Divorce!

Jeremiah 2: 32

Does a maiden forget her jewelry, a bride her wedding ornaments? Yet my people have forgotten me…

 

August is the biggest month for me to officiate weddings.

I’m amazed at the detail that brides and grooms go through, just to celebrate a single day in history.

 

I spoke to an upcoming bride just the other day, and she told me that her wedding cake alone, cost over $1,500.00

That better be one great tasting wedding cake!

 

And what surprises me the most, is less than 50% marriages, make is past 3 years.

That seems like a lot of wasted money to me.

 

I wonder how many church people, consider themselves to be a bride in waiting?

How many would consider themselves to be the very bride of Christ?

 

Can you imagine the celebration we’d have one day, if we spent half as much energy planning our Kingdom wedding?

I love what Spurgeon said about this very subject. "You must be divorced from your sin, or you cannot be married to Christ"

 

We need to divorce sin, which means we need to literally dump it.

Have you ever been dumped by a guy or girl before?

 

Seriously, that’s how we need to treat the repeating sin that’s in our life…  

Be sold out!

Philippians 2: 20

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.  

Paul had it all figured out. He knew his identity in Christ.

He was willing to settle the score, by giving up his entire life for the One who saved him.

I truly wonder how many followers of Jesus, feel like Paul felt?

I’ll bet if you got to know Paul in a serious way, there was nothing left to wonder about who he was sold out to.

Seriously, I’m not sure I’m where Paul was.

Honestly, I’m not sure I can count many people in the church, who are satisfied with being crucified with Christ.

What does that say about me? Actually, what does that say about the church?

I meet more and more people, who really just want it their way.

Followers of Jesus can never have it their way.

We must go about this faith walk, by doing it God’s way.

I think David Platt was right.  He said, "We are settling for a Christianity that revolves around catering
to ourselves when the central message of Christianity is actually about abandoning ourselves."

We’ve sometimes made it all about us, and not about God.

I think something needs to change, for the church to harness the penetrating power of Jesus.

When that happens, the world in which we live, will be completely turn upside down…

To be hated!

John 15: 18

"If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.”

I honestly have to say, that I often forget all about this verse—that is until someone rejects my attempts to trumpet forth the truth.

It agonizes me, when people dislike me for speaking or preaching the truth.

How about you? Who can you name by name, who have rejected your attempts to reveal the truth of God?

I keep a list of names of the people who have been displeased with me, and I pray for them as often as I can.

I’m not saying that I haven’t done some things recklessly in ministry, but my heart has always been to lead people to Jesus.

I understand that my results might not be the best, but you can’t knock a guy for trying.

Jesus always had the most trouble with church people.

He tenderly loved, those especially outside of the church, and had better success getting through to them.

Man has, and will for the rest of time on earth, reject the efforts of people trying to bring forth the truth.

It was the reason Rome tried to execute faith out of people, but that never worked very well.

The old adage, “Subtraction, always means multiplication”, applied then, and it applies now.

I’d like to say I’m right with God, but I have had my fair share of trouble with men.

The words of Tozier  "to be right with God has often meant to be in trouble with man", speak volumes to me.

Do they speak to you? 

                                                                                                                      

No Excuses

John 6: 66

From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.

Just before this statement, Jesus offered some hard teaching.

After He made that statement, many stopped following Him altogether.

Jesus indicated that to follow Him, we must fully join Him.

Not many people really want to lay it all on the line anymore, in the spiritual sense.

I’ve never known the teachings of Jesus to be easy.

He speaks of sacrifice, and denial, and submission.

I must admit, that I’m not crazy about having to put an end to the flesh.

I realize, that the older I get, at the end of my life, what I accomplished in the flesh, will count as nothing.

With the words that Jesus used that day, as He preached in the synagogue, it cleared the place out.

Many stopped following Him all together.

What a sad day that must have been for the church.

Jesus had just fed the 5 thousand, and people could hardly contain themselves.

Then Jesus said something hard. Life for many people changed that day, and it wasn’t for the good.

Maybe the words of Ravenhill  actually have some meaning…."If the whole church goes off into deception, that will in no way excuse us for not following Christ"

No Worries!

Matthew 6: 25

"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life…”

 

I wonder how many people, who receive this daily devotional, worry on a consistent basis?

Jesus says that we’re not supposed to worry at all.

 

When things get a little topsy-turvy in your life, is Jesus the One you turn to first?

We have been made in His image, so we should actually follow His thought pattern.

 

It would make sense then, that we should serve Him and obey Him in every area of our lives.

Yes—that would include us worry warts!

 

I’m not saying we shouldn’t plan for tomorrow, but worrying about tomorrow is actually wasted energy.

Planners think ahead, while worriers are consumed with fear.

 

Planners also include God in their plans, while worriers don’t really trust God.

If they did, they wouldn’t worry as much as they do.

 

A friend sent me this posting (attachment), and I laughed out loud when I received it.

I’m a worrier by nature, but I just need to be reminded that, He’s got the WHOLE world in His hands… 

Exchanges!

Matthew 16: 26

“Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?”

 

I’m not sure many church people realize, that Jesus said that whoever looks to lose his life—will actually find it.

Jesus said that following Him, would surely cost us something.

 

Some people have given their lives—some have lost cushy jobs, and some have lost lasting friendships, for claiming Jesus as Lord.

I don’t think the church  spends near enough time, sharing that kind of information.

Honestly, can you name anything you’ve lost, since you’ve accepted Christ? 

 

Even in the church today, our loftiest goal, is usually to grow the church in large numbers.

I’m not sure that was the Biblical pattern.

 

I found this quote, and it’s made me think deeply about my relationship with Christ.

Pastor Phil Morgan of 1^st Church in Brookfield Connecticut, said this…

“Son, always endeavor to keep your church as SMALL as you can! Preach the truth of God’s salvation, and the demands of following Jesus,

SO CLEARLY that ONLY those who have counted the cost, are ready to give up ALL for Christ, and will join themselves to you.”

 

That seems to be exactly the opposite, of what the modern church teaches today.

Maybe we should actually count the costs of following Jesus?

Maybe we should bare the marks of sacrifice?

 

I think I need to go back to my Bible, and read that verse again, that talks about the necessity of picking up my cross and carrying it…  

Be on Guard!

Matthew 13: 5

Jesus said to them: "Watch out that no one deceives you.”

Deception comes just a little at a time.

It never shows up in a dump truck full, but in very subtle ways.

The Bible says that we should give thought to our very steps. (Pro. 14:13)

The devil says, just throw caution to the wind.

The Bible also says, that many will want their ears tickled in church.

The prosperity message of the Gospel is out there today, and some would preach…just name it and claim it.

That is subtle deception.

Jesus never said, just name it and claim it.

Actually, Jesus said that… “foxes have holes—and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of man has no place to lay his head.”

The general rule of life, usually applies in this case.

If it’s probably too good to be true—it probably is.

That is unless we’re talking about Salvation—God’s plan of redemption sounds too good to be true—but it’s true.

We need to be wise as serpents and as harmless as doves, when it comes to deception.

Just remember—we are living in very deceiving times—and many will be led away…