T-E-S-T

I downloaded an app for my phone the other day. I uninstalled it today. Why? Because it was taking the place of something very near and dear to me. My God.

Phones can be a distraction all by themselves, but add an addictive game app or social media to your daily routine and it can quickly become an obsession.

Some people can control their phone usage. When it comes to puzzles and games, I can't. I tend to obsess. When our obsession takes the place of our time with God, that's a problem. It's called idolatry. It's a sin.

I think that we Christians need to constantly be examining ourselves when it comes to things like this. If there is anything that interferes with our time with God, it must be eliminated.

This story is a day late in coming to you. Why? Yep. I was too busy playing my new little game to write one. I also discovered that, even though I tried to write one, the inspiration never came. It was lacking. Not good.

Is there something in your life that is getting in the way with your time with God? Perhaps you should take a look. We are to be "set apart" from the world. Not to be a consumer of it.

If my little word game could offer advice to the Christian it would be

E-X-A-M-I-N-E

T-E-S-T

D-I-S-C-E-R-N

Nothing should be coming between us and God.

N-O-T-H-I-N-G

"Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you - unless, of course, you fail the test?" - 2 Corinthians 13:5

Sure Footing

Some local men and I are restoring an old, abandoned disc golf course at one of our area schools. It is enjoyable work but sometimes we run into some difficulties, like this past Monday when we were cutting down some trees.

I had my trusty Stihl chainsaw with me and it was working well but one of the trees we had flagged for cutting was on the sloping bank of a river. And by sloping I mean 40 degrees. Steep.

Climbing down was awkward enough. The bank was constructed out of 2" crushed rock. With every step I took I slid even further. After reaching the tree I solidified my stance and made the cut. But then I tried to climb back up the steep slope while also carrying my chainsaw. It wasn't working. I was struggling big time.

But then I looked up and saw one of the guys had extended a branch for me to hold onto. Suddenly I had something "solid" in my climb and I was lifted right up. Amazingly simple.

Jesus can be that man in our lives, if we let him. We like to do things on own own, with out any help. That's called pride. If I wouldn't have accepted the help of my friend that day I would STILL be trying to get up that river bank!

God can be a tremendous help for those of us struggling to gain footing in this life. He was not the branch in today's illustration. He was the one holding the branch. But I had to look up and accept the offer.

We all have brothers and sisters in our lives, fellow believers. They love to help. But their help only works if WE let them help. When help is offered, reach out and grab it. Not only will you be lifted out of trouble but you will have also gained a good friend in the process.

"The Lord is my solid rock, my fortress, my rescuer. My God is my rock - I take refuge in him! - he’s my shield, my salvation’s strength, my place of safety." - Psalm 18:2

"I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." - John 15:5

On Christ The Solid Rock I Stand - Magen Thurman

Stiff-Necked Children

A child's behavior can be quite telling. They can be easily distracted - blowing bubbles one minute, then chasing butterflies the next. It can be quite frustrating as a parent when you want them to do something and they're just not doing it. It can also become a lifelong problem if we let it be.

A prime example of a disobedient child is Israel, God's chosen people. His children. God actually called them "stiff-necked" because they refused to bow their heads and follow His instructions. That description also fits us pretty well. Nothing has really changed in our disobedient behavior.

There is much to distract us these days. Last night during dinner, for example, my wife asked, "Well, what are we going to watch tonight?" Screen time can become a MAJOR distraction.

If we were to make a list of the different things we do in a given day, what would we discover? For the most part we are all still children really. Instead of butterflies bubbles, we go after bigger things like Pinterest, Facebook and Twitter.

There are so many distractions being offered in today's world it's amazing that God can get any attention at all. Satan is smiling.

Deuteronomy 7, 8 and 9 contain an excellent review of a disobedient and distracted people. Deuteronomy 8 contains a brief lesson as God tells us what awaits for those who become distracted and wander off into the weeds.

"If you ever forget the Lord your God and follow other gods and worship and bow down to them, I testify against you today that you will surely be destroyed." - Deuteronomy 8:19

What are the "gods" that WE worship? Work? Television? Busyness?

Let us not become a stiff-necked people. Let us worship God by living our lives for Him. Read God's Word, learn from it, and apply it to our lives. Don't allow distractions to creep in and take over parts of our lives that are God's. If we do we "will surely be destroyed."

Law vs Grace

Here's a tough one for you - the concept of Law vs. Grace. The picture you see here is of a woman about to be stoned to death. Half-burried and tied, she is unable to defend herself. This is The Law.

You might say, "How barbaric!" And, you'd be right, but open up your Bibles.

"While the Israelites were in the wilderness, a man was found gathering wood on the Sabbath day. 33Those who found him gathering wood brought him to Moses and Aaron and the whole assembly, 34and they kept him in custody, because it was not clear what should be done to him. 35Then the Lord said to Moses, “The man must die. The whole assembly must stone him outside the camp.” 36So the assembly took him outside the camp and stoned him to death, as the Lord commanded Moses." - Number 15:32-36

For picking up some sticks? Too harsh?

Let's go back to the Book of Exodus, Chapter 20, The Ten Commandments. Key word =  "COMMAND-ments."

“Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work," - Exodus 20:8-10

A command from God. We are supposed to obey those things. How are we doing what that commandment in today's world? Not very well I'm afraid. Ahh, but Jesus!

"In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. 13Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. 14For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace." - Romans 6:11-14

Tell me, would you rather live under The Law, or under God's grace? Everybody gets to make that choice in this life. We can choose to live things our own way and follow other gods, or we can choose Jesus. It's our choice. Picture Jesus being stoned to death in our place. That was HIS choice. He died for us on the cross. He took our place. He was "stoned" for OUR sins.

It is right to give Him thanks and praise.

Jehovah Jireh

If you read the Bible at all you should know the meaning of the words "Jehovah Jireh." They are ancient Hebrew words that mean "God will provide." You can find them in Genesis 22 where Abraham was about to sacrifice his son Isaac on an altar.

God providing a substitute - a ram. A male lamb if you will. A foreshadowing of God providing HIS Son Jesus as a sacrifice for OUR sins.

"Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. 11But the angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!”

“Here I am,” he replied.

12“Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.”

13Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram a caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. 14So Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide. And to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.” - Genesis 22:10-14

A group of area men and I are restoring a disc golf course in a nearby town. On the course there is a need for a small foot bridge to cross a creek. One of the men in our group posed, "Maybe we could get to local Boy Scout troop to build a bridge as a service project." Fast forward a few weeks.

I was standing in line for some ice cream at a local drive-in a week later when someone called my name. I turned and saw my friend Jon walking up to me. He was wearing a Boy Scout shirt.

"Do you volunteer with the local Boy Scout troop?" I asked. I'm SO observant.

"Yes," he replied.

"I don't suppose you'd be interested in doing a small service project for the high school disc golf course."

"Sure! We'd love to."

Do you see how God is working in this? Interestingly, the place where the Boy Scouts meet is in a building right next to the school. Each Monday night as we leave our work at the course we pass them. We think about asking them for help. Well . . .

Jehovah Jireh!!

"On my honor, I will do my best, to do my duty, to God and my country . . ." from The Boy Scout Oath

The King of Cool

When I was growing up there was nobody cooler that Steve McQueen. He's STILL cool, and he's been dead for over 40 years. But for as cool as Steve McQueen was, he struggled greatly in his life.

We remember Steve McQueen as a movie star. His roles in Bullitt, The Great Escape, and Le Mans defined his coolness. But what really defined Mr. McQueen was not on any movie screen or race track. The definition of who he was, and is today, is found in his heart. Steve McQueen is a Christian.

As cool as Steve was he sure spent a lot of time by himself. He liked driving fast cars and flying planes. But nothing could fill the void in his heart. Steve McQueen was searching for something his whole life. And then cancer got his attention.

When faced with his own mortality, after cheating death his whole life, he had to come to grips with "the big question." Was Steve McQueen too cool to place his faith in Jesus Christ? Thankfully the answer to that question was no.

We all face that question at some point, like we all face death. Hopefully, we will resolve the Jesus question first.

During the movie Le Mans he was asked why he had to be faster than anyone else. Steve's answer was "Racing is life, Everything else is just waiting."

In real life, and at the end of HIS life, I think the correct statement could have been, "Jesus is life. Everything else is just waiting."

Are you a believer in Jesus? I hope so. And if you are, don't you find that you are anxiously waiting for the return of our King? Everything else IS just waiting! Jesus is all that matters. Jesus IS life.

Should one day I find myself standing next to Steve McQueen in heaven, I think we'll both be singing. He might look over at me and smile with that Steve McQueen smile of his. I'll smile back. But then we will both turn back and sing praises to the REAL King of Cool - Jesus Christ.

Racing Is Life - Steve McQueen

Steve McQueen - American Icon Full Movie

The Betrothal

Your best decisions have gotten you to the place where you are right now. So, how have you done? Satisfied? Happy?

We all make decisions in life. Some good. Some bad. But we make them. And then we have to live with the results.

In the Galilean wedding ceremony of old the groom poured a cup of wine for his would-be bride. The bride had to make a simple choice. She could hand the cup back, thereby rejecting the groom's proposal, or she could drink the cup agreeing to the covenant of marriage. Does that sound familiar? Communion maybe?

"Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. 28This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. 29I tell you, I will not drink from this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.” - Matthew 26:27-29

Do you see any similarities between the Galilean weeding ceremony and Jesus offering a "new covenant" to His disciples? Did you know that 11 of the 12 disciples were all Galileans? They were. They would have all recognized what Jesus said and did as a Galilean betrothal ceremony. It is not surprising then that Jesus referred to Himself in scripture as "the bridegroom" and The Church as His bride?

Each of us has a decision to make in this life. Are we going to choose to be "married" to Jesus by accepting His free offering of salvation? Or will we refuse and reject the bridegroom's proposal? The choice is ours. It's yours.

What will you do? The choice is yours. Choose wisely.

Before The Wrath Preview

Spiritual Erosion

Water is a powerful thing. Take a trip to the Grand Canyon sometime. The process of creating the canyon is called erosion. Powerful. Spiritual erosion is just as powerful and has the power to destroy our very souls.

Satan loves to take our attention away from God and place it upon himself. Anytime we focus on ourselves and our desires rather than God, our faith is being eroded.

We can start off so excited about God in our faith but then gradually, slowly, Satan distracts us, he erodes our faith. If we are not careful we can become lost.

Look at the various preachers, teachers and priests who have been eroded and strayed and sinned and led whole flocks of God's children to destruction. It's not a pretty thing to watch and such a thing has eternal consequences.

"Do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, yet our inner self is being renewed day by day. 17For our light and momentary affliction is producing for us an eternal glory that is far beyond comparison. 18So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." - 2 Corinthians 4:16

There are spiritual erosion control methods that we can use which will keep our faith strong. Reading God's Word, spending time in prayer, seeking God during struggles and times of trouble. He has promised never to leave us or forsake us. We must be the ones to lean on that promise and to remember it. Otherwise the erosion has already done its damage.

Encourage One Another

Our kids came to visit for Easter. We had a great time. We even got to sit outside due to the warmer temperatures. 

Our grandkids were enjoying the warmer weather as well; climbing all over the playset we had gotten them "for such a moment as this."

Our grandson became intrigued by the rings. He tried to do all kinds of things with them, often failing. Then he'd try something else.

I told him, "You know you could probably hang upside down if you wanted to. You're almost there."

He tried and tried but couldn't quite get there. Then I thought through the situation and asked myself, "How did I do it when I was a kid?"

After going through the process I explained just how HE could do it. It wasn't long before our grandson could get himself into the position you see in the picture.

So I said, "You know, with just a little more effort, you could do a back flip and land on your feet." He looked at me as if to say, "Really?"

"You can do it!" I told him.

Someone once called me Barnabas, because I am an encourager. I guess that's true. But we ALL can become a "Barnabas" in someone's life, if we choose to.

"Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means “son of encouragement”), 37sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles’ feet." - Acts 4:36-37

It didn't take my grandson long before he was doing backflips and landing on his feet. Each time he completed the task he would look up at me for affirmation. And I let him have it.

"Wow! That's great! I wish I could still do that."

We all need encouragement from time to time, especially when we are going through something we have never done before. It's comforting to know that someone else has been through the very same thing.

Here's a question for you. How does someone know how to trust in God if no one every tells them the amazing things God has done? How do they know to trust God unless they hear the marvelous things He has done in OUR lives?

"Encourage one another daily, as long as it is called "Today," so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness." - Hebrews 3:13

Encouragement doesn't cost us anything, yet it is priceless to someone in desperate need of it.

Welcome Home!

As I finished reading the Bible this morning I reflected on just what it will be like seeing loved ones who have gone before me into heaven. Will they come rushing to greet me? I'm not so sure.

Our desire to see long-lost family members and friends will be strong, but not as strong, I think, as our desire to see Jesus.

I think it will be like a big concert. We go to see a band. That is our desire. But while we are doing that we will see familiar faces in the crowd. A mother, a father, a friend. What could be more wonderful than worshipping with family and friends?

Of course, some of our earthly acquaintances will not be there. We will be sad about that, but only for an instant. They made their choice. We made ours. Back to worship.

I wonder if any of our friends and family members are waiting to hear the story of Jesus this Easter. Will we have the courage and desire to tell them? The story of Christ's life and death should be an easy one to tell. OUR story should reflect HIS story. Were we not dead and then brought to life?

The story of the prodigal son should be everyone's story in some shape or form. We all are lost until we come to ourselves, repent and seek forgiveness from our Father. When that happens there WILL be a celebration in heaven.

"This son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate." - Luke 15:24

This Easter, share your testimony of how you came to faith in Christ. In so doing you will honor God and declare your faith in Jesus on Resurrection Sunday. You were dead and are now alive again. Celebrate!

Feeling Stressed Today?

Satan is alive and well and working in the world in which we live. How do we handle all of the stuff he throws at us? Scripture says that he prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour" (1 Peter 5:8) Will that be us today?

People deal with stress in different ways. Some drink alcohol, some use drugs. Others meditate or try to think happy thoughts. What do YOU do? Have you tried reading the Bible? Have you tried meditating on God's Word or the blessings He has given us?

Wellness books are all the craze these days. Their authors must think we have a lot to be mindful about, and we do. But the thing we have to be mindful about is not our feelings, fluffy white clouds, listening to ourselves breathe, or what kind of tree do we think we are. We need to be mindful about the things of God.

"3When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, 4what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?" - Psalm 8:3-4

Let's consider the tree for a moment. Why do they basically look the same above ground as they do below ground? Who designed them anyway? God. How do they turn the carbon dioxide into oxygen? They take our "waste" and make it something we need to survive? Who does that? God. 

We spend so much time trying to soothe ourselves; trying to be mindful of our own well-being. Perhaps, if we were more mindful of God, everything else would just fall into place.

Birthday Lesson

This old man recently celebrated his 68th birthday. The best gift I received was not from family or friends. It was from God, in the form of a lesson.

The world we live in is full of distractions. Things that entice us away from God. Temptations. Gee, I wonder where THOSE things come from? Could it be . . . Satan? Yes!

We love to celebrate ourselves in this world. Every time I turn on the television it seems like there is one kind of award show or another. There are talent shows that demonstrate to OURSELVES how great WE are and all the talent that WE have. What about God?

I have over 600 friends on Facebook. Not bragging. Just a number. How many of them do you think would take the time to wish me a happy birthday? It used to be dozens upon dozens. Now it's ONE dozen, if that. Everyone gets distracted and busy with their own lives.

But look at the lesson this gives us! How distracted do we become in our relationship with God? Did the Jews always remember to keep all of the festivals? Nope. They were forever turning their back on God. What was God's reaction?

Yes, God punished them. He was trying to teach them something, like a father teaches his son. But what was the end result of Israel's disobedience? Repentance and forgiveness and then the welcoming arms of God as His children returned to Him. And then the blessings came.

The thing I learned this year, as I turned another year older, was just how precious love is. And our ability to love others. Love is a choice. Who can we love today?

"For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain." - Philippians 1:21

"Let each esteem others better than himself." - Philippians 2:3

"Forget those things which are behind and reach forward to those things which are ahead." - Philippians 3:4

"I have learned that, whatever state I am in, to be content." - Philippians 4:11

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