Through the years there have been numerous catch phrases that our workplace or society has pressed upon us. I am on the Board of Directors for a local theatre and at our last monthly meeting, I was reminded of a new catch phrase that seems popular, “Perception is Reality”. I’d heard it before but this time I paid attention to the saying and noticed that it is about one of the most idiotic sayings I’ve heard in quite some time. Let me explain;
• Let’s say you come across a salesman who is trying to sell you a chair with rotten legs all the while telling you how sturdy of a chair it is and giving you a long history of all the people who have sat in the chair. It’s painted and looks really nice so the perception is that it will hold you if you decide to sit in it. You plop down on the chair but the legs break and you fall to the floor.
• Maybe you are asked to help replace a light socket and your helper tells you he’s pretty sure he has turned off the power to the two wires hanging from the ceiling. They don’t look energized and even look completely harmless. You reach up to connect the wires to the new light socket and instantly find out the power is still on and you get an electrical shock.
• You’re driving home in a rainstorm, you come up to a section where there is water running across the street and it looks flooded. You stop and look at the situation and decide that it’s not too deep so you proceed to drive through the water. Your car begins to float off the road and you end up stuck in a ditch and you car is totaled.
In all three of these situations you have the perception that all is going to turn out well. However, the reality of the situation is that you fall on the floor, you get shocked and you wreck your car. In each case, the perception did not match the reality. This happens also when we pre-judge people on their first impression. At times it may be correct but there are times when our perception of people is wrong.
Sadly, this philosophy even spills over to the most important aspect of our lives. Some people have the wrong perception of how to get to heaven. Even the almighty Oprah has given out false information on getting into heaven. Some of the perceptions on how to gain entrance into heaven include;
• Live a good life
• Give to charity
• Help other people all the time
• Serve at the soup kitchen/homeless shelter
• Support the United Way/Salvation Army/Goodwill
• Attend church regularly
• Don’t drink, smoke or use drugs
• Get baptized
• Pray regularly
There are plenty of other answers: "I'm basically a good person, so I'll go to heaven." "OK, so I do some bad things, but I do more good things, so I'll go to heaven." "God won't send me to hell just because I don't live by the Bible. Times have changed!" "Only really bad people like child molesters and murderers go to hell."
These are all common rationalizations, but the truth is that they are all false. Satan, the ruler of the world, plants these thoughts in our heads. He, and anyone who follows his ways, is an enemy of God (1Peter 5:8). Satan is a deceiver and often disguises himself as someone good (2 Corinthians 11:14), but he has control over all the minds that do not belong to God. "The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God" (2 Corinthians 4:4).
Getting into heaven is not based on whether our good outweighs our bad; we will all lose out if that is the case. "And if by grace, then it is no longer by works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace" (Romans 11:6). We can do nothing good to earn our way to heaven (Titus 3:5).
When God created the world, it was perfect and good. Then he made Adam and Eve and gave them their own free will, so they would have a choice whether to follow and obey God. But they were tempted by Satan to disobey God, and they sinned. This separated them (and everyone that came after them, including us) from being able to have a close relationship with God. He is perfect and holy and must judge sin. As sinners, we couldn't reconcile ourselves to God on our own. So God made a way that we could be united with Him in heaven. "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16). "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 6:23). Jesus was born to die for our sins so that we would not have to. Three days after His death, He rose from the grave (Romans 4:25), proving Himself victorious over death. He bridged the gap between God and man so that we may have a personal relationship with Him if we only believe.
"Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent" (John 17:3). Most people believe in God, even Satan does. But to receive salvation, we must turn to God, form a personal relationship, turn away from our sins, and follow Him. We must trust in Jesus with everything we have and everything we do. "This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference" (Romans 3:22). The Bible teaches that there is no other way to salvation than through Christ. Jesus says in John 14:6, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
Jesus is the only way because He is the only One who can pay our sin penalty (Romans 6:23). No other religion teaches the depth or seriousness of sin and its consequences. No other religion offers the infinite payment of sin that only Jesus Christ could provide. No other “religious founder” was God become man (John 1:1,14) – the only way an infinite debt could be paid. Jesus had to be God so that He could pay our debt. Jesus had to be man so He could die. Salvation is available only through faith in Jesus Christ! “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).
Is it naïve to think Jesus is the only way to heaven? Not if it is true. Jesus said He was the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6). Either He was telling the truth or He wasn't. If He was telling the truth, it's not naive to agree with Him.
Followers of Christ are generally assumed to be from the Western hemisphere. However, Jesus began in the Middle East and spread outward from there, throughout the whole earth. There are many believers in Africa and Asia. Currently the largest Christian church in the world is in South Korea.
Faith in Christ is not just a Western thing, though skeptics and antagonists like to paint that picture. The Bible tells us that the multitude of believers who will be in heaven will be from every tribe and people and nation and language (Revelation 7:9), and that Jesus died for the sins of people from every tribe, nation, people and tongue (Revelation 5:9).
If Jesus is in fact, God, as He said, and rose from the dead as proof, then He has given us ample reasons to believe in Him. He is not asking for a naive faith, but a knowledgeable faith in Him. And those who will believe in Jesus receive a more abundant life, direction in life, peace with God, and eternal life.
Basing our entrance into heaven on something that is perceived is dangerous. We should do all we can to explore the truth of the situation and not hang our eternity on some modern new-age fad or belief system that is full of holes. Eternity is too long to be wrong.
_________________________________________________
1 Peter 5:8
Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
2 Corinthians 11:14
And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light
2 Corinthians 4:4
in their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
Romans 11:6
But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace.
Titus 3:5
He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit
John 3:16
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
>Romans 6:23
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 4:25
The sacrificed Jesus made us fit for God, set us right with God. The Message
John 17:3
And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.
John 1:1
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
John 1:14
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
Friday, February 25, 2011
Monday, January 31, 2011
A Crutch For When Life Doesn't Make Sense
I was going to cover a different topic this month but within the last couple of weeks, a friend of mine lost her 9 year old Daughter in an accident and it reminded me of a “discussion” I’ve had with several people through the years.
We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed. —2 Corinthians 4:8
You may remember a few years back when Jesse Ventura the former governor of Minnesota said that “Christianity is a crutch for weak minded people”. His comment brought outrage from several religious organizations. It didn’t bother me much though, the man has a long history of being an idiot and has always had a string desire to be in front of a camera or in the spotlight. After all he was a professional wrestler for many years, maybe he got hit in the head too much. :-) Also, I don’t have to answer for his statements or decisions and what he believes has no affect on what I believe. There are other skeptics and atheists that say that the Christian faith is nothing more than a crutch—that the only reason people claim to trust Jesus is that they are weaklings who have to make up “religion” to get by?
A story about a doctor in one Far Eastern country spent 2 ½ years in jail being “reeducated” because he professed faith in Christ. Then, after his release, he was arrested again—this time for his efforts at his church. Maybe those skeptics haven’t heard about Paul. After trusting Christ, he was arrested, flogged, mocked, and shipwrecked (2 Corinthians 11:16-29).
These are just a couple of examples, one modern and one from biblical times. These believers were not looking for a crutch. No, they had something deep and essential in their hearts. They had a personal relationship with God—a relationship born of faith in the work of Jesus on the cross. As a result, they became children of the King—eager to sacrifice everything for the privilege of proclaiming Him. They were not limping along looking for something to hold them up.
I had the misfortune of performing CPR on my infant Son many years ago. I couldn’t revive him and he passed away. A couple of days later we buried him and for quite some time we had to deal with the loss and pain that accompanied the loss of a child. It was a very difficult and traumatic time in my life and caused me to be upset with God and even angry at times. I thought, I’m just starting in the ministry and have devoted my life to following you and trying to bring others to you. Is this how you’re going to provide for me? Why can’t you do this to regular people out in the world and let bad things happen to them? Why me? In many ways it shook my foundation as a Christian and caused me to question God’s direction and motives.
Though I still do not understand all of the reasoning behind why God allowed me to go trough that and many other troubles/trials since then, I know without a shadow of a doubt that; He loves me, He see’s the whole picture, and He’s in charge and control of everything. Even if I never get to understand it while I’m here on Earth, He had a reason for it and if I give my life to Him, I’ve got to take the bad He allows my direction if I’m going to take the wonderful things He sends my way. I also know that whenever I’m at a low point, I can turn to Him and He will comfort me and take care of my issues. No matter how large or small. He’s the rock and foundation of my life, nothing that comes my way can destroy the foundation.
A crutch? Hardly, faith in Christ is not about safety and caution. It’s about believing Jesus and trusting Him no matter what. It’s about taking up a daily cross (Luke 9:23) and living for the Savior.
I also can take comfort in knowing that no matter where I am, God will always be there with me. In Psalms 120:1 it says, “In my distress I cried to the Lord, and He heard me”.
Detective Allan Pinkerton became famous in the mid-1800s by solving a series of train robberies and foiling a plot to assassinate Abraham Lincoln as he traveled to his first inauguration. As one of the first agencies of its kind in the US, the Pinkerton National Detective Agency gained even more prominence because of its logo of a wide-open eye with the caption, “We Never Sleep.”
There is no better feeling than knowing you are protected and secure. You feel peaceful when the doors are locked and all is quiet as you drift off to sleep at night. You feel safe. But many lie awake in their beds with fearful thoughts of the present or dread of the future. Some are afraid of commotion outside or of a spouse who has been violent. Some cannot rest because of worry over a rebellious child. Others are anxiously listening to make sure a seriously ill child is still breathing.
These are the times when our loving God encourages us to cry out to Him, to the One who will neither “slumber nor sleep” (Psalms 121:4). Psalms 34:15 reminds us that “the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their cry.”
Pinkerton may have been the original “private eye,” but the One who really has the eye that never sleeps is listening to the cries of “the righteous” (Psalms 34:17).
Some who have gone through traumatic times in their lives go on a journey and search for something to ease pain, fill a void, somewhere to turn for help, comfort, or relief from the situation. Often it ends up being alcohol, drugs, sex, etc. all are a temporary fix to the problem and more often then not they cause more issues for one to have to deal with. The only sure fire fix for this is having a relationship with Jesus Christ. I can vouch that He’ll always be there for you and nothing you’ve done or can do is too bad for Him to want to have a relationship with you. When you think your life is shattered and there’s no way to get fixed again, love heals your heart and the provider and sustainer of love and hope is Jesus.
Before you sleep, just gently lay
Every troubled thought away;
Drop your burden and your care
In the quiet arms of prayer. —Anon.
We can sleep in peace when we remember that God is awake.
How Can I Keep From Singing?
Chris Tomlin
There is an endless song
Echoes in my soul
I hear the music ring
And though the storms may come
I am holding on to the rock I cling
How can I keep from singing Your praise
How can I ever say enough
How amazing is Your love
How can I keep from shouting Your name
I know I am loved by the King
And it makes my heart want to sing
I will lift my eyes
In the darkest night
For I know my Savior lives
And I will walk with You
Knowing You'll see me through
And sing the songs You give
How can I keep from singing your praise?
How can I ever say enough, how amazing is your love?
How can I keep from shouting your name?
I know I am loved by the king, and it makes my heart want to sing.
I can sing in the troubled times
Sing when I win
I can sing when I lose my step
And fall down again
I can sing 'cause You pick me up
Sing 'cause You're there
I can sing 'cause You hear me, Lord
When I call to You in prayer
I can sing with my last breath
Sing for I know
That I'll sing with the angels
And the saints around the throne
How can I keep from singing your praise?
How can I ever say enough, how amazing is your love?
How can I keep from shouting your name?
I know I am loved by the King, and it makes my heart
I am loved by the King, and it makes my heart
I am loved by the King, and it makes my heart
Want to sing
I can sing
_________________________________________________
2 Corinthians 4:8 (New International Version)
We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair;
2 Corinthians 11:16–29 (English Standard Version)
I repeat, let no one think me foolish. But even if you do, accept me as a fool, so that I too may boast a little. What I am saying with this boastful confidence, I say not with the Lord’s authority but as a fool. Since many boast according to the flesh, I too will boast. For you gladly bear with fools, being wise yourselves! For you bear it if someone makes slaves of you, or devours you, or takes advantage of you, or puts on airs, or strikes you in the face. To my shame, I must say, we were too weak for that!
But whatever anyone else dares to boast of—I am speaking as a fool—I also dare to boast of that. Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they offspring of Abraham? So am I. Are they servants of Christ? I am a better one—I am talking like a madman—with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near death. Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches. Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to fall, and I am not indignant?
Luke 9:23 (ESV)
And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.
Psalm 121 (NIV)
I lift up my eyes to the mountains - where does my help come from?
My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.
He will not let your foot slip - He who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.
The LORD watches over you - the LORD is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night.
The LORD will keep you from all harm - He will watch over your life; the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.
Psalm 120:1 (NIV)
I call on the LORD in my distress, and He answers me.
Psalm 34:17 (ESV)
When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles.
Psalm 121:4 (ESV)
Behold, He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.
Psalm 34:15 (ESV)
The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous and His ears toward their cry.
We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed. —2 Corinthians 4:8
You may remember a few years back when Jesse Ventura the former governor of Minnesota said that “Christianity is a crutch for weak minded people”. His comment brought outrage from several religious organizations. It didn’t bother me much though, the man has a long history of being an idiot and has always had a string desire to be in front of a camera or in the spotlight. After all he was a professional wrestler for many years, maybe he got hit in the head too much. :-) Also, I don’t have to answer for his statements or decisions and what he believes has no affect on what I believe. There are other skeptics and atheists that say that the Christian faith is nothing more than a crutch—that the only reason people claim to trust Jesus is that they are weaklings who have to make up “religion” to get by?
A story about a doctor in one Far Eastern country spent 2 ½ years in jail being “reeducated” because he professed faith in Christ. Then, after his release, he was arrested again—this time for his efforts at his church. Maybe those skeptics haven’t heard about Paul. After trusting Christ, he was arrested, flogged, mocked, and shipwrecked (2 Corinthians 11:16-29).
These are just a couple of examples, one modern and one from biblical times. These believers were not looking for a crutch. No, they had something deep and essential in their hearts. They had a personal relationship with God—a relationship born of faith in the work of Jesus on the cross. As a result, they became children of the King—eager to sacrifice everything for the privilege of proclaiming Him. They were not limping along looking for something to hold them up.
I had the misfortune of performing CPR on my infant Son many years ago. I couldn’t revive him and he passed away. A couple of days later we buried him and for quite some time we had to deal with the loss and pain that accompanied the loss of a child. It was a very difficult and traumatic time in my life and caused me to be upset with God and even angry at times. I thought, I’m just starting in the ministry and have devoted my life to following you and trying to bring others to you. Is this how you’re going to provide for me? Why can’t you do this to regular people out in the world and let bad things happen to them? Why me? In many ways it shook my foundation as a Christian and caused me to question God’s direction and motives.
Though I still do not understand all of the reasoning behind why God allowed me to go trough that and many other troubles/trials since then, I know without a shadow of a doubt that; He loves me, He see’s the whole picture, and He’s in charge and control of everything. Even if I never get to understand it while I’m here on Earth, He had a reason for it and if I give my life to Him, I’ve got to take the bad He allows my direction if I’m going to take the wonderful things He sends my way. I also know that whenever I’m at a low point, I can turn to Him and He will comfort me and take care of my issues. No matter how large or small. He’s the rock and foundation of my life, nothing that comes my way can destroy the foundation.
A crutch? Hardly, faith in Christ is not about safety and caution. It’s about believing Jesus and trusting Him no matter what. It’s about taking up a daily cross (Luke 9:23) and living for the Savior.
I also can take comfort in knowing that no matter where I am, God will always be there with me. In Psalms 120:1 it says, “In my distress I cried to the Lord, and He heard me”.
Detective Allan Pinkerton became famous in the mid-1800s by solving a series of train robberies and foiling a plot to assassinate Abraham Lincoln as he traveled to his first inauguration. As one of the first agencies of its kind in the US, the Pinkerton National Detective Agency gained even more prominence because of its logo of a wide-open eye with the caption, “We Never Sleep.”
There is no better feeling than knowing you are protected and secure. You feel peaceful when the doors are locked and all is quiet as you drift off to sleep at night. You feel safe. But many lie awake in their beds with fearful thoughts of the present or dread of the future. Some are afraid of commotion outside or of a spouse who has been violent. Some cannot rest because of worry over a rebellious child. Others are anxiously listening to make sure a seriously ill child is still breathing.
These are the times when our loving God encourages us to cry out to Him, to the One who will neither “slumber nor sleep” (Psalms 121:4). Psalms 34:15 reminds us that “the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their cry.”
Pinkerton may have been the original “private eye,” but the One who really has the eye that never sleeps is listening to the cries of “the righteous” (Psalms 34:17).
Some who have gone through traumatic times in their lives go on a journey and search for something to ease pain, fill a void, somewhere to turn for help, comfort, or relief from the situation. Often it ends up being alcohol, drugs, sex, etc. all are a temporary fix to the problem and more often then not they cause more issues for one to have to deal with. The only sure fire fix for this is having a relationship with Jesus Christ. I can vouch that He’ll always be there for you and nothing you’ve done or can do is too bad for Him to want to have a relationship with you. When you think your life is shattered and there’s no way to get fixed again, love heals your heart and the provider and sustainer of love and hope is Jesus.
Before you sleep, just gently lay
Every troubled thought away;
Drop your burden and your care
In the quiet arms of prayer. —Anon.
We can sleep in peace when we remember that God is awake.
How Can I Keep From Singing?
Chris Tomlin
There is an endless song
Echoes in my soul
I hear the music ring
And though the storms may come
I am holding on to the rock I cling
How can I keep from singing Your praise
How can I ever say enough
How amazing is Your love
How can I keep from shouting Your name
I know I am loved by the King
And it makes my heart want to sing
I will lift my eyes
In the darkest night
For I know my Savior lives
And I will walk with You
Knowing You'll see me through
And sing the songs You give
How can I keep from singing your praise?
How can I ever say enough, how amazing is your love?
How can I keep from shouting your name?
I know I am loved by the king, and it makes my heart want to sing.
I can sing in the troubled times
Sing when I win
I can sing when I lose my step
And fall down again
I can sing 'cause You pick me up
Sing 'cause You're there
I can sing 'cause You hear me, Lord
When I call to You in prayer
I can sing with my last breath
Sing for I know
That I'll sing with the angels
And the saints around the throne
How can I keep from singing your praise?
How can I ever say enough, how amazing is your love?
How can I keep from shouting your name?
I know I am loved by the King, and it makes my heart
I am loved by the King, and it makes my heart
I am loved by the King, and it makes my heart
Want to sing
I can sing
_________________________________________________
2 Corinthians 4:8 (New International Version)
We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair;
2 Corinthians 11:16–29 (English Standard Version)
I repeat, let no one think me foolish. But even if you do, accept me as a fool, so that I too may boast a little. What I am saying with this boastful confidence, I say not with the Lord’s authority but as a fool. Since many boast according to the flesh, I too will boast. For you gladly bear with fools, being wise yourselves! For you bear it if someone makes slaves of you, or devours you, or takes advantage of you, or puts on airs, or strikes you in the face. To my shame, I must say, we were too weak for that!
But whatever anyone else dares to boast of—I am speaking as a fool—I also dare to boast of that. Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they offspring of Abraham? So am I. Are they servants of Christ? I am a better one—I am talking like a madman—with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near death. Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches. Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to fall, and I am not indignant?
Luke 9:23 (ESV)
And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.
Psalm 121 (NIV)
I lift up my eyes to the mountains - where does my help come from?
My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.
He will not let your foot slip - He who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.
The LORD watches over you - the LORD is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night.
The LORD will keep you from all harm - He will watch over your life; the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.
Psalm 120:1 (NIV)
I call on the LORD in my distress, and He answers me.
Psalm 34:17 (ESV)
When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles.
Psalm 121:4 (ESV)
Behold, He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.
Psalm 34:15 (ESV)
The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous and His ears toward their cry.
Friday, December 31, 2010
Another New Year Already? They Sure Seem to Get Here Fast
It barely seems possible but another year has passed and we are at the threshold of a new year. I remember old people telling me when I was a kid that years go by faster when you start getting older. Though I'm far from being old, it seems to be true.
I didn’t set out to learn as much as I did this past year, but I was able to learn many things and hopefully will be able to apply that knowledge and make the upcoming year even better. There is an old saying that says you are never get too old to learn something new. I found out many things about me and several things about others this year. Some include;
* There are more people in the world that keep you as a “friend” that only want you around to use you if there is a need for you in their life. If everything is going smoothly in their lives, you won’t hear from them. When the going gets tough or something’s broke, they’ll buddy up to you again. Actually, I knew this before but it was even more present in this past year. Especially at work.
* No matter how much you pray, beg, plead, etc. The decisions of others are totally out of your control and you cannot force people to walk the “straight and narrow”. The world has lots of things to entice others and living for Christ has a small upside for people who love the things of the world and are enthralled by the things of the world.
* I am even more apathetic than I thought I was.
* I don’t get upset or downcast by the actions of others as much as I used to. If you have low expectations of others, it doesn’t upset you near as much when they fail to meet your expectations.
* Being loved is overrated.
* Being a “butthead” has limited positive benefits.
* Being alone is underrated.
OK, not everything I learned was a downer. There were several things I learned that are useful. Many of which were relationship oriented. If the Lord allows, I hopefully will have the opportunity to use them in the future.
If I look over the goals I had for the past year, I was able to make progress on some items also.
* I paid off my former spouse’s vehicle and freed up many dollars per month.
* I “pursued” getting to know a young lady even more this past year in an attempt to be more of a part of her life. During this time I found out that I was much more interested in her than she was interested in me. But at least I was able to hone my skills ;-)
* I made much progress in getting my finances in order.
When setting my goals for the upcoming year, I removed the items that are out of my control. For example, though I would love to have a relationship with my two Children, much of it is totally out of my control. No matter how much time and energy I devote to being part of their lives again, it’s pretty much up to them to make it happen. I can make myself available to them but that’s the extent of my control of the situation.
So far some of the goals I have are;
* Pay off my truck again this year
* Spend more time with in-depth Bible study. (less superficial study)
* Continue to overcome shortcomings/”addictions” of the past
* Increase charitable giving
* Work to build stronger relationships
* Learn to trust others more (not everyone is out to take from you, leave you, or stab you in the back)
Goals are important in your life. Each person needs a vision of what they want in the future. In Proverbs 29:18, God says that without a vision His people perish. I recommend that each person set aside time to map out your goals for the year. Not resolutions, they often disappear by the end of January and you’ve forgotten them in a very short time. But real, long term goals for your life. If you have a vision of where you want to be, you stand a better chance of getting there. Having them written down somewhere so you come across them on a regular basis improves the chances that you can accomplish the goals and improve your life.
Lastly, remember that some goals take longer to attain than others. Don't give up on any worthwhile goal that you set unless God tells you to move on.
__________________________________________________________
Proverbs 29:18 (The Message)
If people can't see what God is doing, they stumble all over themselves; But when they attend to what he reveals, they are most blessed.
Philippians 4:6 (English Standard Version)
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
I didn’t set out to learn as much as I did this past year, but I was able to learn many things and hopefully will be able to apply that knowledge and make the upcoming year even better. There is an old saying that says you are never get too old to learn something new. I found out many things about me and several things about others this year. Some include;
* There are more people in the world that keep you as a “friend” that only want you around to use you if there is a need for you in their life. If everything is going smoothly in their lives, you won’t hear from them. When the going gets tough or something’s broke, they’ll buddy up to you again. Actually, I knew this before but it was even more present in this past year. Especially at work.
* No matter how much you pray, beg, plead, etc. The decisions of others are totally out of your control and you cannot force people to walk the “straight and narrow”. The world has lots of things to entice others and living for Christ has a small upside for people who love the things of the world and are enthralled by the things of the world.
* I am even more apathetic than I thought I was.
* I don’t get upset or downcast by the actions of others as much as I used to. If you have low expectations of others, it doesn’t upset you near as much when they fail to meet your expectations.
* Being loved is overrated.
* Being a “butthead” has limited positive benefits.
* Being alone is underrated.
OK, not everything I learned was a downer. There were several things I learned that are useful. Many of which were relationship oriented. If the Lord allows, I hopefully will have the opportunity to use them in the future.
If I look over the goals I had for the past year, I was able to make progress on some items also.
* I paid off my former spouse’s vehicle and freed up many dollars per month.
* I “pursued” getting to know a young lady even more this past year in an attempt to be more of a part of her life. During this time I found out that I was much more interested in her than she was interested in me. But at least I was able to hone my skills ;-)
* I made much progress in getting my finances in order.
When setting my goals for the upcoming year, I removed the items that are out of my control. For example, though I would love to have a relationship with my two Children, much of it is totally out of my control. No matter how much time and energy I devote to being part of their lives again, it’s pretty much up to them to make it happen. I can make myself available to them but that’s the extent of my control of the situation.
So far some of the goals I have are;
* Pay off my truck again this year
* Spend more time with in-depth Bible study. (less superficial study)
* Continue to overcome shortcomings/”addictions” of the past
* Increase charitable giving
* Work to build stronger relationships
* Learn to trust others more (not everyone is out to take from you, leave you, or stab you in the back)
Goals are important in your life. Each person needs a vision of what they want in the future. In Proverbs 29:18, God says that without a vision His people perish. I recommend that each person set aside time to map out your goals for the year. Not resolutions, they often disappear by the end of January and you’ve forgotten them in a very short time. But real, long term goals for your life. If you have a vision of where you want to be, you stand a better chance of getting there. Having them written down somewhere so you come across them on a regular basis improves the chances that you can accomplish the goals and improve your life.
Lastly, remember that some goals take longer to attain than others. Don't give up on any worthwhile goal that you set unless God tells you to move on.
__________________________________________________________
Proverbs 29:18 (The Message)
If people can't see what God is doing, they stumble all over themselves; But when they attend to what he reveals, they are most blessed.
Philippians 4:6 (English Standard Version)
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Does God Care How I Live or Act?
I recently read a Facebook post where the user posted, “I don’t care what others do or say about me. I try to live for the Lord, but I’m not perfect. He understands and loves me just like I am, whether I’m good or not”. I also was told once by a local pastor that, “we cannot be perfect in our lives. Living like Jesus says is not attainable. He understands that and loves us anyway”. I thought on these statements for quite some time and came up with several questions:
• Can we turn our lives over to God and then continue to live how we want and treat Him and His word like dirt?
• Are we supposed to live like we want because His standards are too high?
• Does God expect us to live as a Christian all the time or only when we feel like it?
• Are we so shallow and self absorbed with our own wants and desires that we put God on the shelf until we need Him?
• Does God really love us if we continually sin against Him or ignore His rules/teachings?
• If we live life doing what we want, when we want, are we really Christians at all?
God loves everyone. He sent His Son, Jesus, to repair the gap created between God and Man when Adam sinned. Since there is no doubt that God loves us, I did some research on it and found the following:
What God wants is this: He wants you to be completely good, and separate from everything that is bad.
In I Thessalonians 4, Paul tells us that we should live a life that pleases God. We do this by separating ourselves from the things that draw us away from Him. Some of these are sexual immorality, lying, cheating, stealing, coveting others possessions, cursing, etc. Anything that God frowns upon, makes Him sad when we do them. How do you find out what God frowns upon? Read His word.
In I John 3, the writer tells us that we cannot act like the devil and still be a disciple of Christ. We cannot serve the one that Jesus came to destroy and Him also. If we still are trapped by and desire the things we profess to turn from, we may need to re-check our “decision” to follow Christ and make sure of its validity.
Matthew Henry said of this, “Religion is not an art, a matter of dexterity and skill, but a new nature. And the regenerate person cannot sin as he did before he was born of God, and as others do who are not born again. There is that light in his mind, which shows him the evil and malignity of sin. There is that bias upon his heart, which disposes him to loathe and hate sin. There is the spiritual principle that opposes sinful acts. And there is repentance for sin, if committed. It goes against him to sin with forethought. The children of God and the children of the devil have their distinct characters. The seed of the serpent are known by neglect of religion, and by their hating real Christians. He only is righteous before God, as a justified believer, who is taught and disposed to righteousness by the Holy Spirit. In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil. May all professors of the gospel lay these truths to heart, and try themselves by them”.
In Romans 6, we see that we are not to sin more to make acquire more grace. The apostle is very full in pressing the necessity of holiness. He does not explain away the free grace of the gospel, but he shows that connection between justification and holiness are inseparable. True believers are dead to sin, therefore they ought not to follow it. No man can at the same time be both dead and alive. He is a fool who, desiring to be dead unto sin, thinks he may live in it.
Years ago, we were “sighting in” the scope on a rifle I was using. I went to a friends firing range to shoot and took aim at the target. While shooting, I discovered that the sight was set too low. I aimed using that sight, but I hit the bottom of the target. I had to aim high in order to hit anywhere near the bull’s-eye. I adjusted the scope several times and finally got it lined up to where I was aiming.
Aren’t our lives a lot like that? If we set our sights too low, we really don’t accomplish all that we can. Sometimes we have to aim high in order to reach a desired goal.
What should be our aim in life? How high should we point our ambitions? Well, since Scripture is our true guide, we will shoot for nothing but spiritual maturity. In fact, in Paul’s farewell to the people of Corinth, he said, “Aim for perfection” (2 Cor. 13:11 NIV). And we also have the high aim of these words from the lips of Jesus, “You shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect” (Matt. 5:48).
Perfection is a lofty target, and we won’t attain it in this life. But if we want to honor God and get close to that high goal, we need to aim high. That means turning from our sinful and failed ways of the past and turning to the honorable things of God. It takes a change in heart and mind to follow God. If we are to follow Him, we have to get off of the paths we have walked all our lives and walk in a way that will bring honor to Him.
Yes, God will still love us if we are imperfect. However, if we call ourselves followers of Him we should do all within our power to follow His teachings and bring joy to Him in our lives.
________________________________________________________
1 Thessalonians 4 (English Standard Version)
Finally, then, brothers, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God, just as you are doing, that you do so more and more. For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus. For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God; that no one transgress and wrong his brother in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as we told you beforehand and solemnly warned you. For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness. Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you.
Now concerning brotherly love you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another, for that indeed is what you are doing to all the brothers throughout Macedonia. But we urge you, brothers, to do this more and more, and to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you, so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one.
But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words.
1 John 3:9 (ESV)
No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God.
Romans 6:1-2 (ESV)
What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?
2 Corinthians 13:11 (ESV)
Finally, brothers, rejoice. Aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.
Matthew 5:48 (ESV)
Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.
• Can we turn our lives over to God and then continue to live how we want and treat Him and His word like dirt?
• Are we supposed to live like we want because His standards are too high?
• Does God expect us to live as a Christian all the time or only when we feel like it?
• Are we so shallow and self absorbed with our own wants and desires that we put God on the shelf until we need Him?
• Does God really love us if we continually sin against Him or ignore His rules/teachings?
• If we live life doing what we want, when we want, are we really Christians at all?
God loves everyone. He sent His Son, Jesus, to repair the gap created between God and Man when Adam sinned. Since there is no doubt that God loves us, I did some research on it and found the following:
What God wants is this: He wants you to be completely good, and separate from everything that is bad.
In I Thessalonians 4, Paul tells us that we should live a life that pleases God. We do this by separating ourselves from the things that draw us away from Him. Some of these are sexual immorality, lying, cheating, stealing, coveting others possessions, cursing, etc. Anything that God frowns upon, makes Him sad when we do them. How do you find out what God frowns upon? Read His word.
In I John 3, the writer tells us that we cannot act like the devil and still be a disciple of Christ. We cannot serve the one that Jesus came to destroy and Him also. If we still are trapped by and desire the things we profess to turn from, we may need to re-check our “decision” to follow Christ and make sure of its validity.
Matthew Henry said of this, “Religion is not an art, a matter of dexterity and skill, but a new nature. And the regenerate person cannot sin as he did before he was born of God, and as others do who are not born again. There is that light in his mind, which shows him the evil and malignity of sin. There is that bias upon his heart, which disposes him to loathe and hate sin. There is the spiritual principle that opposes sinful acts. And there is repentance for sin, if committed. It goes against him to sin with forethought. The children of God and the children of the devil have their distinct characters. The seed of the serpent are known by neglect of religion, and by their hating real Christians. He only is righteous before God, as a justified believer, who is taught and disposed to righteousness by the Holy Spirit. In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil. May all professors of the gospel lay these truths to heart, and try themselves by them”.
In Romans 6, we see that we are not to sin more to make acquire more grace. The apostle is very full in pressing the necessity of holiness. He does not explain away the free grace of the gospel, but he shows that connection between justification and holiness are inseparable. True believers are dead to sin, therefore they ought not to follow it. No man can at the same time be both dead and alive. He is a fool who, desiring to be dead unto sin, thinks he may live in it.
Years ago, we were “sighting in” the scope on a rifle I was using. I went to a friends firing range to shoot and took aim at the target. While shooting, I discovered that the sight was set too low. I aimed using that sight, but I hit the bottom of the target. I had to aim high in order to hit anywhere near the bull’s-eye. I adjusted the scope several times and finally got it lined up to where I was aiming.
Aren’t our lives a lot like that? If we set our sights too low, we really don’t accomplish all that we can. Sometimes we have to aim high in order to reach a desired goal.
What should be our aim in life? How high should we point our ambitions? Well, since Scripture is our true guide, we will shoot for nothing but spiritual maturity. In fact, in Paul’s farewell to the people of Corinth, he said, “Aim for perfection” (2 Cor. 13:11 NIV). And we also have the high aim of these words from the lips of Jesus, “You shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect” (Matt. 5:48).
Perfection is a lofty target, and we won’t attain it in this life. But if we want to honor God and get close to that high goal, we need to aim high. That means turning from our sinful and failed ways of the past and turning to the honorable things of God. It takes a change in heart and mind to follow God. If we are to follow Him, we have to get off of the paths we have walked all our lives and walk in a way that will bring honor to Him.
Yes, God will still love us if we are imperfect. However, if we call ourselves followers of Him we should do all within our power to follow His teachings and bring joy to Him in our lives.
________________________________________________________
1 Thessalonians 4 (English Standard Version)
Finally, then, brothers, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God, just as you are doing, that you do so more and more. For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus. For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God; that no one transgress and wrong his brother in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as we told you beforehand and solemnly warned you. For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness. Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you.
Now concerning brotherly love you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another, for that indeed is what you are doing to all the brothers throughout Macedonia. But we urge you, brothers, to do this more and more, and to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you, so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one.
But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words.
1 John 3:9 (ESV)
No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God.
Romans 6:1-2 (ESV)
What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?
2 Corinthians 13:11 (ESV)
Finally, brothers, rejoice. Aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.
Matthew 5:48 (ESV)
Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
How I Ended Up This Way - Well, Maybe....... (re-hashed)
Some may consider this disturbing, but I promise you I’m fine and all is well, (as well as it has ever been) in Gary’s head. However, after one of my recent counseling sessions (thanks, ex), I was asked how I felt about life and what I thought others think of me. At my next session I was supposed to give a report about my thoughts. I figured I’d share it so here goes: A word of advice, you might want to click to another page now…………
For most of my life, I cared deeply about all that went on and everyone that was a part of my life. I enjoyed my life, my work, my family & my friends. I absolutely adored my Kids and my “wife”. Over these past few years, almost everything that I cared deeply about was removed, walked away or was taken away. I fought losing them, and did all I could to salvage what I could, but lost miserably. Since then I developed a strong apathy toward others and events that take place in my life. I tried to be a good Father to my two wonderful Children, but evidently didn’t do to well at it since neither of them has a desire to be any part of my life or to have me in theirs. I’ve been told I was horrible at being a husband, so I’ve decided I probably should avoid doing that again or in building relationships in general. Plus having someone you’ve devoted your life to turn their back on you has a tendency to severely damage your self-worth and tarnish your opinion of yourself and your abilities. Even more so when you have no real understanding as to why they did what they did to you.
I’ll live through whatever comes my way, do my best to not interfere with others lives, try to keep to myself to avoid burdening anyone and when my time is up here I’ll die and more than likely few will care. I haven’t and won’t make a major life altering impact on anyone; the world will not mourn my loss nor honor my time here on Earth. I’ve come to accept the fact that I am not the type person that people enjoy having around. I’m opinionated; I do not have a strong “mercy” side to me, don’t have a good bedside manner, cannot give good advice, and offer nothing but an excellent example of how not to do things or how not to live your life. I have an innate ability to rub people the wrong way, especially women. I can fix many broken items but really, is that something to base your whole reason for living on? So I guess technically, I’m not totally useless. :-)
However, as with most issues in my life, I don’t really care if I’m liked or wanted. I’ve learned that human love is not all it’s cut out to be, it’s feelings based, does not last forever, it’s self-serving & self-centered, disposable and that some people are destined to spend their lives alone in solitude/alone. It’s not necessarily what I had planned when I was growing up, as I had a yearning desire to love and to be loved, but sometimes life dumps things in your life and no matter how hard your struggle with it, there’s nothing you can do about it. So you must learn to accept it and move on.
I was chastised recently because of my apathy. Work wants me to be more passionate about my endeavors and goals for work/life as I have been in the past. I’ll try because they are the one who give me a paycheck for now, but from what I’ve discovered these past few years, it will be an almost impossible task to accomplish as apathy has taken a great hold in my life and in the end, will it really matter if I was a devoted employee or not? In life and ministry, I’ll tell you the truth and you can either accept it or reject it. Your beliefs have no lasting impression or bearing on my life on Earth or my eternity afterward. So I really don’t care if you believe me, call me a liar or think I’m crazy.
I saw a t-shirt years ago that said, “Life Sucks, and Then You Die!” I thought at the time the person who was wearing the shirt must have had a difficult time in their life or that they needed to change their outlook on life. I’ve come to realize in the last few years however that for some of us, sadly, it’s true.
I still have a desire to love and to be loved, but it’s getting to be a much diminished and almost non-existent part of my life. I’m here until God says I’m through and calls me on. My opinion is; the sooner the better. I won’t do anything to help shorten my time here, but don’t have any desire to lengthen it. To paraphrase Revelation 22:20, “Even so Lord, come quickly”
My best friend in life told me a few years back, “You’ve changed. You no longer have the passion for life, fun and adventure you once had”. I couldn’t help but agree. I’ve tried to get back to some semblance to where I once was, but somehow I keep getting beat back to where I am.
So there you have it. Yes, I’ve got issues but who doesn’t? Mine may be “extreme”, but it’s where I was dropped off and I’m unable to get out of it. No matter where I turn, who I turn to, or what I do; I’m here. I would love to someday get moved to a new point and once again have a passion for life and love, but I don’t see that happening. And no, it’s not other people’s fault I’m here. I got here through my own bad decisions and gullibility and can’t blame others for my bad choices and decisions. So I guess it’s going to be up to me to get out. But apathy is one strong sucker.
____________________________________
"Still Holding On"
Performed by: Oak Ridge Boys
When I was young, I was sure I never could grow old.
I was gonna climb mountains, and sail the seas, go searching for gold.
But those years come creeping in and my journey gets so long,
I don’t spring back like I used to, but I’m still holding on.
Holding on to what I believe in be it right or wrong.
Holding on to my dreams and my crazy schemes yes I’m still holding on.
I thought I’d found true love, I was sure it never could end.
I was blinded by the light in her eyes, couldn’t see around the bend.
Then one night she said goodbye, I turned around and she was gone.
Shook my head and shed my tears, but I’m still holding on.
Holding on to believing that love is a good thing even though she’s gone.
Holding on to my dreams and my crazy schemes yes I’m still holding on.
O at night when the cold wind blows and my collar’s pulled up high.
I’m all alone in a God forsaken place, wondering why.
A man only does what he must do and the journey must go on.
Brush myself off, laugh at the wind ‘cause I’m still holding on.
Holding on to what I believe in even thou it’s wrong.
Holding on to my dreams and my crazy schemes yes I’m still holding on.
Holding on to what I believe in be it right or wrong.
Holding on to my dreams and my crazy schemes yes I’m still holding on.
For most of my life, I cared deeply about all that went on and everyone that was a part of my life. I enjoyed my life, my work, my family & my friends. I absolutely adored my Kids and my “wife”. Over these past few years, almost everything that I cared deeply about was removed, walked away or was taken away. I fought losing them, and did all I could to salvage what I could, but lost miserably. Since then I developed a strong apathy toward others and events that take place in my life. I tried to be a good Father to my two wonderful Children, but evidently didn’t do to well at it since neither of them has a desire to be any part of my life or to have me in theirs. I’ve been told I was horrible at being a husband, so I’ve decided I probably should avoid doing that again or in building relationships in general. Plus having someone you’ve devoted your life to turn their back on you has a tendency to severely damage your self-worth and tarnish your opinion of yourself and your abilities. Even more so when you have no real understanding as to why they did what they did to you.
I’ll live through whatever comes my way, do my best to not interfere with others lives, try to keep to myself to avoid burdening anyone and when my time is up here I’ll die and more than likely few will care. I haven’t and won’t make a major life altering impact on anyone; the world will not mourn my loss nor honor my time here on Earth. I’ve come to accept the fact that I am not the type person that people enjoy having around. I’m opinionated; I do not have a strong “mercy” side to me, don’t have a good bedside manner, cannot give good advice, and offer nothing but an excellent example of how not to do things or how not to live your life. I have an innate ability to rub people the wrong way, especially women. I can fix many broken items but really, is that something to base your whole reason for living on? So I guess technically, I’m not totally useless. :-)
However, as with most issues in my life, I don’t really care if I’m liked or wanted. I’ve learned that human love is not all it’s cut out to be, it’s feelings based, does not last forever, it’s self-serving & self-centered, disposable and that some people are destined to spend their lives alone in solitude/alone. It’s not necessarily what I had planned when I was growing up, as I had a yearning desire to love and to be loved, but sometimes life dumps things in your life and no matter how hard your struggle with it, there’s nothing you can do about it. So you must learn to accept it and move on.
I was chastised recently because of my apathy. Work wants me to be more passionate about my endeavors and goals for work/life as I have been in the past. I’ll try because they are the one who give me a paycheck for now, but from what I’ve discovered these past few years, it will be an almost impossible task to accomplish as apathy has taken a great hold in my life and in the end, will it really matter if I was a devoted employee or not? In life and ministry, I’ll tell you the truth and you can either accept it or reject it. Your beliefs have no lasting impression or bearing on my life on Earth or my eternity afterward. So I really don’t care if you believe me, call me a liar or think I’m crazy.
I saw a t-shirt years ago that said, “Life Sucks, and Then You Die!” I thought at the time the person who was wearing the shirt must have had a difficult time in their life or that they needed to change their outlook on life. I’ve come to realize in the last few years however that for some of us, sadly, it’s true.
I still have a desire to love and to be loved, but it’s getting to be a much diminished and almost non-existent part of my life. I’m here until God says I’m through and calls me on. My opinion is; the sooner the better. I won’t do anything to help shorten my time here, but don’t have any desire to lengthen it. To paraphrase Revelation 22:20, “Even so Lord, come quickly”
My best friend in life told me a few years back, “You’ve changed. You no longer have the passion for life, fun and adventure you once had”. I couldn’t help but agree. I’ve tried to get back to some semblance to where I once was, but somehow I keep getting beat back to where I am.
So there you have it. Yes, I’ve got issues but who doesn’t? Mine may be “extreme”, but it’s where I was dropped off and I’m unable to get out of it. No matter where I turn, who I turn to, or what I do; I’m here. I would love to someday get moved to a new point and once again have a passion for life and love, but I don’t see that happening. And no, it’s not other people’s fault I’m here. I got here through my own bad decisions and gullibility and can’t blame others for my bad choices and decisions. So I guess it’s going to be up to me to get out. But apathy is one strong sucker.
____________________________________
"Still Holding On"
Performed by: Oak Ridge Boys
When I was young, I was sure I never could grow old.
I was gonna climb mountains, and sail the seas, go searching for gold.
But those years come creeping in and my journey gets so long,
I don’t spring back like I used to, but I’m still holding on.
Holding on to what I believe in be it right or wrong.
Holding on to my dreams and my crazy schemes yes I’m still holding on.
I thought I’d found true love, I was sure it never could end.
I was blinded by the light in her eyes, couldn’t see around the bend.
Then one night she said goodbye, I turned around and she was gone.
Shook my head and shed my tears, but I’m still holding on.
Holding on to believing that love is a good thing even though she’s gone.
Holding on to my dreams and my crazy schemes yes I’m still holding on.
O at night when the cold wind blows and my collar’s pulled up high.
I’m all alone in a God forsaken place, wondering why.
A man only does what he must do and the journey must go on.
Brush myself off, laugh at the wind ‘cause I’m still holding on.
Holding on to what I believe in even thou it’s wrong.
Holding on to my dreams and my crazy schemes yes I’m still holding on.
Holding on to what I believe in be it right or wrong.
Holding on to my dreams and my crazy schemes yes I’m still holding on.
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Some of Our Decisions Have Lingering Damage
Though I’ve done my best, most of the time, to live life as a Christian and follow the teachings in the Bible. There have been times I’ve failed, quite a few sadly. I’ve been credited with many more failures than I can actually claim, but that’s a different story. I can attest that God will be faithful to His word and forgive us our shortcomings. However, there are still consequences for our willing desire to go against the rules and teachings set forth by God. You can get forgiveness for adultery, murder, lying, stealing, anger, etc. but sometimes we still have to pay for the sins. This reminded me of a story that better illustrates this;
A young teen that was constantly getting into trouble always apologized when his parents confronted him. No matter how much he hurt his parents with his previous wrong-doing, he would soon turn around and do something else wrong—knowing he would be forgiven.Finally, his dad took him out to the garage for a talk. Dad picked up a hammer and pounded a nail into the garage wall. Then he gave his son the hammer and told him to pull out the nail.The boy shrugged, grabbed the hammer, and yanked out the nail.
“That’s like forgiveness, Son. When you do something wrong, it’s like pounding in a nail.
Forgiveness is when you pull the nail out.”
Begrudgingly the son said, “Okay, I get it”.
Dad told him, “Now take the hammer and pull out the nail hole”.
“That’s impossible!” the boy said. “I can’t pull it out.”
King David was considered a man after God’s own heart. He lived a life that was an amazing story and you can see all through his life where He was led by God to accomplish many great things. But as this story in 2 Samuel 12 illustrates and King David’s life proves, he wasn’t perfect and his sin carried consequences. Even though David was forgiven, his adultery and murder left scars and led to family problems. This sobering truth can serve as a warning for our lives. The best way to avoid the lingering damage of sin is to live a life of obedience to God.I can personally vouch for the fact that our sins do have consequences. There is a price to be paid for going against the will of God. I’m still paying for some of the bad decisions I’ve made through the years.
Living a life for God can be a difficult task. At times, friends may desert us, we may be ridiculed, even family may turn their backs on us. But striving to live for Him brings blessings and joy that far outweigh the temporary struggles and trials that may come our way. Even though it may seem as if we’re striving to live for Him alone, He promised that He would never leave us or turn His back on us. No matter where you are in your walk with Him, it’s always a walk “with” Him. It’s never us against the world alone. If life’s a struggle now, hold on. Victory and joy may be just around the corner.
A Prayer:
Lord, thank You for being slow to anger and filled with compassion. May I not presume upon Your mercy by assuming there will be no consequences for my sin. Help me to confess and then to sin no more. Amen.
Our sins can be forgiven and washed away, but their consequences are ours to pay.
Adapted from an article by Dave Branon
_______________________________________
2 Samuel 12:1-14 (English Standard Version)
And the LORD sent Nathan to David. He came to him and said to him, "There were two men in a certain city, the one rich and the other poor. The rich man had very many flocks and herds, but the poor man had nothing but one little ewe lamb, which he had bought. And he brought it up, and it grew up with him and with his children. It used to eat of his morsel and drink from his cup and lie in his arms, and it was like a daughter to him. Now there came a traveler to the rich man, and he was unwilling to take one of his own flock or herd to prepare for the guest who had come to him, but he took the poor man’s lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him." Then David’s anger was greatly kindled against the man, and he said to Nathan, "As the LORD lives, the man who has done this deserves to die, and he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity."
Nathan said to David, "You are the man! Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, 'I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you out of the hand of Saul. And I gave you your master’s house and your master’s wives into your arms and gave you the house of Israel and of Judah. And if this were too little, I would add to you as much more. Why have you despised the word of the LORD, to do what is evil in his sight? You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and have taken his wife to be your wife and have killed him with the sword of the Ammonites. Now therefore the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.' Thus says the LORD, 'Behold, I will raise up evil against you out of your own house. And I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun. For you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel and before the sun.'" David said to Nathan, "I have sinned against the LORD." And Nathan said to David, "The LORD also has put away your sin; you shall not die. Nevertheless, because by this deed you have utterly scorned the LORD, the child who is born to you shall die."
A young teen that was constantly getting into trouble always apologized when his parents confronted him. No matter how much he hurt his parents with his previous wrong-doing, he would soon turn around and do something else wrong—knowing he would be forgiven.Finally, his dad took him out to the garage for a talk. Dad picked up a hammer and pounded a nail into the garage wall. Then he gave his son the hammer and told him to pull out the nail.The boy shrugged, grabbed the hammer, and yanked out the nail.
“That’s like forgiveness, Son. When you do something wrong, it’s like pounding in a nail.
Forgiveness is when you pull the nail out.”
Begrudgingly the son said, “Okay, I get it”.
Dad told him, “Now take the hammer and pull out the nail hole”.
“That’s impossible!” the boy said. “I can’t pull it out.”
King David was considered a man after God’s own heart. He lived a life that was an amazing story and you can see all through his life where He was led by God to accomplish many great things. But as this story in 2 Samuel 12 illustrates and King David’s life proves, he wasn’t perfect and his sin carried consequences. Even though David was forgiven, his adultery and murder left scars and led to family problems. This sobering truth can serve as a warning for our lives. The best way to avoid the lingering damage of sin is to live a life of obedience to God.I can personally vouch for the fact that our sins do have consequences. There is a price to be paid for going against the will of God. I’m still paying for some of the bad decisions I’ve made through the years.
Living a life for God can be a difficult task. At times, friends may desert us, we may be ridiculed, even family may turn their backs on us. But striving to live for Him brings blessings and joy that far outweigh the temporary struggles and trials that may come our way. Even though it may seem as if we’re striving to live for Him alone, He promised that He would never leave us or turn His back on us. No matter where you are in your walk with Him, it’s always a walk “with” Him. It’s never us against the world alone. If life’s a struggle now, hold on. Victory and joy may be just around the corner.
A Prayer:
Lord, thank You for being slow to anger and filled with compassion. May I not presume upon Your mercy by assuming there will be no consequences for my sin. Help me to confess and then to sin no more. Amen.
Our sins can be forgiven and washed away, but their consequences are ours to pay.
Adapted from an article by Dave Branon
_______________________________________
2 Samuel 12:1-14 (English Standard Version)
And the LORD sent Nathan to David. He came to him and said to him, "There were two men in a certain city, the one rich and the other poor. The rich man had very many flocks and herds, but the poor man had nothing but one little ewe lamb, which he had bought. And he brought it up, and it grew up with him and with his children. It used to eat of his morsel and drink from his cup and lie in his arms, and it was like a daughter to him. Now there came a traveler to the rich man, and he was unwilling to take one of his own flock or herd to prepare for the guest who had come to him, but he took the poor man’s lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him." Then David’s anger was greatly kindled against the man, and he said to Nathan, "As the LORD lives, the man who has done this deserves to die, and he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity."
Nathan said to David, "You are the man! Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, 'I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you out of the hand of Saul. And I gave you your master’s house and your master’s wives into your arms and gave you the house of Israel and of Judah. And if this were too little, I would add to you as much more. Why have you despised the word of the LORD, to do what is evil in his sight? You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and have taken his wife to be your wife and have killed him with the sword of the Ammonites. Now therefore the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.' Thus says the LORD, 'Behold, I will raise up evil against you out of your own house. And I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun. For you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel and before the sun.'" David said to Nathan, "I have sinned against the LORD." And Nathan said to David, "The LORD also has put away your sin; you shall not die. Nevertheless, because by this deed you have utterly scorned the LORD, the child who is born to you shall die."
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Learning From Life’s Lessons
Some of the lessons we get in life are easy, but some can be painful. When my youngest Sister was a child, she put her hand on the stove burner because it was a pretty shade of red. That led to an instantaneous lesson for her. I’ve had similar lessons through the years that were also painful and somehow most always involved my best friend Jeff, but that’s for another day. It always seems that the more painful the lesson, the better we remember it.
When I was a young whipper snapper, one of our favorite television shows to watch was “Happy Days”. The show was good, the cast was good and usually the storyline was good. And who didn’t want to be as cool as Fonzie?
On one episode Richie Cunningham, (played by my long lost twin Ron Howard), was “grounded for life” by his Dad Howard for misbehavior. As they talked about it, Howard asked his son, “Did you know that there is a lesson in this for you?” Richie’s reply was “I figured anything with this much pain had to have a lesson in it somewhere.”
The book of James has been called the Proverbs of the New Testament. Although it’s not a big book (only 5 chapters and 108 verses), it’s filled with wonderful teachings and useful advise. James wrote: “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing” (1:2-4).
James made a simple point in these verses – God doesn’t waste anything. Everything happens in our lives for a reason, and a great part of that reason is to help us grow in our faith. He uses our life’s events as a teaching tool for our lives.
It’s been said that life is to be lived by moving forward but only can be understood by looking back. This teaches us that we must trust in the loving purposes of a sovereign God. We trust that He is in control-especially when life seems to be out of control. If we’re in something we don’t understand, we have to trust God and recognize that he knows and is in control.
For several weeks, the kids at church and I studied the life of the Old Testament character Joseph. He had a life filled with dark, difficult experiences but his final outcome was amazing. He learned through the extremely difficult circumstances he encountered how to trust God and to overcome. His example can help us as we face the issues of our lives.
In Genesis 50:20, we read the story of how his brothers sold him into slavery: “As for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.” Joseph’s perspective reflected a life that had embraced the living God and trusted Him completely.
As you face the difficulties/heartaches of life, it is only by complete trust in the goodness and plan of God that you can overcome. The things that could destroy you can become building blocks on the journey of faith as you look for the hand of God in all circumstances. “This is the victory that has overcome the world – our faith”. (I John 5:4)
If you have never turned your life over to Jesus, confessed your sins and trusted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, life can be a jumble of confusion. But the One who gave Himself for your failures can bring rightness with God, forgiveness of sin, and a new sense of wholeness and purpose into your weary soul. Christ came into the world because of His love for you and that love can bring an end to the emptiness, bitterness, or sinfulness that wrecks your life.
He offers, by faith, a gift of eternal life and personal forgiveness and the only way to really overcome forever is to accept the victory of Calvary that He accomplished for you; “The gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23). That is real victory-and real overcoming.
Though I’m in no way a brilliant person, I’ve learned many things through the years. Many the easy way, some the hard way, and sadly I’ve had remedial courses on some things because they just didn’t seem to stick with me or I didn’t learn them the first time. No matter how hard the instruction though, it’s always easier when you know the teacher is always looking out for your best interests and love you beyond compare.
__________________________________________________
James 1:2-4 (English Standard Version)
Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
Genesis 50:20 (ESV)
As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.
1 John 5:4 (ESV)
For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world - our faith.
Romans 6:23 (ESV)
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
(Adapted from “Joseph: Overcoming Life's Challenges - Bill Crowder”)
When I was a young whipper snapper, one of our favorite television shows to watch was “Happy Days”. The show was good, the cast was good and usually the storyline was good. And who didn’t want to be as cool as Fonzie?
On one episode Richie Cunningham, (played by my long lost twin Ron Howard), was “grounded for life” by his Dad Howard for misbehavior. As they talked about it, Howard asked his son, “Did you know that there is a lesson in this for you?” Richie’s reply was “I figured anything with this much pain had to have a lesson in it somewhere.”
The book of James has been called the Proverbs of the New Testament. Although it’s not a big book (only 5 chapters and 108 verses), it’s filled with wonderful teachings and useful advise. James wrote: “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing” (1:2-4).
James made a simple point in these verses – God doesn’t waste anything. Everything happens in our lives for a reason, and a great part of that reason is to help us grow in our faith. He uses our life’s events as a teaching tool for our lives.
It’s been said that life is to be lived by moving forward but only can be understood by looking back. This teaches us that we must trust in the loving purposes of a sovereign God. We trust that He is in control-especially when life seems to be out of control. If we’re in something we don’t understand, we have to trust God and recognize that he knows and is in control.
For several weeks, the kids at church and I studied the life of the Old Testament character Joseph. He had a life filled with dark, difficult experiences but his final outcome was amazing. He learned through the extremely difficult circumstances he encountered how to trust God and to overcome. His example can help us as we face the issues of our lives.
In Genesis 50:20, we read the story of how his brothers sold him into slavery: “As for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.” Joseph’s perspective reflected a life that had embraced the living God and trusted Him completely.
As you face the difficulties/heartaches of life, it is only by complete trust in the goodness and plan of God that you can overcome. The things that could destroy you can become building blocks on the journey of faith as you look for the hand of God in all circumstances. “This is the victory that has overcome the world – our faith”. (I John 5:4)
If you have never turned your life over to Jesus, confessed your sins and trusted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, life can be a jumble of confusion. But the One who gave Himself for your failures can bring rightness with God, forgiveness of sin, and a new sense of wholeness and purpose into your weary soul. Christ came into the world because of His love for you and that love can bring an end to the emptiness, bitterness, or sinfulness that wrecks your life.
He offers, by faith, a gift of eternal life and personal forgiveness and the only way to really overcome forever is to accept the victory of Calvary that He accomplished for you; “The gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23). That is real victory-and real overcoming.
Though I’m in no way a brilliant person, I’ve learned many things through the years. Many the easy way, some the hard way, and sadly I’ve had remedial courses on some things because they just didn’t seem to stick with me or I didn’t learn them the first time. No matter how hard the instruction though, it’s always easier when you know the teacher is always looking out for your best interests and love you beyond compare.
__________________________________________________
James 1:2-4 (English Standard Version)
Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
Genesis 50:20 (ESV)
As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.
1 John 5:4 (ESV)
For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world - our faith.
Romans 6:23 (ESV)
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
(Adapted from “Joseph: Overcoming Life's Challenges - Bill Crowder”)
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