Thursday, November 3, 2016

November 4, 2016

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23



God uses imperfect people because all people are flawed. If He only used perfect people there would be no one available.

Here is a short list of well-known imperfect people that were used by God:

  • Abraham -Was old.
  • Elijah – Was suicidal.
  • Joseph – Was abused.
  • Job – Went bankrupt.
  • Moses – Had a speech problem.
  • Gideon – Was afraid.
  • Samson – Was a womanizer.
  • Rahab – Was a prostitute.
  • Samaritan Woman – Divorced.

I am glad God uses flawed people because I am a flawed person. Realizing that makes it easier for me to vote for Donald Trump when I go to the polls on Tuesday.

Here are some reasons why I can vote for him:

1. He has promised to nominate conservative judges to the Supreme Court. I believe he will.

2. He has promised to repeal and replace Obamacare with a market-driven approach. I believe he will.

3. He has promised to enforce the immigration laws and the border. I believe he will.

4. He has promised to give education back to the states. I believe he will.

5. He has promised to lower personal income taxes and corporate taxes. I believe he will.

6. He has promised to defend the Second Amendment and protect gun rights. I believe He will.

7. He has pledged to protect religious freedom and I believe he will.

8. He has said he will rebuild and modernize the military. I think he will.

9. He has promised to restore respect for law and order. I think he can do it.

10. He will assemble an all-star cabinet and top-notch advisers.

11. He will stand for life.

12. He will open up the energy segment of our economy and create jobs.

13. He will lift many job-killing government regulations and create a friendlier environment for job-creation.

14. Electing Trump will be a slap down of the liberal media and shake up the D.C. establishment.

I believe for these reasons Trump will be good for America. And, I, the flawed man I am have no qualms voting for another imperfect fellow.

You are flawed, too!

But don't make the mistake of neglecting to vote. It is your duty as an American and your responsibility as a Christian.

November 5, 2016

"I cried out to God for help; I cried out to God to hear me. When I was in distress, I sought the Lord; at night I stretched out untiring hands, and I would not be comforted. I remembered you, God, and I groaned; I meditated, and my spirit grew faint."  Psalm 77:1-3

Psalm 77 is timely and insightful because it shows how to battle discouragement.

Christians are not immune from discouragement and may, in fact, be prone to discouragement for several reasons:

1) We tend to care more than other people
2) We tend to care more about other people
3) We have intimate knowledge of a God Who has the power to "fix things" but sometimes doesn't
4) We are under constant attack from the Enemy who continually attempts to discourage  us
5) Faith is a journey that doesn't have clear mile markers and progress can be hard to measure
6) There is a constant dynamic tension between the work of grace God has accomplished in our lives and the awareness of how much more growth needs to happen - this "holy dissatisfaction" is necessary but hard to manage.
7) We are called to accomplish a task that is never completed and often overwhelming
8) We hold ourselves and our leaders to a high standard and therefore, are often disappointed

I could go on, but I think you get the picture!

Psalm 77 is a Psalm of Aseph. Who was Aspeh?

Aseph was one of the three musicians who worked for and with King David. He and his cohorts were responsible for developing inspiring worship to maintain the spiritual climate of God's nation and His people.

Sort of a big job, eh?

If Christians are prone to discouragement (and they are) how much more so for the "point people" who serve on the front lines of ministry?

Discouragement not properly handled will lead to depression. Over the years I have seen many good and effective ministry people knocked out of the game by perpetual discouragement that morphed into depression.

Before I depress you with these thoughts, let me get to the good news! Aseph discovered how to work through discouragement before it became depression.

Read and meditate on Psalm 77 and see if you can find out how he did it. See what the Spirit says to you.

Be encouraged today!