A little Contamination means alot!

In a bible study recently we were studying I Cor 3:11-15 and we started out talking about how important our foundation is and that Christ is the one and only true foundation to the Christian life. The conversation then began to flow to our own efforts and what we place on the foundation. We discussed what we should be focused on to make sure that our work survived the test of fire. My mind went back to a story that was reported on the news that week. It seems that home owners across the nation decided to save money and bought drywall that was manufactured in China. The home owners were taken by surprise months later when their whole house was contaminated with some sort of gas that was coming from the board. It was so potent it begin to cause light fixtures, plumbing fixtures etc to corrode and even the owners we starting to feel ill. These homes had a solid foundation, well built framing and roof but one bad product contaminated the whole house. The lesson we should learn is yes there is no greater foundation than our Saviour but we need to be on guard to protect our lives from contamination. Prov 4:23!

Miss California Dilemma

I sat back and watched how Hollywood has castigated Miss California for standing up for what she believed in. I have to admit I fall on her side when it comes to marriage and I have even written about the subject on my blog. We all find out what we really stand for when challenged like Carrie Prejean. The left will always fight for your right to say and do as you please as long as you agree with them on a particular subject. They do have the right to say as they please but so does Carrie Prejean. Carrie certainly proved what she was made of when she stood before a national audience and answered with her convictions knowing it would cost her dearly in the eyes of Hollywood. She had an eternal view that I hope all of us will have when we are challenged. I am a firm believer we are getting daily closer to our faith being challenged like never before. Let's prepare now and decide what we will do when our faith is questioned.

Late Update: I am sure you have read about the pictures that are now coming out of Ms. Prejean. This is clearly is a tactic to water down her message on marriage. I don't agree with her posing for the pictures but this does not change the message of marriage. We should use this as a reminder that our life's testimony can water down our message. I pray we will pay close attention to our life's work so our message is not lost in the noise that the world can create.

Golf's Lessons in Life

I took up Golf a couple of years back and I quickly found out how tough this sport can be to learn. I love the game and decided to take some lessons from a local golf teacher. This teacher is excellent and I would recommend him to anyone. When we worked to together I found myself hitting the ball with more confidence and the ball traveled further and went straighter. We would work for 30 minutes together and then he would move on to his next student. The frustrating part of this equation comes when I begin to practice without my teacher. I very quickly lose confidence and can't seem to replicate the swing that he helped me find. This is clearly not the teachers fault. He can't be there every second. I have to learn to reproduce the same swing that he finds when we work together. As I thought about this dilemma recently I realized how thankful I am that the Lord does not give us instruction then walk away to another student. He is patiently there all the time wanting to be our constant companion to teach us how to replicate Christ (Phil 2:1-5) in our life. I soon realized as much as I would like my golf instructor to be with me on the course that was not going to happen. The truth is we have the ability to have the Lord with us all the time.

Good Deeds

I was involved in a group discussion recently about good deeds before salvation. I guess I need to start with how this came up. We were in discussion about I Cor 3:10-15. We were talking about our works as Christians and what would survive the trying fire. The moderator asked what about our good works before salvation? There were varying thoughts on the subject but I think we need to stick to what God's Word says not our human reasoning or quote wisdom. The first thought that came to my mind were two verses Jeremiah 17:9 & Isaiah 64:6. The previous verses both exclaim our sinfulness. One says our hearts are desperately wicked and the other says our righteousness is as filthy rags. When we are apart from God our best is like filthy rags. I then turn to Hebrews 11:6 and I read that it is impossible to please God apart from faith. If it is impossible to please God apart from faith I would have to come to the conclusion that only things that please God would survive the trying fire. This means that everything that we do before salvation will not count in heaven. Someone said to me this means all the good things I did before I got saved count for nothing. I said yes I believe that is true but lest we forget all our sins are no longer counted either. Praise the Lord! For his righteousness and his grace and mercy.