Nehemiah 3:20 5/31/2022*

“After him Baruch the son of Zabbai zealously repaired another section, from the Angle to the doorway of the house of Eliashib the high priest.”

Nehemiah is leading a restoration project to re-build the wall around Jerusalem. There is great opposition, and his team is under attack.

They all have the honor of having their names recorded in God’s holy Word, but one stands out…His name is Baruch. …. He is the only one who worked “zealously” … If I had to guess, I would bet Baruch’s zeal was evident because he did his work with joy.  The joy of The Lord is our strength, and Baruch enthusiastically built his section and helped his neighbor, with godly zeal. 

Our world is full of sinical armchair quarterbacks who constantly complain and point out the flaws of others, but I bet Baruch was the type that just grabbed some tools and helped his neighbor work.

Each day there is ample opportunity for me to make myself look better by pointing out the mistakes of others - but what if instead, I worked with zeal to help my neighbor succeed. What if I allowed love for others to drive my passion and instead of assigning blame for a problem, I helped solve it?

This is such a great passage for today because each man did his part and, in the end, a massive work is accomplished.

We face an overwhelming task today.  There are so many problems in our country it is easier to just stand back and complain. But if enough of us picked up some tools and repaired just the problem in front of us, our country would move forward.  And if enough of us were like Baruch and joyously did a little extra – America could be restored.

Of course, it is easier to simply blame the other side for the problem but if we do that tomorrow will be the same as today.

I am not sure what part of the wall I am supposed to build today but I intend to do it with enough joy, and passion that people can tell I love them and am zealous for the Lord. If I do it right, some might be persuaded to stop complaining and start working. And only then will tomorrow be better than today.

“A zealous Savior ought to have zealous disciples.” - J. C. Ryle

Isaiah 6:5 5/24/2022*

"Woe to me!" I cried. "I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty." 

Have you ever been devastated by a glimpse of the majesty of God?... Maybe you saw it in a sunset…or the smile of a newborn child.  Perhaps the Holy Spirit revealed an inkling of the Love the Father has for you and it overpowered you.

However it happened, it pushed you into the harsh comparison of who you are - and who God is…and forced you to reckon with the magnitude of grace that has been granted to you. 

That is a good thing – occasionally you need to get “down wind” of yourself and get a whiff of your own sin. 

When hunting or camping, after a few days you can develop what is called Anosmia…also referred to as “smell blindness”. You lose the ability to smell yourself…you only notice the problem when you get back to civilization and sit next to someone with reasonable hygiene. 

In this world we develop “spiritual anosmia”. We accept and normalize sin until it produces “sin blindness”.  Which makes us believe we are not so bad - until we are jolted by a glimpse of what true holiness looks like. 

In this chapter Isaiah tells the people five separate times… “Woe to you, there is no hope for you….” Then suddenly he catches sight of the glory of God and says “Woe to me!... There is no hope for me”. 

It completely wrecks him. The Glory of God magnified the stench of his own sin …and he was undone…unable to hide from the uncleanness of his own transgressions, he can only cry out for mercy. 

This encounter re-calibrated his spiritual olfactory senses and produced immediate repentance and humility… and that is exactly what you and I need.

Meditate on God’s glory this morning and allow Him to contrast your sin with His holiness. Take a hard look in the mirror and confess your sins to your Father…Fall to your knees and acknowledge your need for real and immediate repentance. 

 Then rest in the amazing grace of God as He washes your unclean lips with the cleansing blood of His Son. 

“Therefore, when I admonish you to confession, I am admonishing you to be a Christian.” – Martin Luther

Joshua 4:21-23 5/17/2022*

“And he said to the sons of Israel, “When your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, ‘What are these stones?’ then you shall inform your children, saying, ‘Israel crossed this Jordan on dry ground.’  For the Lord your God dried up the waters of the Jordan before you until you had crossed, just as the Lord your God had done to the Red Sea, which He dried up before us until we had crossed…”

When is the last time you sat down and told your kids a story about God delivering you from trouble?...

This is the second time in this chapter that God specifically instructs the Israelites to tell their children examples of His power. 

Not just theology, or bible memorization, but tell them about times He delivered them personally. This is an important principal that we may have allowed to slip through the cracks.  

So, we must intentionally take time with our kids, grandkids, and those we mentor to tell them what God has done in our lives. Our children, both natural and spiritual, need to know our story. They need to hear our histories of faith. Great stories of God showing up just in time…  Not just for Moses, but for you as well…. We need to do some planning – maybe some writing – perhaps record a video about water splitting times so they (and we) won’t forget the times God liberated us with His amazing grace.  

We tend to overlook the rescues and focus on the times things didn’t go the way we wanted… We should spend more time reminiscing and documenting the times the waters parted – instead of focusing on the times we got wet. Especially since we usually find out later on, that the reason we were treading water - was because our enemies couldn’t swim.  

God is never late. He doesn’t have plan “b’s”, and He is always in control. He has specifically rescued you before and you need to pass that on. Trust God – remember what He does - and tell your kids…No inheritance will hold a candle to them hearing your testimony. Money disappears, stuff will rust and fail. But stories of your faith, will strengthen the faith of those who follow you for the times when they must face their own Red Seas.

“A father’s holy life is a rich legacy for his sons” – Charles Spurgeon

TITUS 3:9 -11 5/10/2022*

 “But avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and strife and disputes about the Law, for they are useless and worthless. Reject a divisive person after a first and second warning, knowing that such a person has deviated from what is right and is sinning, being self-condemned.”

The church today seems to have abandoned this instruction. 

We view ourselves as righteous keyboard warriors. We not only don’t avoid foolish controversies, we initiate them. 

This passage says that our method of making disciples is not arguing…You don’t “gameplan” witnessing by attacking your opponent’s weaknesses and lording your superior intellect over them.  

There is a place for apologetics but like the name implies it is not an aggressive attack on another man’s position. It is a loving instruction that helps them grow closer to God. 

This verse says don’t participate in foolish arguments …and avoid people who do. It uses a phrase that is a little foreign to us….” Warning them” …It doesn’t say ignore their argumentativeness, nor does it say to attack them – it says talk to them – more than once – but if they continue - refuse to be drawn into their quarrelsomeness. 

When the eternal destiny of souls is on the line, we must be prepared to speak the truth in love…but we cannot browbeat someone into salvation… at some point, we must stop debating with them and instead talk to God on their behalf. 

Intellect is not what makes people combative…arrogance does. If you are constantly arguing, it is not because people don’t understand your point - it is that you’re trying to dominate, not communicate.

We can’t silently pretend nothing is wrong when sinfulness is normalized.  We must stand up for what is right and that will make conflict inevitable at times. But we must avoid becoming head-hunters – easily offended, and constantly prowling around looking for a way to start an argument.

Balance…Love your brother enough to tell him the truth – but any debate should have restoration as its goal - not conquest.  We are not here to argue with sinners, we are here to rescue them. 

 This is a tough passage - and we don’t follow it well…That’s probably why the church looks so much like the world these days.

 “Discussions are always better than arguments – an argument is to find out who is right, and a discussion is to find out what is right.” 

– anonymous

1 John 1:9-10 5/3/2022*

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous, so that He will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us.”

In this verse confession is a deal breaker.  It allows us to be cleansed of unrighteousness. …So, is it part of what we do every day?

When is the last time you inventoried your sins without a disclaimer? 

We have no problem admitting we did something wrong but there is always a reason…” I am sorry, but”…. When I start explaining my actions, I am not sorry for them…Either I regret them, or I have a reason for doing them – I need to decide.

Our culture is unable to confess sin…we deflect it, normalize it, blame it on others…sometimes we change its name and call it an illness. Ultimately, we blame God and say we were created the way we are - and accept no responsibility. 

According to this verse, when we do that, we are calling God a liar…Implying in the end, that it is His fault when we act un-righteously. This passage says that is a dangerous path to follow. 

Let’s compare the amount of time, we spend examining our walk to rid it of sin - against the amount of time we spend petitioning God for things we want. By the content of our prayer life… are we implying that God is a liar? …. And if so, is His word not in us?... Those are important questions. 

The subject of confession quickly becomes critical when I realize the lack of time, I spend involved in it. Most spiritual problems come from either having a faulty concept of God - or having a faulty concept of yourself.  Confession covers and adjusts both areas – perhaps that is why it is so important. 

Spend some time owning your own errors today…Evaluate and confess your shortcomings.  Practice saying, “I am so sorry – that was my fault.” Allow the blood of Christ to cleanse you and reject the psycho-babble that blames others. 

Sin grows in the dark – so drag it out in the light – confess it, repent of it, and watch how quickly it will lose power in your life. 

“The confession of evil works is the first beginning of good works.”

-Saint Augustine

1 John 3:23-24 4/26/2022*

“This is His commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as He commanded us.” 

Two commandments … believe in Jesus - and love one another. 

Pretty clear …but oh how easily we mess this up. 

Sometimes I choose to not love my brother because he doesn’t keep God’s commands… So, I am breaking God’s command, by not loving a brother, because he is breaking God’s command… It is exhausting. 

My ever-changing application of scripture for my own convenience is hypocrisy. 

Who do you think Jesus meant when He said to love your enemy? …. The guy that looks and talks like you? ... No – everybody loves that guy…. 

He meant the guy who believes in everything you’re against – the guy that mocks your standards…. If you love that guy - the world will take notice.  And I don’t mean some pious, self-centered, martyr complex…I mean really love them and pursue what is best for them.

Is that your goal? Do you spend time searching for ways to serve others? Have you googled how you can assist those who don’t believe what you believe?  Me neither…. 

So how will tomorrow be any different? Will we just nod in agreement and say “yeah, I need to work on that”? – or will we do something? ….God doesn’t want our agreement He wants our obedience.

We must decide to LOVE others … not based on who they are - but on whose they are …and then act on it.  

This is counter to my nature which is to react to people instead of responding to God…and if, for even a moment, I stop focusing on Christ’s undeserved love for me - I will fail in loving others. 

Make today different by refusing to be self-centered and instead actively and intentionally love those around you as He has commanded. 

The world tells you to love yourself - the bible tells you to die to yourself and love others. Your creator knows His creation, so do what He says. Trust Jesus and love others – It is sometimes difficult, but it is not complicated.

“It is wonderful how much time people spend fighting the devil. If they would only expend the same amount of energy loving their fellow men, the devil would die in his own tracks of listlessness and dissatisfaction” - Helen Keller

Matthew 6 :24 4/19/2022*

“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other.”

God is not something you add to your life – He must become the entire essence of who you are.

He is not a Sunday morning tradition but a life changing, “about face”, which alters every motive, every dream, and every goal. 

When God demands holiness, it is not just for Christmas and Easter. It is a fulltime calling.  Holiness means set apart…you are consecrated and sanctified for communion with an entirely Holy God…. This must define your conduct and excludes you from unholy things.  

You would never use your drinking glass to dip water from the toilet because that glass is set aside for a special purpose…You and I are the same. We are not to be quenching thirst on Sunday - and dipping in toilets during the week.

We have a King – we are created to serve and fellowship with Him, and our life should reflect His holiness. 

Too many of us attempt to compartmentalize our lives and serve God on Sunday and ourselves the rest of the week.  This is the “TV Dinner” approach to living where everything is divided into separate sections – but God calls us to be more like “Chicken Pot Pies”.  Our lives must be the same regardless of when or where you dip into them. We can’t have moral partitions…We are to be consistently righteous.

If you hear me teaching Sunday School or negotiating a business deal you should hear the same honesty and integrity. If I am talking to someone at church or my wife at home, there should be the same gentle heart and unselfish love. 

When you accept Christ, He doesn’t fix your heart - He performs a transplant.  You cannot keep both hearts and expect to survive.  So, make your choice. Serve God or serve the world…but be “all in” one way or the other. 

If you are lukewarm clinging to your old sick, failing heart – The new holy heart will not be effective. Embrace the healthy transplanted heart and reject the failing anemic one and don’t allow its disease to infect your new life. 

“There must be a divorce between you and sin, or there can be no marriage between you and Christ.” – Charles Spurgeon

Genesis 1:1 4/12/2022*

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”

You get one sentence into the bible before you have a decision to make. Do you believe God existed before the “beginning”? …Because if this is not true then nothing that is written afterwards matters. 

Do you believe there is an eternal Deity who created what we call the universe? Or do you reject this and simply admit that you have no idea how we got here? …Those are your only options.  

Science never claims to know origin. It offers an elaborate admission of ignorance about the beginning and suggest various hypotheses for what happened somewhere in the middle.  You will not find a science book that discusses an element that was present prior to the “beginning”.  

That is because science deals with finite particles.  They have no formula to explain “something” coming from “nothingness”. 

Their dilemma is in conceptualizing an eternal component. So, when they propose a “big bang” from a collision of particles, there is no pretense that they know where those particles came from, or why they were moving. 

This is a problem when you are trying to explain the origin of the universe…but it is an even bigger problem when you are seeking truth. 

Just as God is necessary for creation, He is also necessary to establish absolute truth…. Jesus said “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me.” Again, you must either believe that statement or reject it.  Our nation has chosen the latter, and we are reaping what we have sown. 

There is no standard for truth…only loud opinions. We cannot define, marriage, gender, right, wrong, morals, ethics, honesty, equality …we are absolutely adrift. In our aimlessness the only allowable absolute is that there are no absolutes. 

All we can offer are elaborate, confessions of ignorance…and then adamantly assert unsubstantiated opinions. 

The world appears content to pretend all of this makes sense, but you have a decision to make. Keep blindly following the blind or open your bible and start living life based on solid, definable, absolute truth. There is nothing virtuous about ambiguity.  

"Truth is objective because God exists outside ourselves; it is universal because God is above all; it is constant because God is eternal. Absolute truth is absolute because it originates from the original." - Josh McDowell

PSALM 25:1-3 4/5/2022*

“To You, Lord, I lift up my soul. My God, in You I trust, Do not let me be ashamed; Do not let my enemies rejoice over me. Indeed, none of those who wait for You will be ashamed”

What is your anchor? Where do you turn when a storm comes? The writer of this psalm says that The Lord is his anchor…The Lord is the one to whom he lifts his soul.  

Is that true of me? When the chips are down do I look to my own ingenuity, or do I trust in the Lord?  

Sure, I say I trust God in the daily challenges – but when everything is on the table – winner take all – no safety net…. what is my “go to” approach …me or God?

Too often we choose to lower our soul to earthly remedies instead of lifting it to God. We turn to self-medication, or distraction rather than resting in the power of our Heavenly Father. We panic, and spiral into fear and anxiety instead of relying on the proven love and power of the Great I Am. 

But you say, “you don’t understand how bad my situation is”. That may be true. But no problem is big until it is yours - and perseverance is only perseverance when it is hard. So, don’t buy the Facebook lie that everyone else’s life is perfect. You are not alone in your struggles, but like all of us, you must choose your path. 

You may be impressed by a chair, and say it has good workmanship…but you don’t have faith in a chair until you sit in it.  When trouble comes in your life, are you impressed by God - or do you have faith in Him?

In Romans, Paul writes: “Anyone who believes in Him will never be put to shame.”  Paul shows an unyielding confidence in God - The writer of this psalm shows the same - but I do not see enough of it in me.  

Do I trust God or not?  Am I sitting in the comfort of God’s grace or just saying good things about it as I stand on my own?  My anchor must be Christ ….and to Him alone I will lift my soul and rest in the assuredness of His love. 

“Faith does not eliminate questions. But faith knows where to take them.” - Elisabeth Elliot

Malachi 3:16 3/29/2022*

“Then those who feared the Lord spoke to one another, and the Lord listened attentively and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who fear the Lord and esteem His name.” 

Read that again…It says the Lord listened attentively when they “spoke to one another”.  

I sound pious when I am praying directly to God…and I usually choose my words carefully when I am speaking publicly.  But do I realize that God listens when I talk to others?  

How eager are you for God to hear how you speak to your family?  

Are you okay with God listening attentively when you talk to people at work?  What about when you speak to people you disagree with politically? 

Philippians 4:5 says “Let your gentle spirit be known to all people. The Lord is near.” How often do I forget that “The Lord is near” … and would anyone say I have a gentle spirit?

Do I assume that since I don’t see Him, God is not listening to every word that comes out of my mouth?  How would the content of my conversations change if I focused on the fact that He is interested in what I say? 

As humans we modify our language and content based on who is listening …A person’s rank, power, and prestige can have a significant impact on our communication style, content, and delivery.  How much more should the most powerful Being in the universe impact what we say and how we say it? 

Why have I not realized that God hears more than just my prayers. Nothing I do, say, or even think about today will go unnoticed. He is listening attentively. 

The end of the passage makes it clear that God distinguishes “between the righteous and the wicked”, in some degree based on what we say.  Those who love Him are His treasured possessions and it shows in how we communicate.

The tongue is our spiritual thermometer. It can tell us if our heart is sick.  Make sure you are heart healthy today remembering that nothing you say is private, and nothing you say - no matter who you say it to - is unimportant. 

“The true test of a man’s spirituality is not his ability to speak, as we are apt to think, but rather his ability to bridle his tongue.” 
- R. Kent Hughes