Rejoice!

Romans 12: 12

¹² Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.

I’ve had people over the years ask me how much time each day they should pray.

Let’s be sure we understand one another, I think the answer to that question lies within.

Rightly so, I have said from the pulpit… “little prayer…little power…much prayer…much power.”

Actually, the man who preached from our church pulpit last Sunday, said the very same thing.

I have said though, and I will never apologize for the remark, when I said… “Can you imagine what might happen to our lives, if we prayed as much as we use our cell phones?”

I realize that for some, those comments aren’t easily tolerated.

Paul seems to suggest that we should be “constant” in prayer.

I like what the great teacher/preacher, Oswald Chambers once said about prayer…

“A great many people do not pray because they do not feel any sense of need. The sign that the Holy Spirit is in a person, is that we realize, not that we are full, but that we are empty.

There should be a sense of absolute need! We come across daily, people who try us, difficult circumstances, and conditions that are perplexing, and all these awaken a dumb sense of need.

This is a sign that the Holy Spirit is speaking…”

I have to go to the dentist today. I had to make an appointment almost a year in advance.

I don’t have to do that with God. I can have communion with God any time I desire to, and I don’t have to make an appointment.

And the best thing of all, is that I probably won’t hear Him remind me that I need to floss every day…

Fear Not!

Isaiah 43: 1 - 3    ESV

“Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. ² When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;
when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. ³ For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.”

There was a young woman who had her entire life ahead of her, that is until the morning of December 7^th, 2006, when everything changed.

She was a Junior in High School…full of life and promise, until a tragic automobile accident claimed her life, and the life of her classmate.

I’m certain her parents have felt overwhelming grief. I’m sure they have felt the fire of oppression, but they have not been consumed.

Their God has been with them every step of the way.

St. Francis of Assisi once said… “Preach the Gospel…and if necessary, use words”.

I know the parents of this young lady, and their faith in the midst of heart ache, has been incredible without uttering a single word.

If today you’re going through something heavy, just remember this…the flames will not consume you…that is, unless you allow them to do so…

Divorce!

Isaiah 3: 8            KJV

And I saw, when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery I had put her away, and given her a bill of divorce…

I guess I should have seen this verse by now, or at the very least remember reading it.

I read it again last night, and I couldn’t believe that God had at a time, divorced His own people.

What these people did must have been pretty serious for God to take such drastic action.

In their backslidden and adulterous condition, God put His own people away.

If God would divorce His people that He loves so much, what is He willing to do with a country that seemingly has turned their back on Him?

In the last 100 years, the U.S. has considered and moved toward the following:

We removed prayer & the Bible from all Public schools…

We put to death over 50 million babies…

We’ve removed the Ten Commandments from all Public buildings…

We’ve sanctified same sex marriage and unions…

I wonder if God was so willing to enter into divorce, would this disqualify Him from being a Pastor in the Southern Baptist Conference?

Divorce isn’t the issue here, but holiness is.

We all know that God hates divorce, but what He hates more is our sinful condition.

Every day I have to go before my God, and get my blemishes cleansed.

I also understand that I most likely have more of an issue with sin, than most people have.

If I ever plan to be the Bride of Christ, then I need to get some things right, in advance of the wedding ceremony…

Yes or No!

Matthew 5: 37

³⁷ “Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil.”

My Father was good friends of a successful trial attorney.

He always told my Dad, that the best witness on the witness stand was a farmer.

In usual fashion, a farmer would only answer questions asked, with one of two simple words… “Yup”…  or “Nope”.

He also told my Dad that the worse witness on the witness stand was a Preacher or a Teacher, because they love to hear themselves talk.

Sometimes, the less said, the better…Amen?

This verse calls us to live our life with character.

We should all live and practice the truth, that just by saying, “yes”, or “no”, we would all be taken at our word.

Is that the way you live?

If our reason for a situation is, “yes”, we would give people no reason to believe that we would ever lie to them.

Is your word enough for people to bank on? How about your handshake, does that mean anything, anymore?

Believe it or not, some of the biggest deals ever made in this country, were made in honest ways, and without contracts.

If we have character that’s above reproach, there would be no reason for anyone to question our honesty.

Do people think your honest? Does anyone have any reason to doubt your word?

By being “yes”, or “no” men and women, we actually bring honor to God…

Appointed!

Hebrews 9: 27 - 28           ESV

²⁷ And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, ²⁸ so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many…

The news out of San Bernardino, CA. isn’t any way out of the unusual these days.

The media agencies are striving to report as much information to the public as possible.

It’s certainly not new news, or good news.

I wonder how many people will have forgotten all about these events one month from right now?

The answer is most people will, I’m afraid, and so will I, most likely.

Not to be redundant, but how many of those 14 people planned to be in the morgue at the end of the day yesterday when they got up in the morning?

If the Bible is clear, and I believe it is, those 14 people have way more information today, than they had yesterday.

But those of us who survive these sorts of events, aren’t remotely phased anymore by such catastrophe.

Following death and facing every single person, is the most fair judge this world has ever known.

I wonder how much of that information affects people these days? How often have you thought, that everyone of us will stand and look straight into the eyes of Jesus?

I know, I’m asking a lot of questions, some of which I have no answers for.

This much I do know. When it’s appointed for me to die, I know which arms I’m going to fall into.

It’s amazing though how many people today, who still can’t answer that question with the fullness of assurance.

Jesus bore the sins of many and all, and that’s still the greatest news the world has ever known.

But you won’t hear that on ABC, NBC, or CBS… 

False!

Matthew 7: 15

¹⁵ “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.”

                              

I don’t think it’s very hard to see that we live in a world that’s filled with the spirit of evil.

Those who follow Jesus these days are met pretty usually with pure hatred.

If a wolf came into your life, dressed as a sheep, would you even know it?

What would you look for? How would you know for sure it was a wolf?

Jesus said that we should be on the lookout for people who speak falsely.

The problem is, that most people don’t know the Word of God enough to point out a false speaking person, let alone someone who really knows Biblical truth.

In these last days and moments, we need a strong foundation of the Word of God.

How secure and sound is your foundation?

In northern Wisconsin, wolves were introduced in nature, and in some areas they have almost completely decimated the deer herd.

No one ever thought they would create that kind of carnage.

I think we sometimes underestimate wolves. That would be fool hearty on our part.

Maybe we need a closer relationship with the Holy Spirit than we do?

False prophets look to draw us away from the faith, and if we’re in sync with the Holy Spirit, we’ll be able to adhere to His warning when a big, bad, wolf steps into the picture.

Look for the fruit these shady people produce, and you’ll be able to detect any wilily wolf from a mile away… 

Put and Take!

2 Corinthians 9: 7

⁷ Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

In 13 years of ministry, I’ve met a lot of gracious givers, and also some extravagant takers.

Please note…givers can often be taken. Trust me on this one…I’ve been taken by the best of them.

A giver may in fact see the takers need, and give to it cheerfully.

That might not be the best thing you can do for a taker.

Takers are generally people who do not like to reconcile.

If they were willing to reconcile, that would make them a giver, but most takers don’t like giving.

What can transform a taker into a giver?

Only the Gospel can.

In your home church, would you say you do more taking or giving?

Givers who truly give have an inclination to give freely, frequently and sacrificially.

Takers… are people who are generally out for number one.

They care little if at all about anyone else’s well being.

True Gospel giving takes a special kind of person.

Maybe that’s why Jesus said… “give, and it will given unto you.”

Givers get joy by giving, whereas takers only get happiness by getting