Giving Thanks

I was reminded of something yesterday as I prayed with a friend of mine. It is something we Christians either seem to take for granted or don't even know about. We have been given something extraordinary for simply believing.

God has given us an incredible gift. It's nothing anyone can quantify or see. There are no dollar signs involved or tangible material possessions. Yet, we consider ourselves incredibly rich in God's blessings. He has given us the desires of our hearts.

Several months ago I was visiting a young friend at my former workplace. I go back there at least once a week to visit. Why? It's part of the gift. Shh. Back to the story.

My friend shared with me a struggle she was having at work. Gossip, back-stabbing, drama were all happening and it was eating away at her. She was contemplating quitting her job because she couldn't take it anymore. So I asked if I could pray for her. And we prayed. Others in the office were praying for her situation too.

Yesterday, when I stopped by my young friend's desk, I was sad to see that she was gone. All of her things were gone too. Did she finally quit? What happened? So I asked one of her work mates.

"Oh, she's upstairs now."

"What!?"

"Yeah, she doesn't work down here anymore."

So I went upstairs and there she was.

"Hi! What are YOU doing here?" I asked.

"Well, the book keeper over there is going to retire in January and they had hired a replacement for her. But then for some reason her replacement changed her mind. Someone else asked to take the book keeper's position and then that person's position became available. And I thought, I could do that job so I applied for it . . . and I got it!"

I thought about what I had just heard for a bit and then said, "When you go home tonight, thank God for what He has done for you. Two months ago you were struggling here, thinking you might quit your job. Now, today, here you are out of the situation you were in and God has placed you here. And you're happy! God has answered your prayers!"

And that is the gift that God has given us. Did you notice it? God gifts us opportunities to be in intimate, caring relationships. Not one- or two-sided relationships but THREE-sided relationships. My most treasured friends are those I have walked through struggles with, always with Jesus, always in prayer.

"See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2 Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is." - 1 John 3:1-2

"Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever." - Psalm 107:1

Forever - Chris Tomlin

Why The Packers Lose

It's always hard to watch when our favorite football teams self-destruct. Missing tackles, fumbling away opportunities to win, it's sad to see. What happened to the once-great Green Bay franchise this year? I have a theory.

Back in 2010, when the Packers won the Superbowl, Greg Jennings was quick to give praise to God during a post-game interview. That was nice to see. The Packers won. They gave the glory to God.

Oh, everyone loved the Packers back then. But then Aaron Rodgers began to stray. God and church were diminished in importance. The good looking quarterback began doing television commercials. He started dating a Hollywood actress who said in an interview, "We have sex as often as we can."

After crediting God early in his career, Rodgers was now placing God in the back seat. That is not a wise thing to do. Just ask God's people, the Israelites.

On the other hand, look at the Philadelphia Eagles, last years Superbowl champs. Nobody picked them to win it all, their starting quarterback was out yet there was "something special" about them. Their head coach, Doug Pederson, an unashamed Christian, was quick to give glory to God during the Superbowl post-game interview.

Did you know that Doug Pederson has a Superbowl ring as a Green Bay Packer quarterback? He backed up Brett Favre when the Packers won Superbowl XXXI.

 "I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." - Genesis 12:3

Everybody has a theory as to why the Packers are failing this year. As for me, I feel God is no longer using the Packers to make Himself known. Our focus should be on God, not the Packers.

Aaron Rodgers once said, "I don't think God cares much about football."

You're right Aaron. But God DOES care about those who make much about HIM. And that's the problem, Aaron.

To God Be The Glory - Greg Jennings 2010
Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ - Doug Pederson 2018

The Parable of The Bruised Banana

We all go through times in our lives when we get bruised or damaged in some way. The reasons may vary but the bruises are always the same.

When a banana gets damaged during shipping there is often no visible damage on the outside until we buy it and peel away the protective layers and then, there it is. The bruise.

We humans are much the same. When we get damaged in life we often choose to hide the scars. "Maybe no one will notice," we tell ourselves. So we keep it inside and conceal the hurt. The damage is still there but no one can see it.

"You have searched me, Lord, and you know me. 2 You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. 3 You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. 4 Before a word is on my tongue you, Lord, know it completely. 5 You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me." - Psalm 139:1-5

God can see our bruises no matter how hard we try to conceal them. He is an amazing healer. But the key to being healed often lies with us. We have to WANT to be healed.

We all have some pain deep inside us. But have we fully turned that pain over to God, choosing  to carry it ourselves?

Sometimes a trusted friend can help. Or a pastor. But ultimately Jesus is the best healer of all.

Love Reigns

I have a theory about love. It's more than a theory I guess. I have seen it proven time and time again. But there is no physical evidence to support it. The "proof" resides in our hearts and in our minds. See if you don't agree.

If you go to Google and type in the phrase "is a two way street" you see words in bold like love, respect, friendship, trust, forgiveness, marriage." A relationship that is a one-way street won't last long. I guess a one-way love relationship is possible. It's just not profitable.

"7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love." - 1 John 4:7-8

I that right? Is God love? Does that mean that an atheist cannot love? Well, I guess that depends on the atheist's definition of love. But, based on the scripture we just read they cannot really KNOW what love is. They're only guessing?

I think Jesus is God's example of love. Look at His life. A servant, He sacrificed everything for the ones He loved. Do we do that in our relationships? He loved unconditionally. Do we do that? Or are our relationships dependent on being loved in return.

In many cases the love God has for us is one-way. We don't love Him back, although He loves us. Therefore should our love be one way? Yes!

Two way love relationships work because we get what we give. Everyone loves to feel loved. But the relationships that work best are the ones filled with unconditional love - a love like God's for us. When we start putting conditions on our love for God we diminish that love.

We must look at our relationships. Are they one way? Are they unconditional? Can we truly love, in God's definition of love, without knowing God and His love for us?

The theory I have is a modification of the two-way street theory. What if there was a U-turn at the end of the two way streets so they feed each other in a perpetual, eternal way like a big, flat oval? The love would never end. Are your relationships like that?

He Reigns - Newsboys

Work

I have GOT to stop listening to pastors who preach the truth of God's Word! They get me so fired up, I feel so convicted, that I feel like I should repent and change my ways! Said no. Christian. ever.

Yeah, that happened to me this past week. I stayed up late (10:00) and decided to watch Wretched TV. I hadn't watch Todd Friel in a while so when it came on I lingered there for a moment. That was all it took.

He was talking about "work" and it featured a video by Voddie Baucham. Voddie is one of my favorite pastors to listen to because he speaks the truth right out o

f the Bible. He's not afraid who it convicts because it's true. It's God's Word!

Well, Voddie was talking about "work" and how we were never meant to retire. We were created to work until we die.

Ouch.

Having just retired this past March I have enjoyed not having to go in to work. I still do stuff but it was always on my schedule. When I get around to it. Then I listened to Voddie's message. The video clip is only 2 minutes but that was enough.

And then this passage popped into my head. Jesus speaking now.

34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ - Matthew 25:34-40

If I might be so bold as to add a line to this passage it would be, "Whatever even you DIDN'T do for one of the least of these, you DIDN'T do for Me."

I am currently building a tiny home to be used by people who might suddenly need a place to stay. At least I was building it. I kind of stopped because of the cold weather and having to do things I'm not really sure about. If Jesus knocked on my door right now and asked, "How's my tiny house coming?" what would I say?

What could I say?

So this morning I am going to venture out and get to work. Then, should Jesus stop by and ask that convicting question, I can say, "Let me show You!"

What things are getting in the way of our work for the Lord? We need to take a look at ourselves. Is there something stopping us from doing what He asked us to do? If there is, we should probably get rid of that thing right away, and get to work!

Why We Work - Voddie Bauchman

My Delilah

I just got done reading the story of Samson and Delilah. Samson sure was a pitiful character. Kind of a wanty, needy fellow who liked his women and also liked killing Philistines. Everybody has to have a hobby I guess.

He seemed to me to be angry and never satisfied with his life. It was almost as if he was frustrated by it. Do you have times when you feel frustrated with the way things are going? Unsatisfied with the results in life? How do we fix that?

First off, I don't think we should be doing what Samson did. His life was filled with lusts of the flesh and killing. That doesn't seem like what a man, devoted to God since his birth, should be up to.

If we go back through the story I think we can find the problem. I think it was his parents. They weren't strict enough.

"Samson went down to Timnah and saw there a young Philistine woman. 2 When he returned, he said to his father and mother, “I have seen a Philistine woman in Timnah; now get her for me as my wife.”
3 His father and mother replied, “Isn’t there an acceptable woman among your relatives or among all our people? Must you go to the uncircumcised Philistines to get a wife?”

But Samson said to his father, “Get her for me. She’s the right one for me.” - Judges 14:1-3

Pretty demanding for someone devoted to the Lord. He is supposed to honor his father and mother yet he defied their wishes and disobeyed God's command not to marry outside his people. But then we read this . . .

"4 (His parents did not know that this was from the Lord, who was seeking an occasion to confront the Philistines; for at that time they were ruling over Israel.)" - Judges 14:4

God wanted Samson to do this? Confusing. Another question to ask when I get to heaven.

Later on in Samson's life he meets Delilah. Same song, different verse. Samson fell in love with someone who betrayed him. And that made me stop and reflect. Do I have a Delilah in my life?

It doesn't necessarily have to be a person. Is there something I love doing that distracts me from God's will for my life? What if it's eating things I shouldn't. I am a Type II diabetic. I shouldn't eat sweets, yet I do. We all struggle with things like that. They're called vices or addictions.

It could be gluttony, drinking, drugs, video games, sex, idolatry . . . there's all kinds of things distract us from God, yet we do them. Is that why we get frustrated? Frustrated like Samson did?

Since Adam and Eve Satan has been trying to keep us away from God. We ALL have something that does that for us. What is it in YOUR life? What is YOUR Delilah?

Delilah - Tom Jones

The Tipping Point

There comes a time in our thinking and in our hearts, when we choose to change. Something has led us there. A set of circumstances perhaps or maybe a disease. We humans eventually get to a point where we chose to try something else, or believe something else. It's usually because something's not working and we desperately want SOMETHING to work. Something to believe in. Welcome to the tipping point.

What makes a person desperate enough to reach out for help or to make the decision to end their life? Where is that tipping point? And what decides which way things tip?

I think there are two factors in most tipping point decisions - truth and love.

Everybody has their own version of truth. or should I say everybody has their own opinion of what the truth is. "The World" sees the truth and being relative. What's right for one person is wrong for another. News flash. There is only ONE truth.

God hates sin. Lying is a sin. Therefore God hates lying. If God hates lying I think it's a good idea to always speak the truth. And to do that we always need to know what is truth and what is a lie. That's a tipping point. Always tip in favor of the truth. If we find we are not walking in the truth we must change. There is only one truth. If we are not living it and breathing it we are no better than Satan, the father of lies.

Love is the other ingredient that we need to exhibit. I had a lady give me some light fixtures and a ceiling fan for the tiny home I am building for those in need of emergency shelter. I hardly knew her yet after we got done loading them into my car, I gave her a hug because she was helping people we both love - those in need.

Look at your family and friends right now. Is anyone living a lie? Is anyone without love? Examine God's Word. It is filled with truth. If we are merely vessels, filled with God's Holy Spirit, we need to be pouring out that love and truth to others in need around us.

Today, let's be active vessels and do some dispensing of the love that God has shown us by pouring ourselves into the lives of others in His name. Call someone, text someone, tell someone you love them. It may be just what that person needs to hear today.

In the following message Pastor Matt Chandler delivers a sermon at a seeker sensitive, self-focused mega church. In his message Matt provides them and us with a tipping point in OUR walk with Jesus. Is God for us or is He for His own glory?

Matt Chandler - Code Orange Revival

Living Donor

I saw a commercial on television the other day that made me stop and think. I had the volume off so I was just looking at visuals. There were a bunch of people standing in line, motionless, going nowhere. The image was dark and grey. Kind of like Monday morning, right?

The commercial was actually for a living donor program but the images perfectly depicted what you and I are called to do with the Gospel message.

As you watch the commercial pay attention to the hopeless people standing in line. They are simply waiting, their hope seems almost gone. Then someone comes along. Someone they know, and pulls them out of the line. There is a loving embrace. Then the two of them walk together, hand-in-hand. Powerful images to be sure.

Think of the Gospel. What was it God wanted us to do with it?

"15He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. 16Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned." - Mark 16:15-16

Is there someone in your life who is struggling? Just going through life without purpose or hope? Just standing in line waiting for the end to come?

Reach out to them! Draw them close and give them a hug. Share the truth of The Gospel with them. Show them the love Jesus showed you when His Holy Spirit drew you to The Father. Share some of what YOU have with someone who has nothing.

And by that I mean share the hope that you have. The hope of our Savior. Pull your loved ones out of the line that is "the world" and walk with them towards the light - the Light of The Gospel.

UPMC Living Donor Commercial

That Wedding Day

There are many things in life we never get to see. This past Sunday our pastor spoke about his getting to do and see things that most of us never get to see. Like stopping in to pray for the bride as her bride's maids readied her for her wedding day. Most people don't get to experience moments like that. But I did.

Our pastor talking about the beauty of a bride getting ready for her wedding in Revelation 21. Here's the text.

"Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband." - Revelation 21:1-2

This past summer I had the privilege of officiating at a wedding ceremony. Before the service I visited the small house where the bride was getting ready for her special day. I walked in, knocking, eyes to the floor, not wanting to see anything I shouldn't.

When I was told it was okay to enter I looked up and saw one of the most amazing sights I'd ever seen. A beautiful bride and her bridesmaids. They were making sure her dress fit just perfectly, they were arranging her hair just so and tended to her bouquet.

Previously I had only seen this particular bride wearing a sweatshirt and blue jeans. What a transformation!

When God sent His son to die for our sins, He was preparing us for OUR wedding day. The time we come together at the wedding feast with Jesus. God previously only saw us in our "blue jeans and sweatshirt" but now, thanks to the sacrifice of Jesus, we were adorned in our wedding dress. ready to get married.

We have not seen heaven either. Somehow I don't think we'll notice it at all. Because we'll be staring into the eyes of Jesus.

Wedding Day - Casting Crowns

The Parable of The Holey Sock

I caught my wife darning one of my socks the other day. Apparently, her silly husband likes to walk around in his stocking feet and wear holes in his socks, thereby causing more work for his wife.

"If you'd only wear your slippers!" she tells me. She shakes her head and keeps right on darning the sock.

Here we have a typical example of a conflict of interests. On one hand, my wife doesn't like darning socks. It takes time out of her busy schedule to do something she really doesn't want to do in the first place. That can be frustrating. It can put a strain on a relationship, especially when her husband doesn't like wearing his slippers.

My wife also doesn't like spending money on socks when she COULD be spending it on her grandkids. Doubly frustrating.

On my side of the issue, I don't always want to wear my slippers. I like walking around in my stocking feet, sliding around on the kitchen floor like Tom Cruise (not really). I guess I could go without wearing socks but then my feet would get cold. What's a man to do? Well, that's easy.

The verse I find myself going back to time and time again is Ephesians 5:25

"Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her." - Ephesians 5:25

I reached into my sock drawer this morning and grabbed a pair of socks. I was about to put them on when I noticed that one of the socks had been repaired. I held it in my hand and looked and the stitching my wife had done. There were a lot of stitches in that sock!

As I pulled the sock on I reflected on that Ephesians 5 verse. Previously, in Ephesians 5, I also reflected on the wife in Paul's example of a biblical marriage.

"Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord." - Ephesians 5:22

My wife had already submitted to my wishes. She had fixed my socks, she had thereby saved money for her grandkids. What had I done in my role as a husband? I'll tell you what I did. I smiled and I put my slippers on over my socks.

There's no one home as I write this. I could have walked around in my stocking feet. My wife would never have known, until she saw the next holey sock. But I would have known. I made the small sacrifice of wearing my slippers around the house to honor my wife and to honor God.

What bigger relationship issues could we solve by sacrificing ourselves for our spouses? What can we do to make someone's life easier? Shouldn't we make that sacrifice?

You and I are socks. Our sin is the hole. God chose to fix us through our belief in His Son, Jesus. Aren't you glad He chose to mend us and make us whole rather than just throwing us in the garbage?

How To Repair A Hole In A Sock With Darning

Running Wild

When I was growing up I had a dog named Linus. Yes, he was named after the famous Peanuts character. Linus used to stand on his hind legs at the end of his chain and bark at anything that passed by. He kept working at his chain until it broke and then he took off running, chain dragging behind. He loved to run wild.

It always took a long time to get him back home once he was free and running to and fro, wherever he wanted to. He enjoyed being free and doing what he wanted. Unfortunately, he was also running blind - running without being aware of his surroundings.

In the summer we would travel to our family farm and there we would let him run free. He really enjoyed that. He would run and run until he couldn't run any more.

You and I are a lot like Linus. So often we think of this life and some place to run wild through. We won't listen to the voices that are calling after us. We ignore them in favor of doing what we want. That can come with some heavy consequences.

Although we don't have chains on us we do have God's Law as our leash. Our obedience is something that God wants from us. When He yells, "Stop!" God wants my dog to obey because we are often going somewhere we shouldn't.

There are two things that can happen when God removes OUR chains and we are allowed to run free. Either we are obedient to our Master and stay by his side or we run wild through life, disobeying everything we have ever been taught.

Are we obedient? Or are we running blind?

"5 Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine," - Exodus 19:5

"25 But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do." - James 1:25

Running On Empty - Jackson Browne

Once and Forever

So, you have believed in Jesus but have fallen away. You don't go to church. You don't pray. You sin continually. Are you going to heaven? The answer may surprise you.

I am reading through the Old Testament right now. Each time I read through it I am reminded of myself. God calls Israel, God's chosen nation, a stiff-necked people. Israel keeps turning away from God. They continue to sin. God punishes them, as a father punishes his child, until they repent and return in obedience to God.

This process goes on and on and on throughout the Bible.

If I am honest, I too am stiff-necked. I keep turning away from God and I keep sinning. Even though God doesn't want me to. I am disobedient.

You and I are natural born sinners. Everybody has to be good at something, right? Sin is our thing. It's what we do best. It all depends on who is more important to us in our hearts. Ourselves or God.

The Bible says that . . .

"If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." - Romans 10:9

So, if I have believed in Jesus - if I have called myself a Christian at some point in my life - am I still a Christian when I sin and wander away from Christ?

The Bible also says that when we place our faith in Christ "we are a new creation. This is an amazing paragraph from the Bible:

"16So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. 17Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! 18All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21God made him who had no sin to be sin b for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." - 2 Corinthians 5:17

So that is the ultimate question. Are you reconciled to God? We can believe in God but still not be reconciled to Him. Even the demons believe in God (James 2:19).

Have we changed? Are we different? Have we repented of our sins? Is Jesus Lord of our lives?

We all will find out one day. In the meantime, Can we lose our salvation? No. The bigger question is, "Have we truly placed our faith in Christ?" What's YOUR answer?

Jesus Messiah - Chris Tomlin
Can I Lose My Salvation? - GotQuestions.org