Romans 5:8 8/27/2019*

^“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

God didn’t wait for you to get your life straight to love you. His love initiates, it doesn’t respond. While you were still sinning…He was paying the price to restore you.  

…how many of us follow this path?

If you sin against me and then ask for me to forgive you…I probably will.
And by that, I mean I will stop actively being angry at you.  But I will withhold my affection and watch you and not let you close to me until I am sure you are sincere.

That’s comfortable and safe for me but it is not love…  There is no need to argue with me… I struggle here to… I’m just telling you what the bible says. 

Jesus said to “love others as I have loved you” (John 13:34) so we can debate all we want but Jesus is very clear. I must do the work to restore you even if you are moving away from me…that is how God demonstrated His love to me - and that is how I am told to demonstrate my love to others.

So again, I will ask…how many of us follow this path?

Some counselors will tell you this is unwise - but apparently, they and God disagree. So, you will have to decide who to follow. 

Let me challenge you to take God at His word and choose to love His way…

Will it make you happy?...I don’t know. But it will make you holy. And that is God’s purpose for your life. Holiness produces joy…and while happiness is circumstantial, joy is permanent.

Who in your life do you need to love while they are still sinning?  What load of animosity have you been carrying that you need to drop today? 

What person or group of people, do you need to reach out to and offer the redemptive love of God to… even though they don’t love you?

The instructions are clear. You must initiate restoration. The Holy Spirit will enable you to do it…. You just have to decide to obey.

I am not sure what it will do for the person you decide to love - but I am positive what it will do for you.

“There but for the grace of God go I.” – John Bradford

Peter 3:15-16 8/20/2019*

“His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction”

Peter is talking about Paul’s letters, and this short sentence carries some very significant implications. There are three important lessons to glean from this verse:

1.    Some people want to discount Paul’s writings because they contain things that are controversial, but Peter clearly states that they are scripture.

2.    People will distort complicated scripture to suit their own purposes.

3.    Doing so leads to destruction.

This passage shows that trying to discount Paul’s letters (or any other scripture) is not a new phenomenon. It occurs when scripture not only teaches doctrine but shows how it should impact your actions.

Some people would rather change the truth, than change their behavior. So, instead of altering their lives to fit scripture, they alter scripture to fit their lives.

Peter says that is ignorant and unstable…. In other words -  it happens when you are uneducated in the Word of God, and it leaves you without a foundation.

If you choose to discount Paul’s words because you don’t like them, then you must disagree with Peter’s statement in this verse and toss it out as well…. if you follow that path you are headed for destruction.

The fact of the matter is that If you start picking and choosing what scripture you follow …you are no longer following scripture… you are following yourself.

The Bible is not a buffet – it is either God-breathed – or it is not. If God miraculously wrote it - He can miraculously protect it and defend its integrity.  Scripture, taken in context, is intended to be your guide. It is foundational.

If you intend to only follow scripture you agree with then stop wasting time with all the “theological open field running” it takes to justify your actions and just choose your own path.

But if you believe the Bible is the Living Word of God - then follow it …ALL of it.

Truth does not need majority approval, and untruth will lead you down a dangerous trail. Either follow the Bible or your own conclusions…. select your compass and get going.

"Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” - Jesus

John 13:7 8/13/2019*

“Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”

There is an amazing amount of theological truth in that little verse.

Jesus is explaining why He is washing Peter’s feet. Reading about it now it seems foolish for Peter to argue with Him, but we often do the same thing. 

We all want God to be a part of our plan, when we should be seeking to be part of His.

We seldom understand His design because we have no desire to…We already have a strategy and our prayers are more instructional than inquisitive… they are often just a list of chores for God to do to achieve our goals.

The problem with that is we do not have the intel He has – we don’t see, or control the future as He does…so it makes little sense for us to insist on our plan, yet we do it all the time.

When Peter does it in this passage…Jesus basically says, “trust me on this one”.

So, the question is what situation is God saying “Trust me on this one” to you about?

Are there circumstances in your life that are causing you anxiety?  Are there things that you think God should handle differently?  Maybe God is saying “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”

Trust Him…The hardest thing for us to comprehend is that He actually loves us. That’s hard to believe, knowing what we know about ourselves, but it is true, and it is the key to having peace. 

Peter should have realized that when Jesus said “trust me, you’ll understand later” …and so should we.

Don’t let the enemy steal your peace ..his lies are only accurate if God is unable or unwilling to deliver you, and neither is true…God’s plan is unsurpassed, and He has the power to accomplish it… He is not pacing the floor in Heaven because He is in complete control… so trust Him on this one.

It is a choice…dwell on what you think might go wrong…or dwell on the power and love of God. Trust or argue…it is your call. But know that no one loves you more than He does…and no one can do more about your problems than He can.

“God is too good to be unkind and He is too wise to be mistaken. And when we cannot trace His hand, we must trust His heart.”- Charles Spurgeon

Romans 1: 21-22 8/6/2019*

“For although they knew God, they neither glorified Him as God nor gave thanks to Him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools”

Foolishness is a process.  It begins when you start ignoring God.

You become self-absorbed and ungrateful…from there the slope gets slippery and your thoughts become futile and pointless.

The farther down the tunnel you go, the darker your heart becomes, and the harder it is to reach you. The final nail in the coffin is this…while everyone sees your idiocy…you think you are brilliant.

We see it every day…men and woman proclaiming their genius while they whole world shakes their head…but no amount of facts or statistics can change their minds because their hearts have been darkened. This is what God calls becoming a fool.

So how do we avoid this fate? How do we stay off the slippery slope of foolishness? The beginning of this verse holds the key…” although they knew God, they neither glorified Him as God nor gave thanks to Him”. 

How are you doing in that department? 

Is God someone you know of and might think about on Sundays…or is he someone you are grateful for and strive to glorify each day. 

Those are two very different scenarios and have two very different outcomes.

The first one lulls you into a place of complacency and self-reliance. It is the beginning of the slide… If you feel the need to keep telling others how wise you are, then you may be headed down that slope.

But the second one is the opposite…it is the beginning of the climb.  Glorifying God and making Him the authority in your life, allows you to daily grow in wisdom and gratitude. These attributes are what prevent you from being a fool.

Rearrange your priorities and make sure the first thing you do this morning is to thank God and glorify Him for what He has done in your life. Focus on serving Him and loving His children. God will take care of the rest.

If you ignore God and take credit for yourself, you will slide into foolishness.

If you glorify Him and are thankful for His blessings…you will grow in wisdom.

“The wise man does at once what the fool does finally.”

 Niccolo Machiavelli

Lamentations 2:14 7/30/2019*

“The visions of your prophets were false and worthless; they did not expose your sin.”

Are the sermons at your church always “I’m OK, you’re OK”?  Are you constantly told that it’s not your fault and there is always someone else to blame?

That may feel nice, but it’s not true….

Some of your problems are completely your fault and require action from you.

On your own merit, you are not OK, and neither am I. We both struggle with sin at times, and if you don’t believe that I can name one of your sins right now.

You need to be part of a community that not only encourages you but lovingly challenges you.  One that will expose sin before it destroys you. You must not only be open to being challenged, but willing to gently challenge others as well.

You say "I don’t want to make my friend uncomfortable"…but If I claim to love you and refuse to point out something that can annihilate you …then my love is questionable.

God says a prophet that doesn’t point out sin is “false and worthless”.

Unfortunately, there are churches all over the world that fall into this category.  They have morphed into self-help organizations that hold pep rallies once a week to build up the congregation’s self-image. But they routinely ignore sin and God calls that false and worthless.

Should we leave church with a bloody nose every Sunday? .... of course not.  But if you have never been irritated by something the pastor says only to go to the bible and discover it is the Truth…then you are listening to a cheerleader not a prophet.

When you choose a church, the music matters, the activities matter, the children’s program is important…but if the pastor doesn’t point out your sin, and no one is watching your walk… then you are being lulled into a comfortable lie.

Find a group of believers that loves you enough to risk hurting your feelings.

Remorse and repentance are part of growth…make sure your pastor accurately handles the word and you have people willing to lovingly pull you back onto the path when you wander off.

“When it comes to privacy and accountability, people always demand the former for themselves and the latter for everyone else.”
― David Brin

Matthew 6:3-4 7/23/2019*

"But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you."

This may be one of the most overlooked scriptures in the bible.

Jesus is not only saying don’t publicize your gifts…He is saying hide them. 

You can’t be more secretive than not letting one hand know what the other is doing so I think His meaning is clear.  But why would Christ tell us to be mysterious when we bless others?

Of course, part of it is to avoid the self-centeredness that can result from accepting accolades and appreciation... but there is more to it than that.

There is an intimacy I share with God when only He and I know of my gift. There is a pureness in the offering when it is anonymous and completely without self-elevation.

We crave recognition.  We desire awards and words of appreciation from people or organizations we have helped, but Jesus says by accepting them we are giving up something better.  We are forfeiting the amazing joy that results from giving a pure unsoiled gift to our Creator. We give up the quiet smile from God as He approves our unselfish sacrifice.

The best way to understand the “reward” Jesus is referring to is to experience it. Let me challenge you to secretly bless someone today.  

Give something extravagant to someone who needs it.  Assist a family with a financial gift that God has placed on your heart  …. now here is the fun part…Not only don’t publicize your gift…but don’t even let the people you helped know it came from you.

It will take some planning to ensure your target receives the gift without knowing who sent it. You will need to develop strategies to be a silent donor.  But it will be worth the effort.

Whether it's paying for a stranger’s lunch, or buy a car for a family in need, the amount of the gift is not the point…God loves a cheerful giver. You will experience an amazing nearness to Him as He approves your offering purely motivated by love.

Try it …. You can’t out give God…I can guarantee you that if you secretly bless someone today the blessings will splash out all over you.

“No one has ever become poor by giving.” - Anne Frank

Psalms 14:1 7/16/2019*

“The fool says in his heart, "There is no God."

What does this verse mean? … Is God mocking atheism?

Of course not, God does not believe that atheist exist. God has declared that His existence has been made evident to everyone. 

Romans says, “His invisible attributes, namely, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world”.  Psalms says, “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims His handiwork.”

God knows that you know.  He has put the awareness of His presence in every soul. We are made in His image and we recognize the family resemblance in our innate sense of fairness and desire for justice.

If I take food from one of my atheist friends and eat it because I am bigger than they are, they would say that’s wrong …. but there is no “wrong” without God.

Evolution would require that if I am stronger, I eliminate the weak.  Yet even unbelievers see that as unfair. You will not find this idea of "justice” in any creature other than man, and it comes from being created in God's image.

So why this verse? .... This verse is a warning, not a taunt. It is the equivalent of saying “a fool sleeps on railroad tracks” …. God is not being contemptuous … He’s being cautionary.

God is alerting you to the fact that feeling His existence and seeing His handiwork - and yet declaring that He does not exist, is irrational. 

In fact, your actions argue against your words…. your judgement and condemnation of others is not living as though “there is no God” - it is living as though “you are God” .... and you’re not.

God exists….and He is not calling you names. He is trying to wake you up.  Not only does He exist…He cherishes you and wants to adopt you as His own.  So, denying His existence becomes even more senseless.

You have a choice to make… continue being angry at a god you say does not exist? Or decide to accept the reality of the Creator and seek to know this God who is a "rewarder of them that diligently seek Him" (Hebrews 11:6) ...Anything less would be foolish.

"A man can no more diminish God's glory by refusing to worship Him than a lunatic can put out the sun by scribbling the word 'darkness' on the walls of his cell." - C.S. Lewis

Proverbs 30:33 7/9/2019*

“For as churning cream produces butter, and as twisting the nose produces blood, so stirring up anger produces strife."

This verse could not be more clear. Anger causes problems…period.

If you google human anger in the bible you will not find a single verse that puts a positive spin on it. Yet we flirt with this emotion daily. 

Our society condones it. We dress it up with words like “passionate” and “fervent”, but it is just run of the mill anger and it causes trouble.

Most of us have never done anything in anger that we are proud of…and yet we cannot count the times it has caused us to do things for which we are ashamed.

Simply put anger makes fools of us and causes conflict.

How many times have you heard a woman angrily snap at her child in the grocery store and thought “what a great mom?” …or overheard a man being rude to his wife in a restaurant and thought “what a good leader”?

Never, right? …Yet when we are angry, we think we are righteous messengers delivering truth to those who need correction. That’s a lie…

We look as stupid as everyone else does when we are controlled by rage…and the results are often devastating.

So why tolerate it?  If there is a snake in my house, I destroy it…yet I allow this poisonous emotion into my home daily… it doesn’t make sense.

So, lets change that… view anger for what it is…a deadly emotion that can ruin your life just as quickly as drugs, alcohol or any other addiction.  The first step in ending these compulsions is to admit you have a problem and do something about it.

Realize that rage deceives you. It is a seductive flaw that disguises selfishness as righteousness and takes control of your mind. Recognize it and reject it.

Begin your “anger sobriety” program today and take it one day at a time. You will be tempted but refrain.  Pray specifically and continually. The longer you resist anger, the less power it will have over you and eventually you can be free of its control.

Change takes action so let’s get started …” My name is ________ and I have a problem with anger.”

Anger is an acid that can do more harm to the vessel in which it is stored than to anything on which it is poured. - Mark Twain

Jeremiah 31:33 7/2/2019*

“This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel after that time,” declares the Lord. “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.”

You know the point in a movie when you suddenly realize the hero’s plan to save the prisoners? …that is this verse.

The old testament is full of man’s failure to keep the law of God.  The standard operating procedure for Israel was to get in trouble, be delivered by God, make grand commitments to follow Him, and then fail again and begin serving other gods.

The enemy must have been elated that there was “not one who was righteous, not even one” (Romans 3:10), and probably felt as though his strategy was working beautifully.

But this verse is the moment when the devil realizes he has walked into a trap. 

The law was never intended to save us…it was to show us that we needed saving.

Law written on stone can only show me problems, not fix them…but law written on my heart and put in my mind transforms everything.

The game changer is that it is not an outside standard that I continually fail, but an internal change that empowers me to succeed.

This is what salvation is …. not some intellectual ascension to an idea, but a radical procedure where I am given a new heart and a new mind…. Both of which have the law of God tattooed permanently on them.

That is why I am free…not because I improved…but because God made me new.

The Holy Spirit engraving the law of God on your heart is the only way that God can be your God, and you can be His people.

If you are still trying to earn your way, you missed the best part of the movie. You can’t be good enough to earn salvation. The grand plot twist is that your transformation is a gift. Go to your Father, repent, and accept His grace and rest in the work He has already done.

“The old covenant says, “Keep the law and live.” The new covenant is, “You shall live, and I will lead you to keep my law, for I will write it on your heart.”
- Charles Spurgeon

Matthew 6:12 6/25/2019*

“And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.”

For years I knelt in locker rooms and recited this pre-game prayer with teammates. But I would always quietly change this one line.  I would say “forgive my debts and ‘help me’ to forgive my debtors”.

Why? …. Because I wanted real forgiveness, not the kind I offer to others. 

I knew the forgiveness I offered came at a high price:

1.    You must feel horrible about yourself.

2.    You must never forget that you failed.

3.    You must understand my forgiveness is temporary and if you stumble again your guilt will all come flooding back.
 

That is not how God has forgiven me…and it is not how I am to forgive others.

Jesus said exactly what He meant to say … I unwisely edited that sentence because it is difficult to live out…it is also incredibly important. It is the linchpin that provides the freedom for me to reflect the heart of God.

We are commanded to love others - and love does not require others to carry the weight of their failures for the rest of their life.

The price paid for our redemption was too great for it to be temporary or partial.  The forgiveness Jesus offers is so complete that once pardoned, our sins are forgotten. (Hebrews 8:12) We are made new and restored to a perfect relationship with Him.  

In this verse He says I must offer the same.

That kind of forgiveness might be difficult for me to accomplish… but if thoughts of your sin creep back into my mind ... I must intentionally take them captive and allow the blood of Christ to cover your iniquities as completely as it has covered mine.

Jesus meant precisely what He said …I am to forgive, as I have been forgiven…The bar is extremely high but if we clear it…it will set us free. 

Is there someone you need to forgive today?  Remove their chains and you will discover that you are the one who is liberated.

It may be a long fight…. You may have to battle those feelings for a while…but it is easier than carrying the weight of unforgiveness….and your freedom is worth the effort.

“To be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you.” –C.S. Lewis