Thoughts on Christ and His Word

In trying times we all believe things will get better. A brighter day is coming. Our hope is found in believing that better things will come tomorrow. But what do we do when we realize that there is no better tomorrow coming. When we are on the threshold of death and we know that our best days are behind us. Job found himself in this situation. Because of his physical illness he thought that there was no better days coming - the sun was setting on his life. Yet he dug deep into his soul and found HOPE. I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth. 26 And after my skin has been destroyed,yet in my flesh I will see God; 27 I myself will see him with my own eyes — I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me! Job 19:25-27 . Job found faith, hope, and comfort in his final destiny. He no longer expected a better tomorrow, at least not on earth. But his heart longed to see his Redeemer, in his new heavenly body, with his new eyes, in a new place - a

How wonderful it is when we can depend on people to do the right thing. When the children do their chores, when employees complete their tasks, when Christians are at their place of ministry on time and ready to serve. Some people say dogs are dependable. They greet you with a wagging tale and a licking tongue no matter what time you get home. Seriously, dependability is one of the critical factors that make people successful in life. In his book Run with the Bulls , Tim Irwin describes dependable people as individuals who... ...plan, organize, and finish their projects. They follow through---you can rely on them to get things done. They are purposeful, determined, and have very high standards. This kind of faithful and dependable ethic elicits trust from others, especially managers and supervisors. Irwin continues to state: A manager finds it incredibly refreshing when an employee discovers a problem and then exercises initiative to address that problem in a capable way before the m

Job suffered a lot. He lost his kids, his servants, his livestock, and finally his health. When we are suffering, we are tempted to blame God – “Why has God let this happen to me?” At that point we have two options: TRUST in God’s love, strength, and His good purpose for our lives, or FIGHT Him by denying Him or cursing Him. David sung about God’s love and strength in Psalms 62: One thing God has spoken, two things have I heard: that you, O God, are strong, 12 and that you, O Lord, are loving. Surely you will reward each person according to what he has done. Psalms 62:11-12 Job desired to avoid the “denying or cursing God” option but he knew he was in a very weakened condition. He said: "Oh, that I might have my request, that God would grant what I hope for, 9 that God would be willing to crush me, to let loose his hand and cut me off! 10 Then I would still have this consolation — my joy in unrelenting pain — that I had not denied the words of the Holy One. Job 6:8-10 Job preferre

The following is a reprint of Pastor Fancis Chan's article found in Catalystspace.  I hope they don't mind I borrowed it, but it was too good not to have in my blog. ARE YOU A GOOD CHRIST? By Francis Chan I think it's time we stop asking ourselves the question: "Am I a good Christian?" We live in a time when the term "Christian" has been so diluted that millions of immoral but nice people genuinely consider themselves "good Christians." We have reduced the idea of a good Christian to someone who believes in Jesus, loves his or her family, and attends church regularly. Others will label you a good Christian even though your life has no semblance to the way Christ spent His days on earth. Perhaps we should start asking the question: "Am I a good  Christ ?" In other words, do I look anything like Jesus? This question never even entered my mind until a friend of mine made a passing comment to me one day. Dan is a long time friend of mine.

Anyone feeling courageous lately? We all want to be courageous, but many times we feel like the lion in the Wizard of Oz - we are big, hairy, and supposed to be tough, but one slap from a little girl leaves us crying in cowardice. Here are some thoughts from Tim Irwin's book "Run with the Bulls": Courageous acts are not performed by people with a personality trait called "courage". Courageous acts are performed by normal people who passionately believe in what they are trying to do --- the urge to act on their conviction becomes compelling. Everyone who has ever performed a courageous act was afraid. Their conviction about what they believed simply outmatched their fear. A courageous person does not talk "about" an idea, but rather acts on what he or she really believes. It is totally normal to struggle with how to move forward in our lives. Often the forces in opposition seem insurmountable...Where do we get the discipline to persist and the cour