The Best New Year's Resolution

Nothing seems to amaze me more each year, then that moment it hits me; Christmas is over, and it is about to be a new year. This is a time of reflection. A time to look back and to remember. For me, it’s been a good year. God has continued to bless me with many wonderful things. I finally lost the weight I’ve been battling to lose for at least two years. I got a few things fixed around the house. I went fishing and I went camping. I had some great family time. But as I look back, as a Christian, I must ask myself this; Did I grow to be more like Jesus this year? Or am I pretty much the same guy I was?

The new year is the time that we reflect back, so that we can maybe plan for the next year. We may make resolutions. We may make some plans. We may set some goals. As a Christian, I can come up with a great many ideas as to which direction I should go and in what ways I need to grow. If we’re all honest, we know that we all need to grow.

So, where do we start? I was just reading the second to last lesson in a book that is a forty-day study on how to be a better man. The topic is love. As I read the little study it hit me. Love is one thing we can all get better at. It ought to be the priority in every Christian’s life. Let’s look at what God has to say about love.

1 Corinthians 13:1-3
If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.  And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.  If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.

If I do not have love, I am nothing. Without it I gain nothing.

1 Corinthians 16:14
Let all that you do be done in love.

Everything we do, must be done in love. Everything. All that we do, if we are Christians, must be done in love. Everything. No ifs, no ands, no buts. Everything should be done in love.

What does that mean? What is love? I cannot do something if I do not know what it is and how I am to do it. Take a look.

1 Corinthians 13:4-7
Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth.  Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Verse 8 goes on to say that love never ends. Ever.

John 13:34-35
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.  By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Christians are to love one another. That’s how the lost world will know we are Christ’s. that is our greatest witness.

Luke 10:27
And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.”

Christians are to love God.

Christians are to love their neighbors. And love them as much as you love yourself.

Matthew 5:44
But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.

Christians are to love their enemies.

That doesn’t leave anyone left who we are not to love. Christians are to love everyone.

I don’t know about you, but I am not too good at this. So, if God says that without this love, I am nothing, then it sounds like I have found the place to start as I face a new year. Why not make love a priority in 2019? Why not make it first on this list of resolutions?

We all need to work on this. The Bible commands us to help each other in this lofty endeavor.

Hebrews 10:24-25
And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

Love will change the world. It changes everything. It will change us.

I close with some of God’s truth on love.

Proverbs 10:12
Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all offenses.

1 Peter 4:8
Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.

Let all that you do be done in love.

Christmas Is Over. Now What?

Well, another Christmas has come and passed. The excitement and the joy of the season is gone. We’ve shopped, we’ve partied, we’ve sung all the songs, and then we all opened our presents. We gathered at the table and shared great meals and good family fellowship. Most of us even went to church at some point in the celebration we call Christmas, even some who only attend at times like these and maybe did so only out of the desire to honor mom or grandma.

 

It’s over now. The question that each of us must answer now is this; What do we do now? How do we ride out the rest of the winter?

 

The Bible tells more than the story of the baby Jesus being born in a manger. Though we often place the story of the wise men visiting Jesus with His actual birth, they really do not arrive until later. Take a look.

 

Matthew 2:1-2
 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him."

 

The magi arrived from the east in Jerusalem after Jesus was born. Their story is an interesting one, for in it, is embedded a question we all must ask ourselves. What were, or maybe even now, what are we looking for when we follow the call to go to Jesus? Matthew tells us that the magi saw His star in the east and they went to worship Him. Can we say the same?

 

When I look back at what led me to Christ, I remember it was desperation. My life had become filled with worries and troubles that I just couldn’t find the answers to. Depression set into my core and led me to the point of hopelessness. It’s not that I no longer wanted to live, I did, I just couldn’t live without hope. We come to saving faith in Christ in many, different ways. Some people are blessed to be raised in church and simply receive Christ at some point in their youth, responding to the preparation of the soils of their hearts, as God used the witness of others. Others fall deeply into sins, sins that often lead to horrible addictions. Some live in perpetual pain or sickness. We all have a story. Mine is one of desperation.

 

Sometimes God does great miracles of deliverance, and people come to faith having been delivered of their sin, be they drugs, alcohol, or any of the other addictions. Some were healed from a sickness that offered no hope. But that just isn’t always the case. God does not always remove the pain of life and give us everything we long for.

 

The truth of the Christmas story is this; God sent Jesus to save us from our sins, so that like the wise men, we would begin a journey that culminates in us fallen before Him and simply worshipping Him.

 

Jesus has come. What will you do now? How will we live out the rest of this winter?

 

I offer that the answer is that we stop looking for things from Him and go on a journey to find Jesus. You don’t have to travel hundreds or thousands of miles. You only need to fall to your knees. You only need to lift your hands. You only need to stop running and simply go to Him in prayer. You simply worship Him.

 

As to your physical, emotional, and spiritual needs? Jesus has those. Worship Him by doing what He says, and He will handle them. I leave you today with His command as to what we are to do the day after Christmas.

 

Matthew 6:33
But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

Gifts - It's What Christmas Is All About

Christmas is about gifts. It would be hard for most of us to deny that statement. And who hasn’t heard the old adage, it’s better to give than receive? All my life I’ve heard people say that and for many adults, they believe that. Not me. I’m not going to lie; I like getting gifts as much as giving them. Truthfully? Maybe more. Nothing cranks me up more than getting a gift. I’m very materialistic. I like stuff.

Yesterday, my family celebrated Christmas. We exchanged gifts and I got some cool stuff. Last night, my wife and I exchanged gifts. I got some cool stuff. This morning my youngest daughter will come over and we will, once again, exchange gifts. Whatever she gives me, will be cool stuff.

But you know what? Even though some of the stuff I got for Christmas is cool stuff, the reason I loved getting them goes beyond that. What I really love about getting a gift is that it means I have some one in my life, who took the time to give it to me. It doesn’t matter whether they spent hours walking a store struggling to pick something out, or they simply went on Amazon and selected off my wish list that I set up prior to Christmas. They still thought of me enough to do that. That means a lot to me. More than they know.

Oh, that saying I referred to above? It’s more than an old adage. It derives from a direct quote from the Bible and right from the mouth of Jesus as Luke quotes him.

Acts 20:35
 "In everything I showed you that by working hard in this manner you must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'"

Jesus, Himself, said “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” Hmm? Sounds like I have my priorities wrong. But no where here does Jesus say it’s not okay to receive. It is. But what Jesus is saying to us that we will find even greater joy when we give to others, than we get from others. As a matter of fact, it’s in the receiving of Him, upon which our entire future rests.

John 1:12
But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.

You see the best thing we can ever do, is to receive His gift. And that gift is the right to become children of God. No present under the tree will ever come close to being as wonderful as this gift. This is why we celebrate Christmas. This is why we exchange gifts. We give each other gifts and we receive gifts from each other because that is a picture of what God has done for us by sending Jesus into the world. That is what Christmas is about.

John 1:9-13
 The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.  He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him.  He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.  But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

Our salvation is a gift from God.

John 1:14
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

That is the greatest Christmas gift ever. The Word became flesh. The baby was born in a lowly manger. But that baby is the King.

I love gifts. I love giving them, I love receiving them. When we do Christmas, we are painting a picture of the greatest gift ever given. The love of God. A love so great, so deep, so wide, that He would send His one and only Son, that in Him, we may have eternal life.

Have you received the gift?

As you celebrate Christmas, and both give and receive, remember that all good things come from God. But the best gift ever given is the giving of Jesus.

Receive the gift. Share the gift. Tell others that Jesus came into the world to save us from our sins. That God has given us this wonderful gift. Tell them to receive it and the right to become children of God. That’s the greatest gift. We can receive it. We can share it.

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

 

 

Thoughts On the Holy Spirit

A few facts from scripture that speak of the Holy Spirit.

1. John 16:8-11

"And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment; concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me; and concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father and you no longer see Me; and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged.

He came to convict us. Both believers and non-believers, about sin, righteousness, and judgment.

2. Ephesians 4:30

Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

We grieve the Holy spirit when

A.) we do wrong - Sin

B.) don't do what's right - righteousness

C.) fail to see that we are not living as we should - judgment

3. 1 Thessalonians 5:19

Do not quench the Spirit

This may be the greatest failing in the modern church today. Our faith is based on the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit who is working in us to do God's work. No, we cannot believe all spirits, but must test all things to see if they are from God. But we must not ignore the fact that we are indwelled by a supernatural power that gives each us a gift and that gift transcends our natural abilities.

Our God is a God of power and the Christian faith is to be lived out in the supernatural power of God. But to fully walk in the power of the Holy Spirit we must let Him do the work in us. We must let Him have control. We must decrease; He must increase. When we are weak; He is strong.

What God Says, Jesus Says

Recently, yet another Christian celebrity in a public interview, refused to answer a direct question when asked if a particular behavior, was a sin. I’m not going to name the celebrity here, nor am I going to name the specific sin, (it is a sin according to the Bible), because the focus doesn’t need to be on one person or even one sin, but on those who seem afraid as Christians, to speak truth when that truth is unpopular in the world today.

There has been a flurry of articles in the media about why the response is ok in the eyes of the author. In these responses are a very serious error. One of the main reasons given for why some Christians are hesitant to speak against a specific sin is that they say, “Well, Jesus never talked about that. He never said it was a sin.”

There are several reasons why that response is wrong. First of all, neither Jesus nor God made a complete list of every specific sin. The Bible would be so thick, no one could carry one around. Jesus never spoke about it being a sin to have sex with a child. He never addressed abortion. (I know, some of you think that’s okay as well. If you do? Well, you might want to avoid me in the future.) Jesus never said you cannot add extra hours to your time sheet at work. Yet, the basic moral law is embedded within scripture and once the Holy Spirit takes up residence inside of a believer, he is able to discern sinful behaviors and actions.

An even more important point to grasp is found in the Gospel of John.

John 3:34
"For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God; for He gives the Spirit without measure.”

Jesus and God are one. This is basic Christianity. The verse above is speaking of the incarnate Christ, who came to the earth and speaks the Word of God. John 1 even tells us Jesus is the Word. What God says in the Old Testament, what He calls sin, is sin in the eyes of Jesus, as well.

John 10:30
"I and the Father are one."

If God calls something a sin, Jesus calls it a sin. Looking at scripture and trying to manufacture excuses for us to be able to stay in our sins, for whatever reason, is wrong and as a Christian, is dangerous ground to be on.

I understand the pressures of Christian celebrities. Especially in this age where everything we say is plastered on social media. But we are called to die to ourselves. We may not be killed for our faith, but we must be willing to lose earthly things for it. That’s in the Bible. Look it up. Christian celebrities have been given a platform to stand for God. I know that is tough. But they don’t mind receiving the blessings that their God-given gifts have brought to them in terms of lifestyle. They must be willing to stand for truth.

This applies to us all. The world is watching us. We are called to be salt AND light, not just light. Salt will burn when put into a wound and the world around us is lost and needs Christ. The world is severely wounded. The Gospel is going to offend sinners.

I am not saying we go Westboro Baptist on people. That’s wrong. But when someone asks us a direct question about our faith, we need to answer from scripture. If someone says to you, “Is it a sin to be (fill in the blank), we need to simply point them to scripture and say according to God, yes, it is. We need to explain to them the whole Gospel. Those questions are openings to share and to lead people to the true Gospel, the one that causes new birth, makes people new creations.

Christians, we live in difficult times and our faith is going to cost us. Let us not deny the truth of the scriptures, let us preach the Gospel, unashamedly. Let us show people that they are sinners, desperately in need of a savior. That’s the salt. Then let us show them the light. Tell then that “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” But for those not in Christ Jesus? There is only judgment.

Don’t apologize for God. Preach His Word boldly. That’s what the Great Commission is. Don’t change what God says. You don’t have to. He knows what He is doing. Salvation is from the Lord. – Jonah 2:9, not from us.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Remebering the Ascension of Christ

We celebrate Christmas and talk of the birth of Jesus. Good Friday comes next and we remember the day He died on the cross. Easter comes, and we rightly celebrate the resurrection of our Savior, for our faith rests upon it. But we rarely speak of the ascension. Yet, it has its place in our hearts as well, for in His ascension comes the very power to live out our Christian lives. Because Christ ascended into heaven, He sent the Holy Spirit to live within us. Because He ascended and sits at the right hand of the father, He intercedes for us. Because He ascended, we see that His work is complete in securing salvation to all who would receive Him, to those who believe in His name.

I finished my study this morning of the Gospel of Luke. It ends like this.

Luke 24:50-53 

And He led them out as far as Bethany, and He lifted up His hands and blessed them. While He was blessing them, He parted from them and was carried up into heaven. And they, after worshiping Him, returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple praising God.

They worshiped Him. They had great joy. So, they continually went to the temple to praise Him.

Shouldn't we do the same thing? Worship and praise Him with great joy, for He has come as a babe, lived a perfect, sinless life, went to the cross and paid the penalty of our imperfect, sinful lives, died and was resurrected, and then ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of the Father.

Tomorrow, I'm on to the Gospel of John. A new beginning.

John 1:1 

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

Hiding From God

You ever do something that you know was wrong, but you got away with it? That feeling of relief that comes after that period of time when you sweat it out, just wondering if anyone saw or if anyone saw you do it. Most of the time we reach a point where we think, "Yea, I'm good. No one caught me." Admit it. We all have. I know my list is long of things I "got away" with.

Guess what? I have bad news. It doesn't matter if not one single person on this earth saw you do it. It doesn't matter that even if they did, they cannot prove it. Or if those in authority over you, people like teachers, parents, pastors, cops, or judges, have been duped by your supposed innocence. Read this, my friends.

Hebrews 4:13

And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

None of us have gotten away with one single thing. God has seen it. We are naked before Him and we must, we will give an account. That's pretty scary. Oh. I don't believe in God you say, so I'm good. Hah. Nice try. It doesn't matter if you believe in God. He exists, and He is real, and you will give an account.

Good news; There is an escape clause.

Jesus came to save us from the penalty of our sins. That is why He was born and why Christmas matters.

You cannot hide from God. But you can draw near and find salvation in Christ. He is waiting for you.

Isaiah 55:6-7
 “Seek the LORD while he may be found; call upon him while he is near;  let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

The Excuse of Our sin

“An excuse is worse and more terrible than a lie; for an excuse is a lie guarded.” That is a quote from an 18^th century poet named Alexander Pope and it really nails home the reality of what we do when we make excuses.

Excuses have been the tool of mankind since the very beginning when Eve took the first bite of the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden. God was explicit in the command when he told Adam and Eve, they could eat of any tree in the garden but the one in the middle. And after they got caught by God, both made an excuse.

Adam’s excuse was that she gave it to him.

Genesis 3:12
The man said, "The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me from the tree, and I ate."

Eve’s response was also to blame someone else.

Genesis 3:13
Then the LORD God said to the woman, "What is this you have done?" And the woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate."

The simple truth is that both knew better. God had spoken directly to them. Thus, was born the excuse. And we haven’t let up since. We make excuses for everything these days. It is a culture of, “It’s not my fault.” We make up little reasons for why we do what we do and why we don’t do what we ought. We are lying about our own responsibility.

There are as many excuses as there are sins and we Christians are just as guilty as the non-believers. It’s crazy that we do this because it really isn’t necessary. When we sin against God, we have an advocate, Jesus, who sits at the right hand of the Father. Jesus paid the price of our sins and the process of repentance and forgiveness is not based on our faithfulness, but on God’s.

1 John 1:9
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

But when we fail to fully confess our sins by excusing them? We are saying we really aren’t responsible. Read the follow up to 1 John 1:9;

1 John 1:10
If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us.

Sadly, the modern church seems reluctant to preach the message of sin these days. Instead, the messages are soft and under the excuse of not offending anyone, afraid they won’t come to receive the Gospel, they preach a one-sided message of love that is mostly void of the truth of God’s justice and His hatred of sin.

One of these excuse that I hear from brothers and sisters in Christ these days when the topic of personal sin comes up, is that sanctification is a process. Sure, we are called to become like Christ, but not today, they cry. It takes time.

Ok, I agree, it does. But that is not an excuse for your sin. It does not give us the freedom to keep living in the same sins. We cannot live out the Christian life and expect God’s blessings when we excuse our sin.

God hates our sin. He does. And, while His mercy and grace flow lavishly upon us through the substitutionary work of Christ on the cross, He still commands us to obey His commands. Samuel warned Saul of this very thing.

1 Samuel 15:22
Samuel said, "Has the LORD as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices As in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams.

His message gets even harder in the next verse.

1 Samuel 15:23
"For rebellion is as the sin of divination, And insubordination is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, He has also rejected you from being king."

 

Purposely excusing our sin and as seen above, even trying to make up for it through sacrifice or giving and serving, is not what God wants from us. He wants obedience. He even sent His Holy Spirit to live in us and we have the power to obey. We have God’s power to overcome. We need to stop making excuses.

 

The Word of God has provided the instructions on how we are to live. The Sprit of God has provided the power. We are without excuse. It is time we preach the truth. It is time we encourage each other to walk in the Spirit. It is time we not be offended by talk of holiness and when confronted with the scriptures, it is time we listen to God.

 

I close with a very important warning that we must adhere to.

 

2 Timothy 4:1-5
I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom:  preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction.  For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths.  But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.

 

Do reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction.

 

Don’t tickle ears.

 

Preach the Word.