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!
Showing posts with label God. Show all posts
Showing posts with label God. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 30, 2015
Tuesday, March 31, 2015
Grumble...Grumble...Grumble...
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!
Tuesday, February 17, 2015
The snow is coming! The snow is coming!
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!
Wednesday, January 8, 2014
Exposing The Deceiver - Tolerance Equals Love
tol-er-ance (noun) – willingness to accept feelings, habits, or beliefs that are different from your own.
To be loved is the one thing every human being has need of. While we all have a need to be loved, recognizing what love is often proves difficult. Satan has used society to twist the meaning of love so severely, that many people cannot truly identify when someone is showing love toward them. There is a pervasive thread that has been woven into the fabric of our culture which claims that, in order to love someone, we must be tolerant of every aspect of their lifestyle.
Is it possible to love a person without condoning aspects of their life which the Bible calls sinful? Without hesitation, I suggest it is not only possible, it is commanded! First, God calls us to love all of humanity, not just those who look, talk, or act like us. Consider what Jesus said in response to the Pharisees question about the greatest commandment. First Jesus said, you must love God with all of your being, and in the very next breath, He said, “the second is this: ‘you shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these’” (Mark 12:31).
As Christians, we are to love even the vilest of sinners. You might be wondering why God would command us to love people who we might consider the worst of the worst in regards to sin. Simply put, they were made in His image, and He loves them just as much as He loves us (John 3:16, Romans 5:8). God wants His creation redeemed from their sins, regardless of what those sins are (2 Peter 3:9). Their sin and our sin have the same consequence, separation from God. The good news is, not only does God desire for all mankind to be saved, He has provided a way to make it happen, Jesus Christ (1 John 2:2).
We must hold the same view as God does when it comes to humanity, love sinners and hate sin. It is important to understand that we cannot tolerate sin in our lives or in the lives of others. When Christ on the cross was made to be sin (2 Corinthians 5:21), God turned his face from Him, causing, Jesus to cry out “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Matthew 27:46). This scene serves as an example as to the destructive nature of sin when it comes to our relationship with God. God never stopped loving Jesus, yet he could not look upon Him as He bore our sins on calvary.
Satan is crafty and ever working towards making Christian truths seem more and more unreasonable and uncaring. The truth about love is this, tolerating sin is not love. Love is meeting someone where they are, and caring enough about them to not leave them there. To truly love someone is to share what God expects of them. To truly love someone is to help them know how to take advantage of the wonderful gift of Jesus Christ. Show some love to the world around you today!
To be loved is the one thing every human being has need of. While we all have a need to be loved, recognizing what love is often proves difficult. Satan has used society to twist the meaning of love so severely, that many people cannot truly identify when someone is showing love toward them. There is a pervasive thread that has been woven into the fabric of our culture which claims that, in order to love someone, we must be tolerant of every aspect of their lifestyle.
Is it possible to love a person without condoning aspects of their life which the Bible calls sinful? Without hesitation, I suggest it is not only possible, it is commanded! First, God calls us to love all of humanity, not just those who look, talk, or act like us. Consider what Jesus said in response to the Pharisees question about the greatest commandment. First Jesus said, you must love God with all of your being, and in the very next breath, He said, “the second is this: ‘you shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these’” (Mark 12:31).
As Christians, we are to love even the vilest of sinners. You might be wondering why God would command us to love people who we might consider the worst of the worst in regards to sin. Simply put, they were made in His image, and He loves them just as much as He loves us (John 3:16, Romans 5:8). God wants His creation redeemed from their sins, regardless of what those sins are (2 Peter 3:9). Their sin and our sin have the same consequence, separation from God. The good news is, not only does God desire for all mankind to be saved, He has provided a way to make it happen, Jesus Christ (1 John 2:2).
We must hold the same view as God does when it comes to humanity, love sinners and hate sin. It is important to understand that we cannot tolerate sin in our lives or in the lives of others. When Christ on the cross was made to be sin (2 Corinthians 5:21), God turned his face from Him, causing, Jesus to cry out “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Matthew 27:46). This scene serves as an example as to the destructive nature of sin when it comes to our relationship with God. God never stopped loving Jesus, yet he could not look upon Him as He bore our sins on calvary.
Satan is crafty and ever working towards making Christian truths seem more and more unreasonable and uncaring. The truth about love is this, tolerating sin is not love. Love is meeting someone where they are, and caring enough about them to not leave them there. To truly love someone is to share what God expects of them. To truly love someone is to help them know how to take advantage of the wonderful gift of Jesus Christ. Show some love to the world around you today!
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
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?
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?
Tuesday, October 29, 2013
Why I Love God - He Is Longsuffering
There are many aspects of the nature of God which I am thankful for. God is longsuffering and for that I am eternally grateful. If it was not for the longsuffering nature of God I would be in bad shape. If God gave me what I deserve when I deserved it, I would not be able to write this article today.
If God was not longsuffering, you and I would be without hope. Why? Because we have sinned (Romans 3:23) and sin requires a payment, the payment is death (Romans 6:23). The longsuffering nature of God gives us time, though not unlimited, time to make our lives right with Him.
We can see the longsuffering nature of God in both the Old and New Testaments. In the Old Testament God was patient with the Israelites who time after time rejected His commands and guidance (Numbers 13-14). In the New Testament we see God’s longsuffering as well. Consider what Peter wrote in 2 Peter 3:9, “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” The Lord of the heavens and earth desires you and I reach salvation! He is patient with us, even though we don't deserve it and often times don’t appreciate it. What a blessing it is to serve a God who looks at our rebellions, our mistakes, and our trials, and through them all desires to give us as much time as possible to reach salvation.
Just a side note, if God is longsuffering with us, shouldn’t we offer the same amount of grace with others? Often times it is difficult to be longsuffering when people do or say hurtful things against us. When we compare the longsuffering nature of God to the things we do, it ought to cause us to be more patient with people.
Make no mistake, God’s patience will not endure forever, He tells us so. There is a time coming when He will judge the world (Acts 17:30-31). However, what a blessing it is to know God is longsuffering with us when we fall short of His will for our lives!
If God was not longsuffering, you and I would be without hope. Why? Because we have sinned (Romans 3:23) and sin requires a payment, the payment is death (Romans 6:23). The longsuffering nature of God gives us time, though not unlimited, time to make our lives right with Him.
We can see the longsuffering nature of God in both the Old and New Testaments. In the Old Testament God was patient with the Israelites who time after time rejected His commands and guidance (Numbers 13-14). In the New Testament we see God’s longsuffering as well. Consider what Peter wrote in 2 Peter 3:9, “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” The Lord of the heavens and earth desires you and I reach salvation! He is patient with us, even though we don't deserve it and often times don’t appreciate it. What a blessing it is to serve a God who looks at our rebellions, our mistakes, and our trials, and through them all desires to give us as much time as possible to reach salvation.
Just a side note, if God is longsuffering with us, shouldn’t we offer the same amount of grace with others? Often times it is difficult to be longsuffering when people do or say hurtful things against us. When we compare the longsuffering nature of God to the things we do, it ought to cause us to be more patient with people.
Make no mistake, God’s patience will not endure forever, He tells us so. There is a time coming when He will judge the world (Acts 17:30-31). However, what a blessing it is to know God is longsuffering with us when we fall short of His will for our lives!
Tuesday, October 22, 2013
Why I Love God - He Provides For Me
It is not hard to love someone who takes care of you. When you think about your parents, or your spouse, one of the reasons it is easy to love them is because of all the ways they provide for you. When it comes to taking care of our needs, there is nobody better to look to than God!
God knows each of our needs, better than we know them. Consider the words of Matthew 6:8, “...for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.” What a source of comfort it should be to have a Father who knows what we need in life before we even think to ask on our own! I know there are many times in my life that I don’t know what I need, how wonderful it is to serve a God who knows exactly what is needed.
Knowing that God is ready and willing to take care of me causes me to love him all the more! One of the common feelings in life is worry. As humans, we worry about many things, often times needlessly. Often times we find ourselves worrying about our jobs, our finances, or our health. Consider what Matthew 6:25-27, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not more valuable than they?” If God is so good as to take care of the birds, we can know he will take care of us also! What a great comfort and blessing!
Friends, we should love God for many reasons! Certainly the very fact that he provides for our needs is a great reason to love our Heavenly Father. Our love and thankfulness for his provisions should cause us to have a deep devotion to Him. Our love for God is tied directly to our obedience to Him (John 14:15). If your obedience to God was used as a barometer to measure your love for Him, how would it measure up.
Let us each strive to love God more each day as we show our thankfulness for His provision!
God knows each of our needs, better than we know them. Consider the words of Matthew 6:8, “...for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.” What a source of comfort it should be to have a Father who knows what we need in life before we even think to ask on our own! I know there are many times in my life that I don’t know what I need, how wonderful it is to serve a God who knows exactly what is needed.
Knowing that God is ready and willing to take care of me causes me to love him all the more! One of the common feelings in life is worry. As humans, we worry about many things, often times needlessly. Often times we find ourselves worrying about our jobs, our finances, or our health. Consider what Matthew 6:25-27, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not more valuable than they?” If God is so good as to take care of the birds, we can know he will take care of us also! What a great comfort and blessing!
Friends, we should love God for many reasons! Certainly the very fact that he provides for our needs is a great reason to love our Heavenly Father. Our love and thankfulness for his provisions should cause us to have a deep devotion to Him. Our love for God is tied directly to our obedience to Him (John 14:15). If your obedience to God was used as a barometer to measure your love for Him, how would it measure up.
Let us each strive to love God more each day as we show our thankfulness for His provision!
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
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.
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.
Tuesday, September 17, 2013
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 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…”
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
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.
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.
Tuesday, September 10, 2013
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.”
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.”
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