Some Of Us and All Of Us

Some of us have gotten off the beaten path. Some of us were never taught right from wrong. Some of us have been rode hard and put away wet. Some of us really don't know any better. Some of us did hit our head on something. Some of us don't know our momma or daddy. Some of us are lonely for a variety of reasons. Some of us are just awkward. Some of us are way too serious. Some of us aren't serious at all. Some of us were spoiled as a child. Some of us had our childhood stolen. Some of us had much given to us. Some of us were led astray at an early age. Some of us made one big mistake. Some of us worked for everything we got. Some of us seem to never catch a break. Some of us have things fall into our lap. Some of us... the list goes on and on. However, all of us are walking around with some of us, and that is why God is adamant about "love one another." We are to bear one another's burdens. You don't know what they've been through. Bless others, because that is what God's people do.

God's Routine

Everyone has some kind of routine. God has a routine. It’s called sunrise and sunset. It’s a beautiful sight no matter where you are. It’s the beginning of the day and the end of the day. It’s a fresh start. It’s time to kick back. There are many beautiful photos and many beautiful paintings of these two events. They are all part of one thing that God calls day. When the new heaven and new earth come along there will be no more day as such. God will remove the sun and there will be no more need for the moon. There will be no more night time. You see, the evening was meant to be a time of rest, and in the morning God offers man a new start for each day. This whole orbiting, revolving, sun-up, sun-down thing is to give man a chance to start over every day. It’s more than just a picture of God’s glory. God desires that we take advantage of His routine by starting anew with Him each day, and taking a break when the lights go out. —- The Good News is that there will be no more need for fresh starts with the new heaven and new earth. There will be no need or desire to rest. We’ll be like that energetic-two-year-old that never runs out of energy. We’ll be eternally satisfied in the glorious presence of Abba Father. There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever. (Rev.22:5) His glory will light up our new environment. We will finally live sinless in our glorified bodies, and consequently we will not need His new mercies every day, any day.

But Are They Changing Your Life?

We read and hear God's wonderful truths from Scriptures. Many of them are very simple. Most are. But if God's Word isn't transforming how we do life, then we need to slow down and read again. We need to sit and soak it up. Too many people say they "get it", but still live the same way they used to. Sit and read Psalm 139 and invite God to search your heart. Look in the mirror. Be honest with God. Honesty with God is the first step toward salvation. Honest confession of your sin to God is merely confessing what He already knows about you. Get real with God so that you can join Him at work. Truly accepting Jesus as your Lord (the Boss of you) and Savior will change your life. I say truly, because until you have relinquished the reins of your life to Him, He isn't truly Lord of you. And if He is not Lord of you, then He is not changing you; and any reading you're doing is just story book reading. 1 Corinthians 13 tells us that love never fails. Yet, we find reasons not to love. Jesus tells us that He is the way, the truth and the life; and yet many will lose sight of Him. The Bible tells us to love one another and to encourage one another. Instead, we will hate on each other, and kick a brother when they're down. Jesus was hard-core about forgiveness. He taught (Mt.18) that if we don't forgive others, then God will come down on us hard. Yet, we won't forgive and cite the circumstances assuming God allows an exception for us. Excuse me. Our sins are responsible for killing the Son of God, and He forgave us. ---When will we quit saying that we know what the Bible says, and just do what it says? God's plan is to shape you and I into the image of Christ. That happens only when we die to our agenda, and tell the God of the Universe (who already has demonstrated His love for our sorry butts on the cross), "here I am, do what you want with me." Is life frustrating you? Submit to the will of God. You will understand the perfect will of God once you allow Him to transform you by the renewing of your mind. You have to be an open book to God for Him to change you through His Word. Listen, God doesn't need martyrs. He simply desires the humble obedience of His people. The Script is before you, are you paying attention? Re-read the Bible. This time, read it like it is for you and not someone else.

Struggling With Sin

Arguably the most prolific missionary ever made a statement concerning his own personal dealings with sin, “O what a wretched man I am!” He said, “The thing that I want to do (for God) I don’t do. And the thing that I don't want to do (sin), I do.” In a very gut-wrenching confession and cry out to God in Romans 7, Paul does everything, but name his sin. —- The Bible isn’t so easy on all of the characters of the Bible. A few of them were very admirable in their love and pursuit of God, but we remember them by their one or two sins (goof-ups, mess-ups, missteps, etc.). Every sin, as David said, is against God. We judge how such a blessed person could commit such an atrocity against the God that they say they love. However, Paul is spared the embarrassment of having that sin or sins which so “easily beset” him recorded for all to see. Good for him! —- Some of us might say that he is only human, while others would say that they couldn’t believe he did such a thing. The mind is a terrible thing! —- The inconvenient truth is that we all struggle with sin. The Word of God uses the guy that most believers would think did not struggle with sin (perhaps because he was too busy) to stymie the notion that some people don’t struggle with sin. Paul makes himself sound like a gossiping-lying-conniving-drug and porn-addicted sinner with his confessional “O what a wretched man I am!” Right there he relates to every christian man and woman at some time or season of their life. In the flesh, we all know that sin comes and goes, rages and passes away like too much or not enough hormones in the human body. All we can do is cry out for mercy, because it is beyond our control. Time or a doctor might help with our hormonal adjustment, but it takes the Great Physician to deal “with this body of death” that envelopes the believer. The Good News is not that Paul was just like us. The Good News is that he cried out, and God answered. Most importantly, he could say, “Thanks be to God—- through our Lord Jesus Christ!” No matter what you are going through the code word for a rescue is always JESUS.

Unstoppable at 86

So we’re sitting in the hospital waiting room when the glass doors open from the outside and in walks an elderly man with his cane. My sister points out that it is “Mr. Smith”, my dad’s neighbor. Mr. Smith and his wife brought color to our neighborhood over 35 years ago. He and my dad have developed a friendship over that time that was pretty cool to hear about from Mr. Smith. (his speech, pace and vocabulary were distinct—-I’m still trying to figure out which M. Freeman character. His use of “A-ok” and a chuckle from such a serious face was like a scene from a movie.) —-When he arrived he was visibly wore out. And he greeted me by describing a host of health problems of his own(probably to explain why he was out of breath, because he wasn't really complaining.). After sat down and caught his breath, he told me that it is painful to get old. Mr. Smith at 86 had made this drive to visit my dad and wait for him to get done with the surgery. We thanked him, and told him that the surgery was several hours and he didn’t have to hang around. But his silence combatted sound reasoning every time we suggested it was okay if he needed to go home, so we shut up. —-Needless to say, he stayed until he got to see his neighbor in the recovery room. He prayed a prayer of thanksgiving over my Dad in that recovery room that made me want to stand taller, fall on my face, look for the glory of God to enter the room, or something. His prayer was eloquent, and most importantly from the heart. It was moving. It was real. —-With his mission complete, he asked which lane to get in to go home so that he could avoid merging in traffic before crossing the bridge. This was just a reminder of the frailty of life and old-man problems (that we’ll all experience one day). —-He had plenty of health problems, many of which he said kept him in that prison of a house of his. This gentleman that had done his time in the army and spent many years as an Educator taught me something in just a few hours. I’m still processing what the “something” was but it was time well-spent. At 86, Mr. Smith was unstoppable.

Joe Walsh and Finding Jesus

While listening to a little Joe Walsh tonight on Pandora, a thought occurred to me. As many chemicals as ole, fun-loving Joe has consumed through the years, it is absolutely amazing that he is still alive. I'm glad he is, because he just makes me smile. I then wondered if God has had Joe on life-support for quite some time, because He wants to give ole Joe every possible chance to find Jesus. God loves Joe. ---Then I thought, what if Joe or even one of my friends that have been through what Joe has been through wanted to, but didn't know how to "find Jesus." Well, here you go. You don't have to look far. You see, the God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else. From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.---men have missed the signs God has laid out in the past.---but now he commands all people everywhere to repent(this means to turn from something to something else or in this context; turn from this world to Jesus). For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead.---The Gospel truth is that all men have sinned. Thus all men need a Savior. Jesus came incognito (kind of: if you want to call making the blind to see, lame to walk, deaf to hear and bringing people back to life under the radar). Jesus was God manifested in the flesh. He was the only One good enough to die for the sin of the whole world. Jesus died publicly on an old Roman cross and was resurrected three days later. Over a forty day period more than 500 people witnessed his glorified body walking and talking and even eating! He died so that we might have life. How can you find Jesus and this great salvation that he offers? The Good News is that it ain't no secret (the whole Bible points to Jesus.). The epic adventure that we call life is the Redemption story recorded in the Bible. The Bible tells us that "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith---and this not from yourselves, it it the gift of God---not by works, so that no one can boast." All who call upon the name of the LORD shall be saved. Admit to God in honest dialogue that you are a sinner that wants to be saved. Invite Jesus Christ to take over your life. Make Him the Boss of you. Mean it and receive Him along with the gift that secures your salvation, the promised Holy Spirit.---Find you a good Bible-believing church and grow up. I look forward to hanging with you in heaven one day... and I really hope Joe makes it too.

The "F" Word is a Double-edged Sword

The thing that I hate the most about being a Christian is also the thing that I love the most about being a Christian. While I may not be enthused to forgive people (at least "some" people), the Bible does not list it as an option for the follower of Jesus. However, I will certainly accept forgiveness from folks when I sure don't deserve it. Yeah, you got it, forgiveness is the word with the double-edge. God made it that way so that we would get on with life, and maybe not hurt too many other humans along the way. ---Oh, and when you get to thinking too highly of yourself, remember that God has forgiven you of more than you'll ever forgive another person. Just do it. (If you don't forgive, it comes with an extremely high price, but that's a blog for another day.)

You Are Ripped

From my earliest youth my enemies have persecuted me -- let Israel now say -- 2 from my earliest youth my enemies have persecuted me, but they have never been able to finish me off. 3 My back is covered with cuts, as if a farmer had plowed long furrows.4 But the LORD is good; he has cut the cords used by the ungodly to bind me. 5 May all who hate Jerusalem be turned back in shameful defeat. --Ps.129:1-5(NLT) The Psalmist reminds us of the vigors and trials of life that make us who we are. Even as early as our youthful days many have been persecuted by others. He is thankful to God as he realizes though he was persecuted; his enemies were unable "to finish him off." "My back is covered with cuts" is reminiscent to the reader of the scars of life that many have endured on their way to adulthood. A farmer plows for the purpose of growing produce. He's getting the ground in shape for something to grow. As painful as that thought is, these cuts have shaped us (men and women) into the person God hopes for us to be. --- I couldn't help to think of the many that go to the gym to be "cut" or "ripped" on their own to have a bodily physique that shows that they've been doing the work. Life, on its own, can cut us. Even though we go through junk in this life, one thing is for sure: "But the LORD is good." The LORD is the one who cuts us loose from the things the enemy has used to bind us. So to our enemy or the enemies of all who seek the LORD, there comes a time when we can call out the "haters" ("all who hate Jerusalem"), because we know to WHOM we belong. God has rescued us, and the enemy will "be turned back in shameful defeat." --- You are still here. Everything that has happened to you thus far should make you stronger. God believes in you. He will put to shame the enemy. Don't worry about that. Be who you are "in Christ" today! You are cut. You are ripped! You're looking good. Testify of the great things God has done for you.

Proud to be called Slave

Rom.6:22 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. But now…now what? Now that you have been set free from sin. When did that happen? It happened when you accepted Christ. Get this: when you accepted Christ you became a slave to God. Now, we generally apply negative connotations to being called a slave or servant of someone else. However, becoming a slave to God comes with benefits, not abuse. It comes with benefits, not mistreatment and abuse. The “benefit you reap leads to holiness.” To be considered holy by God is a good thing. This is not a holier than thou attitude. This is genuine holiness. So, the benefit of being a slave to God is being considered holy. Meanwhile, the result of being a slave to God is eternal life. I don’t know about you, but Paul, under the Holy Spirit of God, can call me slave, servant, doulos or whatever as long as I get the benefit of holiness resulting in eternal life. —-You see, the reason the word Master has such a bad connotation in our world today is that men are sinners, evil, jerks, selfish, etc. However, God is good and perfect in every way. He has better than your best interest for you. You want a happy meal, but He wants to take you to the Steak House. You’re satisfied with a peaceful easy feeling, but God has Eternal life with Him in mind for you. So don’t be worried about being politically correct with the English translation of doulos. These bond-slaves wanted to be slaves. It was the best deal for them.—- Hey, God can come put me in handcuffs right now, because He has a better plan for me than I will ever have for me. —- But He won’t do hand cuffs. You see, just as He told Adam to freely eat, He wants each of us to freely come to Him. There aren’t barbed wire fences. There aren’t invisible electrical fences to keep us in the fold. He wants us to live for Him, because we love Him. The evidence of His love is before us—-the cross. Jesus said that those who love Him obey Him. Obedience from the heart is how He knows!—- We were once slaves to sin, and we had no problem with that. It even carried consequences leading to death with no benefits! Being a slave to God as our Master is being a pure and holy servant to the God who loves us! Call me what you want. I'm proud to be a slave to God.—- It reminds me of King David dancing before God in worship before all the people, and his wife chastised him for such “un-kingly” behavior. David responded that he would gladly be even more indignant in humility before His God.

No Clanging Zone

In building the temple, only blocks dressed at the quarry were used, and no hammer, chisel or any other iron tool was heard at the temple site while it was being built.---1Kings 6:7 At most job sites now a days we will hear the noise of power tools. If not power tools, we will hear the banging away of hammers and whatnot. God told Solomon there would be no such noise inside the Temple of God as it was being built. They would shape the building materials offsite to fit perfectly. This took serious skill and a commitment to excellence by the project manager and the skilled workers. --- When I thought of "why such a command?", immediately an answer came to mind. God doesn't like clanging. God loves and cherishes the voices of His people in worship of Him. It is sweet music to Him, but He does not care for clanging. Another verse came to mind: If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. (1Cor.13:1) God does not care to hear a bunch of mumbo-jumbo from us. Cheap talk or self-righteous blabbering is like a clanging hammer in the Temple of God. He wants none of it. God demands our obedience. Telling Solomon's project manager "no hammers at the job site" was a command, not a request. God requires His people to love one another, not make a bunch of noise that makes much of themselves.

Don't Underestimate Your Friends

How can I discuss God’s love and truth with my friends whose beliefs differ from mine? That is a good, honest and popular question. First of all, you can’t make anyone believe. People are attracted to Christ often by good models…people living truth. Of course, the Holy Spirit convicts of sin and draws them to Christ. —-So, dump the pressure of having to save anyone. You can’t do it. God is in the saving business. You are just a representative. Unfortunately, a lot of folks think they cannot use the Bible when sharing Jesus with a non-believer. Folks don’t want to come across as a Bible-thumper. Nevertheless, don’t sell the Bible short. It can stand on its own. People have tried to destroy it, lied about it, and everything else. The Word of Truth still stands. — The Bible is the eternal Word containing God’s eternal truth. It houses truth whether they believe in it or not. The only entity that does not want you to use the Bible is Satan. He wouldn't even quote it correctly when he threw down with Jesus. Aside from your own personal testimony, the Bible is one of your greatest resources. Use it!—-One of the best testimonies that I ever heard was about a guy who got saved after he read a Bible that he found while cutting the grass in the middle of the interstate. Share the word of truth when the opportunity presents itself. If you’re living right and showing love to your friends, they’ll give the word a try. Just be real. Don’t leave out prayer in all of this. Make sure you’re praying, you’re in the Word, and you’re living the kind of life that will impact your friends. Don’t underestimate your non-believing friends either. Most really do want the truth. Unfortunately, they’ve seen too many fake Christians, and there just waiting to see you fall. (they’re not necessarily pulling for you to fail…they just expect it.) They need to see you bear good fruit which comes from abiding in Christ. *Be bold for Christ. There is a reason God put you in their life. If you don’t share Jesus with them, who will? Don’t underestimate: the power of God’s Word, the impact of your life, and that God can use you. God believes in you.:)