Righteous Judgement

A couple of news stories stood out to me amongst all of the post-election hype and blame casting this week. On the surface, both stories involve those evil MAGA Republicans and the unthinkable things they are always doing. Lol!

The first story involves a prominent player from the National Football League, Nick Bosa. Nick is the highest paid defensive player in the league and plays for the San Francisco 49ers. He was fined $11,255  this past Saturday for wearing a MAGA hat at a football game..

There are two interesting things in this story. The first is, Nick knew he was going to be fined by the league - and he didn't care. The second point of interest is this . . .

Although this a clear violation of league policy, the NFL waited until AFTER the presidential election to fine him. They didn't want to get those MAGA-Republicans any more fired up than they already were. Sheesh!

The second story is about FEMA and even more disgusting than the first. A FEMA administrator was fired last week after she instructed her relief workers to skip over any hurricane damaged houses featuring Trump or MAGA signs in their front yards. Even Democrats condemned her actions.

These two stories reflect a "clear and present danger" in our country. Each features a powerful entitee (the NFL and FEMA) using their power to effectively silence people, even denying help to the hurting. Lady Justice is supposed to be blind, not peeking out from under her blindfold to choose who to help or punish.

What does all of this have to do with Jesus? First, just one more example. Check this out.

In 2023, a woman was arrested in the UK for silently praying outside an abortion clinic. She has since been cleared of wrongdoing and has even received an apology and a £13,000 judgement in her favor. The point is this.

Back in Jesus' day there was an oppressive government in power - the Roman Empire. Everyone had to submit to Ceasar's authority. Christians were being crucified for things they were saying and believing in.

We are inching closer to that again today. Governments around the world are persecuting and killing their own citizens for their beliefs, even contrary to their own laws.

It seems that justice is a concept seldom practised these days. What has happened to the world we live in? Well, these unjust things are happening because we have removed Jesus from the judgement seat and replaced Him with our own craving for power.

There is an old saying that goes, "absolute power corrupts, absolutely." That has always proven true - with man. Not so with God.

"God is a righteous judge. I will give thanks to the Lord because of His righteousness; I will sing the praises of the name of the Lord Most High." - Psalm 7:11,17

With justice comes judgement for the disobedient. I for one am grateful for God's righteous and just judgements. And I am also grateful that Jesus has already paid the price for the unrighteous things I have done.

Thank you Lord!

Nick Bosa Article

FEMA Worker Fired

UK Woman Arrested

The Duct Tape Parable

During the third week of July our church gets transformed. It's not a spiritual transformation per se. Instead, it is a physical metamorphosis into whatever Vacation Bible School theme that Answers In Genesis comes up with that year.

Last year we explored God's creation with an Australian makeover. This year's theme was mideival in nature as we learned about the full armor of God, as listed in Ephesians 6.

"Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." - Ephesians 6:14-17

My friend Chuck and I thought we were all done preparing our lessons for the upcoming week until one of the other teachers came up with an idea - a 7' x 8' working mideival gate .... made out of duct tape. 

Have you ever tried sticking two pieces of duct tape together, face-to-face, perfectly? I am here to say it cannot be done. But we did our best, and it worked! As a bonus, Chuck and I are still friends today! Lol!

Another thing about duct tape is that it has so many uses. We needed to secure a poster to it's support. Duct tape! A makeshift styrofoam "television" to a table. Duct tape! A wild 10-year old to his chair. Well, we just thought about it. Maybe.

My point is this: duct tape can be used to fix just about anything. Except us humans.

We need Jesus to do that. None of us is perfect, but He is. When God looks at us on judgement day, all He is going to see is His Son, Jesus. That's because we have been made righteous by our faith in Him.

Duct tape is good for many things here on earth but it's going to take something,  someone, REALLY special to fix our sin problem. The King of Kings. 

The Big Question

There is one question we all must answer at some point in our lives. And it's not 'Do you believe on God?'

There are many gods. The 'Do you believe in God?' question is far too broad and therefore meaningless.

We need to be able to answer the question that God will ask all of us one day.

"Are YOU righteous?"

That's a big question for sure. Only the righteous may enter heaven. The answer to the "Are you righteous?" question, of course, is no.

"There is no one who does good. Not even one." - Romans 3:12

We must be righteous if we are going to gain entry into heaven and have eternal life. But how?

"Who then can be saved?" - Luke 18:26

That brings us to John 3:16

" For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life." - John 3:16

There's the REAL question.

"Do you believe in Jesus?"

Many will answer yes to that question. But do they? Do they really believe in Him? Do they even KNOW Him? And, more importantly, does Jesus KNOW us?

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!" - Matthew 7:22-23

I never knew you...... ouch.

I wonder if that shouldn't really be our prayer.

The Bible says that God knows our hearts. He knows our thoughts. So shouldn't our desire be to have pure thoughts and clean hearts so that when He examines us He will find us righteous like Noah, Daniel, and Job?

"If I send a plague into a land and pour out my wrath on it through bloodshed, killing its people and their animals, as surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, even if Noah, Daniel and Job were in it, they could save neither son nor daughter. They would save only themselves by their righteousness." - Ezekiel 14:19-20

Heavenly Father, you know me. I am unworthy of the grace You extend to the righteous. My only hope of forgiveness, eternal life,  and entry into heaven is through my faith in your Son, Jesus. So I cling to Him in my belief and in my desperation. I repent of my sins, seeking Your forgiveness, Lord. I trust in your promises of salvation through your Son. And I thank you for blessing me with your adoption of this poor soul into your eternal heavenly family. I thank you, Lord, and I praise you, and it is in the name of your Son Jesus that I pray these things to You. Amen.

Hunger and Thirst

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled." - Matthew 5:6

Do you know what we need in this world? We need some good, old-fashioned hunger and thirst. Let me explain.

When Jesus spoke on the Mount of Olives to his disciples and to those who had come to be healed or fed, He was not talking about actual physical hunger or thirst. He was talking about spiritual hunger and thirst. And it wasn't food or water that the people should be craving either. It was righteousness.

So, what IS righteousness anyway?

Righteousness - the being and doing right; conformity in character and conduct to a right standard. A coming into spiritual oneness with God, because for Christ's sake the believer in Christ is treated as righteous.

The verse said that "BLESSED are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness." Do we HUNGER for it? Are we THRSTY for it? Or is righteousness something we no longer have to attain because we have Jesus in our lives?

I think we need to crave righteousness like we haven't eaten in a week and are craving a cheeseburger. We need to thirst for it like we just walked out of a desert into a diner and the waitress asks us what we'd like.

WATER!!!

But we don't hunger or thirst for it, do we? We go to church on Sunday and that's enough it seems.

I think what's missing is our spiritual brokenness. The realization that we will starve to death without God's nourishing Word. If we truly hunger and thirst for righteousness, then this verse should have incredible meaning for us today.

"Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty." - John 6:35

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for Jesus!

Bartering

Do you know what bartering is? No? Well, how about trading? I used to do a lot of that as a kid. The common currency of my childhood was baseball cards.

Today things are different, the stakes higher. "I'll trade you half a year's salary for a shiny new car." But the concept is still the same.

We trade something WE have for something somebody else has.

Today I am installing some cabinet doors for a friend. In return they are creating some graphics for a project I am working on. No money is exchanging hands. There is no tax paid to the government. Yet we are both getting something we desire, or need.

"So they brought their livestock to Joseph, and Joseph gave them food in exchange for the horses and the flocks and the herds and the donkeys; and he fed them with food in exchange for all their livestock that year." - Genesis 47:17

Jesus offers a trade for each of us in this life, and it's a pretty sweet deal. OUR sins for HIS righteousness. You see, you and I, we are all sinners. The punishment for sin is death in God's eyes. However Jesus has offered up Himself as payment for our sins - a more than worthy sacrifice for the sinful things we have done.

"For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” - Mark 10:45

All that we have to do to complete the deal is to place our faith and trust in Jesus. He has already laid His "trading cards" on the table. The question is . . . are we willing to pick them up and trade Him our obedience?

The First and The Last

It doesn't matter what sport you watch or what competition you see taking place in the Olympics - someone will finish first and someone will finish last. That's just the way it goes. All races and competitions have winners and losers - the first and the last.

In the Book of Revelation, Jesus tells John, "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End." - Revelation 22:13

Jesus is not talking about any race or competition here. He is saying that He was around at the beginning of creation and he will be there for the end of it. He truly is "The Beginning and The End."

In the Book of John, the very first verse, John writes, "In the beginning was The Word. and The Word was with God and The Word was God."

That pretty much confirms that God / Jesus (The Word) was first. Revelation confirms that He will also be the last.

Have you ever read Psalm 19? Have you ever read the first and the last verses together, as a prayer?

"The heavens declare Your glory, O God; the skies proclaim the work of Your hands. 14May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer." - Psalm 19:1 and 14

Are our words always pleasing to God? Are the desires of our hearts always righteous in God's sight? Is God OUR first and last? These are things we must strive to do - to honor God with every word we speak and with every action we take. From the beginning to the end of every day, from the first to the last, let us honor Him, always.

How To Become Blessed

I was wondering what to write about this morning. I had no inspiration to spark my thinking and the laying down of words. Then I opened my Bible and the inspiration I was looking for was already written out for me. Psalm 1.

"Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers,
2but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night.
3That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither - whatever they do prospers.
4Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away.
5Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
6For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to destruction." - Psalm 1

I highlighted the key words in the text to make it simple to remember. The key points of this chapter are actually real-life decisions we need to be making every hours of every day.

1. Is our delight in The Lord? Or are we enticed and distracted by the world in which we live? If we delight in The Lord we will be blessed. If not, we will be destroyed. Decision time.
2. Are we righteous? If we are then the Lord will watch over us. But we are all sinners. We are NOT righteous! Where is our hope? Jesus!

"God made him (Jesus) who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." - 2 Corinthians 5:21

The only way we can become righteous is either by living a perfect life (no one has ever done that except for Jesus) or by placing our faith in that same Jesus, believing in Him, and His righteousness will be transferred to our account. It's really that simple. Delight in The Lord, place your faith in Christ, and you will be blessed.

Jesus Messiah - Chris Tomlin

Don't Look Back

We all have something in our lives that we would be better off without. Alcohol, gambling, overeating, idolatry, lust, an abusive relationship, you name it. Why do we keep going back to the very things that are destroying us?

What is it in your life that you would be better off without? That one thing that, if you lost it, your life would be so much better.

Do you remember the Old Testament story of Sodom and Gomorrah? Things go so bad in those towns that God decided to destroy them. There was one man though - Lot was his name. When Lot was hesitating to leave the city one of the angels said to him . . .

“Flee for your lives! Don’t look back, and don’t stop anywhere in the plain! Flee to the mountains or you will be swept away!” - Genesis 19:17

That is the place we have to get to with our addictions and desires. We have to arrive at the point where we give them up and do not look back. Lot's wife looked back and thought about what she was leaving behind. It cost her everything - her life. She is our example of what NOT to do.

"But Lot’s wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt." - Genesis 19:26

God wants us to leave our past behind us and follow Him. Never look back, never think about what might have been. Only look ahead and dream about what is yet to come.

Burn The Ships - For King and Country (the meaning)

Doink!

Did you watch the Bears-Eagles playoff game last night? Oh, there were lots of disappointed Bears fans after THAT game. It all came down to the last play of the game. All the Bears kicker had to do was to make a field goal and the Bears would have won. Doink! That was the sound of the football hitting the upright. He missed.

All the blame for the loss can't be placed on the young kicker though. There were dropped passes, fumbles, penalties and bad calls by the referees. It just looked like this poor guy lost the game for his team. Maybe that's the way he feels this morning but he shouldn't and I don't think he does. Why?

The television cameras were so focused in on the "loser field goal kicker" that they zoomed in on him as he walked towards the middle of the field and knelt down to pray with other members of the Bears and Eagles teams. He'll be alright. He will win games for his team in the future.

In the following video you will see several things. After the missed kick the kicker, Cody Parkey, lowers his head in disappointment. You will then see a teammate lift him up in support. You will see Parkey point towards heaven. Then you will see him put his helmet on as he walks towards the center of the field to pray. It doesn't show him praying but he did.

Cody Parkey Missed Fieldgoal

As I watched that whole ending sequence - the try, the fail, the forgiveness of his teammates and the prayer - I thought, "the missed field goal is not the real story here." The best story is this:

We ALL fail in life. We all fall short in our attempts to live a perfect, sinless life. But just like the Bears kickers, we miss the mark. How sad it would be if we had no hope after all of OUR failures. Doink! How tragic.

Thank God for Jesus! He sent His Son to die for OUR sins. Because we all sin we have no hope of living the perfect life required to get into heaven. But Jesus lived that perfect life for us. He died on a cross for OUR sins, substituting Himself for us, giving US His righteousness.

We humans will ALWAYS fall short. But through faith in Christ, and through HIS sacrifice, making field goals to win games won't matter. None of this life will seem to matter anymore. That's because the next life, the one after this, is what TRULY matters. Our eternal life in heaven, the new earth.

"16 So 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. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that 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. 20 We 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. 21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." - 2 Corinthians 5:16-21

Jesus Messiah - Chris Tomlin

Daniel's Prayer

It's interesting and appropriate that my daily reading found me in the Book of Daniel this week. Chapter nine. Specifically, Daniel's prayer. Oh, what an amazing prayer it is; especially in light of what happened this past weekend in Las Vegas. Won't you please pray it with me?

I have substituted our present day cities and country names for those Daniel used. See if his prayer fits our needs today as we pray for Las Vegas and our entire nation.

“Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his commandments, ⁵ we have sinned and done wrong. We have been wicked and have rebelled; we have turned away from your commands and laws. ⁶ We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes and our ancestors, and to all the people of the land.

⁷ “Lord, you are righteous, but this day we are covered with shame - the people of Las Vegas and the inhabitants of Nevada and all America, both near and far, in all the countries where you have scattered us because of our unfaithfulness to you. ⁸ We and our kings, our princes and our ancestors are covered with shame, Lord, because we have sinned against you. ⁹ The Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against him; ¹⁰ we have not obeyed the Lord our God or kept the laws he gave us through his servants the prophets. ¹¹ All America has transgressed your law and turned away, refusing to obey you.

“Therefore the curses and sworn judgments written in the Law of Moses, the servant of God, have been poured out on us, because we have sinned against you. ¹² You have fulfilled the words spoken against us and against our rulers by bringing on us great disaster. Under the whole heaven nothing has ever been done like what has been done to Las Vegas. ¹³ Just as it is written in the Law of Moses, all this disaster has come on us, yet we have not sought the favor of the Lord our God by turning from our sins and giving attention to your truth. ¹⁴ The Lord did not hesitate to bring the disaster on us, for the Lord our God is righteous in everything he does; yet we have not obeyed him.

¹⁵ “Now, Lord our God, who brought your people out of the world with a mighty hand and who made for yourself a name that endures to this day, we have sinned, we have done wrong. ¹⁶ Lord, in keeping with all your righteous acts, turn away your anger and your wrath from Las Vegas, your city, your holy hill. Our sins and the iniquities of our ancestors have made Las Vegas and your people an object of scorn to all those around us.

¹⁷ “Now, our God, hear the prayers and petitions of your servant. For your sake, Lord, look with favor on your desolate sanctuary. ¹⁸ Give ear, our God, and hear; open your eyes and see the desolation of the city that bears your Name. We do not make requests of you because we are righteous, but because of your great mercy. ¹⁹ Lord, listen! Lord, forgive! Lord, hear and act! For your sake, my God, do not delay, because your city and your people bear your Name.” - Daniel 9:4-19

What an amazing prayer. What if we all prayed that prayer, each and every day? We are a nation deserving of God's wrath for the things we have done, and not done. Let us repent and turn to God. He has promised to heal our land. What are we waiting for?

^"14 If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land." - 2 Chronicles 7:14

What If His People Prayed - Casting Crowns
Daniel Prayed - Patty Loveless & Rick Skaggs
The Book of Daniel

Good Samaritan

It seems like these days there are fewer and fewer examples of what Jesus called "The Good Samaritan". Someone stopping to help someone else. But I saw one on Mackinac Island this past week. I saw the whole thing.

It started off with a mother of four trying to get all her kids on their rented bikes. Where the dad was, I have no idea. She was buckling helmets and putting water bottles in baskets. Her own bike was heavily laden with a diaper bad, purse, her own bicycle helmet, and a map.

She was just about done buckling the last of the kid's helmet when her own bicycle fell over into the street. Her stuff flew everywhere but she kept working on her kids, getting them ready.

Now the Mackinac Island road that runs in front of our B&B is a busy street. There are horse-drawn carriages and bikes flying by all throughout the day. Everyone kept speeding right by, swerving to avoid all of her spilled items.

As I watched from our room, a man slowed and then stopped. He picked up the lady's bike and set it back on the sidewalk. He then went out into the street and picked up all of her stuff. The lady didn't even notice him at first. She was still busy with her kids.

When she finally turned around the man was getting back on his bike to resume his travels. She looked at her bike and then at the man. Then, running towards him, I could read her lips, "Thank you!" as the man rode off.

The world is filled with bad examples. There are plenty of people with bad manners and think more highly of themselves than they do of others. It is refreshing to see an example of Christ-likeness walking the earth from time to time and it restores our faith in . . .

No.

I was going to say it restores our faith in mankind but I don't think that's right. This example reminds us how we ALL should act. It demonstrates how the world would be if we "did unto others as we would like to have done to us."

Everyone should be a good Samaritan. There should be no exceptions. But we do not live in a world where we all believe the same way. There are criminals, terrorists, we are "inventors of every kind of evil" according to Paul in Romans 1.

No, faith in humanity is not something to be desired. Faith in Christ, however, is the only faith that saves and restores. There are millions of people in this world. Many do not believe in The One True God OR Jesus. But, what if they did? Imagine the love and peace that would fill the world!

Paul finishes his letter to the Romans in chapter eight and begins it this way . . .

"8 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. ² For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. ³ For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, ⁴ that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. ⁵ For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. ⁶ For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace." - Romans 8:1-6

Good Samaritans Compilation

Prayer

Do you think God ever gets tired of hearing our prayers? If He were like us, then yes . . . absolutely. We humans bore so easily. I, for one, am grateful that God is not like us. My prayer is that we might strive to become more like Him instead.

The Bible says that God's Holy Spirit takes our prayers and makes then presentable to The Lord. That's good, especially in the case of MY pitiful prayers.

Usually I run through a laundry list of things and people I am praying for. That's not the best type of praying. There have been times however, when my prayers have been deep and passionate, sometimes to the point of tears. Those are good prayers I think.

I need to praise God more in my prayers. It's good to pray about God's character because it reminds us just how big and amazing He is. It humbles us in our prayers. Another good thing. If we can approach God humbly in our prayers instead of just laying out our to-do list for God to take care of, well, I'm just thinking more of our prayers would be answered.

A few weeks ago at work I offered to pray for someone who had just lost a friend. I put myself in this person's shoes and imagined what it would be like if I lost my best friend. The tears came easily.

I'm no different than the next guy. Probably worse than most when it comes to praying. I need to forget all that and just pray - honestly, openly and hopefully.

It says in James that the prayers of a righteous man are effective.

"16 Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much." - James 5:16

I rad that and think, "I haven't got a shot of getting my prayers answered. I'm certainly not a righteous man. Abraham was a righteous man. I'm just Bob. I'm not righteous. But . . .

Jesus is righteous. And that is the key!

I believe that Jesus died for my sins. I believe He died and then rose from the dead. I believe Jesus is the Son of God, fully God, fully man. And I believe God's Holy Spirit lives within me. I believe that! And if you do too, guess what? We are made righteous in God's eyes, through His Son, Jesus.

If we are righteous in God's eyes, how can our prayers not be heard? How can our prayers not "availeth much"?

If is an honor to come before God in prayer and bring the lives of those we love with us. When we lift up our friends in prayer, in the name of Jesus, how can that not be a wonderful thing?

Let us be on our knees in prayer. Let us bring those we love into the throne room, boldly. And let us pray.

"1 Lord, hear my prayer, listen to my cry for mercy; in your faithfulness and righteousness come to my relief. 2 Do not bring your servant into judgment, for no one living is righteous before you. 3 The enemy pursues me, he crushes me to the ground; he makes me dwell in the darkness like those long dead. 4 So my spirit grows faint within me; my heart within me is dismayed. 5 I remember the days of long ago; I meditate on all your works and consider what your hands have done. 6 I spread out my hands to you; I thirst for you like a parched land." - Psalm 143:1-6

The Prayer - Celine Dion & Andrea Bocelli

Integrity

Everyday we are presented with opportunities to either succeed or to fail. Sometimes the tests are easy. Other times they are more difficult. Like yesterday for example.

I received a call from my insurance company. They wanted to know how my recovery was going from the accident I had five weeks ago. Gee, that was nice of them. They also wanted to know if I had missed any work because of the accident. Why? Because they wanted to reimburse me for lost wages. However I had already taken the two days I missed as "sick days" and had already been paid for them.

There it was. An opportunity to either succeed or to fail. This would be a good time to consult the Bible about what to do. Proverbs seems like a good place to look.

"25 Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you. 26  Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways. 27 Do not turn to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil. " - Proverbs 4:25-26

"Integrity - the choice between what's convenient and what's right." - Tony Dungy

C. S. Lewis said, "Integrity is doing the right thing. Even when no one is watching."

I was presented with an opportunity to gain hundreds of dollars by simply allowing the insurance company to pay me the money. There is absolutely no one stopping me from receiving a check in the mail to spend on what ever I wish. Well, that's not quite true. There are two people - me, and this guy.

"Yet you know me, Lord; you see me and test my thoughts about you." - Jeremiah 12:3

God watches our every move. He knows what choices are the right ones to make and which ones will lead down a path He doesn't want us to take. He sees what we see and He knows what choices we will make before we have even made them.

"3 To do what is right and just is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice." - Proverbs 21:3

Integrity Test - "Courageous" movie

WTSHTF

I think perhaps it might be time to talk a little bit about a seldom preached about chapter of the Bible - Romans 1. The chapter starts out friendly enough but then Paul gets down to business pretty quickly and tells the truth about sin, evil and just where it is we will be going if we don't change our wicked ways.

These days most churches like to deliver feel-good messages. They feel, "the flock must be happy so they can shine the light of Jesus" . . . and so they will continue to give financially and continue to come regularly. But is that what churches are supposed to be about? Feel-goodism? I think not. Let's read a few lines of Romans 1 and see what the Apostle Paul has to say to the Christians in Rome.

After Paul greets the Christians in Rome he expresses his desire to visit Rome. But then . . . by the time verse 18 rolls around Paul's tone has changed - dramatically! Paul dishes it out pretty severely to a church that he greeted warmly just a few lines before. Try this on for warmth and fuzziness. It's not going to fit.

"18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth." - Romans 1:18

It gets worse. Finally in 28 Paul is REALLY rolling. And although Paul is writing to his brothers and sisters in Rome, he might as well be addressing the American people. These days we sound just like what Paul is describing.

"28 And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. 29 They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, 31 foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32 Though they know God's righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them." - Romans 1:28-32

Quite the attack! But nearly 100% accurate if you ask me if you look at the world in which we live today. And as we'll find out later in Romans 6, "the wages of sin is death."

There are many who feel we are in the last days before the return of Jesus. I am one of them. The signs are everywhere! Christianity is fading in this country and it shows no signs of turning around. We need to repent and turn back to God or we will surely die as the Bible says.

Alright. Enough "reality." Time for some encouragement. If you would skip ahead a bit and land in the Book of 1st Corinthians you can read Paul's letter to a church who had already begun to go through the same disobedience to God as the Roman church was experiencing. Once again, Paul is reprimanding the Christian church, the sexually immoral, drunkards and idolaters this time, to name a few. But then he offers this reminder to the church in Corinth. Words we need to remember today, especially if we are Christians. And especially if we are in need of repentance. Verse 11.

"11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God."

When Jesus returns and raptures His church, soon after things are going to get ugly for those who have been left behind. "When the sh . . . when the "stuff" hits the fan (WTSHTF) you do NOT want to be anything other that a believer in Christ.

We have all been offered a priceless gift. A gift that will spare us from the coming wrath. Why aren't more people accepting it? In my opinion, it's because they are too busy enjoying themselves and the life they are living. There's no sign, at least in their minds, that things are going bad. Why should they change?

Reading The Bible is the single best thing you could do, short of placing your faith in Christ immediately. Read it. Investigate it. Ask questions of others knowledgeable in The Word. It stands as a testimony. Though many have tried to break it, it stands to this very day. I thank God for His words to us and His unfailing love and mercy. We ARE a generation, stiff-necked and forever wandering. It's time to go home. Where we belong. :)

"16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes" - Romans 1:16

We Believe - Newsboys

Listen To What He Says

I was in a Bible study once where our assignment was to read a passage of scripture over and over again, refining it each time. Whittling it down to see if we could discern the basic message God wanted us to hear.

The text I chose was Jesus at the wedding in Cana. Let's read it together.

"On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. 2 Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples. 3 When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” 4 And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.” 5 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”

6 Now there were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. 7 Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. 8 And he said to them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast.” So they took it. 9 When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom 10 and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now.” 11 This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him." - John 2:1-11

The things that popped out at me from this text are these:

"On the third day . . ." - Jesus in the New Testament and God in the Old Testament did many things on "the third day," most notably of which was when Jesus was raised from the dead. And speaking or miracles . . .

"My hour has not yet come." - Jesus was speaking of His crucifixion and overcoming death - the REAL miracle! Not this silly water-into-wine stuff.

The part of this text that really spoke to me though was not actually spoken by Jesus. It was said by his mother, Mary.

“Do whatever he tells you.”

Yes, Jesus performed a miracle that day. Yes, it was a foreshadowing of when Jesus' blood would be poured out for the master of the feast. But what really caught my att3ention that particular day was "Do whatever He says."

If you follow the commands of Jesus we will demonstrate our love for Him. We might have particular ideas and thoughts of our own, but if they do not match those of our Savior, they are simply not worth our time. If we follow the commands of Jesus He will work yet another miracle . . in us! Jesus can take a lowly sin-filled human being and turn that person into a holy and righteous individual. We become sinless in the eyes of God simply by our faith in His Son. Have YOU been turned into wine yet?

To close, I found this piece of Old Testament scripture in my reading the other day. Interesting foretaste of things to come.

"20 “Behold, I send an angel before you to guard you on the way and to bring you to the place that I have prepared. 21 Pay careful attention to him and obey his voice; do not rebel against him, for he will not pardon your transgression, for my name is in him.

22 “But if you carefully obey his voice and do all that I say, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries." - Exodus 23:20-22
Our God - Chris Tomlin

Walk

Do you like to walk? I sure do. I spend a lot of time walking. I walk at work, I walk at home and I walk on the weekends. I have walked in the hot sun and in the middle of winter. I have walked through valleys and over mountains. I have walked with a bunch of people and I have walked all by myself. I have even walked on water! . . . in the winter . . . on a frozen lake.

In the evenings and on weekends I walk with my wife. We always walk hand-in-hand wherever we go. Even though she is shorter than me we walk and fit pretty good together. All the practice I guess. :)

At work I walk with my friend. We have amazing conversations about God and our mutual love for Jesus. The highlight of our walks together was when she led me to the door of Jesus Christ.I knocked. He opened. And the rest is history. :)

Do you think the Israelites liked to walk? They must have. They did so for 40 years! And on hot sand too!

We all spend lots of time walking in this life. Sometimes we can walk with a tremendous sense of purpose and determination. We have a focus and a specific destination in mind. Other times we can walk in circles for days and days and not really get any place at all.

Walking with Jesus is a lot like that. There are days when we are certain of our destination. We walk confidently with Him, boldly taking on anything that might come our way. Then there are times when we can feel as if we are walking all by ourselves - totally alone. Those are difficult and lonely times to be sure.

However, I have found a way to go walking without EVER having to be alone. Take your Bible with you. :)

When I am walking on a flat stretch of pavement, like a sidewalk or a path, I am able to read my Bible by being mindful of the trail's edge. I try to keep the edge of the path lined up with the right side of my Bible. It works well. The only problems I have encountered is the occasional dog pile . . . and rain puddles.

Have you ever tried praying with your eyes open? It is also possible to pray as you walk, eyes open. You will find yourself staring, not blinking, a lot, but you will be focusing on Jesus. Praying and / or reading as I walk always brings me closer to Jesus. It's like He's right there! And . .  He actually is. :)

The important thing is to walk with Jesus everyday. Always seek out those moments to spend with Him and talk with Him. Doing so will keep you from wandering in the desert year after year after year. Walk with Him and talk with Him. That's the only way you can get to know this great God we serve.

"4 Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, 5 but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: 6 whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked." - 1 John 2:4-6

In The Garden - Alan Jackson

Righteous

There are very few movies that my wife and I will watch over and over and over again. One of those movies is U.S. Marshals, staring Tommy Lee Jones, Wesley Snipes and Robert Downey Jr. And it doesn't matter if we come in half way through it. We will sit right down and watch it until it's done.

In the movie Mr. Snipes plays a former Special Ops soldier and now U.S. special agent named Mark Sheridan. Sheridan was falsely accused of murdering two fellow agents. Of course, he was innocent, trying to prove that innocence throughout the movie, all while being chased by U.S. Marshall Tommy Lee Jones. During the films final scene, agent Sheridan, having been proved innocent, is surrounded by a group of reporters on the courthouse steps. One of the reporters asks, "Mr, Sheridan, how does it feel to be in from the cold?"

Sheridan replies, "Righteous. Very righteous."

Do you know what it means to be righteous? Merriam-Webster describes the word righteous as "acting in accord with divine or moral law : free from guilt or sin." In the case of Mr. Sheridan, he was returned to a right standing with the agency he worked for. Rather that being on the outside, he was once again on the IN side. He thought of himself as being "righteous." But was he? Really? And what does being righteous in today's world really mean anyway?

Abraham (formerly Abram) was seen in God's eyes as being righteous . . . because of his faith. That begs the question, how are WE doing? 

"After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.” 2 But Abram said, “O Lord God, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” 3 And Abram said, “Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir.” 4 And behold, the word of the Lord came to him: “This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir.” 5 And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” 6 And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness." - Genesis 15:1-6

If Abraham was considered righteous, how are WE doing? Are we seen as righteous in God's eyes? How many of us are good enough and have a faith like Abrams? Check out this from the book of Ecclesiastes 7, quoted by Paul in Romans, to find out.

“None is righteous, no, not one; 11 no one understands; no one seeks for God. 12 All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one. 13 Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive. The venom of asps is under their lips. 14 Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness. 15 Their feet are swift to shed blood; 16 in their paths are ruin and misery, 17 and the way of peace they have not known. 18 There is no fear of God before their eyes.” - Romans 3:11-18

Uh oh.

So how can we ever have any hope of getting into heaven if none of us is good enough to make the cut? Still got your Bible handy? Keep reading in Romans. You won't have to read far before you hear the good news.

"21 But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it - 22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. 26 It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus." - Romans 3:21-26

We become righteous in God's eyes through our faith in Jesus! To become righteous in God's eyes we must realize we are sinners and repent of our sins. We must receive the gift of salvation through our faith in Jesus as Lord, and we must receive His Holy Spirit who will give us the power to change our lives. It's not us, it's Him. Make that change today.

So this week when somebody asks you, "How are you feeling today?" You can smile at them and say, "I feel righteous. Very righteous."

We sang a song by Matt Maher in church yesterday. In it there is a line that perfectly describes our situation as an unrighteous people. It goes . . .

"My one defense, my righteousness. Oh God, how I need you!" - Matt Maher

We have absolutely no defense apart from Christ. When we stand before God one day He will look at us and judge us for what we have done. Most will be judged unworthy. And so would we who place our faith in Jesus. However we will be see as righteous in God's eyes because of our faith in His righteous Son, Jesus. That is why the song says, "My one defense, my righteousness. Oh God, how I need you!"

Lord, I Need You by Matt Maher

A Superseding Righteousness - A sermon by Matt Chandler

Dynasty?

There are a lot of cyber opinions floating around out there about this whole Phil Robertson - Duck Dynasty - A&E Network thing. The LGBT community is outraged and many media outlets are with them. If someone got fired from their job because they were gay these same people would be at their side in a second. One can almost taste the hypocrisy. Maybe that's why Jesus didn't care for it.

People's opinions are all over the map. You know, there is an old saying from an ancient philosopher, Clint Eastwood (Dirty Harry) that comes to mind. "Opinions are like a**holes, everybody has one." [Sorry about the bad word popping in there.]

Why is this issue attracting so much attention? Because a Christian said it? Before I tell you what MY opinion is on the whole LGBT / gay rights / free speech issue, I thought it would be a good idea for us to take a deep breath and read a wee little story about a wee little man - Zacchaeus.

"19 He (Jesus) entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 And behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and was rich. 3 And he was seeking to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was small in stature. 4 So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was about to pass that way. 5 And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.” 6 So he hurried and came down and received him joyfully. 7 And when they saw it, they all grumbled, “He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.” 8 And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.” 9 And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” - Luke 19:1-10

Let's glean some facts out of this "short" little story. (How can I be this funny at 5:00 AM?!)

1. Zacchaeus was a sinner. The crowd knew it (v2, v7). So did Jesus . . . even before they met.
2. Zacchaeus wanted to see Jesus (v3). And Jesus wanted to see him as well (v5).
3. Zacchaeus went out of his way to see Jesus (v4)
4. The crowd had an opinion about Zacchaeus (again v2).
5. The crowd was also forming an opinion about Jesus (v7)
6. Zacchaeus repented of his sins (v8)
7. Jesus forgave Zacchaeus (v9)
8. Jesus came to save every sinner, not just Zacchaeus (v10). Also see Romans 3:23 - "For ALL have sinned and fall short . . ."

Let me see if I can summarize the lesson we are to learn from the story of Zacchaeus and Jesus. Every one of us is a sinner. Left unchecked, we all will continue in our life of sin . . . until we meet Jesus. Once we understand who Jesus is and just what His message is, the message of the Gospel, we should repent of our sins, seek His forgiveness and receive it.

While "the crowd" was unforgiving and accusatory towards Zacchaeus, and even Jesus, Our Savior met Zacchaeus with love and understanding. Then, over an evenings dinner conversation, explained things in a clear concise manner, to the point where Zacchaeus realized his sin and repented.

That is exactly how we should handle situations with ANYONE caught in ANY sin. The tax collector, the person cheating on their taxes, those having sex outside of marriage, those downloading songs without paying for them . . . even those who print off copies of the family Christmas letter at work without compensating the company. We are ALL sinners. We ALL need Jesus. We were ALL created in the image of God.

A few interesting facts from this "ducky" situation . . .

One headline I read exclaimed, "Robertson equates homosexuality with beastiality." That's actually a little inaccurate, attributing that statement to Robertson. The newspaper should learn to check its sources more correctly. Robertson was merely quoting from Leviticus 20. GOD is the one who said it. Both of those activities, along with adultery and dishonoring your father or mother, were punishable by death under Levitical law.

Christianity is not the only religion that frowns on a homosexual "lifestyle." Present day Islamic homosexuals are treated a little differently from the Christian church of today.

In 1991, the Iranian Government adopted this not quite so LGBT friendly law into their Constitution (articles 108-113). It stated that "Sodomy is a crime, for which both partners are punished. The punishment is death if the participants are adults, of sound mind and consenting; the method of execution is for the Shari'a judge to decide."

It will be interesting to see what happens next. My guess is that the Robertson family will stick by the head of the family. A&E will be forced to either retract their suspension (that, in my opinion, will never happen) or run the risk of losing their #1 hit show to another network where it will be assured of having a top ranking because of all of this publicity. I feel like A&E has lit a fuse that leads to a great big pile of smoldering Christians.

But whatever your opinion is on this issue, when it comes right down to it, all of us are sinners. We are all deserving of death for our sins. But by placing our faith in Jesus, the one perfect lamb who already received our punishment, our sins are washed clean. But like Jesus told the woman caught in adultery . . .

"Go, and sin no more."

And my opinion? Well, my opinion on this entire issue is that . . . I'm with God. Whatever he says is good enough for me. And that, again in my opinion, is how ALL Christians should feel. Jesus is our King. We are his subjects. He is our teacher. We are His students. He is our shepherd. We are His sheep. Let us listen for the sound of His voice in whatever we do. If we are truly followers of Christ, we know the sound of God's voice. Our call is to simply obey.

Faith

Mornings are good times to go walking with God. Nothing much has happened yet during the day and the stuff that happened the previous day has already been separated from us my a night time of sleep. And so it was this past weekend when I set out on a journey through the woods.

My wife and I live in a small house near Hartman Creek State Park, here in Wisconsin. As state parks go it's rather average. There are many other parks in our state that contain more beautiful scenery and higher bluffs or sandier beaches but the thing I like most about "our" state park is . . . it's right out my back door and I can enter it without driving my car to it or buying a sticker to get in. I can just walk in!

I was walking to the park Saturday morning, praying as I walked. Multi-tasking. My wife would be so proud. I was thinking about our children. My wife had done a pretty good job of raising them, getting them to Sunday School every week. Then there were the softball games for our daughter and baseball games for our son. But their father, me, was usually at work (I work in a town, an hour away from home) and I missed many of their after-school activities. I missed the opportunity to participate in an important part of their lives.

So, I was thinking about that as I was walking and I began to read. I was REALLY multi-tasking then!! Thinking, walking AND reading!!

I was reading in the Book of Luke, the seventh chapter. The first half of the chapter is all about faith. It begins with "The Faith of the Centurion" and is immediately followed by a story about a widow whose son has died. The following text is that story.

"11 Soon afterward he (Jesus) went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a great crowd went with him. 12 As he drew near to the gate of the town, behold, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow, and a considerable crowd from the town was with her. 13 And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her and said to her, “Do not weep.” 14 Then he came up and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still. And he said, “Young man, I say to you, arise.” 15 And the dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother. 16 Fear seized them all, and they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has arisen among us!” and “God has visited his people!” 17 And this report about him spread through the whole of Judea and all the surrounding country." - Luke 7:11-17

So, I had that story fresh in my heart the following day, Sunday, as I was surfing through the channels on the television. I don't watch much TV but from time to time I will seek out a sermon or two to watch. I did that on Sunday and found one by David Jeremiah. He was doing a parallel study of Genesis 22 and Hebrews 11. Oh, my goodness!

The story in Genesis was about the faith of Abraham. When God told Abraham to "sacrifice his one and only son," Abraham was willing to do it because God had told him to. Even though God had promised to build a huge nation through his son, Abraham never questioned God. God rewarded Abraham's faithfulness by sparing Isaac and doing just as God had promised. Abraham's faith had saved his one and only son.

Hebrews 11 speaks about all of the examples in the Bible of men and women whose faith was worthy of note. Funny . . . they were all in the lineage of Jesus - God's one and only son.

After reading both of these passages I began to think about my performance as a less than Godly Father . . . and how I had failed God by not bringing my children up in the ways of the Lord. But then my thoughts traveled back to the story of the widow in Luke. Verse 13 . . .

"13 And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her and said to her, “Do not weep.”"

Verse 15 . . .

15 And the dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother."

The moment I read that story again, the moment I recognised the connection between the widow and myself; and the widow's son and MY son, a tremendous burden lifted off my shoulders. I thought about Abraham and how God had given him back HIS son Isaac because of the faith that Abraham had. Would God do the same for me? He could if He wanted to. What stands in the way? What could possibly keep God from "giving me back my children" through a saving FAITH in Jesus Christ?

. . . . MY faith?

While it is possible that God could reward me for MY faith, their salvation has nothing to do with me. It is only through the grace of God that we are saved. That should be our prayer for ALL people. But he DOES bless us. He DOES perform miracles, even to this day. Our God lives!

And so it was that I lifted up my children to God this past weekend. God removed all of the guilt and the shame I had been carrying these past years. I am grateful to God for his guidance and for his grace and for his provision. He reigns.

"9 The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance." - 1 Peter 3:9

He Reigns - Newsboys