Thoughts on Christ and His Word

Duck Dynasty's Phil Robertson got into a lot of trouble this week because he said homosexuality is a sin. The source of his belief is the Bible, which a lot of people today reject as a source of truth. People have their own ideas what is right and what is wrong.  Many years ago God told the prophet Ezekiel that the Israelites were saying "'the way of the Lord is not just!' Hear O house of Israel: Is my way unjust? Is it not your ways that are unjust?" Ezekiel 18:25 People think that they can invent their own morality but God's ways are always true, loving and just because He created all things including human beings for His just and loving purposes. And it will be Him at the end of it all who will judge every man, not based on what that person thought was right or wrong but on God's own holy and eternal standards.

Children want what they want and they want it now because they have no concept of the future. They only know the here and now. But God wants is to look into the future. He told the people of Israel while they were in exile: “Do not be afraid, Jacob my servant; do not be dismayed, Israel. I will surely save you out of a distant place, your descendants from the land of their exile. Jacob will again have peace and security, and no one will make him afraid. Jeremiah 46:27 Even while Israel was in exile God told them to take the long view. Verse 27 says Jacob will again have peace and security. Even though the situation was bad God wanted them to look towards the future at a time when security and peace would return to Israel. We must all have an eternal perspective on life in order to get rid of fear and have peace in our hearts. Paul reminds us of this eternal mindset: Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right

Capital One had some funny commercials were some Vikings always asked "what's in your wallet?" But God wants to know what's in your heart? According to Jeremiah 17:10 God rewards us for our good conduct. But it is clear that our conduct flows from our heart. The verse says "I the LORD search the heart and examine the mind, to reward a man according to his conduct, according to what h is deeds deserve." So we should guard our heart from growing cold and sinful, so that  good deeds can flow from us and we can be rewarded by God on Judgment Day.

I have often wondered about 1st John 4:20 - If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? NKJV I have thought, I can love God without loving people. Of course if I think of love as a feeling, that would be true. But John uses love as a verb (action). If I do not serve my brother (whom I can see and touch) out of love, then how can I serve God whom I cannot see nor touch.  God says that in order to really love and serve Him I must love and serve my brothers.

Do you like to hear people tell you how wonderful you are?  How great and awesome you are?  Do you like to hear about nice and positive things?  And you hate to hear hard truth, correction, and much less a rebuke? Then join Israel’s “Illusion Club”.  They were tired of the prophets confronting them with their sin and “thus says the Lord” stuff.  So Isaiah tells us that Israel told their prophets:  They say to the seers, "See no more visions!" and to the prophets, "Give us no more visions of what is right!  Tell us pleasant things, prophesy illusions. 11 Leave this way, get off this path, and stop confronting us with the Holy One of Israel!" Isaiah 30:10-11 Many current modern day “Illusion Club” members go to churches where all that is preached is that God wants us healthy and wealthy.  Positivism Maximus is their motto.  Sin, hell, and repentance, are scary topics for these people.  They want to live in Disney’s Fantasy Land and never want to fac

Every organization needs good leaders to survive.  The church is no different.  This is why Jesus spent three years mainly training future leaders. In my opinion there are four characteristics that ministry and group leaders need in order to build up God's kingdom effectively. 1. Character - This can be somewhat lacking in the corporate world, but not in God's Kingdom. In the church, right character in leaders is essential 2. Passion - Passion makes the difference between approaching a ministry as a job or as a responsibility.  When you are passionate about Christ and His Kingdom you take your responsibilities (ministries) to higher levels because your fuel is your passion. 3. Skills - You gotta know what your doing.  Without skill in your area of ministry, you can have all the passion and character you want, you wont be able to build that ministry effectively.  You have to read books, go to seminars, watch training videos, etc...to gain the necessary skills to move you

A friend sent me this the other day.  If you lead anything, I think it's worth meditating on. Why do you lead? Is it to exercise power over others? Is it to maintain a sense of control? Is it because you want to make a name for yourself? OR Is it because you see the needs around you? Is it because Jesus compels you? Is it because the goal is worthy? Is it out of love for the One who loved you and calls you to follow in His footsteps? Paul, whose life was changed by encountering the risen Christ, simply said that for him, to live was Christ (Philippians  1:21 ). Why do you lead?   "For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain." Philippians  1:21

Have you ever heard Christians make declarations? They declare this person healed or they declare that Satan must leave a particular city. Here's what the prophet Jeremiah said about these declarations. Who can speak and have it happen if the Lord has not decreed it? Lamentations 3:37 We cannot declare things over which we have no control. We can declare that we are trusting in God to answer our prayers.  We can declare that we have sinned and are repenting.  But we cannot declare things over which only God has control.

How do you feel when someone else's work is praised while yours is ignored or minimized? King Saul of Israel got angry. "When the men were returning home after David had killed the Philistine, the women came out from all the towns of Israel to meet King Saul with singing and dancing, with joyful songs and with timbrels and lyres. As they danced, they sang: “Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands.”  Saul was very angry; this refrain displeased him greatly. “ 1 Samuel 18:6-8 NIV Even though this song was billboard's #1 hit song in that city, King Saul hated it. It made him jealous and very angry.  He was self-centered and arrogant.  Let us learn to humbly rejoice in the success and accolades of others, for this is God's will for us.

Good advice to pastor's from Chuck Swindoll: No one will ever demand that you pray and give priority to the Word of God. Physical needs will always bring the louder complaint. And the predictable will occur: we'll spend so much time greasing the squeaky wheels that we neglect prayer and the Word of God... If we let the demands of ministry determine the priorities of the church then the tail of the urgent will wag the dog of "the important"...The needs of ministry will always be greater than your ability to meet them. Always. Don't let them distract you. Does that mean we ignore the needs? Not at all. It's a matter of recognizing ones calling. By confirming your priorities the apostle also provided the opportunity for laymen to get involved in ministry... If the church leaders attempt to meet all of the churches needs themselves then two effect will occur. First as we've seen the spiritual leaders will neglect their priorities of prayer

"What are you looking at?"  Some defensive people with low self-esteem ask that of others. But God doesn't need to ask us that, for He knows what's in our heart (i.e. what we value). When Samuel was about to anoint the next king of Israel, he thought for sure it would be this tall handsome guy in front of him. But God corrects his "looking".  But the Lord said to him, “Pay no attention to how tall and handsome he is. I have rejected him, because I do not judge as people judge. They look at the outward appearance, but I look at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7 GNT May my eyes look at what God looks at. May my heart value what God values.

Reading about Samson (Judges 13-16), it occurred to me that Samson is the perfect poster child for those Christians who are always seeking love in all the wrong places. First he marries a pagan Philistine girl. Then we see him getting involved with prostitutes, and finally he falls in love with another pagan woman named Delilah.  This last bad choice cost him his life.  Now either all the Israelite woman were severely UGLY or Samson had a rebellious heart. I'm sure it was the later. Single Christians need to stop looking for love in all the wrong places and begin to obey God who said: "Don’t team up with those who are unbelievers. How can righteousness be a partner with wickedness? How can light live with darkness?" 2 Corinthians 6:14 NLT

Some people are confused about tithing because they've read or heard a Bible teacher says that the” tithe” was of the law and that it doesn't apply to the church today. I think that 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"  some would claim. 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&

In his book Primal , Pastor Mark Batterson writes about the inseparability of "knowing" and "doing".  Enjoy this excerpt: The Bible is not an end in itself. In other words the goal of knowing the Bible isn't Bible knowledge. The goal of knowing the Bible is knowing God. Anything less is bibliolatry. One of the great mistakes we've made in Christendom is equating spiritual maturity with knowledge acquisition; butt head knowledge never has been and never will be the litmus test. The truth is that most of us are already educated way beyond the level of our obedience. We learn more and do less, thinking all the while that we’re growing spiritually. Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror 24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25 But the man who looks intently

But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord. This is the account of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God. Genesis 6:8-9 Why did Noah find favor in the eyes of God?  Of all the people on earth only Noah found favor in God`s eyes. What made him different? He was righteous and blameless. But how did he become righteous and blameless?  The key is that "he walked with God". I love walking with my dad.  Every time we get together for Thanksgiving in my sister’s house in Palm Coast we take early morning walks around the block.  We walk around two or three times. We catch up on life and people, we say jokes, we talk about God and politics, and share some of what’s on our hearts. Walking with God is similar.  It implies a growing intimacy. We develop a fatherly friendship with God. When we "walk with God" we talk with Him in prayer, we share our most intimate thoughts, we may laugh or cry, but we