Monthly Archives: November 2016

Turning Aside

Exodus 3:2-4 And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. So he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed. 3 Then Moses said, “I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush does not burn.” 4 So when the Lord saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.”

What if Moses never went back, or to, to the burning bush of God? What if he was too busy, too scared, too pre-occupied to even notice it? I mean, if you have read your Bible, much of the Bible hinges upon Moses approaching the burning bush. All of Israel’s story that plays out after captivity is a result of Moses following that tug God placed on his heart. God’s will for history would have been perfected in another way, but history’s account would have been different from Moses’ account as a result of not “turning aside” to investigate. What have you missed for any of those reasons……how has history changed because you did not turn aside? Will we ever know? Will we have missed out on incredible parts of the writing of history because for any reason we had any excuse to not slow down and approach God? Will we have missed out on an intimacy that was eternally rewarding to have been used by God to accomplish his will for humanity? Will those in our circle of influence be effected by our neglect? Will we ever know……

So many times the word of the Lord is not as loud and clear as the mystery of the burning bush. So many times the word of the Lord to us is in simple whispers within our spirit; a once felt clear concise word from the Lord only audible to those hearts seeking him. There was no doubt that Moses had a heart that sought the Lord. Do you remember Elijah, and how he sought the Lord? 1 Kings 19:11 Then He said, “Go out, and stand on the mountain before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; 12 and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice. 13 So it was, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. Suddenly a voice came to him, and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” We want the burning bushes, the clear writings, the signs such as Elijah, but God many times is the voice within us that whispers, and we must have a heart tuned to seeking to hear it. We must have a heart that seeks him in prayer and his Word daily to hear it.

I will sadly admit, there is none more worldly busy that I. Anyone that knows me will testify that I never slow down, always occupied with work, or projects, or play. The only time of rest is my early mornings seeking the Lord daily before this world begins it’s distractions. The only way I can hear God’s whisper over Satan’s shouts is the time I spend preparing myself for that war each day. If you want to hear from God, you must first “turn aside” from all that seeks to keep you from hearing from God.

Stand out from the Crowd

Psalm 23: The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. 3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. 4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me 5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

I sat on the front porch this morning in the peace of an early Saturday morning before dawn. I had lie awake earlier for a while thinking about many big things in my life. Contemplating many paths, reviewing many outcomes, and possible changes in direction for me and my family. The Lord has been laying on my heart a change; unsure of what he means, but I know a change is coming. These type feelings can bring anxieties to us, cause stresses and strains on relationships, cause us to react differently than we might have if we were not under a stress or trial in our lives. There are underlying tones in all of us; reasons we say what we say, react as such, and how we handle the daily duties of life. God has allowed, many times designed, all that we face in life; that is a simple understanding of his sovereignty. Even understanding that, our sin-filled nature wants to war with that. Our flesh wants us to worry, to stress, to react as though God is not in control; to react as though the sheep of David’s Psalm would, if they did not have the Great Shepard watching over them. All of this Psalm above is one of the peace that comes with even a small understanding that God is in control of our lives. Likely in this King James Version, we have all heard it at funerals; a Psalm of peace that God has taken a loved one from this life into the next. That context is OK, but in reality, David is speaking of the context of God’s care for us here, in the now, in the daily shepherding of those who know his name, and respond as such. John 10:14 I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. 15 As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. 16 And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd. Even in the incredible trials of life, God is with you, caring for you, if you will only listen to him and have the peace that comes with that.

I found myself in Nahum later, reading of God’s impending judgement on evil. I read of Nahum’s call to repent, for Nineveh to turn from their wicked ways again, and for God to possibly spare them again….it didn’t happen. God wiped the wicked city from history, even after using them to judge the sins of Israel earlier in time. God used this evil society for his purposes, but that did not excuse them from accountability to God. Surely even some in that day, God opened their eyes to their sins, and they repented and were saved, we only can hope so. But, even in this entire prophecy of impending doom, in vivid detail, a prophecy that is somewhat hard to read, Nahum reminds some that God knows who loves him. God knows who fears him and has dedicated their lives to him, even in an evil environment. Nahum 1:7 The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; and He knows those who trust in Him. Do not fear when you see the world failing around you. Do not be scared to stand out from the crowd as a believer in Jesus Christ. Do not fear the ridicule or persecution you may face as a Christian; Nahum may be speaking of you, even from thousands of years ago in his prophecy, before God judges the world again.

Blessings and Responsibility

1 Samuel 1:12-18 And it happened, as she continued praying before the Lord, that Eli watched her mouth. 13 Now Hannah spoke in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard. Therefore Eli thought she was drunk. 14 So Eli said to her, “How long will you be drunk? Put your wine away from you!” 15 And Hannah answered and said, “No, my lord, I am a woman of sorrowful spirit. I have drunk neither wine nor intoxicating drink, but have poured out my soul before the Lord. 16 Do not consider your maidservant a wicked woman, for out of the abundance of my complaint and grief I have spoken until now.” 17 Then Eli answered and said, “Go in peace, and the God of Israel grant your petition which you have asked of Him.” 18 And she said, “Let your maidservant find favor in your sight.” So the woman went her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad.

I have been reading first Samuel this morning. Reading of Hannah pouring out her heart to God; reading of her fulfilling her promise dedicating Samuel because God answered her prayers. I have been contemplating the failures of Eli, the priest, and the consequences that came from God as a result of Eli “withholding the rod” of punishment for the sins of his two sons. As you continue to read through Samuel you see the fulfillment of these things, and the gravity of our accountability to God will surely set in. I believe as parents, especially as fathers, we many times do not grasp the truth found in our accountability to God for how we lead, or fail to lead, our family before God. Every father will answer for not only himself, but for his family, his wife and his children.

So many times, just as in these biblical times, the priests and pastors forget their ministry at home. They become so wrapped up in the ministry God has called them to at church, they forget their first ministry at home. Eli had failed greatly with his two sons, and paid eternally for his misguided intentions. Ephesians 6:1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 “Honor your father and mother,” which is the first commandment with promise: 3 “that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.” 4 And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord. So many of us want to be our children’s friends, but not the biblical parents that the Bible demands. The failures are playing out before us in a society of generational failures in this regards; lack of respect for authority begins at a very young age, in the home.

I surfed through social media this morning, seeing the “thankful” posts of so many. The majority of them were pics of our families, which are true blessings from God. With these blessings come responsibilities, and it reminds me of the parable of the talents in Matthew’s gospel. These responsibilities are God trusting us with blessings from God, children are many times answered prayers such has Hannah, a blessing and responsibility that she responded to justly, and had a great reward. Her barren womb produced five more children. Hannah likely will hear those words we should all desire to hear from Jesus, Matthew 25:21 His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’

Pure Righteousness Pursuit

Matthew 5:6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled.

I was reading the first four chapters of Matthew this morning, witnessing the fulfilled prophecies of Christ’s birth and the change that came with him. God moved him from Bethlehem, to Egypt, to Galilee, for many reasons, and those many reasons were proofs of who He was, and is. John the Baptist was another, being the forerunner to Christ, proclaiming the message of repentance, and the baptism (submersion) for those sins. All these things that happened early in Jesus’ life, in John’s life, were a great proclamation of change to the world. All these things were a point in history that forever changed the world. Jesus was so great that kings tried to kill him, and John was the greatest who ever lived (by Jesus’ own account), and his message so powerful that people came into the desert to hear him. This message of change is called repentance, a turning away and a point of change in one’s life; your life should never be the same.

We are at a point in our history, a point whereas a nation such as Israel, we need to repent and turn from our wicked and sinful ways. You must surely see the level of sin in our land; or let me be clearer, I pray that God has not blinded you to the level of sin among us. Our nation is looking to saviors who promise to return us to greatness, but our hearts are looking at the wrong savior, and we should be directing our eyes to the only Savior, Jesus Christ. We are at a turning point in our history were even many Christians are deceived, they are lost in religion such as Israel was thousands of years ago. We are mired in our sins and relying on our works to rescue us from them. We have watered down the gospel of Jesus to attract crowds, to pack pews, and it has become so weak that it may not save many. Only by the grace of God will he stir the hearts of even the supposed religious to true repentance, a true turning to Jesus in the humble hearts of discipleship, living their lives here producing heavenly fruit to the One who grants them eternal life. Even John warned the religious of the day when they came to him with an unpure spirit; Matthew 3:7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, 9 and do not think to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. 10 And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

This is a time in history of change, a time when God is going to be drawing up prophets that come like John in a wilderness, ministries that are different from what tickles the ears of our nation today; ministries that preach God’s truths of the Bible, that speak against society and call for our nation to repent. They will be unpopular, but God will draw those who seek righteousness to them, purifying those that come to them. God will be working out his eternal plan for humanity in these coming days and years before Jesus’ immanent return. Are you ready if God is tugging at your heart to call for your circle to repent? Do you remember the words of God to Solomon after he finished building the temple? 2 Chronicles 7:12 Then the Lord appeared to Solomon by night, and said to him: “I have heard your prayer, and have chosen this place for Myself as a house of sacrifice. 13 When I shut up heaven and there is no rain, or command the locusts to devour the land, or send pestilence among My people, 14 if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. 15 Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to prayer made in this place. God did not promise a life of ease to his people, but a life of sacrifice from his people. When times get hard, and they will, are you prepared to keep your hearts aligned with Jesus? Are you prepared to proclaim repentance to Jesus? Are you prepared to pursue righteousness, purely, with a heart that desires God above all else? Your reward awaits you in heaven with him.

Homeless

1 Peter 2:11 Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul,

The feeling of not belonging has become an underlying tone in my life. Deep seeded darkness lies in the revelations of these feelings that lie deep under the surface of a daily battle I face. The fleshly lusts Paul describes here are a weapon that Satan uses in the warfare of my soul, played out on a field I cannot touch, but can feel and see. This passage is a special one to me, speaks directly to my struggle, and even the author in my favorite study Bible expounds it well. “With these words, Peter reminds believers that this earth is not our home. We are foreigner here, traveling to our eternal home, heaven. Life is not a game but a war to be waged, and that war is a matter of eternal life or death (Romans. 7:23, James 4:1.) Yet the war is not necessarily fought on a physical, temporal plane, but on a spiritual one.” The battle of one’s mind is such a warfare, and it is only fought on the field that we understand by the conscious act of daily pursuing God in prayer and his Word.

I was talking with our boys last night about how I am still diligently pursuing my dream of finding country land to return to. It is ever increasing that our family farm is no longer our home, as it is swallowed up by the city and all the chaos that comes with it. It deeply saddens me to raise our boys here; this is not our home. That same feeling is relative to what Peter is telling the Christians thousands of years ago, and is just as true today. They many times feared for their lives, they could easily be put to death for their faith. They suffered greatly and were different from the mainstream of society, much as one who tries to live biblically in a society today that has watered down the gospel from the fear of it’s offense. Churches today sadly many times are so worried about the offense, they forget the truth offends. What did Jesus say about his gospel “34 “Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. 35 For I have come to ‘set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law’; 36 and ‘a man’s enemies will be those of his own household.’ 37 He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. 38 And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. 39 He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.”( Matthew 10.)

How much do you love your family? Do you love them enough to proclaim His gospel that offends? Do you love them enough to not care if they call you religious, if they call you crazy, if they quit calling you at all? Do you love Jesus more than you love them? We cannot ignore Peter’s warning here either; the war of our desires that play such a part in the war against our souls. I know my particular struggles, my hidden sins that Satan uses against me. I know that terrible gut feeling I get when I succumb to them, the feeling of a lost battle. I am consistently reminded of God’s mercy in my failures, consistently amazed by his grace, and consciously make an effort to abstain from my sin. I do feel homeless in this world, in my community, and many times much deeper than that. I do however know that this feeling is temporal, and my heavenly mansion awaits me for eternity.

Day & Night

Psalm 63:1-8 A Psalm of David when he was in the wilderness of Judah. O God, You are my God; Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You In a dry and thirsty land Where there is no water. 2 So I have looked for You in the sanctuary, To see Your power and Your glory. 3 Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, My lips shall praise You. 4 Thus I will bless You while I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name. 5 My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness, And my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips. 6 When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches. 7 Because You have been my help, Therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice. 8 My soul follows close behind You; Your right hand upholds me.

Trouble sleeping…..many reasons; both the worldly and spiritual have my mind awake. Satan takes me down roads of worry, so my mind goes to my sanctuary, to God’s Word. The verse of the day from a Bible App is in the context above, a special Psalm of David to me, for it shows his heart to seek God early, and to seek God when he can’t sleep, times such as these; God’s perfect timing in simple things such as Bible Apps, evident to those who will seek him. God is waiting to show you how personal he is when you diligently seek him with your heart. When you move past religion to the relationship, he begins to show you how personal your Creator can be. He will give you sermons that were written just for you, bring to your memory the perfect scriptures, use people to say just the right things at just the right time, and even orchestrate circumstances that you begin to realize are only possible from God; all these become personal proofs of how big he is, and how much he loves your heart for him.

This Psalm is clearly when David is under the stress of life; likely when Saul is chasing him into the wilderness and caves fleeing for his life. Saul was delivered to David and his men hiding in a cave, and David had the opportunity to kill him. Instead, he felt it was against the will of God, so he cut off a corner of Saul’s robe, then proceeded to show Saul how close he came to killing him. Saul saw the hand of God on Davids life, and he proclaimed how David would become the king of Israel. God was at work intimately in David’s life; David listened to God’s Spirit speaking inside of him, instead of the outwardly voices of his warriors, pleading for him to fix things the worldly way. David quotes in this passage one of my prayers I still quote today, “in the shadow of Your wings.” If we come to realize wherever we are in our lives, even under the most duress, that we are still in God’s will for our lives, the peace of God is with us. Philippians 4:6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Where do you go when you cannot sleep? Where do you go first when you awake to the new day? Do you realize they both show the level of your relationship with God? Do you realize that if you search out the worldly news, numb your mind through any TV media, search through social media, pick up a novel, or numb the pain of the day or night with worldly medications, you are not seeking or trusting God with all your heart. You would have likely listened to your soldiers and killed Saul, because you weren’t seeking God day and night. Matthew 6:33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

FB Delete Button

1 Peter 4:7-8 But the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers. 8 And above all things have fervent love for one another, for “love will cover a multitude of sins.”

Do you ever have “religious” dreams? Do you ever see the symbolism in your dreams, sometimes awakening with a huge question regarding them? I very rarely, I mean almost never, remember my dreams. I wish I did, for I do believe it is rest for the soul and mind as we sleep many times. Tonight I awoke with one on my heart; strange as all dreams are, and filled with religious symbolism. I lie there awake trying to remember and process what happened. As the minutes slipped by, I could feel Satan stealing away whatever it was, and I arose to pray and seek God in his Word for whatever he was laying on my heart about the forgiveness of the multitude of sins. I continued to read in 1st Peter from where I was yesterday; as I passed through it’s chapters I knew this was what it was above.

Surely some part of you sees the gravity of this world we live in; surely the need for addressing the direct need for your heart for God is evident. This world is slipping away, and these words of Peter to the return of Jesus are a warning to our generation. My prayer is that God has not blinded your heart to the truth of his imminent return to reclaim his church and judge this world’s sin. Are you living with both the gravity and the joy of that understanding? Peter has been addressing the government, the authority, and the respect the Christian must have for all; just as our nation is divided right now over such. 1 Peter 2:17 Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king. I have never seen our nation so divided. I have never seen such hate from supposed Christians to each other, to those who disagree over politics, over the corrupt governing laws that protect the sins of the world, produced by a sinful government. Christians are defending a corrupt political system with a passion that should be reserved for proclaiming the Truth’s found in the Bible; we are defending sin, rather than proclaiming it, and sharing the gospel of Jesus as the rescuer from it; we are mired in our own sin.

One cannot mis-interpret Peters passage above as doctrine; as that love for anything, or anyone, will render one’s heart justified, or forgiven before God. One’s love is useless eternally without the understanding of the Gospel; the understanding that only Jesus’ sacrifice can pay our sin debt due to a Holy, Righteous God. I truly believe when one seeks to be right with God, seeking him daily in prayer and his Word, the natural outpouring of love is a byproduct of one’s heart for Him. I love how Matthew Henry put it, “The right ordering of the body is of great use to promote the good of the soul. When the appetites and inclinations of the body are restrained and governed by God’s word and true reason, and the interests of the body are submitted to the interests and necessities of the soul, then it is not the soul’s enemy, but its friend and helper.” Peter is calling for us to love one another, to avoid all contentions with one another, and through all this Jesus is shown to the world by our love. Is all the world in social media seeing the love of Christ through the Christian’s posts? Find your delete button.

Light up the Room

1 John 4:17-19 Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. 19 We love Him because He first loved us.

You cannot read anything that John wrote in the Bible and not see love. If there was one word to capture all of John’s writings, it would be love. Love soaks all his writings; sometimes seemingly you wonder how it all doesn’t become redundant, but yet the Spirit gives you glimpses of John’s heart, and maybe He opens your eyes to a little understanding of why John was special to Jesus; he was described as the one Jesus loved, and that level of their intimacy is evident in the New Testament. John’s gospel never speaks of repentance; John’s writings only speak of one’s heart condition; John was the only apostle to not die the martyrs death; John was given a special gift from God, a special gift for Jesus, and an encouragement to all of us even today. John understood love, exemplified love, and wrote of how we all are to pursue it with all our hearts, and the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guide us through life, and to a deeper relationship with Him.

Do you see in the passage above how the word “perfect” is used? Perfected can only describe Jesus; none other can claim that title. John speaks of how He was both manifested to us, and indwells in us. It is a sad state that so many of us Christians wash over the power of the Holy Spirit of GOD that dwells in us. We claim Christianity and yet we live for this world outside of the Sunday rituals and random pleas or prayers. We miss the intimacy, the strength, wisdom, power, boldness, fearlessness, power of GOD that dwells within us, because we become focused on the world, and the ruler of the world seeks only to steal, kill, and destroy. There are countless examples, analogies, and even understandings at worldly standards in the Bible of how good and evil cannot coexist. For example, light and darkness: The darkest space is dispelled with the slightest light, the greater the light, the weaker the darkness. 1 John 1:5 This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If you will seek the wisdom of God, and seek a depth of understanding in this simple analogy, He will shed light to your mind through your heart. He will begin to open your eyes to understanding of the power of light over darkness, the power of him that resides in you! It is only through a humble heart that God imparts this wisdom. It is only through a pure heart that is seeking an intimacy of God to know more and become his disciple. Theses conditions of the heart permeate John’s writings.

When God grants you a glimpse of these levels of love, it comes with great boldness and power. It likely comes with a glimpse of his sovereignty, for you will begin to see the level of love he poured out on us while we were still sinners. This glimpse of the power and love of God will bring the boldness in the coming day of his judgement of the world, for you have no fear of it. You have a holy reverent fear of your Lord God, but you rest in the assurance of where you lie for eternity with him. This boldness he uses for your short time here to minister to his saints, to encourage those on the outside, to boldly witness of the gospel of Jesus Christ, to be a light to those still in the dark. 2 Corinthians 4:6 For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. This world will never be the same today, for we are one day closer to Jesus Christ’s return. The election has passed, and we are set for God’s design for our nations future with a new leader. God does not need, but he does desire, to use you for his heavenly purposes to boldly proclaim the only Savior for this world. God wants to use and exemplify the level of his love to this world who is angry. Let the light of God shine today, increase his light by seeking him in prayer and his Word. He wants to use you to light up the room.

Steel Toed Boots

James 4:6 But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.”

There are only a very few people in this stage of my life that, “get me.” There are only a few of you that truly know my passion for the Lord, truly understand why I do what I do. God has let me travel down this road of life, even building a season of rebellion, to now draw glory to himself. God has built a ministry of repentance in me; for a season of my life I lived in steep rebellion, and now I understand the cleansing effects of daily repentance. You see for a portion of my life, a life in rebellion against God, I cared not what anybody thought, I did what pleased me. I lived a life of great sins, from one pleasure to another, and was many times the center of attention because I didn’t care. For good, or mostly bad reasons, I did and said whatever pleased me and you were just along for the show. There was nothing I didn’t think I could do, and took countless risks to obtain. Pride was the root of my life, the root of my sin, and when God began to take great blows of sanctification to me, he began with my physical strength, even unto this day. Pride was the root of my sin.

My passion in this life is sharing Jesus with you, and becoming a disciple of his through living a daily, abiding walk with him as he called us to do. Luke 9:23 Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. The hard part of my passion is where God has called me clearly to call out the church, to call out the Christians, to call out those of us who profess Christ, but live for this world and the pleasures of it. Part of me wishes he placed a burden on my heart for evangelism, professing Christ to those who had not heard; an easier ministry if you will. But you see…..he built my testimony, and my ministry for 40 years. I was saved as a child, rebelled for a season, and by the grace of God came to understand the level of my sin. So many of us who profess Christ, rest of the false assurance of our church attendance records, once professed moments of time, or just not really being that bad of a person. See if you can find those in the Bible. Jesus condemned the religious, nowhere is the sinners prayer covered in hyper grace, and one sin is equal to total sin; only the understanding and acceptance of God’s grace through Jesus’ atonement for you is where the keys to heaven lie. Jesus calls for our lives to change when we begin to understand this grace. He calls us to become his disciples, to live the remainder of our lives in service to him. To put him above everything and everyone else in our lives, to become our Lord. Luke 14:26 “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. 27 And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.

You see…..my circle of friends has gotten smaller through the years. A life seeking attention became a life seeking none. A life of pride became a life of humility. A life of sin became a life of repentance. I must repent daily of my failures, my sins, my struggles. I have men in my life who I know bring Godly wisdom and accountability to me. I truly know there hearts for the Lord, and respect and listen to their advice. We all need those such people in our lives. There is nothing I wish more than to spend eternity in heaven with you, even if it means this season apart. If God uses me to convict you, maybe you will understand the life of a disciple. If I step on your toes and it hurts, wear steel toed boots. All in love, all for the glory of God, all for Jesus.

Only ONE

Matthew 4:19 Then He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

Your president is going to fail you.
Your pastor is going to fail you.
Your boss is going to fail you.
Your spouse is going to fail you.
Your kiddos are going to fail you.
Your parents are going to fail you.
Your teachers, idols, friends, co-workers…..everybody is going to fail you.
Expect and accept it.
Beware and prepare for it, most likely it is when you need it most.
Prepare for things that are dear to you, to pass by easily to them.
Prepare for things that stir your soul, to barely cause a ripple in theirs.
Human nature…….is sin filled….and sin disappoints.
Jesus is perfected, holy, sinless and he never disappoints, never changes, never fails.

Hebrews 13:5 Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” 6 So we may boldly say: “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?”

Yesterday I was crushed as my pastor and my deacon brothers tried something new in observance of the Lord’s Supper. In the short time I pastored a church, leading communion I think four times, there is nothing that I held more sacred than the observance of that ritual that symbolizes everything that Christ did for us; to quote from the Bible as Jesus spoke to his disciples that night, carries an incredible weight on every pastors shoulders. I had served communion many times as a deacon, but until I felt that weight, I never truly understood. I did my best to convey the depth of it each time, and how we are to come to the alter clean, or not come to the alter at all. This is literally the only religious ritual that I hold dear.

The only way you will ever feel the weight of the Lord’s Supper is for God to place it on your heart. The only way he will, is for you to seek him in prayer or his Word, or if by divine design his plans include opening you up to that glimpse of understanding of his condescending love for you……unto death. Jesus created you, sustains you, and died for you, all so that you may spend eternity with him; he paid the ultimate price, a price you cannot pay, so that you may be in the presence for eternity with a holy God. It boggles the mind the depth of love he has for you and me, even as the sinners we are. Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. We are all going to fail each other every day, even when we are trying to do good and maybe different things, we will disappoint somebody. It doesn’t mean we don’t love them, or even don’t love Jesus, it just means we can’t get all of life right. Only one guy did……..and we call him Jesus.