Love and Consistency

Understandably, many Christians are upset about the recent Supreme Court ruling to legalize homosexual marriage throughout the United States. It appears that there are those in positions of power who are doing their best to steer us further and further away from God and His law.

How are Christians to react? In what way should we respond? We are at a point in time where the Christians have a great opportunity to let our light shine. It is my hope that each of us will prayerfully consider how we respond not only to the homosexual community, but those engage in any sinful lifestyle. I want to offer a couple of suggestions on how we should respond to those engage in a homosexual lifestyle.

1. With Love - God loves those who are made in His image. That being said, every single person on earth is made in the image of God (Genesis 1:27, John 3:16). God loves those involved in homosexuality, murderers, thieves, liars, cheaters, adulterers, etc. There is not a sinner on the planet that God didn't send His Son to die for, and He wants them to repent. God desires that every human live a life which will allow them to spend eternity in heaven (2 Peter 3:9). We must answer this sin and all sin the way God does, with love for the sinner and a desire to help them leave the sinful lifestyle.

2. With Balance - Social media has exploded over the last week or so with the news of the Supreme Court decision. People have rushed to their keyboards to express their support for traditional marriage and their desire to maintain it. That is right and it is good, but we must be consistent. Are we as passionate about helping those in unscriptural marriages understand the errors in their ways? What about those engage in sexual activity outside the marriage bond? We must be consistent when defending God’s plan for marriage. Without consistency our voices become smaller to the world around us.

Christians, let us be upset about sin. Let us be upset about all sins, including our own (Romans 3:23). The church is at a point where she can do much good in the world. Purpose to be a light to this lost and dying world today and each day God allows the world to stand!

Grumble...Grumble...Grumble...

Grumbling has no place among members of the Lord’s body. Admittedly, it is sometimes difficult to avoid becoming a grumbler. As human beings we feel like we know how things should or should not go; and when they do not go as we feel they should, the grumbling begins.

Before we look into what Scripture has to say about grumbling let’s look at it from a purely secular point of view. What good comes from grumbling? In your life, in the times you have fallen into the trap of becoming a grumbler what good has come of it? Most likely no good has come, and quite often, bad has been the result of our grumbling.

When we grumble about others, whether it is our boss, a co-worker, teacher, or whoever it might be many negatives occur. First, we are impacting (often times unfairly) that person’s reputation. We would not be pleased if someone ran around ripping our reputation to shreds, yet that is exactly what we do when we grumble.

Next, we are affecting our relationship with that person. If there was ever an opportunity to have a positive relationship with the person, grumbling about them is a sure fire way to ruin it. Have you ever noticed how often our “ private grumblings” get back to the person they are about? Something to consider.

And finally, grumbling about others will have a negative impact on your reputation. Plain and simple, people get tired about hearing from “Negative Nancy,” all the time. More often than not, when the grumbler in us makes and appearance, our own reputation becomes tarnished.

Now let us consider what Scripture says about grumbling. Philippians 2:14 says “Do all things without grumbling or questioning, that you might be blameless and innocent children of God…” Next, consider what James 5:9 tells us, “Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door.”

Christians, we are to avoid being a people who grumble, at all costs. We must understand grumblings come from Satan, resist!

The snow is coming! The snow is coming!

Wow, what a week it has been weather wise. One of the really fun things about living in the south is, if you don’t like the weather, just wait, it will change. Weather forecasting is no doubt a tough job especially here in Alabama. I appreciate those who do their best to keep us informed of pending weather.

It has always seemed interesting to me how excited people get when they hear it might snow. The weathermen are on television for what seems like weeks talking about the pending storm. People flock to the grocery store to get milk and bread. What is the deal with milk sandwiches anyway? Businesses close, schools close, our world comes to what feels like a screeching halt. Everyone is paying attention and everyone is ready. It is nearly impossible to be caught unprepared.

What if the world would heed the warnings of Christ’s return as diligently as they did the weatherman's forecast? What if, we as Christians, were as excited about talking about the Second Coming of Christ as we are about the snow possibilities?

Unlike the weather forecast, which is subject to change, the Second Coming of Christ is a definite. Is it possible that since Christ has delayed His coming, we have allowed ourselves to “fall asleep” spiritually? If we knew a definite date of His return, would that cause us to be more vigilant against the wiles of Satan? Maybe if He would make an appointment with us, we could rearrange our schedule to be better prepared for His return? Friends, we must take heed to the warning found in 2 Peter 3:10, “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.” Jesus is going to return, and He has given us all of the notice we are going to get, in His word. He told us He will come back for us, just as sure as He is preparing a place for us. He also told us, that He does not know when He will return, only the Father knows that (Matthew 24:36). Friends, if it was today he was to return, would you be ready? What about those who are special to you? It is time to sound the alarm, get ourselves ready and to tell everyone that Jesus will return!

But I want to legislate morality!

After His arrest, it was the court of public opinion which lead to the crucifixion of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Pilate gave the howling mob a choice between releasing Barabbas, a known criminal, and Jesus Christ. When given the opportunity to release Jesus, the crowd shouted, “not this man, but Barabbas” (John 18:40). The tide of public opinion had become so corrupt that they desired a robber be released over and innocent man.

Though Pilate found no fault in Him (John 19:6), and tried to reason with the mob, he could not save the Son of God. The religious leaders of the day stirred the crowd, and the crowd responded by yelling out, “crucify Him, crucify Him!" (John 19:15).

Looking back on the events of Jesus’ life it is easy to see the dangers presented when “the court of public opinion” is allowed to rule. Whether this is the “public opinion” of the world, or the church, Christians must follow God. We must be careful to not allow the commandments of the Father to become subject to a popularity contest. In recent years, months, and even days, we have seen just that happen. The public, and her courts have ruled time and time again against God.

Does a court ruling or the tide of public opinion have any bearing on the commandments of God? Certainly not! We must always remember that God is not subject to us, but we are to be in subjection to Him. We do not have the right to simply throw out His Word because of what we perceive as “fairness” or our “rights.” When approaching Scripture we are to always remember “His ways are not our ways, and His thoughts are not our thoughts.”

So what are we to do when “popular opinion” seems to turn away from God? One word, love. Love the people who reject Him. Love the people who choose the world and its riches over becoming a child of the King. Love the people who make fun of you for trying to follow God’s law above that of man’s law. Love.

We cannot legislate morality, it is a choice. We cannot force people to love and obey God, it is a choice. We CAN choose to love those made in His image. Love.

Why I Love God - He Gives Great Gifts!

More than likely in the coming weeks you will be hitting the stores in search of the perfect gifts for the people whom you love. The holiday season is a time where we show our love and appreciation for the people in our lives whom we hold dear. If asked, most people would likely admit they enjoy receiving gifts and feel it is a great way to express appreciation and love to someone.

As great as getting gifts from friends and family is, they all pale in comparison to the wonderful gifts showered upon us by our Father in Heaven. If we were to take inventory of our blessings, it would not take long for us to realize how good God is. Unfortunately we often miss out on appreciating the great gifts God gives to us because we focus on what we don't have. Christians ought to be a people who are thankful and excited about our many blessings.

The fact that every good thing that I have comes from God causes me to love Him more each day, consider “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning” (James 1:17). Rusty mentioned in his Sunday lesson that not only has God blessed us greatly up to this point in our lives, but he will continue to do so! What a wonderful feeling it is to know that God will never turn His back on us or decide that we have had “enough blessings,” and turn off the valve!

We have a responsibility of using those blessings to serve God and others. The great truth is when we use our blessings to serve and honor God, He will give us even more to serve and honor Him with! Consider what Luke says in Luke 6:38, “give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”

Take a quick inventory of your blessings, are you using them to serve God and bless others?

I Deserve Death (10 Reasons Why I Love God #2)

I deserve death and nothing more. You might be asking yourself how I can make such a bold and harsh statement. The reason I know I that I deserve death is the Bible tells me so. The first part of Romans 6:23 tells us that “the wages of sin is death…” If we consider that we all have sinned (Romans 3:23), it is easy to understand that what we all deserve is death and nothing more.

Thankfully, because of God’s love, mercy, and goodness, death is not our only option. The full text of Romans 6:23 reads, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” You see, God knew that when we reach a certain age and have to choose right from wrong, we were going to mess it up, we were going to sin. Sin separates us from God, no doubt about it, but God has given us a way to restore that relationship, through His Son, the perfect sacrifice. “For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified (Hebrews 10:15). Jesus the Christ, the perfect sacrifice came to this earth willingly (Philippians 2:5-7), so we didn't have to suffer the consequences we deserve.

The fact that God loved me enough to send His Son to pay the price that I owe is something that causes me to have a deep love and devotion to Him. John 3:16, has become a little bit of a “token” verse in today’s society. Unfortunately, sometimes it seems we read that verse in our Bible or see it on a sign at a football game and fail to give it the consideration it demands. God’s love for us is pure, strong, and constant. His perfect, blameless, and precious Son was given on our behalf before we ever decided to love Him back.

There is nothing you can do to make God stop loving you, the giving of His Son is evidence of that. The question for us to ponder is does the gift of love God provided for us, Jesus Christ, cause us to love God enough to be obedient to Him and His will? I am so thankful that though wrath was owed, through Christ, mercy is bestowed.

10 Reasons I Love God (#1)

Have you ever thought about why you love God? Can you think of 10 reasons you love Him? I hope you can think of a thousand! Exploring our love for God is a worthwhile venture, and doing so should cause us to have a deeper love for Him in the process.

The first reason I’ll offer as to why I love God is, He loved me first. Can you imagine that? Christ was not crucified to convince God to love us, God loved us from the beginning! Think about it this way, the love God has for you and for me existed in the heart of God before the foundation of the world was in place. God loved us so deeply that when the fall in the Garden of Eden happened, there was a plan in place, a plan which would cost Him His Son, Jesus Christ.

But why would God choose to love people who would (sometimes purposefully) hurt Him by sinning against Him? The fact that man is sinful (Romans 3:23), does not change the truth of man being created in His image (Genesis 1:26). You see, we have an eternal soul which has an eternal destination, that’s where the love of God comes in! The Father desires that each of us be with Him someday in Heaven (2 Peter 3:9).

The fact that God loves sinful and fallen man should give us all the incentive we need to love Him as we should! It is because God first loved us that we have the hope of eternal life with Him. Instead of condemning us to being eternally lost without Him, God had a plan in place to redeem fallen man, and that plan came from love. Without God first loving us where would we be? Lost.

The question becomes this, do you love God because He first loved you? That should be all the motivation we need to love Him, yet He offers us so many more reasons! It is my prayer that as you learn more about God through His word, and His plan for your life, it will cause you to love Him more each day. “For God so loved the world…”

The Day [Not Quite] Everything Changed

12 years. It has been 12 years since the horrific attacks of 9-11-2001. For those of us who are old enough to remember, it is something we will surely never forget. In an instant the safety and security we all enjoyed was seemingly ripped from us. Many innocent lives were lost that day leaving gaping holes in family units. Parents without children and children without parents.

In the years since the attacks there have been many TV specials and memorial events helping us to reflect back on that tragic day. There have been politicians, tv reporters and other who have tried to put in to words the magnitude of what happened on that fateful day. One statement I heard that has stayed with me since 9-11-2001 is “it is the day everything changed.” While I appreciate the statement trying to envelop the nature of the attacks, I tend to disagree.

Yes it is true that many things in our nation have changed such as security, new legislative restrictions, and even relationships, as a result of 9-11. However, I am thankful that I am able to proclaim that not everything has changed. Our Savior is still there and He is constant “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). While it is true that much of the world as we knew it changed on September 11, 2001, God remained the same.

Not only did God not change, His attitude towards us has not changed, “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness (Lamentations 3:22-23). The love and mercy that God offers us is unchanging.

What a blessing it is to know that in a world full of evil deeds and uncertainty we have a God who is constant and consistent. He has not and will not ever fail us. Friends when the winds of change threaten to consume us, it is my prayer that we will seek the Father who loves us and will not leave us.

Appearance Is Everything...

It has been said that appearance is everything. You don’t have to look too hard in today’s world to see how much emphasis is placed on appearance. I am not speaking strictly of physical appearance, there is also the appearance of wealth, of importance, and even spirituality.

Did you catch that last one? The appearance of spirituality, appearing to be a spiritual person on the outside. Friends I think sometimes we pay a little too close attention to appearing spiritual on the outside and neglect the inside. Don’t get me wrong, our influence is important and vital, but we must remember, if we get the heart right, the outward appearance will take care of itself.

You see, the scribes Pharisees looked good on the outside, but their hearts were not what they should have been. Consider what Jesus said to them in Matthew 23:27-28, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness. So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.” On the outside the Scribes and Pharisees looked great, they dressed the part, they even said and did all the right things. However, Jesus knew their hearts, and on the inside, they were filthy.

It’s easy to point at the Scribes and Pharisees and note their shortcomings. But what about us? Are we leading the type of lives on a daily basis which outwardly look beautiful but are lacking inwardly? The outward man must match the inward.

It is good, and it is right to attending the worship services of the church on a regular basis. By itself, attending worship is not all there is to the life of a Christian. Are we living a life which shows a heart which is pursuing God? Do we look for, and take advantage of opportunities to serve others (Matthew 20:28), or are we too busy serving our own desires? When we are at our schools, or places of employment is our speech the type of speech a Christian should have (Ephesians 4:29)? During our “free time” are we involved in activities which bring honor or shame to the name of Jesus Christ (Colossians 3:17)?

Friends be wary of worrying about outward appearance and not the heart. Let us pursue clean hearts instead of “whitewashed tombs.”

Jury Duty

It came in the mail a few weeks ago and since then it had been in the back of my mind, a jury duty summons. I was summoned to appear at the Madison County courthouse to serve on a jury. The uncertainty of knowing how everything was going to happen occupied my mind in the days leading up to serving.

Monday morning I showed up at the Madison County Courthouse to serve on a jury. It wasn't until later in the day that I was selected to be part of a jury pool. The case I was being considered for was quite serious and a conviction would have brought heavy consequences. I prayed, for the victim, for the accused, and for myself.

It became obvious as the indictment was read that this was serious, real serious. The mood in the room was intense and focused. The prosecutor and defense attorney rattled off questions to us as potential jurors. Jury questioning concluded late Monday afternoon and a jury was to be seated Tuesday morning.

At 9AM Tuesday morning I arrived at the courthouse waiting to find out if I would be a member of the jury which would try the case. As it would turn out, a potential juror received a ride home from the victim's family Monday night thereby “tainting” the jury and causing a mistrial. We were all sent home as a result of this mistake.

Spending any length of time in a courtroom can cause us to think about our pending appointment before the Judge. The Bible tells us that each of us will one day sit before the throne of God in judgment (2 Corinthians 5:10, Hebrews 9:27). Unlike in the courtroom made by man, when we face God in judgment we can rest assured it will be just. There will be no need to worry about a tainted jury, or a mistrial, our Judge is righteous.

At judgment, there will be no circumstantial evidence or false accusations to worry about. The Bible is clear that we will be judged according to our works done here on earth. So the question becomes this; what kind of works are you performing on earth? Are you performing that which is emblematic of a person who is a faithful follower of Jesus Christ or are they works of the flesh?

Make no mistake, there is a judgment day coming, and the stakes are high. When you are called into the throne room of God and the verdict is announced what will it be? “Good and faithful” or “Depart, I never knew you?”

Head of household, period.

God created man first, and he is to be head of the household, period (Ephesians 5:22-24). To the ladies, that may sound harsh and maybe even unfair, but we must understand what God expects of man as the head of the household before we get too upset. And to the guys, it might sound like we get to be the “boss,” but before we allow ourselves to be carried away to a place God never intended, we too must understand what it means to be head of the household.

“Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church, and gave Himself up for her…”

That changes everything. If we are to be a husband who is pleasing to God, we must love our wives in the same way Jesus loved the church. This immediately changes the perception many people have about headship, it’s not a control thing or a power grab, at least it shouldn’t be, if done Jesus’ way. Jesus loved His church and because of His love, He…

Made Sure His Bride Was Spiritually Fed – Jesus spent his entire ministry teaching His bride. As the head of our household, we have a responsibility to spiritually nourish our wives and children. In order to do this, we must first spiritually nourish ourselves by studying the word of God on a daily basis (Acts17:11). If we do not feed ourselves spiritually, we cannot keep our family from suffering spiritual malnourishment. Jesus understood His sheep needed protection, and he was the protection (John 10:7-11). In the same way, we must feed our family from His word, and protect them from the ravenous wolves of this world.

Encouraged His Bride – Our wives are not perfect, and we should not expect them to be. As Christian husbands we should be experts at seeing the positives instead of focusing on the negatives. Wives worry about a good many things; often times these worries can be eased with a little encouragement. One of the many things which I can improve on is the amount of encouragement I offer to my wife. Take the time to notice when she dresses nicely, and tell her that you like how she looks! When she goes out of the way to do something nice for us, be thankful instead of having an attitude of expectation. When she is having an emotionally tough day, pick her back up, Jesus encouraged his disciples, so too we should encourage our wives (John 14:1-4).

Gave Himself Up For Her – Jesus Christ gave His life for His bride and so should we. If we love our wives as Jesus loved the Church we are to put her needs and best interests above our own. This is an all encompassing lifestyle. Yes, this includes being a partner to her in housework, in raising your children, and in all other aspects of life, you two are now one (Mark 10:7-8). There were times in Jesus ministry where He just wanted to be left alone (Matthew 14:13-14), but He was needed, and He met those needs. In all honesty, there are times when we would rather be left alone, but we are needed by our spouse, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. We are to put ourselves second and meet her needs as often as we can.

Being a Christian husband is not easy; God never promised it would be. Being a Christian husband is a great responsibility illustrated by the comparison of Christ and the church. Husbands, let us each strive to love our wives in the way Christ loved his bride and encourage one another in doing so.