Conviction

Have you ever felt convicted after listening to a pastor deliver his sermon? Congratulations! God's Holy Spirit is working in your life.

It doesn't have to be a pastor that delivers the message either. We can become convicted just by reading the Bible. Or it might be a friend that confronts us about something. That conviction is what keeps us on track and on the path.

This reminds me of the story of Josiah. He was happily just living his life as the king, doing kingly stuff, when someone said to him. "We have found the Book of The Lsw." Then they read it to him.

"When the king heard the words of the Book of the Law, he tore his robes." - 2 Kings 22:11

Have you ever had one of those moments? When you suddenly convicted about something you have said or done? I have. I had one yesterday in church.

So what do we do when we have one of those "attacks of the conscience or moves of the Holy Spirit? Make it right!

"Then the king called together all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem. 2 He went up to the temple of the Lord with the people of Judah, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the priests and the prophets - all the people from the least to the greatest. He read in their hearing all the words of the Book of the Covenant, which had been found in the temple of the Lord." - 2 Kings 23:1-2

God still punished the people who had lost The Book but He spared Josiah. And this was written about Him in God's Word.

"Neither before nor after Josiah was there a king like him who turned to the Lord as he did - with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his strength, in accordance with all the Law of Moses." - 2 Numbers 23:25

Do we live a life like Josiah did after being convicted by God's Word? After hearing a sermon? Or do we go back to our status quo?

Extremely Careless

One hot July morning a woman was pulled over by the police for speeding. As the officer approached the car the woman began hurriedly hiding the open beer cans that were on her passenger seat. She was about to be caught doing something that had been clearly against the law and she was expecting the worst.

The cop motioned for her to roll down the window, which she did.

"Do you know how fast you were going ma'am?" the officer asked.

"No officer," she replied.

"You were doing 74 miles an hour in a 35 zone," the police office informed her.

"Oh."

"And is that beer I smell on your breath?" the officer continued.

"Umm . . ."

"You were doing over twice the legal speed limit and, judging by the number of beer cans I saw you toss into the back seat, I'd be willing to bet you are intoxicated as well. What do you have to say for yourself?

"Well, Mr. Officer sir, it wasn't my intent to actually get drunk and I never intended to go that fast. And I didn't know the speed limit applied to me."

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What do you supposed were the next words out of the officer's mouth?

"Out of the car" would be a good guess. "Ignorance is no excuse ma'am" might be another. No one would expect the police officer to say, "Oh, well then, have a nice day" as he returned to his squad car.

Yet a very similar scenario to that happened on Tuesday in our country as this nation's FBI director James Comey said there would be no recommendation that criminal charges be brought against Hillary Clinton for lying to the FBI, illegally transferring top secret government documents in an insecure manner.

Despite her lying to congress and the FBI she is being given a pass. I smell beer in the air.

America is a nation of laws. Breaking those laws comes with consequences. That's why there are people in prison. They have broken the laws. Remember Martha Stewart? She lied to the FBI. She went to prison.

Who appoints the FBI director? The president does. Who appoints the Attorney General? The president does. Who does our president want to win the November election. He wants Hillary to win, of course. There is no conspiracy theory here. This sh . . . stuff is real!

Why are so many people upset about this breach of justice? Because it is a breach of justice! We are a just nation, or at least we were. We demand justice!!

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Stop a moment and think about that statement - we demand justice. Do we? Really?

God demands justice when WE commit a sin. We KNOW that we will be punished for those sins. Why? Because God is just. What would happen if God was not just? Would there be any sense of right and wrong?

Sadly, we can no longer say that our nation is a just nation. It is now clear that, if you have power and influence, you can rise above the law. The is IN-justice.

God forgives us our sins if we are humble, repent and seek His forgiveness. But we must repent. Why would God forgive us if we didn't think we did anything wrong?

Look, we are ALL guilty of breaking God's laws. God is just. Someone must pay the price for OUR transgressions . . . even Hillary's. That someone was Jesus. He paid the penalty dealt out by a just God.

We need to be praying for Hillary. We need to be praying for this nation of ours. And we need to be asking ourselves, "Why is God allowing all this to happen?" Why do you think? He is just and we are not. He has turned us over to the lusts of our hearts.

"10 I am the Lord your God,
Who brought you out of the land of Egypt;
Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.

11 “But My people would not heed My voice,
And Israel would have none of Me.
12 So I gave them over to their own stubborn heart,
To walk in their own counsels.

13 “Oh, that My people would listen to Me,
That Israel would walk in My ways!
14 I would soon subdue their enemies,
And turn My hand against their adversaries.
15 The haters of the Lord would pretend submission to Him,
But their fate would endure forever.
16 He would have fed them also with the finest of wheat;
And with honey from the rock I would have satisfied you.” - Psalm 81:10-16

We MUST repent and turn to God for help. That is the only thing that can save us. I urge you to pray. A just God is our only hope.

Just God - Ezekiel Azonwu

The Commands of Jesus: Judge Not

There are a lot of people these days who feel we should not be judging one another and, for the most part, they are right. Television shows we watch are filled with people judging one another and the television has become the world's classroom. We learn most of what we know about judging from television. That's a problem.

What does the Bible tell us about judging others? And, more specifically, what does Jesus say about it? More on that in a moment but first this little side story.

Coffee Cup Verses. That's what they call them. They are wonderful little snippets of words to encourage us as we start our day.  Small portions of text that are pulled, screaming, from the Bible and taken as "gospel" while the surrounding words, often more convicting, are left behind in favor of feel-good Christianity. Matthew 7 is a perfect example of this.

The picture at the right is how many people read Matthew 7. We just remember the words we want to hear. We don't remember what came before or after. Wey forget about the context, cherry-picking only the key words . . . the ones that make them feel the best. When we do that we hear Jesus telling us that we are not to be judging others. Here's what Jesus actually said.

7 “Judge not, that you be not judged. 2 For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. 3 Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye." - Matthew 7:1-5

The last verse is particularly interesting, especially the part that where Jesus tells us we ARE to judge our brothers and sisters . . . BUT . . . only after we have first judged ourselves.

Let's get one thing straight. As believers in Christ, Jesus is OUR judge. But Jesus says we are also to judge our brothers and sisters. And Paul tells us we are only to judge other believers, not non-believers.

"12 What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? 13 God will judge those outside. “Expel the wicked person from among you.” - 1 Corinthians 5:12-13

So, what do we do? Do we judge others or not? I think the key to this issue can be found in another verse.

"7 So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.” - John 8:7

Before we cast stones at others, before we judge them, we must first examine ourselves. Are WE without sin? Is there something in us that Jesus might see as sinful? Hey, we are ALL sinners. Let us reflect on that fact for a moment.

The key in all this is the word "first." Before we say anything convicting or condemning about someone else, we should consider our own guilt, our own sinfulness. Would the stones then from from OUR hands?

When a brother or sister sins, we should lovingly come along side them and guide them back to the truth. But we should not pick up stones to do so. We should go to them, carrying our OWN sin as a testimony that we ALL must repent. Let us judge one another, in love, and let's do so together.

Judge Not - Todd Friel (Wretched TV)