God's Promises

This past Friday night our church held another Youth Night. It was our fourth (one each month). This last one was different than all the previous ones in that we were teaching the kids about apologetics and preparing them for life outside "The Bubble."

As an aide, and as an encouragement, we gave them each a book entitled God's Promises For Your Every Need. The book contains only scripture but the verses are arranged by topic. The Bible is a big book, abs it contains ALL of verses, but, if you are looking for a verse dealing with a certain topic, the one you are looking for CAN be hard to find.

After one of the boys received the book, I noticed him flipping through the pages, searching for something.

"What are you looling for?" I asked.

"Something about confidence," he replied.

"Try the index up front," I suggested.

[He was really looking for this! And then he found it!]

"You Need Confidence! Page 146!"

Flipping, flipping, . . . then he arrived.

"I can do all things through Christ to strengthens me." - Philippians 4:13

"Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise." - Hebrews 10:35, 36

"Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Christ Jesus." - Philippians 1:6

There were several verses as well. 

The teens of today need to be prepared for when they leave home and set foot in this worldly world. What better way for them to be ready then by arming them with God's Word.

If you would like to arm yourselves with this weapon for use against the forces in the spiritial realms, it's on Amazon for less than five bucks. That said, it is actually priceless, if it can help save just one of these little ones.

God's Promises For Your Every Need - Amazon

Deconstruction

If we look up the word "Christian" in the dictionary we will find "one who professes belief in the teachings of Jesus Christ." That definition is flawed right off the bat. We CONfess, not PROfess. I have written about that before. Anyone can profess something, then do something else.

The confessing Christian not only believes in Jesus but follows His commands and teachings. So, what if we don't like ALL of God's rules? Welcome to Christian Deconstruction.

Deconstruction, as it pertains to the Christian faith, is this: "The postmodern process of rethinking your faith without requiring scripture as a standard."

Deconstructionists believe that there is no correct destination in their faith journey. There's no correct place to land. Their faith is their own and nobody else's.

Jesus has a slightly different view from the deconstructionist. 

“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it." - Matthew 7:13-14

And . . .

"Why do you call me Lord, Lord and do not do what I say." - Luke 6:46

Good question.

Deconstruction is dangerous but many practice it without even realizing it.

"I'm a Christian," they say,  but they think abortion is okay, or homosexuality, or sleeping with someone without being married, or getting drunk, or getting high on drugs, or lying, stealing, or gluttony.

This "ala carte" Christianity is the "broad road that leads to destruction."

In the construction business we use a similar word - demolition. It's basically removing things until you get to the point where you can build something new and different. Beautiful, right?

In Christianity however it leads to hell. Many will arrive there and wonder, "How the heck did I get here?"

Jesus, our Just Judge, has an answer for the deconstructionist.

"Depart from me, I never knew you." - Matthew 7:23

We need to be very protective of God's Word as we read it and study it, and live it. It is what it is. We do not have the right to change it just to feel better about ourselves.

"And if anyone removes any of the words from this book of prophecy, God will remove that person’s share in the tree of life and in the holy city that are described in this book." - Revelation 22:19

Be smart out there. God has warned us. It's up to us whether or not we heed His warning.

The Faith Pantry

Do you have something like this where you live? This is a picture of the pantry shelves in our basement. I built the shelves to store food and supplies on.

My wife loves finding deals at the grocery store and it's kind of nice having backups on hand for when we run out. It sure beats having to run to the store when it's below freezing like today.

But these shelves are more than a pantry. They are actually a Bible lesson in our basement.

Do you remember the story of Joseph? He interpreted Pharoh's dream which said that seven years of plenty were coming, followed by seven years of famine. During the time of plenty, Joseph stored up food so that when the famine came, they would have enough to eat. Smart man.

"Joseph stored up huge quantities of grain, like the sand of the sea; it was so much that he stopped keeping records because it was beyond measure." - Genesis 41:49

This Biblical concept of saving things during a time of plenty is a good one. But the concept goes beyond just food. We should be doing the same thing with our money. I hope you have a bank account with enough money set aside for emergencies. You know, like a famine.

Here's a thought. Do you have enough faith in God stored up for when you go through a spiritual famine or a difficult time in your life? It's a good idea. Faith is something you don't want to run out of when the going gets tough.

If we read our Bibles often enough, we begin to remember stories and verses. We store these things in our hearts. Then, when we go through tough times in our lives, we can remember these truths and apply them to our lives.

"Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads." - Deuteronomy 11:18

God knows we are going to struggle in this life from time to time. That's why He gave us such words as the verse above. And this verse is not merely a suggestion, it's a command!

Build a pantry in your heart. Store God's words upon it for the time when you will need them the most. And should you ever run out, come on over to OUR house. We have plenty.

Into Your Hands

As we read the Old Testament, there are times we read a verse and say, "Where have I heard THAT before?" Jesus and the disciples often quoted scripture. I was reminded of that fact this week as I read through the Book of Psalms.

How about this verse for example. Jesus said this while hanging on the cross.

"About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?" (which means "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"). - Matthew 27:46

Those were the words of David in Psalm 22.

"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from my cries of anguish?" - Psalm 22:1

Here's another one:

"Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” And having said this he breathed his last." - Luke 23:46

"Into Your hands I commit my spirit," was something originally written by King David. Read Psalm 31:5

"Into your hands I commit my spirit; deliver me, LORD, my faithful God." - Psalm 31:5

Jesus was always about His Father's business. Even at the end of His earthly life, Jesus was quoting scripture. Impressive. Jesus wasn't thinking about Himself when He died. He was thinking about His Father. Will we have that kind of devotion when it is our time to commit our spirit into God's hands?

Over Here!

I just finished reading the Old Testament. Again. I like to think of the Old Testament as being like Moses taking the Israelites through the dessert. It was a test. It took awhile. At times it was very dry. But in the end, it was oh so sweet to arrive at The Promised Land. Jesus.

That's what keeps me going back each time to read through the Bible. It's that "knowing that Jesus is coming" feeling that makes me want to keep on reading. It's like a great big treasure hunt. Jesus is the treasure. And what's really cool are all of the hints and hidden things along the way.

"14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel." - Isaiah 7:14

Also, there is just something about reading The Gospels. It's comforting, reassuring. It's like "we're home!" It's where we want to be. And so many time I have picked up my Bible, begun reading, and heard exactly what I needed to hear that day.

It's like being lost in the woods after dark. We can look around and see nothing in the darkness. If we only had a light to guide us, we could find our way home. The fears would melt away and we would be at peace. Then the sun rises, we locate the path we couldn't see in the dark, and we rejoin our journey. Confident in the knowledge that we are on our way towards Him.

It feels comforting because the path is where God wants us to be. He holds the lamp in His hands. "This way, my little child. The path is over here."

"Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and light unto my path," - Pslam119:105

Thy Word - Michael W. Smith and Amy Grant

Trash The App

Do you have a Bible app on your phone? I used to. I deleted it. Want to know why? I have FIVE reasons.

I was watching a sermon by Pastor James MacDonald this past weekend. He was talking about our modern technology and how we have all these conveniences right in the palm of our hand. The phone!

We have an app for this and an app for that. Everything created and designed to make our lives more convenient. But is convenience necessarily a good thing? Not always. Pastor James had one section of his talk called "Down With Fake Bibles." He spoke specifically about the Bibles we have on our computers and on our phones.

Here are Pastor James' top five reasons to delete your Bible app. I agree with them all, especially #4.

1. Not personalized - Although most Bible apps have ways to underline and highlight text it's not the same as doing so yourself in your own personal Bible. Years later, when your kids look through your Bible and see your handwriting. That's personal.
2. No Context - I used my Bible app to read and that's all I did. Read. There were no footnotes or other references along with the text. It was just there to read. It's just not the same as having a good study Bible to learn more AS you read.
3. Not Special - How many apps do you have on your phone? Dozens, right? And your Bible is just another app? No! The Bible is The living, breathing Word of God! It's special! We should treat it that way.
4. Not Observable - When my wife walks in the living room and sees me on my phone she has no idea what I am doing. I could be on Facebook. I could be texting a friend. What she thinks I am doing is up to her imagination. When I am reading my Bible and she sees me reading it she KNOWS what I am doing. There is no doubt. Very important!
5. Not Inconvenient - Convenience is the way to go these days. If we have a Bible app it's convenient for us to read. It shouldn't be convenient. How many times do you leave the house and then go back because you forgot your phone? Do you do that with your Bible? Our Bibles need to be things we remember as stand alone items.

The pastor's message hit a chord with me to the point where I deleted my Bible app. And you know what? I'm glad I did. To feel God's Word in my hands is far better than holding some "smart" phone. Let God's Word be an inconvenient truth in our lives. It is sharper than a two-edged sword.

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us." - John 1:1 & 14

Down With Fake Bibles - James MacDonald
The Word - Sara Groves

The Parable of The Forgetful Servant

What was I going to write about today? Oh, yeah. Forgetfulness.

Do you get distracted as you go through the day? I sure do. I'll be planning to do something in the morning and by the time bedtime rolls around it is still undone - put off for another day. Is that forgetfulness? Is that senility creeping in? Is it A.D.D.?

What was I writing about? Oh yeah.

Do you have that problem? Forgetfulness? Or is it really procrastination looking for a scapegoat?

I was in Menard's this past weekend, picking up supplies for my Tiny House. I found some 4'x8' sheets of fiberglass paneling which we WAY in the back corner of the building. When I was in live I suddenly thought, "I grabbed seven sheets, not six." so I went ALL the way back and put one sheet back in the pile.

Returning to the checkout line the checker said, "How many sheets of that paneling do you have?"

"Six!" I replied.

"I only see five sir."

I counter them. He was right. I had him charge me for six, left my cart there, and walked ALL the way to the back of the store, picked up the one sheet(the same one I had placed there just 10 minutes before) and returned to the front. Sigh.

I can start out the day with the best intentions of reading my Bible in the morning but I get distracted by Facebook or answering e-mails and before I know it, it's time for work. No time for God in my life I guess. At least that's what I say when I am beating myself up.

God needs to be a priority in my life. Period. He should come before ALL things. God should come before Facebook, before work, before my favorite TV show, before my friends, before family. God should be number one, not last on the aggenda.

So, how can we make that happen? How can we arrange our priorities so that God is always first in our hearts and in our minds? I am writing a few verses to keep with me during the day. Not in my wallet, not closed in a book. To carry with me. Here they are.

"And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” - Luke 10:27

¹⁴ “Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. ¹⁵ And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” - Joshua 24:14-15

Father, let us always be mindful of you. Let us never forget to take time out of each day to praise you, to thank you for our every breath, and may each of us never forget your sacrifice, grace and mercy that was given to the whole world . . . on the cross. Amen.

Ode To Forgetfulness

Ears To Hear

Well, that was interesting. I just took a hearing test over the phone. I know my hearing is not what it once was but I didn't think it was "substantially below the average range." Hmm. I must be getting old. At least my ears are!

Most of my hearing trouble occurs in noisy rooms. Lots of conversations going on, clanking dishes and utensils all add to the confusion. It can be quite distracting. And so it is with my faith.

We can get very distracted by the world we live in. So much so that we often forget about God in a world filled with its own clanging noises and conver*sations.

Politicians clamoring for our attention with smooth, convincing speeches can lure us into believing a lie. Television commercials can also be quite distracting with their soothing rhetoric. My wife and I have taken to muting the television when the commercials come on. You should try it. It's like an oasis in the desert.

Watching the nightly news is also a clanging cymbal in my ears. It's doesn't matter which side of the fence you're on, they all want our attention. Some even shout for it or distract us in other ways.

I've seen some TV preachers that do the same thing. They're yelling at the top of their lungs. Do they think that everyone is as hard of hearing as I am? They must. I tend to turn them off. My eyes glaze over and then roll back in my head as I hear them speak their nauseating self-help messages. That ain't worship boys.

Do you know what DOES get my attention? Do you know what really makes me listen? It's when I "hear" God speaking to me as I read His wonderfully written Word. I may be losing my hearing but I can still hear my Savior's voice . . . with my eyes.

My wife likes to speed read books. She can finish entire novels in a matter of days. Not me. I like to read at the speed of normal human speech. I also enjoy reading out loud. Both reading AND hearing really drive the message home.

As we walk through this world may we train ourselves to tune out the noisy rhetoric and clanging cymbals. Let us focus on the sound of our Shepherd's voice. We know the sound of His voice. Let us listen only for the words HE speaks to us, and not our own.

"10 And the Lord came and stood, calling as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant hears.” - 1 Samuel 3:10

Ears To Hear - Sabbath School