Individuals that God uses in a special way are often put through deeper and more difficult trials than others. We see this throughout Scripture. You cannot name a single individual used greatly by God that did not face fire, opposition, sickness, hardship, persecution and testing. In fact, you often see a correlation between the depth of their despair and the height to which God uses them after they have been proven by the testing. The deeper the pit the higher the mountaintop to follow. This is counterintuitive to our way of thinking (and, sadly, also counter to much of what today is proclaimed as “gospel”). Why would a loving God not treat His children better?
Revelation 13:7
(The beast) was given power to wage war against God’s holy people and to conquer them. …
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The fact that you are reading this indicates we survived the Mayan “end of the world” December 21. That’s nice but it doesn’t mean an apocalyptic end is not coming. This passage warns us one is coming. But doesn’t this passage seem strange to you?
Biblically we know any power originates in God so whatever power the beast has ultimately comes from God. The beast is given power, from God, to conquer God’s people. Lord, I see a few reasons You would do this but it still confuses me that these folks, who have your Word and all its wonderful promises of overcoming Satan, are going to be conquered. That seems strange to me.
Then I think of Mary. Gabriel appears telling her she will become pregnant by the Holy Spirit – a story folks are not likely to believe. (Luke 1) You could have had Gabriel tell the whole town or tell her parents so at least they would believe her story. Instead, you do it privately and let her bare the ridicule that certainly accompanied such a fantastic story. I can see some reasons You would do that but it still seems strange to me. Continue reading →
1 Peter 1:15, 16
But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”
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There can be no question that God wants believers to live our lives differently than we did before we became His children. If a profession of faith does not lead to a changed life there is reason to wonder if there has truly been a “born again”, “new creature” experience at the level of the spirit.
However, in my life, this has also led to discouragement, frustration and a near hopelessness because I am so aware of the fact that, though “The Spirit itself beareth witness with (my) spirit, that” I am a child of God (Romans 8:16) I still am no where near “holy in all I do”. Continue reading →
Some Christians refuse to serve in the military on religious grounds. So what of those who do serve? Are they disobeying God? In honor of Veteran’s Day let’s look into God’s Word and see what HE has to say.
Someone wrote and asked: In reading I came across this. What do you think about these statements? “Because of our rebellion and disobedience we are separated from God and we do not experience His love. As long as we are going our own way and doing our own thing we do not experience God’s love. In order to experience God’s love we must be ‘born again.'”
ANSWER: I disagree. I appreciate what he is trying to say but thankfully you do not have to be born again to experience God’s love. Continue reading →
Romans 13:1
Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.
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Christians talk about how important it is to vote but then they also say whoever gets elected – good, bad or really bad – was put there by God. So, what is the point in voting if God determines who gets elected anyway? That used to confuse me.
1 John 3:2
Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.
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This is perhaps my favorite passage of Scripture – a passage that promises great hope and change. A sure hope that in our struggle against sin there is a coming change. Check out the promise this passage makes.
It says right now, this moment, we are children of God – done deal, sealed and sure – we are His. But often I still act like my old self, battling the old nature, struggling, failing and living below what God has for me. If what I am experiencing now is all there is to being a child of God, frankly, it just isn’t that glorious.
Someone asked me what I thought about the Machine Gun Preacher, Sam Childers, the former motorcycle gang member, now a Christian, who leads armed attacks to rescue children in Sudan. Is it right to kill people to rescue others? Is he doing a good thing or just using the methods of the world to try to accomplish God’s goals? He has even come under fire from people in the area where he is trying to help children.
So is Sam a hero or a villain? Saint or another misguided follower of the Prince of Peace?
My opinion is ….. drum roll, please … I am glad I do not have to have an opinion. Sam is not working for me. He is not my servant, he is the Lord’s.
Romans 14:4
Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.
Why is it we think we have to have an opinion on everything no matter how ignorant we are of the topic? Worse yet, why is it our opinion is always right? There is not a single opinion I hold or you hold that is not the correct one. (Because if we thought our opinion was wrong we would change it.)
Opinions are like navels. Everyone has one. They aren’t of much value and it is usually wise to not go around showing it to everyone.
I look at it like this. I will not have to give account to God for anything Sam is doing unless … unless I choose to judge him. Then I will give account to God for my judgment of him. The list of things I have already got to give account for is long enough. Why add Sam to my list?
I have discovered I have never had anything I did not say come back to haunt me. How much trouble could we avoid if we simply kept silent more? Could your life be happier and smoother, and less to talk to God about later, if you followed the advice of Will Rogers who said, “Never miss a good chance to shut up.”
Let’s hear it for … silence.
___________________ 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12 Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you,so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.
Proverbs 17:28
Even a fool is thought wise if he keeps silent, and discerning if he holds his tongue.
James 3:2
We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check.
Acts 15:28-29 [the church in Jerusalem is telling the new Gentile converts that they do not have to obey the entire law of Moses but here were some things they should not do.] “For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay upon you no greater burden than these essentials: that you abstain from things sacrificed to idols and from blood and from things strangled and from fornication; if you keep yourselves free from such things, you will do well.
Wow. It sure was easy to be a Christian back then wasn’t it? Just four things to avoid and “you will do well”. In 2000 years we have added a lot to that list haven’t we? But, though these are called “essentials”, Paul later changes some of these requirements based upon the situation. Can something be right for one person but wrong for another person? Are there only two choices? Here is a summary of what the Word says.
Idols really are nothing but wood or stone. But some people who used to worship idols may have a hard time feeling right about eating meat offered to idols. If that is the case, even though there is nothing intrinsically wrong with eating it, it would be wrong for them to violate their conscience. Furthermore, even though I realize there is nothing wrong with eating meat offered to idols, if I am in a situation where it will cause one who is troubled by it to either stumble by judging me or be tempted to violate their own conscience by following my lead, then I will choose to not eat meat offered to idols or any meat for that matter. My brother’s conscience is so much more important than food. [See 1 Corinthians 8 & Romans 4]
Based upon the situation, the condition of your heart and dictates of your conscience, what another person may be able to do may be wrong for you to do. Contrariwise, what another might feel is wrong may be OK for you. [Obviously we are not talking about anything in direct violation of Scriptural teaching but rather matters of conscience.] How can this be so?
God understands the weak areas of my soul, areas that might tempt me where another might not have a problem. For example, there is no Biblical command against using “a little wine for thy stomach’s sake” (1 Timothy 5:23) but because I know my biological father was often drunk, likely an alcoholic, for me it would be a violation of conscience to become a casual or social drinker. There may be propensities toward evil in our soul that we are not aware of that God wants to protect us from by telling us “No, don’t go there” when He allows others to participate freely. It is so important we listen to that inner voice and obey, even if it does not make sense or even if others, even Christians, freely participate. Additionally it is also important we not decide what is right and wrong for everyone else. (Again, we are not referring to actions the Scripture clearly calls sin.)
____________________________ Romans 14:4
Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.
Romans 7:20 But if I am doing the very thing I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me. _________________
For the longest time I thought Paul was saying. “I am not responsible for my sin”. I didn’t do it. The old “Devil made me do it” excuse. I’m not accountable for the bad things I do. I am just a victim. I am actually a good person but this old sin within me just won’t leave me alone.
This verse troubled me. It just didn’t sound right, didn’t seem to align with other Scripture, but that seemed to be what the passage was saying.
Then, when teaching a series on Romans, I had to spend considerable time pondering and meditating on the entire book. Suddenly, when I came to this chapter, I realized it was saying just the opposite of what it initially seemed to be saying. Instead of shifting the blame it was actually assuming full responsibility for the sin. Paul is saying, I am the problem. It is the sin in me. It is not my parent’s fault, my environment’s fault, society’s fault, anyone else or anything else that is responsible for the evil things I do. The sin in me is my problem.
Of course, the great news is that just as we were once slaves to the sin within us, when born again we become slaves to righteousness. (Romans 6:16-18) Now righteousness is at work within us causing us to make right choices. Oh, there is still a battle and will be until the old flesh is finally consumed but in the meantime Righteousness is our new master.
The flesh and the spirit are at war within us. Which one wins? An old fellow put it this way, “It is like I have two dogs battling within me. One wants to do good and one wants to do evil?” Someone asked him, “Which one wins?” He responded, “The one I feed the most.”
___________________________ Romans 6:19-22
19 I put this in human terms because you are weak in your natural selves. Just as you used to offer the parts of your body in slavery to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer them in slavery to righteousness leading to holiness. 20 When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. 21 What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! 22 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.
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I appreciate what he is trying to say but thankfully you do not have to be born again to experience God’s love. 
