Is That You?

Reading Luke 3:1-2 (NIV) today.

"In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar—when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and Traconitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene—  during the high-priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness."

I love these few verses.  At first you may think that Luke is setting the stage for an accurate account of John's ministry.  But the list seems a bit overkill to simply establish a time line. 

What I feel he is doing, is creating a contrast.  A list of all the important people, the main religious leaders and the people in power.  As I read his words listing each person and their impressive titles, I picture a camera zooming over their faces, like the Academy Awards, until we get to...

"the word of the Lord came to..."  

Almost like, "and the winner is..."

Yet the Lord did not pick any of them.  He went to John, a man living in the wilderness.

A great reminder that the Lord looks not at the accomplishments we can rack up to impress others.  He does not look at the importance of position or at the number of people that can be influenced by them.

He simply looks for an individual who will be completely sold out to him.

Is he looking for you?

What Do You Live For?

There is a, now famous, line in the movie Braveheart, where William Wallace is addressing an army that has lost its sense of itself.  One man shouts, "If I run, I will live!"

Wallace responds, "Aye, fight and you may die. Run and you'll live -- at least a while. And dying in your beds many years from now, would you be willing to trade all the days from this day to that for one chance, just one chance to come back here and tell our enemies that they may take our lives, but they'll never take our freedom!!!"

I got thinking about that.  We have this one life to live, how will we make it count?  The older I get the faster I see the years going by.  What seemed like an endless supply of days now seems very limited. 

Who will you live your life for? 

Jesus said, 

"For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it." -Matthew 16:25 (NIV)

Time to make a choice?

Reading the Bible

Wednesday night, during Refuel, I taught on how to read the Bible.  One of the things I felt compelled to stress was the importance of prayer in regard to Bible reading.  We need to recognize that the Holy Spirit teaches us and guides us through the Word of God.

Each morning I get a scripture emailed to me from Bible Gateway, Thursday morning's scripture was this.

Hebrews 4:12 New International Version (emphasis mine)

"For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart."

I've learned that when the same message comes to you from several different places, pay attention.  So in light of that, I wanted to encourage all of us to remember that reading the Word is not like spending time in any other book.

Mona Lisa

Even people who don't know anything about art would recognize Da Vinci's Mona Lisa.  It shows ups everywhere in pop-culture.  Some would say this is the most famous painted portrait in the world.

Yet, we don't know for sure who Da Vinci actually painted.  There are ideas of course.  Most seem to think it might be a portrait of Lisa Gherardini, the wife of Francesco del Giocondo.

But no one knows for sure.  It is a mystery, just like her smile.

I thought, what an interesting commentary on humanity.  Her image has become more important than any other detail of her life.  People know her face, but nothing else about her.

In our media driven society, we are focused so much more on looks than anything else.  Better-looking people are valued more than those who are less attractive. 

But God has never thought that way.

Reading 1 Samuel 16:7, when Samuel thought one of David's older more impressive brothers would be the next king, but notice what the Lord said to him. 

" But the Lord said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." (NIV)

When we look at each other, what really impresses us?  And do we treat people based only on what we see?

What's Your Agenda?

How do you approach the Lord?

When you have a question about your life, or something you don't fully understand, what is your posture when you ask Jesus something?

Are you really looking for what Christ has to say, or are you simply asking him to confirm what you want?  Is your  motive to find his heart and direction for your life, no matter the cost, or do you have a hidden, underlying motive?

Reading Mark 11:27 -33 this morning,

"They arrived again in Jerusalem, and while Jesus was walking in the temple courts, the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders came to him.  "By what authority are you doing these things?" they asked. "And who gave you authority to do this?"

 Jesus replied, "I will ask you one question. Answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things.  John's baptism—was it from heaven, or of human origin? Tell me!"

They discussed it among themselves and said, "If we say, 'From heaven,' he will ask, 'Then why didn't you believe him?' 32 But if we say, 'Of human origin' …" (They feared the people, for everyone held that John really was a prophet.)

So they answered Jesus, "We don't know."

Jesus said, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things."

Notice how even though these men were questioning the authority of Christ, he still gave them an opportunity to get real with him.  Basically he was saying, "Is this really a conversation about sincerely getting to know me? Or is this something else?"

In their refusal to engage in an honest conversation with Jesus, they lost the opportunity know him better. 

Questions are never the issue, but the motive behind the question is everything.

The Importance of Love

How important is it for us as Christians to love? 

Years ago, I volunteered with a small drama team.  What I found interesting was, if a part called for anger, that was really easy to pull off.  Other emotions, however, were not as readily available. 

Anger is easy, love is hard.  Anger is readily available inside us, love has to be brought to the surface. 

Reading Revelation 2:1-4 (NIV)

To the Church in Ephesus

"To the angel of the church in Ephesus write:

These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands.  I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false.  You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary.

Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first.  Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place."

Anger is easy, love is hard.  But even as Jesus looks on this church that is zealous for the truth, he flat out told them he would remove their church (and it's effectiveness)  from its place if they did not repent and start loving again.

Jesus loved the world enough to die for it, should we do any less?

Directions for Life

This weekend Rika and I  had a nice 1000 mile ride with a couple of friends.

One of our  friends was leading the ride through roads that Rika was fairly familiar with.  In fact, when one of the roads was closed to through traffic, the two of them discussed alternate routes.

I'm terrible with directions, they might as well have spoken a foreign language.  I waited patiently, then followed them both down the road.

But then I thought, "What would happen if I got cut off from the group and was on my own?  Could I even find my way home?  Did I even know where I was? If something happened and I needed to call for help, could I even describe where we were?"

Maybe it's time I try harder to learn these roads for myself.

The same could be said for our Christian walk.  It's good to have pastors and teachers to follow, but at some point we need to take responsibility for our own lives, and know where we are and where we are going.

2 Timothy 2:15 (NIV) says, 

"Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth."

Politics

I tend to avoid political discussions, especially posts on social media.  In fact, what I am about to share with you, I would not even share on Facebook.

However I recently came across this quote from Arthur W. Pink that I thought was extremely relevant and timely for all Christians to consider today.

You don't have to agree, but do give it some thought. 

Arthur W. Pink died in 1952, he started writing books in 1934.  So, at some point during those years he wrote this:

"One form of worldliness, which has spoiled the life, and testimony of many a Christian is politics.  We will not now discuss the question whether or not the saint ought to take any interest in politics, but simply point out what should be evident to all with spiritual discernment, namely, that to take an eager and deep concern in politics must remove the edge from any spiritual appetite.  Clearly, politics are concerned only with the affairs of this world, and therefore to become deeply absorbed in them and have the heart engaged in the pursuit thereof, will inevitably turn attention away from eternal things.  Any worldly matter, no matter how lawful in itself, which engages out attention inordinately, becomes a snare and saps our spiritual vitality.  We greatly fear that those saints who spent several hours a day in listening to the speeches of candidates, reading the newspapers on them, and discussing party politics with their fellows during the recent election, lost to a considerable extent their relish for the Bread of Life." (from "Spiritual Growth", chapter 9)

"No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs, but rather tries to please his commanding officer." 2 Timothy 2:4 (NIV)

True Humility

In Jesus Christ, God became a man. 

Do we ever really think about that?  What that means?  How humbling that was for him?

"Who, being in very nature God,

    did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;

rather, he made himself nothing

    by taking the very nature of a servant,

    being made in human likeness.

And being found in appearance as a man,

    he humbled himself

    by becoming obedient to death—

        even death on a cross!" Phil 2:6-8 (NIV)

Often, as humans, we see ourselves on the "top" of creation.  We compare ourselves to animals, or even other people and think rather highly of ourselves.

But regardless of man being created in God's image; regardless of his love for us - it is still a HUGE step down for God to become one of us.  To take on the life and limitations of a man.

And then to die.

What does this tell us about God's humility?  What does this tell us about the extent to which he must love us, to be willing to do such a thing?

Something to think about?

Psalm 37

Reading Psalm 37 today.  It never fails to amaze me how relevant the psalms really are.

Times will change, people come into our life and go, but one thing that remains constant is the Lord himself.  When we think about who our amazing God is, that he created everything we see or have ever heard of, and then contemplate that he loves and cares about all the details of our life.

How can we not take delight in him?  Take a moment and read this psalm, out loud to yourself.  Maybe two or three times until the words begin to make it down from your head into your heart.

 Do not fret because of those who are evil

    or be envious of those who do wrong;

for like the grass they will soon wither,

    like green plants they will soon die away.

Trust in the Lord and do good;

    dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.

Take delight in the Lord,

    and he will give you the desires of your heart.

 Commit your way to the Lord;

    trust in him and he will do this:

 He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn,

    your vindication like the noonday sun.

 Be still before the Lord

    and wait patiently for him;

do not fret when people succeed in their ways,

    when they carry out their wicked schemes." Psalm 37:1-7 (NIV)

Yours?

I had a teacher once who told a story about how he and his (then) 3-year-old daughter were eating at a burger place.

As he reached for one of her fries, she slapped his hand, saying, "mine!"

He commented how his daughter could not comprehend at that age that her father bought the fries for her, in fact everything she had came from him.  He chuckled thinking, "Yours? I payed for them, I'm only letting you eat them."

There are times when we simply need to put things into perspective. 

Take a moment and prayerfully read through this Psalm

Psalm 24 (NIV)

Of David. A psalm.

1 The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it,

    the world, and all who live in it;

2 for he founded it on the seas

    and established it on the waters.

3 Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord?

    Who may stand in his holy place?

4 The one who has clean hands and a pure heart,

    who does not trust in an idol

    or swear by a false god.

5 They will receive blessing from the Lord

    and vindication from God their Savior.

6 Such is the generation of those who seek him,

    who seek your face, God of Jacob.

7 Lift up your heads, you gates;

    be lifted up, you ancient doors,

    that the King of glory may come in.

8 Who is this King of glory?

    The Lord strong and mighty,

    the Lord mighty in battle.

9 Lift up your heads, you gates;

    lift them up, you ancient doors,

    that the King of glory may come in.

10 Who is he, this King of glory?

    The Lord Almighty—

    he is the King of glory.

Plan for Today

I always find it interesting how each Monday I realize I did not do half of what I planned for the previous weekend.

Yet in spite of this, before the next weekend I still make mental (and some times written) lists of the things I want to accomplish.

But life has a way of , well, getting in the way. 

Perhaps rather than making a list of all the things we want to do, or wish we could do, we should simply ask the Lord for a filter that would cause our eyes to see what he would have us do.

As James said, 

"Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money."  Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.  Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that." James 4:13-15 (NIV)

Let's seek to find what the Lord's will is for each day; in this way our plans become his, and we will succeed.

Different Paths

This past Saturday the weather was beautiful, so Rika and I headed into downtown Raleigh for some coffee and window shopping at one of our favorite motorcycle shops.

As we were getting ready to leave, the road was suddenly full of joggers!  It seems some kind of race was getting under way.  Now, the road was blocked, and we were forced to wait it out.

At first this was a little annoying, but then we looked across the street to a nice restaurant and decided to make the best of it.  We had a great lunch sitting outside on the balcony, enjoying the food and sun.  Then, just as we were finishing up, the race was over and the street was open again. 

We had a great ride home, taking the long way with some nice twisty roads.

I was thinking about that, how at that moment, we had a choice.  Our way was blocked, so we could sit and sulk, or we could see what other opportunities presented themselves.

Life can be like that as well.  We can get so focused on where we want to be, that we miss out on where we are, and perhaps what the Lord is trying to show us using another way. 

Reading John 5 1-9(NIV)

"Some time later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish festivals.  Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades.  Here a great number of disabled people used to lie—the blind, the lame, the paralyzed. One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, "Do you want to get well?"

"Sir," the invalid replied, "I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me."

Then Jesus said to him, "Get up! Pick up your mat and walk."  At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked.

Where would this man have been if he kept his mind on the only way he thought he could be healed?  He was frustrated trying to make things happen the way he felt they should.

Ever get like that?

Is there something in your life that you feel is keeping you from where you want to go?  Perhaps Jesus has another path in mind?

What Love Looks Like

Take a moment to read through these two scriptures.

First,

"Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?"

Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." Matt 22:34-40 (NIV)

And now,

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres."- 1 Cor 13:4-6 (NIV)

This is what the Kingdom of God should look like.  This is how we should be treating our friends, family, actually everyone we come into contact with.

It's a high standard, not easy to live up to, but one we should indeed strive to achieve.  Anything less, is less than what God requires of us.

The Words We Use

This morning I watched as a young lady refilled the "snack closet" in my workplace.

On the box for the snacks was written, "Snack Nation"

I had to stop and think about that... what is a Snack Nation?

Maybe it's the writer in me, but I just could not get over that combination of words.  I mean, good, fun...  even tasty, all seem to be proper adjectives to describe, well, snack food.

But Snack Nation?  When I do a quick Google search, the definition that comes up is,

"na·tionˈnāSH(ə)n/

noun

a large aggregate of people united by common descent, history, culture, or language, inhabiting a particular country or territory."

Snack Nation?  Really, that seems a bit grand doesn't it?

We so easily throw words out these days, just think of all the examples of it, words like awesome, amazing, or love...

How about about something very common like... Lord?  When we use that word, do we mean it?  Again, my trusted resource Google helps me with the definition,

"lord

lôrd/

noun

someone or something having power, authority, or influence; a master or ruler."

Maybe we should stop and think about our words, perhaps borrow these from the psalmist before we start our day.

"May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart

    be pleasing in your sight,

    Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer." Psalm 19:14 (NIV)

Hope for the Future

In the movie "Wayne's World," Wayne and his friend Garth are in a music store.  Wayne regularly visits an expensive guitar that he does not have the money for, but nevertheless wants.

Garth shouts at him to, "Stop torturing yourself man!  You'll never afford it!  LIVE IN THE NOW!!!"

To which Wayne replies, "It will be mine.  Oh yes. It will be mine!"

As a Christian, we need to live in the now.  We have present circumstances that need to be dealt with.  Thoughts of heaven  and eternity don't always seem to help when we are dealing with everyday problems of life.

Or do they?

Jesus promise that he will return and take us to a place he's prepared, isn't meant for us to have to "white knuckle" it through this life, as if we are to hold on until that time.

It's more about putting this life in perspective, knowing that it will not last forever, that the kind of information about our future that he gives can assist us today.

That is called hope, as Paul tells us, "...hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us." - Romans 5:5 (NIV)

And oh, spoiler alert, Wayne did purchase that very guitar before the movie was over!

Praise the Lord

I was reading this psalm today, and I feel it is rather relevant. 

That's what amazes me about the psalms, they are so honest and go right to the heart of the matter.

Take a moment to read this psalm, even out loud, and ask the Lord to speak to your heart.

Psalm 146

Praise the Lord.

Praise the Lord, my soul.

 I will praise the Lord all my life;

    I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.

 Do not put your trust in princes,

    in human beings, who cannot save.

 When their spirit departs, they return to the ground;

    on that very day their plans come to nothing.

 Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob,

    whose hope is in the Lord their God.

He is the Maker of heaven and earth,

    the sea, and everything in them—

    he remains faithful forever.

He upholds the cause of the oppressed

    and gives food to the hungry.

The Lord sets prisoners free,

 the Lord gives sight to the blind,

the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down,

    the Lord loves the righteous.

 The Lord watches over the foreigner

    and sustains the fatherless and the widow,

    but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.

The Lord reigns forever,

    your God, O Zion, for all generations.

Praise the Lord."

Indeed, the Lord reigns, now and forever.

Something Better

For the last year and a half, (or longer it seems) there has been a lot of emotion expressed over this upcoming election. 

No matter where your political views land, it hasn't been an easy road.  And as election day gets closer, emotions continue to run higher.

I see a lot of fear and anxiety expressed.

It reminds me of what I told my sons when they were in high school.  I said, "All of the things you worry about now, all the things that seem so important now will vanish the moment you are handed that diploma and realize you are done with public school.  In an instant you will see it all in a different light, and wonder why you spent so much energy worrying about those things."

The same is said about our lives here on earth.  This is not the end of the story, in fact, we are barely at the beginning.

As Peter tells us, something better is on its way. 

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,  and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you,  who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.  In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials." 1 Peter 1:3-6 (NIV)

Yes, something far better than any politician can promise or deliver.

Storms

This past weekend we had quite the storm with Hurricane Matthew passing through. 

All day Saturday it was dark , windy and raining.  To me it felt like the day lasted forever.  I'm sure those who lost power or dealt with flooding felt it far worse than I did. 

But then Sunday came.  I woke to see that the sun was shining and there wasn't a cloud in the sky.  The air was cool and refreshing, it felt wonderful.

Life can be a lot like that storm, it can feel a bit like the sun will never shine again and the rain will never end. 

But the good news is, this life is not all there is.  No matter how hard our circumstances, there is better waiting for us.   As the Bible tells us,

4 For since the world began,

    no ear has heard

and no eye has seen a God like you,

    who works for those who wait for him!  Isaiah 64:4 (NLT)

Durning the storm, it's good to remember the sun will shine again.

Psalm 100

Reading Psalm 100 today,

1 Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.

2     Worship the Lord with gladness;

    come before him with joyful songs.

3 Know that the Lord is God.

    It is he who made us, and we are his;

    we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving

    and his courts with praise;

    give thanks to him and praise his name.

5 For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;

    his faithfulness continues through all generations.

I love the simplicity of this Psalm!

It tells us six things to do, and then it tells us why we should do them.

Take a moment and ask the Lord how you can apply this Psalm today.  It's one thing to read it and say, "good words," it is yet another to act on it.

Thomas or Andrew?

Are you a Thomas or an Andrew?

Reading John 6:1-8 (NIV)

"Some time after this, Jesus crossed to the far shore of the Sea of Galilee (that is, the Sea of Tiberias),  and a great crowd of people followed him because they saw the signs he had performed by healing the sick.  Then Jesus went up on a mountainside and sat down with his disciples.  The Jewish Passover Festival was near.

When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, "Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?"  He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do.

Philip answered him, "It would take more than half a year's wages to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!"

Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, spoke up,  "Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?"

Jesus pointed out a need. Philip was a thinker, he did the math.  "Let's see, 5,000 men plus women and children at so much per person = impossible task, can't do it unless we have over six months to prepare."  I think Philip would have gotten to work right on that project had there been enough time and resources. 

Andrew turned the question back to Jesus, "This is what we have, you can have it all, but how far will it go?"

As we know, Jesus used what Andrew presented to feed everyone, even leaving  more to spare.

When presented with an impossible task, what is your response? 

Do you do the math, figure how you can do it in your own strength, and then get to work?  Put it off until you have the means to meet the need?

Or are you willing to give what you have to Jesus to see what he does with it?

Injured Members

The other night in Teakwondo class, I was practicing with a fellow student.  We each took turns kicking a handheld target. 

As I held the target for him, counting each kick off, I said, "Ok, last one, kick it hard!"

Famous last words.

He kicked it pretty hard, but instead of hitting the target, he hit my hand.

Namely, the thumb on my left hand.  It still hurts.

What's interesting is, I have never really given much thought to this thumb, especially since it I am right-handed.  However, now that pain is involved, I am aware of just how much I count on this appendage, going about my day.

Reading 1 Corinthians 12:12-27 (NIV)

"Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ.  For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.

Now if the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason stop being part of the body.  And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason stop being part of the body.  If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be?  But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be.  If they were all one part, where would the body be?  As it is, there are many parts, but one body.

The eye cannot say to the hand, "I don't need you!" And the head cannot say to the feet, "I don't need you!"  On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable,  and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty,  while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it,  so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other.  If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.  Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it."

Live the Christian life long enough and you will see parts of the body injured and some that simply fall to the wayside.  Even as I write this, names and faces come to mind.  People I have known who were on fire for Christ, but are now gone.  

Perhaps we did not treat them as members of our body in the way we should have?

Perhaps we don't realize that we are not a complete body without them?

Interestingly enough, my thumb looks normal on the outside.  You really can't tell there is anything wrong.  It isn't until I need it that I realize it is injured.

The only way we can see these injured members is to ask the Lord to be made aware of them, and then be prepared to do what we can to make them strong again.

God's Word?

Lately I've been doing some interesting reading, where some of the authors do not believe the Bible is God's word.  In fact, they refer to the creation account in Genesis as a myth and completely discount things like miracles.  To them the Bible is a storybook written by men.

I have to say, their opinion really doesn't bother me, at all.  I respect their right to believe as they do.

How could I say such a thing? 

Because I don't expect those who do not believe to have reverence for God's word.  As Paul says, "but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles" 1 Corinthians 1:23 (NIV)

But I can tell you, what does bother me;  in fact, it is something that greatly concerns me.

Those who say they believe the Bible is God's word, yet spend no time in it.  Those who get all offended at the opinions of others when it comes to the Bible, yet show contempt for it by spending little or no time in it at all.

There is a popular ad on Christian radio, it talks about how getting to know God takes less time than changing your computer password.  That ad appeals to the laziest of our nature.  As if God is there, begging us to give him such a small effort to get to know him.

"Really, please, just a few minutes of your day..."

Sigh

One of the primary ways to get to know God is to spend time in his word.  An unread Bible collecting dust on the shelf of an unbeliever is understandable, the unread Bible in the home of a believer is inexcusable.

My tone may sound a little harsh, but we are bikers and are known for telling it like it is, right? 

 I have been thinking about what Preacher Mike said last Sunday, how people don't spend time in the Bible simply out of laziness. 

It's time our actions spoke louder than our words. 

If you believe the Bible is God's word, then get into it.

Will He Find Faith?

Over two thousand years ago this conversation took place between Jesus and a teacher of the law.

"One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, "Of all the commandments, which is the most important?"

 "The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: 'Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.'The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these."

 "Well said, teacher," the man replied. "You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him.  To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices."

When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God." And from then on no one dared ask him any more questions. (Mark 12:28-34)

Everything we do as Christians should spring off of these two commandments.  If it isn't in line with one of them, then is it really in line with serving God?

In the two thousand years that have passed since that conversation took place, a quick look at church history reveals it was greatly ignored. 

So the question is, what will we do with it today? 

To me one of the most haunting questions Jesus himself ever asked was this,

"However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?" Luke 18:8 NIV

Consider This...

Yesterday Preacher Mike preached a sermon on 1 Thessalonians 5, and he asked us to take some time to truly think about the final verses in that chapter.

So let us take a moment and prayerfully read through these verses.

"Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to acknowledge those who work hard among you, who care for you in the Lord and who admonish you.  Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other.  And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone.  Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else.

Rejoice always, pray continually,  give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

Do not quench the Spirit.  Do not treat prophecies with contempt  but test them all; hold on to what is good,  reject every kind of evil.

May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.  The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.

Brothers and sisters, pray for us.  Greet all God's people with a holy kiss.  I charge you before the Lord to have this letter read to all the brothers and sisters.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you."   1 Thessalonians 5:12-28 (NIV)

Expectations

From time to time in my job, I have discussions with people about what they want technology to do for them. 

This past week I had one where a man, who charges for his IT services, wanted a software that would pretty much set up everything for him so that he would not really have to do any work.

Now, while there is a great degree of automation in IT these days, you still have to be able to do work that you can then charge for.

He wanted everything done for him, to simply sit back and collect the money.

Maybe it's my age, but I'm amazed at that expectation.  A task, or journey of value, will cost us something.

Even when it comes to serving God.  Yes, salvation is a free gift, but living out our faith takes work.

Jesus called this carrying our cross.

"Then Jesus said to his disciples, "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.  For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.  What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? 27 For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father's glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done." Matthew 16:24-27 (NIV)

No shortcuts - if you want the abundant, eternal, life - you have to be willing to die.