Judges 5:1-2 4/1/2025

"On that day Deborah and Barak son of Abinoam sang this song: “When the princes in Israel take the lead,  when the people willingly offer themselves — praise the Lord!

Read chapter 5 of Judges, and you’ll see it is a song of praise, glorifying God for what He did in chapter 4. It is full of substance, and highlights God’s omnipotence. 

My Dad enjoyed songs like that… hymns that were full of theology. He referred to the songs that are popular today as “Seven – Eleven Songs” ….“You sing the same 7 words, 11 times and sit down”.  Instead, Dad liked songs with substance.

I have been trying to keep songs and thoughts like that in my head… Looking for ways to remain cognizant of God’s power. I have built monuments… memorized scripture… filtered what I see and listen to… and focused on gratitude in my prayers.

All of these are intentional acts intended to train my brain to look back gratefully - instead of looking forward anxiously.  It changes the complexion of my day and allows me to be productive instead of wasting time in negativity and anxiety.   Scripture says the joy of the Lord is my strength and a happy heart works like medicine. Songs, journals, and monuments are all ingredients that shape the soundtrack of my life and remind my heart that God is the provider of productivity, and joy.

What “songs” are stuck in your head today?  What information are you allowing to live rent free in your brain? Whatever it is, it will dictate your mood.  Have you allowed your mind to be oppressed by fear and negativity?  Have you invited social media to divide you from friends, waste your time, and ruin your day? How’s that working for you?... Those are choices you make… and they matter.

The soundtrack you choose will have a profound impact on your life… Choose the truth and let God’s love sing in your subconscious mind all day long.  Ditch the pessimistic, snarky attitude… and make songs of praise the background music of your life.  Get off the hamster wheel of grumbling and stop wasting your days … this is the day He has made… Rejoice and be glad in it.

You must take your own thoughts captive… not the other way around.

“Make sure your worst enemy doesn’t live between your own two ears.”
- Laird Hamilton

Acts 3:14,15 & 19 3/25/2025

“You disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released to you. You killed the author of life…”

“Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord,”

Peter’s first sermon certainly isn’t “seeker” sensitive.  He’s launching the Christian church, and any good PR advisor would’ve told him to first fill the pews, then start preaching doctrine. But apparently God wanted a preacher, not a marketing consultant.  

Peter looked them in the eye and said, “you killed the Author of Life.”…  If you can read that and not be cut to the bone by it - then you don’t understand it.  If I present that fact in an unoffensive manner, then I have not presented that fact. 

Perhaps churches today have confused making disciples with recruiting members. Maybe we should worry less about hurting feelings and be more concerned about hurting futures. Eternity is in the balance, and God will judge sin, even sin our culture has deemed acceptable. Our goal is not popularity, it’s accuracy. We must speak the truth in love, but we can’t change the truth to make it sound more loving. 

The church must stop sticking its finger in the air testing the wind for which direction to go… we must follow God’s word whether it is deemed offensive or not. God commands, He does not negotiate. The law was given as a mirror to show what we look like. If you’re offended by what you see… the mirror isn’t the problem.

The “Gospel” is not that “I’m OK, and your OK”… Neither of us are even close to “OK”.  If we were, or could do something to make ourselves acceptable, then our salvation wouldn’t have required the death of God’s Son.

The Mirror is accurate… we are guilty. We killed the Son of God, and we must own that. But Jesus ‘sacrifice wiped away our sin, and we have been refreshed and redeemed. Our response cannot be to normalize sin, but to repent of it, and be restored in the joy of His mercy … Anything less than that is not the gospel. 

“Repentance is a holy horror and hatred of sin, a deep sorrow for it, a contrite acknowledgment of it before God, and a complete heart forsaking of it.” - I.C. Herendeen

Exodus 15:2 3/18/2025

“The Lord is my strength and my defense; He has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise Him, my father’s God, and I will exalt Him.”

This is a portion of the song of praise that the Israelites sing after God parts the Red Sea and destroys Pharaohs army…. The song celebrates God’s strength, and protection. As I read this, I have mixed emotions. Parting the water was a HUGE miracle… and the people dance and sing praises to God.  They exalt His name and praise His power and faithfulness. 

But God knows, what I know… and that is, that in the next chapter, just a few days later, they will again be grumbling and complaining … In the shadow of this undeniable miracle, they will begin to doubt and complain because of the perceived hardship of their lives. How can God be honored by their singing when He knows they will soon be complaining? … I tend to harshly judge their fickleness as I read through Exodus… but then I catch a glimpse in the mirror.

I too have a short memory when it comes to the times I have been delivered. I quickly forget the occasions that I have been miraculously rescued by God, narrowly escaping disaster… Yet, I have the memory of an elephant regarding the times I have even slightly suffered. This makes me spiritually unstable. How can God be honored by my praises, when He knows I am one lost car key, or long red light, or restless night, away from complaining and grumbling. 

I need a new mindset… or better, a new “heartset”… I need to remember the “Red Seas” that have been parted in my life … and find joy and confidence in the faithfulness of God.  I should build monuments to His trustworthiness that remind me daily of past rescues, understanding that godly joy makes me strong.  

Without hope we perish, so train your mind to praise… Reject self-pity, it is poison. Have confidence in the faithfulness of God and create habits of gratefulness for His protection. I love Keith Chancey’s quote, “You can’t make it tough enough for me to complain”. Unfortunately, I love to quote it,  more than I love to live it.

Rejoice in the Lord Always…

"Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement; nothing can be done without hope." – Helen Keller

Genesis 39:9-10 3/11/2025

“… How then could I do this great evil, and sin against God?”  Though she spoke to Joseph day after day, he did not listen to her to lie beside her or be with her.” 

As a coach I often told my athletes to think through game situations so much that doing the right thing becomes a reaction not a decision. In the heat of battle, if you must deliberate your response – it may be too late once you decide what to do… so we practice situations until the correct response becomes automatic.

Joseph had done this with morality… He had already decided his response to this temptation. He didn’t need to debate whether he should sleep with Potiphar’s wife… He didn’t negotiate about infidelity… He reacted… he removed himself from the temptation - leaving behind anything he had to, in order to get away. 

What are you facing that you need to process until your response is not to fulfill your own desires, but to follow God’s will? What temptations are you still entertaining? What must you decide to abandon in order to pursue holiness?  

If you desire to chase after the heart of God, the first decision you must make is to commit to paying whatever it cost… Nothing else matters until that decision is made. If you have decided to pursue a holy life, you must  embrace the mindset which is the key to success… That is the realization that “My life is about God… not about me”. That mindset is essential to a life of obedience.

If you wish to resist temptation, then prepare your response before you’re tempted… Embrace the price tag, pray about your strategy, study the exact desired reaction until it becomes instinctive... It may be too late when the trap is sprung - so know your escape route before it happens.

Training yourself to react as Joseph did involves understanding, in the deepest parts of your heart, that you must decrease, and Christ must increase... Your go-to response to temptation must be, “thy” will be done… not “my” will. Your strength comes from realizing that  “it’s not about me”.  Write that down and put it where you’ll see it every morning… make it a mantra in your head…. “It’s not about me.”  

“… you always know the right thing to do. The hard part is doing it.” - Norman Schwarzkopf

John 20:24-25 3/4/2025

“But Thomas, one of the twelve, who was called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples were saying to him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the imprint of the nails, and put my finger into the place of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.”

Are you a “Doubting Thomas” ? … If God doesn’t follow your plan, on your schedule,  is your default reaction to doubt?

 I, like Thomas, have the propensity to question and pout when I am disappointed. I sometimes give this “self-centered sulking” incredible power, ignoring the evidence around me in order to support my mood. Thomas stops short of calling his brothers liars, but he doubts them… These are faithful teammates that have proven themselves for years. Yet, he is skeptical of their testimony and though he stays with them, he clearly states that he refuses to believe. 

He doesn’t say I “can’t” believe… He says I “won’t”.  That is an important distinction... He makes a choice. You can almost see him with arms folded and a frown on his face… refusing to consider what his friends are telling him.  There have been times of crisis when I have made the same choice… I knew what God could do… There was evidence of His faithfulness, so I could’ve had faith … but the risk of disappointment was too great, so I chose to doubt.

The world has labeled him “Doubting Thomas”, but that does not define him. This lack of faith was not the end of Thomas’ story… Thomas doubted - until he didn’t. Tradition holds that after Jesus appeared to Thomas, his faith grew and he went and spread the Word, fighting the good fight until he was martyred in India. 

What about you and me? How many times must God figuratively show us His hands before we believe? How many times must God prove Himself, before we choose to die to ourselves and live for Him? Living a life of faith is a choice you need to make. It will remove anxiety from your life and replace it with the trust and hope that only God can provide.  

“Faith is deliberate confidence in the character of God whose ways you may not understand at the time.”  - Oswald Chambers

Genesis 31:14-16 2/25/2025

“And Rachel and Leah replied, “Do we have any portion or inheritance left in our father’s house? Are we not regarded by him as outsiders? Not only has he sold us, but he has certainly squandered what was paid for us. Surely all the wealth that God has taken away from our father belongs to us and to our children…”

For the first time, Jacob’s wives, Rachel and Leah, agree on something. These two sisters have been at odds and in competition for two decades. But Jacob’s plot to deceive and steal from their father brings them together. It appears that the deceptiveness of Jacob has poisoned his family. 

This is something we should spend time considering.  Jacob, a man chosen by God, has tolerated the sin of  deceptiveness in his life… and it has infected his family. 

What sins have I allowed to poison my children? …or to be less dramatic, what bad habits have I made it easier for my children to tolerate?  What shortcomings have I permitted in my conduct causing my wife and kids to deem them acceptable.

As I proclaimed the gospel to the outside world, was I selfish at home?  As I preached the grace of God was I moody and unforgiving with those closest to me. Did my angry words at times go unchecked and unconfessed?

I am not suggesting you wallow in guilt based on this passage,  but this is definitely a call to examine the path ahead.  This passage should be impactful on our future.  

I must intentionally set up systems in my life to make sure my mouth and my feet send the same message. I must walk the truth I speak because the principle I see illustrated by Jacobs wives, is that those around me will be changed by my actions, not my opinions.

Don’t read this and then dwell on the guilt of your past …. Instead, confess your sin, repent, and change.  Then build practices that train you to walk in faith. Start each day reading your Bible, and in prayer. Regularly memorize scripture and assemble friends who will hold you accountable.

There is absolutely no doubt that your habits will impact those around you… the question is will it improve them or cause them to stumble. 

“To set a lofty example is the richest bequest a man can leave behind him.”
-  Samuel Smiles 

John 5:39 …45 2/18/2025

^“39You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me”

^“45But do not think I will accuse you before the Father. Your accuser is Moses, on whom your hopes are set.” 

Jesus is telling the religious leaders of the day that they can’t see the forest for the trees… They’re searching scripture that has been written about Him, yet they don’t listen to Him.

What has deceived them?  It’s simply old-fashioned Pride. Pride is the original sin.  And no matter how often we indisputably prove it… we just can’t accept the fact that we are not innately good.  We are willing to jump through hoops, sacrifice, work… do almost anything to be counted as righteous…. Except admitting that we are not.

We judge the Pharisees for this then do the same thing. We ignore scripture because our itching ears want to hear how we can earn salvation…how we can be elevated… how that original sin of pride can be satisfied. If I can follow the law better than you, then I can reprimand you, sit at the head of the table, and have others admire my holiness… The problem is – I don’t have any holiness.

But the wakeup call in this passage is in the next comment Jesus makes …  He says don’t think it will be me that accuses you… What you have pinned your hopes on will be your judge … You have chosen self-righteousness as your hope for salvation, but since you’re not righteous…the very law you preach - will convict you.

Jesus is dismantling “works salvation”.  The Pharisees are stumbling over the stone that was rejected… insisting they are doing enough good to be saved… when the only reason any of us can do good, is because we have been saved.  Small detail – but it changes everything.

Jesus is in essence saying the plane is going down, and you need to make a choice. Either grab a parachute called “grace”,  or pridefully grab “papier-mâché” wings called “works”…

The wings look good, but they don’t fly…
The parachute, is awkward, you just hang on to it, but it will save you…

The dilemma is that you can’t grab both…  It’s your call.

“The greatest enemy to human souls is the self-righteous spirit which makes men look to themselves for salvation.” - Charles Spurgeon

 

Genesis 14:13…16 2/11/2025

“When Abram heard that his relative had been taken captive, he led out his trained men, born in his house, numbering 318, and went in pursuit” …”He brought back all the possessions, and also brought back his relative Lot with his possessions, and also the women, and the other people.”

In chapter 12, Abram pathetically lied to Pharaoh, telling him that his wife was instead, his sister. Abram placed his own safety above the safety and integrity of his wife. So, as I read this passage about his nephew being kidnapped by powerful kings, I found myself waiting to see how Abram would again spinelessly try to avoid trouble.  

But what I saw was Abram’s brave liberation of Lot.  He courageously led his men in a dangerous rescue against great odds. That is not what I expected since he had been such a coward earlier. Then it dawned on me… 

Abram is not defined by his worst mistake.  Thankfully, neither are we. 

What if you and I were labeled by our most humiliating failures? Unfortunately, too many of us believe that is the case. We get stuck in the shame of our past, thinking what we’ve done is too big to forgive. But God does more than forgive His children.  He obliterates our sin and remembers it no more.  No matter how egregious your sin is, the blood of Christ eradicates it … Never doubt the power of His blood. It alone sets you free. 

Make no mistake, Abram won’t be flawless on this side of Heaven. In fact, he will struggle again with the same temptations. But God still loves him, still delivers him, and will even give him a new name. Each day Abram obediently grows stronger and is used to do amazing things for God’s Kingdom. 

You are not disqualified.  Christ’s resurrection does more than clean you… it allows you to start over.  God sees only the perfection of His Son when He looks at you. 

Abandon your shame… it is a lie.  You are a new creation free from your past… Your future is empowered by the Cross. God’s mercy is new each morning, you have been reborn, no longer bearing the stain of your sin. 

Forget what lies behind and persist in becoming the brave, honorable man God created you to be.

“Who you’ve been, ain’t who you got to be.” – Tim McGraw

Genesis 11: 8- 9 2/4/2025

“So the Lord scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth; and they stopped building the city.  Therefore, it was named Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth...”

I remember in high school reading about the Tower of Babel and wondering why God would not want us all to live together, communicating with each other.  I questioned His decision to split us up.

A few years later the internet opened my eyes. We are an ugly species, when offered the opportunity to exalt ourselves.  Our sins gain momentum when we have a platform.  Nowadays, the more people who comment online,  the more evil, stupid, and arrogant the conversation becomes.... no wonder God scattered us. 

It concerns me that we are working so hard to get back to the city of Babel… desperate to “make a name for ourselves” by becoming “influencers”, reaching more and more “followers”… Looking for answers among ourselves and getting more addicted to the dopamine with every click. 

It is the same as when He divided the city of Babel… They too, were building a tower to elevate themselves. They were making a name for themselves not worshipping the name of the Lord. So, God not only ended construction and confused their language… He scattered them out of the city.

There are a few cities that need scattering today – Our megacities have demonstrated that the more connectivity we have,  the more we validate God’s reasoning for dispersing the city of Babel.  

Are you using your ever-expanding audience to exalt the name of the Lord, or are you building a monument to yourself?  If you are elevating yourself and others like you,  you will soon discover that we don’t have the answers, because we are the problem…  look in the mirror, and you will see that the Cross is the only solution.  

There is nothing good in man… until the Spirit of God enters him. God loves you not because of what you have done, but in spite of it.  Tear down the tower you have built … Die to yourself… be born again in Christ and elevate God as He forms you into who you were created to be. 

"The depravity of man is at once the most empirically verifiable reality but at the same time the most intellectually resisted fact."
- Malcolm Muggeridge

John 18:28 1/28/2025

“Then the Jewish leaders took Jesus from Caiaphas to the palace of the Roman governor. By now it was early morning, and to avoid ceremonial uncleanness they did not enter the palace, because they wanted to be able to eat the Passover.”

This is a snapshot of religious hypocrisy.  These synagogue leaders conspired to murder The Messiah; a clear violation of a commandment contained in the law on which they claim to base their lives… While violating this command they insist on practicing ceremonial “cleanness”, refusing to enter the palace so they can eat their Passover meal… If their duplicity wasn’t so lethal, it would be laughable. 

This illustrates what Jesus meant when He accused them of straining out a gnat while swallowing a camel, or called them whitewashed tombs, clean on the outside but contaminated on the inside. This hypocrisy draws severe reprimands from the Son of God, and it is rampant in our culture today.

As Christians, when we read about these Jewish leaders or see them depicted in movies, we feel contempt for them. But if we just glance in the mirror, we’ll see disturbing similarities.

Do we embrace commands we agree with, demanding others do the same, yet disregard any command we find inconvenient?  How many times do we sit in church and judge people for judging people, or gossip about people gossiping, or refuse to love those who refuse to love others?… The quicksand of hypocrisy consistently proves disastrous, yet we continually “cherry pick” commands that fit our preferences and ignore those that don’t.

This morning’s message is not to drug dealers and prostitutes but to the church.  Don’t pick and choose the commands of God that suit you… If you’re a Believer, act like one- all of the time.  Ignoring scripture and rationalization is not an acceptable reaction to what God calls sin.  The only response that is biblical is “Confession and repentance”.

Because He loves you, God has offered amazing grace. If you have accepted that gift, then be holy… not so you will be saved, but because you have been.  

If you don’t think you need His grace – then reject God’s offer and make your own way.  Be hot or cold, but don’t be two-faced.  Choose this day whom you will serve… and then dive in.

“Godliness is more easily feigned in words than in actions” - Jonathan Edwards

John 4:25-26 1/21/2025

“The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”  Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you — I am he.”

Jesus is talking to a woman at a water well who is so low on the social ladder that she gets water in the heat of the day. She prefers to come when no one else is there, as to not endure the judgement of “religious” folks who live nearby. 

The clarity and compassion of Jesus’ answer is noteworthy.  By studying His conversations with high-ranking officials, we see that Jesus answers questions in a complex manner if your motive for asking is your own advancement, or to argue a point.  But here, He plainly responds to the true heart of a broken sinner seeking to know Him.  

It is interesting to compare the world’s opinion of this wayward woman to the lofty reputation of Herod and Pilate… and see the difference in the way Jesus responded to each.  God’s ways are not only different than ours, they’re often completely opposite. When God says the first will be last, and the servant will be the master… He actually means it. 

Do I believe that?  If I do, then why do I focus on powerful wealthy people and disregard those who have little worldly influence? Even in the church, there is a tendency to fawn over those high on the societal scale, which contrasts with Jesus’ actions in this passage.

Think about your last interaction with what the world calls a successful person and compare it to the last time you spoke to someone who was homeless.  Even if you said the right words, examine your heart in those two conversations…. Do you and Jesus agree on the importance of these individuals, or do you have it backwards?  Are you seeking “first the Kingdom of God” … or has that fallen to second place, behind networking with those who can help you build your own little kingdom?

Decide today to view people through Jesus’ eyes. Otherwise, you may find yourself investing your time in people who care only for themselves and missing great relationships with those who will be first in the Kingdom of God.  

“You can easily judge the character of a man by how he treats those who can do nothing for him.” -  Malcolm Forbes

Psalm 43:5 1/14/2025

“Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.”

Psalm 43 was written by king David, a man who suffered greatly.  

Like most of us, his suffering resulted from both the actions of evil men in a broken world, and his own sinful deeds …So, this prayer can be seen as a templet for most of the difficult situations we find ourselves in. It calls on us to make a decision… are we going to focus on the circumstances, or are we going to place our hope and  trust in God?

I don’t ask that question flippantly.  Life can be incredibly hard.  In this verse David’s family and friends were trying to Kill him.  David’s heart was breaking. Yet he makes a choice.  He chooses to reject his anxiety and place his hope in God… David makes and executive decision to stop being downcast and instead Praise his Savior, and trust that God is still in the business of delivering His children.  

What about you?  What will you do when your heart is breaking?… No problem is big until it is yours, and the world can be dark and threatening… but we must decide whether or not we think God is still in control.

Sometimes we look for worry, we scan the web looking for reasons to be upset… But sometimes trouble kicks the door in, and feels insurmountable, dark, and unescapable… Even then, we must decide.  Even when our world hangs in the balance, we must choose what determines our actions and attitude. 

Will I trust Him?  Is He God, or not?  Will I, when under pressure, take the situation out of His hands and try to anxiously handle it myself?  

Like David, ask yourself why you’re downcast... If the problem is bigger than God, then continue in your despair … but if not, make the difficult resolution to praise Him in the midst of the battle. You can’t really claim to have faith in a chair until you’re sitting in it. So have a seat. There is only one God and He has proven His love for you. Draw close to Him and rest in His shadow.

“Faith is deliberate confidence in the character of God whose ways you may not understand at the time.” -Oswald Chambers

Jude 1:11-14 1/7/25

“Woe to them! For they have gone the way of Cain, and for pay they have given themselves up to the error of Balaam, and perished in the rebellion of Korah. These are the ones who are hidden reefs in your love feasts when they feast with you without fear, like shepherds caring only for themselves; clouds without water, carried along by winds; autumn trees without fruit, doubly dead, uprooted;  wild waves of the sea, churning up their own shameful deeds like dirty foam; …”

Jesus’ little brother isn’t being very “seeker sensitive” with this reprimand. He’s warning hypocritical teachers who use church to advance themselves, not others, and certainly not God.  Jude describes their actions precisely so there will be no question about what they’re doing:

- The way of Cain was envy. Cain’s sacrifice wasn’t accepted so he murdered his brother out of resentment. 

- The error of Balaam was covetousness, he loved money and adulterous idolatry.

- Korah stood against Moses. Pursued self-advancement and rejected admonishment from godly leaders. 

James says these “pretenders” are collecting dire consequences for themselves. They cater to the rich and mistreat the poor…  not fearing God, and even taking communion in a blasphemous manner. Their envy, covetousness, and pride are making them detrimental to the Kingdom.

As a group, they’re disappointing, like clouds without water.  If the church had been in Texas Jude might have said they were “all hat, and no cattle”.  This duplicity is displeasing to God and carries severe consequences.

Jude doesn’t beat around the bush; this is what we call a good old fashioned “butt chewing”.  The people he is speaking to know exactly who they are, and their response will dictate their future.

What about us…. What will our response be when our own hypocrisy is openly pointed out?  Will we deflect blame and choose the way of Cain, Balaam, or Korah?  Or will we “own it”, confess it, and change it?   

If you want the new year to be different than the past, begin by owning your garbage… and commit to cleaning it up.  …You can’t change what you don’t acknowledge. So, honestly examine your life, accept responsibility, reject sin, and pursue holiness. Start by drawing a circle around yourself and working on everything inside that circle. 

“Sincerity makes the very least person to be of more value than the most talented hypocrite.” -Spurgeon