Why being good isn't enough...

In an attempt to be more healthy and shed off the extra pounds I purchased Nutrisystem. The will send you breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks... all you basically have to do is add your own fruits and vegetables. That sounds easy doesn't it?

Then explain to me why I came home from work and dove head first into a bag of potato chips...

The answer is easy. I want to eat right and healthy, but years and years of poor eating choices comes back to haunt me. If I am going to be successful, I need to recognize that my past ways are not good for me and that I need to change them. More than that... when I feel weak, I need to call out for help because clearly, I am incapable of doing this through an act of will.

What does this have to do with Christianity? Everything!

1 Corinthians 6:9-11
New Living Translation (NLT)
 9 Don’t you realize that those who do wrong will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Don’t fool yourselves. Those who indulge in sexual sin, or who worship idols, or commit adultery, or are male prostitutes, or practice homosexuality, 10 or are thieves, or greedy people, or drunkards, or are abusive, or cheat people—none of these will inherit the Kingdom of God. 11 Some of you were once like that. But you were cleansed; you were made holy; you were made right with God by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

Paul is writing a letter to the church at Corinth and he does something that most Pastors wouldn't do. Instead of praising them for where they are, he reminds them where they came from. He also reminds them of the consequences of their past actions.

Take a moment and reflect on all the ways that you've missed the mark. If you can't think of any way that you have... that could be a sign that your relationship with God may not be where you think it is, because the Bible clearly states that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.

Once you've done that... don't dwell there. Remember that Jesus came and died for us so we could be cleansed by the shedding of His blood for us. Remember the cost that was paid so God could view us as holy.

 Don't treat your salvation carelessly.

Struggle to remember where you came from and fight to stay where you are... in the grace of God!

 

Don't get mad...

"Why can't Christians concentrate of God for more than a few minutes at a time without our minds jumping to another subject? Why does focusing on Him seem so unnatural? At the same time we are engrossed with movies, sports, or video games for hours. We can cuddle up with sinful thoughts without interruption, and yet struggle to find an unbroken moment of pure reflection or spiritual mediation.

Why?

The truth is that you and I are both intuitively trained from within and highly skilled in the art of sin. Our default mode is self and anti-God.

We are hard-wired for wickedness. Programmed for a high-octane pursuit of soul-crimes/" -The Christian Zombie Killers Handbook: Slating the Living Dead Within  by Jeff Kinley

Romans 8:6-8 says

6 So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace. 7 For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God’s laws, and it never will. 8 That’s why those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God.

Sometimes I forget that it's not enough just to be good. There is a battle going on between the flesh that I live in and my spirit that longs to do the will of God.

For the next few posts, I'm going to explore what the Bible says about living a life where our spiritual nature controls our natural nature and how that life is pleasing to God.

Stay tuned!

Happy Valentines Day

It's that time of year when great declarations of love are made. It doesn't matter if you forgot birthdays, anniversary's, or even Christmas. If you go big on this day, you get forgiven for past relationship missteps.

I was in the store yesterday, looking at people struggling to pick out the right flowers, cards, and candies. They painstakingly looked at the petals to make sure that none of them were wilted. Cards with "thee" and "thy" are acceptable this time of year... "I love thee and thy deep blue eyes..."

It made me think about relationship with God. The Bible says that God is the bridegroom and we are His bride. Do we treat the relationship the same way? Does God get 2 days a year where we show Him our love? Are Christmas and Easter our Valentines day to God?

Healthy relationships are consistent.

I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, or kingdoms, today, tomorrow, the future, mountains, oceans or any creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is based in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38-39)

How far are you willing to go to show God you love Him too?

Are you ready for battle?

I was watching this old television show, where the team leader would have this really great plan for how they would accomplish something. If things went wrong, they would go to plan B. A lot of times... they would go to plan C.

When the leader said Plan C, one of the team members would say... "What's Plan C???" and the leader would say "IMPROVISE!"

I think a lot of us can relate to that. Things don't go the way that we imagine a lot of times and we often find ourselves in a place where we have to... improvise.

The problem is... this ideology has crept into how we approach Christianity. God has a plan for how HIS church is to grow, affect change in the world, and represent Him... we we are improvising!

Mature Christians "...understand that the church is God's plan to beat down the gates of hell and that there is no plan B." (Jim Putman - Real Life Discipleship: Building Churches that make disciples)

Matthew 16:17-19 (New Living Translation (NLT))

 

15 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”

16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

17 Jesus replied, “You are blessed, Simon son of John, because my Father in heaven has revealed this to you. You did not learn this from any human being. 18 Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means ‘rock’), and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it."

God built his church based upon this simple thing... Faith in a living God. After spending time with Jesus, hearing him teach about all the things the scriptures said about Him, it clicked. in that instance, Peter knew in his inner most being that Jesus was truly the savior!

Do you know it in your heart? Do you believe it with the every fiber of your being? Does it affect your life?

When you know that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of the living God, you are ready for battle. There will be no need for a Plan B or Plan C. You'll know that there is only one way without wavering.

God used flawed people...

A friend of mine sent this to me... I had to share it with you...


A well-known actor commented that he enjoyed playing “flawed” characters in movies because people could relate better to an imperfect character. Most of us would agree that it’s easier for us to understand people who aren’t perfect because we know that we are imperfect.

God included stories in the Bible of people who were deceitful, weak, unreliable, and angry. Take Jacob, for example, who deceived his father so that he would receive a blessing (Gen. 27:1-29). Then there was Gideon, who was so unsure of God that he asked Him twice for proof that He would be faithful to do what He said He would do (Judg. 6:39). And then there’s Peter, who for fear of his own safety, denied even knowing his friend and Lord (Mark 14:66-72).

But when we read the rest of their stories, we observe that these people were able, with God’s help, to overcome their shortcomings and ultimately be useful to Him. That happened when they depended not on themselves but on God.

Just like the people who lived thousands of years ago, each of us comes with flaws. But by God’s grace we can overcome those imperfections by embracing His “strength [which] is made perfect in weakness” (2 Cor. 12:9).

God’s strength is made perfect in weakness,
For when we are weak He is strong;
He gives us His grace and His power
To overcome in us what’s wrong. —Sper

It’s good to learn of our weakness
if it drives us to lean on God’s strength.

Jesus, from Genesis to Revelations

The Bible, from cover to cover, answers the question,
“Who is this Jesus?”

In the Old Testament:

- In Genesis, He is the Creator God.

- In Exodus, He is the Redeemer.

- In Leviticus, He is your sanctification.

- In Numbers, He is your guide.

- In Deuteronomy, He is your teacher.

- In Joshua, He is the mighty conqueror.

- In Judges, He gives victory over enemies.

- In Ruth, He is your kinsman, your lover, your redeemer.

- In I Samuel, He is the root of Jesse.

- In 2 Samuel, He is the Son of David.

- In 1 Kings and 2 Kings, He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

- In 1st and 2nd Chronicles, He is your intercessor and High Priest.

- In Ezra, He is your temple, your house of worship.

- In Nehemiah, He is your mighty wall, protecting you from your enemies.

- In Esther, He stands in the gap to deliver you from your enemies.

- In Job, He is the arbitrator who not only understands your struggles, but has the power to do something about them.

- In Psalms, He is your song–and your reason to sing.

- In Proverbs, He is your wisdom, helping you make sense of life and live it successfully.

- In Ecclesiastes, He is your purpose, delivering you from vanity..

- In the Song of Solomon, He is your lover, your Rose of Sharon.

- In Isaiah, He is the mighty counselor, the prince of peace, the everlasting father, and more. He’s everything you need.

- In Jeremiah, He is your balm of Gilead, the soothing salve for your sin-sick soul.

- In Lamentations, He is the ever-faithful one upon whom you can depend.

- In Ezekiel, He is your wheel in the middle of a wheel–the one who assures that dry, dead bones will come alive again.

- In Daniel, He is the ancient of days, the ever- lasting God who never runs out of time.

- In Hosea, He is your faithful lover, always beckoning you to come back–even when you have abandoned Him.

- In Joel, He is your refuge, keeping you safe in times of trouble.

- In Amos, He is the husbandman, the one you can depend on to stay by your side.

- In Obadiah, He is Lord of the Kingdom.

- In Jonah, He is your salvation, bringing you back within His will.

- In Micah, He is judge of the nation.

- In Nahum, He is the jealous God.

- In Habakkuk, He is the Holy One.

- In Zephaniah, He is the witness.

- In Haggai, He overthrows the enemies.

- In Zechariah, He is Lord of Hosts.

- In Malachi, He is the messenger of the covenant.

In the New Testament:

- In Matthew, He is king of the Jews.

- In Mark, He is the servant.

- In Luke, He is the Son of Man, feeling what you feel.

- In John, He is the Son of God.

- In Acts, He is Savior of the world.

- In Romans, He is the righteousness of God.

- In I Corinthians, He is the rock that followed Israel.

- In II Corinthians, He the triumphant one, giving victory.

- In Galatians, He is your liberty; He sets you free.

- In Ephesians, He is head of the Church.

- In Philippians, He is your joy.

- In Colossians, He is your completeness.

- In I Thessalonians, He is your hope.

- In II Thessalonians, He is your glory.

- In I Timothy, He is your faith.

- In II Timothy, He is your stability.

- In Titus He is your reason for serving.

- In Philemon, He is your benefactor.

- In Hebrews, He is your perfection.

- In James, He is the power behind your faith.

- In I Peter, He is your example.

- In II Peter, He is your purity.

- In I John, He is your life.

- In II John, He is your pattern.

- In III John, He is your motivation.

- In Jude, He is the foundation of your faith.

- In Revelation, He is your coming King.

We all need help in this area...

I've hear it said that America is the one of the fattest nations. Dietitians say it's because of our diet. They say we

• eat too many processed and fast foods
• eat too much high fructose corn syrup and artificial sweeteners
• eat too many refined carbohydrates

What does this have to do with being a Christian? A LOT!

A lot of people are spiritually unhealthy because of their spiritual diet.

"And Jesus answered him, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God." (Luke 4:3 KJV)

Fact: Your diet determines what you're capable of doing. If you don't have enough meat or protein rich foods, you'll be hungry. You'll feel week and you won't be able to accomplish what you need to do. You'll be sluggish.

If you don't take in the word of God, you will be spiritually hungry, you won't be able to accomplish what you need to do. You'll be sluggish.

It's not enough to just listen to a sermon, or even read a blog, like this one. This is the equivalent of fast food.

You need to spend time preparing your meal and take the time to eat it and digest it!

Sermons and blogs, like this one, can be a good starting point.

Here's a side note: Most Pastors spend hours preparing what they want to share. They usually give you 20-40% of what they learn. If you spend a moment in the word of God, you can uncover at least 20-40% more if you study the topic they talk about yourself!

Let's struggle to change our spiritual diet.

Inner Turmoil

Hey... you..., yeah... you,

I love this sculpture - it's called "Inner Turmoil" by an artist named Gregory Reade.

Each one of us has 2 natures. The sinful nature that we're born with, and the new nature that we receive once we're born again. From the second we accept Christ, we try to break free from who we were and try to live out who we are in Christ.

Although the Bible says "If any man be in Christ he is a new creation, old things are passed away, behold all things have become new" (2 Corinthians 5:17) we still have to contend with out old habits, our old memories, old friends, and an "old" world system that hasn't changed just because we have.

It's a struggle. Part of the struggle is with ourselves, part of it is with spiritual forces that don't want us to fulfill the purpose that God placed us here to accomplish.

In Romans 12:1-2 Paul says:

I beg you, because of everything God has done, dedicate your body as a living sacrifice holy and dedicated to God, which is the least you can do - offer to serve him. Do not conform to the time you live in, be changed - renew your mind. Embrace these new ideals and attitude so you can prove for yourselves what is the good and acceptable perfect will of God.

The renewing of the mind is the inner turmoil. This process will take you to some uncomfortable places. there are a lot of temptations in the world. Aside from the temptations, doing the right thing might be hard. Friendships may be tried, family may get angry.

I know on a daily basis, I struggle with the decision to do what's right. Sometimes it's harder than others. Sometimes I forget to use all the resources that God has given me and try to struggle through on my own. In the heat of the battle it's hard to forget about prayer. It can be embarrassing to ask for help from other Christians.

I'm not trying to be mean, self righteous, or pious, but if you aren't experiencing any struggles... any inner turmoil with doing what God wants us to do - then maybe... you should spend a little more time in His word and in prayer finding out what he wants you to do.

In love,

A fellow struggling Christian.

I knew it was you!

I never told my sons that there was a Santa Clause. A lot of my friends disagreed with me and felt that I was denying them the simple joys of youth. My reasoning was simple - when kids are young, you tell them there's a Santa Clause, Tooth Fairy, Easter Bunny, God and Jesus. As they grow older they begin to realize that over half the list doesn't exist... seeds of doubt are placed in their mind over whether there is a God or a Jesus.

I am not suggesting that you don't tell your children there isn't a Santa Clause. I'm simply telling my story.

This is important because in some ways, the church today is acting like our parents telling us things that may or may not line up with what the Bible says. There are many notable Pastors that say things like "There is no hell, how could a loving God condemn people to hell?"

There are many other examples of this too.

Let me get back to Santa Clause for a second... when we were young, we always had this seed of doubt as to whether or not he existed. Many of us would stay up night to catch a glimpse of him... to see whether or not he was real. I know a lot of stories from people who found out it was their parents and shouted "I knew it was you, I knew it was you!"

It's amazing that we went that far when it came to finding out the truth about Santa. Why aren't we that hungry to find out the truth about God and His son, Jesus - the Christ?

There are a lot of books on the market, a lot of sermons on the radio and television. There are a lot of blogs out there - like this one.

Do you just read what it says, talk with your friends about it, make it a part of your belief system and view it as truth? Or... do you pick up your Bible and read for yourself what the writer or speaker is trying to convey. Do you seek out the truth?

That's my challenge to you today. Don't just hang on to something because a compelling storyteller tugs at your hearts. Dig into the word of God and find the truth for yourself. That way, when someone says something that doesn't line up with the word of God, you'll be able to say "I knew it was you, and not God... I knew it was you!"

Colossians 2:8

New Living Translation (NLT)

 8 Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ