Despair Part II

Joseph.   

They (his brothers) saw him in the distance, and before he had reached them, they plotted to kill him. They said to one another, “Here comes that dreamer! Come on, let’s kill him and throw him into one of the pits. We can say that a vicious animal ate him. Then we’ll see what becomes of his dreams!” When Reuben heard this, he tried to save him from them. He said, “Let’s not take his life.” Reuben also said to them, “Don’t shed blood. Throw him into this pit in the wilderness, but don’t lay a hand on him”—intending to rescue him from their hands and return him to his father. 

When Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped off his robe, the robe of many colors that he had on. Then they took him and threw him into the pit. The pit was empty; there was no water in it. 
Then they sat down to eat a meal. 

They looked up, and there was a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. Their camels were carrying aromatic gum, balsam, and resin, going down to Egypt.
Then Judah said to his brothers, “What do we gain if we kill our brother and cover up his blood? Come, let’s sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay a hand on him, for he is our brother, our own flesh,” and they agreed. When Midianite traders passed by, his brothers pulled Joseph out of the pit and sold him for 20 pieces of silver to the Ishmaelites, who took Joseph to Egypt. -Genesis 37:18-28

Later he finds himself being treated unfairly once again. A high ranking Egyptian official named Potiphar bought Joseph as a slave, but because of his faithful service and God’s blessing, he was made ruler over Potiphar’s house. The Bible says Joseph was “well built and handsome” (v. 6), and Potiphar’s wife tried to seduce him. He fled but left his coat behind. She told her husband that he had come onto her and subsequently Potiphar had him thrown in prison. 

Does Joseph become angry and curse God? No! He continues to worship his God despite his circumstances. So why would God allow this man to suffer? I believe it was to humble him and mold him in preparation for what God had planned. 

Most of us know how the story ends, Joseph becomes Pharaoh’s top man in all the country, but Joseph had no idea what God was doing. Despite the injustices done to him, he never wavered in his devotion to God. 

We too should walk in faith. Joseph was 30 years old when he was released from prison and made ruler, second only to Pharaoh. Thirty years of highs and lows but he never gave up his faith. 

Many of us today have been richly blessed. Maybe things lately have rocked our lives and we are questioning God. Friend, the God of the good times is also God during the bad times. Walk in faith, no matter how bad or how long. Nothing happens to you that He isn’t aware of. He will see you through this.

May God give you peace and joy during this dark season of your life and the faith to sustain you.     
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Despair Part I

Are You Discouraged?

Are you facing trials and tribulations?

Does everything seem to be falling apart in your life?

Does it feel like God has abandoned you?

If you answered yes, you are not alone. I struggle with this myself, but when I do, I turn to the scriptures. There are numerous passages that tell the stories of Godly men and women who were discouraged. I get no delight in the suffering of others, but I do gain strength by knowing I am not alone. Furthermore, I see examples of how I am to trust God through the worst life has to throw at us.

So they took Jeremiah and dropped him into the cistern of Malchiah the king’s son, which was in the guard’s courtyard, lowering Jeremiah with ropes. There was no water in the cistern, only mud, and Jeremiah sank in the mud.-Jeremiah 38:6

I don’t know how long Jeremiah spent in this pit, but having spent time in mud before, I can tell you it is not pleasant. Imagine not being able to sit or lie down without being covered in muck. Where do you use the bathroom? In the muck. This could not have been pleasant.

There was no bread in the city so he was hungry as well.

Jeremiah was put in a cistern that was full of mud and slime all because he spoke the word of the Lord to the king. The king had asked Jeremiah for a word from the Lord but did not get the word he wanted to hear so he punished God’s prophet.

Fortunately, Jeremiah was brought up out of the pit eventually. What do you suppose he did? He continued to speak all that the Lord gave him to speak.

If Jeremiah could endure this and still trust his God enough to continue speaking on His behalf knowing his was an unpopular message, what is it for me also to trust this same God in my light afflictions?

If you are struggling right now and need to share your burdens, consider going to the One, the only One, who can sustain you. Also, please feel free to contact me if you have questions or need prayer.

May God give you His peace, comfort and joy to sustain you through these dark

Days.

Merry Christmas

For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. –Isaiah 9:6

Wishing everyone a blessed, and Merry Christmas.

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Hope This Christmas

I don’t know about you, but things are not great for me right now. Money is tighter than it has ever been and the economy is not really showing signs of improvement. The world seems to be in a state of chaos. In September my brother went to be with the Lord and I am struggling through my first Christmas without him. No, things are not looking good.

¹ Now gather yourself in troops,
      O daughter of troops;
      He has laid siege against us;
      They will strike the judge of Israel with a rod on the cheek.

    ² “ But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
      Though you are little among the thousands of Judah,
      Yet out of you shall come forth to Me
      The One to be Ruler in Israel,
      Whose goings forth are from of old,
      From everlasting.”
       ³ Therefore He shall give them up,
      Until the time that she who is in labor has given birth;
      Then the remnant of His brethren
      Shall return to the children of Israel.
       ⁴ And He shall stand and feed His flock
      In the strength of the LORD,
      In the majesty of the name of the LORD His God;
      And they shall abide,
      For now He shall be great
      To the ends of the earth;
       ⁵ And this One shall be peace.

                Micah 5:1-5a

At the time this was written, things were not looking good either. The nation of Israel had been attacked and abused and more of the same was heading their way. But GOD! I love this so I will repeat it; But GOD sent a message to Micah of a promised deliverer. If you read the New Testament, you will see this prophesy, as well as all the others, fulfilled in none other than Jesus, the Christ (Messiah).  

As we gather to celebrate His birth and we think of Him as a precious baby, let us not forget that He was “before” His birth. He has always been and will always be. He came in human flesh to suffer and die for our sins, in our place, but He came to overcome death and the grave “forever!” He came to stomp on Satan’s head and reign and rule for eternity. 

I love one of the last scenes in the movie The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, where Lucy is sad as she watches Aslan walking away down the beach. Mr. Tomlis (sp?) tells her he will return and that he is not a tame lion. Jesus will return and He is love, but He is not a tame lion. 

As we prepare to celebrate His birth in a few days, may we find hope and joy as we contemplate that He will return soon. We need not worry about the bad that surrounds us; we have a hope and a future, of this we can be sure.       

May the Lord Jesus Christ give you peace, joy, and hope this Christmas~

Live and Let Live

¹ Hear the word of the LORD, you children of Israel, for the LORD brings a charge against the inhabitants of the land:

“ There is no truth or mercy or knowledge of God in the land.
² By swearing and lying, killing and stealing and committing adultery,
They break all restraint, with bloodshed upon bloodshed.
³ Therefore the land will mourn; and everyone who dwells there will waste away
With the beasts of the field and the birds of the air; even the fish of the sea will be taken away.  -Hosea 4:1-3

Does this sound familiar? Could this describe America?

One need only turn on the television to see swearing, lying, killing, stealing, and adultery. In fact, many of the top shows promote and glorify this type of behavior. “Reality” shows teach our youth that this is the norm. If you want to be popular, accepted, a free spirit, open minded, this is the way to go.

Sadly, many of our children’s video games promote this as well. Stealing cars, killing cops, and other forms of violence are all part of some of the more popular games on the market.

Think about this for a moment, a ten year old child grows up, surrounded by violence in his home, his school, his neighborhood, even in the games he plays.

If he joins a gang, robs a store, carries a gun to school and kills his classmates, or any other number of violent acts, why are we surprised? Did his environment not program him to do these things?

I do not wish to excuse his bad behavior and I certainly do not condone letting him walk the streets to continue a reign of terror; however, I do not wish to throw him under the bus either. We, as a society, need to protect him “before” he gets to this point. You may be asking, “But, how do we do that?”

“GOD!”

Unfortunately, this is not the answer people want to hear. They would rather this young man live a life of violence and ruin than expose him to God’s truth. God says thou shalt not murder, steal, commit adultery, etc. Jesus said the two greatest commands are to love God and love your neighbor as yourself (Mat.22:34-40), but society says this is too much to ask.

Re-read Hosea 4:1-3 above. I think the point is obvious.

If you have questions or comments, please feel free reply.

May the God of love and peace speak to your heart and fill you with His peace during this time as we celebrate His birth.          

"I Did It My Way"

I read the following posted by a friend on Facebook this morning:

Dear Santa,

[  ]  I’ve been good this year.

[  ]  Ok, most of the time.

[  ]  Once in awhile.

[X]  Nevermind, I’ll buy my own presents.

I thought this was funny and quite clever. Then the thought occurred to me,

what if this was addressed to God?

Dear God,

[  ]  I’ve been good in this life.

[  ]  Ok, most of the time.

[  ]  Once in awhile.

[X]  Nevermind, I’ll find my own way of salvation.

This is neither funny nor clever; it’s sad, and unfortunately it happens everyday.

People are trying to get to heaven by their own means and this will never happen.

 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”  -Romans 3:23

 “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” -Romans 6:23

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. –Romans 5:8

If you are trying to find your own way, I beg you, consider what the Lord says.

As we celebrate this season, think about God’s perfect gift to mankind, Christ Jesus. He died for your sins so you don’t have to.

If you have questions or need someone to talk to, please feel free to contact me or talk to your pastor. This decision is much to important to put off another day.

God bless~

The Power behind Us

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power

and of love and of a sound mind.

-1 Tim. 1:7

Do you ever have doubt and fear? If you are a believer and you feel led to do something that is beyond your ability but you think you just can’t do it, you’re right, you can’t; but God can!

Pray and ask for His strength today. If He has called you to do something, He will empower you to do it. The above verse clearly tells us that fear does not come from God.

Why not trust Him today?

God bless~

The Sabbath

Now it was the day of Preparation, and the next day was to be a special Sabbath. Because the Jewish leaders did not want the bodies left on the crosses during the Sabbath, they asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken down.–John 19:31

When I read this passage, the thought comes to mind: How thoughtful of them.

Of course I say this with great sarcasm. The Jewish Pharisees were so caught up in the law, they couldn’t see God. They seemed to be so worried about breaking God’s Law while at the very same time they were murdering God Himself; how ironic.

I also notice how callused they were in the way they said break the legs of these men so they will go ahead and die and therefore we won’t offend God. A little late for that don’t ya think?

Keeping these things in mind, let’s look at what Jesus had said previously about the Sabbath:

²⁷ Then He told them, "The Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath. ²⁸ Therefore the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath." –Mark 2:27-28

I know I have been pretty sarcastic up to this point, and I believe rightly so, but there is a point I want to make.

What “religious thing” do we put before God?

Is it the Sabbath? Is it communion? Is it a clean church building? Honoring our pastor? Building membership? Wearing the finest clothes? Looking forlorn?

Keeping the riff raff out of the church?

When we place anything above God, or His will, we lower ourselves to the level of these Pharisees. They were so caught up in appearances and upholding the “Law,” they completely missed everything Jesus (and the prophets) had ever taught. They loved “Religion” instead of God.

I pray we wouldn’t make this same mistake. Let “NOTHING” come before God.

If you are questioning your motives, read 1 John, chapters 1-5. This is a very short book and well worth the little amount of time it takes to read it.

May our Lord (even of the Sabbath) and Savior Jesus Christ make Himself known to you in a new and exciting way and reveal those things that are truly important.

God bless~

Oh Death Where Is Thy Sting?

Yesterday, September 6, 2011, my brother Johnny went home to be with our Lord. Although I am grieving his departure from this life, I am celebrating his new life.

Johnny had Downs Syndrome. He never matured as most of us do but yet he matured much more so than so many. During the last weeks and months of his life, he kept saying he was tired and that he wanted to go home and he wanted to see Jesus. Johnny’s small body was gradually shutting down and he was in and out of the hospital. He couldn’t understand why he had to go through this, why he had to experience the pain; but he knew to cry out to the one who could heal him. He looked forward to being with Jesus and he knew Jesus alone could deliver him from his suffering. Well, yesterday Jesus did deliver him.

It’s hard to think I will never see Johnny again as he was; short, childlike, with the typical mongoloid features found in those who have Downs Syndrome, but the thought that keeps coming to my mind is Johnny saying “if you could only see me now!” Johnny has been resurrected in newness of life; A newness that will never ever again experience pain or suffering. For that I am most grateful. I believe that when I reach those pearly gates, my big brother will be there waiting for me.

⁵⁰ Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption. ⁵¹ Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed— ⁵² in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. ⁵³ For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. ⁵⁴ So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.”   ⁵⁵ “ O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?”  ⁵⁶ The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. ⁵⁷ But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
⁵⁸ Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.                                    -Corinthians 15:50-58

¹ What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? ² Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? ³ Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? ⁴ Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
⁵ For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, ⁶ knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. ⁷ For he who has died has been freed from sin. ⁸ Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, ⁹ knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. ¹⁰ For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. ¹¹ Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
¹² Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. ¹³ And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. ¹⁴ For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace. –Romans 6:1-14

Friend, if you don’t know the Lord Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, why wait? Why take a chance? Please, I beg you; cry out to the one, the only one, who has power over sin and death.

GOD of the Old Testament vs. GOD of the New Testament Part VI

Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel Chapter 3-4)

 ¹ Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose height was sixty cubits and its width six cubits. He set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon.

⁴ Then a herald cried aloud: “To you it is commanded, O peoples, nations, and languages, ⁵ that at the time you hear the sound of the horn, flute, harp, lyre, and psaltery, in symphony with all kinds of music, you shall fall down and worship the gold image that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up; ⁶ and whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast immediately into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.”
⁷ So at that time, when all the people heard the sound of the horn, flute, harp, and lyre, in symphony with all kinds of music, all the people, nations, and languages fell down and worshiped the gold image which King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. –Daniel 3:1,4-7

Nebuchadnezzar was the King of Babylon. He had captured Israel and taken them to Babylon (see chapters 1-2 for more background). Although God used him to deal with rebellious Israel, this (idol) did not please God. As we read the whole account of Nebuchadnezzar, we see God’s hand on his life. God could have cast him off when His plan was finished, but God chose to spare, and bless this heathen King.   

 ²⁸ All this came upon King Nebuchadnezzar. ²⁹ At the end of the twelve months he was walking about the royal palace of Babylon. ³⁰ The king spoke, saying, “Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for a royal dwelling by my mighty power and for the honor of my majesty?”
 ³¹ While the word was still in the king’s mouth, a voice fell from heaven: “King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken: the kingdom has departed from you! ³² And they shall drive you from men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. They shall make you eat grass like oxen; and seven times shall pass over you, until you know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever He chooses.”
 ³³ That very hour the word was fulfilled concerning Nebuchadnezzar; he was driven from men and ate grass like oxen; his body was wet with the dew of heaven till his hair had grown like eagles’ feathers and his nails like birds’ claws.
 ³⁴ And at the end of the time I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my understanding returned to me; and I blessed the Most High and praised and honored Him who lives forever:

      For His dominion is an everlasting dominion,
      And His kingdom is from generation to generation.
       ³⁵ All the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing;
      He does according to His will in the army of heaven
      And among the inhabitants of the earth.
      No one can restrain His hand
      Or say to Him, “What have You done?”
 ³⁶ At the same time my reason returned to me, and for the glory of my kingdom, my honor and splendor returned to me. My counselors and nobles resorted to me, I was restored to my kingdom, and excellent majesty was added to me. ³⁷ Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, all of whose works are truth, and His ways justice. And those who walk in pride He is able to put down. –Daniel 4:28-36

I am saved by God’s grace and mercy, not because I am a good person.

I am what I am; and more importantly, God is who He is. I am a sinner worthy of death and damnation, but God is a God of love who reached out to me, just as He reaches out to all who will receive Him.

No man can convince me that God is not justified in what He does. I am the recipient of His great love. I had the same choice as everyone else. 

You my friend have to make a choice as well. What will you choose?  

GOD of the Old Testament vs. GOD of the New Testament Part V

Nineveh (Jonah 1-4)

¹ Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, ² “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before Me.” ³ But Jonah arose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. He went down to Joppa, and found a ship going to Tarshish; so he paid the fare, and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. –Jonah 1:1-3

Nineveh was an un-Godly Assyrian city. These people were known for their brutality and they had oppressed Israel for years. So why did God want Jonah to go and preach to them?

Because as bad as they were, God loved them!

He loved them and He knew they would repent. He could have chosen to destroy them but in love, He sent a means of escape. Jonah did not want to go; he knew that if they repented, God would save them. He hated them but God chose to send him anyway.

⁵ So the people of Nineveh believed God, proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least of them. ⁶ Then word came to the king of Nineveh; and he arose from his throne and laid aside his robe, covered himself with sackcloth and sat in ashes. ⁷ And he caused it to be proclaimed and published throughout Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying,

   Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything; do not let them eat, or drink water. ⁸ But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily to God; yes, let every one turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands. ⁹ Who can tell if God will turn and relent, and turn away from His fierce anger, so that we may not perish?

¹⁰ Then God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God relented from the disaster that He had said He would bring upon them, and He did not do it. –Jonah 3:5-10

In chapter four we see how angry Jonah became over God sparing the city. We also see how the Lord sought to teach Jonah about His love. This book ends with verse 11.

And should I not pity Nineveh, that great city, in which are more than one hundred and twenty thousand persons who cannot discern between their right hand and their left—and much livestock?” –Jonah 4:11

What does this say about God?

If you still see God as a mean, overbearing tyrant, you are either deceived or your heart is so hard you can’t see the truth. Over and over God has shown His great mercy, why would you not want to see Him as He really is?

GOD of the Old Testament vs. GOD of the New Testament Part IV

Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 18:16-32)

For the sake of time and the purpose of this post, I want to focus on verses 22-32.

²² Then the men turned away from there and went toward Sodom, but Abraham still stood before the LORD. ²³ And Abraham came near and said, “Would You also destroy the righteous with the wicked? ²⁴ Suppose there were fifty righteous within the city; would You also destroy the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous that were in it? ²⁵ Far be it from You to do such a thing as this, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be as the wicked; far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?”
²⁶ So the LORD said, “If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes.”
²⁷ Then Abraham answered and said, “Indeed now, I who am but dust and ashes have taken it upon myself to speak to the Lord: ²⁸ Suppose there were five less than the fifty righteous; would You destroy all of the city for lack of five?”
So He said, “If I find there forty-five, I will not destroy it.”
²⁹ And he spoke to Him yet again and said, “Suppose there should be forty found there?” So He said, “I will not do it for the sake of forty.”
³⁰ Then he said, “Let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak: Suppose thirty should be found there?” So He said, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.”
³¹ And he said, “Indeed now, I have taken it upon myself to speak to the Lord: Suppose twenty should be found there?” So He said, “I will not destroy it for the sake of twenty.”
³² Then he said, “Let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak but once more: Suppose ten should be found there?” And He said, “I will not destroy it for the sake of ten.”

Sodom was a wicked and vile place. Obviously these people were even more wicked than the other people in the region. We know idolatry was the norm, we also know many of these religions sacrificed their children to false gods. Homosexuality was practiced by many in that region, but Sodom stood out above the rest in their evil behavior.

God knew what they were doing and He determined to destroy this wickedness. However, we see He is still willing to spare the city if there are a handful of righteous men here. God is willing to show mercy on what was the most evil of cities on the earth at that time.

Does this sound like a tyrant, or a loving God willing to go after a single lost sheep?  

GOD of the Old Testament vs. GOD of the New Testament Part III

The Tower of Babel (Genesis 11:1-9)

 ¹ Now the whole earth had one language and one speech. ² And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar, and they dwelt there. ³ Then they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” They had brick for stone, and they had asphalt for mortar. ⁴ And they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.”
⁵ But the LORD came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built. ⁶ And the LORD said, “Indeed the people are one and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them. ⁷ Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.” ⁸ So the LORD scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth, and they ceased building the city. ⁹ Therefore its name is called Babel, because there the LORD confused the language of all the earth; and from there the LORD scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth.

God had commanded man to populate the earth (Gen. 1:28; Gen. 9:1). That’s kind’a hard if you bunch up in one city. God could have dealt harshly with the people; He could have sent disease, or an enemy, or any number of horrible things to scatter them. But as is God’s nature, He chose to be merciful and do the unexpected. 

God created man to multiply and cover the earth. What is so hard about that?  

While we’re on the subject, have you ever had plans to do something that just didn’t work out? Maybe, like me, you find out later that was God’s hand guiding you somewhere else.

Like the hand of a loving parent guides their toddler lest he fall, so also God guides us lest we fall (in sin).

An interesting note: This site later became Babylon (Iraq). Babel is also where we get the word “Babble,” meaning incoherent chatter. 

GOD of the Old Testament vs. GOD of the New Testament Part II

Part II

Cain and Abel (Genesis 4:1-15)

⁶ So the LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? ⁷ If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.”
⁸ Now Cain talked with Abel his brother; and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him. Gen. 4:6-8

How did God respond?

Cain was angry and the Lord spoke to him warning him that sin was ready to pounce on him but Cain ignored God and sin indeed did pounce. God had tried to reach Cain’s cold, hard heart before he did something horrible. God knew before hand what Cain would do but he spared his life anyway.  

⁹ Then the LORD said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?”
He said, “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?”
¹⁰ And He said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood cries out to Me from the ground. ¹¹ So now you are cursed from the earth, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. ¹² When you till the ground, it shall no longer yield its strength to you. A fugitive and a vagabond you shall be on the earth.”
¹³ And Cain said to the LORD, “My punishment is greater than I can bear! ¹⁴ Surely You have driven me out this day from the face of the ground; I shall be hidden from Your face; I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond on the earth, and it will happen that anyone who finds me will kill me.”
¹⁵ And the LORD said to him, “Therefore, whoever kills Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold.” And the LORD set a mark on Cain, lest anyone finding him should kill him.

Does that sound like a tyrant bent on killing any who disobey Him?

As atrocious as Cain’s behavior was, God still had mercy on him. God did not ignore his sin but still had compassion on him. Notice here that Cain never showed any remorse for his sin. He only showed concern for himself.

I don’t know why God chose to let him live, or why He didn’t let him live in fear of his life; all I know is God did not withhold mercy from this sinful man.

Continued…

GOD of the Old Testament vs. GOD of the New Testament

Is The God Of The Old Testament A Tyrant?

Lately I hear this argument quite frequently. The God of the O.T. orders everyone to be stoned for minor offenses, and for His people to murder men, women and children to take their land. If you didn’t do exactly as He said, He had you killed.

I think the beginning of the problem here is the pre supposed assumption of God as a tyrant and the search for passages that would support such a claim. I think to find the truth one has to start before these “acts” of so-called malice.

Let’s go back to Genesis

God gave “everything” to Adam and Eve with the exception of the one tree. That sounds like a loving Father to me. He didn’t make this beautiful garden and give them a small portion of it, He gave them all of it with the exception of “one” single tree. He also informed them of the consequences of eating of that tree (Gen. 2:17).

“If God really loved them, why did He make that tree?” you might ask. If God did not give them the “choice” to decide, that would not be love! Would we want to marry someone against their will? Why? We want to be loved in return by choice. If a person holds another person captive who does not share their affection, we lock that person up; it’s called kidnapping. So if GOD made us love Him and didn’t give us this choice, would He really love us? Would we really love Him? No!

It is some what difficult to explain this to a person who doesn’t know or understand the nature of GOD; they just don’t get it. It takes the Holy Spirit to open our eyes.

In Genesis when God told Adam he would die if he ate from the tree, He didn’t mean at that very moment. GOD could have killed Adam and Eve and started over. How could anyone blame Him if He did? Were they not warned?

Again, this clearly shows a GOD of love and mercy.

After eating from the tree, they saw their nakedness and were ashamed (Gen. 3:7). So what did GOD do? He made them skins to cover their nakedness.

Now this is another subject but this is the first death in history. An innocent animal had to be killed to cover man’s sin.

So we have man, who sins against GOD, and GOD doesn’t kill him, instead He clothes him. That sounds like love and compassion to me.

  Continued…

"Let's Get Physical"

Do you remember that song by Olivia Newton John?

I think it came out in the late 70’s or very early 80’s. I remember seeing the women wearing the leotards, and leg warmers (looked like oversized, droopy socks to me), and they wore bandanas on their heads. When they weren’t bouncing in this attire, they had mall hair, complete with about five pounds of hairspray. I shutter to think what would have happened if they had gotten close to an open flame.

That really started the “Physically Fit” mentality and it continues to this day.

Every week there is a new diet, a new list of “you shouldn’t eat,” a new fitness routine, or some other new thing that will make you healthier and happier.

In this “physically fit” society in which we live, it is hard to realize we are seeing obesity at an all time high. My personal opinion is that a thousand and twelve channels on TV, video games, working in offices/cubicles and on computers plays a major role in this. I’m not saying these things are bad, but they replaced playing football outside, skate boards and roller skates, working in the fields, and all the other things we use to enjoy before we had so many “indoor” activity choices.

I remember the older relatives when I was a boy, I think everything they ate was fried; Fried chicken, fried fish, fried steak, fried eggs, french fries, etc, and three large meals a day. The shocker: none of them were obese!

I believe that was because they worked it off. I also believe it was normal to have gall bladder problems by age forty, but most lived into their eighties; and were healthy.

Back to my original topic; “Physical Fitness.” How should we view the exercise of our bodies? What is the scriptural advice?

⁶ If you instruct the brethren in these things, you will be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished in the words of faith and of the good doctrine which you have carefully followed. ⁷ But reject profane and old wives’ fables, and exercise yourself toward godliness. ⁸ For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come. ⁹ This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance. ¹⁰ For to this end we both labor and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe. ¹¹ These things command and teach.

According to Paul, “spiritual fitness” trumps “physical fitness.” How we train our mind in the things of God have eternal value.

I am not condemning working out or staying fit; that is not my objective. What I would like to point out is that being “Spiritually Fit” is much more important.

Good “Spiritual Fitness” will last beyond this life. What good is being physically fit if you develop cancer at age twenty five? Your physical condition may help you survive a little longer, but ultimately death may follow; It will at some point. My next question is hard but I must ask it; will you enjoy a physically fit body in hell?

NO! You won’t enjoy anything in hell.

One last thing I want to point out in closing; just before the passage about good “spiritual fitness,” what does Paul have to say?

 ¹ Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, ² speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron, ³ forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. ⁴ For every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be refused if it is received with thanksgiving; ⁵ for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer. -1 Timothy 4:1-5

Some may disagree with me here, but Paul says we are not to reject what God has given. I am not saying Paul is talking all together about what I am saying, but we need to look for God’s truth in every word of this passage. I do believe in taking care of the body, it is the temple of the Lord; but at the same time, I reject all the latest fad diets. If we seek first “Spiritual Fitness,” we can enjoy other things the world says are bad. 

People today tell us meat is bad for us, milk is bad, eggs are bad and so on;

I disagree. I don’t eat chicken, eggs, or drink much milk myself, but that is because I don’t like them. I do have a problem with raw fish (sushi). But what God has called good, I will not call bad; and what God calls bad, I will not call good.

Friend, if you are a fitness enthusiast that is fine; but don’t let that cause you to stumble. Don’t let your zeal for being healthy come before your worship and honoring God.     

Repentance

⁵ So David’s anger was greatly aroused against the man, and he said to Nathan, “As the LORD lives, the man who has done this shall surely die! ⁶ And he shall restore fourfold for the lamb, because he did this thing and because he had no pity.”
⁷ Then Nathan said to David, “You are the man!”   -2 Samuel 12:5-7

Have we ever found ourselves caught off guard in a sin? Maybe we made some unkind statements about a friend or a joke about someone with a disability; and then we are confronted by them, or someone else. It may be then and only then that we realize how wrong we were.

Maybe we were supposed to take our kids to the zoo or pick up a friend at the airport but we forgot. Maybe our wife/husband was counting on us to do something important and we dropped the ball.

There is that moment that we are confronted with what we have done, or not done, that causes our heart to cringe and hurt.

What about those who are unfaithful to their spouse? The soldier who was asleep on post or not being vigilant and the result was the death of his fellow soldiers? The politician who takes a bribe and loses the respect of his constituents?  

Truth be known, everyone of us has failed another at some point. Unfortunately we are doomed to do it again and again. The big question here is not what we have done, but rather how do we respond once the sin has been uncovered.

It is easy for us to be angry when we see someone else do wrong, but isn’t it funny how we can be lenient on ourselves? For some, they go the opposite route and never forgive themselves. They let regret destroy their life and cause them to cease being productive.

So what are we to do?

David had failed miserably (2 Samuel chapter 11). His head had blown up and he thought he could do whatever he pleased; even taking another man’s wife and murdering the man.

But God wasn’t finished using David. He knew David’s heart, and He knew David would repent when he saw his sin exposed. God sent Nathan the prophet to lay out what David had done but do it in a way that David would not realize he was the man until his own anger was aroused at the hideousness of the sin.

When the truth was revealed, David repented. He was in agony over what he had done. God didn’t let him off the hook, but He allowed David to remain on the throne. God continued to use David.

Dear friend, have you got a hideous past? Have you committed adultery, lied, failed someone, murdered? There is hope. No matter what you have done, “REPENT!” God is faithful to His word and He will restore you. He wants to bring good out of the bad. He can heal any hurt you suffer. He may leave the scars, but He will heal the wound.

If you have sinned but just can’t bring yourself to confess it and repent, I urge you to get on your knees before Holy God and cry out; You are in grave danger.

If you are struggling with a tainted past and feel as though you can’t get past it, please contact your pastor, or a pastor if you are not a member of a church. If you would like to discuss this with me, please feel free to contact me.

The bottom line is we don’t know how long we have to make things right with God. Why wait? Please deal with this today.

I will praise You with uprightness of heart, when I learn Your righteous judgments.  -Psalm 119:7

Comming Soon...

I recall hearing stories of immigrants coming to America many years ago.

Many were poor and could not afford to bring their whole family. The hope was to come here, get established, and send for their loved ones. Before telephones, emails and such, they had no way of communicating with their loved ones outside of written letters, and that could take months. There was a chance those letters may never have reached their families due to ship wreck or other unforeseen occurrence. 

These people did not know what to expect. All they knew was that they had heard of this wonderful land where anything was possible. It would seem that everyone could be rich as long as he was willing to work hard. For many, that was the case. These people were willing to risk their lives in a long and difficult trip across the ocean in a wooden ship, sealed with tar. I believe the smell would have been nauseating to many. I’m not exactly sure how the onboard bathrooms worked, but I’m pretty sure it was either a hole in a board hanging over the side, or a pot, or something else less sanitary than we have today. I don’t believe they had showers or baths, and potable water would have been in limited supply.

So why leave your family, risk death (from disease, starvation, pirate attack, or other less than desirable demise) and endure such a miserable voyage?

It’s simple, because they were willing to risk everything for something better.

But what about those left behind? For some, they never heard from their loved ones again. But for others there was great rejoicing when they were re-united on the shores of this great land.

So, why do I speak of this? Because we Christians are very much like these immigrants; we see heaven as that beautiful  and distant land of unfathomable beauty and opportunity. Some of us go on ahead while some of us remain behind until a future time. For those of us waiting for our time to go, we should never lose sight of the destination or the loved ones waiting there. Unlike these pilgrims, we won’t lose loved ones on the journey. We have the assurance that they made it, if they received Christ as their personal Lord and Savior.

   

The Coming of the Lord

¹³ But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. ¹⁴ For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus.
¹⁵ For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. ¹⁶ For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. ¹⁷ Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. ¹⁸ Therefore comfort one another with these words. -1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

For those of us who have lost loved ones, there is hope.

If they received Christ as their personal Lord and Savior (and we as well), we will most definitely see them again.

You would not sabotage the boat your loved ones were on, so how can you not share the Gospel with your loved ones before they leave this life?

To hold back God’s truth is to drill holes in the bottom of the boat.

I want to paint a picture of hope, and promise; but I can’t do this without challenging you to consider the responsibility you have.  Dear friend, please share God’s truth with others. What if no one ever shared it with you? What if your loved ones drilled holes in the bottom of your boat?

Resist Temptation

No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.  -1 Corinthians 10:13

Our Pastor has challenged every member of our church to learn this verse.  When I joined a Bible study group with the Navigators back in 1985, the first verse I memorized was this one. What is so important about this verse?

May I be so bold as to say, because “WE ALL” face temptation!                           
Friend, if you think you don’t face it you are deceived. Whether you are saved or lost, you face temptation. We all struggle with temptation. C. S. Lewis wrote a book titled “The Screwtape Letters” on this subject. I highly encourage every person to read it. Although it is a fictional story, it gives us a pretty good idea how Satan works. If one thing fails, he tries another. If that fails, he has another trick. Of one thing you can be sure, he is relentless. He will never, never, never, ever give up; at least not while you remain here on earth.  

“But we are human and God expects us to fail” you might say. Okay, if that be the case, the next time your child disobeys you, you should not correct or punish them because they are a child and you expect them to act like what they are. Doesn’t hold water does it? Of course not! Let us turn back to our verse:

No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.  -1 Corinthians 10:13

Okay, okay, but what about examples? I’m glad you asked. In Genesis chapter 39, a man named Joseph is a Hebrew slave in an Egyptians house. His master has made him head of his household. A problem arises when the Egyptians wife begins to lust after Joseph. She approaches him several times until her lust consumes her.

¹¹ But it happened about this time, when Joseph went into the house to do his work, and none of the men of the house was inside, ¹² that she caught him by his garment, saying, “Lie with me.” But he left his garment in her hand, and fled and ran outside.  -Genesis 39:11-12

How many of us could honestly say we would flee? Consider that Joseph is a slave. There is no mention of a wife until later. I’m sure he was tempted over and over for a moment of physical pleasure. He could have said “as a slave, I must do what I am told.” He could have found some excuse to do what he wanted. “A man has needs” you might say. Big question here:

“Do I care more about my desires, or God’s will?”

You have to make a choice. If we decide to follow Christ, He will not leave us to fight this battle by ourselves. Again, let us look at our verse:

No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.   -1 Corinthians 10:13

“So how do I overcome temptation?” Let’s look at the Master. Jesus Himself was tempted by Satan in the wilderness.

  ¹ Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. ² And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry. ³ Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” ⁴ But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’”
⁵ Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, ⁶ and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written:
’He shall give His angels charge over you,’ and, ‘ In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’” ⁷ Jesus said to him, “It is written again, ‘You shall not tempt the LORD your God.’”
⁸ Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. ⁹ And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.”
¹⁰ Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.’” ¹¹ Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him.  -Matthew 4:1-11

How did Jesus Christ Himself deal with temptation? He quoted scripture!       
Friend, if you truly want to live for Christ, I beg you, please make it a priority to spend time in prayer and studying scripture.  Paul said to put on the armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-20). We can only win the battle by preparation beforehand. If we do not get ready before the battle, we are doomed. 

When you fail, and you will, do not give in to despair. Immediately repent and get back up. Christ died for this reason. No where in scripture does it say when we receive Christ we will no longer be subject to temptation. It says:

No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.   - 1 Corinthians 10:13

Thankfulness continued...

One day when I was in the Marines I sat down to eat my lunch in the chow hall.  As was my custom, I began to criticize everything I thought was wrong with the meal. A good friend and brother in Christ, was sitting across from me. He sat quietly for awhile and then casually asked if I had said a blessing over my food.

I proudly reported “yes” I had. He then asked me a question I have never forgotten; he asked me how I could ask God to bless something and then complain about what God had blessed?

That was over twenty years ago and I still think often of his question.

I try to apply it to all things, not just food. If we pray for a rebellious child, are we in disbelief when they begin to show an interest in church, the Bible, or God?

What about that sinful neighbor? Do we pray for them and then talk bad about them to others? If they start going to church, do we doubt their sincerity?

If we ask God to do something or bless something, how should we behave after?

Should we not give thanks continually?

   ²⁶ And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.” ²⁷ Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. ²⁸ For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. ²⁹ But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom.” ³⁰ And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. –Matthew 26:26-30

Can you imagine what it took for Jesus to be able to do this, knowing what was about to happen a few short hours away? And then sing hyms?

If Jesus could give thanks knowing what lay before Him, and continue to act in absolute obedience, what is it for me to be thankful in all things? There is absolutely “NOTHING” I can face that I should not, and cannot give thanks for.

It is merely a reflection of what is in my heart.

I pray that each of us would consider this and pray about it. If we grumble over a meal that is not up to our standards, maybe God will let us miss a few so that we will understand why we should be grateful. Maybe if we feel a lack of His presence, we will be thankful when we do feel His presence. Maybe then, when we feel slighted because we don’t get our way, we will remember and give heartfelt thanks because it is in our heart!