January 29, 2018

A recent Reader's Digest has an article entitled "How Letting Go of Grudges Can Improve Your Health." It states that forgiveness is indeed divine, but not necessarily easy. It's also very beneficial to physical and mental health states the article. It quotes Frederic Luskin, Ph.D, author of Forgive for Good (HarperCollins, 2002) as saying "People who forgive show less depression, anger and stress and [show] more hopefulness."

That is one reason that Romans 12:14 admonishes: "Ask God to bless everyone who mistreats you. Ask him to bless them and not to curse them."

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. (AP) " Police say a 30-year grudge boiled over when a former elementary school teacher littered the driveways of former co-workers and bosses with roofing nails and splattered paint on their garage doors. Thomas R. Haberbush, 72, pleaded guilty last Tuesday to one count each of stalking, criminal mischief and criminal tampering, all misdemeanors. Police said that three former school board members, a retired principal and a retired assistant principal at Caroline Street Elementary School were among the nine victims Haberbush targeted over the past two years. Their car tires were damaged by roofing nails that Haberbush threw in the driveways, police said. "It’s very bizarre to carry around a grudge for nearly 30 years," said Saratoga Springs police investigator John Catone. "At least now there can be closure for all those people he terrorized." Police said Haberbush had been angered after receiving poor work reviews. Saratoga County assistant district attorney David Harper requested that Haberbush undergo a mental health evaluation as part of the plea agreement. He also will be barred from contacting the victims in the future.

-It’s like the old saying, “holding grudges is like taking poison and expecting the other person to die.”

-Jesus says, “If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him. If he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times comes back to you and says, ‘I repent,’ forgive him.”

Will you be a grace-giver or a grudge-holder? That is the decision each of us must make. But for those who are followers of Christ, the choice is clear. There is no room in the heart of a Christian or within the fellowship of a church for holding grudges. The healthy thing to do AND the holy thing to do is to be a grace-giver.

Is there someone you need to forgive?

January 28, 2018

Ask God to bless everyone who mistreats you. Ask him to bless them and not to curse them." Romans 12:14

During the Korean war a certain military unit had hired a local boy to cook and clean for them. Being a bunch of jokesters, these guys soon took advantage of the boy’s seeming naiveté’.

· They'd put little water buckets over the door so he’d get soaked when he opened the door

· They’d smear Vaseline on the stove handles so that when he’d turn the stove on in the morning he’d get grease all over his fingers.

· They’d  even nail his shoes to the floor during the night.

Day after day the young Korean took the brunt of their practical jokes without saying anything. There was no blame, no self-pity, no temper tantrums.

Finally the men felt guilty about what they were doing, so they sat down with the boy and said, “Look, we know these pranks aren’t funny for you, and we’re sorry. We’re never going to take advantage of you again.” It seemed too good to be true to the houseboy.

“No more sticky on stove?” he asked.

“Nope.”

“No more water on door.”

“No.”

“No more nail shoes to floor?”

“Nope, never again.”

“Okay” the boy said with a smile, “no more spit in soup.”

We chuckle at this story but let me ask you a serious question, "When you get even with someone, do you actually get even? And does it make you feel better?"

I think you know the answer to that question.

In the Bible, who do you think felt better, Peter who cut off a young man's ear in a valiant but vain effort to protect Jesus. But which one of them felt better in the end, Peter or Jesus, Who touched the young Roman and reattached his severed ear?

If your purpose is to overcome evil with good, how can you justify hurting someone just because they have hurt you? When you respond to evil with more evil, you are overcome with the evil. That disobeys God's command.

What if the next time you are hurt by someone you overcome that pain by showing grace rather than getting even? What if you do what Jesus did - you take the pain and give them the gain? How would that change your relationships? How would that shape your world? What would that do for your heart? More importantly, you would show the love of God in a powerful way! You would be acting on faith not feelings.

Is it time for you to stop spitting in the soup?

January 27, 2018

^“Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books.  The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death.”  Revelation 20:11-14

In my last post I referenced five Scriptures that talk about judgment and each one of them mention that ultimate judgment will be based on your permanent record!

The Bible talks about Five Judgments and guess what? Each one is factored on permanent records:

1) Judgment of Israel, Daniel 12:1

At the end of the age Israel will be judged for her refusal to acknowledge Jesus as the Messiah. How can you be saved when you fail to acknowledge the Savior?

This rejection of Christ will represent a significant blot on their permanent record.

2) Judgment of Nations, Joel 3:1-2

Each of the nations of the world will stand before the throne to receive their judgment for their treatment of Israel and their sins against God.

Unfortunately, America is one of those nations ripe for judgment. God help us!

3) Judgment of Angels, Jude 6; Genesis 3:15

Isaiah tells of a cataclysmic event that took place in heaven when Lucifer rebelled against God and implicated one-third of the angels with him. They were all expelled from heaven. Those fallen angels or demons have been feverishly opposing God and God's people ever since.

These are the angels that will be judged and cast down to the Lake of Fire eternally. Good riddance!

4) Judgment of Believers

Those of us who know Christ as Savior and have obediently served Him will be judged according to our works. We will be rewarded on the merit of our permanent record.

5) Judgment of Unbelievers

Finally, those who never knew Jesus as Savior or who once knew Him but then turned away from Him.

The Judge on the throne will be Jesus! Who is more qualified to be the judge than the One Who was judged on the cross for the sins of the world?

So those who say a Holy God would never send anyone to Heaven is right - Jesus will be the One to condemn them to Hell based on their permanent record!

The judgment seat is referred to as The White Throne. White as in pure, holy and radiant! 

The original word used for this judgment seat is "bema" and it refers to the stage or platform where the judges sat to judge the Olympic athletes according to their performance. Those judged as the winners were called up to the "bema" where they received their laurel wreath shaped like a crown. That is a familiar way of explaining the seat of the coming judgment.

Each person will stand before the "bema" to receive 

Three Books of Judgment: 

Each person's judgment will be based on their permanent record as compared against three works.

   Scriptures

The first book that will opened during the judgment

will be the Scriptures.  All of us will be judged

based according to how well our lives measured up

with the sacred Word of God!

Works

The second book opened will be the record of

works in our lives following our decision to follow

Christ as Savior. In other words, our permanent record will be displayed for all to see!

Life

The third book opened will be the Book of Life. Those  whose names appear in that Book will be welcomed to Heaven and those who don't will be consigned to Hell.

So judgment will begin with the Word of God so it will be clear what God expected from them so they will be without excuse.

The the personal permanent record of each person will then be opened that those deeds done in the flesh and those works will be compared to the demands of the Word of God.

Judgment literally will "by the book"! So remember,

YOUR EARTHLY ACTIONS GAIN ETERNAL TRACTION!

Get Your Name On The Permanent Record!

If there is a permanent record - AND THERE IS - you need to make sure your name is in the Book of Life through a personal faith relationship with Jesus Christ!

“I am telling you the truth: those who hear my words and believe in him who sent me have eternal life. They will not be judged, but have already passed from death to life. I am telling you the truth: the time is coming—the time has already come—when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear it will come to life. Just as the Father is himself the source of life, in the same way he has made his Son to be the source of life. And he has given the Son the right to judge, because he is the Son of Man.” John 5:24-27

“For God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not die but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to be its judge, but to be its savior.” John 3:16-17

“If you confess that Jesus is Lord and believe that God raised him from death, you will be saved. For it is by our faith that we are put right with God; it is by our confession that we are saved.” Romans 10:9-10

“Everyone must die once, and after that be judged by God. In the same manner Christ also was offered in sacrifice once to take away the sins of many. He will appear a second time, not to deal with sin, but to save those who are waiting for him.”  Hebrews 9:27-28

“Salvation is to be found through him alone; in all the world there is no one else whom God has given who can save us.”  Acts 4:12

“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.”  Romans 8:1-2

YOU HAVE A PERMANENT RECORD – DO YOU HAVE A PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP? 

Unless your permanent record is anything except perfect before God and man, you are headed for a fiery future without a relationship with Jesus, your Savior and Redeemer!

January 25, 2018

"Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire."  Revelation 20:11-15

What you believe about eternity will have a profound influence on how you live your life today!

Even if you aren't conscious of it, your view of eternity factors in your value system and behavior.

If you are one who believes life ends at death and there is no afterlife you will be motivated to pack in as many sensual experiences as you can ever day. You will be guided by the "eat, drink and be happy for tomorrow we may die" value system. And if this life is all there is, why not!?

Should you believe in some version of universal salvation that, too, will guide your values and priorities. For instance, if you believe that we are all essentially good people and God is a good and loving God Who would never send anyone to hell that will guide your moral code. Or, you may hold the belief that Jesus died on the cross to provide salvation so we are all saved and Heaven is assured. That will influence how you behave. Maybe you are of the belief that Heaven is gained through a merit system and if your good deeds outweigh your misdeeds you will earn you way to Heaven. If that is your belief then it will frame your moral code accordingly.

But if you are a Bible-believing follower of Christ you will understand you are sinful by nature and morally depraved. Not only are you unable to save yourself but you are uninterested in doing so. Until the Holy Spirit of God moves in your spirit to convict you of your sin and call you to Himself, you will remain spiritually separated from God. Until you confess your sinfulness and repent of your sins you will not know Jesus as your Savior. But from the moment you accept Jesus as Savior and enter into a spiritual relationship with God, your values, desires and priorities immediately undergo a radical change! You know that your name is written in Heaven and you have eternal life. Once you begin following Jesus you start living with eternity in mind. You understand that you are accountable to God and that you will have to be judged on your "permanent record". Because of the blood of Jesus and the grace of God, your "permanent record" will not keep you out of Heaven but it will determine your reward once you get there.

Your earthly actions get eternal traction! What you did yesterday, the decision you are making today and what you eventually do tomorrow will be recorded in Heaven!

Today will you order your life with the end in mind? Will you live with eternity's values in view? 

This Is Going On Your Permanent Record!

"And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire." Revelation 20:12-15

This may date me but I remember back in my school days having a teacher remind me about my "permanent record".

It went something like this, "You know, Bradley, (I hated when they call me that) this will go on your permanent record so do your best!"

While it is hard for a kid to get his mind around a permanent record it sounded ominous and it motivated me to do my best.

I don't know if that ever happened to you and I doubt if it still happens. But as I became more familiar with the Bible I came to understand that there actually IS a "permanent record" as revealed in the Revelation of John.

In his vision John is shown two books that will be opened in Heaven before the throne. Everything that every person had done during their earthly life is recorded in one book. Think of it EVERYTHING you have done in your life is in the book. How does that make you feel? Those things you did when no one was looking and you were sure no one knew are all in your permanent record. There could be some awkward moments before that throne on that day.

Twice it says in these verses that what they had done during their life is recorded in that book and each will be judged based on that permanent record.

You can't do anything about what is already recorded in your book but you can, by the grace of God through Jesus Christ and in the power of the Holy Spirit make sure your future record is much more pleasing to God.

So, my teachers were right! They were more right than they even knew! There is a permanent record. That permanent record is in Heaven. What you did yesterday is recorded there. What you have done thus far today is in that book. What you do the rest of the day will be in that book!

How then should you live today in light of your permanent record?

What if you mindfully stopped prior to each decision you will make today and ask yourself, "Do I want this on my permanent record?" If your answer is "no" then don't do it!

January 23, 2018

Well known pastor, speaker and author, Francis Chan, speculates on what could be facing believers and the Church in the coming years:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOZi0hNJ2vA

The Church of Jesus Christ was launched just a few months after His crucifixion. When the Holy Spirit fell upon the 120 in the upper Room, they were locked away uncertain of their future. It wasn’t as if they were playing defense, they were actually stalling because God had told them to “tarry in Jerusalem until they were endued with power by the Holy Spirit”. So, they did!“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” Acts 2:42-47

I want to point to the Early Church as the example of how we should play when it is under pressure and the game is on the line. They went on offense and played to win!

1) They leaned on God – “When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance.” Acts 2:1-4

2) They learned of God - “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching” – Acts 2:42

3) They lifted up God – “and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles” Acts 2:43

4) They loved like God – “All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need.” Acts 2:44-45

5) They lived godly – “Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people.” Acts 2:45-46

6) They led others to God – “And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” Acts 2:47

These 120 believers, though they were under heavy opposition and attack by the religious establishment AND the Roman government, refused to play defense. Instead they launched an offensive of Spirit-filled love, obedience, fellowship and sacrifice.

How did it work?

Some historians speculate that as many as half of the city of Jerusalem became followers of Jesus Christ!

Because these emboldened believers were “clutch” under pressure, we are still in the game! But now the ball is in our court. It is up to you and me and our churches to decide how we are going to respond down the stretch as the pressure and opposition rises against us.

Are you game?