(This is a response to a question a friend of mine sent me that his 5 year old asked... Why do people die?)
We have all had bad things happen and when they do we all moan and ask why.
If we don’t include God into the equation and we want to explain why bad things happen it is because of sheer numbers… If you have 7,000,000,000,000 people in the world they are all bound to have something happen to them. Some of the things that happen are good and some are bad. The majority are good that is why the number of people in the world keeps going up. Even though those people may experience bad things most is still good and we are getting better at making more things good. Stuff like helmets, doctors, and laws that protect us… I don’t buy it. I have had too many things happen to me to say that there is no God. Also using this argument doesn’t give a child hope… they have to wonder when their number will come up.
This is for some background but I will have a shorter answer for your daughter at the end. We aren’t really good. That is reality, it stinks but we are all trouble and God knows it. Romans 3:23 says” we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God”… Jesus Himself says in Matthew 19:17 that “no one is good but God” this is dealt with in the book of Job (“The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised” Job 1:21). That stuff is hard to tell a kid and it is hard to really swallow myself, but the reality is that there are a bunch of people in the world and if only good happened to them all we would all be spoiled brats that think we are entitled to whatever we get or take. God has put calamities in our world to help us appreciate the good that we do have.
So the real question is why do bad things happen to bad people (but don’t say that to the kids)?
I Corinthians 10:13 says that God doesn’t allow us to suffer something we can’t escape… (Scott’s translation, actual Greek is longer). Romans 8:28 says that “All things work together for good to those that love God and are called according to HIS Purpose” (not ours). When we get sick our bodies will get stronger like when we get chicken pox and never have them again. Or we fall and break a leg we may hurt terribly but God may have a plan come out of it, that will help someone in the future. Like a better way to help a leg heal. Those things make a bad thing good.
Also death seems bad to us but actually it is better than life if you know Jesus. Heaven is going to be AWESOME! Imagine if you are Lazarus, you are friends with Jesus but you live in a first century city that has no running water, no heat or air, no cars, no jeeps, no email, no Wal-Mart, no nothing but dirt, camels and goats. Jesus can’t get to you so you pass away and go to heaven and find the cleanest, brightest, coolest place in creation, literally. You get to see God’s throne room and hear the seraphim sing. and then you hear “Lazarus, come forth.” I know it is Jesus he is coming out to but you have to think he kind of felt like the squirrel on ice age that wakes up from heaven to find a sloth licking his face… not that Jesus wasn’t a sight for sore eyes ( and forgive me Jesus if that is offensive) but that he had come back to the dirty earth, from a perfect heaven and the presence of God, had to be a bummer.
When we got ourselves kicked out of the Garden of Eden we were told we were going to have to toil… if bad things didn’t happen how would the construction workers toil? Disaster is good for the economy. How would the doctors toil if people didn’t get hurt or sick, how would the factories that make cars keep their jobs if some people didn’t have wrecks? And now because of those wrecks we have better cars that protect us. It is hard to understand but all things work together for good. It is a hard question but when it comes down to it we are all meant to die just as we are meant to be born so we must prepare for death just like we prepare for life… we work hard and go to school so we can have a better life… isn’t it time to start preparing for death? Life decisions make us stronger.
Jamie, while all this seems long winded and boring I could go on and on and on. We are given a little micro-environment to show God that we are capable to raise a family and be successful. If we do good God blesses us with a family of love and contentment. If we do a poor job and seek our own agenda and that agenda isn’t good for the family God allows us to live in pain and selfishness (the pattern we chose). I am sure you see these two lifestyles at school… God doesn’t do it to us; we do it to our families on our own.
My advice to you is for you to love your family, love your neighbor and show your kids how to love God. Even if it is all wrong and when we die it is all over a life of love can never be bad.
So I said I would give you and easy answer for your daughter…
When we have a bad attitude and act mean to our family and we have a bad ol’ punishment happen to us, it will teach us that we need to have better attitudes so we can be successful. That could make our lives better because we would have learned to work better in society?
So the ground breaking answer to the age old question is that we get stronger from the bad thing, we learn to keep fighting and it makes us appreciate the good stuff.
Why do people have to die… so babies can be born… that will put them off till they are old enough to discuss real issues. I have used the real issues all my girls’ lives so they understand now. It is up to you whether or not you use the real argument or the easy one.
I would never take the rough stuff away from our family… I call it the spice of life. Some spices are sweet some are bitter it takes all kinds to make us rounded people that are tough enough to fight the good fight.
Monday, October 11, 2010
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Health Care for all?
I know that it sounds great to say that we are going to provide health care for all Americans. Speaker Pelosi compared the latest health care bill to Social Security and Medicare/Medicaid, two of the biggest issues during every election cycle.
Politicians love to tell how they are going to fix these two entitlements (as POTUS called them during his campaign). I am afraid we have had a rash of programs from liberals because of the vote buying power that comes with the promises that they make.
We have seen the lack of accountability the state run news media has given Obama, "the candidate didn't know what it would take to fix the problem. We need to give him more time" Barbra Walters said. I get sick and tired of all the pandering given to the left by our so called free press. The only press that is making money is the right wing of the establishment. No one wants to hear the left and the ones that do don't pay for anything or buy anything but McDonald's so there is no advertising base for the liberal networks to raise funds.
The same is true when you put everyone on the government dole. Who is going to pay all these taxes? Who is going to cover the bill for all these lazy's to get free health care? Not them! It will be; Your kids! Your boss! You!
What are we going to do with ourselves now that this monster has passed? First we need to go to the polls and remove the offending appendages. Next we need to realize that we are not going to get anything done with this or any other government that has any real lasting value.
Our only hope is coming close to God. How far are you from God. If you called His name would He know it was you, of have you said "god" so regularly while cussing that He has disregarded your voice? God wants to be close to you! God wants you to want to be close to Him. The ultimate long term health care is a system that will last for eternity.
Do you have your eternity covered? Romans 3:23 says "All have sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God".
We often think we are good enough to get to heaven but it doesn't matter how good we are we will never come close to the standards that God has for His children. We know His Son was perfect. We can bridge that gap between God and man with the help of Jesus.
Say that name, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus. Ask Him to guide you to the King. Only He can bring you the health that will get you to the finish line.
Romans 10:13 Whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.
Politicians love to tell how they are going to fix these two entitlements (as POTUS called them during his campaign). I am afraid we have had a rash of programs from liberals because of the vote buying power that comes with the promises that they make.
We have seen the lack of accountability the state run news media has given Obama, "the candidate didn't know what it would take to fix the problem. We need to give him more time" Barbra Walters said. I get sick and tired of all the pandering given to the left by our so called free press. The only press that is making money is the right wing of the establishment. No one wants to hear the left and the ones that do don't pay for anything or buy anything but McDonald's so there is no advertising base for the liberal networks to raise funds.
The same is true when you put everyone on the government dole. Who is going to pay all these taxes? Who is going to cover the bill for all these lazy's to get free health care? Not them! It will be; Your kids! Your boss! You!
What are we going to do with ourselves now that this monster has passed? First we need to go to the polls and remove the offending appendages. Next we need to realize that we are not going to get anything done with this or any other government that has any real lasting value.
Our only hope is coming close to God. How far are you from God. If you called His name would He know it was you, of have you said "god" so regularly while cussing that He has disregarded your voice? God wants to be close to you! God wants you to want to be close to Him. The ultimate long term health care is a system that will last for eternity.
Do you have your eternity covered? Romans 3:23 says "All have sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God".
We often think we are good enough to get to heaven but it doesn't matter how good we are we will never come close to the standards that God has for His children. We know His Son was perfect. We can bridge that gap between God and man with the help of Jesus.
Say that name, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus. Ask Him to guide you to the King. Only He can bring you the health that will get you to the finish line.
Romans 10:13 Whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Not on my watch
1Timothy 6:6-10 (HCSB)
6 But godliness with contentment is a great gain. 7 For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out. 8 But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with these. 9 But those who want to be rich fall into temptation, a trap, and many foolish and harmful desires, which plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and by craving it, some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains.
God calls us to exercise great restraint in our lives so we will show the world that the Gospel is not about getting something but giving something.
I just received the Operation Christmas Child magazine and it has faces of kids from all over the world smiling like crazy over the shoe box of stuff that they got from Christians all over the world.
The “Prosperity Gospel” is taught on television. It is deceptive and makes claims that you will be healed, forgiven, blessed, rich… if you send in enough money. The pastors have wonderfully coiffed hair and clothes with rhinestones on them (Liberace anyone?). I get the willies when I see these people.
How would one of these men or women take that “Prosperity Gospel” to a third world country that doesn’t have water? I can see them say “give me your goat or chicken and God will give you a country like mine”, or any other thing that he can say to transfer their wealth to him or her.
My question, “What about their pain and suffering their lack of water, food and meds? Their answer “give it to me and you will be blessed”. The person that is hungry or dying from lack of nutrition can’t even imagine having food two times a day let alone a car or a country like ours. Christ’s message isn’t about getting something it is about giving something.
Love God, love your neighbor and serve both.
We are going to have a “don’t go to church” Sunday in a couple of weeks. We are going to go to some nursing homes and we are going to do a stream clean at Pole Cat Creek. We need to reach out to the people that are hurting and far from God. When God picks them up and brushes off their scuffed up knees they will be more productive members of God’s Kingdom because they will have seen what Christ can do for them spiritually. They won’t be expecting a car or a house but as they wash the sin out of their lives they will see that they can have those things with hard work instead of hard partying.
The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil, even for pastors and T.V. preachers.
Prayer for today: Please Lord, keep me out of the devils hands and help me get out of debt. (It’s a New Day; day9)
6 But godliness with contentment is a great gain. 7 For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out. 8 But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with these. 9 But those who want to be rich fall into temptation, a trap, and many foolish and harmful desires, which plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and by craving it, some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains.
God calls us to exercise great restraint in our lives so we will show the world that the Gospel is not about getting something but giving something.
I just received the Operation Christmas Child magazine and it has faces of kids from all over the world smiling like crazy over the shoe box of stuff that they got from Christians all over the world.
The “Prosperity Gospel” is taught on television. It is deceptive and makes claims that you will be healed, forgiven, blessed, rich… if you send in enough money. The pastors have wonderfully coiffed hair and clothes with rhinestones on them (Liberace anyone?). I get the willies when I see these people.
How would one of these men or women take that “Prosperity Gospel” to a third world country that doesn’t have water? I can see them say “give me your goat or chicken and God will give you a country like mine”, or any other thing that he can say to transfer their wealth to him or her.
My question, “What about their pain and suffering their lack of water, food and meds? Their answer “give it to me and you will be blessed”. The person that is hungry or dying from lack of nutrition can’t even imagine having food two times a day let alone a car or a country like ours. Christ’s message isn’t about getting something it is about giving something.
Love God, love your neighbor and serve both.
We are going to have a “don’t go to church” Sunday in a couple of weeks. We are going to go to some nursing homes and we are going to do a stream clean at Pole Cat Creek. We need to reach out to the people that are hurting and far from God. When God picks them up and brushes off their scuffed up knees they will be more productive members of God’s Kingdom because they will have seen what Christ can do for them spiritually. They won’t be expecting a car or a house but as they wash the sin out of their lives they will see that they can have those things with hard work instead of hard partying.
The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil, even for pastors and T.V. preachers.
Prayer for today: Please Lord, keep me out of the devils hands and help me get out of debt. (It’s a New Day; day9)
Monday, March 15, 2010
Hope for our future
I don’t know about you but I could use a little stimulus package of my own. It doesn’t matter if you make $250,000 or $25,000 a year, spending more money than you have is going to get you into trouble. Our problem right now is we have gotten ourselves into trouble. President Clinton encouraged banks to loan money to people who couldn’t afford to pay it back and we are trying to cover those bad loans right now.
The late President Ronald Reagan in a speech in Indianapolis shared the following story;
A farmer took a piece of bad earth and made things flourish thereon. Proud of his accomplishments, he asked his minister to come by and see what he had done. The minister was impressed. “That’s the tallest corn I’ve ever seen. I’ve never seen anything as big as those melons. Praise the Lord!” He went on that way about every crop, praising the Lord for it all.
Finally the farmer couldn’t take it anymore. “Reverend,” he said, “I wish you could have seen this place when the Lord was doing it by himself.”
All too often in our world we feel like we are kings. We get our work done, we get paid, and we feel like we are in control of our world. Sometimes we get the carpet pulled out from under us and we realize that flesh and blood can actually fail. We lose a loved one or our health or we lose a job and we think the end will come but somehow we manage to muster the strength to carry on and overcome yet another obstacle. The United States is notorious for overcoming the worst of situations. Crossing the Atlantic to come here, fighting for our Independence, building industry, fighting two world wars, taking on the Cold War, and beating back a bunch of terrorist thugs. We are always ready for a fight.
One of the things that a fight reminds us of is our mortality. We remember that our forefathers knew they couldn’t do it on their own, every meeting and document that laid the foundation of our country was christened with prayer, even Benjamin Franklin who wasn’t a believer said “And have we now forgotten that powerful friend? or do we imagine that we no longer need His assistance?” In our strength we have walked away from the Friend that has delivered us and put our trust in men.
Our hope cannot be put in a man, men throughout history have failed. We need to put our hope in the Creator of the Universe, He has not let us down, He has not lost control, and He wasn't surprised by the outcome of the November 2008 elections. We must not let this crisis go by without capitalizing on it. In these times of uncertainty we need to share Jesus and His Hope with those who are hurting.
The Bible tells us that in the end times the church will experience a great awakening and we may very well be in those times. What does that mean to us? Who are we? We could quite possibly be the generation that is to reach out and be part of the Greatest Awakening in the history of mankind. There are 6.75 BILLION people on the planet. Who are you reaching? Asia is the most populous reign of our world. There are ministries reaching those people right now. Our own Pleasant Garden Baptist Church has a team in South America doing a “Fireproof” marriage conference to share the love of Jesus. We don’t have to get overwhelmed by lost people on the other side of the world, God will reach His children. When Jesus gave us our marching orders in Acts 1.8 He started with the town He was in and told His disciples to share Hope. We need to do the same thing. We need to reach our neighbors, co-workers, friends and family.
Jesus wrapped up the whole bible with this phrase, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. 38 This is the greatest and most important commandment. 39 The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. 40 All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commandments.” (Mt 22:37-40) If you or your church is focused on anything other you need to get your heart right. If you feel far from God I would like to invite you to CrossPoint so you can get going in the right direction.
Do you feel far from God? Are you losing your hope? Do you need to know where to put your hope? Do you need answers? In these uncertain times I pray all of you out there are in church so you can find the Hope that I put my faith in.
If you need a church I take this opportunity to invite you to CrossPoint. We are a casual church that seeks to win the lost and bring those far from God, closer. Wear what you are comfortable to worship in and plan on a heartfelt experience. We are also looking for a contemporary worship leader.
The late President Ronald Reagan in a speech in Indianapolis shared the following story;
A farmer took a piece of bad earth and made things flourish thereon. Proud of his accomplishments, he asked his minister to come by and see what he had done. The minister was impressed. “That’s the tallest corn I’ve ever seen. I’ve never seen anything as big as those melons. Praise the Lord!” He went on that way about every crop, praising the Lord for it all.
Finally the farmer couldn’t take it anymore. “Reverend,” he said, “I wish you could have seen this place when the Lord was doing it by himself.”
All too often in our world we feel like we are kings. We get our work done, we get paid, and we feel like we are in control of our world. Sometimes we get the carpet pulled out from under us and we realize that flesh and blood can actually fail. We lose a loved one or our health or we lose a job and we think the end will come but somehow we manage to muster the strength to carry on and overcome yet another obstacle. The United States is notorious for overcoming the worst of situations. Crossing the Atlantic to come here, fighting for our Independence, building industry, fighting two world wars, taking on the Cold War, and beating back a bunch of terrorist thugs. We are always ready for a fight.
One of the things that a fight reminds us of is our mortality. We remember that our forefathers knew they couldn’t do it on their own, every meeting and document that laid the foundation of our country was christened with prayer, even Benjamin Franklin who wasn’t a believer said “And have we now forgotten that powerful friend? or do we imagine that we no longer need His assistance?” In our strength we have walked away from the Friend that has delivered us and put our trust in men.
Our hope cannot be put in a man, men throughout history have failed. We need to put our hope in the Creator of the Universe, He has not let us down, He has not lost control, and He wasn't surprised by the outcome of the November 2008 elections. We must not let this crisis go by without capitalizing on it. In these times of uncertainty we need to share Jesus and His Hope with those who are hurting.
The Bible tells us that in the end times the church will experience a great awakening and we may very well be in those times. What does that mean to us? Who are we? We could quite possibly be the generation that is to reach out and be part of the Greatest Awakening in the history of mankind. There are 6.75 BILLION people on the planet. Who are you reaching? Asia is the most populous reign of our world. There are ministries reaching those people right now. Our own Pleasant Garden Baptist Church has a team in South America doing a “Fireproof” marriage conference to share the love of Jesus. We don’t have to get overwhelmed by lost people on the other side of the world, God will reach His children. When Jesus gave us our marching orders in Acts 1.8 He started with the town He was in and told His disciples to share Hope. We need to do the same thing. We need to reach our neighbors, co-workers, friends and family.
Jesus wrapped up the whole bible with this phrase, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. 38 This is the greatest and most important commandment. 39 The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. 40 All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commandments.” (Mt 22:37-40) If you or your church is focused on anything other you need to get your heart right. If you feel far from God I would like to invite you to CrossPoint so you can get going in the right direction.
Do you feel far from God? Are you losing your hope? Do you need to know where to put your hope? Do you need answers? In these uncertain times I pray all of you out there are in church so you can find the Hope that I put my faith in.
If you need a church I take this opportunity to invite you to CrossPoint. We are a casual church that seeks to win the lost and bring those far from God, closer. Wear what you are comfortable to worship in and plan on a heartfelt experience. We are also looking for a contemporary worship leader.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Spiritual Warfare Why?
February 17, 2010
1. Why the battle?
• If God is so powerful why doesn’t He get rid of the demons that attack us?
• When you ask this question how are you feeling?
2 Corinthians 4: 1-6 special interests in 3 and 4 (NET Bible)
4:1 Therefore, since we have this ministry, just as God has shown us mercy, we do not become discouraged. 4:2 But we have rejected shameful hidden deeds, not behaving with deceptiveness or distorting the word of God, but by open proclamation of the truth we commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience before God. 4:3 But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled only to those who are perishing, 4:4 among whom the god of this age has blinded the minds of those who do not believe so they would not see the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God. 4:5 For we do not proclaim ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your slaves for Jesus’ sake. 4:6 For God, who said “Let light shine out of darkness,” is the one who shined in our hearts to give us the light of the glorious knowledge of God in the face of Christ.
• What was Paul feeling when he wrote this section of Scripture?
Paul was fighting against the fallen angels to preserve the Gospel. The rulers of this world (the defeated) were trying to veil the Gospel with lies of works to make it unattainable.
• Satan is our enemy; Ezk 28:14, Rev. 12:4, Eph. 6:12
• Spiritual warfare is the battle for souls Luke 4:8-9, I Cor. 4:3-4
• Spiritual warfare takes place in the mind Eph. 6:12, I Cor. 4:14
• Spiritual warfare begins the day we are born
• Satan uses deception to blind the mind Ephesians 6:12, Daniel 10
2. How do I fight?
We fight from the position of victory and with authority
• How are we supposed to attack our enemies?
• Do we use our words and our hands?
2 Corinthians 3:183:18 And we all, with unveiled faces reflecting the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another, which is from the Lord, who is the Spirit.
• What if you had never failed as a child? No bike wrecks, no hot water incidents, no failed attempts at walking on water?
• How would you respond in the face of adversity?
Romans 8:26
In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness, for we do not know how we should pray, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with inexpressible groanings.
Don’t make the mistake of assuming that you have authority therefore you will not be attacked.
Our goal is to advance the kingdom of God on Satan’s territory, through the power of the Gospel, which transforms lives, bringing the lost to salvation (Matthew 28:18-20)
The Armor of God: Our Weapons
11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
Ephesians 6:11-17
12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness,
15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.
17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;
(http://www.truthnet.org/Spiritual-warfare/5Spiritual-soldier/Spiritual-soldier.htm)
Next Week:
What CAN the devil do to us?
February 17, 2010
1. Why the battle?
• If God is so powerful why doesn’t He get rid of the demons that attack us?
• When you ask this question how are you feeling?
2 Corinthians 4: 1-6 special interests in 3 and 4 (NET Bible)
4:1 Therefore, since we have this ministry, just as God has shown us mercy, we do not become discouraged. 4:2 But we have rejected shameful hidden deeds, not behaving with deceptiveness or distorting the word of God, but by open proclamation of the truth we commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience before God. 4:3 But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled only to those who are perishing, 4:4 among whom the god of this age has blinded the minds of those who do not believe so they would not see the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God. 4:5 For we do not proclaim ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your slaves for Jesus’ sake. 4:6 For God, who said “Let light shine out of darkness,” is the one who shined in our hearts to give us the light of the glorious knowledge of God in the face of Christ.
• What was Paul feeling when he wrote this section of Scripture?
Paul was fighting against the fallen angels to preserve the Gospel. The rulers of this world (the defeated) were trying to veil the Gospel with lies of works to make it unattainable.
• Satan is our enemy; Ezk 28:14, Rev. 12:4, Eph. 6:12
• Spiritual warfare is the battle for souls Luke 4:8-9, I Cor. 4:3-4
• Spiritual warfare takes place in the mind Eph. 6:12, I Cor. 4:14
• Spiritual warfare begins the day we are born
• Satan uses deception to blind the mind Ephesians 6:12, Daniel 10
2. How do I fight?
We fight from the position of victory and with authority
• How are we supposed to attack our enemies?
• Do we use our words and our hands?
2 Corinthians 3:183:18 And we all, with unveiled faces reflecting the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another, which is from the Lord, who is the Spirit.
• What if you had never failed as a child? No bike wrecks, no hot water incidents, no failed attempts at walking on water?
• How would you respond in the face of adversity?
Romans 8:26
In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness, for we do not know how we should pray, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with inexpressible groanings.
Don’t make the mistake of assuming that you have authority therefore you will not be attacked.
Our goal is to advance the kingdom of God on Satan’s territory, through the power of the Gospel, which transforms lives, bringing the lost to salvation (Matthew 28:18-20)
The Armor of God: Our Weapons
11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
Ephesians 6:11-17
12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness,
15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.
17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;
(http://www.truthnet.org/Spiritual-warfare/5Spiritual-soldier/Spiritual-soldier.htm)
Next Week:
What CAN the devil do to us?
Friday, February 12, 2010
Won't U B Mine, Again?
Not everyone participates in Valentine's day. Debi and I don't do much for Valentine's it is a holiday made up by Hallmark and we refuse to pay them to say something that we should be saying every day.
Debi says she loves me all the time, she starts our days by getting up about a half an hour before me, she takes the dogs out and starts coffee. It isn't that big of a deal... making coffee? But that is one of our love languages. I love coffee, the fresher the better! After tending to me and the kids she scrubs, washes, primps, prods, brushes and paints to accent the beauty that her mother and father passed on to her. Why does she do all this so early in the morning? So she can go to work and provide our family with much needed funds and health insurance.
She is the softer of the two of us, she is the one that the kids go to for a hug and a shoulder to cry on. She shares children's church responsibilities with some of the ladies at church. She cleans the cars. She directs the cleaning of the house. She supports her kids in all they do. She even finds time to encourage other people's kids so they can be better people. (We have been told of wedding plans before actual parents.) Why does she do all this?
It is her nature. God gifted her with an extra ability to love. He knew she was going to marry me.
Proverbs 31:10-31 (ESV)
10 An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels.
11 The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain.
12 She does him good, and not harm, all the days of her life.
13 She seeks wool and flax, and works with willing hands.
14 She is like the ships of the merchant; she brings her food from afar.
15 She rises while it is yet night and provides food for her household and portions for her maidens.
16 She considers a field and buys it; with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard.
17 She dresses herself with strength and makes her arms strong.
18 She perceives that her merchandise is profitable. Her lamp does not go out at night.
19 She puts her hands to the distaff, and her hands hold the spindle.
20 She opens her hand to the poor and reaches out her hands to the needy.
21 She is not afraid of snow for her household, for all her household are clothed in scarlet.
22 She makes bed coverings for herself; her clothing is fine linen and purple.
23 Her husband is known in the gates when he sits among the elders of the land.
24 She makes linen garments and sells them; she delivers sashes to the merchant.
25 Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come.
26 She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.
27 She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.
28 Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her:
29 “Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all.”
30 Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.
31 Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates.
Ok so she doesn't sew for me, she is still perfect in my book!
So Debi we have been best friends for a long time... When we get old and senile we can be NEW friends. There is no one that I would rather meet all over again!
Won't you be mine, again?
Debi says she loves me all the time, she starts our days by getting up about a half an hour before me, she takes the dogs out and starts coffee. It isn't that big of a deal... making coffee? But that is one of our love languages. I love coffee, the fresher the better! After tending to me and the kids she scrubs, washes, primps, prods, brushes and paints to accent the beauty that her mother and father passed on to her. Why does she do all this so early in the morning? So she can go to work and provide our family with much needed funds and health insurance.
She is the softer of the two of us, she is the one that the kids go to for a hug and a shoulder to cry on. She shares children's church responsibilities with some of the ladies at church. She cleans the cars. She directs the cleaning of the house. She supports her kids in all they do. She even finds time to encourage other people's kids so they can be better people. (We have been told of wedding plans before actual parents.) Why does she do all this?
It is her nature. God gifted her with an extra ability to love. He knew she was going to marry me.
Proverbs 31:10-31 (ESV)
10 An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels.
11 The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain.
12 She does him good, and not harm, all the days of her life.
13 She seeks wool and flax, and works with willing hands.
14 She is like the ships of the merchant; she brings her food from afar.
15 She rises while it is yet night and provides food for her household and portions for her maidens.
16 She considers a field and buys it; with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard.
17 She dresses herself with strength and makes her arms strong.
18 She perceives that her merchandise is profitable. Her lamp does not go out at night.
19 She puts her hands to the distaff, and her hands hold the spindle.
20 She opens her hand to the poor and reaches out her hands to the needy.
21 She is not afraid of snow for her household, for all her household are clothed in scarlet.
22 She makes bed coverings for herself; her clothing is fine linen and purple.
23 Her husband is known in the gates when he sits among the elders of the land.
24 She makes linen garments and sells them; she delivers sashes to the merchant.
25 Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come.
26 She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.
27 She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.
28 Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her:
29 “Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all.”
30 Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.
31 Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates.
Ok so she doesn't sew for me, she is still perfect in my book!
So Debi we have been best friends for a long time... When we get old and senile we can be NEW friends. There is no one that I would rather meet all over again!
Won't you be mine, again?
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Biggest Loser
February 10, 2010
Biggest loser… to win the prize they must work hard. If they want to keep the weight off they have to stay off the couch and in the zone. Even a small step backwards will send them home from the contest.
I get called to the hospital and asked why did dad die of cancer? Well he smoked for 65 years… Don’t be surprised if you die because you over eat, drink to excess, smoke, fail to put on sunscreen or refuse to put on your seat belt. When your family asks me why you are dead would it be wrong to say “because he was stupid”?
Athletes that train hard for the Olympics must continue to train even if the Games aren’t for a couple of years. As the Games get closer they increase the intensity of their workouts and they actually sit down and plan the Peak of their performance to coincide with the exact time of the Olympic event they are to participate in. To make sure they are ready for that one major event they train all year long… they don’t just let themselves go to pot between the Olympics.
Our military also trains with the mission in mind. We have units that are in different stages of readiness. One unit may be preparing to respond to an emergency or battle while another has just gotten back from a battle and are in the stand-by mode. Rest, relationships and rebuilding. During the down time they are still running and shooting so they don’t forget what their mission is.
Our Spiritual lives are just like that. It is impossible to stay at your peak of spiritual preparedness but you should never forget that you are on standby so you can respond with the Gospel at a moment’s notice.
The difference between God’s Army and man’s army is that we will get instant spiritual adrenalin supernaturally when we need it. We can be filled with the Spirit at God’s request instantly. We need to be familiar enough with Spiritual Warfare to know when we need it.
2 Tim 2:21
So if anyone purifies himself from these things, he will be a special instrument, set apart, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work.
To stay in the fight we need to be prepared for battle. We go to church on Sunday and we pray, praise and worship. Too often when we are getting into the car we yell at our families’ just minutes after leaving our weekly pick me up. Then we don’t return to anything Godly during the week. We leave the spiritual stuff to church leadership.
We must learn to put Spiritual Disciplines to work for our marriages, our families, and Christ’s Church.
Full Armor of God Ephesians 6:10-20 (HCSB)
10 Finally, be strengthened by the Lord and by His vast strength. 11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can stand against the tactics of the Devil. 12 For our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world powers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens. 13 This is why you must take up the full armor of God, so that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having prepared everything, to take your stand. 14 Stand, therefore, with truth like a belt around your waist, righteousness like armor on your chest, 15 and your feet sandaled with readiness for the gospel of peace. 16 In every situation take the shield of faith, and with it you will be able to extinguish the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is God’s word. 18 With every prayer and request, pray at all times in the Spirit, and stay alert in this, with all perseverance and intercession for all the saints. 19 Pray also for me, that the message may be given to me when I open my mouth to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel. 20 For this I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I might be bold enough in Him to speak as I should.
Over the next couple of weeks we are going to look at these Spiritual Disciplines: (table of contents for Don Whitney's "Spiritual Disciplines For the Christian Life)
· Bible intake
· Prayer
· Worship
· Evangelism
· Serving
· Stewardship
· Fasting
· Silence and Solitude
· Journaling
· Learning
· Perseverance in the Disciplines
Biggest loser… to win the prize they must work hard. If they want to keep the weight off they have to stay off the couch and in the zone. Even a small step backwards will send them home from the contest.
I get called to the hospital and asked why did dad die of cancer? Well he smoked for 65 years… Don’t be surprised if you die because you over eat, drink to excess, smoke, fail to put on sunscreen or refuse to put on your seat belt. When your family asks me why you are dead would it be wrong to say “because he was stupid”?
Athletes that train hard for the Olympics must continue to train even if the Games aren’t for a couple of years. As the Games get closer they increase the intensity of their workouts and they actually sit down and plan the Peak of their performance to coincide with the exact time of the Olympic event they are to participate in. To make sure they are ready for that one major event they train all year long… they don’t just let themselves go to pot between the Olympics.
Our military also trains with the mission in mind. We have units that are in different stages of readiness. One unit may be preparing to respond to an emergency or battle while another has just gotten back from a battle and are in the stand-by mode. Rest, relationships and rebuilding. During the down time they are still running and shooting so they don’t forget what their mission is.
Our Spiritual lives are just like that. It is impossible to stay at your peak of spiritual preparedness but you should never forget that you are on standby so you can respond with the Gospel at a moment’s notice.
The difference between God’s Army and man’s army is that we will get instant spiritual adrenalin supernaturally when we need it. We can be filled with the Spirit at God’s request instantly. We need to be familiar enough with Spiritual Warfare to know when we need it.
2 Tim 2:21
So if anyone purifies himself from these things, he will be a special instrument, set apart, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work.
To stay in the fight we need to be prepared for battle. We go to church on Sunday and we pray, praise and worship. Too often when we are getting into the car we yell at our families’ just minutes after leaving our weekly pick me up. Then we don’t return to anything Godly during the week. We leave the spiritual stuff to church leadership.
We must learn to put Spiritual Disciplines to work for our marriages, our families, and Christ’s Church.
Full Armor of God Ephesians 6:10-20 (HCSB)
10 Finally, be strengthened by the Lord and by His vast strength. 11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can stand against the tactics of the Devil. 12 For our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world powers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens. 13 This is why you must take up the full armor of God, so that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having prepared everything, to take your stand. 14 Stand, therefore, with truth like a belt around your waist, righteousness like armor on your chest, 15 and your feet sandaled with readiness for the gospel of peace. 16 In every situation take the shield of faith, and with it you will be able to extinguish the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is God’s word. 18 With every prayer and request, pray at all times in the Spirit, and stay alert in this, with all perseverance and intercession for all the saints. 19 Pray also for me, that the message may be given to me when I open my mouth to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel. 20 For this I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I might be bold enough in Him to speak as I should.
Over the next couple of weeks we are going to look at these Spiritual Disciplines: (table of contents for Don Whitney's "Spiritual Disciplines For the Christian Life)
· Bible intake
· Prayer
· Worship
· Evangelism
· Serving
· Stewardship
· Fasting
· Silence and Solitude
· Journaling
· Learning
· Perseverance in the Disciplines
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Winter weather
Have you been outside today? It was chilly this morning. I have lived in Missouri all but five years of my life and I am surprised at how fast a man can become accustomed to mild winters.
I was at the hospital the other day, visiting one of our members, and one of the volunteers commented on how bad the weather was, she asked if I had a hard time getting to the hospital in the ice. I told her that I took my time and stayed away from the least traveled roads. I also mentioned that I knew how to drive in bad weather because I grew up in the Midwest and we had a lot of bad weather. She went on to tell me that the Triad “ALWAYS” has bad weather and she should know how to drive in it too. I don’t think that this area “always” has bad weather but it does get bad weather every year, there is a big difference
It isn’t uncommon to have bad weather in our lives too; it is just something that happens. When people go through storms we always think, “Well bless their hearts”, and “thank God it isn’t us”. In the past I have been without electricity for two weeks because of ice. It was terrible, I had the flu and it was my birthday that week. It was cold and we started getting some rain. The ice started to build up on the trees, it looked beautiful at first, it started getting thicker and when we went outside it was deathly quiet. You know what I mean, the snow absorbs all of the sound and you can’t even hear cars till they are right in front of your house. All of a sudden, like a squirrel rifle going off I heard the first tree limb break. In the next three days we had several thousand more limbs break and if you drive through Missouri today and look at the trees in the creek bottoms you will still see some of that damage. That happened in 2000; it will take years for all the forests and log jams in the creeks to clear up.
Life is like that too. We have storms, some worse than others, the ones we can dodge we do, and we are glad they didn’t happen to us. Have you ever watched the news and gone in to hug you children while they slept? Kind of glad they didn’t have to go through what ever you saw on T.V.? Life is that way for a lot of people, always waiting for some storm. God doesn’t want us to have to weather stuff like that. He wants us to have joy to get us through the rough stuff, not wollering in self-pity waiting for our next calamity.
I know God could stop our storms, but we have to be able to help others get through their storms and if we didn’t have any experience fighting our own battles what good would we be? In John 10:10 Jesus says, “the devil comes to kill steal and destroy but I come to give us life and give it abundantly”.
Do you have joy in your life? Storms come and storms go, God will let them stay so that we are stronger and more able to help our fellow man. Are you going through a storm right now? Is it tough going through it alone? If you don’t have a church I would invite you to come to CrossPoint and find out what it is like to be supported by people that love you. If you do have a church, I would encourage you to see your pastor or other maturing Believer and get some helpful prayer for your storm. If people know you need help they are more likely to come to your aid. Don’t let the devil destroy you. We aren’t equipped to handle storms alone. Accept the abundant life that Jesus offers.
Have you been outside today? It was chilly this morning. I have lived in Missouri all but five years of my life and I am surprised at how fast a man can become accustomed to mild winters.
I was at the hospital the other day, visiting one of our members, and one of the volunteers commented on how bad the weather was, she asked if I had a hard time getting to the hospital in the ice. I told her that I took my time and stayed away from the least traveled roads. I also mentioned that I knew how to drive in bad weather because I grew up in the Midwest and we had a lot of bad weather. She went on to tell me that the Triad “ALWAYS” has bad weather and she should know how to drive in it too. I don’t think that this area “always” has bad weather but it does get bad weather every year, there is a big difference
It isn’t uncommon to have bad weather in our lives too; it is just something that happens. When people go through storms we always think, “Well bless their hearts”, and “thank God it isn’t us”. In the past I have been without electricity for two weeks because of ice. It was terrible, I had the flu and it was my birthday that week. It was cold and we started getting some rain. The ice started to build up on the trees, it looked beautiful at first, it started getting thicker and when we went outside it was deathly quiet. You know what I mean, the snow absorbs all of the sound and you can’t even hear cars till they are right in front of your house. All of a sudden, like a squirrel rifle going off I heard the first tree limb break. In the next three days we had several thousand more limbs break and if you drive through Missouri today and look at the trees in the creek bottoms you will still see some of that damage. That happened in 2000; it will take years for all the forests and log jams in the creeks to clear up.
Life is like that too. We have storms, some worse than others, the ones we can dodge we do, and we are glad they didn’t happen to us. Have you ever watched the news and gone in to hug you children while they slept? Kind of glad they didn’t have to go through what ever you saw on T.V.? Life is that way for a lot of people, always waiting for some storm. God doesn’t want us to have to weather stuff like that. He wants us to have joy to get us through the rough stuff, not wollering in self-pity waiting for our next calamity.
I know God could stop our storms, but we have to be able to help others get through their storms and if we didn’t have any experience fighting our own battles what good would we be? In John 10:10 Jesus says, “the devil comes to kill steal and destroy but I come to give us life and give it abundantly”.
Do you have joy in your life? Storms come and storms go, God will let them stay so that we are stronger and more able to help our fellow man. Are you going through a storm right now? Is it tough going through it alone? If you don’t have a church I would invite you to come to CrossPoint and find out what it is like to be supported by people that love you. If you do have a church, I would encourage you to see your pastor or other maturing Believer and get some helpful prayer for your storm. If people know you need help they are more likely to come to your aid. Don’t let the devil destroy you. We aren’t equipped to handle storms alone. Accept the abundant life that Jesus offers.
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