Wednesday, June 2, 2010
The End of A Relationship
The people of Israel were set to leave Egypt. (Ex 13:17-22) They were marching out on God's terms. God led them around a possible confrontation with the Philistines (I Cor 10:13) because he knew the people of Israel would flee back to Egypt for protection if faced with war. They needed to learn that Egypt was not their protection but God was their protector. He led them to the Red Sea which looked to be a dead end and possible recapture by Egypt. The parting of the Red Sea was really the division of a relationship. God wanted to end the relationship between Israel and Egypt permanently. He knew they needed to leave their old life behind. Can we see a message for us here? When we accept Christ as our Savior we need to leave our old life behind which means we need to sever some relationships to do that. We need to practice this in our lives daily as our faith to solely depend on God grows. There will always be times in our christian life that we need to lay aside things that are preventing us from moving forward for the Lord. (Heb 12:1-2)
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
About Us
We all have visited websites and seen the tab that says "About us". We expect to be able to find quick info on the owners of the website and some background or their vision for the site. The more I thought about this little phrase "About us". I began thinking about our society today and how we can make everything "about us". It is so easy to wake up in the morning and climb out of bed and immediately think about our day and what WE want to accomplish for the day. I have to remind myself that it is never about what I want to accomplish today or even tomorrow. It is about what God wants to accomplish through us. If it is always about us we can never know if what we are doing for the Lord is really just that or what we want to do on behath of the Lord. It should never be about what we want to do for him but what he wants to do through and in us. We need to be sensitive to God's voice and direction. It is not always about right or wrong but what's best! God knows best (Jer 29:11)! Many times we don't (Prov 21:2).
Monday, May 31, 2010
The cost of Freedom
I was thinking while sitting in church yesterday as we watched video about veterans. The cost of the lives lost over the last century. You begin to realize that most of the lives lost were very young lives. It leads me to think not just of lost lives but lost potential too. What would these young people have accomplished in their lifetime?
The loss of life and potential is enough but then I began to think of the fact these young people could have possibly given their soul too (Matt 16:26). We can begin now praying earnestly that the young men and women serving around the world will find Christ. We need to convey to these young people that we admire their service to our country but we need to make sure they don't have to give their soul. I know that our government does all they can to prepare these young people physically and mentally to go to war. I just wish that there is some way we could prepare them spiritually too.
The loss of life and potential is enough but then I began to think of the fact these young people could have possibly given their soul too (Matt 16:26). We can begin now praying earnestly that the young men and women serving around the world will find Christ. We need to convey to these young people that we admire their service to our country but we need to make sure they don't have to give their soul. I know that our government does all they can to prepare these young people physically and mentally to go to war. I just wish that there is some way we could prepare them spiritually too.
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Live Like you are Dying
"I was in my early forties with a lot of life before me
when a moment came that stopped me on a dime
and I spent most of the next days looking at the x-rays,
talking about the options and talking about sweet times.
I asked him when it sank in that this might really be the real end
how’s it hit you when you get that kinda news man what’d you do
I was finally the husband that most the time I wasn’t
and I became a friend a friend would like to have
and all the sudden going fishin wasn’t such an imposition
and I went three times that year I lost my dad
well I finally read the good book and I took a good long hard look
at what I’d do if I could do it all again
Like tomorrow was a gift and you got eternity to think about
what would you do with it
what did you do with it
what did I do with it
what would I do with it?
I went sky diving
I went Rocky Mountain climbing
I went 2.7 seconds on a bull named fumanchu
and I loved deeper and I spoke sweeter
and I gave forgiveness I’d been denying
and he said someday I hope you get the chance
to live like you were dying".
By Tim McGraw
I was driving down the road the other day and this song came on. I can’t say I am a country music fan but it made me think of God’s Word. God’s Word tells us to die to self daily. The key line in the song above is found in the chorus. “Someday I hope you get the chance to live like you were dying…… We have that chance by dying daily to self as God asks of us in his word. I understand what the song says from an earthly perspective. I certainly don’t discount being a better husband or friend. I just think as Christians we need to have an eternal vision (Matt 6:19-21). Hopefully we learn this early on and have the chance to live our life as a testimony to Christ (Phil 1:21). In this song above he describes this exciting new life he found because he faced death and it made him appreciate life. I say we should live our lives excited about what God can do through us because other people are watching and we should want people to have a chance to know the exciting new life in Christ (II Cor 5:17) that we have found. Simply said we do have a chance to live like we are dying!
when a moment came that stopped me on a dime
and I spent most of the next days looking at the x-rays,
talking about the options and talking about sweet times.
I asked him when it sank in that this might really be the real end
how’s it hit you when you get that kinda news man what’d you do
I was finally the husband that most the time I wasn’t
and I became a friend a friend would like to have
and all the sudden going fishin wasn’t such an imposition
and I went three times that year I lost my dad
well I finally read the good book and I took a good long hard look
at what I’d do if I could do it all again
Like tomorrow was a gift and you got eternity to think about
what would you do with it
what did you do with it
what did I do with it
what would I do with it?
I went sky diving
I went Rocky Mountain climbing
I went 2.7 seconds on a bull named fumanchu
and I loved deeper and I spoke sweeter
and I gave forgiveness I’d been denying
and he said someday I hope you get the chance
to live like you were dying".
By Tim McGraw
I was driving down the road the other day and this song came on. I can’t say I am a country music fan but it made me think of God’s Word. God’s Word tells us to die to self daily. The key line in the song above is found in the chorus. “Someday I hope you get the chance to live like you were dying…… We have that chance by dying daily to self as God asks of us in his word. I understand what the song says from an earthly perspective. I certainly don’t discount being a better husband or friend. I just think as Christians we need to have an eternal vision (Matt 6:19-21). Hopefully we learn this early on and have the chance to live our life as a testimony to Christ (Phil 1:21). In this song above he describes this exciting new life he found because he faced death and it made him appreciate life. I say we should live our lives excited about what God can do through us because other people are watching and we should want people to have a chance to know the exciting new life in Christ (II Cor 5:17) that we have found. Simply said we do have a chance to live like we are dying!
Sunday, February 21, 2010
God's Math
This is old article that I wrote for a Christian Newsletter. So this actually took place the summer of 2008.
Phil 4:19
This article started almost seven months ago when our church announced that there would be another Father/Son Rafting Trip this summer. They made this same trip the summer of 2007 and the Father's had a great time bonding with their sons. All of my kids are grown, gone and doing their thing. So I decided to volunteer to take a boy that didn’t have a dad. Well many months went by and the Dad that was heading up the trip said no one had come forward yet. Then things suddenly changed!
It was two weeks before the trip and I get a call on a Thursday afternoon informing me that a seven year old boy had come forward. I was also informed at the same time that I needed to bring $149 to church Sunday to cover both me and the boy. I hung up the phone and immediately said to my wife well this will be interesting I have to come up with $149 in three days and the Lord is going to have to work fast.
Two hours later I am working in my office and my wife walks in and tells me that she was just in the laundry room and the sump pump was broke and not pumping any water. I went down and sure enough it was done and I needed a new sump pump. I am now thinking ok Lord I need money for trip and sump pump. Yep it is getting more interesting by the moment. I wake up early Friday morning and go to Home Depot. I buy a sump pump and new hose and the total is $102.99. This means that with the $149 + $102.99=$251.99.
I guess I should stop and explain that my wife graduated from college about a year and half ago and then had knee replacement surgery and is currently looking for work. So my paychecks are all we have coming in. We are going paycheck to paycheck. Just about every dime is earmarked for bills. So I knew when I went on Friday June 27th to spend the $102.99 that I was spending money from a paycheck that was going to be deposited on Monday June 30th. I was actually spending money that was earmarked for other bills that needed to be paid. Just keep that in mind as I continue with the story.
I rushed home to install the sump pump and get back to my real job which is not plumbing. I was done by 9:00am and in my office working when I receive an email from my insurance company telling me that they made changes to my policy. I picked up the phone and asked what changes were made. The lady explained that back in February when they did the automatic renewal they dropped my discount for having Homeowners and Car on same policy. They were automatically withdrawing my payment on the 7th of every month. I said ok how much is the credit. She said it was $252. Well you see where I am going with this. I found out later when all the paperwork was sent to me that the actual credit was $251.27 so at first I thought Lord you send a penny extra then to found out I was $.72 short. No big deal! Well come to find out about a week later they sent me a check for $175.00 more on top of the credit. I called and found out that the credit was for the car insurance and the check was for the home insurance that was already paid.
Bottom line God never wakes up one day and is taken by surprise or says I never saw that coming. God’s economy is not ours. I still have the Home Depot receipt in my wallet to remind me of what God does each & every day for us. He prepares a way even as we make our way to the point where the need arises. How thankful I am that his riches are limitless and he is not making promises he does not have the ability to provide.
Phil 4:19
This article started almost seven months ago when our church announced that there would be another Father/Son Rafting Trip this summer. They made this same trip the summer of 2007 and the Father's had a great time bonding with their sons. All of my kids are grown, gone and doing their thing. So I decided to volunteer to take a boy that didn’t have a dad. Well many months went by and the Dad that was heading up the trip said no one had come forward yet. Then things suddenly changed!
It was two weeks before the trip and I get a call on a Thursday afternoon informing me that a seven year old boy had come forward. I was also informed at the same time that I needed to bring $149 to church Sunday to cover both me and the boy. I hung up the phone and immediately said to my wife well this will be interesting I have to come up with $149 in three days and the Lord is going to have to work fast.
Two hours later I am working in my office and my wife walks in and tells me that she was just in the laundry room and the sump pump was broke and not pumping any water. I went down and sure enough it was done and I needed a new sump pump. I am now thinking ok Lord I need money for trip and sump pump. Yep it is getting more interesting by the moment. I wake up early Friday morning and go to Home Depot. I buy a sump pump and new hose and the total is $102.99. This means that with the $149 + $102.99=$251.99.
I guess I should stop and explain that my wife graduated from college about a year and half ago and then had knee replacement surgery and is currently looking for work. So my paychecks are all we have coming in. We are going paycheck to paycheck. Just about every dime is earmarked for bills. So I knew when I went on Friday June 27th to spend the $102.99 that I was spending money from a paycheck that was going to be deposited on Monday June 30th. I was actually spending money that was earmarked for other bills that needed to be paid. Just keep that in mind as I continue with the story.
I rushed home to install the sump pump and get back to my real job which is not plumbing. I was done by 9:00am and in my office working when I receive an email from my insurance company telling me that they made changes to my policy. I picked up the phone and asked what changes were made. The lady explained that back in February when they did the automatic renewal they dropped my discount for having Homeowners and Car on same policy. They were automatically withdrawing my payment on the 7th of every month. I said ok how much is the credit. She said it was $252. Well you see where I am going with this. I found out later when all the paperwork was sent to me that the actual credit was $251.27 so at first I thought Lord you send a penny extra then to found out I was $.72 short. No big deal! Well come to find out about a week later they sent me a check for $175.00 more on top of the credit. I called and found out that the credit was for the car insurance and the check was for the home insurance that was already paid.
Bottom line God never wakes up one day and is taken by surprise or says I never saw that coming. God’s economy is not ours. I still have the Home Depot receipt in my wallet to remind me of what God does each & every day for us. He prepares a way even as we make our way to the point where the need arises. How thankful I am that his riches are limitless and he is not making promises he does not have the ability to provide.
Haiti and the Wilderness
I was recently asked to bring the devotional at the Fellowship of Christian Lumbermen meeting at the IHLA Convention held in Indianapolis, Indiana. About two weeks before the meeting Haiti had their major earthquake and the devastation was unbelievable. I could not get this earthquake off my mind and the Lord had not given me a message until two days before the meeting he clearly spoke to me.
Haiti
200,000 dead
600,000 homeless
2,000,000 in need of food and water
The US sent millions of dollars, thousands of people & every type of equipment man has created that could help in the rescue operation. We all began to hear that the devastation was worse than expected. The greatest nation and military on earth could not help fast enough to save many lives. They are still struggling today to get food and water to the survivors. We see how limited man's power can be in time of crisis.
Now let's take a look at a Biblical crisis that helps to show what God can do when we ALLOW his involvement. We can read in Exodus 12:37-42 about Israel leaving Egypt.
600,000 on foot that were men
3,500,000 in need of food and water
I shared with one of the FCL board members my thoughts. He immediately said I have a great one page sheet with details of what it would take to care for Israel in the wilderness. I was traveling at the time so he did not get it to me till after the meeting but the facts were quite telling (See Below). My message is basically get God involved and you will see results! Lasting results that can change your future, your children's future, and even a nation. The greatest nation on earth is struggling to help but let's be encouraged that God does not just make promises but be encouraged he has the ability to fulfill those promises. Don't read God's Word with doubt! Read it today with confidence not based on false promises but fulfilled ones.
Now take a look at the article sent to me the week after the FCL meeting:
How Big is Your God?
What would have happened had Moses tried to figure out what was needed to accomplish God's commands? One of the biggest arithmetical mircles in the world was required in the desert. Moses led the people of Israel to the desert. Now what was he going to do with them? They had to be fed, and feeding 3 1/2 million people required a lot of food. According to the US Army's Quartermaster General, Moses needed 1500 tons of food a day, filling two freight trains each a mile long. Besides, you must remember, they were out in the desert, and needed firewood to use for cooking the food. This would take 4,000 tons of wood and few more freight trains each a mile long-just for one day! And they were 40 years in tansit? Oh, yes, they needed water!!! If they only had enough to drink and wash a few dishes, it would take 11,000,000 gallons each day-enough water to fill a freight train 1,800 miles long. And another thing! They had to get across the Red Sea in one night. Now if they went on a narrow path, double file, the line would be 800 miles long and require 35 days and nights to get through. So to get over in one night there had to be space in the Red Sea three miles wide so they could walk 5,000 abreast. Think about this; every time they camped at the end of the day, a campground the size of Rhode Island was required, or a total of 750 square miles. Do you think Moses believed in God. He had faith that God would take care of everything. Let us take courage, we have the same God!
From "Christ For The Nation" April 1993
Haiti
200,000 dead
600,000 homeless
2,000,000 in need of food and water
The US sent millions of dollars, thousands of people & every type of equipment man has created that could help in the rescue operation. We all began to hear that the devastation was worse than expected. The greatest nation and military on earth could not help fast enough to save many lives. They are still struggling today to get food and water to the survivors. We see how limited man's power can be in time of crisis.
Now let's take a look at a Biblical crisis that helps to show what God can do when we ALLOW his involvement. We can read in Exodus 12:37-42 about Israel leaving Egypt.
600,000 on foot that were men
3,500,000 in need of food and water
I shared with one of the FCL board members my thoughts. He immediately said I have a great one page sheet with details of what it would take to care for Israel in the wilderness. I was traveling at the time so he did not get it to me till after the meeting but the facts were quite telling (See Below). My message is basically get God involved and you will see results! Lasting results that can change your future, your children's future, and even a nation. The greatest nation on earth is struggling to help but let's be encouraged that God does not just make promises but be encouraged he has the ability to fulfill those promises. Don't read God's Word with doubt! Read it today with confidence not based on false promises but fulfilled ones.
Now take a look at the article sent to me the week after the FCL meeting:
How Big is Your God?
What would have happened had Moses tried to figure out what was needed to accomplish God's commands? One of the biggest arithmetical mircles in the world was required in the desert. Moses led the people of Israel to the desert. Now what was he going to do with them? They had to be fed, and feeding 3 1/2 million people required a lot of food. According to the US Army's Quartermaster General, Moses needed 1500 tons of food a day, filling two freight trains each a mile long. Besides, you must remember, they were out in the desert, and needed firewood to use for cooking the food. This would take 4,000 tons of wood and few more freight trains each a mile long-just for one day! And they were 40 years in tansit? Oh, yes, they needed water!!! If they only had enough to drink and wash a few dishes, it would take 11,000,000 gallons each day-enough water to fill a freight train 1,800 miles long. And another thing! They had to get across the Red Sea in one night. Now if they went on a narrow path, double file, the line would be 800 miles long and require 35 days and nights to get through. So to get over in one night there had to be space in the Red Sea three miles wide so they could walk 5,000 abreast. Think about this; every time they camped at the end of the day, a campground the size of Rhode Island was required, or a total of 750 square miles. Do you think Moses believed in God. He had faith that God would take care of everything. Let us take courage, we have the same God!
From "Christ For The Nation" April 1993
Just an update!!!
I thought I would just drop a note and let everyone know I am still around. I have taken some time away to work on a major project that I hope to introduce to my readers in the near future. I hope you will be checking back for new articles. I have decided to start back up again.
God Bless
God Bless
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Don't Trust the Mirror-Vision Part 3
God's Word is not a mirror. A mirror reveals how we see ourselves (James 1:23-24). I submit that our vision is flawed. God's Word reveals how God sees us (James 1:25). As we read God's Word our vision changes and we begin to see what God sees. It's his vision for change in our lives. Our faith determines how much or how little change we are willing to accept in our lives. We read God's Word and it brings light on our sin and we have to determine how we will respond. Don't look and compare yourself to others or look in the mirror and judge yourself. God's Word is the truth. A truth we may not want to see but the truth just the same.
Monday, May 18, 2009
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!
Sunday, May 10, 2009
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.
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.
Saturday, May 2, 2009
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.
Friday, April 10, 2009
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.
Monday, March 9, 2009
Science verses Morals-Stem Cell Research
Deuteronomy 28:1-48
I am not a scientist but I believe I am a rational thinker. Our government is now making decisions based on falling behind other countries.
I am not a scientist but I believe I am a rational thinker. Our government is now making decisions based on falling behind other countries.
Obama warned of the risks of falling behind other countries in scientific research by keeping in place government restrictions on funding.
"When government fails to make these investments, opportunities are missed. Promising avenues go unexplored. Some of our best scientists leave for other countries that will sponsor their work. And those countries may surge ahead of ours in the advances that transform our lives," Obama said. "But in recent years, when it comes to stem cell research, rather than furthering discovery, our government has forced what I believe is a false choice between sound science and moral values. In this case, I believe the two are not inconsistent."
Monday, March 2, 2009
A Look at Circumstances-Vision 2
Ex 3:4-8 Num 13:17-33 Num 14:1-9
We have looked at what distorted vision does when looking at people (see: A Look at People-Vision I). Let's now take a journey down a different road called circumstance. The people of Israel looked this square in the eye as they approached for the first time the Promise Land. Moses was told by God in Ex 3:8 of a great land that he was going lead the children of Israel too and give them in spite of who occupied the land. God told Moses in great detail who would be there so they would not be surprised. Let's pickup the story again in Number 13 with Moses sending out the spies. These twelve men were told to go and report what they find. Caleb & Joshua came back and reported a true report with details about the enemy. The other ten were afraid and this fear distorted their view of the circumstances. These men in Num 13:33 said that the Children of Israel were like grasshoppers in the sight of their enemies. They were looking through their own eyes and seeing the circumstance. Think about what they were saying they could have said we look like children to these men and maybe that would have a more accurate view but no they said grasshoppers. Caleb stilled the crowd and told them let's go now and possess it. He knew even through seeing the circumstance that God had made a promise. Caleb & Joshua begged the people of Israel not to rebel against God and allow their circumstance to defeat them. The Lord rewarded Caleb for his great clear vision by giving him and his ancestors that very land. See Num 14:24! Caleb loved God which allowed him to see what God saw there in that land. Our circumstances in life can overwhelm us without clear vision. Here's the key to clear vision! Always Always remember that even when we don't know what God is doing we can trust He knows what he is doing! Praise God that Moses was told there will be enemies in the valley! This reassures me God was not taken by surprise. God knew where, who & what he was sending his people into! All he wanted was for them to trust him. Caleb did....
We have looked at what distorted vision does when looking at people (see: A Look at People-Vision I). Let's now take a journey down a different road called circumstance. The people of Israel looked this square in the eye as they approached for the first time the Promise Land. Moses was told by God in Ex 3:8 of a great land that he was going lead the children of Israel too and give them in spite of who occupied the land. God told Moses in great detail who would be there so they would not be surprised. Let's pickup the story again in Number 13 with Moses sending out the spies. These twelve men were told to go and report what they find. Caleb & Joshua came back and reported a true report with details about the enemy. The other ten were afraid and this fear distorted their view of the circumstances. These men in Num 13:33 said that the Children of Israel were like grasshoppers in the sight of their enemies. They were looking through their own eyes and seeing the circumstance. Think about what they were saying they could have said we look like children to these men and maybe that would have a more accurate view but no they said grasshoppers. Caleb stilled the crowd and told them let's go now and possess it. He knew even through seeing the circumstance that God had made a promise. Caleb & Joshua begged the people of Israel not to rebel against God and allow their circumstance to defeat them. The Lord rewarded Caleb for his great clear vision by giving him and his ancestors that very land. See Num 14:24! Caleb loved God which allowed him to see what God saw there in that land. Our circumstances in life can overwhelm us without clear vision. Here's the key to clear vision! Always Always remember that even when we don't know what God is doing we can trust He knows what he is doing! Praise God that Moses was told there will be enemies in the valley! This reassures me God was not taken by surprise. God knew where, who & what he was sending his people into! All he wanted was for them to trust him. Caleb did....
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Tithing & The Stimulus Package
Matt 22:15-22 & Mal 3:8-12
Well our new President has put his own stamp on our economy with his new stimulus bill. The details are slowing leaking out about this bill. One of the details that catches my attention is the tax deduction of charitable giving. The reports are that this deduction will be removed for people making over certain amounts. The reporter said this will hurt charities all across the country including Churches. The passages listed above make it clear that the Lord wants us to pay our taxes and give our Tithe. The difference in the two is seen in the words "pay & give". Don't get me wrong the Lord is clear in Mal 3:8 that we are robbing God when we don't give but he wants us to be cheerful givers II Cor 9:7. We should not give to get a tax deduction this means we are giving for the wrong reason. The Lord makes it clear in Matt 22 he does not connect the two identities together. He said give each its due. When the government calculates taxes its off the top that's the least we can do for the Lord. I guess if the tax deduction was removed all together we might find our motives & faith tested even more. We are being encouraged even taught more and more to trust our government to take care of us. It all most seems like they are trying to take away the very thing that can take care of us as a nation. I want to remind myself and everyone else our trust is in the Lord so when or if the government decides to take away the deduction for charities we don't flinch and give in to fear. You see many people will begin to think in their minds if I am giving $100 and this change raises my taxes by $25 I will reduce my giving by $25 no big deal. It is a big deal because we are telling the Lord the government is bigger than you. I say pay the extra $25 and keep giving your $100 and trust the Lord.
Well our new President has put his own stamp on our economy with his new stimulus bill. The details are slowing leaking out about this bill. One of the details that catches my attention is the tax deduction of charitable giving. The reports are that this deduction will be removed for people making over certain amounts. The reporter said this will hurt charities all across the country including Churches. The passages listed above make it clear that the Lord wants us to pay our taxes and give our Tithe. The difference in the two is seen in the words "pay & give". Don't get me wrong the Lord is clear in Mal 3:8 that we are robbing God when we don't give but he wants us to be cheerful givers II Cor 9:7. We should not give to get a tax deduction this means we are giving for the wrong reason. The Lord makes it clear in Matt 22 he does not connect the two identities together. He said give each its due. When the government calculates taxes its off the top that's the least we can do for the Lord. I guess if the tax deduction was removed all together we might find our motives & faith tested even more. We are being encouraged even taught more and more to trust our government to take care of us. It all most seems like they are trying to take away the very thing that can take care of us as a nation. I want to remind myself and everyone else our trust is in the Lord so when or if the government decides to take away the deduction for charities we don't flinch and give in to fear. You see many people will begin to think in their minds if I am giving $100 and this change raises my taxes by $25 I will reduce my giving by $25 no big deal. It is a big deal because we are telling the Lord the government is bigger than you. I say pay the extra $25 and keep giving your $100 and trust the Lord.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
A Look at People -Vision Part 1
Let’s start by saying if we want to know God’s view on man then we need to open his Word.
People say that Love is Blind but God’s Word I believe teaches just the opposite.
Let’s start with blurred vision by searching the passage found in Luke 10:25-37.
The story of the Good Samaritan is known around the world by many even by those that are not Christians.
• Let’s look at three examples of Blurred Vision
Luke 10:30-Thieves- saw robbed, beat and left for dead
Root Problem-Lack of Love
Symptom-Vision Problem- Blind
Result- Saw no value in man’s life
Luke 10:31-Priest- Saw and went out of his way to avoid
Root Problem-Lack of Love
Symptom -Vision Problem- Distorted Vision
Result-Could not see the need in man’s life
Luke 10:32-Levite-saw,looked and still ignored
Root Problem-Lack of Love
Symptom-Vision Problem- Near Sighted
Result-Could not see any hope for this life
• God’s View is found in the Samaritan
Luke 10:33-Saw and had compassion
Vision-Saw the need
Result- Moved to action
Luke 10:34-Went to him and helped with the need
Vision- Saw he had to go to him
Result- healing began
Luke 10:35-He took care of the immediate need and made promise of future needs being met.
Vision- He saw the needs in the future
Result- The need was met completely
It is clear the Samaritan is a type of Christ himself.
Christ sees us as that man in the ditch (our righteousness are as filthy rags, we can’t get out of the ditch on our own, if left to ourselves we are certainly doomed). Christ came to get us out of the ditch but that was not enough for Christ. He picked us up, cleaned us up and provides for us each and every day. Take a closer look at this Samaritan and you will see that he promises to come back and pay off the final debt.
Praise the Lord our Savior is not finished yet. He has only made the down payment on what he intends to finish one day soon.
You see the little verse we all learned when we were kids is really true.
John 3:16-For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life.
This is why I know that real Love is not blind! He saw our real need and came to us when we could not go to him.
People say that Love is Blind but God’s Word I believe teaches just the opposite.
Let’s start with blurred vision by searching the passage found in Luke 10:25-37.
The story of the Good Samaritan is known around the world by many even by those that are not Christians.
• Let’s look at three examples of Blurred Vision
Luke 10:30-Thieves- saw robbed, beat and left for dead
Root Problem-Lack of Love
Symptom-Vision Problem- Blind
Result- Saw no value in man’s life
Luke 10:31-Priest- Saw and went out of his way to avoid
Root Problem-Lack of Love
Symptom -Vision Problem- Distorted Vision
Result-Could not see the need in man’s life
Luke 10:32-Levite-saw,looked and still ignored
Root Problem-Lack of Love
Symptom-Vision Problem- Near Sighted
Result-Could not see any hope for this life
• God’s View is found in the Samaritan
Luke 10:33-Saw and had compassion
Vision-Saw the need
Result- Moved to action
Luke 10:34-Went to him and helped with the need
Vision- Saw he had to go to him
Result- healing began
Luke 10:35-He took care of the immediate need and made promise of future needs being met.
Vision- He saw the needs in the future
Result- The need was met completely
It is clear the Samaritan is a type of Christ himself.
Christ sees us as that man in the ditch (our righteousness are as filthy rags, we can’t get out of the ditch on our own, if left to ourselves we are certainly doomed). Christ came to get us out of the ditch but that was not enough for Christ. He picked us up, cleaned us up and provides for us each and every day. Take a closer look at this Samaritan and you will see that he promises to come back and pay off the final debt.
Praise the Lord our Savior is not finished yet. He has only made the down payment on what he intends to finish one day soon.
You see the little verse we all learned when we were kids is really true.
John 3:16-For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life.
This is why I know that real Love is not blind! He saw our real need and came to us when we could not go to him.
Saturday, February 14, 2009
How does Prayer bring Peace?
Phil 4:6-8
As I was read the passage above I realized prayer is not just asking God for things but it’s so much more than that. God says I tell you don’t worry but pray because the result of prayer is my peace which keeps (protects) your heart (from wrong feelings) & your mind (from wrong thoughts). God understands our human frailties and he knows when troubles come we can allow our thoughts and emotions to overcome us. Many times our trials are more perceived than real. The old saying perception is reality. I just know in my own life many times I even worry about things that could happen that may never even come about in real life. He wants us to trust him to have faith in him. Faith requires actions it is not a feeling. Prayer is that action! When we pray our feelings and thoughts are on our Lord and Savior not on the problem. It is on the problem solver. I am encouraged more than ever to pray knowing that through prayer I am keeping my heart (from wrong feelings) & keeping my mind (from wrong thoughts). It can also be applied to real not perceived trails that we do face in our lives. In day to day life the trails that we face can bring us down spiritually. How can the Lord tells us in verse 4 to rejoice when we are hurting in our lives? How can he tell us to think on good things and even name what to think about in verse 8? The key again is the protection prayer offers the center of our lives. God promises to keep our mind and heart if we pray. The daily battle in the Christian life starts and ends with the heart and mind. That's why it says God's Peace! The world can not give this kind of protection or peace.
As I was read the passage above I realized prayer is not just asking God for things but it’s so much more than that. God says I tell you don’t worry but pray because the result of prayer is my peace which keeps (protects) your heart (from wrong feelings) & your mind (from wrong thoughts). God understands our human frailties and he knows when troubles come we can allow our thoughts and emotions to overcome us. Many times our trials are more perceived than real. The old saying perception is reality. I just know in my own life many times I even worry about things that could happen that may never even come about in real life. He wants us to trust him to have faith in him. Faith requires actions it is not a feeling. Prayer is that action! When we pray our feelings and thoughts are on our Lord and Savior not on the problem. It is on the problem solver. I am encouraged more than ever to pray knowing that through prayer I am keeping my heart (from wrong feelings) & keeping my mind (from wrong thoughts). It can also be applied to real not perceived trails that we do face in our lives. In day to day life the trails that we face can bring us down spiritually. How can the Lord tells us in verse 4 to rejoice when we are hurting in our lives? How can he tell us to think on good things and even name what to think about in verse 8? The key again is the protection prayer offers the center of our lives. God promises to keep our mind and heart if we pray. The daily battle in the Christian life starts and ends with the heart and mind. That's why it says God's Peace! The world can not give this kind of protection or peace.
Friday, February 13, 2009
Fireproof
The movie Fireproof is debuting as I write this article on Friday Sept 26th. The reason I chose this subject is the movie is about marriage. In the last six weeks I have had two good friends call or email me and tell me their wives were leaving them and filing for divorce. I will spare you the details but needless to say in divorce situations both parties bear some of the blame and I would not begin to defend one side of the other. As the NHLA converges on the fair city of San Francisco I begin to think of this city and one thing does come to mind. The fight going on in CA over what marriage should be and I certainly have my opinion on this subject but the truth is my opinion does not matter. It is God’s opinion that matters and his alone. Christians from all over the country protest, write blogs, write to the local editorial pages, sign petitions and are very active on this subject trying to influence the direction our country is going. I commend them for this effort. I would like to take a minute to look at this situation from a different point of view, not from a different opinion. We are all concerned with the direction of our country and the influences pulling at our children. Our kids are confused by what surrounds them today in the world but what confuses them even more is indifference in the Christian realm to real marriage. We say as Christian’s, marriage is between one woman and one man. I say we are not teaching our kids that to be true when there are just as many divorces in the Christian community. Maybe the answer to solving this problem we face in helping define marriage is being undermined by our own behavior in our homes. Our kids need to see us love more, care more, pray more etc, etc. I think you get the idea. This article is not intended to be a counseling piece for marriages in trouble. This article is intended to get our focus on the main thing. The old saying “keep the main thing the main thing” is very true. Our kids need to see what a family is on a daily basis not hear about what a family isn’t. You can’t have one without the other. My understanding is when the FBI trains their people about counterfeit money they have them study the real thing so much that when they see counterfeit money it stands out. If you try and study all the ways to counterfeit then you lose focus. I say let our kids study the real thing in our homes and then we can have confidence they will be able to spot the fake when the time comes. Please don’t misunderstand, I do believe we should stand up for what is right and do all the things mentioned above when confronted with sin but we can’t ignore the impact our daily lives have on our children. I want to encourage you to take the time and go with your family to see the new movie Fireproof. If you want information about this movie please visit www.fireproofthemovie.com and I believe we should support good movies at the theatre if we want more of these types of programs to be produced. If you have friends that are struggling in their marriage then I encourage you to invite them to come along and see this movie together. You might just help influence them to try and improve their marriage relationship. Let’s fight just as hard to save our marriages as we do on other commendable social issues. One line from this movie says it all “NEVER LEAVE YOUR PARTNER BEHIND”!
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Spiritual vs Political View
Romans 1:17-32
I want to assure you this article is not my political opinion but it is the Lord’s message to every generation including ours. Paul wrote concerning his generation and the fact that they were beginning to worship creation/creatures instead of the Creator (Rom1: 25). I know we care about the environment and want to be good stewards of what God has given us. What I do see in our country though is a major trend toward fanatical protection of the environment and quote people’s rights to sin. God makes it plain where or what direction a nation is going when they begin down this slippery slope. I care more about the spiritual direction than the political direction we are going as a country. We are not worshipping God but his creation and the creatures.
I want to assure you this article is not my political opinion but it is the Lord’s message to every generation including ours. Paul wrote concerning his generation and the fact that they were beginning to worship creation/creatures instead of the Creator (Rom1: 25). I know we care about the environment and want to be good stewards of what God has given us. What I do see in our country though is a major trend toward fanatical protection of the environment and quote people’s rights to sin. God makes it plain where or what direction a nation is going when they begin down this slippery slope. I care more about the spiritual direction than the political direction we are going as a country. We are not worshipping God but his creation and the creatures.
All of the great empires that have come before us were not stuck down from other countries invading and conquering them. They all fell from within and I believe we are headed down that deadly path that has only one end. If you read Rom 1:26-27 I believe you will agree that is not describing God’s plan for his family.
As you continue to read this passage Rom 1:28 you will see that man has chosen not to retain God in their thoughts and lives. This certainly sounds like the political climate today as God is daily being removed from the sphere of influence. In turn man suffers the consequence of being left to live life according to man’s wisdom not God’s. Which we all know leads to disastrous results. Just read Rom 1:29-31!
I can’t tell you for sure how far down the road to disaster we are as a nation but I am convinced that our nation is on this course. I believe we should be good stewards of the environment and treat people with respect but I don’t find anywhere in God’s Word where it says we as Christians are to tolerate sin or worship what God created. I pray that we will be what God expects us to be as Christians not what the world expects us to be.
We have to be careful that we follow God’s Word not our sinful heart’s path (Jer. 5:23-25 & Jer. 17:5-10). As you read these passages you will see what happens when we are left to ourselves we fail miserably. Praise God our success is not dependent on us! Our victory comes in Christ alone. I want to challenge all of us including myself to follow Christ in our daily walk so we can make a difference in our nation which so badly needs the Light of God’s Word.
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