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1 Peter 1:8-9   whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, 9 receiving the end of your faith–the salvation of your souls.

You ever have trouble putting your thoughts into words, or as you get older just getting the words out of your mind to your lips sometimes? The stress and strains of this world, the distractions and trials that are before us every day play into these problems. I could take you down countless paths of personal anxieties I am struggling with right now, but I am no different from you. All the woes that keep me awake at night are no greater than yours, and in truth are small in comparison to what I know some of you are battling. The Lord blessed me with a spirit of listening; I know not how to label it, but forever many have shared their struggles with me, opening up to things I do not have answers for, but I continually point them to Jesus, the one who is the answer to everything. I humbly will always listen to someone’s woes, always pray with them for encouragement, and hope God uses me to draw another soul closer to him for eternity. Many times my own testimony, my trials of life before and after Christ come into play, and through all of them I can share how I have become closer to the Lord even when I was struggling.

The first chapter of 1 Peter is of great encouragement at all times to us. Peter was the most zealous of all the apostles, the most outspoken, the one who forever acted before he thought, the one whom I relate to the most, for my mouth gets me in trouble too. I am zealous, passionate, unafraid to speak my mind to anyone, never withholding the truth, many take me the wrong way, and only a few truly know me and my heart. I resemble Peter more than likely anyone in the Bible. That even comes with the failure Peter had, and why the restoration of Peter by Jesus speaks to me so deeply. John 21:17 He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?” And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.” Jesus said to him, “Feed My sheep. You must come to grasp at some time in your walk of faith, the depth of that restoration of Peter by Jesus. You must come to grasp it, because it exemplifies God’s mercy upon the sinner, and the undeserving grace as an example of a love we can’t comprehend; that glimpse of understanding is your heart beginning to understand the true gospel of Jesus Christ.

1 Peter chapter one is likely the most passionate presentation of the gospel of Jesus Christ in all of the Bible. The outspoken Peter can seemingly not even put into words what it means to him. You can feel his love for God, his passion rings true with his hearts plea to live for Christ. He talks of how these problems of the world identify us with Christ, of how we are not to expect our lives here to be trouble-free, but to live our lives in reverent awe of God, and to know God is in control of it all. 15 but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.” There is nothing in this life that will draw you closer to God that your hearts desire to live for him. A heart that desires to live this life for God, to be used by God, is a heart that pleases God and will reap heavenly rewards. Don’t let Satan take you down roads of despair too far, for God gives you countless intersections to change the course. When you are struggling, God does his greatest work, and the depth of your relationship with him grows. Talk to someone who you see deal with life through their faith, and let them encourage you to do the same. God will then use your testimony to do the same for others, and his kingdom will grow, and we all get one day closer to being there with him forever.

Church open or closed?

Romans 10:17-18 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. 18 But I say, have they not heard? Yes indeed: “Their sound has gone out to all the earth, And their words to the ends of the world.”

I have watched the streams of social media announcing church closures and openings due to the weather that is upon us with the remnants of the hurricane. I understand the struggles of the pastors, the shepherds of their flocks struggling with the safety of their fold. Each congregation has a different dynamic, and presents a unique problem to their shepherd, and the right calls for safety were made in many instances, or uncontrollable circumstances. A shepherd must look out for the good of his sheep, no matter what the cost. I must also present the question of our motives to both the shepherds, and the sheep though, for I grew up in religion, and the binds of it. I grew up believing you went to church on Sunday, no matter what, and that was where you found salvation, in your church attendance record. Does the pastor even unknowingly proclaim that today? Does the pastor put such emphasis on it, they have slipped back into the old covenant, the one Jesus abolished? It is a tender subject, only answered in our pastors hearts, only between them and the Lord, but one that must be asked. If the pastors motives for Sunday’s are pure, just to see one more soul saved, and to grow the faith of the flock, God knows it and I am thankful for your heart for the lost and building disciples. 14 How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? 15 And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things!”

Now to ask the tough question to the sheep; what does Sunday mean to you? What obligation do you feel with church, with taking time out of your schedule to make time for God? It is undeniable that God tells us to gather together; we are not to do church alone or arguably some media based TV or online, for accountability is lost in that entirely. Hebrews 10:24 And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, 25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching. Right there, in black ink on white paper as Adrian Rogers said, is the command to gather together, to go to church, and even look at the urgency of it as we see the Day of Jesus’ return seeming more immanent. Church is for encouraging each other, for worshiping together, for accountability in life’s struggles to each other, for building relationships that will last an eternity. It is about hearing the word of God preached, about reaching the lost, and about building disciples to go and do both. Your church attendance record will have nothing to do with your salvation. You must come to understand that, or you will not have the salvation that understanding John 14:6 brings (I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No man comes to the Father except through Me.) Once God opens your heart to that understanding, the binds of religion are lost, the freedom of grace is found, and the urgency to share it proclaimed. You will be excited to join together with others who believe the same, and encouraged to go out into the world proclaiming the gospel to all that God has prepared to hear. Pastors, you made the right call, I pray for the right reason, and may your sheep understand grace even deeper as a result.

He holds your breath, hold onto him.

Job 12:10 In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind.

When you are part of pretty much any racing community, you really don’t like to talk about injuries, or much less death. Once the fear of either of them enters the thought process, you have lost your edge on your competition. Many will call it superstitious, many fear the power of the spoken word, not even realizing the Biblical implication. The entire Bible speaks of the power of the words we speak: Here is a great link for a short exposition of that https://www.gotquestions.org/power-of-words.html . This weekend we had a lot of injuries at the race, some bad ones within our circle of friends, and sadly a death of a track worker from possibly a heart attack or a stroke (unknown). He took his last breath, doing what he loved to do, and that was a gift from God in that. Most of us would ask of God to receive that gift, to leave this life, doing what we love to do.

The book of Job is both one of the toughest reads, but one of the easiest, when you rest in the display of God’s sovereignty throughout it. The book of Job seems written to comfort us, yet also let us realize many times our situations don’t seem that bad in comparison. Truly, one of God’s greatest men who walked this earth, had it the roughest for a season. Everything that could go wrong did, by Satan’s hand, all so God could show all of eternity the great faith of Job, and the rewards of such a great faith. God had an eternal plan for Job’s troubles, He sees the past, present, and future all at the same time. Isaiah 55:8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD. 9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. God’s plans are so far above what we think is going on, that we cannot see past the pain of the present situation. We cannot see into how what we are dealing with is part of an eternal work of God, always using it to accomplish what He desires, out of a loving heart who gave his own Son to die for us to enable us to spend eternity with Him in Heaven.

Are you afraid to die? Are you secure of where you will spend eternity when God takes your last breath? You must grasp that you have no idea when it is time, and you only have the present time to secure your eternity with Him. The default is Hell, because God has given you a lifetime of examples of the proof of his existence, and wired you for the desire of eternity with him. You either spend your lifetime seeking him or denying him, and those seconds determine centuries. Grasping the gospel of Jesus Christ is a gift from God, and the security in realizing you can’t earn your way into Heaven, frees your spirit to live life without fear. Jesus paid the price, and all you have to do is repent and believe in that truth. Maybe God will use you just like Job, to encourage countless others in your walk of great faith. Maybe it will just be one person you encourage, seeing how you handle tough situations through your faith. He holds your breath, hold onto Him.

Faith is His sovereignty exemplified

Genesis 12:1 Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you.

Change, big change, life change, change that will effect all those for years to come, the big steps in life that bring great anxieties, and great faith. I would never claim the faith or the call from God such as Abram, but only those closet to me have been hearing me share of the feeling of some big change in my life. One of those life altering changes such as this move we are possibly embarking on, Lord willing. A few years back, God did clearly lay the call to put our home for sale, three times. At that point in my life, I had not entertained moving, and it was truly an act of obedience, would I put my house and my family before Him. It did not sell, for it was just a test of the heart; this time I sense it is different. We go to market within days, and we have no idea where we are headed if the house sells. Dana and I are in agreement of a general direction we feel God calling us, but we also are in prayer and looking everywhere. We know God will show us what is next, and it will be part of our testimony and faith in God to share with others of our journey in this life. It is a scary place to be when Satan brings the anxieties of warfare, but the peace of God and surrender to him surpasses all worry and brings intimacy with our sovereign Lord who controls it all.

God told Abram, “go.” Not where to, not why, not how, just take your family, and some stuff, and get out of here where you have spent all your life. Abram was walking away from his position in the family of inheritance, walking away from all he knew in life, and walking into the unknown with faith that the Bible labeled him as the patriarch of great faith. His testimony is incredible throughout his life; moving, having a child when it seemed impossible, willing to sacrifice that child, seeing a great nation and Christ’s lineage come through his acts of obedience to his faith in God. Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. 2 For by it the elders obtained a good testimony. 3 By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible. Faith in it simplest explanation is the willingness to move in any way into the unknown, secure in any outcome, because of your trust in God’s control of it all; Faith is His sovereignty exemplified.

You say you have faith, maybe exemplify it on Sunday, but where have you shown true faith stepping out into the unknown? It is hard to step out into the unknown, if you are not close enough to God to hear his soft whisper calling you there. 1 Kings 19:12 and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice. You must pursue a daily relationship with God through prayer and his Word to hear his voice. Satan fills this world full of static that muffle and distract you from hearing God. The faith and acts of obedience God draws you to, will heighten your awareness of him, and draw you closer to him, allowing him to use your life to show others of great faith too.

Peace in Tough Situations

Philippians 1:9-11 And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, 10 that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, 11 being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

Yesterday was a day that did not go as planned, in so many ways. Our favorite race was canceled, and a trip to the lake for a family reunion turned into a trip to the ER. Our youngest son had become tangled with his brother in a tubing crash behind the boat, and lets just say the cut above his eye looked like Mike Tyson hit him bare fisted. It was incredibly scary for everyone involved, but God supplied all our needs down to the details of the entire ordeal. Even through a tough situation, God was glorified, and we can find contentment in that, peace in the storm, calm in tough situations, through the Peace that lives within us. John 14:27 Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. As I tried to calm my son, my own self was freaked out by what I saw. I was later told of how well I handled the situation, of how I gave peace to him, yet, it wasn’t me, it was God speaking to him through me……(I just came to tears as I typed this in the realization of it.) It was the Holy Ghost speaking to Dalton with the reassurance everything was going to be OK, not his dad. He gave the young man the strength to be calm, with an incredibly large wound and blood running into his eyes….not his dad.

I think this is why the epistle of Philippians speaks to me so much. We must realize the context of every word Paul writes here; Paul is in prison and knows not if he live to see freedom again. Paul is in chains, yet has a freedom in Christ he boldly preaches to the Roman guards. Paul’s heart was to reach Rome, to share the gospel to them, and God opened the door through a way Paul did not see coming. Look at the joy of the next verses: 12 But I want you to know, brethren, that the things which happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel, 13 so that it has become evident to the whole palace guard, and to all the rest, that my chains are in Christ; 14 and most of the brethren in the Lord, having become confident by my chains, are much more bold to speak the word without fear. Paul was so bold to declare his faith in Jesus, the guards had come to faith, and then become bold declaring their own. Paul was making disciples in prison and the church was growing in Rome now.

Paul’s letter to Philippi was a letter of love, of contentment in any situation, of trusting God’s sovereignty in all of our lives. The most abused passage in the Bible taken out of context is here; 4: I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. That passage is one of contentment, not of our own abilities through God. It is one of the understanding of God’s sovereignty, of how we are in every situation by God’s design, and understanding it, brings peace in any and every thing in life.

Train Tracks or Wrecks?

Isaiah 30:21 Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” Whenever you turn to the right hand Or whenever you turn to the left.

You ever feel like you are at a crossroads in life? You ever feel like there has to be something better, something different, something that is tugging a change in your life? Better might not be the right word, but a different path that the one you are currently on. You ever feel that change welling up deep within you? I have told those close to me for some time now, I could sense a change coming. I know not what it is, have thought maybe this was it a few times, but I still know God is doing something, I just don’t know what yet. We always have the ability to change anything, any path, any desire we may have in life; that is a gift that God designed us with, simply known as Free-Will. We are not on train tracks, we are able to divert at any given time. But, the key is to trust the conductor, the one who actually has you on tracks you can’t see, called sovereignty, and to only divert at the intersections he has laid out before you. I have followed God’s direction and had incredible highs and intimacy with him. I have moved when I thought it was him, and encountered incredible adversities. How do we know what to do?

Isaiah’s book is full of the highs and lows of God, the sovereign control, grace, mercy, justice, provision, punishment, love, intimacy, and incredible patience he has with us. I have heard Isaiah is the most quoted book in the Bible. It seemingly flows with the evidence of God to whatever state we find ourselves in. It shows us how a just Father disciplines his children, yet continues to love them faithfully. It shows us how stupid we can be in rebellion, the sin that is within us. Even within this chapter, is where we are today in my nation, in our world. 9 For these are rebellious people, deceitful children, children unwilling to listen to the LORD’s instruction. 10 They say to the seers, “See no more visions!” and to the prophets, “Give us no more visions of what is right! Tell us pleasant things, prophesy illusions. 11 Leave this way, get off this path, and stop confronting us with the Holy One of Israel!” The watered down, soft, weak, prosperity, profitable, non-saving gospel, is gaining strength today. We want to know what God can do for us, and plenty of false prophets are proclaiming it from pulpits today. Where is hell being preached? Where is repentance and being a bondservant (a slave) being preached today? Where is sacrificing yourself for the One who sacrificed himself for you being proclaimed? If you are not a living disciple, one who places your self-sacrifice to Jesus above all, you may not get to meet him but at Judgement Day. I am going to stop right here, and share the end of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount in the NIV (clear simple translation). The best thing I can ever do in this blog, is to share God’s Word, not my own. For the simple proclamation of God’s Word will always do the work within the hearer that I cannot, and always what God desires for it to do, never once in history not accomplishing it’s work. (Isaiah 55:11 So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.)

Matthew 7:13 “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.
14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
True and False Prophets
15 “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.
16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?
17 Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.
18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit.
19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
20 Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.
True and False Disciples
21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’
23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
The Wise and Foolish Builders
24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.
25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.
26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand.
27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”
28 When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching,
29 because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.

Capital G

1 Peter 3:15-16 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear, 16 having a good conscience , that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed.

I am exhausted from a crazy long weekend racing (almost 1,400 mile trip), but God said, “No you are not going back to sleep, you are rising and writing of my grace and mercy.” Yes, Lord….help me to do so, to share of how I cannot understand why or how you love me. You know the sinner I was, you know the sinner I still am, you know all my hidden struggles, and all those struggles I will carry until I die. I cannot fathom the depth of a love so great, You as the Creator stepped down from Heaven and gave your life for me. I cannot begin to comprehend how much you love us all, how much your desire is for eternity with us that you paid the ultimate price for all of us, that fail, yet you still love us unfailing. 1 John 4:7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8 He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. 9 In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. How could I begin to pack into a OneMinuteMinistry the depth of the Bible, the root meaning and evidence of the level of God’s love for us?

I feel as though I am in the middle of a transition season of my life, yet even part of me sees God’s hand in bringing me full circle back to where I started walking away from God. Without the depth of my testimony, I see God returning me to my idol’s arena (dirt bike racing), to share to those who still idolize it. I had placed racing above God, it was my god, my everything. By God’s grace and mercy, he opened my eyes to it, rescued me from it, now my life revolves around him alone. I have seen him at work in these dawning days of Need Prayer? Racing. I have had countless opportunities to share my faith, to pray with, and to be prayed for in our return to the racing community. It is though I am the recovering addict, returning to the streets to share of how God can give them what they are really seeking, something that brings an eternal satisfaction, something no temporary high of any kind can provide. I prayed this weekend just before going to the starting line, “God give me a chance to really share my faith.” As I parked my bike out in the middle to be seen, I walked around. A guy asked me if that was my bike, and I walked through that door God opened with a much more in depth faith sharing on the starting line of a race. My bike gets weird looks, you can feel the stares, feel the comments sometimes, but God is working through it all the time.

Do you realize that God loves you too? Do you realize that you have done nothing he won’t forgive, he doesn’t expect you to be perfect (you can’t anyway), doesn’t tell you that you have to do anything before coming to him, or even think going to Heaven, he only asks that you repent and believe in what Jesus Christ did for you.  Repent simply means to change, to turn from sin or any means you think earns your way into heaven, and believe simply means to accept the Jesus Christ’s atoning sacrifice accomplished everything needed, and is completed by your faith in that gospel of Jesus Christ. We have complicated Christianity, religion, church, faith, since the beginning of time. We live in a society that elevates oneself, projects the possibility of any or many gods, falsely believe that all paths lead to god, and many are falling away eternally chasing many other roads. The peace that comes to your soul, once God opens your soul to the simple truth, is very easy to share with meekness and fear, for those before you will see Christ in you. He will be using you, to share of himself, all you must do is to believe, be bold, and love him with all your heart, mind, body, and soul. When he is truly your God with a capital ‘G’, nothing else even compares, not even winning dirt bike races or whatever you are chasing.

The Eyes of God

John 20:28-31 And Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Jesus said to him, “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” 30 And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.

I wouldn’t even know where to begin……but God gave me an answered prayer in that passage above as I sought him this morning. I felt the tug to write, and I prayed for him to place me somewhere for encouragement, somewhere I could encourage you, and the bedrock of my faith in Jesus Christ clearly shows in the closing of John’s gospel. Do you believe? Many say that they do, many feel that they do, but when God tests your heart will there be the evidence that proves your faith true of false? Will you have rested on religion, the manner of works and good deeds that lead you down a road to Hell instead of Heaven? Will you have proclaimed your faith in a moment of time, and returned to the life of sin resting on that belief in Hyper Grace that says God will forgive all now? Or, did something in you change when you said that you believed, something deep inside of you wanted to reject sin and live your life in service to the One who died to give you life? Did something so incredible happen to you that you cannot contain it and leap at the opportunity to share your faith? Do all those around you know that you are a Christian, or that you go to church on Sunday; the two are much different in the eyes of God.

I find myself deep into the book of Ecclesiastes again, the depth of the book of life by the wisest man who ever lived, questioning all of life, yet seeing it’s simple answer in just the holy fear of God and living your life for him. My life is in a changing season, how the book of Ecclesiastes begins. My dreams have been crushed, and all around me seems to be closing in. I have battled heights and depths of anxiety and depression I had not known, but it is OK, for I know God has allowed all of it for a purpose I am not to understand. These struggles either draw you closer to God, where faith grows, or you fall away and give Satan a small victory. If it were not for almost my daily pursuit of God in prayer and his Word, I simply could not deal with this world that Satan rules, and at which his leash seems to be stretching before it breaks and he falls at the end of time as we know it. I truly believe we are getting closer to Jesus’ return, because of the great falling away I see in my country. I heard an incredible sermon recently, and how I agreed with it on that topic of eschatology (the end of time).

How does God view your faith? Not how do others, and even your own self, but how do you think God weighs the level of your faith? Proverbs 21:2 Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, But the Lord weighs the hearts. Do some self-examination, it is healthy to pray and ask the Lord to open your eyes to your own weaknesses, that is how he purifies us on the road of sanctification. Let him give you a glimpse of his vision, and let it change your life. Let everyone see and witness the level of your faith, because you have seen God within your soul. Be bold and pray and share of your faith, because the day is nearing when we all must give an account of it.

But God….

Ecclesiastes 3:1 To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven:

Read the list that follows this passage; read of how your life is as ever changing as the seasons of the year, how as you become accustomed, change begins, and the transitions renew. Your life is a season, full of many seasons, and God allows or designs all of them. You go through highs, seemingly always followed by lows, but in the seasons of valleys your faith will give the assurance of mountaintops again. These seasons build your faith, mold you into the image of Christ that God’s desire is for you to become more like him. Think of how the brother of Jesus, James, wrote of these trials, or of how the Apostle Paul’s pinnacle writing in the New Testament, Romans, of how he wrote God works through them. Romans 5:1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; 4 and perseverance, character; and character, hope.

I went from a mountaintop in 2017 off a cliff in 2018. I have never had my dreams crushed in one fail blow like a couple months ago, seemingly putting me the closest to a mental breakdown ever. I have felt a depressions as never before, loosing the drive and desire to maintain, yet my faith endures to the end, and gives me strength to carry on. We had another huge family talk last night, of plans and seasons, and of “if God wills” then it will be. We talked about our faith, and of how I cannot force it on the boys, for they will turn their backs upon God if I do. I have lived that, forcing church upon someone, still witness it being taught and preached today, and I had a couple powerful talks about religiosity in recent weeks. It breaks my heart to see how so many people think they gain the entrance into heaven by their church attendance, and of how those who don’t go are doing something wrong. Being bound by the Old Covenant is what Jesus abolished, the Old Testament law satisfied, and now the draw to corporate worship and teaching is a blessing, but not a requirement to the keys to paradise. The understanding of John 14:6, and the daily relationship you have with your Savior is.

These seasons of life bring about changes, and the changes can effect our attitudes that everyone witness. I just read of how today’s society wants nothing of God, because they want nothing of Christians. What does that say of our witness, of our hypocrisy, of our lives outside of Sunday? What we do the other 6.5 days a week could be effecting the eternity of those around us each day. 2 Timothy 2:24 And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, 25 in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, 26 and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will. Whatever season you might be in, know God allowed it for a reason. Pursue God because of it, testify of him in it, and witness of him after it. But God…….

Gravity

Matthew 10:37-39 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.

I had on my monitor at work a reminder at one time of my top five priorities: My Savior, my wife, my boys, my business, and me. The order had varied greatly in life, but it served to remind me of what my life’s priorities should revolve around. Just like anyone, I failed and put higher priority on many of them, and sadly work seemed to become number one too many times. I am truly burned out at work, having to re-prioritize it again due to many circumstances. Only business owners understand the weight of responsibility, of the care of your employees, of the sleepless nights because it all rests upon your shoulders. No employee will ever show that drive such as yourself for the care of the company’s well being. When I look at our business model, that of a bold witness and ministry, it becomes clearer why my struggles are seemingly greater, because I go against the world’s standard.

Jesus had just sent his disciples out on their own. He had just told them of how to conduct their ministry, given them power to do so, and commanded them to go out on faith greater than they had ever been asked to or tried. Can you imagine your employer being Christ, and being asked to accomplish tasks by him that you could not imagine doing? Could you imagine being told how difficult this was going to be, yet being encouraged that you could do it, even what to say? 18 You will be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. 19 But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak. For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak; 20 for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you. Jesus told them of how they were going to divide people, anger people, and the treatment that was going to come on them would be harsh, but he told them to have faith and continue to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Do we put that same faith into action today? Do we boldly proclaim our faith to those God puts in our paths every day? Do we proclaim the need for repentance, turning from our ways to the saving faith in Christ alone? Do we let them know religion’s obligations do not save, they kill? Do they know us by our works, or do they know they want nothing of Christianity by our deeds they witness 6.5 days a week? Are you living for Christ, even when times get tough? Are you prioritizing him above your family, your career, your own ambitions? Are you willing to suffer for your faith, or do you keep moving around looking for the soft gospels that proclaim what God can do for you? The inner peace that comes to the disciple of Jesus Christ, the power that rests upon them, is the focus of life that drives them through the storms. The lack of the fear of death to the disciple is the inner strength that sustains, the foundation of faith that centers when the world knocks off course. That gravity re-aligns one’s self to only hearing His words when he calls them home, “Well done good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of the Lord.”