (Mk. 16:16), and is “for the remission of sins” (Acts 2:38), or to “wash away sins” (Acts 22:16). It moves one into the “in Christ” relationship (Rom. 6:3-4; Gal. 3:27), which is the equivalent of being in the “body of Christ” (1 Cor. 12:13), which Jesus promises to save (Eph. 5:23). It is a part of the “cleansing” process (Eph. 5:26), or the “regeneration” procedure (Tit. 3:5). Peter wrote, “…baptism now saves you” (1 Pet. 3:21). Does it get any plainer?

The Necessity of Baptism (Part 4)

2011-03-24T08:25:00.007-05:00

IF BAPTISM IS ESSENTIAL WITHIN THE PLAN OF SALVATION, WHY DID PAUL DISMISS IT AS NOT BEING A PART OF THE GOSPEL?

This is a common argument that stems from 1 Corinthians 1:17. There Paul writes, “For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not in cleverness of speech, so that the cross of Christ would not be made void.” Some have said that we are saved by the gospel, and Paul separates baptism from the gospel; therefore, baptism is not a part of what saves us. This line of thinking totally misunderstands and misrepresents Paul’s instruction to the Corinthian brethren.

Paul is addressing the problem of disjointedness or disunity within the church. Some of the Christians there had become enamored with the one who had baptized them. Some had even gone as far as adopting the baptizer’s name as a religious title (see vv. 12-13). It’s in light of this perversion that Paul expresses his gratitude for the fact that he had personally been able to immerse a few people (cf. vv. 14-16). And it’s within this context that he writes, “For Christ sent me not to baptize.” Baptism wasn’t the problem. The problem was the perversion among the people. They had come to revere the one administering the baptism. Paul was attempting to correct their behavior.

The word “baptize” in this passage denotes “to administer the rite” of baptism (see J.H. Thayer, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, Edinburgh: T & T Clark, 1958, p. 94). Paul’s primary role was not to be an administrator of baptism. His main purpose was to preach the gospel. He wasn’t trying to disassociate himself from ever baptizing anyone, nor was he trying to downplay the significance of the act. He was merely contending that no special adoration should be attached to the person administering the rite.

Since Paul himself was baptized in order to wash away his sins (Acts 22:16), and since he taught that baptism is the means by which one enters into Christ (Rom. 6:3-4; Gal. 3:27), it makes no sense that he would teach that baptism is not essential to salvation.

See: "Is Baptism a Gospel Obligation?" Web article by Wayne Jackson at
http://www.christiancourier.com/articles/505-is-baptism-a-gospel-obligation.

The Necessity of Baptism (Part 3)

2011-03-10T08:14:00.004-06:00

Another common argument made against the necessity of baptism involves the account of Cornelius' conversion. The contention goes like this:

Cornelius received the Holy Spirit prior to being baptized (Acts 10:44-48). Only a child of God receives the Holy Spirit; therefore, Cornelius was a child of God prior to baptism, thus baptism is not essential for salvation.

This argument does not hold water for several reasons. First of all, Cornelius’ reception of the Holy Spirit was a very unique situation. He was the first Gentile to be offered the gospel. The supernatural work of the Holy Spirit in this instance had nothing to do with Cornelius’ personal salvation. The outpouring of the Spirit was to convince the Jews that the Gentiles had just as much right to the kingdom of heaven. Consider a few passages.

Acts 10:45—“All the circumcised believers who came with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentile also.”

Acts 11:17—“Therefore if God gave to them the same gift as He gave to us also after believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God’s way?”

Acts 15:8—“And God, who knows the heart, testified to them giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He also did to us…”

In Acts 15:9, Peter makes it very clear that God “made no distinction between us (Jews) and them (Gentiles)” in regard to salvation. Therefore, if we understand what was required of the Jews in order to obtain salvation, then we can certainly understand that the Gentiles were required to do the same. God didn’t change the rules when Cornelius came along. If baptism was crucial to the Jews’ obedience then it was no different for Cornelius or anyone else for that matter, which is precisely why Peter “commanded” that Cornelius be immersed (10:48).

It must also be noted that, according to Peter (whose record of these events is more chronological), the Holy Spirit fell on Cornelius just as the apostle “began to speak” (Acts 11:15), which would have been before Cornelius even heard the message and before he could even have faith. If the argument that Cornelius was saved because he had the Holy Spirit is true, then he was saved without faith.

The Necessity of Baptism (Part 2)

2011-03-02T09:39:00.003-06:00

We are in the midst of a series of posts examining the necessity of baptism. In this post, I want us to look at one of the more common arguments made by those who refute baptism as a necessary step in the scheme of redemption. many point to the thief on the cross as an air-tight case against baptism as a requirement for salvation. Let's consider a few points.

First and foremost, one cannot make the dogmatic statement that the thief on the cross was never baptized. It is very possible that this man could have been a disciple of John the Baptizer, or even the Lord Himself during the preceding years. This man might well have been immersed for the forgiveness of sins on some past occasion. Mark 1:4 tells us that John preached a baptism of repentance "for the forgiveness of sins." It is entirely possible that this thief had submitted to John’s teaching and been immersed. I realize it can’t be proven, but neither can the premise that he wasn’t baptized. One cannot deny that this thief could have been an erring child of God as hung there next to Jesus.

Secondly, no one has the right to repeal the condition of baptism regarding salvation by pointing to something the Lord did during His earthly ministry. Jesus had the authority to forgive one’s sin upon whatever terms He chose. Also consider that Jesus had not died, been buried and risen again; therefore, the thief was still under the Old Covenant. The New Covenant had not been established. Is it necessary to believe that Jesus Christ died on a cross, was buried and rose again three days later? Adherents of Christianity will respond with a hearty, “Yes!” However, the thief on the cross could not have believed such things, because they had not happened yet.

Finally, consider the incident of our Lord’s encounter with the paralytic man in Mark Chapter 2. Four of the man’s friends bring him to where Jesus was speaking, but the crowd was too large to get him in the door of the building. So they dug an opening in the roof and lowered him down on his pallet. Scripture states, "And Jesus seeing their faith said to the paralytic, 'Son your sins are forgiven'" (Mk. 2:5). Christ healed the man of his malady. What's interesting to note is that we find no mention of Jesus requiring the man to repent of his sins. Are we to assume from this account that it’s not necessary for us to repent of our sins either? If recorded examples of events that occurred during Jesus’ earthly ministry are to set the precedence for the Christian age, then should we conclude that repentance is not essential for salvation?

Rather than clinging with all our might to a hopeless and false doctrine, let us simply consider the scriptural evidence and couple such evidence with sound reasoning and logic. Baptism is just as essential to one's salvation as faith, repentance and confession.

The Necessity of Baptism (Part 1)

2011-02-24T09:54:00.003-06:00

There are very few topics that are more debated in the realm of “Christendom” than the issue of salvation. Most can agree on a few things. Most are united on faith. Very few will argue against repentance. And most, if not all, believe in some form of confession. However, that’s where the similarities end. Among faith systems that claim to be adherents of Christianity, many part ways on the issue of baptism. It’s not that many don’t believe in baptism; in fact, most do. The bone of contention is the role it plays in the redemptive process. Is it necessary? Many would say, “Yes. An individual should be baptized. It is an outward expression of one who has already been saved through faith.” But suggest that one must be baptized in order to be saved and the conversation quickly takes a turn. Whether or not one should submit to baptism is not the major issue. The major issue is whether or not it is necessary for salvation.

Why do we so quickly dismiss baptism as a condition of salvation? The Bible clearly and distinctly presents it as essential? Believe and Faith is mentioned 483 times. Repent or Repentance 56 times. Confess or Confession 32 times. And Baptize or Baptism 77 times. Aside from belief and faith, baptism appears more times in scripture than any of the other conditions for salvation that are so readily accepted. Not only that, but a comparison of Bible terms reveals that believe and faith appear most often alongside baptism than they do with repentance or confession. And yet, the arguments against the baptism as a necessary requirement for salvation continue to flow.

An argument often made is that BAPTISM IS ENGAGED IN BECAUSE OF FORGIVENESS ALREADY RECEIVED. In other words, baptism is not "for the forgiveness of sins," but "because of the forgiveness of sins." The scriptural basis for such an argument is found in Acts 2:38. There Peter answers the question, "What shall we do (to be saved)," with the response, "Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins…" The meaning of such a statement seems very straightforward and easily understood; however, many undercut this clear statement by suggesting that "for" in this passage means "because of," thus conveying the idea that baptism is "on account of the forgiveness of one’s sins."

The Greek term "for" is the word eis and it is found some 1750 times in the New Testament. While there are a variety of nuances to this word, it is ALWAYS looking forward. It is never retrospective in its direction. It is "an indicator of direction toward a goal, not as an indicator of location without direction" (Balz & Schneider, Exegetical Dictionary of the New Testament, Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1978, Vol. I, p. 398). Eis is a preposition used with the accusative case, meaning it points to the object of verbal action. This word is generally translated as "in," "into," "unto," "to," "toward," etc. Eis is a term that is goal-oriented. The only way to make this term mean "because of" is to revise the Greek language. And what about repentance? The command by Peter in Acts 2:38 is not just to be baptized. He also calls for repentance. One cannot assert that baptism is "because of" forgiveness of sins without asserting the same thing for repentance. Does it make any sense to ascribe to the notion that one repents of their sins because they have already been forgiven of them?

Friends, the original language doesn’t lie. Scripture doesn't lie. Baptism is as essential to our salvation as the other conditions that are so readily accepted.

Over the next few weeks, we will be discussing the various arguments against the necessity of baptism and exposing their falsity.

God is Pro Life

2011-02-17T10:17:00.007-06:00

The 6th Commandment given to the Israelites was "You shall not murder." In the abortion debate, such arguments are made as: "It is not murder while the child is in the womb." "A fetus is not a viable human being." "Life does not truly begin until birth." Let’s examine what is written in Exodus chapter 21, beginning in verse 22. It reads, "If men struggle with each other and strike a woman with child so that she gives birth prematurely, yet there is no injury, he shall surely be fined as the woman’s husband may demand of him, and he shall pay as the judges decide. But if there is any further injury, then you shall appoint as a penalty life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise."

Exodus 21:22-25 describes an abortion. You may be thinking to yourself, "Now wait a minute. Where did you get that?" The medical definition of abortion is, "The premature exit of the products of conception (the fetus, fetal membranes, placenta) from the uterus. It is the loss of pregnancy and does not refer to why the pregnancy was lost." In Exodus 21:22-25 we have a hypothetical situation presented to Moses by God and God’s instructions on how such a situation should be handled should it occur. If two men are fighting and they strike a woman who is "with child" (notice that the Biblical translation does not say “with fetus;" "child" in Hebrew is the same word with the same meaning whether in or out of the womb). If two men, while fighting, strike a pregnant woman causing her to "give birth prematurely," punishment shall be incurred. If neither the woman nor her child were harmed, then the Law of Moses levied a fine against the one who caused the premature birth. But, if there is "any further injury," or death resulting from the brawl, then the Law imposed a parallel punishment: if the premature baby died, the one who caused the premature birth was to be executed; life for life. In other words, to cause a pre-born infant’s death was considered homicide in the Old Testament; homicide punishable by death.

God considered the unborn to not only be viable, but to be valuable as well. He considers those living in the womb just as viable and just as valuable as those living outside the womb. According to God, murder was a crime punishable by death, and the taking of life inside the womb is no different than the taking of life outside the womb. To God, life is life. The unborn child was considered viable in utero, and entitled to legal protection and benefits.

Notice also that this Mosaic regulation had to do with injury inflicted indirectly and accidentally. The phrasing of this situation suggests that it was an instance of unintentional battery involving culpability. Abortion, on the other hand, is a deliberate, purposeful, intentional termination of a child’s life. If God dealt that severely with the accidental death of a pre-born infant, how do you suppose He feels about the deliberate murder of the unborn? Actually, the Bible states explicitly how He feels. Exodus 23:7 reads, "Keep far from a false charge, and do not kill the innocent or the righteous, for I will not acquit the guilty." Proverbs 6:17 tells us that one of the things that God hates are "hands that shed innocent blood."

Make no mistake; abortion is a serious matter with God. When it comes to innocent life, He has made it clear that we have no right to decide. There is no such thing as pro-choice.

Anatomy of the Crucifixion

2011-02-10T08:53:00.003-06:00

It was a Thursday evening about 6:00. I was at the softball field coaching my daughter’s team, trying to prepare them for an upcoming game. My son and other daughter had accompanied me to practice and were off playing with friends. As I was instructing my team, practice was interrupted by a blood-curdling cry. I immediately recognized it. It was distinct to my ears. It was my son. I ran off the field toward the wails of my little 4 year-old boy. I spotted him from a distance, but his face was hard to discern. Blood gushed from his forehead and down his face. Sheer terror ripped through my mind and pierced my heart as I raced toward him. I arrived on the scene and began comforting my son. I assessed the damage. The source of all the blood was a small 2 inch gash in the middle of his forehead put there by a baseball bat. It seems that some of the girls on the team were engaged in some hitting practice. My son, Zane, walked behind one of the girls just as she swung. She missed the ball, but made solid contact with Zane’s head. Fortunately, he would be alright, but that episode underscores the physical and emotional hurt we, parents, feel for our children when they’re in pain. We hate to see our children hurting. We would never wish them harm. To witness them in anguish, wounded, writhing in pain, desperate for relief is something we would hope to never witness. Yet, that is precisely what our heavenly Father and Jesus’ earthly mother went through. It’s hard to imagine the emotional trauma Mary experienced at the foot of the cross. It’s hard to fathom God looking on from heaven as they tortured His only begotten Son. A small cut on my son’s forehead was enough to send me into a full-blown panic. I don’t want to think about the prospect of him enduring even a minuscule amount of what our Lord had to endure.

Even before the crucifixion, Jesus was subjected to some of the most severe torture imaginable. He would have been stripped naked and His hands would have been secured either above His head or to a large post in order to stretch the skin on the back as tight as possible. He then would have been beaten from His upper back down to His legs with a whip of braided leather thongs, which had pieces of bone and metal woven into it. The back would become one, large open wound. In his book The Case for Christ, Lee Strobel interviews Dr. Alexander Metherell M.D., Ph. D. who states during a Roman flogging, “the back would be so shredded that part of the spine was sometimes exposed by the deep, deep cuts. The whipping would have gone all the way from the shoulders down to the back, the buttocks, and the back of the legs” (p. 195). Dr. Truman Davis M.D. describes the flogging:

“The heavy whip was brought down with full force again and again across Jesus’ shoulders, back and legs. At first the heavy thongs cut through the skin only. Then, as the blows continued, they cut deeper into the subcutaneous tissues producing first an oozing of blood from capillaries and veins of the skin, and finally spurting from arterial bleeding from vessels in the underlying muscles. The small balls of lead first produces large deep bruises which were broken open by subsequent blows. Finally, the skin of the back was hanging in long ribbons and the entire area was an unrecognizable mass of torn, bleeding tissue. When it was determined by the Centurion in charge that the prisoner was near death, the beating was finally stopped.”

Many people did not make it to the cross, but were killed during the severe beatings preceding the crucifixion. If the scourging were the end of our story, it would certainly be enough. But there’s more. After facing nine hours of trials and abuse, our Lord begins the final walk to Golgotha where He will endure yet more trauma on a cruel cross. Beaten, bruised, bleeding, dehydrated, and already at death’s doorstep, Jesus continues to put one foot in front of the other as He takes His last steps. Each one of those steps was purposeful. They were steps of love. Burdened by the weight of His own cross, He trudged on for the sake of mankind; to save us from our sins. Even the ones who hurled insults at Him, mocked Him and spat in His face.

On a hill far away Jesus was fastened to that old rugged cross using five to seven inch nails or spikes. These nails would have been driven through the wrists between the two forearm bones. Oftentimes, artist renderings convey the image of nails piercing the palms of the hands. However, the flesh of the hand would not be able to support the weight of the human body. While scripture does refer to the “hands” (John 24:24-27) as the location of Jesus’ scars, it must be understood that the Greek word for hands (cheiras) includes both the wrist and the hand. It can also mean “arms.” Romans were skilled at crucifixion. They knew precisely how to kill an individual while causing the greatest amount of suffering. The nails would have been driven through the median nerve, the largest nerve running down the arm and into the hand. This nerve would have been crushed by the nails causing immeasurable pain. The feet were also secured to the cross with nails. Although the Romans were not always consistent in their methods, it was typical for them to place one foot on top of the other with a single nail driven through both. Once again, the nails would crush or sever the deep peroneal nerve that runs down the back of the leg as well as branches of the medial and lateral plantar nerves, which run through the foot. This would only multiply the shock waves of pain that pulsed through Jesus’ body.

Once on the cross, death is a slow and painful process of asphyxiation. Normal respiration is altered. The stress on the muscles and the diaphragm prevent natural exhalation. The victim is in a constant inhaled position. The only way to exhale would be to pull up with one’s arms and push with one’s feet. Remember the condition of the body at this point. There would be intense pain, fatigue beyond measure, the body would be dehydrated, there would be massive muscle cramps, and extreme anxiety at the inability to breathe. The pain would be multiplied every time our Lord needed to take a breath. The average respiratory rate for an adult is twelve to twenty breaths a minute. Pulling up with His arms, pushing up with His feet, and scraping His shredded back against the coarse wood of the cross would be a pain like no other. In fact, the pain was so indescribable that a new word was invented to shed some light on this unbearable instrument of death. Our word excruciating literally means “out of the cross.” The Latin form, excruciatus means “the pain from the crucified one.”

The death of our Lord came as Jesus cried out in a loud voice (Mark 15:37). An individual on the cross would eventually become so exhausted that the they would be unable to push themselves up and take another breath. Dr. Alexander Metherell, M.D. Ph. D. explains, “As the person slows down his breathing, he goes into what is called respiratory acidosis—the carbon dioxide in the blood is dissolved as carbonic acid, causing the acidity of the blood to increase. This eventually leads to an irregular heartbeat…And then cardiac arrest” (The Case for Christ, p. 199). The Gospel of John tells us that instead of breaking Jesus’ legs, a practice used to speed up death (John 19:32), a Roman soldier pierced His side with a spear (John 19:34). As a result, blood and water immediately came out. This description by John may give some insight into the precise cause of death. The blood and water had to be under pressure in order to come out immediately. This may very well be evidence that Jesus died of a ruptured wall in the heart which filled the pericardium (sack of fluid around the heart) with blood until the pressure caused the heart to stop beating. Therefore, once the spear pierced the pericardium, the pressure was released, causing the water (pericardial fluid) and blood to come out.

The medical side of the crucifixion serves to further substantiate the fact that Jesus suffered a horrific death on a cruel cross. Of primary importance, though, is not the amount of blood lost or bodily damage incurred but, rather, the depth of His love. Let us never forget that Jesus endured the beatings, the bruises and the nails for us. The prison of pain He locked Himself in was to set us free!

Don't Play the Blame Game

2011-01-26T10:09:00.003-06:00

A man by the name of Pete Hamill wrote an excellent article in the October, 1991 issue of Reader’s Digest. The article was entitled, “It’s Not My Fault!” In it Mr. Hamill referred to what he called “victimism;” the idea that wrong behavior is not one’s own personal responsibility but, rather, is the fault of someone else. Many people in America today live their lives under the assumption that nothing is ever their fault. If they have problems, if they make wrong decisions, then there must be someone or something to blame. It’s always the fault of the justice system, the school system, the government, or their family, their parents, their spouse, etc. There is no personal responsibility or ownership for anything. This “victimism” Hamill writes, “implies that nobody is personally responsible for the living of a life. The defeats, disappointments, and failures once thought to be a part of each human being’s portion on this earth are now always the fault of somebody else.”

Those of you who have children know all about the blame game. I can’t tell you how many times the phrase, “It’s not my fault,” has been uttered in our household. Watch professional sports and you will witness athletes, on a regular basis, making excuses as to why they didn’t perform or why they got in trouble. As a school teacher and a coach, I saw it on a regular basis. “My child is failing but it’s not his fault. He thinks you don’t like him. He doesn’t understand. He has a hard time paying attention.” The truth was, he never turned in his homework, he was a disruption in class, he never studied and never came to tutoring. How is that not his fault?

We’re not very fond of admitting that something is our fault or that we’re not good enough. We don’t like to own up to our shortcomings. We don’t like to admit when we’re wrong. It’s easier if we can shift the blame or come up with an excuse for justification. We can be caught red-handed, but we’ll still find some reason to justify why it was not our fault. It’s bad enough when a person shifts the blame and knows that he is doing it, what’s even worse is when people come to believe their own justifications. A New York Times article in 1971 spoke about thieves who were able to excuse their actions. A professional thief who lived in New Jersey stated, “What I do is good for everybody. First of all, I create work. I hire men to deliver the cars, work on the numbers, paint them, maybe drive them out of state, find customers. That’s good for the economy. Then I’m helping people to get what they could never afford otherwise. A fellow wants a Cadillac but he can't afford it. I save him as much as $2,000. Now he’s happy. But so is the guy who lost his car. He gets a nice new Cadillac from the insurance company. The Cadillac company—they’re happy too because they sell another Cadillac. The only people who don’t do so good is the insurance company, but they’re so big that nobody cares personally. They got a budget for this sort of thing anyway… Come on now—whom am I really hurting?”

One writer calls what I’m talking about “Loser’s Limp.” He states, “You know what loser’s limp is if you’ve ever attended a football game or watched one on television. The offensive player slips behind the defensive player, reaches up, pulls in a pass and heads for the end zone. The defensive man quickly recovers and takes off in hot pursuit. When the offensive player gets about 20 yards from the end zone, the defensive player realizes he’s not going to catch the man with the ball. Everybody in the stands knows it too. So, the defensive player frequently pulls up limping and the people in the stands say, 'Well, no wonder the poor guy couldn’t catch him. Look, he’s crippled.'” Loser’s Limp is not a practice that is relegated to the sports world. There are many in society who fake it or put on a front rather than confronting the harsh reality that they have fallen short and they’re not all that they should be. They play the blame game rather than admitting defeat.

Playing the blame game is nothing new. It goes all the way back to the very beginning. After succumbing to the devil’s temptation, the justifications started flowing from the mouths of Adam and Eve. “The man (Adam) said, ‘The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me from the tree, and I ate (Gen. 3:13).’” Translation, “It’s the woman’s fault.” When confronted by the Lord Eve stated, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate (Gen. 3:13).” Eve used an excuse that is all too common nowadays, “The devil made me do it.”

Remember the Golden Calf incident in Exodus chapter 32? Moses confronted Aaron and asked, “What did this people do to you, that you have brought such great sin upon them?” Aaron, trying to deflect the blame and justify his actions states, “Do not let the anger of my lord burn; you know the people yourself, that they are prone to evil. For they said to me, ‘Make a god for us who will go before us; for this Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.’ I said to them, ‘Whoever has any gold, let them tear it off.’ So they gave it to me, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf (Exo. 32:21-24).’”

On the Day of Judgment there will be many who will try to justify their disobedience by stating, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name cast out demons, and in your name perform many miracles?” But Jesus will declare to them, “I never knew you; depart from me, you who practice lawlessness (Matt. 7:22-23).” There will be no justification for the one who does not do the will of the Father.

The consequence for avoiding responsibility and blaming others is that we lose. Adam and Eve lost. Blame shifting “victims” lose. We could rightly say that “victimism is every loser’s recognizable limp. Justifying sin is a tool of the devil. It takes the focus off of us and our need for forgiveness. This leads to the ultimate defeat of spiritual death. We need to understand what’s at stake here. The incident in the Garden of Eden has much application for us today. We need to realize the consequences of disowning our sin and shifting the blame. Instead, we need to own up to our own sinfulness and seek God's forgiveness.

Coming Back to the Heart of Worship

2011-01-19T19:54:00.003-06:00

Some of you may recognize the name Soren Kierkegaard. Kierkegaard was a Danish theologian that lived around 150 years ago and provided an interesting analysis of worship. He once stated, “Many people think of church like a theater. The audience sits in the pews. The preacher is on stage to perform, and the bulletin is the program." Kierkegaard goes on to say that this thinking is partially correct. "Church is like a theater except that the people in the pews are not the audience, God is. In reality, there is an audience of one. Worship is not for us, it is for God. And worship that comes from the heart-felt, genuine faith and love of His children delights God. It brings a smile to His face.”

In my humble opinion, we have forgotten who the audience is in worship. We are not the audience in worship; God is. When we begin adding our own personal tastes to worship, then it ceases to be about God. It becomes about us, and worship should never be only about us. Worship cannot be reduced to a matter of personal tastes. The barometer should always be, “Does our worship please God?” So many people feel that as long as God is the one being worshiped then whatever I do is right. It is not enough to worship the right God. There must also be the right worship of the right God.

In Matthew chapter 15, verses 8 and 9 Jesus states, “This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. But in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the precepts of men.” God is not impressed with worship just for worship’s sake. Worship can be useless. Jesus says so Himself. We can have worship that never gets past the ceiling tiles. We can be straight as a gun barrel doctrinally, but empty as a gun barrel spiritually. Therefore we should always be striving to give God our
best in worship; making certain that we always treat Him and His Word as holy.

We need to get back to the heart of worship. It’s all about God. He is our focus. He is our audience. Because He is our Lord. And it's His church.

The Delicate Balance of Grace & Truth

2011-01-07T15:22:00.004-06:00

Unfortunately, many people see a contradiction between grace & truth. Some attempt to soften the gospel by focusing solely on grace while minimizing truth. Others toughen the gospel by focusing solely on truth at the expense of grace. Both of these strategies keep people from Christ. Many in the religious world have chosen to ignore the harder virtues of the bible (i.e. sin, hell & the judgment) and focus only on the softer virtues (i.e. grace, mercy & love). They don't want to offend anyone. They don't want to run anyone off because, after all, numbers are what's most important, right? The bigger the church the better, or so we think.

The truth is, grace and truth are inseparably tied together. Truth must be tempered with grace, and grace must be tempered with truth. Jesus was certainly about both (Jn. 1:17). Jesus wasn't just about grace, mercy, love and compassion. Jesus was full of truth as well. He wasn’t 50% grace and 50% truth. He wasn’t 50% love and 50% truth. He was 100% love, mercy, grace and truth. Jesus didn’t flip a switch when He wanted to be merciful and then turn it off when He wanted to teach about hell. No, Jesus’ grace, mercy, love and truth were always in perfect harmony. They were a perfect marriage, not a contradiction.

As Christians, our job is not to simply make people feel good. Our goal should be to help people become righteous. Any concept of grace or mercy that makes someone feel more comfortable with sin is not biblical. It's cheap. It's counterfeit. It's false. Are we willing to withhold the truth or gloss over it in the name of false grace? Or will we speak the truth in love (Eph. 4:15) in the hope that they will become a child of God?

A NEW YOU Resolution

2010-12-29T13:34:00.004-06:00

A gentleman moved into a retirement community to live out the rest of his days. It wasn’t long until he had made a number of friends among the other residents. There was one lady, in particular, that he was especially fond of, and she was fond of him as well. They spent a lot of time together. Finally one evening he proposed, asking for her hand in marriage. The next morning the gentleman woke up remembering his proposal, but he couldn’t remember her answer. So he went to her and said, “I’m really embarrassed. I proposed to you last night but I can’t remember if you said ‘Yes’ or ‘No.’” The lady responded, “Oh, thank goodness! I remembered saying ‘Yes’ but I couldn’t remember who asked me.”

I have to admit that sometimes I feel that way about New Year’s resolutions. I tell myself, “This year I’m going to turn over a new leaf. I’m going to exercise regularly. I’m going to eat better. I’m going to do all kinds of things to improve myself physically and spiritually. I’m going to be better than ever!” But then February rolls around I have all but forgotten what I had proposed to do. Before I even remember to write the correct date at the top of my checks, I’ve already forgotten what it is I proposed to do.

Many of us put a lot of stock and hope in one evening. The sun sets on December 31st and when it rises the next morning a new year has begun, signifying a new beginning and a new opportunity to live life differently. A New Year brings new possibilities, new hopes, new dreams and new ideas. In making New Year’s Resolutions, many people try to make their dreams come true; they attempt to realize their hopes and dreams. With the dawning of a new year comes the hope of a new ME.

As we enter into a new year, I want to encourage all of you to make a different type of New Year’s Resolution in 2011. Many times our resolutions focus on minor adjustments or tweaking ourselves in some way. Most often our resolutions focus on the physical. This year let’s focus on the spiritual. Let’s make a spiritual resolution to be a NEW & IMPROVED child of God in the coming year! Let’s be more dedicated to the Lord and His church than we’ve ever been. Let’s resolve to know Him better and serve Him more diligently. Let’s be a better bible. Let’s be more prayerful. Let’s be more evangelistic. Let’s be more faithful in all areas of our lives. Let’s strive this year to put God in His proper place at all times; seeking His will in all matters, giving our all all the time.

What are you aiming at in the coming year? What are your spiritual resolutions? Write them down. Be specific. Post them in your house somewhere so that you can see them every day. Let them serve as a constant reminder of what you are striving for. Hold yourself accountable. If you aim at nothing, you will hit it! This year, don’t just resolve to be healthier and fitter. Be spiritually healthier. Be spiritually fit. Don’t just vow to quit bad habits. Vow to take on holy habits. Don’t just focus on improvements that are solely self-serving. Resolve to serve others. Hunger and thirst for righteousness. Seek first the kingdom and His righteousness. Live daily by the foremost commandment—“Love the Lord your God with all of your heart, soul, mind and strength.” Resolve this year to be more spiritually than you ever have been!

Still Kicking!

2010-12-08T11:09:00.002-06:00

Well, in case you've been wondering, I'm still alive and kicking. I've been out of the blog-o-sphere for a while. My only excuse it that I've been too busy to sit down and dedicate the time to writing. I enjoy blogging, but other things get in the way; things that are, honestly, more important. I am thankful for the many comments I have received concerning this site. My only goal is to help us all come to a better understanding of God and His will for our lives. I hope this blog provides that assistance.

I ask that you please keep reading and keep giving me feedback. What would you like to see more of or less of? Thanks to all my friends out in the blog world that encourage me and inspire me. God bless.

P.S. I will be leaving for Ghana at the first of January. I will return around January the 13th. I'll blog about it when I get back. Please pray for this mission.

Chris

I Pledge Allegiance

2010-12-08T10:56:00.005-06:00

What ever happened to loyalty, allegiance and faithfulness? These are things we once could count on. But loyalty has gradually given way to self-interest. Loyalty is an endangered species. Everywhere you look it seems to be dying. Phrases like “Till death do us part,” “I solemnly swear,” and “I pledge allegiance” are more empty than they are profound.

A display of true loyalty can be found in the book of Ruth. The setting is in the time of the judges of Israel. A Moabite woman named Ruth and her Hebrew mother-in-law, Naomi, along with a Moabite sister-in-law shared a common grief. Three graves had been dug over a ten year span. A father and his two adult sons had died. All three women were left widows. Naomi, the mother-in-law, offers the two younger women freedom from the responsibility of staying with her and providing for her. She encourages them to return to their parent’s homes while they are still young enough to remarry. One of them does return. The other, Ruth, does not. Ruth’s beautiful response to Naomi is an expression and demonstration of unwavering loyalty. It is an example of something that is all too rare today. If only we could have more of it among God’s people today. It reads, “But Ruth said, ‘Do not urge me to leave you or turn back from following you; for where you go, I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God. Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. Thus may the Lord do to me, and worse, if anything but death parts you and me.’ When she saw that she was determined to go with her, she said no more to her”
(Ruth 1:1-18).

Ruth’s words show us the meaning of true loyalty. True loyalty cannot be demanded or coerced. Naomi didn’t urge Ruth to stay. She urged her to go and find a husband while she was still young. Loyalty cannot exist without liberty. It cannot be forced or bought. It must be chosen. Ruth also shows us that true loyalty must be unconditional. In essence, Ruth says, “Wherever you, whatever path you choose, I will follow. You cannot put conditions on loyalty. Within Ruth’s statement of true loyalty we also find a dedication to Naomi’s God. Ruth obviously saw something distinct and valuable in Naomi’s worship. She saw something in Naomi’s God that was lacking in the idol worship of the Moabites. Ruth’s undying allegiance wasn’t just to Naomi; it was to everything Naomi was about; that included her worship of God. Notice verse 17 again, “Where you die, I will die, and there be buried.” Ruth teaches us that you cannot put an expiration date on loyalty. Loyalty is not disposable. It is lasting.

Loyalty is hard to come by in our society today. In our selfish society the prominent type of loyalty is a loyalty to self. As Christians, may we seek to display the type of loyalty that Ruth displayed in her life. May we pledge undying allegiance to God and His will.

No Excuse Sunday

2010-11-17T15:33:00.002-06:00

Allow me to share this little parody on church attendance. The author is unknown.

1) Cots will be placed in the vestibule for those who say; “Sunday is my only day for sleeping in.”

2) Eye drops will be available for those whose eyes are tired from watching TV too late on Saturday night.

3) We will have steel helmets for those who believe the roof will “cave in” if they show up for church services.

4) Blankets will be furnished for those who complain that the church building is “too cold.” Fans will be on hand for those who say, the church building is “too hot.

5) There will be a special section with lounge chairs for those who feel that our pews are too hard.

6) We will have hearing aids for the members who say; the preacher doesn’t talk loud enough. There will be cotton for those who say; the preacher talks too loud.

7) Score cards will be available for those who wish to count the hypocrites!

8) We guarantee that some relatives will be present for those who like to go visiting on Sunday.

9) There will be TV dinners available for those who claim they can’t go to church and cook dinner, too.

10) One section of the church will have some trees and grass for those who see God in nature, especially on the golf course!

11) For the fishermen – we will stock the baptistery pool full of fish.

12) Doctors and nurses will be in attendance for those who plan to be sick on Sunday.

13) The auditorium will be decorated with both Christmas poinsettias and Easter lilies for those who have never worshiped without them.

14) We will have representatives from the finest clothing stores for our weekly give-away, that’s right, “Free” clothes and accessories, for those of you who have absolutely “nothing to wear!”

ALMOST!

2010-11-11T14:38:00.003-06:00

I read a story not long ago about a 62 year old man by the name of William Hyatt. Mr. Hyatt was traveling down a lonely stretch of highway in the Mojave Desert when his car broke down. So he sat out to find assistance, but the dryness and the heat was too much for him, and Mr. Hyatt perished. He was found 22 miles away from his car. He had crawled on his hands and knees the last 2 miles and eventually collapsed with his face and hands buried in the sand, searching for moisture. Even more tragic is the fact that Mr. Hyatt passed away on a hillside, and just over that hill, only a few hundred feet away, was the Saratoga Spring with enough life-giving water to have saved him. He was almost there. He was so close, yet so far.

Mr. Hyatt’s tragedy can be related to many folks in a spiritual sense. There are many people who are so close to salvation, yet so far away. In chapter 26 of the book of Acts we find a man in that very position. A man by the name of Agrippa. King Herod Agrippa, as he was known, was the grandson of Herod the Great. His father was Herod Agrippa I who was responsible for putting the Apostle James to death. He was a sister to Drusilla. He was the last of the Herod’s. His father had died when he was just seventeen making him the king at a very young age.

Agrippa's story is significant as it relates to Paul. After Felix was removed from office, Festus became the new governor. Paul had been left in prison by Felix and now Festus laid Paul’s case before the king.Festus admitted that he did not know much about the situation surrounding Paul so he asked Agrippa for help. Therefore, Paul found himself in front of the King, but this time he was not on trial. Paul had appealed his case to Rome; therefore all judicial proceedings had ceased. In fact, Paul could have refused to make his defense, but instead he welcomed the opportunity because he saw it as a chance to preach the gospel in front of a distinguished group of people. Paul’s speech outlined his life as a Pharisee, his life as a persecutor of Christians, as a gospel preacher. He talked about how his life almost ended by the Jews in the temple. And he discussed the suffering and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Paul preached Jesus in the hope of converting them.

In verse 27 Paul asks, “King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know that you do,” he says. Paul’s question is a loaded question. If the young ruler said he did not believe in the prophets, he would lose all respect and support of the Jewish people. However, if he stated that he did believe then Paul’s next question would have been, “Then are you willing to accept that Jesus is the One of whom the prophets spoke of?”
Agrippa’s responds with the words, “In a short time you will persuade me to become a Christian" (v. 28). The KJV reads, “Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian.” What was at the root of Agrippa’s procrastination? Notice the words of Paul in response to Agrippa: “I would wish to God, that whether in a short or long time, not only you, but also all who hear me this day, might become as I am, except for these chains" (Acts 26:29).

Change, real change, from the inside out is scary. It’s difficult even when you know its right. To know what to do and to do what we know is a great challenge. Paul says that he wishes that all who hear him might become like him. Perhaps Agrippa looked at the chains around Paul’s wrists and saw the dedication and commitment he had to Christ, and thought that it was too much. Maybe he took a look around and saw all that he would have to give up, namely his wife. Seated on Agrippa’s right was a young lady named Bernice. Some commentators call her his wife, some say they just lived together, but either way they were living in sin because whether Bernice was Agrippa’s wife or girlfriend she was also his sister and, therefore, they were living in an incestuous relationship. Becoming a Christian would mean giving up Bernice, as well as the many other worldly pleasures he enjoyed. It would mean a complete reprioritization of life’s values effective immediately. In the end, that may have proved to be too a high a price for Agrippa.

Whatever the reason for Agrippa's procrastination, one thing is for certain--Agrippa heard the message of Christ and his heart was stirred. He knew he had to make a decision. He came to know who Jesus was, but he stopped short of making him his personal Lord and Savior. He stood at the door of salvation. All he had to do was walk through it, but instead he walked the other way. So close, yet so far.

Are you so very close? Are standing at the threshold of salvation? When a basketball team loses by one point in the championship game it means they almost won, but they still came in second. A marksman who almost hits the bulls-eye still misses it completely. A ship that almost makes it to the harbor still perishes at sea. And a person who almost becomes a Christian still finds themselves lost in the end.

Filling A Purse with Holes

2010-11-04T08:13:00.001-05:00

In the book of Haggai we find an interesting statement that may well apply to many people living in this day and age. The first group of Jews had returned from Babylonian captivity in 536 B.C. under the leadership of Zerubbabel(Ezra 2:1-2). The Hebrews had initially been anxious to reestablish their religious tradition. They set up the altar of burnt-offerings at its original site (Ezra 3:2-3). They laid the foundations of the temple (Ezra 3:8-10). However, they soon became discouraged by opposition, and the restoration work was put on hold. Nothing was done for the next 16 years. In the second year of Darius (520 B.C.), Haggai arrived on the scene to encourage the people to resume work on the house of God (Haggai 1:1-2). While Samaritan hostility had been the initial cause of the Jews’ discouragement, now selfishness and materialism had motivated them to seek personal ambitions rather than the Lord’s interests. The people said, “The time has not come, even the time for the house of the Lord to be rebuilt” (Haggai 1:2). Haggai sharply rebukes the people, sarcastically informing them that they had no problem with “timing” when it came to
building their own homes. He then pointed out the consequences that resulted because of their religious indifference. Then notice what he says about their selfish materialism in Chapter 1, verse 6. He states that it is like putting money into “a purse with holes.”

What was true in the days of Haggai is no less true today. In this selfish, materialistic society, there are so many individuals who are putting their money into a purse with holes. They’re investing all of their time and energy into something that is meaningless and futile. Unfortunately, some Christians have bought in as well. Rather than being consumed by God, their lives are consumed by self and selfish pursuits. This preoccupation with self and selfish interests even rears its ugly head in one’s prayer life. All too often individuals treat God as some sort of divine St. Nick who exists to hear their selfish requests and then, ultimately, grant those selfish requests. When materialism infiltrates our hearts, it causes our hearts to be corroded. We ask for the wrong things with the wrong heart. Our prayers become “Consumer Prayers,” meaning that the things we request of God are not eternal things, merely temporal.

James writes, “You ask and do not receive, because you ask with the wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures” (Jas. 4:3). God is not our errand boy. He’s not a genie. He’s not our own personal blessings vending machine. If you’re spending your time in prayer seeking what you can get from God rather than what you can give, then you’re simply trying to fill a purse with holes. Prayer is not about you; it’s about God. Selfishness must be replaced with humility and poverty of spirit. We’re the ones on our knees and on our faces, not Him.

Cowboy Poem

2010-10-27T18:36:00.002-05:00

Jake, the rancher, went one day
To fix a distant fence.
The wind was cold and gusty
And the clouds rolled gray and dense.

As he pounded the last staples in
And gathered tools to go,
The temperature had fallen,
And snow began to blow.

When he finally reached his pickup,
He felt a heavy heart.
From the sound of that ignition
He knew it wouldn't start.

So Jake did what most of us
Would do if we were there.
He humbly bowed his balding head
And sent aloft a prayer.

As he turned the key the last time,
He softly cursed his luck
They found him three days later,
Frozen stiff in that old truck.

Now Jake had been around in life
And done his share of roaming.
But when he saw Heaven, he was shocked
It looked just like Wyoming!

Of all the saints in Heaven,
His favorite was St. Peter.
So they sat and talked a minute or two,
Or maybe it was three.
Nobody was keeping score
In Heaven, time is free.

"I've always heard," Jake said to Pete,
"That God will answer prayers,
But the one time I asked for help,
Well, he just wasn't there.

Does God answer prayers of some,
And ignore the prayers of others?
That don't seem exactly square
I know all men are brothers.

Or does he randomly reply,
Without good rhyme or reason?
Maybe, it's the time of day,
The weather or the season.

Now I ain't trying to act smart,
It's just the way I feel.
And I was wondering, could you tell me
What the heck's the deal?!"

Peter listened very patiently
And when Jake was done,
There were smiles of recognition,
And he said, "So, you're the one!

That day your truck, it wouldn't start,
And you sent your prayer a flying,
You gave us all a real bad time,
With hundreds of us trying.

A thousand angels rushed,
To check the status of your file,
But you know, Jake, we hadn't heard
From you in quite a while.

And though all prayers are answered,
And God ain't got no quota,
He didn't recognize your voice,
And started a truck in Minnesota !"

A Few Good Men

2010-10-18T14:40:00.003-05:00

Ezekiel 22:30 reads, “I searched for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand in the gap before me for the land, so that I would not destroy it; but I found no one.” Here, God is portrayed as one about to enter the city through a hole in the protective wall, yet no one was concerned enough to keep Him from entering to destroy it. God had examined all the people, but found no one living righteously; no one to stand in the gap and represent the people with righteousness. The ills of society were being ignored because no one was willing to build up the wall that had broken down. Corruption was so widespread that Israel had no champions to represent her to the Lord, or try to dissuade the people from their wickedness.

The problem that plagued Israel in the days of Ezekiel is still a problem today. We need more men who are willing to stand in the gap. Godly men with Godly intentions. Spiritual champions who are ready and willing to represent the Lord in a world of unrighteousness. You’ve probably heard women make the statement, “A good man is hard to find.” Unfortunately, there is a certain amount of truth in that statement. Good, spiritual men are becoming harder and harder to find. Godly men are becoming an endangered species. Men who will lead their family on the road to heaven. Men who will provide spiritual strength for the journey and protection from the storms of life. God is looking for a few good men. Will we, as Christian men, stand in the gap?

One father made this sad confession as he reflected on the raising of his children. He said, “I took my kids to school, but not to church. I taught them to drink, but not of the living water. I enrolled them in Little League, but not Sunday school. I showed them how to fish, but not to be a fisher of men. I made the Lord’s Day a holiday, rather than a holy day. I taught them that the church was full of hypocrites and made the greater hypocrite of them and me. I gave them a color TV, but provided no Bible. I handed them the keys to the car, but did not give to them the keys to the kingdom of God. I taught them how to make a living, but failed to bring them to Christ who alone can make a life.” Sadly, the confession of this remorseful father could easily stand as the confession of many fathers around the world today. All too often fathers are focusing on the wrong things. They’re teaching their children some things—things that are even valuable, but they’re not teaching the things that are most important.

There is a difference in being a good father and a Godly father. Many of us have benefited from the instruction of a good father. But let us strive for more with our children. Let’s go beyond being a good father and let’s strive to be a Godly father. We have a Godly Father, and our Godly Father expects us to emulate Him. He expects today’s fathers to model the characteristics of Him because He is well aware of the fact that children typically get their first impression of God from their earthly father. This is a tremendous responsibility, but a tremendous opportunity as well. We hold our child’s spiritual livelihood in our hands. Hopefully, we handle it with care. Hopefully, we make every effort to lead them to Christ and, thus, ultimately lead them to heaven!

Have a Nice Day!

2010-09-29T13:53:00.003-05:00

The other day I went into one of the local convenience stores here in Abilene. I was in a hurry and the person in front of me was taking his precious time picking out lottery tickets (By the way, shouldn't they have a separate line for this). The cashier was new, and she was having a hard time deciphering all the buttons on her cash register. There were several disgruntled individuals in line in front of me mumbling and grumbling. After what seemed like 20 minutes, I got to the front of the line and sat my 32 oz. Dr. Pepper on the counter. I must admit that I was not all that happy about having to wait in line for so long. As I reached for my wallet, the frazzled lady behind the counter began spilling her guts about how horrendous her day had been, and very little of it had to do with work. Apparently, her home situation was in shambles. She began giving me a laundry list of all that was wrong in her life. Because I was the only one left in line, I got the full load of all her problems. While listening to her, I realized that my waiting in line was rather insignificant. This woman had been thrown to the dogs at her job; forced to figure out the inner-workings of 7-11 without much assistance. And after work she would go home to a war zone. I had just put in a mere 7 or 8 hours at a job I love, and was about to go home to a family that is dear to me.

After serving as this young lady's counter-side therapist, I thanked her for her service. I told her to hang in there; that she was doing a good job. And I grabbed my Dr. Pepper and headed out the door. With a smile on her face, she looked at me and said, "Have a good day, sir." I don't have many bad days. And thanks to the young lady at 7-11, I'll try to keep my not-so-good days in perspective. I hope she knows how much she helped me that day; not just by ringing up my Dr. Pepper, but by helping me understand that you never truly know what's going on in someone's world. It's easy to get put out with people who don't understand how valuable your time is, or how busy you are. What's not so easy is putting yourself in the other person's shoes.

Before I walked out of the store, she thanked me for listening. She apologized for going on and on about her problems. I didn't mind. I hoped I helped her by hearing her out. And I hope that someday real soon she has a nice day!

"This is the day which the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." -Psalm 118:24

Live Like You Were Dying

2010-09-15T09:30:00.004-05:00

Not too long ago, Tim McGraw came out with a song entitled, "Live Like You Were Dying." The song was a tribute to Tim's father who passed away from a brain tumor. The lyrics are a reflection of the many things that Tim's father, Tug, decided to do differently once he learned that he had only a few months to live; things he had always wanted to do and things he had previously taken for granted. The song speaks of going sky diving and Rocky Mountain climbing. It talks about loving deeper and speaking sweeter. "I finally read the good book, and I took a good, long hard look at what I'd do if I could do it all again." The song was catchy. It was easy on the ears, but it also had a very profound message. How different would our lives be if we lived like we were dying?

How many of us go through each and every day without slowing down long enough to sip the air and smell the roses? How many things do we take for granted on a daily basis? How many of us get so caught up in meeting the demands of our schedules that we can't even focus on what's most important? I think it's safe to say that most of us, if not all of us, need a radical reprioritization of life's values effective immediately.

We are all born with an expiration date. Each day each and every one of us are one step closer to death. It's a morbid thought. One we don't like thinking much about, but one that is a reality nevertheless. How we spend our time now directly affects where we will spend eternity. Is our life a relentless pursuit of things? Are we dedicated to the attainment of the material? Are we living for the passing pleasures of this life, or are we striving for something greater? James wrote, "Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away" (Jas. 4:14). Life is short. Eternity is forever; therefore, we had better spend our time wisely.

Tim McGraw's hit song included the words, "Someday I hope you get the chance to live like you were dying." My friends, we all have this opportunity. In fact, we all should live every single day like we were dying because we are. Let us spend the short time we have here on earth by preparing for eternity. Let us never take life for granted and let us live life for the right purpose!

"Be still and know that I am God." -Psalm 46:10

World's Funniest Soccer Goal Celebration

2010-09-02T14:50:00.002-05:00

I can just see my U12 team trying this the next time they score!

Ouch! TV Reporter Hit by Soccer Ball

2010-09-02T14:45:00.000-05:00

Meet the Family

2010-09-01T13:24:00.006-05:00

In my two years of writing this blog, I have come to realize that I rarely mention the people I am closest to. Yes, I talk about my wife and kids quite often, but I have an extended family that I hardly talk about. This is a shameful oversight on my part. So allow me to tell you a little about them.

1) There are about 550 of them.

2) They're all ages.

3) They are kind, sweet, loving and supportive.

4) They like to shake your hand, hug your neck and sometimes even kiss your face.

5) We get together every Sunday; sometimes more often.

5) They like to eat.

6) They love God and His Word.

They are my church family at the Oldham Lane Church of Christ. I would love for you to meet them. Come visit me at 9:00 a.m. Sunday morning or 5:00 p.m. Sunday evening and I will introduce you. But more importantly, I'll introduce you to our Father. He's the One you really need to meet!

Hold On As Long As You Can

2010-08-18T13:42:00.004-05:00

It's back to school time and as the father of three school-aged children I find this time of year rather bittersweet. On one hand I enjoy sharing in their excitement as they find out who their new teacher is and who will be in their class. I thoroughly enjoy watching them play fall sports. I enjoy the routine since summer, at least at our house, can be chaos at times. However, a new school year means that my children are one step closer to moving out and moving on. While each stage of their lives up to this point has been exciting, I'm not ready for the empty nest phase, at least not yet; that phase is coming at an alarming pace. I love watching my children grow and mature, but I wish that I could slow it down just a tad. I know they have to grow, but do they have to do it so quickly?

I have come to a harsh but certain conclusion. Regardless of my wishes, my children are getting older and will, hopefully, continue to do so. I can't stop it. I can't even slow it down. All I can reasonably do is drink it all in; soaking up every last morsel of time that I have with them before they load up and head off to college.

Children are truly a blessing. May we always treasure the time that we have with them. We don't get to keep them in our arms very long; therefore, let us hold them tight and cherish the embrace.

Church Signs That Make Me Laugh!

2010-08-11T16:28:00.005-05:00

There's No Crying in Baseball!

2010-08-04T11:24:00.009-05:00

We all need shaking sometimes. There comes a point where each and everyone of us needs a wake up call. Mine came the other night when I was watching my son play baseball. Like most fathers, I get caught up in the game. I am probably more nervous than my son when he's up to bat or when he's pitching. I pace, I bite my nails, I grimace. At times the suspense is almost more than I can bear. I want him to succeed so badly. I just want him to do well so that he can feel good about himself. Or do I? Perhaps I want him to do well so that I can feel good about myself. After all, he's MY son. I taught him everything he knows. I've made him what he is today. If he does well, that reflects well on me.

The other night my son struck out. As he walked to the dug-out, he looked at me. I gave him some commentary concerning why he struck out. Tears came to his eyes and his lip began to quiver. I had just added insult to injury. He knew that he had struck out and that a strike out was not a favorable result. Even more serious was the knowledge that it wasn't a favorable result with me. It hit me like a line drive to the face. At that moment, I came to realize that I was one of those overbearing, over-involved parents that I had ridiculed for so long. I had always prided myself in being the type of father who could give constructive criticism and then get out of the way. However, who I thought I was didn't exist in reality. Something had to change because, while baseball is a great game, it's still just a game. Was it with worth tears; tears that were the result of undue pressure I had placed upon him?

My son's failure at the plate has caused me to evaluate my failure as a father. Wasn't it Tom Hanks who said, "There's no crying in baseball?" Tears should not be shed from the eyes of a 9 year old boy who's trying to please his obnoxious father. I am proud of my son, not because he's a pretty good athlete, but because he's mine. Nothing he could ever do, or not do, in a silly game could ever change my love for him. He needs to know that validation doesn't come from hitting a ball. He's my boy, and that's enough! Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go give him a hug.

The Circular Logic of Once Saved, Always Saved

2010-07-29T08:21:00.003-05:00

The argument that is often made by the proponents of once saved, always saved is that one who falls away was never really a saved individual to begin with. They had never really accepted Jesus. This is circular logic. Can a person lose their salvation? No! What if they commit a heinous crime or choose to live the rest of their lives as an atheist, denouncing God? Well, then they were never really a Christian to begin with. This is a convenient argument because it always gives the one who holds this doctrine an "out." However, such reasoning puts one in a position to judge the heart of another individual. Are we so bold as to believe that we can see into the heart of an individual and determine whether they are really saved or not? Are we really qualified to make that assessment?

Plus, we have already shown examples throughout the New Testament of individuals or groups of individuals who were warned of the dangers of falling away. The writers of these New Testament epistles, inspired by the Holy Spirit, referred to these individuals as “the elect,” “the called,” “brethren.” Word was sent to them to caution them to “hold fast,” “to continue in the faith,” “to endure.” What would be the purpose of such warnings if these individuals were not capable of losing their salvation?

Do we know more than the inspired writers of the New Testament? It’s obvious that they considered these individuals as saved. Who would know better than them? We’re not qualified to judge another’s heart. We can judge a person’s behavior. If one’s behavior is unrighteous or immoral then we can certainly make that assessment and, in turn, try to assist them spiritually. There are people who come to Christ with the intention of giving Him their best, but in time they fall away and return to their old life of sin. It’s unfortunate, but it does happen. Free-will allows them to do so. That freedom of choice is not removed from us when we become a Christian.

What we need to be teaching and prescribing to is faithful living once we become a Christian. We need to be focusing our efforts on living for the Lord each and every day; continuing in His word, applying it to our lives, seeking to follow in His footsteps and be molded in His image. Living faithfully should be top priority for all of God’s children. We can’t turn our backs on God or live in a direction away from Him and expect our ticket to heaven to still be punched. Salvation is a gift, and that gift must be treasured and treated with the utmost care.

We must also be diligent to teach that, for those who have fallen away, there is restoration. There is hope, but there is only one road back--repentance and the humble petition for God’s pardon. This was evidenced in the Old Testament and it is detailed in the New Testament as well. Those who have departed from God are to:

(1) Rekindle the faith (the motive that fuels obedience) that has diminished in their hearts (cf. Luke 8:13; Hebrews 3:12).
(2) Be characterized by a “godly sorrow” that produces penitent fruit (Matthew 3:8; 2 Corinthians 7:10).
(3) Confess their wrong. To the degree that such is known (cf. Acts 19:18; James 5:16; 1 John 1:9).
(4) And petition God for pardon (Matthew 6:12; Acts 8:22).

One who is lost doesn’t have to be a lost caused. However, we must never sugar-coat the truth. And we must never compromise the truth by telling someone they’re okay when they’re not. Christians can fall from grace. Let’s try to help them back up by showing them the road home.

Once Saved, Always Saved? Signature Passages Explained

2010-07-21T13:34:00.002-05:00

We continue our study of the once saved, always saved doctrine by examining the 2 signature verses that are most commonly used in its defense--John 10:29 & Romans 8:35-39.

John 10:27-29 reads, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me; and I give eternal life to them, and they shall never perish; and no one shall snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.”

At the very least, if we honestly evaluate all of scripture, then we have a contradiction. We've already discussed that salvation is conditional. We find passages of scripture that clearly indicate that one can fall from grace. In fact, Galatians 5:4 uses that very term. So, is the bible contradictory in its message? I think we know the answer to that question. If it is, then why bother even studying its contents. Since we know that the bible doesn’t contradict itself, we must find another explanation, and the explanation for John 10:27-29 is quite simple.

Being a sheep and being in the hand of God is conditional. Sheep can stray; something that Jesus makes very clear in The Parable of the Lost Sheep in Luke 15. We are eternally secure in the hand of the Lord as long as we remain faithful. We can choose, through unfaithful living, to leave the security of the hand of God. The message of John 10:27-29 is not that we can never lose our salvation. The message is that nothing can harm the Christian who submits to God and obeys His commands. As James wrote in James 4:7-8, “Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” We must choose to draw near to God, and when we do, we secure ourselves so long as we stay close to Him. However, our eternal security depends on us remaining in an obedient relationship.

Does our free-will disappear once we have become a Christian? Romans 8:35-39 reads, “Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Just as it is written, ‘For your sake we are being put to death all day long; we were considered as sheep to be slaughtered.’ But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

The message of Romans 8:35-39 in no way gives credence to the teaching of once saved, always saved. Jesus stated that He remained in the Father’s love by keeping His commandments, and that His followers were to abide in His love by keeping His commandments. John 15:10 states, “If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love; just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in His love.” 2 John 9 further emphasizes that only those who abide in the teaching of Christ have the Father and the Son. All who go outside His doctrine lose fellowship with God.

Nothing external can separate the Christian from Christ’s love. However, a Christian can separate himself from the Lord by not abiding in His word and living faithfully. The devil could not separate Adam and Eve from God, but he did deceive Eve and her sin caused them to be separated from God. There is nothing external powerful enough to snatch us out of the Father’s hand, but a Christian does have the power to exercise his own free-will in a manner that is sinful. Man can choose to live separate from the Father.

Once Saved, Always Saved? The Significance of "IF"

2010-07-14T10:27:00.003-05:00

There are many times, when it comes to bible study, that we need to major in the minors. Some of the most profound truths come in small packages, and certainly this is the case with the little word “if.” If only we placed the proper emphasis on the little word “if” when it comes to religion. We understand its meaning very well in virtually every other area of life. My kids understand that when my wife says, “If you eat your broccoli, you can have some ice cream.” “If you finish your homework, you can go out and play.” “If you get done with your chores, you can play your video games.” We understand the meaning and implication of the word “if.” “If” signifies that whether something happens or not is dependent upon something else. If you do this, then that will occur. It is a conditional particle, which means that it mentions conditions or circumstances upon which certain consequences follow. And this fact is no less true when it comes to “if” in the bible.

Notice what is written in John 8:51, “Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word he shall never see death.” Does this passage of scripture affirm that NO ONE will ever be lost? Of course not! It does, however, affirm that NO ONE who “keeps Christ’s word” will be lost. The verb here even implies an abiding action. We see the importance of the particle “if.” It states a condition. Note some other passages that are just as appropriate to what we are discussing.

* 1 Corinthians 15:1 & 2, “Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which you also stand, by which also you are saved, IF you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain” [emphasis mine].

* Colossians 1:22 & 23, “…yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach—IF indeed you continue in the faith firmly established and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel that you have heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, was made a minister” [emphasis mine].

* 2 Timothy 2:12—“IF we endure, we shall also reign with Him; IF we deny Him, He also will deny us…” [emphasis mine].

* 1 John 1:7—“…but IF we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin” [emphasis mine].

In each of these passages, note the particle “if.” Then also note the action verbs that are connected to it. “If you hold fast,” “If you continue in the faith.” “If we endure.” “If we walk in the light.” One can see that the little word “if” has great meaning when it comes to understanding our salvation. These and numerous other passages point to the fact that our salvation is dependent upon our sincere and determined effort to pursue God and His will for our lives.

Once Saved, Always Saved?

2010-07-09T11:06:00.004-05:00

Can one lose their salvation. Those who believe in the doctrine of eternal security would say, "No." However, the scriptures reveal a quite different answer. The bible repeatedly contradicts the idea that once we are saved we are always saved.

Consider Judas Iscariot. Judas betrayed Jesus and died lost when he committed suicide over the anguish of what he had done. Jesus even described him as the “son of perdition” (Jn. 17:12). This is a biblical expression signifying the destiny of a person; one “doomed to eternal misery” (Thayer, 71, 635; cf. 2 Tess. 2:3). In the same text, our lord prophetically declared that Judas would “perish.” Peter specified that Judas went to his “own place” (Acts 1:25). A.T. Robertson, a scholar who opposed the idea that a saved person could be lost, admitted that there was “no doubt in Peter’s mind of the destiny of Judas,” one “worthy of Dante’s inferno” (iii. 18).

The question becomes, “Was Judas ever a saved individual?” Again, we look to the testimony of Peter. Peter says that Judas “was numbered among us, and received his portion in this ministry” (Acts 1:17). Again, A. T. Robertson notes that the expression “received his portion” is used especially of one who receives a “divine appointment” (iii.16). Peter further notes that Judas “fell away.” One cannot fall away from where he never was, nor can he fall into something he’s always been in. We also know that Judas accompanied the other apostles on what is commonly called “the limited commission,” as detailed in Matthew 10:1ff. He was given the same spiritual powers as the others, including the ability to “cast out demons” (v. 8). Jesus Christ Himself, in a debate with the Pharisees (those who accused the Lord of casting out demons by the power of Satan), denied that one under the control of Satan would be casting out demons. In that case, he said, the devil would be divided against himself. When all of this is taken into consideration, it’s easy to see that Judas was not eternally secure. His position as an apostle who “received his portion in [the] ministry” was forfeited, as was his salvation.

Or what about the prodigal son? After leaving the father’s household and blowing his inheritance on loose living, the son finds himself in dire straits. A famine hits the land and the son was starving. So he hires himself out to one of the citizens of the country he had journeyed to. His job was to feed the pigs. To show how low the son had sunk, scripture tells us that “he would have gladly filled his stomach with the pods that the swine were eating” (Lk. 15:16). The son comes to his senses. Realizing what he had done, he resolves to return to the father’s household and ask for forgiveness. Of course, we all know what happens next. Before he reaches the front door, the father rushes out to embrace him and kisses him. The son tells him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your son” (v. 21). A celebration ensues. The father tells his slaves to bring out the best robe and put it on the son; put a ring on his hand, sandals on his feet; “bring out the fattened calf, kill it, and let us eat and celebrate (v. 23),” the father exclaims. And then notice what he says next, “...for this son of mine was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found” (Lk. 15:24).

Obviously the prodigal son had not died physically. So how was he dead? He was dead spiritually. He was dead when he was outside of the father’s household, as our individuals today who choose to live life on their own terms, even if they were once faithful Christians. Their previous obedience to the gospel does not exempt them from faithful service.

Go back to the very beginning. Adam and Eve enjoyed close communion with God in the Garden of Eden. Was there position secure? If so, why did God cast them out of the garden when they disobeyed His direct command? God told them that if they ate of the fruit or even touched the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that they would surely die. Again, did they die physically once they disobeyed the Lord? No, they died spiritually. Their sin separated them. Loving obedience to God’s will is not something that is only required when we come to Christ. We must continue in loving obedience lest we risk separation.

We will continue examining this topic in detail in my next post. God bless!

The Happiest Place on Earth?

2010-06-17T09:32:00.005-05:00

I have been out of the blog-writing routine for the past couple of weeks. I needed a break, so my family and I traveled to Disney World; the happiest place on earth they say. We spent 4 days fighting the crowds in record heat, riding rides that make your stomach turn, eating food that was stale and overpriced, and pretending to not be absolutely exhausted. A trip to Disney World is one of those vacations that require another vacation just to unwind from. The things we do for our kids, right?

All belly-aching aside, it was an enjoyable experience for the most part. Spending time with the family and watching my children drink in the experience was wonderful. I noticed, however, that some people didn't seem to be as satisfied with their Disney experience. Some raced around in a mad dash from one ride or show to another. Some pushed others aside and cut in front of people in line. Some were simply rude and inconsiderate. I thought to myself, "This is supposed to be the happiest place on earth. So why are so many people unhappy?"

Watching the disgruntled and disenchanted folks at Disney World made me realize that our world is full of people who just can't seem to get happy where they are. Happiness is tied to conditions rather than an inner attitude. We fail to realize that happiness is a choice. We can be happy or content in any and every circumstance but, too often, we rely on external things to dictate our happiness level. Happiness is inward, not outward. It has a source--a divine source.

True happiness will never be found in things or in circumstances because such elements are fleeting and constantly changing. Happiness comes from a rock-solid relationship with the Heavenly Father and knowing that He is in control. Connecting with the source means that any place can be the happiest place on earth regardless of the conditions or circumstances!

Remember Where You Came From

2010-06-03T09:18:00.003-05:00

Blaise Pascal was an influential scientist who lived in the 1600’s. He was something of a genius. When he died in 1662 his servant found a small piece of parchment sewn into his coat. At the top of the paper Pascal had drawn a cross. Underneath the cross were these words: "In the year of the Lord 1654. Monday, November 23. From about half-past ten in the evening until half-past twelve. God of Abraham, God of Isaac, God of Jacob not of philosophers nor of the scholars. Certitude. Certitude. Feeling. Joy. Peace. God of Jesus Christ, my God and thy God. 'Thy God shall be my God.' Forgetfulness of the world and of everything, except God. He is to be found only by the ways taught in the Gospel. Greatness of the soul of man. 'Righteous Father, the world hath not known thee, but I have known thee.' Joy, joy, joy, tears of joy. Jesus Christ. I have fallen away: I have fled from Him, denied Him, crucified him. May I not fall away forever. We keep hold of him only by the ways taught in the Gospel. Renunciation, total and sweet. Total submission to Jesus Christ and to my director. Eternally in joy for a day’s exercise on earth.
I will not forget Thy word. Amen."

Those words were Pascal’s record of an intense two-hour prayer that he kept secret until his death. It was the heartfelt words of reverence to the One that gripped his soul and changed the course of his life, and he stored this record in the lining of his coat, close to his heart. Whenever he got a new coat, he took this prayer from the lining of his old coat and sewed it into the lining of his new one. It was a treasured experience, something he could return to again and again.

How about you? Do you remember where you came from? Do you remember your former existence; the one where you lived in bondage, oppressed by sin, a slave to hopelessness? Do you remember the day of your deliverance; the day you threw off the chains and put on Christ in baptism; your spiritual birthday? Hopefully that day is not a distant memory. Hopefully that is a day you still reflect upon. And hopefully that day and every day prior to it serves as motivation to keep moving forward and not looking back.

Bought with a Price

2010-05-25T10:27:00.004-05:00

A farmer was sitting on his front porch one summer evening when a newspaper boy came to deliver his paper. The boy noticed a sign on the porch which read, "Puppies for Sale." The boy got off his bike and said to the farmer, "How much do you want for the pups, mister?" "$25," the farmer said. The boy’s face dropped. "Well, sir, I can’t afford that but could I at least see them anyway?" The farmer whistled and in a moment the mother dog came bounding around the corner of the house with 4 adorable little puppies, wagging their tails and yipping happily behind her. A few seconds later, another little puppy came straggling around the house, dragging one leg behind him. "What’s the matter with that puppy, mister?" the boy asked the farmer. "Well son, that puppy is crippled. We took him to the vet and he took an x-ray. The pup doesn’t have a hip joint and that leg will never be right." To the amazement of the farmer, the boy dropped his bike, reached for his collection bag, and took out a fifty-cent piece. "Please mister, I want to buy that puppy. I’ll pay you 50 cents each week until that $25 is paid. Honest I will, mister." The farmer said, "But son, you don’t seem to understand. That pup will never be able to run or jump. That pup is going to be a cripple forever. Why in the world would you want such a useless pup as that?" The boy reached down a pulled up his pant leg, revealing a brace, holding a poor, twisted leg. "Mister," the boy said, "That pup is going to need someone who understands him to help him in life!"

Before becoming a Christian, we were crippled in our soul. We were handicapped by sin. We were deformed in heart. But God understood our plight. He saw our great need. He loves us and so He met our great need by sending His precious Son to die on a cross. You were bought at a price. Though you were crippled and handicapped, Christ purchased you with His own blood. He made you whole.

"For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body." -1 Corinthians 6:20

Bearing Anothers Burden

2010-05-04T15:05:00.002-05:00

Think about everything your parents gave up for you; the freedom of activity they gave up the moment you were born, the sleepless nights, all the money spent on your food, clothing, medical bills, etc. Think about the time spent driving you from place to place, going to your sporting events, concerts and school plays. Then when you grew up a little and became a teenager and the sleepless nights started all over again. If you were like most teen-agers, you were a bit of a brat, moody, sassy and not always easy to live with. Now that you’ve got all of that swirling around in your mind, go to your parents and tell them, “I'm sorry I was such a burden to you.” If your parents are anything like my parents, they'll look at you like you’ve got a third ear sprouting out of the middle of your forehead, and they'll say, “Burden? You weren’t a burden!” But you were. In the truest sense of the word you were a heavy load to bear. It takes extreme diligence and dedication to raise a child. It’s labor-intensive. It tries your patience. It drains your energy. It makes you cranky. Being a parent is certainly not an easy task. But your parents would never deem you a burden because of their immense love for you.

Now think about your spiritual family. The people you call your brothers and sisters in Christ. Do you really treat them as brothers and sisters? Or are they simply a burden you have to bear? I realize that you love your children with a love that is different than the love you have for someone else, but if a physical family born of corruptible seed (1 Peter 1:23) bears one another's burdens, how much more should we, who share an imperishable, incorruptible family tree, bear one another’s burdens?

Galatians 6:2 reads, “Bear one another’s burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ.” Do you realize that burden-bearing is the law? The word law comes from the Greek term nomos, which “became the established name for law as decreed by a state and set up as the standard for the administration of justice” (Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New of New Testament Words, MacDonald, n.d., p. 653). That being said, the “law of Christ” is the standard, or measure of conduct, by which Christians are judged. Jesus loved our souls; therefore He died for us on the cross. As children of God, we ought to live consistent with our spiritual ancestry. We ought to love one another as Christ has loved us--selflessly, sacrificially, unconditionally and undeservingly.

All of us are so busy, so caught up in our own little world that it’s hard for us to see the needs of others. We are so consumed by the life we are leading that we’re not very aware of those around us. An unhealthy by-product of our extreme busyness is that we have little time for each other. We communicate through sound bites and through faceless media like cell phones and e-mail. We run in the grocery store to grab a few things hoping that we don’t see anyone and have to stop and talk. We screen our phone calls with the answering machine or Caller ID so we can decide who we want to talk to and who we don’t. We even create “outs” for ourselves in case we do get caught by someone who wants to bend our ear. There’s now an app for your iphone that’s called a fake ring and it will make your phone ring so that you have an excuse to pull away from someone you really don’t want to talk to. Unfortunately, we don’t even have time for folks at church. We’re in and out. We give our allotted time to God and head on out to the car and back to the house with as little contact as possible. The busyness of our lives has blinded us to the needs of others.

We must be careful to remember that love acts; it shows itself in what we do. If the love of God is what truly motivates us, then we will display it in our lives; that includes how we interact with others. We won't shun a brother or sister. We won't allow ourselves to be so self-absorbed that we can't see past our own noses. And we won’t just speak flowery words in an effort to make someone feel good. We’ll help shoulder the load. We’ll show our love by what we do.

Par for the Course

2010-04-21T09:50:00.006-05:00

Another great article from my friend Steve Higginbotham. Enjoy more of Steve's writings on his blog at www.preachinghelp.org. A link appears on the right-bottom side of this page.

This past weekend, Brian Davis, a PGA golfer who has never won a tournament, was in a playoff with Jim Furyk. As Davis chipped onto the Green, he touched a twig in his backswing. It was not discernable to anyone, but Davis said he could feel his club touch it. So he assessed himself a two-stroke penalty, and conceded the match for a second place finish!

By reporting this rules violation, Brian Davis not only lost an opportunity to win his first PGA Tournament, he also let more than $400,000.00 slip through his fingers.

Question: What would you have done had you been in his situation? Would you have reported the violation which would cost you so much, or would you maintain your integrity?

This story reminds me of the famous Bobby Jones. In the 1925 U.S. Open, Jones called a two-stroke penalty on himself when no one but himself witnessed his ball move after addressing it. Because of his honesty, he ended up losing that event by one stroke. When he was later praised as a hero for his integrity, he replied, "You may as well praise a man for not
robbing a bank."

Brian Davis may have lost a tournament this past weekend, but he gained a fan in me for doing what some would think is incredible, but for him was just "par for the course."

Copyright C 2010, Steve Higginbotham. Permission is granted to copy these articles.

Santa Claus, The Easter Bunny & Jesus Christ

2010-04-14T13:58:00.003-05:00

Imagination is a powerful tool, and with it we can conjure up all sorts of things. Out of imagination we get a fat man who delivers gifts, a rabbit that lays and hides eggs and a fairy that gives money for teeth. Imagination is a highly effective resource in creating a variety of things. It’s unlimited in what it can conceive. My question is, if we can tap into the power of our imagination about things that seem so inconceivable in reality, why don’t we tap into the power of our imagination when it comes to something so real and so powerful like the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

It used to be that two times a year our world would slow down long enough to acknowledge Christ. Those of us who are Christians could at least count on Jesus getting some attention twice annually. But now the significance of His birth is buried under presents, jolly overweight guys with beards and a red suit, and people stampeding one another at the mall. The significance of His resurrection has been buried as well; buried under baskets, eggs, chocolate bunnies and pretty spring outfits. Lost in the commercialization of Christmas and Easter has been the meaning and magnitude of Jesus’ birth, life, death and resurrection. As a result these two holidays, while enjoyable, have become somewhat empty. The thrust behind these two holidays has been diminished to the point that Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny become the central figures rather than God and Jesus Christ.

It’s not enough to give Jesus credit or acknowledge Him with a day. No, we must give ourselves to Him. We must give our all to celebrating what He means to us. Not just twice a year, but every Lord’s Day; every day in fact. Something so monumental, something so earth-changing and life-altering must be celebrated every single day, because the birth and resurrection of Jesus Christ mean everything to us!

We Are Not the Audience

2010-04-12T14:41:00.001-05:00

Soren Kierkegaard was a Danish Theologian who lived approximately 150 years ago. He provided this analysis of worship: “Many people think of church like a theater. The audience sits in the pews. The preacher is on stage to perform, and the bulletin is the program.” Kierkegaard says that that is partially correct. He continues, “Church is like a theater except that the people in the pews are not the audience, God is. In reality, there is an audience of one. Worship is not for us, it is for God. And worship that comes from the heart-felt, genuine faith and love of His children delights God. It brings a smile to His face.”

We are not the audience in worship; God is. And God has always regulated worship. We do not decide what worship is acceptable to God. God has already done that. It is our obligation to worship Him in spirit and in truth (John 4:24). Worship that is not done in accordance with God’s will is worthless (Matthew 15:8 & 9). We should always be striving to give God our best in worship; making certain that we always treat Him and His Word as holy.

Happy Birthday to Me!

2010-04-01T07:55:00.003-05:00

Well, I celebrate yet another birthday today! I am now 37 years old and, like a lot of folks, I wonder where the time went. It seems like just yesterday I was playing backyard football with my friends on the corner of 9th & Thomas Streets in Paragould, AR. One day I was in high school, the next I was married, coaching basketball and baseball at Cord-Charlotte High School and learning how to be a man. Now here I am in my late 30's (Wow!), feeling like I'm still in my 20's. This truly is the best time of my life. I have a wonderful job, a great city to live in, a beautiful wife, 3 gorgeous children, caring friends and fairly good health. I am blessed. I constantly hear people say, "I wish I could go back to high school." Not me. I thoroughly enjoyed those days but, for me, this is what it's all about--raising a family, earning a living and following God.

I guess I'm supposed to have learned something this past year. I suppose I should have gained some new found wisdom or maturity. Well, here it is--God is great! That may seem rather elementary, but I'm reminded of the words of David in Psalm 23, "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want...My cup overflows."

Thanks to all who sent birthday wishes. I love and appreciate you so much!

Let the Madness Begin!

2010-03-17T10:45:00.004-05:00

Those of you who know me know that I am a huge sports fan. And for all of us sports fans this Thursday ushers in one of the greatest, if not the greatest, event in all of sports--MARCH MADNESS! Sixty-four teams duke it out for three weeks for national supremacy. All over America, people pour over their brackets. They study the match-ups. They join office pools. Some pull for the Davids. Others root for the Goliaths. Some, like my daughter, cheer for the team with the prettiest uniforms.

This is truly one of my favorite times of the year. You can bet I'll be glued to the television as my son and I watch all of the action unfold with plenty of Dr. Pepper in front of us and brackets in hand. My Final Four? Well, it's very safe it seems. However, for the first time in a long time I just don't see many upsets. I have Kansas, Syracuse, Kentucky and West Virginia with Kansas defeating Kentucky for the title. I would not be surprised to see Kansas State, Ohio State or even someone like Villanova or Georgetown make a run.

How about you? Who do you have going all the way? Before you make your prediction, go to the link below.

http://espn.go.com/sportsnation/post/_/id/4990372/the-science-bracketology

Shane's Song

2010-03-10T15:29:00.002-06:00

Plagued by writer's block, I decided to dig up an old post from July of 2008. Please enjoy.

When I was living in Missouri, I had the pleasure of meeting Shane. Shane was a resident at Red Rose Inn, a retirement home in our community. I am not certain what caused Shane's condition, but he was at Red Rose Inn because he could not take care of himself. Although he was probably only in his mid 30's, Shane was confined to a wheelchair, unable to walk or speak clearly and had very little control of his arms. I met Shane when I started visiting Red Rose Inn for our monthly church singing. Every third Sunday of the month a group from the Mill Street Church of Christ would meet at Red Rose to sing to the residents, and Shane was always anxiuosly awaiting our arrival. He would take a songbook and sit right beside me, and as we sang a few songs he would be singing right along with us; belting out a noise that didn't sound anything like the song we were singing, but brought a smile to his face nonetheless. And even though his mouth could not form the words and his tone was a deafening shriek, he gave his best effort in singing praises to the Lord.

One dear old lady, who was also a resident there, would get quite upset at this display. She would always scold Shane for singing. I guess his joyful noise was not all that joyful to her. I, however, couldn't help but wonder, "What does God think of Shane's singing?" And, although I cannot know for certain, I feel confident that God was very impressed with his vocal performance. I think Shane's cries of praise touched God deeply. What was a rather ear-shattering sound to us, I think was a beautiful anthem to our Lord.

Shane had been dealt a pretty hard hand in life; confined to a wheelchair, living in a nursing home, limited use of his limbs and very little ability to communicate. And, yet, despite his lot in life, he felt compelled to sing. I respect Shane greatly for his courage to sing out, even though his song was not all that soothing to the ears. I admire him for still having a song in his heart in spite of what he has to endure on a daily basis. It is my hope and prayer that Shane always sings out. After all, his song is not for me or for anyone else; it's for His Lord.

DIVINE RETRIBUTION?

2010-03-03T14:29:00.005-06:00

Following the recent massive earthquake in Haiti that registered at 7.0 on the Richter scale and is believed to have claimed some 700,000 lives, Pat Robertson, host of the 700 Club, suggested that God was punishing Haiti for something that happened “a long time ago.” He said, [The Haitians] “were under the heel of the French. You know, Napoleon III and whatever, and they got together and swore a pact to the devil. They said, ‘We will serve you if you will get us free from the French.’ True story. And so, the devil said, ‘OK, it's a deal.’” Robertson went on to say, “You know, the Haitians revolted and got themselves free. But ever since, they have been cursed by one thing after the other.”

Robertson is certainly not the only one to adhere to such thinking. A number of ministers come out of the woodwork when a catastrophe like the one in Haiti occurs, proclaiming that it is God’s judgment on the people of that region. If you’ll remember, the same was said by many televangelists after the tsunami in 2004. Are natural disasters a judgment from God? A survey of reality calls such a belief into question. We do know that there are many, many folks all over this world who are living a completely crooked and perverse existence, yet they are still healthy and prosperous. What about Hugh Hefner? A tornado may come and blow away the Playboy Mansion tomorrow, but for 80 plus years Hugh Hefner has lived a life of extravagance. He has gained earthly wealth and fame by propagating immorality. How does one explain this injustice? Is Hugh Hefner getting away with it? Of course, not. He, like all men, will be judged for his actions (Heb. 9:27). Justice delayed is not justice denied. Also, think about Las Vegas, NV; perhaps the most sinful city in the world. Promoters don’t even try to deny it. Advertising campaigns are focused on the immorality that runs rampant there. They proudly wear the moniker “Sin City.” And yet, to my knowledge, Las Vegas has never been devastated by a natural disaster. No major earthquakes, tsunamis, tornadoes, hurricanes, volcano eruptions, etc. How does one explain this? If all of the natural disasters that occur around the globe can be attributed to God’s judgment, then what’s He waiting for? Shouldn’t Las Vegas be a primary target of His? What about the Muslim countries that deny Christ? Why hasn’t Iran, Iraq and other Middle Eastern countries that refuse to follow God's will and His word been hit with a major catastrophe? The bottom line is this, when we speak for God we must represent His words and His actions accurately, and we must avoid assumption.

Is it within God’s disposal to use calamity to teach and discipline? Absolutely! He certainly did so with the Flood (Genesis 6:13). He also did so with Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities of the plains (Genesis 18:20-21; Genesis 19:24-25). But here’s the crucial difference—I know the flood was an act of divine retribution because the Bible tells me so. I know the destruction of Sodom was an act of God because the Bible plainly speaks of it as such. However, I have no definitive proof when it comes to present day catastrophes; therefore I have no authority to assign these actions to the judgment of God.

We do know that God has placed the final judgment in the hands of His Son; that someday He will return to separate the sheep from the goats (Matt. 25:31-46). In other words, He has delayed His judgment. Can God make exceptions? Certainly He can, but there is no way we can say with any certainty that the earthquake in Haiti, or any other natural disaster, for that matter, was an act of divine judgment. In order to accurately represent God, we must be careful not to assign events to His judgment that we do not know is His retribution.

This is the Day

2010-02-24T18:33:00.002-06:00

There was a study done recently by USA Today that revealed that the average time needed to do everything we want to do would require 42 hour days. Of course, what that means is that it’s impossible for us to get everything done in a day that we would like to get done. I think it’s safe to say that many of us have a hard time savoring the moment. We are so caught up in the rigors and stresses of daily life that we lose sight of what’s most important, but also we fail to pause and enjoy the here and now. Far too many of us don’t live in the moment. We live in tomorrow or next week or next month. We’re so busy scheduling and planning for the days ahead that we never stop to celebrate the time we have right now.

Think about how much of your day is future-focused. From the moment we wake up our minds are geared toward all we have to do for that day. Our eyes open to the stresses of the day ahead. And one would think that at the end of the day we could relax and enjoy the fact that we got so many things accomplished but, no, instead our minds begin to focus on what has to be done when we get up tomorrow. This maddening cycle affects our mood. It controls our attitude, even though it shouldn’t. It dictates how we behave many times. At some point, we must shake ourselves and wake up to the reality that each and every day is a donation from God and, therefore, I had better treat it as such. My mood and my attitude should be dictated by the fact that with another day comes another opportunity to live life to the fullest for God. I am on the road to eternity. What a glorious thought that is. So while I am here I am going to make the most of my time by spending it for God. I’m going to show Him in my life. I’m going to proclaim Him with my mouth. I’m going to savor the moment that I have been given because I am alive. I am alive physically but, more importantly, I am alive spiritually. And that is cause for rejoicing!

Psalm 118:24 reads, “This is the day which the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” The KJV reads, “This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.” The psalmist duly notes that the day belongs to God. He made it. Notice that the only day that’s mentioned in this verse is “this day.” He doesn’t talk about yesterday. He doesn’t talk about tomorrow; only the day at hand.

My friends, THIS IS THE DAY! TODAY! Not yesterday. Not tomorrow. TODAY! This is the day that the Lord has made. How are you going to spend it? Will you be a good steward of what God has entrusted you with? Will you live this day for Him? Will you invest your time wisely? Will you play beat the clock, or will you take a time out to savor the moment? Will you rejoice, or will you be too busy?

The Amazing Race (Lesson 5: Fight to the Finish)

2010-02-17T14:26:00.003-06:00

The point of the Christian race is not comfort and bliss. Running a physical marathon can be anything but comfortable and blissful. I’ve never run one, but I’ve seen the faces of people while they were running one and they sure don’t look like they’re having a good time. Of course, the pain of running takes a backseat to the feeling one gets from finishing. It’s a means to an end. The same can certainly be said of the marathon of faith. There will be pain. There will be trials. There will even be times of heart ache and sorrow. But trials serve to make us stronger. Adversity strengthens our faith.

Trials provide opportunity. They provide an opportunity to prove the genuineness of our faith. When a Christian stands firm in the face of suffering and hardship, their faith is strengthened. In fact, the case could easily be made that the strengthening of our faith cannot occur until it has truly been tested. An untested faith is a weak faith. It isn’t until we encounter various trials that we can truly put our faith to the test. Trials force us to make a decision—will we allow them to defeat us, or will we stand firm knowing that, with God, we can overcome them?

There is no question that the issue of suffering is one of the single biggest obstacles to running the Christian race. And I am certainly not suggesting to you that it is an easy obstacle to overcome. Nor am I suggesting that the fact you may struggle with trials indicates that you’re any less of a Christian. Trials are difficult; that’s why they call them trials. We all struggle at times to see the benefit that comes from our own personal suffering. But, since we know that the marathon of faith will encounter trials, since we know that we will definitely face obstacles in our Christian race, then shouldn’t we be preparing ourselves for handling such adversity?

The first thing that is important for us to understand is that God is not to blame; He is to be sought. In the midst of pain and suffering people will typically ask, “Why?” But the question we should be asking is, “How?” How can I overcome this problem? How can I conquer this adverse situation? How can I use this trial to strengthen my faith? Whether we choose to acknowledge it or not, some suffering is beneficial. About 7 years ago my oldest daughter, Keely, woke us up in the middle of the night, crying because she was in severe pain. She claimed her side was hurting. She was also running a fever. We knew something was wrong. So we rushed her to the emergency room where they did an x-ray and found that she had a very serious case of pneumonia. She stayed in the hospital for about 3 days while she recovered. The doctor told us that it was good that we came when we did. Keely’s suffering was beneficial. The pain and the fever let us know that something was seriously wrong. Her body was telling her something. There are all sorts of physical warning signs that people may experience that indicate that something is wrong. And without the pain, the fever or the sickness we may never get to the root of the problem. Momentary suffering can be the difference between life and death in a physical sense.

Trials serve the same purpose in a spiritual sense. All suffering is momentary. Even if we suffer most of our lives, we will not have to suffer for eternity if we are a child of God. Suffering can provide great benefit. It is a fact that character is formed through hardship, through overcoming obstacles and through enduring despite difficulties. Our first-century brethren certainly understood this. Listen to what James wrote, “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing” (Jas. 1:2-4). James wants the Christian to understand that trials don’t have to be met with displeasure and disdain. We can face them with joy because of the benefit that results. This, of course, is a proposition that is very foreign to us. Most people I know don’t face trials or suffering with joy. No, instead it’s quite the opposite. Were these first-century Christians out of their minds? Were they a little off their rockers? No, they just had a different perspective on things.

Attitude is everything when it comes to trials and suffering. This is evident throughout scripture. 1 Peter 4:13 reads, “…but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy.” In Philippians 3:10 Paul writes, “…that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death.” Paul also wrote in Galatians 6:17, “From now on let no one cause trouble for me, for I bear on my body the brand-marks of Jesus.” In Acts 5:41 after the apostles were flogged for preaching in the name of Jesus they were released and told not to speak His name again. Then it states that they “departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name.” And it was Jesus who said, “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you”(Matt. 5:11-12).

How was it that these folks were able to rejoice in the face of suffering? The early Christians realized that suffering was a part of life. And people like Paul, the Apostles and others were able to view suffering differently because they viewed life differently. To them, life on earth was not the goal. Eternal life with God was the goal. Their perspective on life, therefore, was that it was merely temporary. And whatever they had to endure in this life would be far worth it when compared to the life that awaited them. That was the Apostle Paul's message in Romans 8:18 where he wrote, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.”

Since trials and suffering are a part of life, what’s most important is how we deal with them. Our perspective, our attitude is key when facing these valleys. What happens to us is not nearly as important as how we deal with it. Perspective is more important than conditions. Attitude is more important than circumstances. 4It’s not what we’re dealing with, but how we deal with it! When the Lord is on our side, we can rejoice in the face of any and every circumstance because we have the promise of eternal peace and comfort. And all suffering provides us with an opportunity to grow closer to God as we rely on Him to get us through.

Our spiritual ancestors were able to endure hardship because their lives were about something bigger. Unlike us, they were not consumed with this life. They were always looking ahead. It wasn’t that their earthly life had no meaning or significance; quite the contrary. It had deep meaning and significance. This life was about the next life. They were always looking ahead. They were focused on the prize. They could see the finish-line.

If we can’t see past our troubles, then we will have a difficult time overcoming them. It’s the one who can look beyond the present pain and turmoil who will finish victorious. Not blaming God, but seeking God. Not asking why, but asking how. Will we seek to be better or bitter? The bigger question is, “Will we be a winner, or will be a quitter?”

The Amazing Race (Lesson 4: Training to be the Best)

2010-02-11T07:56:00.002-06:00

Throughout this series we have been looking at what it takes to run the most important race of our lives. The amazing race is a marathon of faith, and is one that requires intense focus, undying commitment, blazing passion and a spirit of perseverance. The marathon of faith is about being a finisher. Sure you have to enter the race to finish the race, but this race is not won in the starting blocks. There are so many who start off so well. The come out of the starting blocks like they were shot out of a cannon, only to drop out before they reach the finish-line. Unfortunately, all of us know a quitter. All of us know of someone who started out so well; they were off and running with so much passion and enthusiasm. But the excitement faded and they didn’t account for the endurance needed to finish the race. We don’t want to be known as one who was a great starter but failed to finish. We certainly don’t want to be a quitter. No, we want to be a finisher. And in order to be a finisher, we must pace ourselves. We must keep our eyes fixated on the prize. We must run with purpose and resolve. And, we must train to be the best.

In 1 Timothy 4:6 Paul writes, “In pointing out these things to the brethren, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, constantly nourished on the words of faith and of the sound doctrine which you have been following.” Notice that last portion of the text: “constantly nourished on the words of faith and of the sound doctrine which you have been following.” Nourished in this passage is the word entrepho and it means “to train up” or “nurture.” Paul points out to Timothy that spiritual nourishment is essential to being a “good servant of Christ.” Such nourishment is vital, not only for one to be an effective minister, but to one’s spiritual well-being in general. We could add to this that spiritual nourishment is essential to running the Christian race as well.

Anyone who has ever run a marathon will tell you that proper training must include the proper diet. A 150 pound person can burn up to as much as 2600 calories running a marathon. A heavier person might burn enough calories to lose a pound. Therefore, what a runner eats is of vital importance. If he or she does not adhere to the proper diet then it can greatly affect their ability to compete at a high level or even finish the race, which is why most marathon runners stock up a few nights before the race; consuming lots of calories to offset the depletion that will occur while they’re running. One of the things that they consume heavily leading up to a race is carbohydrates; lots and lots of carbohydrates, because carbs are a high-energy food source that provide fuel for the body. However, even if you’re not a runner, you still need a well-balanced diet in order to stay healthy. Food provides strength and energy to accomplish everyday tasks. A person who eats a proper diet is one who will feel better, think better, be healthier and more energetic. Many people suffer from physical fatigue simply because they are malnourished. And, unfortunately, many people suffer from spiritual fatigue for the very same reason. There are countless individuals who are malnourished in a spiritual sense. They have no energy, no pep, no zeal, no motivation, and it’s all directly related to their diet.

It takes energy to run the Christian race. It takes zeal to run the marathon of faith. It takes us being sober and alert in order to withstand the devil and his schemes. We cannot run this amazing race without spiritual sustenance. Just as carbohydrates and other foods provide fuel for the body, God’s word provides high-energy spiritual food for the soul. We cannot run the race that God has set before us without proper nutrition, and proper nutrition comes from a heaping helping of God’s word. Psalm 119:103 reads, “How sweet are your words to my taste! Yes, sweeter than honey to my mouth!” The prophet Jeremiah said, “Your words were found and I ate them, and your words became for me a joy and the delight of my heart…(Jer. 15:16).” The sweetness of God’s word comes from the fact that it enlightens, it protects, it provides hope and it sustains our hope. It brings comfort and peace. It brings the plan of salvation. It illustrates the love of God. It provides direction for our lives and shows us how to live righteously. Psalm 119:105 reads, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”

Spiritual nourishment comes from the word of God. When we feast on God’s word, we are partaking of the words of life. Nothing is more important to sustaining us in this life, and training us for the life to come. In Psalm 119:9 it reads, “How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping it according to your word.” Further down in verses 15 & 16 we read, “I will meditate on your precepts and I will regard your ways. I shall delight in your statutes; I will not forget your word.”

Everyone must eat to sustain life, yet even if we eat a balanced diet everyday with so many servings from the milk group, and so many servings from the meat group and so many servings from the bread and cereal group and the recommended servings of fruits and vegetables. And if we do that for each meal and drink the recommended 8, 8oz. glasses of water per day, and don’t gulp our water while we eat, but sip it. And then not eat anything after 7:00 p.m. then the experts tell us that we will be really healthy. But, no matter how healthy we become from eating a well-balanced diet, we’re still going to die. Don’t get me wrong, I believe it’s good to be healthy. But the point is, even the healthiest person in the world is going to die one day. Therefore, we need to be hungering for something more out of life.

Diet is important. What you eat is crucial when running the marathon of faith. The word of God provides the essential nutrients needed to sustain us throughout this amazing race. And along with a spiritual diet, we must also use the proper training equipment. Marathon runners will tell you that one essential component to training for the grueling 26 mile race is a good pair of shoes. A quality pair of shoes is absolutely essential when it comes to running. A bad choice of footwear can result in blisters, shin splints or heel injuries. It’s important to choose the exact right shoe for your foot. One that fits properly and is comfortable so you don’t risk complications. When it comes to the Christian race the one vital piece of equipment needed to avoid complications is the Bible. We’ve already mentioned how God’s word provides us with spiritual nourishment, but it has a dual purpose in that it’s also the best piece of training equipment available to the Christian.

The bible provides cardiovascular fitness. It makes our hearts stronger. It’s strength-training. It strengthens our entire being so that we can keep up the pace and endure till the very end. It’s good for our reflexes. When we study God’s word and quickly apply it to our lives, we respond better and more swiftly to temptation. It’s good for our mental health. Our minds become more alert. We become more sober of spirit. We attain a knowledge of truth, and that knowledge is very liberating because that knowledge provides unending hope. It also allows us to teach others, and to stand firm against falsehood. And, most of all, it’s good for the soul. Physical training is good for a healthy body in the here and now, but that body will eventually die. It’s deteriorating every day and will continue to deteriorate no matter what you do. We need spiritual training. We need to strengthen our soul for eternity. God's word is meant to guide us, to strengthen us, to train us and prepare us for a lifetime of running.

No Pain, No Gain (Post #3 in the series "The Amazing Race")

2010-02-05T10:29:00.002-06:00

How many of you played sports in high school or ran track? How many of you have ever had a personal trainer or a fitness instructor? How many of you have ever watched a work-out video and attempted to follow along at home? If you have, chances are you have heard the coach or the instructor use the phrase “No pain, no gain.” What is meant by this catchy little phrase is, if it doesn’t hurt then you’re not doing right. The only way to tip-top shape is through strenuous activity that causes the muscles to burn. I had a coach in high school that use to say, “If you’re not hurting or sore after a workout, then you didn’t work hard enough.” We often associate pain with reaching personal goals.

Sticking with our analogy of running. Marathon runners often talk about the pain associated with running. While running is one of the easiest ways to stay fit, it’s also one of the easiest ways to develop injuries. The hips, the knees, the ankles and feet of runners are commonly affected, as well as muscles and joints. However, there is a difference between being injured and being hurt. While pain can be a vital precursor to signaling that something is wrong. There is also a type of pain that runners simply have to fight through in order to compete to win.

The marathon of faith is no different. As I said before, the Christian race is the most important race you’ll ever run. Everything depends on this race. Everything of value hangs in the balance of this race. Everything eternal hinges on this race. Therefore, only the most committed and most determined individuals are fit to run. It is a race that requires all of your being and every ounce of energy. There will be times when the course climbs steep terrain. There will be obstacles that attempt to impede your progress. There will be times, perhaps, when you feel as though you cannot take another stride. There will be pain. Physical? Perhaps. Mainly mental and emotional. The bible doesn’t even attempt to gloss over this fact. Instead, God’s word reveals openly and honestly that the marathon of faith is one that guarantees trials and tribulations. And when I say trials and tribulations, I'm speaking mainly of persecution.

1 Peter 5:10—“After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you.”

James 1:12—“Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.”

John 16:33—“These things I have spoken to you, so that in me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”

Romans 5:3-5—“And not only this, but we exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings About perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”

James 1:2—“Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.”

Romans 8:18—“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.”

These are just a very few of the passages that show the Christian race is not an easy one. Although you are running, you cannot run from trials. You cannot flee tribulation. You cannot escape turmoil. For the first century brethren, trials and tribulations consisted primarily of persecution. However, as we know, trials and tribulations can encompass much more. Whatever the trials and tribulations may be, I want you to notice a few things in these passages I just mentioned.

First of all, there is a BIG PICTURE MENTALITY. The focus is not on the trials themselves, but on God. How can one persevere under trial? How can one exult in tribulations? How can one consider it all joy when encountering various trials? Because he or she knows that their life is about something bigger. Current conditions, whether ideal or problematic, can be faced with an unwavering confidence because we know that God is in control. And if even our worst-case scenario comes to fruition, we still have the hope of a life far greater than this one.

Secondly, you’ll notice that there is a POSITIVE FRAME OF MIND. Trials were not viewed as negative but, rather, as beneficial. We see words employed like: strengthen, confirm, perfect, and approve. Trials and tribulations are almost welcomed because of what they can produce in the individual. Trials produce a level of faith that cannot be reached otherwise. An untested faith is a weak faith. In order for our faith to grow and mature, it must go through the fire.

You’ll also notice from these passages the NO PAIN, NO GAIN PRINCIPLE. If we expect the marathon of faith to be easy, we will be greatly disappointed. This goes back to what we talked about in our last post. Only the most committed and most determined individuals are fit to run the Christian race. You must make a realistic cost assessment before you decide to run because God wants finishers. Remember Jesus’ words to potential disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow me.” Taking up a cross daily will cost you something. In fact, it will cost you everything you have. It’s not easy and it’s not convenient but, in the end, it’s certainly worth it.

And finally, you’ll notice from these passages that NO ONE RUNS ALONE. Romans 8:28 reads, “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” In 2 Corinthians 12 Paul says that he prayed 3 times that God would remove a thorn in the flesh from him. In verse 9 he states, “And he has said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.’” And Hebrews 4:15 reads, “For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.” We’re not left to ourselves when it comes to running the Christian race. We don’t have to battle trials and tribulations on our own. God is control. His word is our compass, our map, our GPS; therefore we don’t have to run aimlessly.

An undeniable truth concerning the marathon of faith is this--running for Christ may very well bring persecution. It did for Christians in the first century. They were flogged, beaten, sawed in two, thrown in prison, covered in pitch and set on fire, thrown to the lions, had their eyes gouged out with hot pokers, crucified; all because they stood for something. They were people of conviction, and conviction is the motivation behind courage. We can stand firm knowing that what we’re standing for is worth losing it all. Revelation 2:10 states, “Be thou faithful unto death. Even if death is the ultimate consequence, we can meet it with the assurance that what we gain is far greater than what we’re giving up. That is precisely the reason why throngs of our spiritual ancestors were able to courageously stare death in the face. Their faith was far greater than any physical persecution they might face. What’s the worst-case scenario? You might die? Okay, fine by me! That’s the best-case scenario if you’re a child of God.

Our world needs more courage and conviction. In a world that tolerates everything and stands for nothing, we need rock-solid individuals; people who are willing to stand at all costs. Of course, they need to stand for the right things. Terrorists are convicted. Suicide bombers are convicted. Atheists are convicted. Many people are convicted. In fact, the case could be made that everyone holds convictions about something. However, most of the time these convictions are about opinions or they’re about falsehood. Our world needs people who are convicted about the absolute truth of God’s word. People who will stand where He stands. People who will not cow down in the face of opposition. People who will not relax their stance when challenged. People who will defend God and His word when it is under attack. People who will boldly and courageously proclaim His word without fear of repercussion.

There are too many Christians in our world who have put on a muzzle or enacted their own gag order. They choose not to stand tall when the situation arises or they take the easy way out when their faith is under fire. Do we ever find an instance in the Bible where that is acceptable? Where, in scripture, do we find an individual who did not defend God and His word and God praised them? Do we find anyone in the Bible who refused to stand firm and God counted it unto them as righteousness? No! Because that’s not faithfulness. To be faithful means to be reliable, trustworthy, loyal, allegiant. You can’t be faithful and turn your back at the same time.

Conviction doesn’t run hot and cold. It doesn’t get stronger or weaker based on the circumstances. It doesn’t shine brightly when it’s easy, but grow dim when it gets difficult. Conviction says something about you. It says something about your character. It says something about your reputation. It says something about your integrity. What you stand for says a great deal about who you are. Therefore, let us stand for truth. Let us be convicted about God. Let us stand firm in the light of His word. And let us have the courage to stand even when standing isn’t popular.

Being a light in the world demands conviction and conviction will demand courage. You can’t shine the light of Christ without standing where He stood. As someone once stated, “If you want to follow Jesus, you had better look good on wood.”

All or Nothing

2010-01-27T09:55:00.003-06:00

In the previous post I introduced a series entitled "The Amazing Race." Over the next few weeks we will be examining what it takes to run the marathon of faith that is the Christian race. This race is the most important race we'll ever run. Everything hinges on this race. Everything of value depends on how we run this race. There are many attributes needed to win. We've already examined purpose. Now, I want us to look at the commitment involved.

Remember the words of the Apostle Paul, “Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air; but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified” (1 Cor. 9:24-27). Paul is not talking about a leisurely jog around the neighborhood. He’s not speaking about a morning run to get the juices flowing. He’s not referring to a 26 mile race or even a 50 to 100 mile ultra marathon. No, Paul is talking about the race of our lives. The Christian’s marathon of faith. And this race demands everything you’ve got. It takes undying commitment. It takes supreme sacrifice. And it takes an intense willingness to pay the price.

When asked what the foremost commandment was, Jesus responded with the words, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength” (Mk. 12:30). Notice the word "all" is used. Jesus doesn't say "some" or "most," but ALL of our heart, ALL of our soul, ALL of our mind and ALL of our strength. ALL of our emotion. ALL of our spirit. ALL of our intellect. ALL of our energy. ALL of our commitment. ALL of our dedication. ALL of our love and ALL of our passion. In other words, the entirety of our being. And there is no room for an alternative here. Nothing but everything will suffice.

A preacher friend of mine by the name of Steve Higginbotham sends out a weekly devotional e-mail entitled MerceEmail. One of his recent devotional thoughts talked about how he was driving through Bowling Green, KY when he saw two men carrying crosses on the side of the road, followed by a crowd of about 30 or 40 people. As he passed these two men, he looked at the crosses they were carrying and he noticed that both were accessorized with wheels! Now, of course, the reason they placed wheels on these crosses was to make them easier to carry. In other words, the wheels make the crosses more convenient to bear. However, we must realize that there’s nothing convenient about a cross! In fact, it was designed to be just the opposite. The cross was an inconvenient, excruciating, and humiliating means to kill someone. Convenient cross is an oxymoron. They don't exist, or at least they shouldn't. And yet, there are many in our world today that want to take up their cross and follow Jesus, but they want to do so in the most convenient way possible. They don’t want to have to bear the difficult burden that is required of one who shoulders the load. They don’t want to have to exert the necessary energy it takes to follow diligently. They don’t want to carry their cross uphill, through rugged terrain, or through the various storms in life. They want a cross with wheels that’s easy to maneuver and that doesn’t take much effort. They want to follow but on their own terms. They want to follow, but they don’t want give up much if anything.

Commitment requires sacrifice. Remember Jesus’ words in Luke 9:23, “If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow me.” "Deny" in this passage means “to say no to.” That’s exactly what we must do in order to run the amazing race. We must say “no” to self and “yes” to Christ. Our agenda has no place. This is not our course. It’s not our race. It’s His. And because we love Him, we sacrifice self in order to please Him. We must set aside self for love. Love denies self. Love says “no” to self in favor of the other person’s wants, needs and well-being. Love sees past our own nose and seeks the well-being of another. Love is sacrificial. It is committed. It gives, but it doesn’t give up. Love is willing to pay the price, no matter the cost. Love is Christ. It is God. Love is not always convenient; just look at the cross. Jesus’ cross had no wheels, and the cross we take up doesn’t either.

Again, we refer to the words of Jesus, “If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow me.” The word for "take" in this passage is the word airo and it means “to raise up” or “to lift from the ground.” “To take upon oneself and carry what has been raised physically.” As you can see, the connotation of the word "take" rules out the idea of a cross with wheels. Wheels are incongruous with the message of the cross. Those hearing Jesus' words for the first time knew the connotation of what Jesus was saying. Most who lived in Palestine had seen someone pick up a cross. And everyone knew that if a person took up a cross, he was about to die (Jn. 19:17). Carrying a cross was a one-way trip. Jesus chose the inconvenience of the cross to display His sacrificial love for us. And when we take up our cross daily and follow Him we are identifying with Him. We are reciprocating that love that He showed first to us. We are saying that we are willing to sacrifice it all to be a follower. We are willing to go the extra mile. We are in it to win it. We are finishers in the amazing race!

The Amazing Race

2010-01-19T18:22:00.006-06:00

You’ve heard it said time and time again that the Christian life is a race, and that this race is a marathon not a sprint. The reason you’ve heard this over and over again is because it’s true. The Christian life does parallel a race; a marathon. The Apostle Paul says as much in 1 Corinthians 9:24. “Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win.” He continues in verses 25 and following as he writes, “Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air; but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified” (1 Cor. 9:25-27). Paul, of course, is making a spiritual application through use of an athletic illustration. Of all people, the Corinthians would have certainly understood Paul’s sports analogy. Corinth was the site of the Isthmian Games, which rivaled the Olympics in their popularity. These folks knew all about the rigors of physical training needed for an athlete just to compete at a high level. Paul says that spiritual training demands even more from us if we are to run the marathon of faith and be victorious in the end.

Paul’s words to the Corinthians have much application for us today. To run the marathon of faith, we must have acute focus, fierce dedication, intense training, extreme endurance and the proper purpose. There are all kinds of races that people compete in or enjoy watching; horse races, NASCAR races, swimming races, cycling races, motocross races. There are 3-legged races, watermelon eating contests, pie eating contests, hot dog eating contests, etc. And there are numerous reality shows on television today that have gained immense popularity that are based on finishing first. Shows like The Biggest Loser, Survivor and The Amazing Race. There are all kinds of races, and all races have one thing in common—a prize. Only one person gets the prize. There's only one winner. That prize can be anything from a ribbon, to a medal, to a check, to a big gold trophy.

You and I are involved in a race today, and this race we’re in is the most important race we’ll ever run. Everything depends on this race. Everything of value hangs in the balance of this race. Everything eternal hinges on this race. This reality race is truly amazing, but we must understand that the Christian race is not for the faint of heart and it’s not for the half-hearted. In Luke 14:27-32 Jesus says, “Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who observe it begin to ridicule him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ Or what king, when he sets out to meet another king in battle, will not first sit down and consider whether he is strong enough with ten thousand men to encounter the one coming against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is still far away, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace.”

You must make a realistic cost estimate before you commit. Am I willing to give my all to follow Christ? Am I willing to commit, to sacrifice and to endure till the very end? Am I willing to run my heart out or do I just want to walk or jog until I get tired? Jesus says to make a realistic assessment of the cost before you commit. We are to be “faithful unto death,” as Rev. 2:10 states. Only the most committed and most determined individuals are fit to run. It is a race that requires all of your being and every ounce of energy. There will be times when the course climbs steep terrain. There will be obstacles that attempt to impede your progress. There will be times, perhaps, when you feel as though you cannot take another stride. It is a difficult race to run, the most difficult. And no one ever said it would be easy; however, it is well worth it.

The marathon of faith is the race of our lifetime, and at the end of this race there is no blue ribbon, no gold medal, no trophy, but a crown. And there’s not just one crown for the winner. No, EVERYONE who finishes this race wins. Therefore, we want to look at what it takes to be a finisher. Over the next few weeks we will be examining the attributes needed in order to run the Christian race. My hope and prayer is that each post will be insightful and helpful in strengthening our faith and aiding us in our daily walk with God.

God Bless!

The 23rd Psalm

2010-01-07T14:26:00.002-06:00

"The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you have anointed my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever."

The 23rd Psalm is, perhaps, the most famous of all the Psalms. It is often the feature scripture for funeral services. However, this is not a psalm about death, No, this is a psalm about life; life under the protection, care and guidance of the Good Shepherd.

The first line is the theme of the entire psalm--"The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want." I shall not want is a proud and bold statement that comes from a heart that is utterly satisfied, perfectly content with his lot in life. It is also a statement of faith. "I shall not want" signifies complete trust in the shepherd to provide for my needs. It means that I have left everything in his hands. My security rests in the one who leads me.

The Good Shepherd cares about His sheep. He values each and every one. In John 10:11 Jesus states, "I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep." Verses 14 & 15 continue, "I am the good shepherd, and I know my own and my own know me, even as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep." Jesus, the Good Shepherd, left the comforts of heaven and came into our universe, our pasture, to live among His sheep. He grazed with us, drank from our troughs, walked our paths, and braved the wolves just to show us the way. To be our shepherd and to tend His sheep. And, finally, He did the unthinkable. Our perfect lamb allowed Himself to be slaughtered so that we could have life eternal. He did, indeed, lay down His life showing us that He truly is the Good Shepherd.

Things I have Learned in My First 8 Years as a Preacher

2009-12-30T12:29:00.005-06:00

I have just completed 8 Years in ministry; serving my first 3 years as a Youth Minister and the last 5 as a Pulpit Minister. In those 8 years, here's what I have learned:

1) You cannot do all or please all. Just accept it.

2) Working on a deadline from week to week can make for quite a bit of stress, but people are more important than sermons.

3) Don't let criticism adversely affect you, but don't let praise adversely affect you either.

4) Preach the truth, regardless of whether it is popular or not.

5) Difficult people teach you patience.

6) Where you have people you have problems (Church is no different).

7) Put your family first. Your primary obligation is to them as their spiritual leader.

8) There are 3 essentials to becoming an effective preacher: study, study, study.

9) Love the brethren. Let them know that they are your brother, not a bother.

10) And finally, in 8 short years of preaching I have learned that it is the best job in the world!

God bless!

Home for the Holidays

2009-12-16T14:56:00.004-06:00

Living in West Texas for the last year and a half has been great! My family and I love the climate, the people and the town of Abilene. But it is difficult when all of your extended family lives 10 hours away. I am fortunate in that my family and my wife's family all live in the same town. At least we don't have to travel to two different places. But it is difficult when your children don't get to see their grandparents as often as they would like. Next week we will be traveling back to Paragould, AR (My and my wife's hometown). We'll stay for about a week and try to make up for lost time. It's always good to visit family and see our children interact with them. It's hard being so far away, but it's always nice to be able to go back home.

Where will you be spending Christmas? Will you be traveling? If so, how far?

Be safe and Merry Christmas to all!

Being Authentic in an Artificial World

2009-12-10T08:16:00.002-06:00

Authenticity can be hard to come by in our world. It seems that our culture is full of artificiality. Nothing is quite what it seems. Appearances are deceiving, and hypocrisy runs rampant. We are shocked, although we shouldn’t be, to find out that our favorite athlete is not squeaky clean. We’re appalled when we learn that our favorite actor is not a saint. We’re outraged when a public figure is caught doing something unethical or immoral. Our society is littered with artificiality. It’s hard to find authenticity; although, our culture does try to market it. Think of how many products advertisers have tried to sell us on by means of authenticity. I can remember several years ago that Coca-Cola used the slogan, “The Real Thing.” Wendy’s is currently using the slogan, “You know when it’s real.” Even the names of certain companies are an attempt to earn our trust, like Fidelity, Trusted Choice or Prudential. What’s Prudential’s logo? It’s a rock; symbolizing that they’re strong and reliable. Or how about news stations? They’re constantly talking about being reliable and trustworthy. “A news team you can trust.” There’s one station right here in Abilene that uses the slogan, “Earning your trust with each story we tell.” That always makes me chuckle because I associate telling stories with not being very reliable or trustworthy. Advertisers key on reliability, trustworthiness and authenticity because they know that people don’t like being shafted. We don’t tolerate hypocrisy, at least not in other people. We don’t want to invest our time or our money into something that’s not what it seems to be.

Likewise, how we present ourselves can greatly enhance or hinder the cause of Christ. Remember Jesus’ words, “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven” (Matt. 5:16).
But how do we do it? How do we become real? What is the key to authenticity in our daily Christian lives? Well, it all begins with seeking to live by the proper standard. Unfortunately, too many Christians are living inconsistent and faulty lives because they are living up to the wrong standard. Their standard falls way short of righteousness and godliness. As a result, authenticity escapes them. They show signs of being Christ-like, but their lives are riddled with inconsistencies. They show Christ in one area of their lives. They may do some Christ-like deeds, but they are not consumed with Christ. They are not all that they can and should be because their standard is not what it should be.

The standard is Christ; it is God. Any other standard we may try to live up to in our lives is the wrong standard. Our lives must be dedicated to God and being imitators of Him. That is the purpose for which we were created; to glorify God with our lives. In John 8:29 Jesus states, “And He who sent me is with me; He has not left me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to Him.” The Greek for always in this passage means “at all times.” Jesus was always about the Father’s business; therefore, in order to be Christ-like we must be as well. For Jesus, the standard was God, and that was the only standard. It should be the same for us as well.

There is no standard in a world of artificiality. Nothing is truly authentic because the standard is constantly changing. Think about how the standard has changed in 20, 30 or 40 years. Did you know that when The Brady Bunch was on television, they were not allowed to show a toilet? Now they show just about anything and everything. Remember The Dick Van Dyke Show or I Love Lucy? They slept in separate beds. Showing a couple sleeping in the same bed was prohibited; that certainly has changed today. Society's standard is constantly changing to fit the views of society. Today, the standard is subjective. Truth is subjective. Morality is subjective. Right and wrong is subjective. It’s all in how you view it. It’s a sliding scale and nothing is absolute, except the fact that there are no absolutes.

The world’s standard is very hard to determine. What does it mean to be rich by the world’s standard? What constitutes being a success in life by the world’s standard? What is the standard for pretty? It’s always changing; it’s different for everyone and, therefore, we can never live up to it. God has set the standard. It is Him and His word; that is what we should be living by and striving to live up to. Everything else is a pointless and futile endeavor. Realness is the result of godliness.

What standard are you trying to live up to? Who are you trying to please? If it is the world’s standard, then you will never achieve realness or authenticity because the world doesn’t even know what realness or authenticity is; therefore, they don’t know what the standard is. Being authentic can only come from being Christ-like, and being Christ-like requires us to live by a completely different standard and to walk in a completely different direction. Being authentic means being a genuine imitation. It means patterning our lives after God and His word.

Don't Be Yourself

2009-12-03T07:53:00.004-06:00

Not long ago I was driving through Springfield, MO when I heard a radio advertisement for one particular church in that area. Their hook to get people to attend was this: “A place where you can be yourself.” That sounds well and good, doesn’t it? But isn’t that a lot of our problem; we just want to be ourselves? Isn’t that typical of our selfish society? Truth is, many in our world would love to attend a church where there were no demands placed upon them, no deeper calling, no urging to be and do more. But God doesn't command us to just be ourselves. No, He calls us to be something better.

He calls us to be imitators of Him (Eph. 5:1). In fact, He calls us to die to our- selves (Matt. 16:24-25). To be a child of God requires us to be more than ourselves; it requires us to be something better; it requires us to be Christlike, and none of us are naturally Christ-like. Poverty of spirit, meekness, purity of heart, are not attributes that come easily to us. An honest self-examination would probably reveal things like: complaining, criticizing, arrogant, rude, self-centered, etc.; qualities that are not Christ-like at all. Therefore, we don't want to be ourselves because our self stinks. We should want to be something different, something better, something more.

The Apostle Paul wrote, "But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, that I may know the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead" (Phil. 3:7-11).

It was also the Apostle Paul who wrote, "I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me...(Gal. 2:20)."

Don't be yourself. Be something better. Strive to be like Christ.

Taking a Mulligan

2009-11-24T12:43:00.002-06:00

A couple of weeks ago, Nathan (our Involvement Minister), Jonah (Nathan's son) and I were playing golf for the first time in a while. We’re not terrible golfers, but when you haven’t played in a while you become a little rusty. I stepped up to the tee box on the first hole and I let it rip. The ball screamed off the tee and landed in the next fairway. With Nathan and Jonah’s permission I took another ball out of my bag, placed it on the tee and let it rip again. This time I didn’t hit the opposite fairway but, rather, I hit a gentleman standing on the other tee box. I began looking around as if the ball came from somewhere else; pretending that I wasn't the one who made such a horrendous shot. After making certain that everyone was out of firing range, I took another ball out of my bag, set it on the tee and let it rip a third time. This time it was perfectly straight; right down the middle of the fairway; dead solid perfect. The third time was the charm. Typically, a person only gets one mulligan, which is a fancy way of saying, a “do over.” I needed more than one, but eventually I got it right.

Mulligans are a second chance. I took about 50 mulligans that day because I needed them. And we need mulligans in life as well. We need second chances. In fact, we need more than a few second chances. There are many folks in our world who have never come to the realization that God is a god of mulligans, a god of second chances. We can have a mulligan in life. We don’t have to be mired in hopelessness and despair. Failure does not have to be final.

Second chances are a fresh start, but second chances must lead to new beginnings. A fresh start signifies a change in lifestyle. In 2 Corinthians 5:17 Paul writes, “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.” A second chance does not mean much if one continues in their sinful behavior. Paul writes, in Romans 6:1-2, “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? May it never be! How shall we who died to sin live in it?”

A second chance is contingent on the individual making changes. We need to open the door to our hearts. We need to invite God to come in and occupy our lives. No longer can mistakes, failures, shortcomings or sin occupy our lives. They are no longer in control. We need to clean house. We need to sweep out every room and get things in order. We have a new occupant. God has moved in, set up residence in our hearts and has taken over. Everything is different. No longer do we follow our own lead. No longer do we succumb to self-loathing and low self-esteem. No longer do we serve ourselves. We live for the real purpose in which we were created—to serve God. When God fills our hearts He fills our lives. We are whole. We are complete. And we are new.

Not only must we open our hearts, we must open our minds as well. We must listen to what God has to say to us, and we do so by studying His Word. Part of the reason that we have failure and dysfunction in our lives is because we believe the wrong things. We consciously or unconsciously reject God’s truth. Some people want to figure things out for themselves. They want to trust their own thinking rather than submitting to the Word of God. They follow their own agenda rather than God’s plan. And when they do this, chaos and dysfunction enters into their lives. Wrong thinking results in wrong living. Actions begin in the mind; they begin as ideas. If your ideas are wrong, then the things you do will be full of error. Therefore, we must fill our minds with the Word of God. The Word of God is truth on any and every issue; therefore we must submit ourselves to it, listening to all it has to say, and correctly applying it to our lives.

A second chance is a gift, and we must treat it as such. It’s an opportunity to start over; an opportunity for a new beginning. It’s an opportunity to right wrongs. It’s a mulligan!

Thankful

2009-11-19T07:47:00.003-06:00

I love this time of year for several reasons. I enjoy traveling back to my hometown of Paragould, AR and seeing all my family and friends. I love sitting around with loved ones and watching football. I thoroughly enjoy eating and we do plenty of that this time of year. I also like the weather. I never thought I would miss the cold but, to me, cold weather and the holidays go hand in hand. It's not quite the same in West Texas. It seems strange putting up the Christmas tree in shorts. My favorite part about this time of year is watching my children. I love seeing them get excited, and going back home certainly provides them with much excitement. They can't wait to see their grandparents who let them do just about anything they want to do. It's all about them when we go home, and perhaps that's how it should be.

I have so much to be thankful for: family, friends, my job, my church home, but most importantly my God. God has blessed me beyond what I ever thought possible. I have more than enough, more than I could ever want or need. I am thankful. What are you thankful for?

"The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for you are with me, your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you have anointed my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever." -Psalm 23

Winning by Losing

2009-11-10T13:39:00.006-06:00

My favorite movie of all time is the movie, Hoosiers. I’ve seen it at least 20 times and get chills each time I watch it. For those of you who’ve never seen it, it’s the true story about a very small school in a very small, rural town in Indiana back in the 50’s. Basketball is king in this little town called Hickory, and they’ve just hired a new coach. The new coach comes in and does things a little differently than normal and quickly gets on most of the people’s bad side. To make things worse, the kids aren't really buying into his system. The citizens call a town meeting for the purpose of firing the new coach. But before they can institute their plan, in steps Jimmy Chipwood. Jimmy is one of the best high school players in the state and used to play for Hickory, but decided not to play after the previous coach retired. However, Jimmy had been observing the new coach and liked what he saw. His passion was rekindled and at the town meeting he announces that it’s time for him to start playing again, but on one condition—if the new coach gets to stay. Well, any thoughts the townspeople might have had about firing the coach were quickly set aside. He was allowed to stay and the team began rolling full speed ahead. Their season turns around. With Jimmy back playing, they were seemingly invincible. Hickory starts clicking on all cylinders and the new coach now looks like a genius. They make it all the way to the state finals, and since there were no classifications, this tiny school from Hickory has to play South Bend Central, a much larger school with much larger players. It’s the classic David vs. Goliath storyline. As the movie reaches its climax, the players are in the dressing room waiting for the pregame speech. They’re a team now who trusts their leader. They have faced the trials and turmoil of a difficult season and it has made them stronger. Now it has all culminated into one game to see who is the best high school basketball team in the entire state. If they win, it would be the biggest upset in history. But the coach elects not to talk about winning at all costs and making history. Instead, he delivers the following words: “Forget about the crowds, the size of the school, their fancy uniforms, and remember what got you here, focus on the fundamentals we have gone over time and time again, and most importantly don’t get caught up thinking about winning or losing this game. If you put your efforts and concentration on playing to your potential, being the best you can be, I don’t care what the scoreboard says at the end of the game, in my book we’re going to be winners."

Sometimes you win even when you lose. There is no shame in doing your best and giving your all, even if you still come up short in the end. You can always feel good about your performance if you know you played up to your potential and gave it everything you had. Life is a battle and sometimes you’ll feel like a casualty. No one has ever gone through life undefeated. There will be setbacks. There will be failures and there will be tragedy, but always remember what got you here. Focus on the fundamentals, and put your efforts and concentration on playing to your potential, being the best you can be. And be willing to lose at all costs; willing to give up anything that hinders you from being the best you can be.

Christ teaches us this lesson through the cross. While He hung there in excruciating pain, skin shredded to pieces, nails piercing His wrists and feet, blood covering His tattered body, He finally cried out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” And having said those words, He breathed His last breath. It was the ultimate cry of submission, but not a cry of defeat. It was a victorious cry. By losing His life on the cross, Christ gained the victory. He conquered sin and would prove death powerless. He gained life by giving His away, and He was thinking about you and I when He did it. He died for us so that we might choose life. And I don’t know about you, but that gives me chills every time I think about it.

I Miss Mayberry

2009-11-03T13:53:00.006-06:00

The following is a post from a devotional e-mail I receive from Steve Higginbotham. Steve does a great job of tying in current events or daily observations with a spiritual application. I found this one particularly interesting because I am a huge Andy Griffith fan (the black & white, not color). Enjoy!

Yesterday morning I was reading headline news from across the nation and one
headline in particular grabbed my attention. It read,

"Man Charged With Killing 4 In Mayberry Model Town."

On Sunday, November 1, 2009 four men were murdered in the small town of Mt. Airy, North Carolina. For those of you who are not fans of the Andy Griffith Show, you may not know that Mt. Airy is the hometown of Andy Griffith and served as the model and the inspiration for the fictional town of Mayberry on "The Andy Griffith Show."

Police have not released the reasons for the murder, but they did say that they did not believe the killings to be random. Mt. Airy, is a small town and has a population of around 8,700. This violent act has turned this little community on its head.

Isn't ironic that even in "Mayberry" we see the influence and power of the world. A town that is supposed to be the model of "small town America," is not immune from the influences of the world. Have you ever just contemplated how fallen the world is? Have you ever sat and watched the evening news and felt terrible after doing so? Have you ever wondered how people can do the "unthinkable" things they do? The evening news feeds us a steady diet of immoral and unconscionable acts perpetrated on fellow human beings. After a while, such "bad news" can have a negative impact on our emotional and spiritual well-being.

But here's my advice...Don't allow the events of this fallen world to bring you down. Rather, let this fallen world cause you to lift your eyes expectation and hope for a better world that is yet to come! Remember that God never promised us that we would have Heaven on Earth, but he did promise us Heaven after Earth!

Through the years, many have wistfully wanted "Mayberry" to be their hometown. For the child of God, they have claim to a hometown that far surpasses that of "Mayberry," for our citizenship is in Heaven, itself (Philippians 3:20).

Copyright C 2009, South Green Street Church of Christ, Glasgow, Kentucky. Permission is granted to copy these articles.

When Was the Last Time?

2009-10-29T07:41:00.002-05:00

True story. A woman entered the Hagen-Dazs ice cream store on The Plaza in Kansas City, MO to get her an ice cream cone. After making her selection and paying the cashier, she turned to leave and found herself face to face with Paul Newman. Newman’s blue eyes caused her knees to buckle. Her heart raced and her pulse quickened as she stood in the presence of a Hollywood legend. She managed to stagger out the door and regain her composure. But once she did, she realized that she didn’t have her ice cream cone. So she started back into the store to get it when she met Paul Newman leaving. Newman looked at her and asked, “Are you looking for your ice cream cone?” Unable to speak, she simply nodded. “You put it in your purse with your change,” he said, and continued on his way.

When was the last time the presence of God invoked that type of reaction within you? When was the last time your pulse quickened and your heart raced as you prayed, studied His Word or worshiped Him? When was the last time your knees buckled and you fell prostrate before Him in humble submission?

Gaining Perspective with Age

2009-10-14T14:18:00.003-05:00

When I was younger, I had always dreamed about having a son play ball for me. As many of you know, my first profession was that of a coach and educator. From the time I could remember, I wanted to be a coach. And I always wanted to coach my son. How great it would be to have a son who was a tremendous athlete, an extension of the coach out on the field, who excelled in every aspect of the game. That was my dream.

However, now that I have a son who plays ball for me I'm really not as interested in those things as I once was. Sure, I want him to do his best. I try to teach him to be aggressive and to play to his strengths. I do my best to build him into a leader. And while I am a proud father watching him play and seeing him succeed, I have gained some perspective in life. Here's what I have learned:

* Scoring 3 goals in a game is great, but loving God is greater.
* Hitting a grand slam is awesome, but not as awesome as God.
* Scoring a touchdown is sweet, but not as sweet as serving God.
* Hitting a 3-pointer at the buzzer is incredible, but not as incredible as living the Christian life.

All athletic accomplishments, and all worldly accomplishments for that matter, greatly pale in comparison to what is most important--GOD!

“Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air; but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified" (1 Cor. 9:24-27).

The Power of Prayer

2009-10-07T09:51:00.003-05:00

Last Sunday morning, the elders at Oldham Lane, myself and our Involvement Minister spent over an hour of our worship service in prayer. This is not something I have ever been a part of, at least not to this extent, but it was something that I, and the rest of the congregation, found very powerful.

Recently, the Oldham Lane family has experienced a rash of sickness and even life-threatening illness. Many of our number are hurting and suffering. In a time like this there is only one place to turn and that is up; lifting our concerns up to God, the one who provides the strength and comfort that we so desperately need.

I was so uplifted by the prayer service Sunday morning, and I was pleasantly surprised by the reaction of our congregation. In this day and time, most folks get rather uneasy when worship service goes past an hour. We spent an hour in prayer alone and, yet, no one complained. I believe the reason why is because they knew that there was no better place to be.

"These all with one mind were continually devoting themselves to prayer..." (Acts 1:14).

"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God" (Phil. 4:6).

"The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much" (Jas. 5:16).

Pride: Spiritual Cancer

2009-09-29T07:36:00.002-05:00

Pride is, perhaps, the number one thing that keeps people out of heaven. Someone once said, “Pride is the dandelion of the soul. Its root runs deep and only a little of it left behind will sprout up again. Its seeds lodge in the tiniest cracks.” Pride is spiritual cancer. It is a life-threatening disease that can spread and take control of one’s faculties causing them to be useless to God. Pride says, “Look at me! Look at how wonderful I am. Look at all the things I can do because I am so incredibly incredible.” I once knew a guy who thought he was so wonderful that he would’ve gone broke paying taxes on what he thought he was worth. I knew a man who joined the Navy just so the world could see him. Pride causes one to think that they are the best thing since crushed ice and everyone they come in contact with should recognize their brilliance, their intelligence, their competence, their good looks, their skills, their abilities, etc. Pride is the only disease that makes everyone sick except the one who has it. Pride causes one to always aim for the best seat in the house; to always aim for the places of honor regardless of who may be adversely affected because pride is only concerned about self.

But certainly not all pride is negative. There should be a certain amount of pride that we all have in ourselves. We should all take pride in serving such a great God and doing His will. We should pursue excellence in His sight; that is not sin. In fact, not to pursue excellence is detrimental to our spiritual health. Christians must be committed to excellence in every area of their lives. Therefore, they must be a proud people in that sense; proud to be a Christian and proud to do God’s will.
Pride isn’t sin when it’s the appreciation of excellence. Pride is sin when it’s God-defying arrogance.

Why is God so opposed to the proud? Because the proud don’t need God (at least that’s what they think). Every turning from God, for whatever reason, presumes a kind of autonomy or independence that is the essence of pride. Turning from God assumes that one knows better than God. Thus, pride lies at the root of every turning from God. Pride says, “My will be done!” Pride says, “It’s all about me!” The source of success when it comes to pride is the self. That’s what pride is; it’s an inflated sense of self-importance. Pride is a preoccupation with self. It’s very fitting that the middle letter of pride is “I.” And when you think too highly of yourself, it’s only natural that God will be pushed out of the picture. After all, what do you need Him for? You can do it on your own. You don’t need someone telling you what to do or how to live your life. You’re in control. You’re number one. You don’t rely or depend on anyone. If there is something you need or want, you go out and take it because it’s yours and you deserve it. You are the center of the world, the universe, the cosmos. The world exists to serve you. Who needs God? You serve the god of pride. Pride loves to be worshiped, and it’s greatly offended when it gets overlooked.

Pride blinds us. It leads us to think we are something we’re not. It fools us into believing we are a cut above everyone else; that we are impervious to things that would collapse lesser people. Pride, perhaps, the biggest hindrance to people coming to Christ. How many people do you know who refuse to come to church or who just will not commit because they simply have too much pride? They will not give in and admit they have a problem or admit they need to change because their pride just won’t let them. It’s a crying shame, but there’s no telling how many people have missed heaven due to too much pride. Pride is the idolatrous worship of self, and it is the national religion of hell.

Pride will eventually lead to destruction. In Proverbs 16:18 we read, “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before stumbling.” There is a price to pay for being too proud or haughty. Pride was the motivating factor behind Eve partaking of the fruit in the garden. The temptation to be like God and to know good from evil was just too great. Pride was behind the murder of Abel by his brother Cain. Pride ruled in the heart of King Nebuchadnezzar and he lost his kingdom for it. Pride even showed itself among the disciples as the mother of the sons of Zebedee came to Jesus requesting that her sons sit on His right and His left. Pride had a stronghold on Diotrophes; a man mentioned in 3rd John who was a thorn in the side of the church. He is described as one “who loves to be first among them (v. 9).” And there are many other biblical examples of people who allowed pride to motivate their behavior, usually to their detriment. Pride is at the bottom of virtually all huge mistakes.

In order to be the type of Christians God would have us to be, we must toss aside our pride and seek something much more profound, much more Godly. We must be striving for humility. Humility is the arch nemesis of pride. Humility is the determined demonstration of our recognition of God’s greatness and our smallness by comparison. Humility can only exist in the presence of God. When God goes, humility goes. Determined effort on our part must be made to regularly fall on our knees and fall on our faces before Him in adoration of His greatness.

In the next post, we are going to discuss humility in more detail.

More Than a Game

2009-09-22T07:42:00.003-05:00

Coaching my son's soccer team for the last couple of years now has been a great experience. It allows me to continue to feed that passion, but without as much stress and anxiety. I have a terrific bunch of kids and parents, and there's nothing like coaching your child and seeing him do well. But last week I made a crucial mistake (which is not all that uncommon)--I let the game get bigger than the individual players.

One particular boy on my team was not really paying attention. His head wasn't into the game and I raised my voice somewhat in an effort to get him focused. It wasn't too much later that the ball came his direction. Being a defender, his only responsibility was to kick the ball down the field, away from the goal. Instead, he kicked it backward, right into the back of our own goal, scoring for the other team. Forgetting for the moment that he was only 9 years old, I became a little peeved and removed him from the game. He trotted off to the side and sat down by himself, ignoring my commands to, "Come here!"

Halftime came and I went over to talk to the boy. As I did, I realized that he was extremely hurt. He didn't try to score a goal for the other team; that wasn't his intent. And while he may not have been paying attention prior to that episode, he still didn't want to hurt the team. I immediately switched from coach to counselor. I told him that it was okay, that he shouldn't worry about it and that everyone makes mistakes. It seemed to help a little. I then told him that I was going to start him the second half and I wanted to see him excel.

The second half he was a different kid. He played very hard and did very well. I was really proud of him. The lesson--a smart coach will know how to motivate a player and get the most out of him, especially when he's not playing well. I'm not a smart coach, but I thank this young man for helping me realize that there are some things more important than winning. Yelling and screaming isn't coaching. Developing relationships, impacting lives, watching kids grow and improve; that's the beauty of coaching. And sometimes it's the coach that needs a little coaching.

At 9 years old, I doubt he'll remember when he gets older how many games we won or lost. But hopefully he'll remember the experience. Hopefully he'll remember his teammates. Hopefully he'll remember the fun of playing. And hopefully he'll look back with fondness for the coach who, while imperfect, truly cared for him.

The HOPE That Lies Within Us

2009-09-14T07:58:00.006-05:00

A man approached a little league baseball game one afternoon and he asked a boy sitting in the dugout what the score was. The boy responded, “Eighteen to nothing—we’re behind.” “Wow,” the man said, “I’ll bet you’re pretty discouraged.” “Why should I be discouraged?” the little boy replied, “We haven’t even gotten to bat yet!”

Someone once said that “there are no hopeless situations; there are only people who have grown hopeless about them.” As Christians, there should be a hope present within us.In 1 Peter chapter 3, verse 15 it reads, “…but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you...” What exactly was this HOPE that was in these Christians?

The Christian’s hope is Jesus Christ. He embodies hope because he came to redeem us. Without him we would have no hope because we would be dead in our transgressions. He came to save us from our sins and, therefore, give us the hope of eternal life. To me, one of the most wonderful and most incredible truths is that God wants Chris McCurley in heaven (and He wants you there too). He wants me to be with Him for all eternity. I don’t have to try and persuade Him or convince Him that I deserve a shot. I don’t have to get on a waiting list, or write letters requesting Him to consider me. He wants me there. Even though I am a flawed person with many imperfections, He still wants me there. Even though I am completely unworthy of His love and mercy for me, He still believes in me, and that gives me hope.

Romans 5:5 states, “…and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” A Christian’s hope is a hope that is never disappointed. When our hope is in God, we are never let down. God is not fickle. God never changes. He is always the same. And we can be sure that if we cling to God and His way for us that eternal life is a reality. Our daily walk with God can only end in heaven! My hope in God’s promise allows me to dream of my eternal home with the comfort that someday my dream will be reality.

I find it so sad that there are so many people who live without hope. People who have no confident expectation and anticipation about life after this one. Every day we walk among people who are hopeless. They are busy filling the emptiness in their lives with artificial substitutes instead of seeking the real thing--Jesus Christ. As Christians, may we always live in such a way so as to encourage others to pursue the hope that lies within us!

TRAVEL LIGHT

2009-09-01T08:24:00.002-05:00

Imagine your own funeral. I realize it's a morbid thought, but think just a few moments about the day you will be laid to rest. Who will be gathered there? What will be said about you? What will you be remembered for most? We will all leave something behind when we pass on from this life, and I am not referring to material things. We will all leave behind a legacy. Some will leave behind a negative legacy. They will be remembered for being an awful human being with no regard for others. Some will be remembered for their kindness, their generosity, their goodness; although they were not religious and never even acknowledged God, they were still better than average. And then there are those who will leave behind a legacy of godliness. Their lives will be remembered as one that reflected the character of Christ. There will be a fond recollection of all the wonderful deeds this person did in the name of the Lord. They will be defined by their faith. They will be measured by their righteousness. What will your legacy be?

Too often, we remember folks for what they were not rather than for what they were. People become famous, or infamous, for immoral behavior or ungodly conduct. Their lives were lived in a direction away from God and they were sent to meet their maker unprepared, which is really what it all boils down to when we talk about one’s legacy. We should all desire to leave a legacy of faith. We should all hope that, after we’re gone, people will remember us as one who lived for the Lord and sought to do His will. But we must also understand that it’s not about hoping to be remembered well. It’s about living in such a way so as people cannot forget you; living to make an impact. We find many people throughout the scriptures who did just that. People like Stephen, Paul, Peter, John, etc.; people who were neither perfect nor flawless, but who strived to live in a godly direction. It is in this life that we prepare for eternity. Heaven is won or lost in this life; therefore we must prepare properly.

We are all born with an expiration date. We do not know when our time here on earth will be over, and we do not know when Christ will return; therefore we cannot procrastinate. The time to prepare is now. Peter says as much in 2 Peter 3:11-18 when he writes,

“Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat! But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells. Therefore, beloved, since you look for these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless, and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation; just as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given him, wrote to you, as also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction. You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on your guard so that you are not carried away by the error of unprincipled men and fall from your own steadfastness, but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.”

Peter asks the question, “What sort of people ought you to be?” He proceeds to answer his own question by stating that we should be “holy in conduct and godliness.” We should be “looking for and hastening the coming day of God.” We must “be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless.” We should “regard the patience of our Lord as salvation.” We should “be on guard so as to not be carried away” by false teachers. And we must constantly be growing and developing. In short, we ought to be a people that is prepared.

This world is not our home. As children of God our citizenship is in the kingdom, not in this world. Peter makes this clear when he refers to Christians as “aliens” and “strangers” (1 Pet. 2:11). Our permanent dwelling place is heaven, not here on earth. This is not our destination; this is our journey. Anytime we embark on a journey we understand that there are certain things necessary for survival. We pack specific items depending on what type of trip we are taking. In the journey through this life, the Christian must do the same. We must focus on the things necessary to reach our destination. As aliens and strangers, we must be aware of what we’re going to need and pack our bags wisely.

What are the essentials that the Christian needs for the journey through this life? Peter tells us in chapter 1 of 2nd Peter. Beginning in verse 4 he writes,

“For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust. Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins. Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble; for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you (2 Peter 1:4-11).”

The destination is the eternal kingdom. What’s the estimated time of arrival? No one knows. We do know, however, that the journey goes through this life and that we must be prepared for departure. Peter gives us a checklist of the things we will need for our journey: faith, moral excellence, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love. These virtues are the essentials that every Christian must pack for the journey to their ultimate destination. Notice also that it is a process; a process of addition. The child of God must add these qualities to his or her life. One might also look at it like a ladder with each virtue representing a rung. The journey is an upward climb towards the top with each step signifying further development of Christian character.

Peter’s supply list includes everything that we aliens will need in our journey through this life. If we pack our bags with these things we will be adequately supplied. I mention this because it is our nature to over pack. Anytime we go on a prolonged trip somewhere we tend to take more than we need; just in case. If we only pack the virtues that Peter mentions we will have everything necessary for the journey. The problem is that many times we want to pack things that are unnecessary and only take up space. We want to fill our bags with the material because it’s the material that makes us happy. It was also Peter who said,

“The day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up (2 Peter 3:10).”

In the end, our material possessions will be nothing more than ash. As much as we might like to, we cannot take them with us. They are destined to perish and we cannot save them. We must travel light. Paul wrote,

“Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:11-13).

Paul found contentment in the fact that he was adequately supplied for the journey. When you are adequately supplied, you can be content. Paul’s bag was full of what he needed, which was Christ. He could do all things through Christ who strengthened him. Paul cut out the “wants” and took only what he needed. When you understand what truly has value and what does not, you find it’s easier to let go of some things. It’s okay to have possessions, but we should keep a loose grip on them. Our security and strength comes from our relationship with God, not from our relationship with possessions. Paul traveled light. He found contentment in the journey because he had all he really needed. If we fill our bags with material things we’re going to run out of room. Like Paul, we must cut out the “wants” and take only what we need. We must travel light, knowing that in Christ we are adequately supplied.

What's Your Favorite Book of the Bible?

2009-08-26T15:11:00.003-05:00

Someone asked me the other day what my favorite book of the Bible was. With much hesitation I finally replied that if I had to pick just one, it would have to be James. James' epistle is so practical and so enriching for one who is striving to live daily for God. However, there are several books that run a close second. They are:

* John
* Philippians
* 1 Corinthians
* 1 & 2 Samuel
* 1 & 2 Kings

It's hard to pick a favorite book from the Bible because the complete Word of God has so much to offer in its entirety. How blessed we are to have the scriptures to study from and apply to our lives. It is our roadmap to eternal life with the Heavenly Father.

So tell me, what is your favorite book of the Bible?

The Role of Baptism in the Scheme of Redemption

2009-08-26T07:49:00.003-05:00

Matthew 28:19, "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit."

Acts 19:5, "When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus."

Romans 6:3, "Or do you not know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death?"

Galatians 3:27, "For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ."

From these passages we see that people in the New Testament were baptized into something. They were baptized into: The name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, the name of the Lord Jesus, Christ, and His death. In Acts 2:38 we find that people were baptized "into" or "unto" the remission of sins. So what does this all mean? If we give the word "in" or "into" its unequivocal meaning, then there can be no misunderstanding. Through baptism they entered into all these things. To enter one thing you must leave something else. Therefore, to enter into the holy names, Christ’s death, Christ Himself and to come unto the remission of sins are all dependent upon scriptural baptism. The Bible is clear that one cannot enter into these things until one has been baptized.

The Greek word for "in," "into" or "unto" is the word eis. Incidentally, it can also mean "for." In Acts 2:38 we see that baptism is "for the remission of sins." According to Thayer, eis means "entrance into, or direction and limit: into, to, towards, for, among." It is important for us to understand the meaning of this little word because there are some in the religious world who do believe in baptism, they even believe in immersion, but they don’t place the proper emphasis upon the act. To them, baptism is not for salvation but, rather, to show that one has already been saved. To substantiate this teaching they point to Acts 2:38 and suggest that "for the remission of sins" actually means "because of remission of sins." In other words, one is saved at the point of faith; baptism is merely a step to show that you have been forgiven of your sins. The problem with this argument is that it blatantly contradicts other scripture, and the original language totally dismantles it.

Throughout the New Testament the word eis is translated as: in, into, unto, for, toward, concerning, etc. But nowhere has the word ever been translated "because of." In Mark 1:4 it reads, "John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins." Did John preach and baptize because they had already been forgiven? Obviously not. Or consider Matthew 26:28, which reads, "…for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins." Would Jesus have shed His blood "because" people already had forgiveness, or in order that they might obtain forgiveness? 1 Peter 3:21 explicitly states, "baptism now saves you." Mark 16:16 reads, "He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned."

Furthermore, if sins are already forgiven at the point of belief or faith, then why would Peter tell the people to repent? Repentance is for those who are still in their sins. If their sins were already forgiven and they were already saved, then why did Peter command them to repent? If we are saved prior to baptism then how does one explain the urgency seen throughout the New Testament? Those who learned the truth on the day of Pentecost were baptized on the same day (Acts 2:38); the apostles did not delay. In Acts chapter 8, we see the urgency that the eunuch placed upon baptism. When he and Philip came to some water, he asked if anything was standing in his way of being baptized. He didn’t even wait until he got home. Likewise, when the Philippian jailor and his family understood the plan of God, they were baptized the "same hour of the night (Acts 16:33)." They didn’t wait to have a public ceremony for all to witness that they had been saved; they urgently did what they needed to do.

Why do we so quickly dismiss baptism as a condition of salvation when the Bible clearly and distinctly presents it as essential? Believe and Faith are mentioned 483 times. Repent or Repentance 56 times. Confess or Confession 32 times. And Baptize or Baptism 77 times. In fact, aside from belief and faith, baptism appears more times than any of the other conditions for salvation that are so readily accepted. Not only that, but a comparison of Bible terms reveals that believe and faith appear most often alongside baptism than they do with repentance or confession. Add to all of this the fact that the concept of baptism originated with God and was taught by Christ. Though He was perfect, Jesus Himself was immersed. Why? The Bible says “to fulfill all righteousness.”

We must understand that baptism is no more important than any of the other steps in the biblical plan of redemption (faith, repentance & confession). By itself, it is incapable of saving anyone. Baptism has no ability on its own to remove sins. Like repentance and confession, it must be accompanied by faith. The faith that God rewards is a trust in Him that motivates us to respond to His will. Without faith, no act of man is pleasing to God; therefore, baptism is a natural response. It is the proper response to a living faith.