Mandy's Blog

Missions, Faith & Sacrifice

2012-01-24T10:48:00.000-05:00

Recently I read the story of a rural South Carolina churchthat has about 200 members and a 200 year history. It had never sent out amissionary and not one of its members had ever gone on a short-term missiontrip. To their credit, they had givenmoney to help other missionaries, but as to personal involvement they were azero.

A new pastor came in whose heart God touched in the area ofmissions. As he explored the possibilitiesof doing some mission work, God led him and a few from his church to Mali,Africa. Once they returned and reportedthat quite a few former Muslims had put their faith in Christ, the church gotexcited and more of them joined in future trips. Teams from this church are now going to Maliabout every six weeks to preach Christ and disciple those whom have believed.

Each believer who goes to Mali must pay their own way – over$4,000 each trip. Some have gonemultiple times. They’re not rich – rememberthey’re from rural South Carolina. Butwhat they lack in wealth, they have in FAITH. God has provided. One man is acontractor, if he doesn’t work, he doesn’t get paid. Not only does he pay for his trip to Mali, hedoesn’t get a pay check for the two weeks he is there.

What are we giving up to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christto friends, neighbors, and other people of this world?

“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations”

Matthew 28:19

Ready to Reign?

2012-01-14T21:50:00.003-05:00

Have you ever thought of how cool it would be to rule theworld? To be the King or Queen of theplanet?

God created us to rule - not for our selfish purposes, butto help Him rule the world for his glory. Consider God’s instructions to the first humans:

Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, andlet them rule over the fish of thesea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and overall the creatures that move along the ground."

Genesis 1:26

Mankind was to “rule” over all the animals and over all theearth. God created us to reign with Him.

Sin entered the earth and we became bad rulers. We killed each other, abused one another, andwere possible tyrannically ruled over others for our glory, not His.

But for those of us who have trusted in Christ and made himLord over our life, we get to somewhat regain that original purpose. We lead churches, small groups, ministries,and even Sunday school to expand God’s kingdom and help Him rule the earth(albeit imperfectly for now).

But the day is coming when our job as rulers will berestored in a perfect kingdom.

When Jesus gave the parable of the talents, notice what hesaid to the servants who had worked hard for His kingdom here on earth andmultiplied what God had given them:

"His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! Youhave been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!'

Matthew 25:21

In heaven, not only will we be in a happy place, we will be “incharge of many things”. God’soriginal purpose for us – to help Him rule the world – will be fulfilled inus.

Jesus promised us – His children who serve Him faithfullyhere on earth:

To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with myFather on his throne.

Revelation 3:21

In heaven we will sit with Christ on His throne. Are you ready to reign?

Jump

2012-01-03T10:40:00.002-05:00

“without faith it is impossible to please God”

Hebrews 11:6

If we want to please God, we are going to have to learn togrow in faith.

Even before my kids could swim I used to put them at theedge of the pool. I would be in the pooland tell them to “jump, daddy will catch you.” Then I would move out of the way and let them drown (just kidding). I would catch them every time and then havethem do it again.

At first they hesitated to jump. Fear griped their heart. They weren’t sure they could trust me or if Iwas strong enough to hold them up and keep them from drowning. But after one or two jumps they put completefaith in me, that I would not let them drown.

Similarly God will also ask us to jump (stretch our faith)so that He can catch us and our faith will grow. Stretching our faith involves attemptingthings for God in which success can only come through God’s power.

Paul jumped when God asked him to be the Apostle to thegentiles – to go on missionary trips to preach the gospel all around thegentile world. His faith was definitelystretched as seen through his recollection:

We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so thatwe despaired even of life. 9 Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence ofdeath. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, whoraises the dead. 10 He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he willdeliver us. On him we have set our hope [trust] that he will continue to deliver us

2 Corinthians 1:8-10

Trust God the next time He tells you “JUMP”.

Mentoring

2011-12-21T13:12:00.001-05:00

Everyone has has a purpose in life. But finding that purpose and accomplishing it can prove a daunting challenge.

This is why mentors are needed. Barnabas mentored Paul. Paul mentored Timothy. Each man helping the other to conquer and succeed in his area of ministry.

Young men are in real need of older godly men to guide them while they fulfill their God-given purpose.

Howard Hendricks wrote that "young men need a champion of the faith to help them conquer their God-given territory.". Our job as older leaders is to help them identify and conquer their territory/ministry.

Are You Angry?

2011-12-11T08:23:00.001-05:00

Many people go around ANGRY these days. They yell at the Wal-Mart cashier, they make obscene gestures to people in other cars, and then come home and yell at their spouse and kids.

David gives us a helpful tip on how to deal with anger:

In your anger do not sin; when you are on your beds, search your hearts and be silent.

Psalms 4:4

One way to start dealing with your anger is to "search your hearts and be silent." Take your anger to God in prayer. Ask Him "why am I so angry?". Through prayer and meditation on key passages in the Bible you can begin to discover the reasons for you anger. Read the Psalms, Jonah, the life of Joseph, and David. Compare your life to what your reading and ask God for the wisdom to apply what you learn to your life.

Psalms 4:4 begins with "In your anger do not sin". Be aware that regardless of the reasons for your anger, you are not justified in God's eyes for lashing out at others (verbally or physically). Pray, meditate on God's Word, get help from other trusted people, or do anything to heal from this. Do not remain an angry person or you will be miserable the rest of your life, not to mention that you will also make everyone around you miserable also.

God’s Word in our Lives

2011-11-29T10:20:00.001-05:00

David Watson was an English Evangelist and author. Cancer took his life on February 18, 1984. While he was fighting this disease he wrote abook called Fear No Evil on how hewas dealing with this terminal sickness.

In this book David Watson writes:

As I spent timechewing over the endless assurances and promises to be found in the Bible, somy faith in the living God grew stronger and held me safe in his hands. God’s word to us, especially his word spokenby his Spirit through the Bible, is the very ingredient that feeds ourfaith. If we feed our souls regularly onGod’s word, several times each day, we should become robust spiritually just aswe feed on ordinary food several times each day, and become robustphysically. Nothing is more importantthan hearing and obeying the word of God.

I say “Amen” to that. Let’s all aim at feeding our souls a regular diet of the Word of God.

Joy Re-Loaded

2011-11-18T11:45:00.001-05:00

Some Christians live unhappy lives. They need to discover the JOY that God promised.

One Christian found another one day and asked him if had the "Joy of the Lord" in him. The second man replied "Yes, he did". To which the first man said, "Well tell your face, because it looks miserable."

Here are a few tips on living a Joy-filled life:

1. Develop a thankful heart. Thank God often throughout the day for the big and small blessing that you enjoy. The Bible speaks about "Giving thanks to God" (in some form) over 80 times. Paul commands us to "Be joyful always; 17 pray continually; 18 give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thess. 5:16-18

2. Enjoy legitimate physical pleasures. Some Christians think that all physical pleasure is evil. This is a lie from the enemy. In the Old Testament, God gave the Jews over 10 different festivals (or feasts). Not all were yearly festivals, but they all included the worship of God and all but one (Day of Atonement) included feasting on the best food of the land. In Nehemiah's day the exiles celebrated the Feast of Tabernacles. "From the days of Joshua son of Nun until that day, the Israelites had not celebrated it like this. And their joy was very great." Nehemiah 8:17

3. Worship God every day. God is the author of joy and gives it freely to those who willingly come into his presence. David said: "In Your presence is fullness of joy; In Your right hand there are pleasures forever." Psalms 16:11 NAS

Rejoice!!!

Who Are You Looking At?

2011-11-01T10:04:00.002-04:00

When we don't like someone staring at us, we might ask them "Who are you looking at?" Most people don't like to be stared at.

But God doesn't mind us looking constantly and intently upon Him. Especially when we get into trouble. He wants us to call upon Him so that He might get us out of trouble and show His power.

When King Jehoshaphat realized that a mighty army was about to attack him he turned his eyes and heart to God. He prayed...

...we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you.

2 Chronicles 20:12

God told him to march his people to where the invaders would be. They sang songs until they got there and found that God had made this vast enemy force to turn on itself and all the enemy soldiers were dead. They plundered the dead army and found so much loot that it took them three days to haul away all the valuable stuff.

When your in trouble, who do you look towards for help? Yourself, other people, or the Lord God Almighty. God may use others to help you, but turn FIRST to Him and cast your burden on Him. God is an expert on giving us the victory.

Joy is not Optional

2011-10-26T09:42:00.000-04:00

God takes Joy seriously!

He takes it so seriously he commands us live in it - "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!" Phil 4:4

The phrase "Rejoice in the Lord" appears twelve times in the Bible and 4 of those appear as commands.

God wants to help us obey this command, so He gave us His Spirit who strengthens us to live for God in all areas. But if we look at the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5 we notice that the second characteristic that the Spirit produces in us (right after "love") is "Joy".

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience...

Galatians 5:22

Why does God want to live in Joy? For at least two reasons.

One, God is the most Joy-filled being in the universe. God is not this grumpy old man looking down waiting for someone to get out of line in order to zap him. He is filled with Joy. When we are filled with Joy we become more like God.

Two, God's Joy in us makes sin look less attractive. When we rejoice over the good things God has given us (salvation, family, friends, the wonders of nature, etc...) Satan's temptations loose a lot of their appeal.

This is why Nehemiah told his people: "Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is sacred to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength." Neh. 8:10

Do You Want to Fight?

2011-10-13T16:42:00.001-04:00

The tribes of Israel east of the Jordan River wanted to expand their territory so they picked a fight with the Hagrites and some other peoples.
They has trained for such battles for the Bible says:

"The Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh had 44,760 men ready for military service—able-bodied men who could handle shield and sword, who could use a bow, and who were trained for battle."
1 Chronicles 5:18

They had done their part, now God was about to do His...

"They were helped in fighting them, and God handed the Hagrites and all their allies over to them, because they cried out to him during the battle. He answered their prayers, because they trusted in him."
1 Chronicles 5:20

Are you trusting in God to help you win your battles today?

10%

2011-10-03T10:31:00.001-04:00

Every Christian would undoubtedly say that we should serve God with all we got - give him 100% of us. "He gave it all for us, so we should give our all for Him."

However when it comes to the practical act of actually giving to Him real dollars in this real world many are not that enthusiastic. Giving God 10% through the local church seems too much, too hard, or too legalistic - "that was Old Testament law; now we are under grace."

But prior to the law Abraham established the tithe (10%) as the standard for giving to God. After rescuing his nephew (Lot) from the armies that took him captive, and having defeated them and taken their stuff (booty) he offered to God 10% (Gen. 14:20)

How do we know that this marked a standard to be followed by God's people for all time?

His grandson Jacob promised to give God 10% of all the wealth he would accumulate in Haran (Gen. 28:22)
10% was made part of the law of Moses (Lev. 27:30)
Jesus Christ reaffirmed the tithe while also exalting the values of compassion (Luke 11:42)

10% is the biblical standard of giving in any era.

Where's Your Heart

2011-09-28T10:43:00.001-04:00

The prophet Elijah asked God to send down fire so that the people would know "that you, O LORD, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again." 1 Kings 18:37.

God is always looking to turn our hearts back to him. Sometimes He does it in a dramatic way like fire from heaven, sometimes He whispers to us words of love and forgiveness, and sometimes when our hearts are really rebellious He may opt to deliver sickness or other tragedy to our door steps.

Whatever the method He uses our response should be like that of the Israelites on the day He sent fire - "The LORD-he is God! The LORD-he is God!" 1 Kings 18:39

Family Matters

2011-09-27T10:15:00.000-04:00

When can you tell your grandmother to "go take a hike"? When she sets up a wooden pole and tells you to worship it.

This is what King Asa did:

Asa did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, as his father David had done. 12 He expelled the male shrine prostitutes from the land and got rid of all the idols his fathers had made. 13 He even deposed his grandmother Maacah from her position as queen mother, because she had made a repulsive Asherah pole. Asa cut the pole down and burned it in the Kidron Valley.

1 Kings 15:11-14

God wants our heart. We cannot have divided loyalties, even with family members. Jesus told us what the high cost of being His disciple was:

Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me

Matthew 10:37

So love your moms, dads, children, and grandma, but Jesus must be the #1 love of our lives.

The Power of the Spirit

2011-08-31T11:17:00.002-04:00

You've heard of 5 Hour Energy drink, or Red Bull? These boost the body, but how about your soul. For that you need the Power of the Spirit of God.

So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the LORD came upon David in power. Samuel then went to Ramah.

14 Now the Spirit of the LORD had departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD tormented him.

1 Samuel 16:13-14

Notice the contrast. David now had power because the Spirit of God was upon him. Saul's disobedience and pride led to God taking away the Spirit from him and thus he was left vulnerable to greater demonic influence and bouts with depression.

In the power of God's Spirit, David went on to kill lions, bears, Philistines, and giant Philistines. He lead Israel to become a powerful kingdom and groomed his son to lead an empire.

Through humility, surrender, and obedience we can access the power of the Spirit God has placed in us. Let us put our lives in God's hand today and let Him know you are willing to do whatever He wants to do through you.

Liked to be Carried?

2011-07-07T14:30:00.003-04:00

When I was a child I used to like for my uncle or others to carry me. I used to enjoy jumping on people's backs for a horsy ride or have my uncle lift me up with one hand.

I still like to be carried, although not by humans, but by God. God loves to carry us during hard times - our trial, troubles, and tribulations. He carried the Israelites out of Egypt while pummeling the Egyptians. At the edge of the Promise Land, God reminded Israel:

“Do not be terrified; do not be afraid of them. ³⁰ The LORD your God, who is going before you, will fight for you, as he did for you in Egypt, before your very eyes, ³¹ and in the desert. There you saw how the LORD your God carried you, as a father carries his son, all the way you went until you reached this place.”

Deuteronomy 1:29-31

God is a gracious God who in our times of trouble is there to carry us while He fights for us and takes us to a place of victory.

The Bronze Snake

2011-06-28T11:06:00.004-04:00

Are you afraid of snakes? Most people are. I am not afraid of them; I just have a healthy respect for them.

The people Israel sinned against God (again) by speaking against Him and against Moses. They cried out with their usual imbecilic statements:

“Why have you brought us out of Egypt to die in the desert? Numbers 21:5

God let loose the snakes that bit the people and they died.

Once they repented, God did not take the snakes away, but He did provide a way for them to live. He had Moses make a bronze snake, put it on a stick and raise it up high so that “when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, he lived.” Numbers 21:9 When they looked at the bronze snake they were putting their faith in God and his provision for their healing.

This became the picture of how God would save us through Christ. Christ was lifted up on a cross and anyone who looks to him in faith receives healing – eternal life. This is how Jesus put it:

Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, ¹⁵ that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. John 3:14-15

Want to be a Judge?

2011-06-07T16:48:00.005-04:00

If you wanted to be a judge under Moses you had to meet at least four qualifications. You needed to be:

1. Capable – Educated enough to know or be able to learn God’s laws and apply them to people’s points of dispute.

2. God-Fearing – You needed to love and respect God so much that your own life reflected holiness and obedience to His laws and values.

3. Trustworthy – You needed to be a person worthy of this position. You needed to be faithful to God, hard-working, be where you’re supposed to be at the time you are supposed to be there type of person.

4. Hater of Dishonest Gain – In your integrity, you would not use your position to gain riches for yourself nor would ever take a bribe nor distort justice for selfish purposes.

…select capable men from all the people—men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain—and appoint them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. Exodus 18:21

Even if we don’t want to be a judge for Moses, we should all strive to build these character qualities in our lives.

Tongue Tied

2011-05-09T10:54:00.006-04:00

It's better to be tongue-tied than to have a loose tongue.

We all know that people who can't control their tongues get into a lot of trouble. Talking back to parents, teachers, and police officers can get us trouble with authorities. Letting our tongue loose with our friends and family is a good way to lose those close relationships.

But did you know that a person with a careless tongue is also an unspiritual person? Spiritual maturity is measured (in part) by one's ability to control one's tongue.

If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless.

James 1:26

A loose tongue is like a loose cannon in old naval ships. It rolls all over the place doing more damage to friends than to the enemy.

James encourages us to learn to rein in our tongue, or we run the risk of believing we are spiritual because we know a lot, but in fact our loose tongue makes our religion "worthless".

Love Covers Sin

2011-04-27T10:59:00.004-04:00

Have you ever done something wrong and had someone cover for you?

In some cases (like criminal acts), covering up for someone might not be good. However, in many cases covering someone's sins would be the loving thing to do.

Noah's son Ham walked into his dad's tent and accidentally saw his father's nakedness (Genesis 9). His dad had been drinking and in his drunkenness took off his clothes and was sleeping naked on his bed. Ham should have just covered his father and left without ever talking about this incident to anyone - to protect his father's integrity.

But Ham left the tent and his father's uncovered body and told his brothers what he had seen. To see one's father naked in those days was considered a very serious offense. It was a sign of disrespect. So not only was Ham disrespecting his father by declaring he had seen his nakedness, but revealed his father's sin of getting drunk, disrobing and falling asleep naked in his bed.

Apparently his attitude in revealing what he had just seen was one of scorn and disrespect. His brothers did the right thing and immediately covered their father in such a careful way that they themselves did not look upon their naked dad. They displayed the kind of love and respect that Peter later wrote about:

Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.

1 Peter 4:8

Ham's descendants received a curse from Noah while his other sons received blessings from him for the love they showed by covering his sins.

Eternal Security

2011-04-15T17:37:00.006-04:00

Are you sure that a Christian's salvation is secure? What if he or she sins too much or commits a really big sin? Many of us have been challenged by people who say that a Christian can lose his or her salvation.

Some of these people point to Christ's words in Revelation - "Him who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of my God" (Rev 3:12) - to say that a Christian must maintain their salvation by living a holy life and overcoming sin. Indeed Christ talks about "him who overcomes" several times to the churches in Revelation.

But what does Christ mean by "overcoming"? What must we overcome and how? While thinking about this the other day the Lord gave this passage:

"...for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. 5 Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God."

1 John 5:4-5

It seems our overcoming is by faith in Christ. Once we put our faith in Christ as our Savior we become overcomers and victorious in Him. It is Christ who saves and Christ who keeps.

My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.

John 10:27-28

Soul Sleep

2011-03-08T10:03:00.006-05:00

Are you tired and need some sleep? Many days my wife and I feel like we want to sleep for a long time and not wake up until noon. It never happens. Our bodies wont let us (yes we are getting old).

Some people believe that when a Christian dies, we go into a soul sleep. That we sleep until judgement day and then we resurrect to be judged.

This is not true. The Bible says:

Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. 2 Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, 3 because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. 4 For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. 5 Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.

6 Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. 7 We live by faith, not by sight. 8 We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.

2 Corinthians 5:1-8

Paul uses the terms "tent", "building" and "dwelling" to refer to bodies. On earth we live in an "earthly tent" or earthly body. In heaven we will be clothed with an "eternal house" or a "heavenly dwelling", that is a spiritual body made in heaven.

In vs. 4 Paul says we desire to be "clothed with our heavenly dwelling" so that we can enjoy our eternal life in our new body and get rid of this one that is feeble and wasting away. And how do we know we will enjoy our new bodies in heaven? We have the Spirit of God who guarantees it.

In vs. 6-8 Paul gives us the answer to the soul sleep question. If we are in this physical body, we are obviously not with the Lord. If we become separated ("away") from this body, we are "at home with the Lord." There is no soul sleep. We are either here or there.

Remember what Steven, the first martyr, said and saw as he was being stoned to death? He saw Jesus standing in heaven waiting for him and Stephen prayed "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit."

Acts 7:59. He did not pray "Here I lay me down to sleep..."

Sweet dreams.

God's Will for Your Life

2011-03-02T10:00:00.003-05:00

As we conclude our church-wide campaign "God's Will for Your Life" I liked how Rick Warren summarized what we've been learning. In chapter 39 of The Purpose Driven Life he writes:

Jesus...helped them [his disciples] to know and love God (worship), taught them to love each other (fellowship), gave them the Word so they could grow to maturity (discipleship), showed them how to serve (ministry), and sent them out to tell others (mission).

Today God calls each of us to the same work. Not only does he want us to live out his purposes, he also wants us to help others do the same. God wants us to introduce people to Christ, bring them into his fellowship, help them grow to maturity and discover their place of service, and then send them out to reach others, too.

I agree that a well-rounded Christian life will live out these five purposes in proper balance. May God grant that all the saints in The Rock live a purpose-filled life for the honor and glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.

Power in Weakness

2011-02-08T10:14:00.004-05:00

Nacho Libre once said "It sucks to be me right now!" Life wasn't giving him what he wanted, and Nacho was frustrated.

In The Purpose Driven Life, Rick Warren writes about such frustrations in life:

"Every time you forget that character is one of God's purposes for your life, you will become frustrated by your circumstances."

As Nacho found out, life is not easy. There are many difficult situations and difficult people that come our way.

But here is what I need to remember. God has surrounded me with frustrating people and circumstances to stretch my character. For it is in the stretching of my character that I most become dependent on Christ and and His Spirit's power.

This produces great glory for Christ since I am becoming more like Him and truly allowing Christ to live through me.

This is why Paul wrote:

"I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. ¹⁰ That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."

2 Corinthians 12:9-10

Stay

2011-01-27T07:18:00.002-05:00

"Stay here" is a popular command for children. When my kids were little we would often have to tell them to "stay right here, don't move" when we wanted to find them quickly and not have to search all over for them.

Jesus tells us, his children, to "stay". He told his disciples: "remain in my love" (John 15:9). To "remain" is to abide, stay put, endure, or continue in his love. In the next verse He told them how: "If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love."

Jesus gave many commands - love one another, don't lust after money or women, have faith, be humble, be servants, pray constantly, etc...So if we obey Christ we will remain in His love. To obey Him I also need to know Him and his commands, so prayer and meditation on His words become indispensable.

It is interesting that Paul told us that if we walk in the Spirit and don't quench nor grieve the Spirit we can bear the Spirit's fruit which starts with love. Paul wrote that "...the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us." (Rom. 5:5)

So obeying Christ's commands, through the power of the Spirit, keeps us connected to Christ and fills us with His love through the Spirit. This Spirit-given love fills our hearts and enables us to love God, love other believers, and love a hell-bound world.

Stay.

Aproval Trap

2011-01-23T08:15:00.008-05:00

Years ago I used to use a self-image test that revealed if someone were caught in some type of self-image trap - finding our self-worth in something other than God.

One trap was called the Approval Trap, where a person finds their worth and value from the opinion of others. If others approve of them, they are happy about themselves. If others disapprove of their actions, they feel worthless.

This must have been the trap of many rulers in Israel during the time of Christ.

...even among the rulers many believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue; 43 for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.

John 12:42-43

These "rulers" weren't real God-fearing leaders. Although they were in positions of authority, they cared more about what others said about them than about what God thought of them.

Pleasing, serving and loving others is good, as long as God gets the glory in the end. But to not "confess" Christ is always wrong.

Christ-loving and Spirit-filled leaders will stand up to those who disapprove of them in order to win the praise of God. They will follow John and Peter's example who respectfully told the ruling council (who ordered them to stop preaching the gospel):

But Peter and John replied, “Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God’s sight to obey you rather than God. 20 For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.”

Acts 4:19-20

Live for an Audience of One - Live for the praise of God.
.

Want to Take a Test?

2011-01-13T15:57:00.004-05:00

Most people hate tests. They fear that the test will reveal their incompetence. They also don’t like that they have to put in time and discipline to study for the test.

God seems to love giving tests to his children. He tested Abraham, David, Paul, and even Jesus Christ.

Psalms 11:4-5 says God’s “eyelids test the sons of men. The LORD tests the righteous”

But why? Why does God “torture” us with tests?

In his book The Purpose Driven Life, Rick Warren give us the best answer I’ve read: “God continually tests people’s character, faith, obedience, love, integrity, and loyalty…character is both developed and revealed by tests, and all of life is a test.”

God tests us every day in small and big ways for our good. He gives us opportunities to grow in our character and love for Him and others.

Don’t fear the test – embrace it, for “the Lord test the righteous”, and you are His beloved righteous child.

My Glory

2011-01-06T08:56:00.005-05:00

What do you boast about? Your new pair of jeans, new shoes, new ring? Sometimes we believe that “things” make us more valuable and so we display them and talk about them and we glory in them.

In Psalms 3 David spoke about what (or who) brought him glory:

But You, O LORD, are a shield for me,
My glory and the One who lifts up my head.
Psalms 3:3 NKJV

David said that God was his “shield” (protector) and his “glory”. What does it mean that God is “my glory”? It means that God brings me glory and the one I boast about. It’s not that I deserve glory; it’s simply that God bestows glory on me because I am associated with him by spiritual birth – I am his child.

When I boast about my material possessions (my sports car, or my house, etc…) or my social position, I live an illusion of importance. All these things are fleeting and will disappear in due time. They are an illusion of glory since they are so temporary.

But when God is “my glory” (the one I boast about; the one who gives me importance) then that is Real Glory, because He is the Highest, the Greatest, and most Important being in the universe. The glory He gives is eternal.

In God I will boast, for He is glorious and graciously bestows His glory on me.

Mentoring Others

2010-12-07T15:32:00.003-05:00

How is your Greek Mythology? Do you know who Mentor was?

In Greek mythology, Mentor was a friend of Odysseus who placed Mentor in charge of his son Telemachus when Odysseus left for the Trojan War. When he returned from the war he found that his boy had grown up to be a man, thanks to his friend Mentor.

We use the word “mentor” today to mean a father-like teacher or a wise and trusted counselor. In the early church we could see this type of relationship between Paul and Timothy. Paul wrote:

But you know that Timothy has proved himself, because as a son with his father he has served with me in the work of the gospel.
Philippians 2:22

Pastor Johnny Hunt encourages pastors and Christian leaders to look for men to mentor. He gives two qualifications to look for: “men who are hungry, men who are teachable.” I wonder sometimes as I am praying for our church how many men do we have in our church that are “hungry” and “teachable”.

How many men do we have that are hungry for more of God in their lives, hungry for more ministry opportunity, and willing to be taught and molded for such a task.

Look for such men in your ministry and groups. Ask yourself if you are that kind of a man. Let’s mentor men who are hungry for God.
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The Insecure Leader - Colonel Klink

2010-11-16T14:25:00.004-05:00

In the old sitcom Hogan’s Heroes, German Colonel Klink was a very insecure leader. He so lacked confidence in himself and his ability to make right choices, that he often sought after and accepted the advice of his enemy - American Colonel Hogan.

Klink distrusted everyone – Sergeant Shultz, the Gestapo, General Bulkarter – except Hogan, which is why we won WW II.

But seriously, insecure leaders don’t know how to trust others because they constantly feel inadequate themselves, believing others are out to take away what they have – their position, job, wealth, etc…

In his book on leadership, Johnny Hunt writes:

A secure leader believes in others…a secure leader only increases in confidence when those around him succeed and become more secure themselves. They derive no pleasure from seeing others going underchallenged or kept under wraps. The secure leader’s desire is to see as many people as possible released for viable and effective ministry. They want for others what they want for themselves.

But it’s nearly impossible to believe in others when you don’t even believe in yourself. And when you don’t have confidence in others, you can’t encourage them in a genuine way.

So I say that as leaders we must believe in other’s capabilities and desires. We must encourage and direct those we want to see soar. At times we may need to correct them in some area, but we should never try to keep others down for fear of what their success might mean to us.

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. 4 Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.
Philippians 2:3-4

Integrity, Airplanes, and Leaders

2010-11-09T10:06:00.010-05:00

On July 25th of 2010, an Australian airliner - a Qantas Airbus A380 - made an emergency landing in Manila after part of its fuselage came off at 29,000 feet. Passengers were terrified as they saw flames coming from the engine and airplane part breaking off. The integrity of the plane was was being destroyed.

Dictionary.com defines "integrity" as "the state of being whole, entire"...

Definitely the integrity of the Qantas airplane was lost as its "wholeness" was disintegrating right before the very eyes of its passengers.

Pastor Johnny Hunt writes that one of the ways a leader remains effective in ministry is by living with integrity. He writes:

...integrity is what happens when the tongue in your mouth and the tongue in your shoes are all going the same direction---when what you say and what you do are in perfect alignment. Integrity carries the idea of wholeness, unity, and truthfulness...Part of our high standard as leaders requires living in total integrity of heart.

A great part of having integrity in our lives is keeping our word. Pastor Hunt continues:

If you tell someone you'll do something, do it. If you set a time to meet, be there-right when you said you would. Jesus said to "let your word 'yes' be 'yes' and your 'no' be 'no' (Matt. 5:37). Don't say it unless you mean it. And mean it when you say it.

A truly spiritual leader will have integrity. People will trust and follow him. But one without integrity will scare people away, usually hurt by his careless words or hypocrisy. People will run from him as those passengers on the Qantas plane would have, had they not been 29,000 feet in the air.
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Passion & Leadership

2010-11-02T08:30:00.003-04:00

Pastor Johnny Hunt from First Baptist Woodstock wrote a book called "Building Your Leadership Resume". In it he writes a chapter on the importance of passion in leaders. Here are two quotes:

Passionate leaders develp a 'whatever it takes' mentality. They know their life's calling. They know the purpose and direction God has given them...They're willing to face the inevitable challenges of leadership with drive, guts, and get-after-it persisitence.

Passion sees no unstopable barriers. It will plow through, jump across, or dig under any obstacles. Where some see a dead end, passion sees a possibility. Where some grow tired from the struggle, passion is energized to see it through. Where some are ready to quit, passion rocks on. Passion is only getting started when others are conceding failure.

This is the kind of passion God is looking for in his leaders. Paul wrote:

Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.

Romans 12:11

Zeal, fervor, passion - these are what God wants to see in His leaders.
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Loose Lips Sink Ships

2010-10-31T10:17:00.009-04:00

"Loose Lips Sink Ships" was a slogan used by the U.S. government during World War II to encourage people and news organizations not to discuss information about ship and troop movements that could help enemy spies.

The Apostle James wrote about loose lips and its correlation to spirituality.

If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless.

James 1:26

The Bible is saying that a person who does not have self-control over what they say is really a self-deceived, nonspiritual person. What kind of person "does not keep a tight rein on his tongue" ?

Gossipers - They share private information about other people to people who are not part of the problem or of the solution. Usually this is done with a critical and condemning spirit of the person they are talking about. James says the are self-deceived.

The Rude - They use their mouths to rip into other people, usually being critical and mean without any consideration of the other person's feelings. Many say they are only being truthful and honest - but they are self-deceived.

Complainers - They use their tongues to whine and complain about life, about their leaders, about their spouses, and anything and everything else. They are usually very negative people - malcontents who believe they deserve better. They are self-deceived.

If I really want to be spiritual and walk in the Spirit, I will learn to hold my tongue. In Galatians 5 Paul says that the fruit of the Spirit is "self-control". If I really want to prove I am a spiritual person I need to learn to reign in my loose lips.

God's Purpose for my Life

2010-10-27T08:55:00.003-04:00

Have you ever asked "Why in the world am I here?" Everyone at one point or another question why they exist. This is God's pre-installed program in each of us to draw us to Him.

Paul told the Thessalonians that he was praying for them, that though God's power he may "fulfill every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith. 12 We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ." 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12

God has a purpose for every one of us. He has a plan for our lives. With God's power we could see his purpose fulfilled in our lives.

As we live out God's purpose for us we will dream of "acts prompted by...faith." We will want to do greater things for God. Paul prays that God would fulfill those things in the Thessalonian church. I'm sure Paul would want the same thing for each one of us today.

The one thing we must make sure is that everything we do is motivated by the desire of bringing glory to God, and not to ourselves. For Paul says "We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you..."

May our prayer be "Lord, help me to fulfill your purpose for my life. Help me to dream big acts of faith for You, and glorify Christ in everything I do. Amen"
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GRACE that Works

2010-10-08T19:57:00.002-04:00

In 2 Corinthians 6:1 Paul urges us "not to receive God's grace in vain." In other words "grace" should produce something in our lives.

Grace is somewhat like eating. Eating is not an end in itself. We don't eat just to eat some more later. We eat to live, and we live to relate to God as our father, do good to others, and build God's kingdom.

And so it is with grace. We don't get grace just to get more grace. We get grace to have the power of God to do good to others and expand the kingdom of God.

Paul called himself and Timothy "fellow workers" of the saint in Corinth. That is what grace is to make us - "fellow workers" building God's kingdom.

Commitment to Christ

2010-09-23T12:24:00.004-04:00

While reading John Piper’s book “Don’t Waste Your Life” I came across the story of America’s first overseas missionary – Adoniram Judson. He was determined to take the gospel to the people of Burma in Asia.

Before he went he asked the father of Ann Hasseltine for her hand in marriage. He did through a letter in which not only was he asking to marry his daughter but for her to be his missionary partner in far away Burma. This is what he wrote…

“I have now to ask, whether you can consent to part with your daughter early next spring, to see her no more in this world; whether you can consent to her departure, and her subjection to the hardships and sufferings of missionary life; whether you can consent to her exposure to the dangers of the ocean, to the fatal influence of the southern climate of India; to every kind of want and distress; to degradation, insult, persecution, and perhaps a violent death. Can you consent to all this, for the sake of him who left his heavenly home, and died for her and for you; for the sake of perishing, immortal souls… and the glory of God?"

As the father, what would you have replied?

As the daughter, would you have accepted such an offer?

Are you committed to spreading the gospel and "the glory of God"?

Fullness

2010-09-08T11:15:00.004-04:00

What are things you like to be full of?

Chocolate cake? Fajita steak? Baby-back ribs? The other day I was filled with a California Club Pizza from California Pizza Kitchen. It was great.

But now let's get spiritual. God wants us to be filled with His Spirit. God knows we need the Spirit in order to do effective ministry and live our lives the way God wants us to.

In Acts 1 Jesus told the apostles to wait until they received the power of the Holy Spirit before they started ministering to the people.

"Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. 5 For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit."...you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

Acts 1:4-5, 8

Filling preceded Ministry. Fullness precedes Fruitfulness.

Are you filled with the Spirit? If not, your fruitfulness in ministry will be mediocre at best.

If your fruitfulness is poor, check your fullness. You may be lacking in fullness of Spirit.

Jesus had told his disciples:

"No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. 5 "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.

John 15:4-5

Do you wonder why you are not producing fruit or seeing progress in your ministry? Perhaps you are not remaining connected to Christ; perhaps you are not filled with the Spirit. In essence both of these are the same. Remain in Christ - Be filled with the Spirit.

Every Man Needs an Ezer

2010-08-05T14:49:00.012-04:00

Perhaps you are wondering, what’s an “ezer”?

An “ezer” is the thing (really the person) God created to help Adam.

The LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him."
Genesis 2:18

“Ezer” is the Hebrew word for “helper”. So when God, out of His love for Adam, decided to create a helper for him He created a woman.

Now to call the woman a “helper” was neither a demeaning role nor term. The Bible, using the same Hebrew word “ezer”, calls God our helper:

We wait in hope for the LORD; he is our help and our shield.
Psalms 33:20

God is our “ezer” – “Helper, one who comes to the aid of another”

Far from being a demeaning role, Eve was Adam’s helper (his “ezer”) just as God is our Helper – our “ezer”.

Ladies, God has given you a role that He himself bears. The greatest ministry you can do for God is to act as His human agent in helping your husband when he needs you – and HE DOES NEED YOU!

Belonging to Christ

2010-07-29T11:04:00.009-04:00

Have you ever quit something? I quit my little league baseball team as a kid years ago. I couldn't see well and I feared getting hit with the ball. So I quit, showing that I was not a baseball person.

The Apostle John tells us that not everyone who is among us and looks like a good Christian is really a born again belieliever.

They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us.

1 John 2:19

Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and the Son.

2 John 9

The fact that they would leave us (and/or all Christian churches) and reject "the teaching of Christ" -His deity, humanity, payment for sins on the cross, and His ressurection - reveal that they do "not have God" nor ever "belonged" to Christ's body (us). It's not that they lost their salvation, but by rejecting the teaching of Christ, they reveal they never really belonged to Him.

We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first.

Hebrews 3:14-15

Be Watchful

2010-07-13T10:32:00.006-04:00

"I always feel like somebody's watching me" was a big hit in the 80's. It was about a paranoid young man who felt he was being watched and stalked all the time. The Bible discourages us from living a fearful and paranoid life, but it does encourage us to be "watchful".

Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.

Colossians 4:2

Being watchful for what? Two things pop into my mind --- danger and opportunity.

Peter tells us to watch out because the devil is prowling around to see who he can devour. I think Paul's admonition to be watchful follows this line of thinking - to be careful of all the deceitful and harmful doctrine he had written to them about.

Additionally, I think Paul meant for them to pray being watchful for opportunities to share Christ with others. In the very next sentence Paul asks the church to pray for him - for an "open door" to share Christ. Then he tells the church to be wise in how they deal with unbelievers and to "make the most of every opportunity." (Col. 4:5)

I need to pray being watchful.

Emotional Health

2010-06-25T10:26:00.004-04:00

I heard Rick Warren say recently:

“All of our human problems come from a failure to understand God’s love.”
Rick Warren (Radicalis Conference)

If not 100% true, it certainly is close to that. I find that in my life and in dealing with the lives of others, most of our internal struggles (which lead to all kinds of emotional and relational problems) come from not understanding nor grasping the love God has for us.

Paul prayed the following for the church in Ephesus:

I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge — that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
Ephesians 3:17-19

Follow Paul’s line of thinking and prayer. He prayed that the church would be:

· rooted and established in love
· may have power… to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ
· to know this love that surpasses knowledge
· with this one purposed – that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

When we grasp the width, length, height, and depth of Christ’s love; and when our roots are drinking from the waters of God’s love, and when we know and are filled with His love – then we are filled with the “fullness of God”.

This is the same fullness as being filled with the Spirit whose fruits are love, joy, peace… If I have just these three, I will be a more emotionally stable person.

Freeeeeeeeeeedom

2010-05-28T12:12:00.004-04:00

Those were the last words of William Wallace (Mel Gibson) in the movie “Braveheart”.

An interesting bit of theology is that God gives freedom while Satan loves to take it away. Now that sounds odd because God has rules and laws for us to follow while Satan seems to encourage us to do whatever we want (which sounds a lot like freedom).

In the New Testament God talks about us having “freedom” in Christ and through God’s Spirit.

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.
2 Corinthians 3:17

Phillip Yancey in his book called “Prayer - Does it Make a Difference?” helped me sort out this confusion of God giving freedom and Satan destroying it. He wrote:

The Bible draws a strong contrast between the freedom-crushing style of evil and the freedom-respecting style of good. In a vivid scene of possession by an evil spirit, Mark 9 shows a young boy foaming at the mouth, gnashing his teeth, and throwing himself into fire or water... forcibly overwhelming hum freedom. Contrast that scene with possession by the Holy Spirit. Paul warns, “Quench not the Spirit” and “grieve not the Holy Spirit of God.” The Lord of the universe becomes so small, so freedom-respecting as to put himself somehow at our mercy.
Words fail to capture the enormity of descent when a sovereign God takes up residence in a person and says in effect, “Don’t hurt me. Don’t push me away.”

God loves us and respects us and therefore grants us much freedom. Satan hates us and the supposed freedom he offers is only a veiled attempt at enslaving us through various addictions (drugs, sex, alcohol, gambling). To be really free we must resist the devil and run to God.

So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.
John 8:36

Learn From Experience

2010-05-06T20:46:00.006-04:00

Some say that “experience is the best teacher.” But there are two ways to learn from experience.

One way is to learn from your own experiences. This is when life pounces on you and you learn what you ought to do and what you should not do. This type of experience can hurt and be very costly. It gives you the test first and then the lesson.

The other way is to learn from the experience of others. You observe how life pounces on them due to wrong decisions; you take notes; and apply the wisdom to your life.

In his book “Leadership Gold” John Maxwell writes a story that illustrates this point:

One day a fox, a wolf, and a bear “went hunting together, and after each of them caught a deer, they discussed how to divide the spoils.

The bear asked the wolf how he thought it should be done. The wolf said everyone should get one deer. Suddenly the bear ate the wolf.

Then the bear asked the fox how he proposed to divvy things up. The fox offered the bear his deer and then said the bear ought to take the wolf’s deer as well.

‘Where did you get such wisdom?’ asked the bear.

‘From the wolf,’ replied the fox.”

The fox had learned from the wolf’s experience. And that type of experience is the best.

A prudent man sees danger and takes refuge, but the simple keep going and suffer for it.
Proverbs 22:3

How Early do You Get Up to Hear Jesus?

2010-04-20T09:56:00.005-04:00

Are you a morning person or a night owl?

The people of Jerusalem were so fascinated with Jesus' teachings that regardless of their personal sleep preferences they came out bright and early to hear Him.

Each day Jesus was teaching at the temple, and each evening he went out to spend the night on the hill called the Mount of Olives, 38 and all the people came early in the morning to hear him at the temple.

Luke 21:37-38

Some of us like to have our time with God in the afternoon or evening, but their is something special about seeking Him in the morning. David sought God through prayer in the morning:

In the morning , O LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before youand wait in expectation.

Psalms 5:33

Jesus himself would wake up early to spend time with his Heavenly Father:

Very early in the morning , while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.

Mark 1:35

OK, maybe it's hard for some people, but I think it follows the principle of giving God the first of everything. I wake up and give him the first of my time and attention - I put Him in priority over all the other things in my life.

I have found that the only time I could regularly control is my mornings, because I determine what time I wake up. Once I hit the road to work, school, or whatever, my day belongs to other people and projects. It then becomes difficult to spend the quantity or quality of time with God that He deserves and that I so desperately need.

Consider joining the people of Jerusalem, waking up early to meet with Jesus.
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Lord, Fill My Nets

2010-03-30T09:20:00.006-04:00

Have you ever gone fishing? I like fishing. Most of the time the fish don't cooperate with me. They eat my bait, laugh at me, and swim away. Perhaps I should say "I'm going to feed the fish" rather than "I'm going fishing".

Some of the apostles were fishermen when Jesus called them into ministry. They used nets to catch fish rather than poles - you can catch many more fish with nets. One day after a bad day of fishing (I know the feeling) Jesus tells Peter to launch the boat again and drop their nets. Peter reluctantly rowed his boat back into the lake. He and his fishing buddies dropped the nets and "When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink." (Luke 5:6-7)

Wow! From a bad day fishing to the best fishing day ever? The difference? Jesus. But why did Jesus do this miracle? Was He hungry? No. Were Peter and his buddies hungry? No. Were the townspeople starving? No.

Then Jesus said to Simon, "Don't be afraid; from now on you will catch men." So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.

Luke 5:10-11

Jesus wanted to show them his power and what He intended to do through them. He also informed them that they would be changing profession - "from now on you will catch men."

They were now to fish for men, and catch them by the boatloads.

My prayer is "Lord, fill my nests. Let me fish many people for you, through your power and for your glory." Will you join me in praying this for your life?

Give Me A Hill

2010-03-09T10:16:00.004-05:00

Hills are harder to walk than flat land, especially the older you get. Old people like to stay on flat land. It's easier on their knees and hearts. Some young people are old mentally, they don't want to climb hills or walk up mountain trails - "it's too hard" they whine; "I'm tired" they cry. They prefer the comfort of a couch than the glory of taking on a hill.

Not so for Caleb. He was the leader of his clan and when the Israelites were in the middle of taking over the promised land he wanted the most difficult place to conquer. He asked for the hill country where the Anikites (huge NBA type people) lived. And catch this - he was 85 years old.

10 "Now then, just as the LORD promised, he has kept me alive for forty-five years since the time he said this to Moses, while Israel moved about in the desert. So here I am today, eighty-five years old! 11 I am still as strong today as the day Moses sent me out; I'm just as vigorous to go out to battle now as I was then. 12 Now give me this hill country that the LORD promised me that day. You yourself heard then that the Anakites were there and their cities were large and fortified, but, the LORD helping me, I will drive them out just as he said."

Joshua 14:10-12

This feisty AARP member still had adventure and glory running through his blood. He didn't want the easy place, he wanted to to take on the giants in the well-protected cities on top of the hills. He wanted to take this hill country for God and his people, and he trusted in God's strength to do it.

John Ortberg in his book "The Me I Want to Be" says that one thing you can know for sure is that "God has a mountain with your name on it." What hill does God want you to take?

Marry a what?

2010-01-23T10:10:00.009-05:00

How would you like to receive this command from God? "Go and marry a cheating wife."

This is exactly what God told the prophet Hosea to do.

The word of the LORD that came to Hosea...the LORD said to him, "Go, take to yourself an adulterous wife

Hosea 1:1-2

Why would God ask him to do such a thing? Did God want to ruin his life?

Although this was a great sacrifice to ask of his prophet, God wanted to make a point, and a BIG one: That He loves us even though we act like a cheating wife.

After Hosea marries Gomer (her name alone should have kept every man away from her) she sells herself into prostitution. And not just any common prostitution, but a shrine prostitute - one who has sex as a worship ritual to other gods (idols). This relationship should have ended right there. But God had other plans.

The LORD said to me, "Go, show your love to your wife again, though she is loved by another and is an adulteress. Love her as the LORD loves the Israelites, though they turn to other gods and love the sacred raisin cakes." 2 So I bought her for fifteen shekels of silver and about a homer and a lethek of barley.

Hosea 3:1-2

How humiliating this must have been to Hosea - to buy back his own wife from some pagan priest. But Hosea's humbling was our blessing. All this in order for God to show the extant of His love for us.

We (mankind) belonged to God by creation. He created us to have a beautiful relationship with us. But we sinned and sold ourselves to sin and Satan. But God's love for us remained strong and true. So just like Hosea bought back his wife, so God bought us back but at a much greater cost - the blood of His own Son Jesus Christ.

So Hosea's pain was our gain. Through his story we are inspired to worship and praise the God who gave it all to bring us back to Himself.

Love Songs and Prophecy

2010-01-05T10:19:00.004-05:00

What do singing love songs and prophesying have in common?

People love to hear hear both and then walk away and ignore them. People love the poetry, deep meaning and the great voices in a love song, but few are committed to the hard practices of love.

Similarly, people love to go to church and hear a beautiful sermon, but few are willing to put the principles exposed by the preacher into practice. "What a nice sermon" is often heard after a Sunday message, but many people return to their sinful practices and attitudes on Monday.

God told Ezekiel that this is what the people were doing after his messages:

My people come to you, as they usually do, and sit before you to listen to your words, but they do not put them into practice. With their mouths they express devotion, but their hearts are greedy for unjust gain. 32 Indeed, to them you are nothing more than one who sings love songs with a beautiful voice and plays an instrument well, for they hear your words but do not put them into practice.

Ezekiel 33:31-32

It is time for God's people to stop merely listening to the "nice" sermons and begin obeying the Scriptural truths within those sermons.

They Will Know That I Am The Sovereign LORD

2010-01-02T10:16:00.004-05:00

Ezekiel was a Jewish prophet in Babylon. As a young man of about 25 years old he was uprooted from his homeland in Israel and taken captive to a town by the River Chebar in Babylon.

From there God gave him a mission to preach to his fellow captives in Babylon, to send prophetic messages to the Jews that were left in Israel, and to prophecy against other nations for their wicked behavior.

One concept rings out throughout the book: That "they will know that I am the Sovereign LORD" Ezekiel 28:24

Over 50 times in his book, Ezekiel writes this phrase or a similar one. God has always wanted the people of the world to know him and to worship Him - the one and only true God.

Today, we have been given the same mission as Ezekiel. Our geographic location might be different, our methods are different, but the bottom line is the same - that the people might know that God is "the Sovereign LORD".

Our mission is the Great Commission - to preach the gospel to all creation. Let's make God's name famous throughout the world, letting it know of God's love and grace as seen by Him sending His Son Jesus Christ to save us from our sin.

God's Looking for a Few Good Men (and Women)

2009-12-17T09:40:00.006-05:00

"I looked for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found none."

Ezekiel 22:30

Will I be the man God is looking for? Will you be the woman God is looking for?

God is looking for men and women who will build the wall of his kingdom. He is looking for men and women who will stand between Him and the unsaved people of this world. From this position the man or woman would be able to pray for the people - to ask God for mercy for the people, as Moses asked God to forgive the Israelites when they sinned against God.

From the position in the gap the man and woman would also be able to implore the people to turn to God and His Son for the salvation of their souls, as Peter did at Pentecost.

If we decide to build the walls of our kingdom, instead of God's; if we decide to sit this one out, instead of stand in the gap, we will loose the privilege working for God's glory, being an active member of his team, and hearing him honor us in front of all heavenly beings with these words:

"Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!"

Matthew 25:21

Will we be the man/woman God is looking for?
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I'm Leaving

2009-11-30T21:41:00.003-05:00

Rick Warren says that the #1 reason people leave a church is unresolved personal conflicts. Regrettably, this seems to be true.

This is how he puts it in a message to his church leaders:

"The church is a family. Do families have conflict? Disagreements? Sometimes I violently disagree with my wife. And she violently disagrees with me. But my commitment to her is no less than 100% and vice versa. I can think of some people who’ve been around here for nearly eleven years and they’re have been times where we’ve disagreed over different things. But I’m committed to them and they’re committed to me and we’re still here together. I think that people need to learn how to handle conflict without getting a divorce. Too many people want to divorce their church. It’s the easier thing to do. But they go to another church and find out it’s not perfect either. You’re never going to find a perfect church. If you do, don’t join it. Then it won’t be perfect any more."

Paul encourages us to "bear with one another in love" and to "make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace". But its always easier to cut and run than to stick with one another and resolve conflicts in a Biblical manner.
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What are you waiting for?

2009-11-17T09:35:00.004-05:00

Joni Eareckson Tada became a quadriplegic after a diving accident in 1967. She was 17 years old at the time and faced a life stuck in a wheelchair unable to use her arms and legs for the rest of her life.

One might excuse her if she became frustrated and depressed at life. But she didn’t just curl up in a corner in useless existence. She drew strength from Christ and began an organization called Joni and Friends (joniandfriends.org) to extend the love of Christ to people with disabilities. Her organization has pushed the kingdom of God forward for over 30 years in the United States and around the world.

In a conference where Joni was speaking, she was asked how she kept going, serving in spite of her obvious physical limitations. Her answer puts things in perspective:

“This is the only time in history when I get to fight for God. This is the only part of my eternal story when I am actually in the battle. Once I die, I’ll be in celebration mode in a glorified body in whole different set of circumstances. But this is my limited window of opportunity, and I’m going to fight the good fight for all I’m worth”
(from Axiom, by Bill Hybels)

So what are you waiting for? What’s your excuse for not fighting the good fight?

I heard a poem a long time ago that seems appropriate here:

Only one life, that will soon pass.

Only what is done for Christ will last.

Readers are Leaders

2009-10-30T10:42:00.005-04:00

Last Tuesday I was sharing with my men's Bible study class that "Readers are Leaders". This is what my youth group leader told me 30 years ago. And it’s true.

Two days after I repeated these words to my class I was reading the book Axiom by Bill Hybels. In it he has a chapter titled “Read All You Can”. Here are some excerpts from that chapter:

“Leaders have a responsibility before God to constantly get better, and one of the most reliable ways to do so is to read. Great leaders read frequently. They read voraciously. They read classics and new releases. They soak up lessons from the military, from academia, from politics, from nongovernmental organizations, and from church leaders who are leading well. They refuse to let themselves off the hook in this regard, because they know that all great leaders read.”

“I have little patience with leaders who get themselves into leadership binds and then confess that they haven’t read a leadership book in years. If you’re a serious-minded leader, you will read. You will read all you can. You will read when you feel like it, and you will read when you don’t. You will do whatever you have to do to increase your leadership input, because you know as well as I do that it will make you better.”

So what are you waiting for? Pick up a good book and start reading!

Sacrificial Leadership

2009-10-29T10:22:00.003-04:00

Sacrifice is the down payment for leadership.

If you want to influence people and have them follow you with their hearts, they must see you lay down your life for them and the team.

In his book “Spiritual Leadership”, J. Oswald Sanders writes “To aspire to leadership in God’s kingdom requires us to be willing to pay a price higher than others are willing to pay.” This is called sacrifice. Jesus said that in order to be his disciple one must sacrifice comfort, time, and family relationships (Luke 9:57-62). And leaders should be disciples that live at a higher standard. So what should our sacrifice look like?

Sanders continues “The world is run by tired men…Even Jesus grew weary in ministry and had to rest (John 4:6)…If a Christian is not willing to rise early and work late, to expend greater effort in diligent study and faithful work, that person will not change a generation. Fatigue is the price of leadership. Mediocrity is the result of never getting tired.”

Some people want to circumvent the system – they want others to follow them before they have paid the price of sacrifice. That never works for long.

Let us become leaders who rise early, work and study hard, do the tough things others are unwilling to do, and then lead by example. Only then can we expect others to follow as we hold their feet to the fire, and say like Paul “join with me in suffering for the gospel” 2 Timothy 1:8
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What Price will You Pay

2009-10-05T14:36:00.004-04:00

In his book Axiom, Bill Hybels describes the difference between a leader who is a hireling (a simple employee) of a vision and the one who owns the vision.

The hireling begins to choose a path self-service. The vision becomes more about him – his career, his fame, his job security and his success.

But the leader who owns a God-given vision is willing to pay any price to achieve it. Followers follow him to the extent that they feel he owns it – that his heart is in it and is willing to sacrifice for it.

Hybels writes that followers “will only sacrifice for the vision if you will. They will only take a bullet for the cause if they believe down to their toes that you would do the same.”

He then expresses what should be every leader’s prayer that believes God has given him a vision: “God...right here and right now, I tell you all over again that I will pay any price to achieve this vision so that someday, when I get to the finish line, I’ll be able to say with Paul that I fought the good fight.”

For our church, God has given us a collective vision – Vision 6:16 – six churches around metro Atlanta by 2016.

OWN THE VISION!
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Good Leaders Keep Growing

2009-09-25T10:25:00.002-04:00

Have you heard that the human nose and ears never stop growing?

Well good leaders never stop growing either.

According to Bill Robinson, president of Whitworth University, good leaders “…develop the gifts God gave them. They hone and improve those gifts. They never stop learning how to use their gifts more effectively. And they change. They get better. And they get nervous at the first sign of stagnation.”

Are you developing the gifts Godhas given you? Are you reading, going to conferences, or listening to seminars about areas in of your life that grow you up and affect your ministry success? If not, you may be stagnant and wasting the gifts God has entrusted to you.

Paul wrote to Timothy “When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, and my scrolls, especially the parchments.” 2 Timothy 4:13 The scrolls and parchments were books – possibly Old Testament books, new Scriptures from other apostles, or other books that inspired him. The point is he wanted to keep reading and growing.

If you feel stagnant, I pray that you will get nervous about it and then do something about it. Leaders should “never stop learning… They get better.”

By the way, human noses and ears do stop growing, they simply lose their elasticity over time making them droop and look bigger.

Keep Growing!
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Passion

2009-09-02T10:10:00.003-04:00

Do any you lack passion? At times I do. Life has a way of getting us down. But God gives us Hope and Passion.

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this.

Isaiah 9:6-7

Hope. That is what Isaiah’s prophecy is all about. Hope of God’s Son taking over as Ruler of the World. It will bring greater joy to the world than when Obama gave his victory speech in Chicago. Jesus Christ will rule as a “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Justice and righteousness will run through the streets forever.

What will ensure that this will happen? What will make this Hope a sure thing? "The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this." According to dictionary.com “zeal” means enthusiasm, eager desire, intensity, and passion. So God’s “zeal” or passion will drive Him to make sure that our Dream and Hope of our "Wonderful Counselor" reigning will come true.

As I read this passage the other day, I simply began praying for passion in my life – passion for God and his things. He has passion and so should I. His passion will one day lead to my greatest hope becoming a reality – eternal life with my Savior. So my greatest gift that I can give God is to love Him and have a passion for the things He is passionate about.
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Heroes

2009-08-12T10:35:00.011-04:00

I once had a friend named Ruben. While in school in an isolated stairwell, some guy threatened to beat up Ruben. I stood up for my friend and told the guy that if he touched my friend I would beat him up. I don't know where that bravery came from since I was not very tough nor brave. I guess I had a scary face that day. The guy left and my friend and I walked away with unblemished faces. I don't feel I was a hero, but my friend was grateful for my help.

Moses stood up for some people once also. In fact he stood up for about one million people and the one he stood up against was God.

So he [God] declared he would destroy them. But Moses, his chosen one, stepped between the Lord and the people. He begged him to turn from his anger and not destroy them.

Psalms 106:23 NLT

Moses could have simply let God destroy the people. The people mistreated Moses - constantly grumbling against him, slandering him, speaking of replacing him as their leader, and once even speaking of stoning him. I think Moses had every right to say, "Go ahead God. Destroy them because I'm also sick and tired of them. Whack them all."

But a good leader stands up for his people, even when they are a pain in the neck. That's what Moses did and he was a real HERO.

Burnout

2009-07-13T10:23:00.002-04:00

We all experience stress - too much to do in too little time and usually without the proper resources. BURNOUT occurs when stress accumulates in us over time. Burnout affects our motivation and desire to keep striving towards the goals and ideals we once held onto so closely. Many times burnout leads to depression and a sense of hopelessness and helplessness.

Christian leader Mike Foster says "My biggest indicator of burnout is how I treat people...What's most unfortunate, and probably not a unique situation, is that I take out my stress on the people I love the most...my wife and kids..."

Many times we burnout because we are on the road to success. We are pursuing our dreams so fast and furiously that we don't see the "self-destruction" warning light blinking crazily on our dashboard. Pastor Wayne Cordeiro said of his burnout experience "Unknowingly, the road to success and the road to a nervous breakdown became the same road."

Burnout is caused by mismanaging our lives. We over commit to ourselves or others; we develop wrong priorities, or have no priorities at all; we allow ourselves to be pulled in 10 directions by the demands of others or our own internal demands.

One way to put the brakes on us spiraling into burnout is to manage our lives better. Start with making sure you are seeking God every morning. Do what Mary did.

As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. 39She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said. 40But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!"
41"Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, 42but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."

Luke 10:38-42

Spending time with Jesus every morning goes along way in reducing stress, getting our priorities straight, and reducing our burdens by casting our worries on him.

Give your burdens to the Lord, and he will take care of you. He will not permit the godly to slip and fall.

Psalms 55:22

Healthy eating and a good exercise program also help reduce stress levels and prevent burnout. But start with the one thing Jesus said was needed - to sit at His feet and hear from him.

For more good help on overcoming burnout read "Mad Church Disease" by Anne Jackson.
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Dependence on God

2009-07-08T10:22:00.003-04:00

Problems and leadership go together.

Read what happened to Paul.

We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. 9 Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. 10 He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, 11 as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many.

2 Corinthians 1:8-11

One of God’s greatest goals in working with his leaders is to keep them humble and dependent on Him. So in order to develop this dependence on God, He sends trials into their lives. Paul says he suffered “hardships” and was under “great pressure” which led him to the point of desperation, believing he would die from the circumstances surrounding him – “we felt the sentence of death.”

Have you ever felt this way? Welcome to God’s School of Leadership.

God's goal is to increase our faith, trust, and dependence on Him – “this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead.”

Paul and his fellow leaders passed the testing of their faith – “On him we have set our hope”.

When life comes crashing in on you, God is stretching your faith and character so that you will learn not to trust in yourself “but on God, who raises the dead.”

Staying On-Fire for God

2009-07-07T10:35:00.007-04:00

Recently a teenager wanted to know how she could stay “on fire” for God. “Good question”, I thought. Over my 30 years of being a Christian, I have seen many young people (and old as well) come to Christ, only to be sucked into the world shortly thereafter. I think it is very hard to live for Christ as a young person and doubly so in today’s modern world with so much peer pressure to do wrong and the easy availability of evil media.

So after thinking of HOW TO STAY “ON-FIRE” FOR GOD, I suggest the following practices:

1. Prayer

As a young man who was just appointed king, Solomon prayed:

"Now, O LORD my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David. But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties. 8 Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number. 9 So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?"

1 Kings 3:7-9

Make prayer your every-day habit. Like Solomon, pray specifically for:

· Humility – that God would teach you his ways.

· Wisdom to know right from wrong.

· Strength to do what’s right.

2. The Word

You must meditate on the Word of God every day.David loved God from his youth. Part of his secret for staying passionate for God was meditating on God’s Word. David wrote:

Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. 2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. 3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.

Psalms 1:1-3

Do you want a prosperous spiritual life? Meditate on God’s word every day.

3. Fellowship

If you reread Psalms 1:1-3 you will discover another of David’s secrets to remaining on-fire for God – choosing the right kind of friends. David says that you will be “blessed” or happy if you stay away for the wicked, the sinners, and the mockers (those who mock God). We need to have as close friends other Christians who are also walking with God.

David’s best friend was a young man named Jonathan who also loved God and did great things for God. Each of them encouraged the other to walk faithfully with God.

David’s son Solomon, who was the wisest man who ever lived, wrote this:

He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm.

Proverbs 13:20

Paul told his younger disciple Timothy to pursue God with other young men who also demonstrated a passion for Christ.

Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.

2 Timothy 2:22

4. Gospel

Share Christ with others. Paul prayed this prayer for his friend Philemon:

I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ.

Philemon 6

The more we share the Gospel, the more that message of God’s love will take root in our heart. When Christ’s love fills our heart, so will our fire to stay close to Him and do his will.

So the path to remain “Hot for God” is simple – Stay in Prayer, the Word, Fellowship, and sharing Christ. Simple, but not easy. Not easy because we must fight with the devil who tempts us, the world that calls us to follow it’s values, and our own flesh which is lazy and craves the things this world offers.

But with God’s help we can stay “Hot for God.” Follow these principles and you will surely succeed.

Hearing the Heart of God

2009-06-17T11:13:00.006-04:00

By a show of hands, how many of you want God to pour out his heart to you? Who would like for God to make his thoughts known to you?

I hope all of us would raise our hands.

If you had responded to my rebuke, I would have poured out my heart to you and made my thoughts known to you.
Proverbs 1:23

To respond correctly means to humbly submit to God's commands and obey what He says. Only through humble obedience do we begin to gain insight into who God is - His character and attributes. But to stubbornly reject God's will for our lives will lead to disastrous consequences.

Since they hated knowledge and did not choose to fear the LORD, 30 since they would not accept my advice and spurned my rebuke, 31 they will eat the fruit of their ways and be filled with the fruit of their schemes. 32 For the waywardness of the simple will kill them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them
Proverbs 1:29-32

God's rebuke can come through:

God's Word (2 Timothy 3:16)
Other People (Psalms 141:5)
God himself speaking to our heart (Psalms 32:3-5)

Let us humbly accept God's correction and we will know Him better and also enjoy his blessing.

but whoever listens to me will live in safety and be at ease, without fear of harm.
Proverbs 1:33

Final Destiny

2009-05-28T10:26:00.005-04:00

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 place free from pain and suffering. A place where God his Savior would welcome him in His loving arms forever.

Do Others Depend on You?

2009-05-27T10:35:00.008-04:00

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 manager even knows about it.

Dependable people use their wits and resources to solve problems or come up with possible solutions even before they take it up the chain of command.

Dependability is part of being faithful - using what God has given us to the best of our ability for his glory.

Now, a person who is put in charge as a manager must be faithful.

1 Cor 4:2 NLT

Holding our Tongue in Suffering

2009-05-21T11:03:00.005-04:00

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 preferred that God would let him die rather than denying Him. It’s tough to stay faithful in suffering, especially if you don’t know why God is allowing the pain.

In the same discourse Job’s faithfulness begins to crack under the pressure of such great pain and suffering.

"What is man that you make so much of him, that you give him so much attention, 18 that you examine him every morning and test him every moment? 19 Will you never look away from me, or let me alone even for an instant? 20 If I have sinned, what have I done to you, O watcher of men? Why have you made me your target? Have I become a burden to you?
Job 7:17-20

So Job, as human as we are, begins to accuse God of mercilessly testing man “every moment” and targeting Job for unknown reasons.

While Job has these moments of weakness, in the end Job remained faithful to God – TRUSTING in God’s love in spite of his pain.

Good Christians?

2009-05-20T07:44:00.004-04:00

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. In fact, he's the pastor who performed my wedding. He was talking to me about a pastor named Von. Von has been working with youth in the San Diego area for decades. Many of his students have gone on to become amazing missionaries and powerful servants of God. Dan described a trip to Tijuana, Mexico with Pastor Von. (Von has been ministering to the poor in the dumps of Tijuana for years). Dan didn't speak of the awful living conditions of those who made their homes amidst the rubbish. What impacted Dan the most was the relationship he saw between Von and the people of this community. He spoke of the compassion, sacrifice, and love that he witnessed in Von's words and actions as he held these malnourished and un-bathed children. Then he made the statement that sent me reeling:

"The day I spent with Von was the closest thing I've ever experienced to walking with Jesus."

Dan explained that the whole experience was so eerie because he kept thinking to himself: "If Jesus were still walking on earth in the flesh, this is what it would feel like to walk alongside of Him!" After that discussion, I kept wondering if anyone had ever said that about me-"The day I spent with Francis was the closest thing I've ever experienced to walking with Jesus." The answer was an obvious "no." Would any honest person say that about you?

What bothered me was not that I hadn't "arrived," but that I wasn't even heading in the right direction. I hadn't made it my goal to resemble Christ. I wasn't striving to become the kind of person who could be mistaken for Jesus Christ. Isn't it ironic that a man can be known as a successful pastor, speaker, and CHRISTian even if his life doesn't resemble Christ's?

1 John 2:6 "Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did."

When John made that statement, he wasn't speaking about how to be a church leader or even how to be a "good" Christian. He merely stated that anyone who calls himself Christian must live like Jesus did. So how did Jesus live? You could make a list of character traits to compare yourself to, but it would be far more beneficial to simply read through one of the Gospels. After you get a bird's-eye view of the life of Christ, do the same with your own. Are you comfortable with the similarities and differences?

It's easy to get caught up in the pursuit of "success" as American church-goers define it. The thought of being well-known and respected is alluring. There have been times when I've been caught up in the fun of popularity. I've even mistaken it for success. Biblically, however, success is when our lives parallel Christ's. Truth is, there are many good Christs that you'll never read about in a magazine. They are walking as Jesus walked, but they are too focused and humble to pursue their own recognition.

May we make it our goal to someday have someone say of us: "The day/hour/15 minutes I spent with ______ was the closest thing I've ever experienced to walking with Jesus."

Courage

2009-05-06T10:27:00.004-04:00

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 courage to stay the course? It rests in what we really believe.

Suffering for Christ

2009-04-07T08:28:00.002-04:00

During the cold war Romania was a communist country. There existed an underground church that actively shared Christ with others at the risk of losing their freedoms or their lives.

One young Christian girl from the underground church used to teach children about Christ. The communist discovered her activities and decided to punish her. But discovering she would soon be married they decided to wait and arrest her at her wedding. She was dressed in her wedding gown and ready to make her marriage vows when the secret police burst the doors open to arrest her and haul her away.

"When the bride saw the secret police, she held out her arms toward them to be handcuffed. They roughly put the manacles on her wrists. She looked toward her beloved, then kissed the chains and said, 'I thank my heavenly Bridegroom for this jewel He has presented to me on my marriage day. I thank Him that I am worthy to suffer for Him.' she was dragged off, with weeping Christians and a weeping bridegroom left behind...Her bridegroom faithfully waited for her. After five years she was released---a destroyed, broken woman, looking thirty years older. She said it was the least she could do for her Christ."

From "Tortured for Christ" by Richard Wurmbrand
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Women with Whole-hearted Devotion

2009-04-02T09:58:00.006-04:00

Sabina Wurmbrand was the wife of a pastor (Richard) in Romania during World War II. They suffered much persecution under the Nazi's. But what came after under the Russians was worse.

The communist convened all pastors and religious leaders to the Romanian Parliament. Four thousand pastors, priests, and leaders from all types of denominations showed up. The group chose Joseph Stalin as the honorary president of this convention and proceeded to proclaim that communism and Christianity could coexist and were basically the same. One by one these leaders pledged that their church would be loyal to communism.

Sabina couldn't believe what she was hearing and seeing. She turns to her husband and says, "Richard, stand up and wash away this shame fom the face of Christ! They are spitting in his face."

Richard replies, "If I do so, you lose your husband."

To which she responds, "I don't wish to have a coward as a husband."

What a woman! Spurring on her husband to sacrifice his life for Christ, even if it meant giving up her need and desire to have him by her side.

May we all learn to put Christ first and all human relationships second!

QUEST- DRIVE- PURPOSE should describe a Leader

2009-03-31T10:27:00.005-04:00

Who do you want on your team? Lethargic people who don't care about anything and seem to move without purpose in life?

Nancy Ortberg in a book on leadership writes: "I want people on my leadership team who are on a quest, people who are naturally curious and are drawn to journey of transformation. People who aren't satisfied with the status quo or life as usual. People who are on a quest are courageous. It is much easier to live "quest less," taking the path of least resistance, but people who are on a quest are willing to live with discomfort and ambiguity...People who are on a quest are transformed."

King David was this kind of a leader.

Right before he killed the giant Goliath he yelled out:

"This day the LORD will hand you over to me, and I'll strike you down and cut off your head. Today I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. 47 All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD's, and he will give all of you into our hands."

1 Samuel 17: 46-47

David's quest was to exalt God, that the whole world would know that Israel's God was the God of gods.

Always pick for your team people who have Drive, a purpose, who are on a quest and make sure they match your quest and purpose.
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The End is Near

2009-03-24T17:10:00.005-04:00

I'm not kidding.

Today I have read two headlines from the newspapers that indicate that Jesus' return might be here sooner than we think.

China calls for new global currency (http://www.readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=130984)

Citing A.I.G., Geithner Seeks Wider Power for Takeovers (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/25/business/25web-bailout.html?hp)

We have been talking about and teaching that the Scriptures indicate that there will come a time when there will be a one world government with one economy. That meant that the all-mighty dollar had to come crashing down and the US economy with it.

I think we are at the threshold of a new world order. I think we now have a President and many members of Congress that would acquiesce to a global economy and eventually a global government. Remember the golden rule - He who holds the gold, RULES. Once a government entity, like the IMF, is given powers over the worlds currency, they will rule the world.

May Jesus come soon. The antichrist can have this world.

Leaders are Trainers

2009-03-18T09:32:00.002-04:00

In her book Unleashing the Power of Rubber Bands, Nancy Ortberg writes “Leadership is the promise of development. Whether it’s stated or not, inherent in great leadership is the promise that as a result of being led by me, you will emerge more connected in your relationship to God and stronger in your gifted areas. If you are my leader, it is my right to expect that I will receive that from you. And not only that, but to expect that as my leader, you will be a primary source of my development.”

As leaders of men and women, we owe the people who follow us the commitment to train them and develop them for their good and growth and for the expansion of the Kingdom of God.

This is what Jesus spent 3 years doing with the apostles.
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Reaching Your Goals

2009-03-12T10:36:00.003-04:00

To get to where you want to go (vision) you must line up your daily activities to reach those goals. Ask yourself: "Do the activities that I engage in on a daily basis move me closer to my vision for my life?" If not, you are like a hamster running in a spinner and will end up years later asking yourself why you aren't any closer to reaching your goals. Success is not achieved in a day, but in our daily activities that inch us ever closer to to our goals.

God's Got My Back

2009-02-26T10:30:00.005-05:00

God backs up His leaders!

When Solomon wanted to build God's temple and his own palace, and a few other building projects, God gave him wisdom and grace to do it all. God appeared to Solomon after he "had achieved all he had desired to do" (1 Kings 9:1) and told him that he had heard his prayers and would continue to get behind him as long as he would remain faithful to Him.

This was not a unique case. God told King Saul to do whatever he wanted (1 Samuel 10:7) and then he supported Saul by touching men's hearts to join him (1 Samuel 10:26).

God did the same for David. "In everything he did he [David] had great success, because the LORD was with him." (1 Samuel 18:14)

God did the same for Joshua many years earlier (Joshua 4:7). Through a miracle, God exalted Joshua in the eyes of the people after the death of Moses. "That day the LORD exalted Joshua in the sight of all Israel." (Joshua 4:14)

God has my back. As long as I remain faithful to Him, God will show himself faithful to me and give me success in projects that I attempt for Him.

What Do I Want?

2009-02-21T10:39:00.003-05:00

A new car? A bigger house? Another Hurricanes national championship? Probably the last one more than the first two.

This morning I read:

4 Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. 5 Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this: 6 He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.

Psalms 37:4-6

If I delight in Him, He will give me the desires of my heart. So what do I desire?

Here is my wish list:

That I can fulfill His purpose for my life - to lead a church that is seeing people come to Christ and follow Him with all their heart.
That my children would serve Christ and put Him in first place in every area of their lives

I hope and pray that God would fulfill these desires and that His righteousness could shine through me "like the dawn" and His just and gracious cause "like the noonday sun".

God in Front

2009-02-11T10:06:00.004-05:00

Wouldn't it be great if God went out in front of us in each battle of life to break down barriers, kill off the enemy, and give us the victory?

I believe God does do it, and we ought to constantly be praying for "God to go before us" to give us victory.

Once David was fighting the Philistines and when he inquired of God to know how to enter the battle, God said:

"As soon as you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, move quickly, because that will mean the LORD has gone out in front of you to strike the Philistine army."
2 Samuel 5:24

WOW! That's what I want. God going before me to strike against the evil forces (spiritual or physical) that oppose me and the kingdom-projects I am pursuing.

God continued to work for David, being with him and going out before him to give him victories in his battles. God told David:

I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have cut off all your enemies from before you.

2 Samuel 7:9

This will be my prayer "God, go before me and give me victory". I trust that God will answer me like he answer David
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Respect

2009-01-29T10:17:00.002-05:00

In the book "Better Together" (day 17), Rick Warren writes about various aspects of Respect.

In the New Testament alone we are commanded at least 15 times to "respect" others - husbands, wives, bosses, brothers in Christ, and also unbelievers. So this is a serious matter with God.

Day 17 helped me understand various aspects of respect. So my prayer is that I can learn to respect others by:

listening patiently to others, rather than assuming I know what they are going to say or interrupting them.
not gossiping
being tactful when speaking - "speaking the truth in love" (Eph. 4:15)
seeking to understand others, rather than pushing that I be understood
being gentle, not judgemental
being polite even when others are rude to me

Lord help me to "Show proper respect to everyone" 1 Peter 2:17

Marketing Hope

2009-01-21T07:17:00.005-05:00

In his blog, marketer Seth Godin wrote about "What marketers actually sell". I think he's right, but only the church can provide complete and Everlasting Hope. He wrote:

Not powder or chemicals or rubber or steel or silicon or talk or installations or even sugary water.
What marketers sell is hope.
The reason is simple: people need more. We run out. We need it replenished. Hope is almost always in short supply.
The magical thing about selling hope is that it makes everything else work better, every day get better, every project work better, every relationship feel better. If you can actually deliver on the hope you sell, there will be a line out the door.
Hope cures cynicism. Hope increases productivity. Hope needs no justification.

As a church leader, I must market the Free, True, and Everlasting Hope found only in Christ Jesus our Lord.

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Romans 15:13

Walking in the Power of the Spirit

2009-01-14T15:26:00.004-05:00

I preached on living in the power of the Spirit on Sunday. I said, as I have often said, that sin short-circuits God's power in our life - the Spirit is quenched or grieved when we sin.

Yet I am puzzled why many Christians who are not overtly sinning are not experiencing God's power either. It dawned on me that perhaps when we say "sin quenches the power of the Spirit in our lives", we think of big sins like sexual immorality, drug abuse, drunkenness, and the like. But perhaps what's quenching the Spirit's power in our lives are the more subtle sins that can't be detected as easily as the "big ones".

These subtle sins can include worry, lack of patience (which is a lack of love), not forgiving others, criticising (judging) others, etc... Perhaps we have become like the Pharisees, clean on the outside (the big sins), but full of crap on the inside.

If we are not committing the big sins and yet are not experiencing the power of the Spirit in our lives, maybe we should check to see if the little sins have taken over our heart and are quenching the Spirit in us.

Catch for us the foxes, the little foxes that ruin the vineyards

Songs of Solomon 2:15

Joy of the Lord

2009-01-12T09:17:00.006-05:00

This year I have 2 goals:

To learn to love others more and to live in the Joy of the Lord.

This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Psalms 118:24

The psalmist implies that rejoicing is a decision. Therefore, I will decide to live in JOY today. I can choose to be angry, bitter, frustrated, or sorrowful today. BUT, I choose to REJOICE.

As I was praying and fasting the other day, the Lord gave me 10 reasons I should REJOICE today:

It feels better than the alternative
God commands it (Ps. 118:24; Phil. 3:1; 4:4)
Jesus Christ wills it (John 15:11; 17:13)
The Holy Spirit wants to provide it (Gal. 5:22)
It will strengthen me to be more loving and godly (Neh. 8:11)
God has surrounded me with good people (Phil. 1:5)
The gospel is being preached all around the world (Phil. 1:18)
God is good and I can expect good things in my future (Phil 1:18-19; Jer. 29:11)
Because when I die I will be with Christ which is better than being here on earth (Phil. 1:21)
Everything good in my life is a gift from God above (James 1:17)

Fear and God's Will

2008-12-14T10:20:00.003-05:00

In his book "Wild Goose Chase", Mark Batterson wrote a few simple truths that God has been teaching me over the years. So I decided to list them below. These can be life-changing principles.

Most of us are far too tentative when it comes to the will of God. We let our fears dictate our decisions. We are so afraid of making the wrong decision that we make no decision. An what we fail to realize is that indecision is a decision An it is our indecision, not our bad decisions, that keeps us in a the cage.
We need people who are more afraid of missing opportunities than making mistakes. People who are more afraid of lifelong regrets than temporary failure. People who dare to dream the unthinkable and attempt the impossible.

God has shown me that all the Hebrews 11 "Hall of Faith" believers are there because they dared to do great things because of their faith, not because they sat quietly and safely in prayer closets. At some point prayer in the closet must result in action on the streets.

You Had a Bad Day

2008-12-11T17:10:00.013-05:00

Remember the song? I'm not sure what made that song famous. Perhaps because we all have bad days once in a while.

Sometimes God uses those bad days as a prelude for big things to happen in our lives. A bad day for Abraham was when he was asked to sacrifice his son. But that day turned out to be a day for which he gained the title "the father of the faith".

The thief on the cross had a bad day when he was crucified. But that day, by putting his faith in Christ, was his day of salvation and being with Jesus in paradise for all eternity.

Paul had a bad day when he was shipwrecked on the island of Malta. To make it a super duper bad day, he was bitten by a snake that came out of the firewood. The natives thought he was a murderer who although escaped from the ocean, would die by a snake bite. When he survived that, they said "he was a god". But God turned his bad day around when the natives took this "god" to the chief official of the island. Paul healed this official's sick father and then healed every other sick person on the island. He stayed on the island of Malta for three months establishing a church of very grateful islanders.

Praise God for bad days. It may be the portal to great things.

What's in your Life?

2008-12-09T10:20:00.004-05:00

Capital One made famous the line "What's in your wallet". Have you ever considered the question "What's in your life"?

Our lives are lived out based on rules, norms, ideas, and idiosyncrasies we choose to guide us. These attitudes and behaviors are adopted from things we love - music, TV shows, parents, and our own personality preferences..

But above all these, God says that His Word should reign supreme in our lives. In fact He goes as far as saying that His words should be our life.

After reviewing with the people of Israel all the laws God had given to them, Moses said to the people:

"Take to heart all the words I have solemnly declared to you this day, so that you may command your children to obey carefully all the words of this law. 47 They are not just idle words for you — they are your life. By them you will live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to possess."

Deuteronomy 32:46-47

Our life should be a living, breathing, walking picture of God's Word in action. As Jesus was the "the Word" who "became flesh and made his dwelling among us" (John 1:14), so should we be the physical representation of the Word of God.

Serving out of Fear or Love

2008-11-29T10:04:00.010-05:00

What's better, to serve God out of fear or love?

And now, O Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, 13 and to observe the LORD's commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good?

Deuteronomy 10:12-13

It would seem both are good reasons to serve Him. But here is what the Apostle John wrote:
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There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

1 John 4:18

So I guess the answer is that it is better to serve God out of Love, rather than fear. However, fear of God is a close second best reason.

Freedom is Crumbling

2008-11-25T10:13:00.002-05:00

I was disgusted today as I read about how we in the great USA are loosing more of our freedoms every day. The radical homosexual crowd is bulldozing their agenda forward trampling on the rights and freedoms of the rest of us.

The latest victim is eHarmony.com. I am no fan of eHarmony and do not endorse their service. But if the radical homosexual crowd can bring this private business to its knees, it's only a matter of time until they come knocking on church doors to force us (Christians) to accept their deviant lifestyle.

Michelle Malkin describes the situation best. I hope you take the time to read her blog at http://www.onenewsnow.com/Perspectives/Default.aspx?id=329160

In Trouble?

2008-11-20T08:50:00.003-05:00

"If this is an emergency, hang up and dial 911". That's the message from your doctor's office message service.

Here's God's message:

"call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me" Psalms 50:15

God desires to show his power on your behalf and deliver you from your problem. But you call upon Him in prayer.

By the way it helps if you are living righteously, pray passionately, and trust Him to do the best for you.

REMINDER: Pray Hard, Life is Short!

Migrating Birds & Leadership

2008-11-18T11:18:00.007-05:00

Migrating birds come and go through Atlanta. They have Vision, Hope, and Strategy. According to the Georgia Dept. of Natural Resources "the Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris), weighing less than a penny, [flies] non-stop over the Gulf of Mexico, a continuous 24-hour flight of about 500 miles."

Now that's Vision and Hope! I wouldn't swim 50 feet into the Gulf for fear of not getting back.

In his book "Tribes" Seth Godin writes:

Hope without a strategy doesn't generate leadership. Leadership comes when your hope and your optimism are matched with a concrete vision of the future and a way to get there. People won't follow you if they don't believe you can get where you say you're going.

Leadership isn't just about Vision. Any complainer can voice what would be a better future. Real leaders not only have a Vision, they have a Plan and Strategy on how to get there and then inspire Hope along the way. Like the the Ruby-throated Hummingbird who knows its better in Mexico (vision) during the winter, and plans his flight over the Gulf (strategy), and tells himself he can make it in 24 hours (hope).

Feeling like a Grasshopper?

2008-11-13T09:48:00.007-05:00

The Jewish spies felt like "grasshoppers" when they saw the size of the people who lived in the promised land (Numbers 13:33). So they got scared, lost their faith in God and discouraged the Israelites from crossing into it. As a result, they wandered aimlessly through a desert for 40 years until that generation of hardhearted, unbelieving, and ungrateful Jews died off.

Insecurity is the fruit of comparison. When we compare ourselves to others we feel inadequate and insecure which can lead to hopelessness, anger, and rebellion. This is what happened to the Israelites. They sank so deep in frustration that they were ready to pick a new leader to take them back to Egypt (into slavery again) and stone Moses for leading them out of there.

Therefore, it is unwise to compare ourselves to others, especially comparing our weaknesses to others strengths. We will always find people who are better than us in some things and worse than us in others. Comparing ourselves in these ways will lead to frustration or pride.

Insecurities always reveal some faulty belief. Our hearts are believing some lie. "I'm inadequate", "I'm worthless" etc... The Israelites saw themselves as grasshoppers (inadequate). They also abandoned their faith in the ONE who could give them the victory (and make them adequate).

I am adequate, and strong, and capable today because I am a Child of God. I am not a grasshopper.

Who Would You Hire?

2008-11-12T07:51:00.004-05:00

Seth Godin, a marketing and leadership guru, wrote about the type of person he would hire. Among other things he wrote:

"I'd prefer to hire someone who is largely self-motivated, who finds satisfaction in reaching self-imposed goals, and is willing to regularly raise the bar on those goals.
You're intellectually restless. You care enough about new ideas to read plenty of blogs and books, and you're curious enough about your own ideas that you blog or publish your thoughts for others to react to."

Would you or I be hired by this guy? Are these qualities biblical? Self-motivated? Goal setting? Attitude of self improvement? Reader? Writer?

It's not a sin to be the opposite of these qualities, but it would sure be a waste of God-given time and talent if we didn't do them. Leaders do these things and God's kingdom needs more of these type of people.

The Mighty Hand of God

2008-11-10T08:21:00.002-05:00

Yesterday I shared with the church how prayer unleashes the Mighty Hand of God on our behalf. My hope is that we will begin to pray more with honest and passionate hearts.

Prayer is a discipline that takes time and effort. Which is one reason we don't do it more - because we are LAZY! It's easier to watch TV, connect to people on Facebook, or even read the Bible. Prayer takes concentrated effort.

But the benefits are incredible. I've seen God's hand unleashed on my behalf. Not always on my time or in my way. But He has always come through for me. I love this verse because it motivates me to pray:

"Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh; is anything too difficult for Me?"

Jeremiah 32:27

Parenting

2008-11-08T20:45:00.002-05:00

This weekend we held our parenting conference at The Rock. A verse I shared Friday night was one God gave me a couple of months ago.

For I have chosen him [Abraham], so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing what is right and just..."

Genesis 18:19

Winning with our children entails training our children to "keep the way of the LORD by doing what is right and just..." If we fail to do this we will join the ranks of David, Samuel, and Eli the priest. All had children who sinned greatly against God and some died prematurely for their rebellion.

Heretic for Jesus

2008-11-07T15:55:00.005-05:00

Seth Godin in his book "Tribes" wrote "In a battle between two ideas, the best one doesn't necessarily win. No, the idea that wins is the one with the most fearless heretic."

This made me think of Martin Luther. He was considered a heretic by the catholic church. But his ideas won. Not only because they were true (and therefore "the best") , but because he was "the most fearless".

We got the best message in the world - The Gospel. It is the best idea - "Believe in Jesus and you wont end up in HELL!" The question is whether we will be fearless heretics (in the sight of the world) and proclaim it with the passion, wisdom and boldness that this idea deserves.

Good News for the Traditional Family

2008-11-06T07:15:00.003-05:00

Years ago I heard a preacher say "God created Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve". He was right. Lately, many Adams and Steves, and Julies and Jills have wanted the government to officially sanction and recognize their homosexual marriage.

But I read good news from Don Wildmon, the President of the American Family Association. In his newsletter he wrote:

No doubt, it was a disappointing night with overwhelmingly bad news. But there was some good news for those who support traditional marriage. In the states of Arizona, Florida and California voters said no to homosexual “marriage.” In fact, in the Sunshine State, 60% of the vote was needed to keep marriage only between a man and a woman, and our side was able to garner 62% of the vote.

Finally, in California, our country’s largest and most liberal state, the citizens voted 52% to 48% to overturn the state Supreme Court’s decision to allow same-sex marriage. This is BIG news! Radical homosexual groups, Hollywood celebrities and the liberal media came together to try and defeat Proposition 8, yet the pro-family and pro-marriage citizens of California won a huge victory and, if I might add, put the arrogant California Supreme Court in its place.

I know that until Jesus returns to set up His kingdom we will not have a perfect society. But the more our current laws look like God's laws, the better life will be here on earth, even as we wait for Christ's return.

Obama

2008-11-05T11:27:00.003-05:00

Well, it was a bad day for pro-life, pro-traditional family values type of people. I woke up half-way depressed. I went for my prayer walk and mostly I'm over it. However, I know that in the next few years laws will come from Washington DC that will be an assault on the unborn and on Biblical values in general. It's time to pray and to act appropriately. Please read the article by Dr. Mohler, the president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. http://www.albertmohler.com/blog.php

Nashville

2008-11-03T10:06:00.004-05:00

Went to Nashville for a few days with Rosemary. We had a great time listening to country music, eating, shopping, and looking at museums.

We visited the Grand Old Opry but Brad Paisley wasn't playing so we didn't see the show.

We are back and ready for life in the fast lane in Canton, GA.

Moses' Prayer

2008-10-20T10:17:00.002-04:00

Today I prayed for many things - my family, church, and friends. But as I was reading Exodus 33:13 I decided to follow Moses' example and pray "If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you." I want to know God more and His thoughts. I want to please Him more for He deserves it.

What's New?

2008-10-17T15:51:00.002-04:00

My new and improved Blog will have shorter entries and have less teachings . I like to teach, but I will contain myself to Sunday's and whenever God shows me something really awesome. So I hope my blogs will be a little more digestible.

Jesus in the Old Testament

2008-10-16T22:13:00.003-04:00

I was greatly blessed today as I saw how the angel of the Lord in the O.T. was Jesus. I read Exodus 23 and 24. The angel it talks about must be Jesus because he has the Name of God in him and God warns the Jews not to rebel against him.

Bad Environment

2008-09-11T11:21:00.000-04:00

Lot, Abraham's nephew chose to live in a place with a bad environment. Not that it's rivers were polluted or didn't have clean air. It simply was infested with people with evil character.

When Lot was asked to choose where he wanted to live and raise his family and build his growing sheep and camel business, he choose what was good for his animals, not what was good for his family.

Lot looked up and saw that the whole plain of the Jordan was well watered, like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, toward Zoar.

Genesis 13:10

While the animals would enjoy good food and water, his family would suffer by living among the people of Sodom - a people bent on sexual perversion. Although Lot was righteous, his family would be stung by the immoral lifestyle and values of the city. Even Lot himself was infected with perverted thinking. When two angels from God came to investigate the city, all the men of the city came knocking on Lot's door to rape the men. Lot tried to negotiate with them and offered this compromise:

"No, my friends. Don't do this wicked thing. 8 Look, I have two daughters who have never slept with a man. Let me bring them out to you, and you can do what you like with them. But don't do anything to these men, for they have come under the protection of my roof."

Genesis 19:7-8

What was he thinking? Lot had become so infected with the warped values of the Sodomites that he offered the townsmen to have his virgin daughters and rape them instead of his two guests (the angels). Luckily for Lot and his virgin daughters, the angels intervened and everyone escaped intact. The angels led the family out of Sodom before the Lord began hailing fire and brimstone on the city.

Lot's wife died while fleeing the city for looking back (longing for the city she was leaving). His daughters were also infected with the warped values of Sodom. They got their dad drunk and had sex with him in order to get pregnant. Our environment (friendships and influences) matter. We better be choosing environments that help our spirit, and not just our wallets.

A note to parents. As parents, we are responsible for helping create a positive and healthy environment for our kids at home and know what types of environment they are in at school, the park, a friends house or wherever. Like Abraham, God calls all parents to train their kids in His ways:

For I have chosen him [Abraham], so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing what is right and just...

Genesis 18:19

Angry?

2008-09-03T11:45:00.000-04:00

If you are an angry person - getting angry easily or staying angry once you're there, then watch out. Sin is right at your doorstep.

Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering, 5 but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.
6 Then the LORD said to Cain, "Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? 7 If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it."
8 Now Cain said to his brother Abel, "Let's go out to the field." And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.

Genesis 4:4-8

Cain got angry, and worse, he stayed angry. His anger led him to to take it out on his brother Abel, who hadn't done anything to him. God had warned Cain "sin is crouching at your door" - in other words "you are very close to sinning." Cain should have repented from his attitudes and actions that displeased God (not bringing the type of offering God had requested). He wanted to serve God his way and expected God to accept him. But God demands that we worship Him HIS WAY.

Yet instead of repenting, Cain let his anger get the better of his mind and heart. He blamed his brother for his poor relationship with God or envied him for having a better relationship with God. Either way Cain lashed out at Abel and killed him.

Unchecked anger twists our mind and leads to destructive and sinful actions. Which is why the Bible tells us that 26"In your anger do not sin": Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27and do not give the devil a foothold. (Eph. 4:26-27) When we stay angry and don't deal with it quickly we allow the devil a beachhead within our hearts from which to launch attacks and get us to sin against God and others.

Faith in God

2008-08-02T11:17:00.000-04:00

Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. 2 This is what the ancients were commended for.

Hebrews 11:1

"Being sure" (convinced) is an intellectual state of being. When we are sure of something it will affect our emotions and eventually our actions. It is dangerous to reverse this process and allow our emotions to lead our intellect and our lives.

But how can we be "sure" that what we believe is correct or that the One we are trusting in is Real and Trustworthy?

All the faith-acts of the people in Hebrews 11 are based on their belief that God exists (He is Real) and that He is Good.

And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

Hebrews 11:6

Therefore He is worthy of our Trust and Faithful obedience.

How do I know He is Real? Should I just believe in Him like kids believe in Santa Claus or the ancient Greeks believed in their mythical gods?

No, my God - the God who had revealed himself through the Bible - wants us to use our heads (our reasoning skills) to come to acknowledge his existence and goodness (Isaiah 44:6-19; John 10:37-38).

Here is a very brief summary of why I believe in him:

1) Nature itself cries out that the Creator God exists and is good. Side by side Creationism is a more reasonable explanation of the beginning of life on earth than evolutionary theories.

2) Natural Law and Philosophy

2nd Law of Thermodynamics
Cosmological Argument - order and beauty in the world
Teleological Argument - design and purpose in the world
Law of Cause and Effect - "Every effect must have and adequate cause"

After we conclude that God is Real and Good, He expects us to follow his commands by faith, just like Abraham and the others did. Abraham considered God faithful (Heb. 11:11) therefore he humbly obeyed him (Heb. 11:8-11).

For me, there is enough reasonable evidence to believe in God, to believe in the Bible as his revealed thoughts for mankind, and to believe in Jesus Christ as his Son who died and rose again for the salvation of the world.