August 24, 2013

"For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles," I Corinthians 15:3-7

Death is a big enemy that creates some gigantic fear in us mortals. I think I was about 30 years of age when I first came to grips with my mortality. Before that time the idea of dying really didn't stick with me. Dying was something that happened to other people - older people. I had three young children that I wanted to see grow to adulthood and I couldn't bear the thought of my life ending before they were grown. As I recall, the idea of death and dying haunted me for several weeks until I worked my way through that fear.

Are you familiar with that fear?

One of the truths that helped me deal with this horrendous fear of dying was the knowledge that even though death is bigger than life, God is bigger than death!

How did God conquer death? Through a death! Yes, a death! The death of His Son, Jesus Christ. And even more, God defeated death by a resurrection from the dead! The Jewish religious leaders arrested Him on trumped up charges, made those stand, beat Him savagely, and then killed Him on a cruel cross. Jesus did die. But three days later he was back to life! Through His resurrection from the dead, Jesus proved that God is bigger than death! He died to take away the sin and shame so you can be free from from the fear of death! BUT THEN He rose on the third day - came back from the dead! When Jesus walked out of that garden tomb on that first Easter Sunday, He conquered death! Forever! Death could not hold Him and neither can it hold those of us who follow Him and are called by His name.

Is a death a big fear in your life? And if that fear is robbing you of your peace about dying, remember the resurrection! Remember the love that motivated Jesus' life, His brutal death, and His marvelous resurrection! In other words, remember that God is bigger than death or any of your fears about dying!

Knowing Who Jesus Is and what He did to conquer death should be enough to help you conquer your fears about death. That is the power of faith! Are you going to choose to believe your fears or will you believe in a God Who has proven He is bigger than death.

So, God destroyed the power of death by allowing His Son to be unfairly mobbed and murdered. He affirmed that He is the source of the life that dwells within you by raising His Son from the dead! And the Bible tells you that the same power that raised Jesus from the dead is available to you through His Spirit!

His life in you through faith, is stronger than death that is working in you! And His life through you will raise you up to eternal life!

Do you have that life? Don't die with out it!

August 23, 2913

"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for. By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible." Hebrews 11:1-3

 

To believe in creation requires faith. Accepting the evolutionary theory of origin also takes faith. Because faith is defined as "being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see". Neither creationists or evolutionists have seen their "first cause" each is certain of its existence. Creationists put their faith in Scripture while evolutionists put their trust in science. Which do you think forms the best foundation?

Frank Crick is a Nobel-prize winning biologist who helped with the discovery of DNA. He is a man who has devoted his life to science and has invested great faith in it. Here is a quote from him relating to the origin of the universe, "An honest man, armed with all the knowledge available to us now, could only state that in some sense, the origin of life appears at the moment to almost be a miracle, so many are the conditions which would have to have been satisfied to get it going."

Science journalist and author, Charles Siefe observed, "It seems like a tremendous conincidence that the universe is suitable for life."

Coincidence? Miracle? Random chance occurance? What is the origin of our universe?

One thing is sure, the tolerance for error in the beginning of the universe was extremely slight. Astro-physicist, Lawrence Krause, for instance, wrote that if the force of gravity were changed by 0.0000000000000000000000000000000001%, both the planet Earth and the sun would be nonexistent.

Honest examination of the facts and the evidence and the mathematical probabilities strongly favor supernatural creation as the origin of our universe. But your final answer will come down to where you place your faith. And faith is based on what you hope to be true.

Evolutionists hope that God does not exist and that the universe spontaneously exploded into existence. Why would they not want God to be the Creator of the universe?

Again, I hearken by to my two main reasons offered previously:

1) They want to be in control of their own lives.

2) They want to sin without having any consequences.

If, as Scripture records, God is the Creator, then He is in control and we are accountable to Him. But, if the scientific theory of the "Big Bang" and evolution are correct, then their is no God and we are in charge.

That is the essence of sin. St. Paul expressed it this way:

"The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened." Romans 1:19-21

I would caution you against hoping God away from the creation process. If there is no God and if all that we see in our world and universe is an incredible coincidence, then where is our security? If it all came together via a random occurance of matter and energy, what is to keep it from all coming apart? How can you have hope in the midst of that uncertainty? If we can only be certain of the moment in which we live then what is the purpose of living? If we are gods, what has our diety gained us?

If you are trusting in science, has science ever been wrong? Are you sure that you want to pin your hopes on something as inexact as science?

"Faith is the substance of things hoped for...." Be careful what you hope for.

August 22, 2013

"Bless your enemies; no cursing under your breath." Romans 12:14

Getting a grip on grace requires releasing grudges. Let's talk about how that happens.

Here's a story to help illustrate this truth:

An interesting system has been used for capturing monkeys in the jungles of Africa. The goal is to take the monkeys alive and unharmed for shipment to zoos of America. In an extremely humane way, the captors use heavy bottles, with long narrow necks, into which they deposit a handful of sweet-smelling nuts. The bottles are dropped on the jungle floor, and the captors return the next morning to find a monkey trapped next to each bottle.


How is it accomplished? The monkey, attracted by the aromatic scent of the nuts, comes to investigate the bottle, the nuts, and is trapped. The monkey can't take its hand out of the bottle as long it's holding the nuts, but it is unwilling to open its hand and let them go. The bottle is too heavy to carry away, so the monkey is trapped.

You hold onto a grudge out of a desire to get even with someone who has hurt you or wronged you. But in the attempt to do so, and even in the desire to do so, you are trapped by your own devices. Just like the monkeys, your stubborn refusal to release the grudge keeps you trapped like them. And like them, all you need to do is let go.

But in fact, it is more than letting go, it is grabing something else - GRACE! You release the negative so you can possess the positive. Grace is an incredible gift that is yours for the taking, but to take it you need a free hand. If I held out a gift to you, I could offer it but it would not be yours until you received it. You have to reach out and receive it with open hands.

Grace is a gift that must be received freely and once received it must be passed on to others. You cannot do either if you are trapped in vindictiveness and resentment.

Spring the grudge trap and escape to the freedom of grace!

August 21, 2013

"Jesus answered, 'I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.'" John 14:6

Let's take it head on. The thing that is most offensive about our faith in this age of relativism and diversity is the exclusive claims of Jesus Christ.

Honestly, we don't even like to think that our neighbor, Bob, who is so kind and helpful, who is a model husband and father, who volunteers in the community and coaches little league is going to die and go to hell if he does not trust Christ for salvation.

If that thought is hard for us to handle, imagine how it sits with an non-believer.

No wonder we will be challenged in our belief that Jesus is the only way to heaven. Expect it. Prepare for it. Brace your faith for the attacks.

How can I do that?

Consider Who it is that make the exclusive statement, "......no one comes to the Father except by me."

Jesus said, "I am...."

Where have I heard that before?

God said to Moses, "I am who I am . This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'I AM has sent me to you.' "

When Moses asked for credentials to use when he went to face a powerful skeptic, God simply said, "I AM WHO I AM". God is the Eternally Present, Eternally Powerful, and Eternally Personal God. Jesus is His Son. We either believe that or we don't. If we believe it, then we must stand on it. The only way to stand against relativism is with absolute truth.

By the way, how did that work out for Moses?

If God is Who He says He is, and if Jesus is His Son, then what He says must be obeyed. Even if it offends people. Even if it doesn't "feel right" to us.

Moses prevailed over Pharaoh because He believed God and obeyed Him, even though what God told him to do didn't always "feel right".

Here's your challenge today: Will you be right or will you "feel" right.

August 20, 2013

"The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit." Proverbs 18:21

 

Do you like fruit?

 

I love fruit! This time of the year I especially love ice cold watermelon!

 

Most people I know love fruit and I did some research online to discover America's favorite fruit. What would you guess as the favorite fruit of Americans?

 

My research indicates that apples are the favorite fruit of the average American! Bananas were a very close second, however!

 

Maybe this question will be a bit easier! Which do you like better, life or death?

 

I knew you would say that! Everyone I know prefers life over death and that one isn't even close! No contest!

 

Notice that the second part of this verse states that you will eat the fruit of your tongue. Another way to say this is "actions have consquences". Or, "what you say is what you are".

 

Words have power and part of that power is manifest in how your words come back to impact you! If you speak words of life you will enjoy the fruits of life, but if your words are deadly you will suffer the fruits of death.

 

Perhaps you have observed a person who continually speaks hurtful and harmful words and wonders why his life is so depressing. He doesn't get it that you will eat the fruits of your tongue. He misunderstands the power of words.

 

Do you get it?

 

If you want to enjoy better fruit, sow words of life!

 

 

 

 

August 19, 2013

"The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit." Proverbs 18:21

Cross references:

1. Proverbs 18:21 : S Ps 12:4
2. Proverbs 18:21 : Pr 13:2-3; S Mt 12:37

The Navy has a slogan that it lives by, "Loose lips sink ships."

You have probably heard that before. Obviously, it means saying the wrong thing at the wrong time to the wrong person could tip off the enemy on the location of a ship so they can sink it.

 

In relation to our key verse, I am concerned that loose lips, or angry lips, or careless lips will sink ships - but not the ships that float on the sea carrying cargo or passengers. I am more concerned about these ships: relationships, fellowships or discipleship.

 

Your tongue has power to speak life or death into your relationships.

 

The most important and intimate relationship between a man and woman is marriage. Marital love is based on mutual trust and respect. Foul language, hateful words, hurtful words, angry words or continual criticism can erode the foundations of a healthy relationship.

 

Another very significant relationship is the parent-child relationship and again, hateful, angry or disrespectful words from a parent or a child can do serious damage to this relationship.

 

A careless and uncontrolled tongue can sink relationships. You do not want to sink this ship!

 

I have seen the damage a hurtful tongue can do to the fellowship of a local church. It might be gossip, it may be rumors, or it could be a vicious lie that sets people against each other within a church fellowship. Whatever form it takes, loose lips can sink the fellowship of God's people.

 

Discipleship is a third vital ship that can be sunk with careless speaking.

 

Discipleship means following Jesus in faith so you can live like Him and love like Him. A disciple of Jesus speaks words that honor and please Him. A Christ-follower must speak truthfully and gently and kindly and speak words that build up and edify other followers of Christ.

 

No disciple of Jesus should be characterized by harsh or hurtful words. A loose tongue can certainly sink discipleship.

 

Words have tremendous power. They speak life or they spread death. And life, not death, should characterize these "ships" - relationships, fellowship and discipleship.

 

How are your "ships"?

 

Are they "ship shape"?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

August 18, 2013

"The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit." Proverbs 18:21

 

Roanoke, VA, like Fredericksburg, has an interstate highway that runs through the heart of town.

 

Recently I read an account in the Roanoke Times that demonstrated the power of words. A desperate and distraught young man was perched precariously on the edge of a bridge over the highway. He was threatening to jump onto the road below and into the passing traffic.

A man driving on I-581 saw what was happening and pulled his car off onto the shoulder and parked it. Running back to the bridge he shouted up to the man on the bridge and was able to engage him in a conversation. While some passer-bys yelled for the man to jump, this good Samaritan offered he words of hope and encouragement. After 45 minutes of urging he convinced the potential jumper to climb down from the bridge and receive some psychiatric help.

The power of hopeful words! They are life-giving and this story proves it!

As followers of Christ, we have a relationship with the Living Word!

As followers of Christ, we have the presence of the Holy Spirit, the One Who inspired the Word!

As followers of Christ, we are students of the Word of God and have it hidden in our hearts.

So, we can confidently say that His Word gives us life!

Therefore, speaking hopeful life-giving words should be natural for us!

Is that true of you?

Will it be true of you today?

You never know when your words of hope might talk someone off the edge of despair.