Proverbs 1:7 7/8/2025

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge”

This verse feels confusing because scripture repeatedly says, “fear not”.  The problem is that the word “fear” is an inadequate translation for this passage… it doesn’t have the depth needed to  describe how we must approach God. 

I understand the verse because I had a Dad who loved me more than his own life… He was the most consistent, godly man I’ve ever known… I was safe with him, yet I had a healthy “fear” of him.  I cannot explain why, as he was never abusive in any way. Sure, I got a well-deserved spanking or two growing up… but that was not what I feared.  I think I feared letting him down… I feared not being in agreement with him because that would mean I was wrong.  His presence was comforting, challenging, and inspiring, all at the same time.

That is an inkling of what this verse means…  God proved His love for us by sacrificing His Son in our place… Because of that, we have not received the wrath we deserve, instead we’ve received grace and mercy,  which provides redemption.  

So where does “fear” come in?  As I said, translating to the English word “fear” is insufficient…  Awe, reverence, respect,  amazement, humility, astonishment…  we need a word that encapsulates all those emotions.  His power and holiness are unfathomable.  He is our protective loving Father and yet He remains the Omnipotent Warrior God of Armies… and we must perceive and hold on to both of those identities. 

I never referred to my Dad as “my old man”… and it would have been ill-advised to do so in his presence.  It would have been incongruent with our relationship and what I knew him to be… In the same way there is a danger in thinking of  God as the  “man upstairs”…. That flippant dismissiveness is unwise.

Fearing the Lord means never forgetting who He is or what He’s done… Recognizing His power produces tremendous “fear” which ironically will make you courageous.  This morning, recalibrate your opinion of your Redeemer and approach today with a healthy “Fear” of the all-powerful God who loves you more than you can comprehend.

“The remarkable thing about God is that when you fear God, you fear nothing else, whereas if you do not fear God, you fear everything else.”
- Oswald Chambers

Matthew 7:13-14 7/1/2025

"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.  But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”

What does Jesus mean by referring to a wide or narrow gate?   

We find some insight in James 2:19 when it says, “You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.”  James is saying that recognizing the existence of God isn’t faith, it’s just acknowledgement, and later in the chapter he states that acknowledging scripture without doing what it says, is the wide gate of deceiving yourself.    

In our passage this morning Jesus references the wide, well-traveled road that leads to destruction.  Its lack of doctrine allows us to lead ourselves and does not offend our flesh. It doesn’t call for remorse or repentance … doesn’t even call for change.  Instead, it permits us to claim Christianity without transformation.  We rename and normalize depravity and modify scripture to fit “our truth”.  We accept His Mercy without acknowledging His Lordship. That has never been God’s offer and unfortunately, many take this path.  

What about you?  Have you died to yourself and committed to following Jesus?  Christianity is not an additive to your life , it’s a replacement… it defines you.  It ends your old existence and begins a new one … The gospel is clear on that point.  If your Pastor never offends your sinful flesh, and doesn’t prompt you to change…  then he’s not preaching, he’s just entertaining.  If there is no evidence of the Holy Spirit redeeming your life, you may still be on the wide road to destruction… and you don’t have to be.  

Accept God’s offer today and be reborn… The narrow road is narrow, but it is well marked by fruitful changes in your life.  It transforms you into a new creation who lives a different way. Acknowledging the narrow way, and walking it, are two different things… Place your faith in Christ today. Give Him Lordship of your life and set out on the beautiful narrow path that sets you free.  

"The false prophet is a man who has no 'strait gate' or 'narrow way' in his gospel. He has nothing which is offensive to the natural man; he pleases all." -  Martyn Lloyd-Jones

John 19:30 6/24/2025

“…It is finished…” 

This isn’t the first time we’ve talked about this pronouncement that Jesus made on the Cross  … It’s worth revisiting though because without this verse, humanity has no security.  Without this declaration, we would be in jeopardy every day, fighting a force we are incapable of defeating.  We would be slaves to sin, and our eternal destiny would be uncertain. 

BUT GOD instigated a rescue mission, and Jesus finished it on the Cross.  Its completion means that the ransom due for my sin has been paid … Jesus’ death is applied to me, and I am reborn into a new life.  All the shame, all the disappointments, all the failures have been washed away by the Cross.

When I woke up this morning:

I didn’t need to perform any rituals to be a child of God ... It Is Finished.  

No work was required of me to secure my salvation …  It Is Finished. 

My faith alone assures my eternity in Heaven … It Is Finished.

When the enemy begins to list my failures, when he reminds me of my unworthiness, when he questions how God could ever love someone like me … I point at the Cross and say IT’S FINISHED.  

The same is true of you …if you have accepted Jesus’ sacrifice as your own. If you follow Him as your Lord, and cling to Him as your Savior … then it’s  FINISHED.  Take a deep breath… You are free… Rest in the liberation Jesus Purchased for you.  No need to do good things, in order to be saved; your good works are simply a product of your already purchased salvation.  Jesus said it is finished. There is nothing else required for your redemption. God loves you, and Jesus proved it.  Your adoption is airtight and permanent.  

So, go out today and focus on Loving God and loving others -  because your destiny has been determined … Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate you  from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus your Lord.… IT IS FINISHED. 

“The central basis of Christian assurance is not how much our hearts are set on God, but how unshakably his heart is set on us.” - Tim Keller

1 CORINTHIANS 3:18 6/17/2025

“Take care that no one deceives himself. “ 

We really missed the boat on this one… Not only do we not take care to avoid deception… we pursue it because it normalizes our sin. We put on blinders, deceiving ourselves and allowing others to do the same. Once deceived, we go to great lengths to keep the misinformation alive… Nothing is more important than our ability to maintain our comfort, and self-importance.  

If truth breaks through and exposes our sin, we call it hate… This, of course, changes nothing so we become the victim, refusing to own any consequences.  No matter how ludicrous the proposition, we collect “experts” who will strengthen the sham, and confidently deny, undeniable facts.

If you will honestly consider the arguments currently raging in our culture, you will understand why God  says,  “you should become “fools” so that you may become wise.”  What this world calls “wisdom” has gone completely off the rails… Indefensible ideas are embraced and anyone who questions them is attacked as unloving. We defend what scripture calls depravity… Instead of confessing and repenting, we offer justifications and normalize… We deceive ourselves and call it enlightenment. The truth is it is foolishness in the dark, yet we will accept any argument that defends our moral deviation.  

To make ourselves comfortable in our sin, we ignore science, logic,  reason, and we certainly ignore scripture.  But we’re only deceiving ourselves… No amount of protesting will change the truth to fit your life… the only effective option is to alter your life to fit the truth. But that takes humility. That takes an acknowledgment that there is a God… and it’s not you.

If your reading this and  thinking someone else needs to hear it because of their sin … then you too have deceived yourself and missed the point.  This morning is between you and God.  Living righteously is often difficult, but it’s seldom complicated.  It’s simply choosing who you follow.  

YOU must search scripture, and follow God … This morning you can acknowledge as sin what you and your circle have professed as normal… You can break the chains and  walk differently starting today…  or you can deceive yourself and reap the consequences of ignoring God’s Word … It’s your call.

"A fool thinks himself to be wise, but a wise man knows himself to be a fool" - William Shakespeare

1 CORINTHIANS 3:5 6/10/2025

 “What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, even as the Lord gave opportunity to each one.”

Paul is explaining to the Corinthians that the power of the church is not dependent on performers. The function of church is to worship God, and He provides the Spirit that makes that possible. The Corinthians had turned church into a talent show and had split into factions, promoting their favorite speaker. 

There is no room for that in God’s house.  The church is not a corporate entity, or fraternity… The rules that apply to secular organizations have little to do with the House of God.  The function and governance of God’s church are laid out in scripture and its purpose is not to entertain you, but to glorify The Lord. 

God ordained His church to spread the gospel, and to be a triage unit for those who have been wounded.  Choosing a church should be more like signing up for combat, than finding a comfortable place to be entertained. Your preferred styles of communication are immaterial; the truth in the message is all that matters.

I once heard a preacher respond to parishioners who were angry with the style of “worship”… He simply said, “that’s OK, we aren’t worshiping you”… and that is an important point for us all to remember. 

God is a jealous God … and zeal for His Father’s house caused Jesus to drive some folks out of the building…  So, our attitude matters to God, and it cannot be polluted with selfish pursuits. 

What attitude will you have this Sunday?  Will you go to church to check a box, and while there, complain about the coffee, grade the sermon, and scrutinize the praise team?  

Or will you focus on loving God and  His children, and pray for the humility, that will make you a man after God’s own heart?  Who will you worship this Sunday… The Lord, or yourself?

Because they were focused on themselves instead of God, Paul tells the Corinthians that they have missed the point. They’ve forgotten that church has a singular goal… to magnify Christ as Lord and Savior. That is what God’s Church exist to do.

Energy spent doing anything else is wasted energy. 

“I don’t think the job of the church is to make people happy… it’s to make them holy.”  - Chuck Colson

Numbers 11:1 6/3/2025

“Now the people became like those who complain of adversity in the ears of the Lord”

This chapter reveals God’s opinion of ungratefulness….  After 400 years of slavery, God is miraculously leading the Israelites out of Egypt, parting the Red Sea, and destroying Pharaoh’s army in the process.  God was feeding them daily, leading them by a cloud during the day and a pillar of fire at night… All this protection and provision and yet they were grumbling about the menu. Even Moses was feeling sorry for himself,  everybody was bellyaching, and God clearly reveals that He is not impressed by, nor tolerant of their attitudes.

I too, am unimpressed with these entitled drama queens and their “poor pitiful me” approach to every problem… Their ungratefulness after daily miracles seems ridiculous. That is, until I get downwind of myself and take a good look in the mirror. When that occurs, I recognize the constant blessings in my life and realize that I, like the Israelites,  spend limited time expressing gratitude in my prayers.

What about you? What percentage of your prayers are thankful and filled with praise,  and what percentage are asking for more and better? Do you spend as much time thanking God for what you have, as you do pleading with Him for what you want?

This chapter instructs us to appreciate God's provisions rather than complain about them. And if you read the second part of verse one, you will see that that is much more than just a suggestion. 

“…The Lord heard them, and His anger was kindled, and the fire of the Lord burned among them and consumed some at the outskirts of the camp.”

Maybe we should all have Numbers 11:1 as a memory verse. That might help us remember that God doesn’t change, and since He didn’t like their grumbling then – He probably doesn’t  like our grumbling now.

We are quick to receive blessings yet still whine and focus on problems, but God does not tolerate complainers…  ANYTIME we feel self-pity we need to step back and compare what we have, to what we deserve.  Humbly asking your Father for grace and mercy is one thing… complaining and feeling like we deserve better …is quite another.

“Complaining, ungratefulness, and self-pity cannot serve as a foundation for a good future, no matter how much effort you put into it.” -  Anonymous

Acts 11:18 5/27/2025

“When they heard this, they quieted down and glorified God, saying, “Well then, God has also granted to the Gentiles the repentance that leads to life.”

This is seldom the reaction to change in religious denominations today.  These Jewish Christians faced a massive challenge to their church tradition.  But instead of quarrelling, they listened… and upon hearing Peter quote Jesus, and testify to what God had done,  they had no further objections and praised God.  

This wasn’t just changing the brand of coffee served, or the color of the carpet in the church… This was a major doctrinal clarification regarding who could be a child of God, elevating Gentile Christians to equality with Jewish Christians.  In other words, lessoning the exclusivity of the Jewish believers.  Even so, the membership listened … and embraced the truth. And then just continued doing what Christians were created to do – Praising God. 

In too many churches today, if a group of members is losing status they divide into teams and start assassinating the character of the opposition.  Or, in other cases, just take their families and go find a church that won’t challenge the status quo…. But this group, when reminded of Jesus’ words, humbly “quieted down and glorified God”.  

What would happen today if we were  humble enough to change our long-held opinion and follow accurately applied scripture.  What if our knee jerk reaction to being corrected wasn’t to immediately grab our keyboards and start spewing anger… How would the reputation of the church change, if we stopped letting pride mix with self-centered passion and instead of trying to win the argument, started trying to understand God’s perspective.  

When it was explained to the early church, that scripture clearly pointed to Christ, and that He died on the Cross for all mankind… they embraced it… They didn’t ignore God’s word to maintain their position. They held tightly to scripture, changing their opinions to fit God, instead of changing God to fit their opinions. 

We cannot water down our passion, but the target of that passion must be God’s will, not our rituals.  Make sure you pursue The Lord, not your own desires. Be unmovable on scriptural truth but hold loosely to tradition.  Too often, we do the opposite.... especially when the change elevates someone other than ourselves.

“They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.”
– Jesus  (Matthew 15:9).

 

Proverbs 14:30 5/202/2025

“A tranquil heart is life to the body, But jealousy is rottenness to the bones.”

It has been said that jealousy kills love under the pretense of keeping it alive. Both in friendships and romantic relationships, jealousy is deadly, yet we don’t seem to try to avoid it. The Bible says that Love is patient, kind, not envious, not boastful, nor proud. So, jealousy is not a component of  biblical love.

Since that is the case,  why do we tolerate it? Why do we dismissively say, “oh, he (or she) is just a little jealous”… as though it is a  minor condition with no consequences?  It is not minor it is dangerous and is capable of injuring both parties.  Envy is not a byproduct of loving others, it comes from an inordinate amount of self-love and it can destroy its target as well as the vessel that carries it. 

If you love someone you should be their biggest fan… But if you feel resentment at their success or popularity it is not because you love them, it is because you love you… and have allowed your affection to become controlling and self-centered. This verse says jealousy is a lethal condition that causes my bones to rot… That is a graphic description which in the original Hebrew, means “it ain’t good for me”.

Maybe it’s time to re-evaluate and make sure you have not allowed this “Trojan Horse” with all its poison, into your heart. If you have, get rid of it.  

God is love. The only way you can love others is to fill your heart with Jesus and let His love splash out on those around you … If your value is found in The Lord, if Christ meets all your needs… then you can love others without resentment.  Nothing should bless you more than the success of those you love. Since you are deeply cherished by the Creator of all things – how can you possibly be jealous of anyone or anything?  

If you grasp this concept, you will bring life and light into any room you enter… Miss it, and you will suck the energy out of any space you occupy. Jealousy and Love can’t live together – they share no trait, and there is not room for both in your heart.

“The jealous are troublesome to others, but a torment to themselves.”
- William Penn

Proverbs 28:6 5/13/2025

“Better the poor whose walk is blameless than the rich whose ways are perverse.” 

Most of us would say we believe this proverb, but how many of us live like we do? 

We all agree this is a wonderful truth for Sunday morning…  but what about the business meeting you have this afternoon?  Do you really think integrity is better than profit?  How “transparent” will you be regarding situations that can cost you money? 

What about the discussion you will have with your significant other this evening? Are you truthful with those you love when it’s inconvenient?  Or have you convinced yourself that sometimes it’s better for them, if they don’t know the truth?

How valuable is your integrity to you?  Today you may be tempted to be dishonest by not saying a word… and some of you will be tempted to outright lie … what will you do? How much would it cost for you to sell your honor?  If you have a price in mind, then you don’t have honor to sell. 

Integrity is static and nonnegotiable. You either value it enough to cling to it or you don’t.  You can’t be “sort of” honest and there is no such thing as “half-truths”. Truth and deceit are mutually exclusive. Which one you choose will be determined by whom you serve.  Self-centeredness produces deceitfulness… God-centeredness produces integrity. 

If you tell me you’re going to “TRY” to be truthful today, I will tell you not to bother… you won’t be.  That’s like telling me you are going to “TRY” to run a marathon… you will never finish if you have given yourself the option to quit.  Integrity works the same way.  You must either fully commit to it– or abandon the concept.

Our culture has polluted honesty to the point that it is unrecognizable.  We offer “versions” of truth, twisting them to fit our situation.   We call them white lies, exaggerations, embellishments, and other nice words but this verse calls that perverse. 

You decide… but being “more” honest is not an option… you are either honest or you’re not… You and God will know the hard truth. Make sure your actions allow you to look in the mirror and know you did the right thing, and that regardless of the outcome, you acted with honor. 

"Integrity is always making the decision you can best shave with…"
- Anonymous

John 3:16 5/6/2025

 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”

The danger of living in the bible belt is that we hear verses like this so often we become callused to them.  Familiarity breeds resistance to the remarkable concept of an Omnipotent Deity loving us and adopting us as children. We are told that we have been redeemed from deserved destruction and given eternal life, yet we are uninspired. 

Unfortunately, the church has contributed to this phenomenon. We have created a watered-down version of the  gospel preaching about God’s sacrifice- but never discussing our sin, or His holiness-  which made the sacrifice necessary. We have created a “self-help” version of Christianity, even though the basis of Christianity is that we are unable to help ourselves. 

We have heard John 3:16 since we were children, but when was the last time it knocked you to your knees and produced remorse and repentance?  How long has it been since the price paid for your sin took your breath away?

I wish we could read that verse for the first time again.  But instead, we have been "vaccinated" against the powerful truth it contains by a small, ineffective dose of religion. This numbs us to God’s  life changing power, and we lose the jolt and astonishment we should experience when we hear the gospel. 

The most staggering news you will ever hear is that God has offered you freedom from sin and death. His love paid the price of your transgressions, and He has made a way for you to have eternal life with Him.

If you can read John 3:16 and not be shocked, then you don’t understand it.  If it doesn’t stun you that Jesus chose to die for you, while you were still sinning against Him, you’re missing the point… Be Still and consider the substance of this verse… Read it as though you have never seen it before.  

God loves You. Let that sink in… let the price He paid for your salvation shake you to your core. Live today in freedom as a new creation, perfected in His love, and amazed by the transformation His mercy has provided.

"Here's the paradox. We can fully embrace God's love only when we recognize how completely unworthy of it we are.” ― Ann Tatlock

Acts 5:21 4/29/2025

“At daybreak they entered the temple courts, as they had been told, and began to teach the people.”

The High Priest had arrested the apostles and ordered them to stop preaching about Jesus.  That night, an Angel busted them out of jail and told them to go back to the temple and keep preaching.

So, the apostles found themselves facing a dilemma that you and I face daily… the world pressuring us to do one thing… and God commanding us to do another. Just like you and me, they needed to decide what to do – knowing there would be a price to pay for their decision. 

Obedience is better than sacrifice, and delayed obedience is disobedience. I am well aware of this, yet in this situation, I may have been tempted to delay… perhaps waiting to see what the reaction was to the jail break.  Maybe rationalized that technically the angel didn’t say go right now, so I’ll prepare, and go later.  I might have tried to find a verse that justified this so I could disobey self-righteously.

This “hesitating” is my specialty.  I speak forcefully on bold obedience, and will certainly encourage you to act quickly and decisively when God commands you to move… But I tend to want to discuss it and negotiate when it is my turn to act.  I can attempt to justify this, but it is simply hypocritical rebellion. 

That’s not what the disciples did, they obeyed at daybreak. I need to have that same form of obedience. Their bold actions flustered the Sanhedrin and put the disciples in a position of power they would not have been in had they delayed. 

What’s your default response when God tells you to do something controversial? Do you obey when instructions are clear, or do you “pray about it”… and try to negotiate a less costly course of action?  Our most common struggle is not trying to know the will of God… it is deciding whether or not we are going to follow it.  As soon as we learn that immediate obedience to God is the best path, our ministry will take on new power. Decide today whom you will follow… the world, or God… then obey and don’t look back.

“Prayer is good: but when used as a substitute for obedience, it is naught but a blatant hypocrisy, a despicable Pharisaism.” - Charles Studd

Luke 23:34 4/22/2025

“Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”

Sunday, we celebrated the most important day in human history.  Easter is the cornerstone of the Christian faith and without it we would be eternally lost. Every year, sermons are preached about the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus, focusing on the horrific physical abuse and humiliation He endured.  

But this verse is often overlooked even though Jesus made the statement while being crucified, and it carries an enormous amount of theology.  This one little sentence sheds light on perhaps the most heartbreaking aspect of the crucifixion… and that is that Jesus deeply loved the people who were executing Him. 

Jesus was interceding for those who were driving the nails into His hands and feet… He loved them as they abused Him. It is one thing to die for someone, it is quite another to pray for them as they kill you. And here’s the hardest part of this verse…  He was praying for you and me. We were the ones driving the nails.  Our sin put Him on the Cross, and His love for us held Him there.  We seldom contemplate this because we don’t understand that level of love and forgiveness.

Instead, we view our granting forgiveness to others as if it were an unheard-of act of spiritual heroism… expecting applause for our compassion. Allowing offenders to  earn surface level forgiveness but never forgetting their crime. That’s not how Jesus forgives.  He doesn’t see those crucifying Him as enemies–  He loves them, and prays for them… The dilemma we face is that we are instructed to forgive in the same way.

This is a command I struggle with, and It is impossible to justify my double standard  when Jesus purchased my redemption while I was sinning. … I can never take credit for my salvation because I was still holding the hammer and nails when He Saved me.  

Easter isn’t about God ignoring my sin… it is about Him acknowledging it, taking it on Himself, and paying for it. I didn’t earn His love… I was actively doing the opposite.  Yet God’s stubborn love forgave me, did the work of restoration for me, and instructed me to do the same for others.

“It's a good thing God chose me before I was born, because he surely would not have afterwards. - Charles Spurgeon

1 Timothy 5 4/15/2025

“But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.”

Paul is cutting through the religious rhetoric, and telling us not to preach about God’s love, while ignoring the needs of our family.  It’s a harsh statement that cuts to the core of our faith.  Christianity is not about going to church; it’s about BEING the church…  And that means worshiping God and serving those He places in your life.  

Dying to yourself is not always about being a martyr… it is more often about being an unnoticed servant. Considering others as more important than yourself is the target, and we don’t hit the target often… probably because we seldom aim at it.  

Our culture teaches us to discount people that don’t benefit us.  Some adult children seem to think it’s selfish of their parents not to die on time.  They feel inconvenienced when asked  to care for those who have cared for them.  Our society has become so self-centered that it is commonplace for the  life of a baby to be spoken of in terms of convenience.  

People are created in the image of God, yet we gauge their importance by what they have done for us lately. This leads to the devaluation of the old, disabled, disadvantaged,  and the unborn.  Its basis is (as always) selfishness with the question being “how does this life improve mine?”  If it does, they are valuable – if they are a burden, they are to be discarded.  It is a disgustingly egotistical mindset that apparently God views as being worse than an unbeliever. 

So, what will you do about this verse?  How about re-evaluating your ministry?…  It’s sometimes easier to serve those who don’t know us … and we are called to spread the Word to the ends of the earth. But how are we treating those that God has placed right in front of us?  Would the ones who know you best say they feel loved and protected by you? God may call some of us to the wilds of Africa to deliver His message, but He first calls all of us to go home and make our family our most important mission field.

"What can you do to promote world peace? Go home and love your family." - Mother Teresa

Exodus 16:1-2 4/8/2025

“They set out from Elim, and all the congregation of the people of Israel came to the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had departed from the land of Egypt.  And the whole congregation of the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron ...”

The “Wilderness of Sin” is a place I am familiar with… it is a place of selfishness in the midst of blessings … it is identified by grumbling about what I want, instead of being grateful for what I have.  

The Israelites have been miraculously delivered from slavery by the parting of the Red Sea, and are being given food and drink by the Creator of the universe…  yet, they are grumbling against the men that have led the way. 

Contentiousness comes naturally for man even when there is no reason for it.  We are seldom satisfied with the blessings we receive, usually needing just a little more.  In this case, God’s children just walked through an ocean on dry land, and they are grumbling about the lunch menu. 

The angels must shake their heads at our foolishness … We have been chosen and blessed. Heaven went to war to rescue us from eternal death. God gave His only begotten Son to redeem us …and instead of falling on our faces in humble adoration, we complain. 

We are worse than the Israelites because we have something they didn’t have… The Spirit of God living inside us.  ALL our needs are met in Christ, and we are offered freedom.  

But in our culture cynicism and condescension are prevalent.  We think it’s intellectual to be derisive and negative… It’s not.  It’s simply an attribute of the “wilderness of sin”. Our separation from God has permitted our self-centeredness to dominate us and make us egotistical and small.  Let’s leave the wilderness and head back towards the garden.  When we are reunited with our Heavenly Father, our gratitude will make us salt and light, instead of bitter and dark… 

Be grateful today and live out your joy and redemption for everyone to see. It’s your call… choose to be bitter or choose to be grateful… There are plenty of reasons to do either - but you can’t do both.   

“Be grateful and you won't grumble. Grumble and you won't be grateful.” - Billy Graham

 

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