Southtown Blog

Accountable to Christ or Karma?  4-14-18

Living in a house with four boys age 10 and under we get to answer a lot of questions. They are constantly learning, and that leads to even more questions. I have had many more years to ask questions than my sons have had, yet I have not yet exhausted my questions. No doubt, there are a lot of questions I would like to ask God, but for now, I am thankful that I have the Bible to go to in order to find most of the answers I am looking for.

As much as I trust the Bible, it may surprise some of my readers to realize that I do not find all the answers to my questions there. For example, when I needed to fix the car, I go to Youtube for the answer instead of the Bible.

Recently I was able to ask a question about another religion. The Bible is the book for Judaeo/Christian beliefs, but there are many other religions in the world. There are so many spiritual beliefs that it is impossible to keep up with all of them- especially when many people form their own religious beliefs.

Thus, I had the chance to learn something new as I asked a non-Christian about what established her moral boundaries. I already knew she had boundaries because of comments she had made about what anther person had done wrong. She responded that her boundary was to do no harm. She also explained that if she did harm, she could expect karma to come back with three times as much harm done to her.

I appreciated her response, but I was still unclear about what actually constituted harm, so asked if harm only included causing physical pain or if emotional pain would also be included? She said that harm included physical, emotional, and mental harm but did not give any more parameters about what would qualify as harm.

This conversation was very interesting to me, since this woman and another woman had had some conflict over some things that were said. Each felt offended by the other person and I wanted to know how to address the concerns within some sort of moral framework. Since I am a Christian, the Bible was the framework that I go to, but I understood that the person I was talking with did not regard the Bible at all, so I wanted to know if there was anywhere that she would go to discuss right and wrong in order to see why she felt what the other person had done was wrong.

The conversation ended and I still did not have her definition of harm. I was thankful that the Bible has given clear boundaries about right and wrong. I understand that everyone does not accept those boundaries, but for those of us who do, it makes life much easier. Although Christians do not agree on everything, we still have some basic limits of right and wrong that we all recognize. What I love about that is that another Christian cannot just make up their own rules to use against me, nor can I do that to them. We go to the Bible to let God be our arbitrator. I was hoping this woman would see the contrast.

I had one final question for her. Since karma brings harm back, does that mean that humans are actually accountable to karma and that karma has authority over them? I then let her know that the point I wanted to make is that we all understand that we are accountable to some outside force. As a Christian, I believe in Jesus Christ and I believe I am accountable to Him. Although I could not measure up to His expectations for me, He loved me so much that He died for my sins and then rose again. If I am going to be accountable to someone, I want it to be someone like Jesus. He is much more merciful than karma. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16) 

Our King Lives Forever  4-1-18

     Imagine that it were the beginning of July. You go to buy charcoal for the grill and the kids are begging you to buy fireworks. Of course you are preparing for the the 4^thof July- Independence Day. We recently celebrated the Resurrection, but the celebration began much earlier. Palm Sunday happened a week earlier. As Jesus rode into the capital city of Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, the Israelites were getting ready to celebrate the Passover. That was essentially their independence from Egypt that had happened about 1500 years earlier.

     The Passover was the event where Moses had them put the blood of the lamb on their door frame and then their firstborn would be spared from death. After this event and the death of the firstborn among the Egyptians, Pharaoh finally let the people go. Thus the Passover was a celebration of God's saving from death and His deliverance from slavery as the blood of the lamb was used to mark the doors of God's followers.

     As Jesus rides into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, the Israelites are now under a new oppressor- Rome. Caesar is the main leader, but he has appointed a puppet king over Israel named Herod. He also has a military governor over the region named Pontius Pilate. Pilate did not stay in Jerusalem, but often went on military campaigns with his soldiers. However, history tells us that he came back to Jerusalem on Palm Sunday because he knew the people were getting ready to celebrate their independence day- the Passover.

     Thus you have the oppressive governor entering Jerusalem from the west and Jesus entering from the east the same day. It seemed impossible to defeat a powerful nation like Rome, but remember Jesus could feed 5000 men plus the women and children with 5 loaves and 2 fish and still have 12 baskets left over. That means he could feed an army. Further he had raised Lazarus from the dead. Imagine if he did that with his soldiers on the battle field. No wonder the people are excited.

     But instead of going straight to Pilate and challenging him, Jesus enters the temple. There He turns over the tables of the money changers who had been using religion to cheat the people. The religious leaders who had already rejected Jesus because they had long ago rejected the ways of God, were upset that He had disrupted their profit margin. Soon they are scheming even more diligently to have Him taken out of the way.

     They try to convince Pilate that Jesus wants to take on Caesar and overthrow Rome. Pilate is so arrogant he doesn't even view Jesus as a serious threat and declares Him innocent. Still he wants to appease the Hebrew people and prevent any sort of uprising, so he lets them chose between Jesus and Barabbas.

     Jesus is killed on the cross. His blood saves all those who believe on Him as their Lord and savior from eternal death, just like the blood of the Passover lamb saved the Israelites. He died on the same day the Passover lamb was to be killed as they celebrated their independence day.

     Then 3 days later, He rose from the dead. He did not go on with a military attack against Pilate, but let us remember that today Caesar, Herod, and Pilate are all dead, but Jesus is alive.

     We have celebrated Resurrection Sunday, but let us not forget what we celebrated. Our King is alive. He will live forever because He is God. Do you believe in that King- King Jesus?

     He is powerful enough to defeat Rome. Rome is no longer an empire. All is under God's control. But so is your very soul. Do not fight the King. Join Him and have eternal life. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16

Hope For Dyslexic Hopelessness  3-16-18

Our son is reading and understanding what he reads. The sentences are simple and he is not yet up to grade level, but we are excited at his progress. Our son has dyslexia. This is more than just getting his d's and b's mixed up. This is a severe challenge that hindered his ability to read no matter how hard he tried.

I remember taking him through the Mcguffey primer hoping to give him the basics of reading. He worked hard and struggled through it. Even though he could sound out words with much effort, he did not comprehend what he read.

I finally told a friend about it and he said that, they had a similar problem with one of his sons. The teachers and special education programs at school had tried to help, but it seemed nothing could be done. Finally they hired a tutor who used a program especially designed for dyslexia. After using the Barton program, he began to read and catch up with the other students.

We are now using that same program and it is giving us hope. The word “hope” means to expect with confidence- to trust. Because of the progress our son has already made, we now have the confidence to expect that his reading will continue to improve.

Not all such stories have a happy ending. My wife was to a dyslexia conference put on by the state of South Dakota last fall. Educators were frustrated that they did not have the knowledge or the resources to help so many students who were facing such struggles. Often it was assumed that the students were not even trying. In reality, some of the students had given up after trying for so long and not being given any hope.

As positive as the word “hope” is, the word “hopeless” is the the opposite. The word “hopeless” has the idea of despair and inadequacy. Our son definitely felt inadequate when his friends could read and he could not. It is exciting to see him now have hope.

The truth is that we all face times of despair and inadequacy in our lives. We are especially inadequate when it comes to righteousness. Romans 3:10 tells us, “as it is written, "THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN ONE;” (NASB). A few verses later, Romans 3:23 underscores the point, as it states, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” (NASB). As hopeless as all of this sounds, it gets even worse because the first part of Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death,” (NASB)

As hopeless as all this sounds, God gives us hope. A hope even better than our son's hope of reading. A hope that lasts into the next life. The whole verse of Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (NASB)

The sin problem is hopeless and none of our good works can take care of it (read Ephesians 2:8-9). No matter how hard we work, we cannot overcome sin. The cure for sin is not a tutoring program. Instead is is a great teacher who is God in the flesh. That teacher is Jesus Christ who came to earth and died on the cross. "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.” (John 3:16 NASB)

We may face hopeless situations from time to time, but the big picture does not have to be hopeless. Find your hope in Christ Jesus.

Fear God or Fear Guns?  3-4-18

February 14^th is supposed to be a day to celebrate love. Instead it turned into a day when someone went on a murderous rampage killing other people in a school shooting. Not only is our country grieving, but it is looking for answers. Why did this happen? What can be done to make sure it does not happen again?

It has been interesting how people on opposite sides of the political spectrum think that the answer to both these questions has to do with guns. For example those on the left believe that this happened because there are not enough restrictions on guns and that the solution is to implement more restrictions. Their solution is less guns. Those on the right think this happened because there are too many restrictions on guns. They believe that if more people had guns, then the shooter would not have dared do what he did or would have been stopped sooner if others had guns as well. Of course their solution is more guns.

Although there is a lot of controversy over who should have a gun, one of the least controversial suggestions is to have more armed police presence at our schools. This approach actually reminds me of Romans 13:3-4, “For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same; for it is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath upon the one who practices evil.” (NASB)

During Roman times the soldiers carried swords instead of guns, but the principle was the same. The fear of the sword in the hands of a government authority was a deterrent to evil. No doubt private individuals in the Roman empire could have swords as well and Jesus even encouraged the purchase of one (Luke 22:36). Still the threat from a trained soldier who could bring additional consequences for a crime was a greater deterrent.

Let me suggest that the best solution to our nations problems does not lie in the fear of guns or swords (either as a deterrent or as an item to be banned), but rather in the fear of someone far more powerful than a Roman soldier. Our nation needs to fear God. "And do not fear those who kill the body, but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Matthew 10:28 NASB)

I want everyone to love and trust Jesus as they come to God, but even if they don't if they still fear Him and the consequences of sin, there will be more restraint on evil. Sadly, even some Christians today are suggesting that we should not fear God. That is wrong and goes contrary to scripture. We are not to dread God, but we must fear Him. If Christians are saying we should not fear God, why are we surprised when the rest of the nation doesn't fear Him either. Proverbs 3:7 says, “Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and turn away from evil.” (NASB)

A soldier with a gun may deter someone from committing murder, but that soldier cannot be all places at all times. We cannot even depend on having a concealed carry holder around to deter evil at every critical moment, but God is always there. If people fear Him, He is able to deter other social ills in addition to murder. Fear God and avoid immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you just as I have forewarned you that those who practice such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. (list from Galatians 5:19-21).

Are You a Fan of Christ?  2/16/18

I am not a football fan. Normally I would rather watch heavy equipment on a construction site than to watch guys run around with a ball. Thus it was surprising when I recently wanted to watch a football play. I even enjoyed it once I watched it.

So many people were talking about the end of the Vikings vs Saints game that even my wife was telling me about it. I went online to read the news and I saw headlines and articles everywhere about the end of that game. What had happened was so exciting that a lot of people were talking about it. Time was running out and a long pass was made by a Viking, and his teammate caught it and made a touchdown. The only Saint's player that was close enough to tackle the receiver was afraid that if he rushed in too fast he would be fouled. His hesitation allowed the Viking to score.

My description does not do justice to the excitement of that play. Listening to football fans describe it, there was no doubt that this was something special. So many people were excited about what had happened that I wanted to watch it myself.

Many of you are probably not interested in watching big machinery on a construction site. Did you realize that there is a video online of an excavator rescuing a young deer from a mud hole? Imagine someone told you about that video. Imagine that they were really excited about it. Now imagine that almost everyone you ran into was talking about it. The more you heard about it and the more excited people were about it, the more likely you would be to want to see it for yourself.

Now imagine that you heard about an Air force pilot that gave his life to intercept a nuclear weapon and everyone was talking about it. Then imagine that you found out that if he had not intercepted the missile, that it would have hit right on top of where you were at. That would make you even more interested in learning more about him.

So what does football, a deer stuck in the mud, and an imaginary story about a heroic pilot have to do with Christ? As Christians, we understand that we should be witnesses for Christ, yet, many are discouraged because others do not want to hear about Him. Remember, many people are about as interested in Christ as I am in football.

If we want people to be interested in what Christ did, then we need to let them know how passionate we are about Him. What He did is even more exciting than the Viking/Saints game. He did not just rescue a deer, He gave His life for the whole world after He created the whole world.

Most people do not keep talking to me about football once they see I am not that interested. Still, I am not offended if people talk about things I am not interested in. Many are that way about Christ. As Christians we need to be sensitive to wait until people are ready to talk. That does not mean that we should never bring up the subject that we should be the most passionate about.

What Christ did is an exciting message. Some will not be interested in hearing it. Still, if they hear more and more people talking about Him, perhaps they will start to pay attention. That is what happened to me when I finally went and watched a Vikings play.

The more we know about Jesus the more we should love Him and the more good news we will have to share about Him. Let us continue to learn about Christ so we can share the exciting message that eternal life comes only through believing in Him as Lord and Savior. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)

Not Feeling the Power of Prayer?  2-3-18

      I often see Christian articles promoting the keys to having a powerful prayer life. I do not “feel” like I have a real powerful prayer life. What I mean by that is that I do not get some amazing feeling of power as I go to God in prayer. I do not feel some kind of tingle, touch, or movement within me each time I pray.

      I must admit that there have been times where I have felt deep emotion as I prayed. There have also been other times where I have felt little or no emotion as I prayed. I have come to realize that I need to stop focusing on how I “feel” as I pray and instead just pray. 1Thessalonians 5:17 simply commands us to “pray without ceasing.” The full sentence where that verse is located reads, “Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.  (I Thessalonians 5:16-18 NASB)

      Notice that the command regarding prayer is that we pray. Further the command regards what we are to do along with our prayer rather than how we are to feel. First we are to rejoice. That means we are to be glad. No doubt there is an element of “feeling” in gladness, but it is more of a choice or call to action than just how we feel. In order to really understand how it can be a choice we should look at the last part of the sentence which tells us to give thanks in everything.

      I find myself praying a lot when I have trouble. I bring my cares to God as I realize He can handle what I cannot handle. Often I am feeling discouraged as I come to Him with my problems. As I come to God, I am able to rejoice knowing that He loves me enough that He became a man and died for my sins. I rejoice knowing that Jesus rose from the dead and that He wants me to call out in prayer. I rejoice knowing that He has the power to deal with the problems that are out of my control. These are all things to be thankful for.

      I have come to realize that I am not thankful for the power of my prayers, but instead I am thankful for the power of my God. Thus it is okay that I do not “feel” like I have a powerful prayer as long I rejoice that I have a powerful God. The point is that my dependence is on my God, not on my prayer. That means that my focus is His power, not mine.

      One of the reasons I go to Him is because I realize how powerless I am. That means it is okay if my prayers are not powerful, because my God is powerful.

      As I look back on the prayers I have prayed over the years, I could share many examples of how seemingly impossible situations have been resolved after prayer. These are not testimonies to how good I pray. As I said, my prayers do not “feel” powerful at all. Instead these answers to prayer are a testimony to the power of my almighty God.

      We are commanded to pray without ceasing. There are some prayers that I continue to pray even as I do not see the results I had hoped for. I pray them with thanksgiving as well. I rejoice knowing that God may have a better plan than what I requested and that I can trust Him no matter what.

What Happens When God is Angry?   1-20-18

Imagine if you found out that someone had taken a baseball bat to your car and had let the air out of all the tires. You would likely be angry about it. The scripture warns about the dangers of anger, but it also makes it clear that anger itself is not sinful. Ephesians 4:26 says, “BE ANGRY, AND yet DO NOT SIN; do not let the sun go down on your anger,” (NASB).

Anger is not always wrong. In fact, it would not be wrong to be angry that your car was vandalized. Still, if that anger is not kept in check, it could lead you to react in a sinful manner. Further, the anger should not be carried around for a long time and allowed to ferment.

Because anger can lead to so many sinful actions, we sometimes start to think that the anger itself is wrong rather than our ungodly reactions to our anger. It may even surprise some to realize that God gets angry. Because God is perfect, He is able to control His anger and never sin.

When I was a kid, I watched the Incredible Hulk. I remember David Banner saying, “you won't like me when I'm angry.” When he let his anger get out of control he turned into a super strong green monster. God is much more powerful than the Incredible Hulk, but He keeps His anger under control.

As fearful as it would be to have the Hulk mad at me, it should be even more scary to have God mad at us. Hebrews 10:31 says, “It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” (NASB) Consider as well the words of Jesus, "But I will warn you whom to fear: fear the One who after He has killed has authority to cast into hell; yes, I tell you, fear Him!” (Luke 12:5 NASB)

There is reason to fear a holy God who gets angry at sin. In fact, He is so angry at sin that He makes it clear that the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23a).

Knowing that God has power over everything- including our eternal soul- it is a comfort that although the wages of sin is death, the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord (Romans 6:23). No doubt, God gets mad at sin, yet He so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. (John 3:16).

As we read in Ephesians 4:26, the sun should not go down on our anger. In Psalm 30:5 we read about God's anger and how it does not last long. Psalm 30:5 says, “For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for a lifetime; Weeping may last for the night, But a shout of joy comes in the morning.” (NASB)

Knowing how powerful God is, I am glad that His anger does not last long and that He has provided forgiveness for my sins through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. At the same time a realization of His anger is sobering, because I know that not everyone has put a trusting belief in Christ. For then the results of God's anger will be eternal judgment. John 3:36 gives comfort to believers but warns those who reject Christ's authority in their lives when Jesus says, "He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him." (NASB)

Putting Up With Each Other  1-7-18

I saw a really cool picture on the internet. A father had built dividers between his children's car seats. Having traveled with kids, I understand why. Putting up with each other in tight confined spaces is not easy. Add the immaturity of childhood to the mix and soon you have someone yelling, “he touched me!”

As we grow into adulthood, that annoyance with others does not instantly go away. In fact, the scriptures tell us to bear with each other. That means we should put up with each other even when it is not easy. Colossians 3:12-15 says,

And so, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. And beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful. (NASB)

Notice the call for compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience as we put up with each other and love each other. Imagine if the kids in the back seat could just do this. Sadly, many grown adults struggle with these basic principles of the Christian life. Notice though that the key is to remember that the Lord Jesus Christ set the example. As we apply these standards to our lives, we must let his peace rule in our hearts. In other words, Christ is the key to putting up with each other.

As we continue to read the passage we find out that this applies to the people that we live the closest to. Colossians 3:18-21 tells us, “Wives, be subject to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives, and do not be embittered against them. Children, be obedient to your parents in all things, for this is well-pleasing to the Lord. Fathers, do not exasperate your children, that they may not lose heart.” (NASB)

Verse 18 is a bit controversial because it tells the wives to submit to their husbands. Although this is true, the passage also holds a rebuke for the overbearing husband. First, notice that the wives are to be subject “as is fitting in the Lord.” This means that God sees this as fitting, but it also is a reminder that as Peter said, we ought to obey God rather than men. In other words, wives are not required to submit in areas that would cause them to sin.

Further, husbands are to love their wives. A husband that puts excessive demands on his wife is not being loving. If a husband loves his wife like Christ loves the church, it will be much easier for his wife to let him make some of the important decisions- especially if he loves her enough to consult with her first and gets her perspective.

Along those lines, verse 21 shows that the fathers are not to provoke their children to wrath or exasperate them. This is right after the children are told to obey their parents. Even though there is an order of authority in the household, if we are to put up with each other and live with the peace of Christ as our guide, then the leader in the house must step up and do right. That means that the father/husband, must be humble, compassionate, kind, meek, patient, forgiving, and loving just like Jesus is (see verse 12).

That does not mean that the wife and children do not have to be like Christ, it just means that verse 21 makes a specific point of making sure that the leader of the house understands that he has a special duty in this area.

The point is that if we are to get along and not quarrel like little kids in the back seat, then all of us must focus on being Christlike. As we start this new year, let us all live for Christ by being more like Him.

Scripture and Sexual Harassment

12-28-17

     As I read the headlines lately, the word “scandal” comes to my mind. There have been so many scandals of sexual harassment, that we almost expect a new one daily. At Southtown, we have been preaching through the book of Colossians. As we came to chapter 3, we found out that even though this letter was written almost 2000 years ago, it is still able to address the issue we are having to deal with today.

     Let us look at Colossians 3:5-6, “Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry. For it is on account of these things that the wrath of God will come,” (NASB)

     The letter to the Colossians is a letter to Christians where they are told to live in a way that they are dead to immorality. Many of the men who have been accused of sexual harassment have used the defense that the relationship was consensual. If they can prove that is was consensual, that may get them off the hook legally, but it does not get them off the hook with God. Sexual immorality is wrong, whether consensual or not. If not consensual, then there is additional sin, but even consensual sex outside of marriage is wrong.

     Notice as well that greed and evil desires are wrong. As we read the headlines we find out that evil men in positions of power used their influence to manipulate women into doing sinful things. Many of the women were fearful of losing their jobs. As Christians, we must realize that we must say no to sin even if it has major financial implications. My brother was faced with a similar situation in a non sexual way. His boss wanted him to lie to customers in order to make more profit. He quit instead and had to take a lower paying job for a while. The point is that he was more concerned about obeying God than he was about his job. Notice that Colossians 3:5 addresses both immorality and greed. Any man who puts a woman in a place where she must chose between immorality and her job must be held accountable (take comfort in the wrath of God in vs 6). At the same time, Christian men and women must trust God enough to say no even if it means losing a job or a promotion.

     The letter to the Colossians continues, “But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices,” (Colossians 3:8-9 NASB)

     The sexual acts are obviously wrong, but notice that the scripture also addresses the issue of abusive speech. Regardless of what the law says or what sort of sexual harassment policy your company has in place, as Christians, we have an even higher standard. We are to set aside our old way of behavior (the way we acted before following Christ) and that includes being careful that our speech is not abusive. That means we should not be rude, but it also means we should not be crude.

What to Give Jesus For Christmas  12-7-17

At Christmas time we think about giving and receiving gifts. Little kids are easy to shop for, but it can be more of a challenge to find the perfect gift for some adults. What if we were to go Christmas shopping for God? What would you give HIM?

This time of year we remember the greatest gift of all as God gave us Himself as He became a man and was born into this world as a little baby. He then grew up and ministered to many people as He healed the sick, raised the dead, and reached out to sinners. Finally He paid the ultimate price as He gave His life for our sins when He died on the cross.

Knowing all that Jesus has done for us, we should want to give what we can to Him. But what do you give to someone who created the whole world? What do you give to someone who is so powerful that He even made and sustains you? “For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities--all things have been created by Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.” (Colossians 1:16-17 NASB) Knowing that Jesus is the creator and that He existed before all things shows us that He existed before He took on the body of a baby and was born in Bethlehem. It also tells me that He made the gold that was given to Him when He was a baby.

As we think about what Jesus would want, we should not just think about giving it to Him at Christmas time. We should be giving Him what He asks for our whole lives. When Jesus came to this earth as a baby and then grew up, He said, "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” (John 14:15 NASB)

So we find out that Jesus wants us to obey Him. If we are to obey Him, we should know what the most important commands are. He even told us what the 2 most important commandments where when asked about them in Matthew 22:37-38. “And He said to him, "'YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.' "This is the great and foremost commandment. "The second is like it, 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.'” (NASB)

So if we really love Jesus enough that we want to give a gift to Him, then we should do what He says. As we do what He says, we must remember that His most important command is to love Him and to love others. He then goes on to say that all the laws and what the prophets said were based on these 2 commands.

So what do we give to God when He already has everything and needs nothing from us? We give Him our love and obedience.

God gave us Himself as He was born in Bethlehem and laid in a manger. He became one of us as He entered this world, but His love did not stop there. He wanted to make sure that our sin did not stand between us and Him. He had so much love for us, that He provided a way for us to have a clean slate with Him. He did not stay a baby. He grew up and died on the cross to pay for our sins and then rose from the dead as our victorious King and savior and all He asks of us is that we believe in Him as our authority and love Him with our all as we strive to obey Him.

This Christmas, if you are wondering what to give to Jesus, give Him yourself. Give Him your trust and allegiance. Give Him your love. 

Are You Caught in a Net?  11-24-17

Life is not always easy. Sometimes it is so hard that it feels like we are trapped in a net with no way to escape. David talked about that in Psalm 25:15 when he said, “My eyes are continually toward the LORD, For He will pluck my feet out of the net.” (NASB) Notice that although David felt trapped in the net, he looked to the Lord for help and hope.

Consider the analogy of being trapped in a net. Unless you suffer from claustrophobia, it is not that big of a deal to have your feet trapped in a net for a short period of time. In fact, as kids we would tie each other up by the feet and make a game out of seeing how fast we could get free. Today, people pay money to be locked into an escape room with clues for how to get out.

The anxiety of being trapped is not nearly as severe as the anxiety of worrying about not ever being able to be free. In the examples of the escape room and of our childhood game there was always a certainty of being free eventually. If my brother tied me up good enough that I could not get free, all I had to do was call for Mom's help. I could even just tell my brother that I gave up and he won, so he would untie me or cut the rope.

When we face the trials of life, the trials themselves are often not as severe as wondering where the trials will lead. For example, I think of loved ones who have been caught in the net of a cancer diagnosis but still feel fairly healthy. The challenge comes not from the current situation, but from the fear of what the future will bring.

During those times we should remember to be thankful for our current situation and to be thankful that the net around us has not yet begun to choke us. That is hard to do until we, like David, remember that God is still there regardless of the trials around us. God does not promise to keep our feet out the nets of life. Instead we are told that Christ's godly followers shall suffer persecution. (II Timothy 3:12).

As we face the trials of life, let us not forget the words of Jesus, "These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world." (John 16:33 NASB)

A while back as I was reflecting on the Psalms and trusting God, I wrote this song:

In this moment of time, my world is crashing down.
In this moment of time, hope cannot be found.
In this moment of time, I don't know what to do.
In this moment of time, I simply look to you.

I know that when my moments struggle you are still there.
I know that when my heart is heavy you are the one who cares.

If I could just hold this moment in time, as the world is passing by.
Then I could have a moment without the need to cry.

With your everlasting kindness, your mercy is on me. (Is 54:8)
My God my Redeemer, to you alone I plead.

In this moment of time, the problems are at bay.
What the morrow brings, is what the morrow may. (Matt 6:34)

But in this moment of time, I am still alive
In this moment of time, my God is by my side.

I have another moment in time. One that is new.
In this moment of time, hope shines anew.

As we face the trials of life, let us take them one moment at a time with a realization that we have an all powerful God who cared so much about us that He sent His son to die for our sins. That is something to be thankful for.

Belief for Everlasting Life  11-11-2017

     Writing about politics can be quite risky. The statistics suggest that on a wide range of issues you can end up offending nearly half the population regardless of which position you take. For example about a year ago we had a very close Presidential election and emotions on both sides ran very high. Some people believed in Donald Trump. Others believed in Hilary Clinton. Each side voted accordingly. Others did not believe in either but voted for one of them anyway. Some believed in another candidate and voted accordingly. Some did not believe in any and did not vote at all.

     As I reflect back on that political contest, I realize that the candidates had true believers behind them. They also had supporters behind them, and then they just had people who went through the motions of voting for them.

     I believe that there are also similar responses to Jesus Christ. Some really believe in Him, others give a level of support to Him, and others just go through the motions of following Him.

     Jesus said in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” What kind of following was Christ talking about when He made that promise to those who believe? In order to answer that question let us consider James 2:19, “You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder.” (NASB) Along with this passage realize what Christ said about the demons. "Then He will also say to those on His left, 'Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels;” (Matthew 25:41 NASB).

     Rather than everlasting life, the devil and his followers will have everlasting punishment even though they believe in one true God and realize that Jesus Christ is that one true God. Thus, a belief in Christ for eternal life must be more than just a belief in His existence. In fact, it has to be even more than a belief that Jesus is God. Notice what happened when a demon possessed man encounters Jesus: “And seeing Jesus, he cried out and fell before Him, and said in a loud voice, 'What do I have to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg You, do not torment me.'" (Luke 8:28 NASB)

     The devil and his followers know exactly who Jesus is. They believe the facts.

     Consider that today Donald Trump is the President of the United States of America. Some people fully support him. Others do not believe that he should be the President nor do they believe that he has the authority to rule. Some even argue that because of the popular vote, Hilary should be the President. Thus we have many shades of belief about the current occupant of the Oval Office.

     In Mark 1:15, Jesus said, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel." (NASB) Notice He said to repent and believe. Repenting is the idea of changing mind and direction. A belief in Jesus for eternal life is a change in direction to follow Jesus as your God and your authority. It is a belief in Him that totally supports Him as your leader.

     Consider the interaction between Martha and Jesus in John 11:26-27, “and everyone who lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?" She said to Him, "Yes, Lord; I have believed that You are the Christ, the Son of God, even He who comes into the world." (NASB) Martha was a first century Jew. For her, a belief in the Christ was a belief in a savior who came to rule. It was a belief that meant she was a committed follower, not just someone who acknowledged His existence. Is your belief in Jesus Christ a committed following? That is the kind of belief you must have for eternal life.

So Much Death at Halloween  10-27-17

     Summer has passed and fall has arrived. With fall comes harvest and Halloween decorations. Now I like pumpkins- especially pumpkin pie, but I am not a fan of the creepy Halloween decorations that pop up this time of year.

     Much of Halloween centers on the theme of death. Ghosts represent the spirits of the dead. Zombies are essentially animated corpses. Sculls, skeletons, coffins, graveyards, mummies, and murderers, contribute to the Halloween scene. Even witches and wizards have a connection to death. In I Samuel 28 King Saul consults with the witch of Endor in order to try and contact a dead man.

     Satan also has a connection to Halloween. Some people dress up like him. Some even call it his holy day. He even has a special connection to this holiday because of the theme of death.

     There are reasons why the devil would be fascinated with death. First of all, man is put here to glorify God, and once we die, we can no longer glorify Him in life. Further, it seems that God has given Satan a certain amount of power in the area of death. Hebrews 2:14 tells us, “Since then the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil;” (NASB)

     This intriguing passage suggests that the devil had some sort of power relating to death. It also shows that by dying, Christ was able to destroy that power. Consider Christ’s words in Revelation 1:18, “I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.”  Although the devil has been given some sort of power relating to death, Christ holds the keys- the real power. 

     I do not want to encourage the devil by promoting death at Halloween. Instead, I want to use the themes of death as a way to remind others that life does not have to end with eternal death, but rather with eternal life. That life can only come through Jesus Christ. "And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men, by which we must be saved. (Acts 4:12 NASB) 

There Is A Lot of Evil Here  10-14-17

     Both local and national headlines have been shocking lately. A mass shooting took place in Las Vegas, NV. A murder suicide took place in Lennox, SD.  Hollywood is filled with scandal.

     As these events were being reported on in the news, I had to preach through a passage in the book of Judges. It was also a shocking event. In Judges 19, a woman is raped and killed. Her husband is upset and divides her dead body into parts and sends them to the leaders of the 12 tribes of Israel in order to raise awareness of the terrible crime. Once the awareness is raised, a civil war takes place.

     This is one of the most shocking passages in scripture. It shows how gross sin really is. It may even cause us to ask why such an event is even recorded in scripture when it is the sort of literature we might expect to be censored. It would definitely not get a G rating.

     Part of the explanation comes when we consider the context of the passage. Just 2 chapters earlier in Judges 17:6 we read, “In those days there was no king in Israel; every man did what was right in his own eyes.” (NASB)

     Today, more and more people are doing what is right in their own eyes rather than looking to what God says about right and wrong. In fact, many people are literally attacking the idea of looking to God for our moral values. These same people want to force their morality on the rest of us, but hate the idea of having God as the ultimate authority. When men get to decide what is right and wrong instead of looking to God, it is no wonder that we have so much evil running rampant in our world.

     The scriptures describe in detail a society that pushes God aside and this is what it looks like:

“For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error. And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper, being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful; and, although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them.” (Romans 1:25-32 NASB)

     A society without God is a mess. In fact, it is characterized by the works of the flesh that we read of in Galatians 5:19-21:

“Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you just as I have forewarned you that those who practice such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.” (NASB)

     When a person really follows God and is reconciled to God through trusting Jesus payment on the cross, God's spirit transforms them and if enough of them are transformed it brings amazing stability to a society. Consider the results of the Spirits transformation: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” (Galatians 5:22-23 NASB)

Consequences After Repentance 10-7-17

     We have taught our boys that when they are not nice to each other, that they should say that they are sorry. The problem is that the words, “I'm sorry,” can become little more than a ritual that is expected rather than a real sorrow over sin. In fact, the words can even become a way to avoid the consequences of their actions. The scripture addresses this problem in II Corinthians 7:10, “For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation; but the sorrow of the world produces death.” (NASB)

     True repentance should not be about saying that I am sorry that you were offended. True repentance should be about saying that I am sorry that I sinned. Still, even as adults it is so easy to treat repentance like we did when we were kids. Many of us learned that if we said we were sorry, then our parents were less severe with the punishment.

     As Christians, we also learned that we are to forgive one another because God forgave us. Consider Christ's answer to Peter considering a question about forgiveness. “Then Peter came and said to Him, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times? Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.” (Matthew 18:21-22 NASB)

     Some use this verse to teach that as long as someone says that they are sorry, then all consequences should be removed. Notice that the command to forgiven in Matthew 18 says nothing about the offender saying that they are sorry or even about confessing. It simply talks about forgiveness. Therefore, we must be careful not to tie confession and apology to a removal of consequence for sin.

     For example, imagine that a church greeter started punching everyone in the face as they entered the church, but each time he did it he admitted he was wrong and asked for forgiveness. Of course this person should be removed from his position and there should be consequences- in our society there would even have to be criminal charges brought against him because he had broken the law by assaulting innocent people.

     We understand in a practical sense that forgiveness does not negate consequences, yet many Christians become confused on the issue once it becomes much more personal. In fact, Christianity has recently been plagued by scandals of pedophilia because once caught the offender apologized and then was allowed to return to work with children without any warnings to those around. First of all, that is illegal, because of mandatory reporting laws. Further it is unChristlike because it is failing to protect the innocent.

     We must be willing to forgive and we must be gracious because God is gracious. We must also be willing to warn and to hold people accountable for their actions even when there is repentance.

     If a person is really repentant (godly sorrow) then they should welcome the consequence and the warning. True repentance should recognize the two greatest commands of scripture- love God and love your neighbor. Thus the offender should be more concerned about God's glory and about the person they sinned against than they are about their own reputation. The truth about their sin and the warning to others should be viewed as a help for them and for others rather than a lack of forgiveness.

     Consider the pedophile who has served his time and then returns to the church. Forgiveness should be granted but it will help him to have the truth out in the open so that others can help him to not fail in that same area again. Further, having everyone aware of the past and having others watching and helping him to not ever be alone with a child can protect him from false allegations.

     Let us realize that consequences and truth are not a lack of love or a lack of forgiveness. Rather they are loving accountability that helps us all to serve Christ better.

Man Making His Own God  9-15-17

     Have you ever thought of making a statue and having that statue be your god? I believe most of us realize how ridiculous it would be to carve a statue and expect it to function as a god.

Isa 44:14-17 says, “Surely he cuts cedars for himself, and takes a cypress or an oak, and raises it for himself among the trees of the forest. He plants a fir, and the rain makes it grow. Then it becomes something for a man to burn, so he takes one of them and warms himself; he also makes a fire to bake bread. He also makes a god and worships it; he makes it a graven image, and falls down before it. Half of it he burns in the fire; over this half he eats meat as he roasts a roast, and is satisfied. He also warms himself and says, "Aha! I am warm, I have seen the fire." But the rest of it he makes into a god, his graven image. He falls down before it and worships; he also prays to it and says, "Deliver me, for thou art my god." (NASB)

     Our culture is sophisticated enough to understand that a piece of wood can be used to warm us when burned but that it has no power to help us as a god. Still that process of making a god out of a piece of wood has a certain allure. If you get to make your own god, it can look however you want it to look. Further, if you planted the tree that you make the god out of, then you can claim that the god's very existence is because of you. Essentially you have created a god that you are in total control of.

     If you make a god out of wood and burned the scraps, what is to keep you from burning the statue? You have the power to get rid of the god you made if it ever displeases you. Essentially by making your own god, you are god of the god.

     What if you carved a statue and then named it Jesus Christ? Would that statue actually be Jesus? Of course we understand that it would not. What if you claimed to worship the Jesus Christ of the Bible, but you reshaped and remolded him into something other than who He really is?

     Carving gods out of wood is not very common in our society, but reshaping the true God into whatever we want Him to be has become very popular. Redefining the true God is not only idolatry, it is blasphemy. When man reshapes a piece of wood, that wood has no power to be upset about how it is represented. On the other hand, when man tries to reshape God, man must remember that God created him, not that he created God. Further man is accountable to the true God, not the other way around.

     Whether man is making a statue to worship or redefining the true God, man is trying to be in control rather than letting God be in control.

     We need to study the Bible to find out who our God really is, rather than just deciding how we want to shape our god. We have no right to make our own god. If you are defining Jesus by who you want Him to be rather than by who He declares Himself to be in the Bible, then you have no right to call yourself a Christian. Such a person has formed a new god and is simply calling that god, Jesus. Jesus Christ is the creator God come to earth to pay for our sins. Read the Bible and learn more about who He is instead of trying form Him into who you want Him to be. 

Do you Need to Love God?  9-2-17

     Garth Brooks is coming to Sioux Falls. You can see videos of him performing with screaming fans dancing and extending their arms out to him. It is obvious that they love him and his music. They like what he is doing and are showing their love with enthusiasm. I would even describe the scene as worshipful.

     Although worship should be reserved for the true God, I actually want to address a bit of a different subject. How many people who call themselves Christians actually adore God as much as a Garth Brooks fan adores the country singer?

     Matthew 22:37-38 says, “Jesus said to him, 'You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment.'” (NKJV) This command was listed way back in Deuteronomy 6:5 and is repeated throughout both the Old and New Testaments of scripture.

     We understand that a person becomes a Christian by believing in the Lord Jesus Christ. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16) For the Christian, belief in Jesus Christ must be much more than just an intellectual agreement with facts. For example, a classical music professor could analyze a Garth Brooks song and agree that he sung the notes correctly and still not be a fan. He could agree that Garth had a level of talent and still not “believe” that he should be selling a lot of records. This music professor would thus not be a follower of Garth Brooks and you would not expect to see him cheering in the front row of a Garth concert unless his best friends who were Garth fans drug him along. Then suddenly the professor pretends to be a fan because of the peer pressure. If he still hated country music, his belief about Garth would not change simply because his behavior had changed.

     What if people are doing the same thing with Jesus?  What if they are simply going through the motions of changed behavior because of pressure from other people? What if that change of behavior has nothing to do with a love for Christ? Can they really say that they believe in all that Christ stands for if they do not have a love for Him?

     Jesus actually rebuked the pharisees for this very thing in Luke 11:42, "But woe to you Pharisees! For you pay tithe of mint and rue and every kind of garden herb, and yet disregard justice and the love of God; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others.” (NASB)

     I love studying about God. The more I learn about Him the more I love Him. As I read the Old Testament I see many times when people face trials and God comes to their rescue. I see a God of justice, but I also see a God of mercy. If it were not for God's justice and His punishment of sinners, then the innocent would have no hope of God punishing their oppressors. Thus even in His judgment we see His mercy.

     The reason it is so easy to love Him is because He first loved us. Even before we loved Him, He showed His love by dying for us. 1 John 4:10 says, “In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” (NASB)

Who Gets to Break The Tie?  8-4-17

     Last year we got a different van. Buying a different vehicle was one of the bigger decisions that we made during the year. Of course in making such a decision, I wanted to get some advice, so I researched a number of vehicles on the internet. I also talked to real people to get their advice. The first person that I talked to was my wife. As my best friend, I value her input. Further, she would be the one most affected by our decision. Therefore, it made sense that we made the decision together.

     As we began to talk about updating vehicles, she also did some internet research. I was researching gas mileage, reliability, and price. She was looking at safety, room for kids, and storage. Although we initially had different priorities, the insight we were both gaining helped us to narrow down our search to a vehicle that would be best for our family.

     By the time we found the Grand Caravan that we bought, we were in full agreement that it would really work well for us.

Our van story has a happy ending, but we do not always come to an agreement on every subject that comes up. Sometimes a decision has to be made and there is no time to to wait for agreement. Sometimes there are differences of opinion, that no amount of time will change.

     So how do we navigate these challenges? Some would suggest that the man is the head of the household and therefore he should just make the decision without even consulting his wife. I am glad I did not do that, since I would have missed out on many important insights. Proverbs 15:22 says, “Without consultation, plans are frustrated, But with many counselors they succeed.” (NASB)

     Others would suggest that in order to balance out the patriarchal excesses, the husband should just let his wife make the decisions. That may sound like a compassionate approach, until we realize that there is often a lot of stress and pressure that comes with having to make important decisions. That is why we make these decisions together. Ephesians 5:21 tells us, “and be subject to one another in the fear of Christ.” (NASB)

     Still there are times when a decision must be make and there is not yet agreement. Essentially my wife gets a vote and I get a vote and we are at a stalemate. At this point someone has to cast the tie breaking vote. Right after Ephesians 5:21 comes verse 22. It says, “Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord.” (NASB). That means I get the tie breaking vote.

     Before I ever cast that vote, I must remember another verse from the same chapter. “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her;” (Ephesians 5:25 NASB) A loving husband should set aside selfish motives and cast the tie breaking vote in a way that puts God and others ahead of himself. Sometimes that means changing his vote after he hears his wife's reasons for her vote being different than his. He must also guard against his own selfish interests in making his decision. He may even be tempted to vote in her favor for his selfish interests- thinking he will get something in return from her.

     As the husband casts the tie breaking vote, he must do so with care, knowing that the final responsibility for the decision rests on his shoulders. He should do so in a way that takes the stress of the decision off of his wife, thus showing love for her. His love for her should also motive him to carefully consider her position. Once he makes the decision, he cannot blame her for the outcome. This allows for a decision to be made at times of deadlock. It also allows a chance to display love during a time when both husband and wife must be reminded of the importance of submitting to each other. 

A Lego Lesson on Sharing  7-22-17

     Our boys love Legos. We like to buy used Legos in bulk, thus we have a large plastic tote with about 40 pounds of Legos in it that the boys share. Even with that large stash of Legos, our 7 year old used some of his birthday money to buy a special Lego set. He keeps this separate from the other Legos. It is his, not his brothers'.

     This brings up a question: as Christians, should we allow our sons to have their own possessions, or should we teach them to share everything they have?

     We read in the book of Acts how the early Christians shared their possessions so that they could help each other meet any need that came up. We have no record of these Christians being commanded to do this, but we do have verses like Hebrews 13:16 which says, “And do not neglect doing good and sharing; for with such sacrifices God is pleased.” (NASB) This same idea is also taught in 1Timothy 6:17-18, “Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy. Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share,” (NASB).

     By giving all 4 of our boys a big bulk supply of Legos for Christmas, we are teaching them to share with each other, but now the 7 year old has his own Lego set. Is that fair?

     Although the scripture teaches the importance of sharing and the problems of greed, it also teaches that individuals have a right to own certain things. In fact, the problem with greed is wanting to get what someone else owns. There is even a command against covetousness within the 10 commandments. There is also a command against stealing. Both these commands are found in the Old Testament and clearly repeated in the New Testament. If there were no personal property rights, then we would not have to worry about stealing, because everything would already belong to everyone.

     Ephesians 4:28 should guide the Christian in this area. “Let him who steals steal no longer; but rather let him labor, performing with his own hands what is good, in order that he may have something to share with him who has need.” (Ephesians 4:28 NASB)

     In other words, instead of taking what does not belong to us, we should work to earn our own private possessions. Then we should use those private possessions to help others.

     As I was writing this article my 3 oldest boys walked into my office and I asked them if they should share all their toys, or if they had to a right to have some of their toys as just their own. One said share, one said own, then they thought for a moment and they all agreed that they should do both. They understood that they had a right to their own property, but that as Christians they should be willing to share what they had with each other.

     Their Legos have helped them to understand a basic concept of Christianity. Respect other people's property, realize that all we have really belongs to God, and then be willing to share what we have with others while being careful not let people just steal what we have by taking advantage of us.

Amazing Random Creations   7-8-17

     I heard the sound of sirens and other noises coming from our backyard. The fire station is near our house, but this sounded much different. It sounded like it was coming from the mouth of a little boy. Sure enough, I looked out our back door to see our boys sitting on the top landing playing with their toy cars and making the sounds to go along with their play.

     Not only had they made up sounds, they had also made a whole play area. They had found an old piece of cement block, a small metal frame from a toy wagon, a scrap piece of wood, a metal screen, an empty flower pot, and other random toy parts that they had used to make some sort of building that they were driving their cars through.

     I must admit that their creativity was inspiring. I got to thinking, “they had made their little garage out of existing materials, but God created the whole world without any physical material.” “By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible.” (Hebrews 11:3 NASB)

     The toy garage that my boys had cobbled together still took some design. It was obvious that the wind had not just blown a bunch of junk around to make their small structure. Still it was a very simple creation. A few years ago the boys had helped to build our garage. That was even more complex. It was not built out of random pieces of wood. Instead each stud was of a consistent length and spacing as were the trusses and other structural components. Still the garage is a very simple building. The tallest building in the world is over a half a mile high and required much planning. None of these structures happened by chance.

     Even the most basic life form is much more complex than the tallest building. The human body is extremely complex. The more we study science the more complex we realize our world is. So is it scientific to believe that man evolved from nothing to an extremely complex being, simply by chance or even by some big bang?

     Consider that half mile tall building. If totally left alone without a designer, what would happen to it over the course of millions or even billions of years? It would not get taller and more complex. It would become less ordered and may even cease to stand- especially if there were some sort of large bang. I therefore find it quite strange that some think that it is scientific to believe that with enough time, things will go from less order to more order without the aid of a designer.

     Isaiah 44:24 reminds us that the same God who created the whole world also made us. “Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, and the one who formed you from the womb, "I, the LORD, am the maker of all things, Stretching out the heavens by Myself, And spreading out the earth all alone,” (Isaiah 44:24 NASB) This verse tells us something else important. Our creator is also our redeemer. God did not make us and then just forget about us. The Bible describes Jesus Christ as both redeemer and creator in Colossians where it says,

“in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. And He is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of all creation. For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities--all things have been created by Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.” (Colossians 1:14-17 NASB)

     The random creations that my boys made, can remind us that Jesus Christ is our creator and redeemer. Therefore we are accountable to Him. That means we should believe in Him and His authority over our lives.

Should We all Be Ministers?  6-23-17

I wear many different hats. I have more than one hat from Menards because they are free with a mail in rebate. My favorite hat is the one I bought from Sheels. It is a camouflage hat with their store name on it and I like how it looks. I also have a gray work hat with another company logo on it that I often wear. My friend Phil gave it to me. If it is real hot and I am out in the sun, I have a ventilated wide brimmed hat that covers my ears, eyes, and back of my neck. If it is real cold I wear a stocking hat.

A Catastrophe of Crayons  6-9-17

     Our youngest son is autistic. Back in the late 1980's the only thing many people knew about autism is what they had seen in the 1988 movie, Rain Man. Today, most people know someone with autism. We do not know if autism is more common than it used to be, or if we are just more aware of it. Growing up one of my friends was diagnosed with autism and I knew him before even watched the movie Rain Man. Looking back I knew other people growing up who to this day have not been diagnosed as autism but share some of the same characteristics.

Jesus Our Almighty King  5-27-17

Our boys like to role play. They will pretend to be soldiers, cowboys, or dinosaur hunters. Seldom do they pretend to be kings. In our society, the idea of being a dinosaur hunter is easier to grasp than the idea of having a king.

Don't Manipulate the Bible  5-12-17

Imagine that you walk into a French hospital and you see a man dressed in white and he says he has the cockroach. Your first thought may be that he is an exterminator, but then you are informed that when the French talk of having the cockroach, they mean they are depressed. With this added information, you then understand that this person is likely a patient rather than an exterminator.
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It is amazing how a little additional information can change ones perspective. Often as I talk about the Bible, others will point out how there are so many different interpretations. I must agree that this is true. Since I preach through the Bible verse by verse there are occasions when I must admit that there are a number of views on a particular verse. Still, most of the Bible is quite straight forward. For example there is little room for variations of interpretation when declaring that lying, stealing and murder are sins.
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But what do we do with the areas that we are not quite so sure about? Like the illustration about the French cockroach, we must strive for as much information as possible and grasp for the original meaning and intent of words that are used in scripture, realizing that they were not originally written in English. Further, we need to get as much information as possible from the text. In other words we should not just isolate a passage, but we should look both at the immediate context as well as the rest of scripture.
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Imagine if you started to read the story of The Three Little Pigs but only read the first two thirds of it. You could easily come to the conclusion that any house that a pig built, a wolf could destroy. You would actually miss the whole moral of the story and end up replacing that moral with one that the story never intended. Sadly the same thing often happens with Biblical interpretation.
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I once listened to an online sermon and I was exposed to such careless interpretation. The pastor pointed out that each of the 5 times the word “breeches” was used in the Bible, that it referred to men wearing them. His conclusion, based upon that information, was that women should never wear pants because only men had worn breeches in those verses. What he neglected to point out is that each of those 5 verses also referred to the priests. Based on his logic, only priests should wear pants. Further, he also missed another important piece of information. Every time the word “skirt” is found (10 verses), it always refers to men. Based on that preachers logic, only men should wear skirts.
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It has often been said that a person can make the Bible say anything they want it to say. The truth is, people try to convince others that the Bible is saying something different than what it says, but that does not change the actual text. The problem with some Biblical interpretation is that people try to manipulate the truth rather than just looking at what it says.
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2 Timothy 2:15 says, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” The person who missed the moral of the Three Little Pigs, and the pastor who drew an unreasonable conclusion from the word “breeches,” had reason to be ashamed. I fear that often such foolishness is not the result of ignorance, but rather of manipulation. That is why all Christians, not just pastors, need to study God’s Word. It really can be understood.

The Kids Lived Me a Lesson  4-28-17

     We live in a small town, but that does not mean that there is nothing to do. A few weeks ago we went to the Easter egg hunt, and recently the Worthing elementary school hosted a carnival for the kids. At that carnival my young boys reminded me of a valuable lesson about contentment.

     I was so happy that rather than complaining about not being able to play in the bouncy houses, they were enjoying what they could do right then. Further they were looking forward to what they would get to do in the future. In the short time we were at the carnival, the boys got to do the shooting gallery and go on a train ride.

     The shooting gallery was simply some paper plates and Nurf guns. The train ride was a bunch of barrel trailers pulled behind a lawn mower made to look like a train engine. I actually started to have a bad attitude in my heart as I realized I had spent $10 to get the boys in, only to have them take down the inflatables right after we got there. But then, I realized that the boys did not even care and were having a great time. Not having the bouncy houses did not ruin their night at all, but my bad attitude could have easily ruined it if I had not kept it in check.

     The boys also got a gift bag and cotton candy at the carnival. Inside the bag was more candy and a token to a free kids meal at the Texas Road House. Since we had come late, we were given a discount on our admission price and those tokens alone were worth more than what we had paid. It was not until we got back home that the boys found the tokens and told me about them and I realized that instead of complaining inside, I needed to be rejoicing.

     Seeing the good attitude that my kids had that night reminds me of Philippians 4:4-7, “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (NKJV)

     There are so many things that we could complain about in life when instead we should be thanking God and letting the peace of Christ work in our lives. So often we as parents are trying to train and teach our children to do right, but recently my boys were the ones who reminded me of a valuable lesson- a lesson that I have so often taught myself, but had started to forget. “But godliness with contentment is great gain.” (I Timothy 6:6)

Easter Eggs, Bunnies, and Jesus  4-14-17

Our boys had a lot of fun at Worthing's annual Easter egg hunt. The organizers divided the activity by age groups so that the younger kids did not have to compete with the older ones in order to find eggs. The 0-4 year old's got to go first and for some of them it was a challenge just to figure out what was expected. Once those little kids figured out that those brightly colored eggs contained candy, suddenly they found motivation to find the next prize.

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Our youngest son is 5, so he and his 6 year old brother got to go with the second group. They already knew just what to do. Still our youngest had just as much fun picking up the empty eggs as he did finding the ones with candy. He is at the age where the fun of the game is more important than the quest for the prize. Ironically, he was rewarded when he won the drawing and got a rubber ball AND a basketball. They were in an Easter basket and the package was almost as tall as he was, but he insisted on carrying it home himself.

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Our biggest boys were in the oldest group. They were the largest and fastest and had to compete with the other big and fast kids to be the first to get their eggs. Realizing the challenge, our 9 year old ran as fast as he could from egg to egg. Our 8 year old, however, took his time and noticed that there were a lot of eggs in one area that no one else was picking up. He simply went from egg to egg without hurry and ended up with more than his big brother had.

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Worthing's Easter egg hunt actually occurred the weekend before Easter. I am not sure why it was planned that way, but I am glad it was for a variety of reasons. First, it allowed kids that may be traveling for the holiday to participate. Still, from a spiritual perspective, I can see an even more important reason to like the timing. By having this event a week before Resurrection Sunday it allows for more of a disconnect between the secular holiday and the religious aspect of an important event for Christians.

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Eggs and bunnies can become a huge distraction from a very important event that is celebrated this time of year. Technically Easter is not even a Christian term and has nothing to do with Christianity at all, however this ancient religious holiday occurred around the same time as the Resurrection celebration and thus through the years the term has been redefined to represent the Resurrection.

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Regardless of the origins of the original Easter holiday, today our society promotes eggs and bunnies as a way to sell products and entertain children, not as a way to promote any ancient religion. For the Christian, I do not see a great danger of the Easter egg leading our families into paganism. Rather Easter is a reminder of how there are so many things in society that can end up distracting us from God. In Matthew 6:33 Christ reminds us to first seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness. He also warns, “And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.” (Mark 4:19)

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Like the Easter egg hunt, there are a lot of things we can do with our time. Many of those things are not bad in themselves, but they can easily distract us from our savior. May this special time of year remind us that God loved us enough that Jesus died for our sins and rose again. May that motivate us to not forget nor neglect Him in our lives.

Get R Done South Dakotans 2-2-17

Our 6 year old is a true South Dakotan. He recently told us that his feet hurt while he was standing barefoot on a crate, but that he just “cowboyed up” until he was done. I grew up in Southwest Minnesota- just across the South Dakota border- so we had much of the same culture as this area.

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For me, the independent, tough it out, pull yourself up by your boot strap approach to life is normal. For example, one evening as I parked the vehicle to go into the house, I looked across the road and saw my neighbor unloading a very large upright air compressor from his trailer. Of course he was doing it by himself. It was on a pallet so he was able to anchor a winch in his garage and slowly pull the heavy tool off of his trailer.

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A few years earlier another neighbor was moving and had to get a large container out of his basement. He anchored his ATV to a tree and was using the ATV winch to pull the container up the steps. Both these neighbors were doing exactly what I would do- figuring out how to do it yourself instead of asking for help.

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Of course I did just what either of them would have done as well- I went straight over and helped them. The help was appreciated, but they had not asked for it. They were just living out the rural Dakota attitude of “git r done.”

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For many a rural South Dakotan, it is much more comfortable to help someone else than it is to ask for help. In many ways I admire such an attitude. In fact, I have that same attitude myself. Still there can be a problem with this attitude from a Christian perspective.

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Although I cannot speak for my neighbors, I realize that my independent attitude is rooted to a certain extent in pride. I am often too proud to ask for help. I want to prove that I do not need help and that I can get it done on my own. Such an attitude becomes a huge problem when we have that attitude with God.

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Too often we are too proud to ask God for help. The very issue of coming to God to save our souls is all about admitting that we cannot do it ourselves and that we need Him to do it for us. Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;

not as a result of works, that no one should boast.” (NASB) In other words, God does the saving of our souls so we cannot brag about it. The very next verse however, may be encouraging to the “git r done” South Dakotan. It says, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” (NASB) In other words, once you trust Christ, you need to realize that you were created to get to work for Him. That means you can apply that independent work ethic you have learned for the glory of God.

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But as we work for God, we need to be careful that we not be too independent about it. Galatians 6:2 says, “Bear one another's burdens, and thus fulfill the law of Christ.” (NASB) For many of us that verse is not such a challenge until we realize that if Christians are to bear each other's burdens, than that means we need to let others help us with our burdens. That is not an excuse to let us mooch off of others (I think we have all met such people and I am not defending them). This is however a challenge to be humble enough to admit that we sometimes need help and that we can be a blessing to others by letting them help us.

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Most of all, we need to realize that we need God- not just to help us, but to sustain our very lives.

My Mom's Love and Justice  9-16-16

     One of my childhood memories involves sugar cubes. I remember mom storing them on the top shelf of the kitchen cupboard. I remember them as a treat for the horses, but I think that my mom had them on hand so Grandpa could add them to his coffee.

     I suspect that they were kept on the top shelf so that children could not easily get to them. Grandpa and the horses were not the only ones who liked them. I enjoyed letting them melt in my mouth as I enjoyed the sweet savor that seemed to increase as the cube crumbled.

     Since Mom knew how much I liked them, why didn't she just put them within my reach? The reason was because Mom loved me even more than I loved sugar cubes. As a loving mother, she wanted to protect her son. She understood that too much sugar would not be good for me. She also understood that climbing to that top shelf as a 3 year old would not be good for me either. That meant that Mom's love was often demonstrated through her punishment. Proverbs 13:24 says, “He who spares his rod hates his son, But he who loves him disciplines him diligently.” (NASB)

     Mom did not spank often, but we knew there would be consequences for disobedience. We also knew it was because she loved us.

     Love and discipline are not contradictory. Not only did my mother punish wrongdoing, but she was also concerned about justice. To this day, she tries to treat all her children fairly. As a child, that meant that if I wronged my brothers or my sister, I could expect consequences from Mom. That did not negate her love, since I also knew that my siblings would be treated the same if they wronged me.

     I believe that my mother's example helped me to better understand how God's love and justice can coexist. I also realize that not all parents are as consistent as my mother was. My dad was not. I am not suggesting we compare our parents to God, but rather that we learn more about God's love and justice.

     John 3:16 shows us that God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. Just 20 verses later we also read, "He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him." (John 3:36 NASB).

     God's wrath is serious.  It is even more strict than my mom's spanking. Matthew 25:41 says, "Then He will also say to those on His left, 'Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels;” (NASB). God's justice is so severe that if we do not repent and follow Christ, then we end up punished along with the devil.

     God's justice may seem severe until we remember how my mom would hold us accountable if we wronged our siblings. We have all been the victims of the sinful actions of others. God's justice will not overlook their sin, but since He is just, He will not overlook yours either.

     We have all sinned (Romans 3:23). Even my mom has sinned. We all deserve God's wrath, but His love is so strong that He provided a way to have that wrath appeased (propitiated). 1 John 2:1-2 says, “My little children, I am writing these things to you that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.” (NASB)

     God loves me even more than my mom loves me. Knowing of His love and also realizing His justice, I cannot imagine ignoring His call for repentance. I cannot image life without Him as my Lord and Savior.

The Bible and Church History  9-5-16

     I have been having a Bible study with a friend. He is a new believer in Jesus Christ, and so much of the Bible is totally new to him. He has been excited as we have studied the book of Acts.

     Acts is a book of church history. It tells about key events in the church just shortly after Christ ascended into heaven. This young man commented about how exciting the account was. We read about people getting stoned. We also saw innocent people thrown in jail and then released. We read about mobs getting upset and riots ensuing. We will soon read about a storm and a shipwreck. We also read about the conversion of many people as they trusted Christ and their lives were changed.

     The Bible book of Acts is really exciting. Still the history of Christianity did not end with the book of Acts. In fact, there have been about 2000 years of history since that time. The historical events of the church after about 90 AD have not been recorded in scripture, but there are other records that outline many key events.

     Our fellowship is sponsoring a church history series to look at a number of key events that happened after the book of Acts. The first 13 lesson series covers the years AD 100- AD 600. Because it covers such a wide time span, the series will cover some key issues that ended up shaping so much of church history.

     The historical events that we will focus on are not part of the Bible, however they do give us valuable insight into what is considered orthodox Christianity. “Orthodox” means what is established and approved. Even thought there is wide variation of belief among Christians today and many of those differences are quite important, there are still a number of core beliefs that for years were held in common by the vast majority of Christians. This is what we would refer to as orthodox beliefs.

     Today, many of those beliefs are being challenged. This is nothing new. History shows us that they have been challenged for thousands of years. History also shows us that Christians have been going back to the Bible to determine what we should believe. Although the Church history series that we will be studying deals with events that occurred after the Bible was written, that does not mean we will not be looking at the Bible. Instead we will be looking at history and seeing how the Bible shaped events in our world. We will also be challenged to continue to study the Bible and to make sure that we are acting faithfully in our place in history.

     We should be reminded that the Bible is a relevant book. It is so relevant that its pages have impacted the whole world. We can see that in history and we can still see it today. We should also see it in our own lives.

     September 11^th is a historical day. It is also the day Southtown Baptist Fellowship will start our church history series in Worthing. Join us at 116 Main St. (just across from the Old Town Dinner Theater) in downtown Worthing, SD. We will continue to meet at 3 p.m. Sunday afternoons to study church history and look into the scriptures.

God's Awe-inspiring Power          8-5-16

      A few weeks ago we got to see the Blue Angels. The Blue Angels are a group of United States Navy fighter planes that put on an airshow as a means of public outreach from the US military. They are able to show the power of our military to protect this nation as we see the amazing capability of both our aircraft and our pilots.

      As powerful as these Blue Angels and the rest of our fighting force is, God is even more powerful. Thousands of years ago, countries would look to horses and chariots for military supremacy rather than fighter planes, yet king David recognized an important truth. He wrote, “Some boast in chariots, and some in horses; But we will boast in the name of the LORD, our God.” (Psalm 20:7 NASB)

      I am not suggesting that we disband our military. King David kept a fighting force, but he understood that his forces would only be successful if God permitted it.

     As the air show in Sioux Falls was going on, a plane flew right over our yard. I could hear the sound and I could even feel the vibration. About a week later I was shaken awake in my bed. I felt the house moving and I heard loud banging sounds. Soon I heard the sound of water running as well. I had been awakened by a thunderstorm. The thunder was so powerful that the house shook. It was much louder than the plane had been.

      As I lay in bed I felt comfort from those sounds, since they reminded me how powerful my God is. If He can send such power in a simple rainstorm, He can take care of me. Romans 8:31 says, “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?” (NKJV) Military historians are well aware that many battles were won and lost simply because of the weather. What a reminder that God is in control and that we must trust in Him.

      But what about those who have not trusted in Jesus Christ? "He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him." (John 3:36 NASB) The same power that shook my house during the thunderstorm is the power that will judge man.

And I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds. And death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. (Revelation 20:11-15 NASB)

      The book of life is the book of everlasting life. The only way to be in that book is to have a believing trust in Jesus Christ- a life changing belief. Jesus called this change “born again” at the beginning of John chapter 3. In the middle of that chapter He said, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)

      Knowing how powerful God is, why would we even consider resisting Him when we know that He loves us so much? 

Christian Love and Forgiveness  7-23-16

     Imagine that your cup holder is broken so you set your 52 oz drink on the dash of your car. Now imagine that you hit a small bump in the road and it lands on your lap. You look down startled and then look up just in time to see that the the stop light has turned red. You hit the brakes but it is too late. You end up just barely hitting the car in front of you. Further, you stopped so quickly that the car behind you also hits you. Both of the other drivers are very upset and you are forced to endure their yelling- knowing that you are the cause of the whole fiasco.

     I recently read about a similar situation, but with a different reaction. A man received a phone call from his wife saying that she had been rear ended. His immediate response was similar to the drivers in the example above. He became upset and to speculate about whether texting had been involved. His wife calmly assured him that everything was fine (other than the vehicle) and that he needed to hear the rest of the story instead of getting upset.

     She relayed that the first thing she did when she got out of her vehicle was to go to the other vehicle and ask if the driver was okay. The other driver, who had caused the accident, then told her that she had just received a chemotherapy treatment for her cancer. She was very apologetic. The cause was not a carelessly placed Pepsi, but rather the side effects of a medical treatment along with the stress of having a life threatening disease.

     Upon realizing that they were both okay, the two drivers then stood in the street and hugged each other. They were both Christians and although strangers before this point, realized that their love for each other was far more important than the damage to their cars.

     Once the police officer arrived he was shocked to see these two drivers showing such love for each other. Christian love should not shock people. Such behavior should be the norm among the followers of Christ. In fact, Jesus said, "By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." (John 13:35 NASB)

     Notice that both the ladies acted the way that Christians should act. The first lady was concerned about the other lady before even knowing the circumstances. The second lady did not hide her responsibility for causing the accident, but rather immediately apologized. Then the first lady showed love and helped the second lady bear her burdens with a hug.

     There is a small single chapter book in the Bible called Philemon. It is written to a Christian man named Philemon who was wronged by a man named Onesimus. These two men have not seen each other for some time, and Onesimus has since become a Christian and is returning to Philemon. As he does, the Apostle Paul writes this letter encouraging Philemon to show love and forgiveness. In the letter Paul says to Philemon, “I hear of your love, and of the faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus, and toward all the saints;” (vs 5). Because Paul knows that Philemon is a loving Christian, he is confident that he will show love toward Onesimus and forgive him (vs 21).

     May we as Christians be like Philemon and the lady who gave the hug and show our love by our actions.

Are You God's Frenemy?  7-8-16

     Do you have any frenemies? A frenemy is defined as a person with whom one is friendly despite a fundamental dislike or rivalry (google).  Frenemies are not strangers, they are people that we personally know- people we actually have a relationship with. Thus you could say that you have a personal relationship with your frenemy even though you do not like him.

      For years I have heard about the importance of a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and I agree that it is important. The problem is that in some cases the phrase “personal relationship” has been equated with the gospel itself. Man has a sin problem and must be reconciled to God, but simply having a personal relationship does not reconcile someone.

      A criminal can have a personal relationship with their probation officer. In most small businesses the employees have a personal relationship with their boss. The problem is that sin has caused humans to be enemies of God and a personal relationship does not take care of sin.

     Colossians 1:21-22 actually describes the frenemy relationship between man and God and how that relationship can change through Jesus Christ. “ And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach--”(NASB)

      Notice how the word of God describes us apart from Christ- alienated, hostile, evil. If a person claims to have a personal relationship with Jesus, yet their mind is still hostile toward Him and alienated from God, then that person has not been reconciled to God. Instead, they are thinking of Him more as a frenemy than as Lord and master

      So how serious is it to be God's frenemy? “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,” (Romans 1:18 NASB) If we do not agree with God and if we maintain a rivalry with Him, we are promised His wrath. I for one do not want to mess around with the creator of the universe. Instead I want to agree with whatever He says and not argue with Him. That is really the essence of repentance. It is the idea of changing my mind to agree with God and then changing my direction to align with what He says I should do.

      Jesus died so that we might be reconciled to God. That means that Jesus died in order that we would no longer have to be enemies of God. He died to pay for our sins and then rose again. If we simply think that some sort of superficial relationship is all that we need, then we have not grasped the fact that sin is so serious that the son of God had to die so that God's wrath could be appeased.

      When the greatest command of all is to love God with all we have, then how could we think that we could be frenemies of God and still be saved? “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23 NASB)

Orlando Shooting Response   6-24-16

     Many Christians have been trying to sort out what sort of response they should have had to the recent Orlando shooting incident. A Muslim man walked into a gay nightclub and shot about a hundred people. Around half of them were killed and others were injured.

     God tells us to love our neighbors. God also makes it clear that homosexual behavior is sinful. These are not contradictions. Christians must show love and compassion to those who were injured in this terrible event. That same love and compassion should go out to those who lost people that they dearly cared about.

     The challenge is that there are some people who would suggest that love and compassion toward a homosexual would imply an acceptance of their behavior. Some of these people actually pour out hate rather than love. There are also people on the opposite extreme that would suggest that if the behavior of a person is not accepted, then there is no love. Neither position is correct. Consider John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” God loved us so much that He sent Jesus to die for our sins. He did that without ever accepting sin as okay. In fact, it was just the opposite. Sin is so serious that God would not overlook it unless Jesus paid for it with His death. Even though God would not overlook sin, He showed love.

     God's example should help us to respond to this situation as well. We can and must show love, without accepting sin as okay. As Christians, we must take a stand against those like Westboro Baptist Church who are showing hate rather than love.

     At the same time, we must also take a stand against the idea that in order to show love, we must tolerate sin. Sadly, the idea of tolerance has practically become its own religion. The preachers of this movement have replaced God's morality with their own. For many of them, it is not enough to care about the victims of the shooting, we must also support their homosexual lifestyle. Some of these preachers of tolerance are quite tolerant of sin, but are very intolerant of what God says about sin.

     The Bible tells us to love our neighbor as ourselves. A homosexual is just as much our neighbor as the Samaritan was. In Jesus' day it was taboo to show love for the Samaritans yet He made it clear that they were neighbors to be loved (see Luke 10:27-37). Sadly, some Christians today think it is taboo to show love for homosexuals. Christians must do what is right regardless of what others think.

     Next, the Christian must not endorse sin, but that stand can also anger some. Once we grasp the truth that love and condemnation of actions can go hand in hand we also understand that such an approach will set us apart from those around us. It can also challenge us to be holy like God is holy, realizing that “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8).

Is Covetousness Wrong?      6-9-16

     For those who are caught up in covetousness or any other sin, there is hope. God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. The wages of all sin- including covetousness- is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Let us realize that our God is a holy God who must punish all sin. Let us take our sin seriously and realize that our only hope for eternal life is to agree with God about our sin and trust Christ's payment and His righteousness applied to our account.

What Do Christians Obey?  5-30-16

     There are other Old Testament commands that I do not follow either. Does this mean that I think it is okay for Christians to just pick and chose which of God's commands that we want to follow? Not at all! Jesus said, “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” (John 14:15)

     To better understand this issue, let us look at the human history of God's interaction with mankind. First, God gave a simple command to Adam and Eve about not eating from a tree. They could not keep that one simple command. As time went on men ignored God so much that He sent a worldwide flood and only Noah and his family were saved. After the flood God told them that they could eat any animal (Genesis 9:3), but that they could not eat the blood from the animals. Further they were not to murder other humans. The commands to Noah were given in the context of a covenant with him and all his descendants. All humans have descended from Noah, so this applies to all of us.

     As we continue reading the history of the Bible, we come to Genesis 17 and a man named Abraham. God makes a covenant with him and his descendants. With that covenant there was a promise of a land. God then gives a special command that only applies to Abraham's descendants- they are to be circumcised as a token of God's promise to them. The Israelites (Hebrews/Jews) were descendants of Abraham, so this command was important to them.

     God ended up setting the Israelites apart from other nations and dealing with them in a very special way. As we read the Old Testament of the Bible we see the History of God's interaction with them. Moses ends up leading them out of slavery in Egypt and as he does so, he gives them the 10 commandments as well as other ordinances including the restriction about eating pork. This was a new restriction- remember that Noah had not been given this command. Further this command only applied to the Israelites.

     The strict rules that the Israelites were given were important because Jesus Christ- the savior of all mankind- would come from that nation and these rules showed that just like Adam and Eve, all of mankind could not perfectly obey God's rules and therefore needed someone who could pay for their sins. Jesus was the first sinless person to walk this earth because He is God in the flesh. Therefore the rules that God gave the Israelites showed them they needed a savior. “Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. (Galatians 3:24-25)

     In other words, after we have trusted Christ there is no more need for the Hebrew law. Other passages such as Romans 10:4; Galatians 2:16; Colossians 2:13-17; and Ephesians 2:15 also show that the Hebrew law is no longer in effect for the Christian. This issue actually came up in the early Christian church and we can read how it was dealt with in Acts 15:1-20. At the end of that passage the Christians are told to abstain from things polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from things strangled, and from blood. This shows that although the Christian is not under the Hebrew law given by Moses, there are still expectations for the Christian. In fact the Old Testament law given to Noah still applies as we see the continued restriction on blood. Further as we read the New Testament is clear that Christians are not to lie, steal, covet, murder, or commit adultery. Further there is condemnation for gossip, drunkenness and extortion. We are not picking and choosing what we obey, we simply obey the commands of God that apply to us today.

Doing The Father's Work   5-14-16

      He is the son of the man I was working for and he had learned to hand screws while helping his daddy. His older sister wanted to help me as well, so I had her pile up the little scrap pieces of board. Since I was working by the hour on this particular job I told her that her help would save her dad some money. She grinned and told me that her dad would be smiling when he got home because he likes saving money.

      It is a joy to see kids learning a work ethic at a young age. In the Hebrew culture children would usually began an apprenticeship at the age of 12 in order to learn a trade. We know very little about the childhood of Jesus. The only Bible passage we have about that subject is at the end of Luke 2 where it talks about what happened when Jesus was 12- the age when a Hebrew young man would start to be an apprentice. “And when He became twelve, they went up there according to the custom of the Feast; and as they were returning, after spending the full number of days, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. And His parents were unaware of it, but supposed Him to be in the caravan, and went a day's journey; and they began looking for Him among their relatives and acquaintances. And when they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem, looking for Him.” (Luke 2:42-44 NASB)

      Notice that Jesus was 12 when this happened. He was the age where He was expected to start learning a trade. His step father Joseph was a carpenter like I am, so it would not have been unusual for Him to learn to do that job. In the temple, we find Him doing the work of His heavenly father instead of the work of his step father. “And it came about that after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them, and asking them questions. And all who heard Him were amazed at His understanding and His answers.” (Luke 2:46-47 NASB)

      I am not aware of any carpenters in my ancestry, but I am guessing there was probably someone who ground grain (a Miller). As we look at the ancestry of Jesus on His father's side, the line goes directly to God in Heaven. In Mark 6:3, Jesus is called a carpenter, so it is likely that His step father, Joseph, did teach Him that trade. Jesus was more than a carpenter though. The last 3 years of His life, we find Jesus teaching, healing the sick and even bringing justice as He chases thieves out to the temple. This is truly the work of His heavenly father.

      Jesus Christ was completely faithful in His heavenly father's work. He went to the cross to satisfy the wrath of God against sin. God's justice demands that sin must be dealt with. That is why it is no surprise that He would chase the money changers out of the temple. That is also why Jesus would say, "He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him." (John 3:36 NASB)

Illustrating for Understanding  5-2-16

I love to watch old westerns. I like to sit and watch “Gunsmoke” with my boys. Festus is Marshall Dillon's sidekick and is one of my favorite western characters. He is actually smarter than he first appears and has a caring side behind his rough exterior. My boys just think he is funny.

I read the Bible to my boys more often than I watch “Gunsmoke” with them. Recently we have been reading in the book of Acts, and actually came across a man named “Festus.” He wasn't a sidekick, instead he was a ruler. When the Apostle Paul got in trouble with the authorities, he had to appear before this man named Festus. After reading about him, our boys were told that it was a different Festus than they had seen on the cowboy show.

We actually got a bit of chuckle out of it since these two men seemed so different. One of the biggest differences is that the man we read about in Acts chapters 24-26 was a real man. The one we watch on TV is actually a make believe character played by a real man named Ken Curtis. Still it got me to thinking. My boys actually understand more about the culture and expectations of the make believe world of the old west as portrayed by these movies, then they do about the culture of the Bible times.

Although we have seen many episodes of “Gunsmoke” we do not actually have a true understanding of what life was like in Kansas during the 1800's. Instead we have a sensationalized Hollywood version of that setting. When we read the Bible account, we are separated by much more time and geography than we are from 1800's Kansas. Still we have an advantage. The Biblical account is real. Still there are large advantages to gaining insight into the culture of that time period and location. Many of the illustrations that Christ used (we call them parables) are better understood once we realize the significance of what He was saying in the day to day lives of those He was speaking to.

Although we should hold scripture in such high regard that we not change it, we like Christ can use illustrations to help others better understand it. For example I was recently teaching about the encounter that David had with a foolish man named Nabal (I Samuel chapter 25). I was explaining it to a man who watched westerns, so I said that what happened would have been similar to some guys on a cattle drive. David would have been like a cavalry colonel who came across the cattle drive with his men and protected them from being raided by Indians. Since no cattle were lost, at the end of the drive he asked that a steer be given to his men to feed them since they were out of food. Imagine how upset the colonel would have been if the man were rude to him and would not even give him any food. Nabal in the Biblical story was like the rude cattleman.

A bit later, we were talking about David trying to avoid King Saul who wanted to kill him. David did not want to fight Saul so he went and lived with the Philistines even though they had been his enemies. The young man I was talking to then said, “It would be like him going to live with the Apaches.” Exactly! This new Christian had figured out how to use illustrations to make a connection to real life events. He took something that he understood and used it to help him relate to a culture and time that he was far removed from. The Bible text was not changed, it was simply explained in a way that he could relate to.

Although our parables cannot compare to Christ's mastery of the illustration, we should not overlook this powerful tool for gaining better insight into the scriptures. At the same time we must be cautious not to carry our illustrations too far so that they distort the original narrative.

How Serious Is God's Wrath?   4-16-16

     A political candidate has made headlines for claiming that he has never asked God for forgiveness. He also said, “I fully think apologizing’s a great thing, but you have to be wrong.” Of course it does not make sense to apologize if we have done no wrong, but the truth is that all of us have sinned and come short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). Further the Bible tells us that there is none righteous, no not one (Romans 3:10).

      We live in a society that blushes less and less over sin. In fact, sin is being redefined. Fewer people are looking to God and the Bible to determine what is sinful and are instead looking to the media and their peers on Facebook to decide what is right and wrong.

      Suddenly we have people arguing that it is wrong to burn fossil fuel, but it is not wrong to commit adultery. Once we leave God out of the equation, then no one has the right to tell another person that they have sinned. I have not asked forgiveness for burning fossil fuel because I do not believe that it is wrong. Perhaps others have not asked forgiveness for adultery because they do not believe that it is wrong.

      What we need to realize is that regardless of our own opinions about right and wrong, God is still in control. God is a God of love, but He is also a God of judgment and He warns: ”But the LORD is the true God, he is the living God, and an everlasting king: at his wrath the earth shall tremble, and the nations shall not be able to abide his indignation.” (Jeremiah 10:10) Romans 1:18 also says, “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,” (NASB). Heed this warning as well: “For this you know with certainty, that no immoral or impure person or covetous man, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.” (Ephesians 5:5-6 NASB) "But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death." (Revelation 21:8 NASB)

     We are all sinners and God has warned us that the consequences of sin are serious. That is why we are warned to repent. Repent means to literally change direction. In other words instead of resisting God we need to submit to Him. "Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all everywhere should repent,” (Acts 17:30 NASB).

      Although God must punish sin, He is also gracious, but in order to receive His grace, we must humble ourselves before Him. “But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, "GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE." (James 4:6 NASB)

      God's grace is provided through His son the Lord Jesus Christ. He died on the cross to pay for our sins. In order to have that payment applied to our lives- in order to appease the wrath of God- we must humble ourselves before God as we believe on Jesus and His payment. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

      We can be too proud to humble ourselves before God and therefore face His wrath and end up in the lake of fire for eternity, or we can humble ourselves before God and live with Him forever. “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him. (John 3:36)

We Have Been Fighting the Flu 4-4-16

We have been fighting colds and fevers in the Miller house. We started out with the coughs and runny noses and then the first boy got a fever. A day or two later another of our boys woke up saying that he dreamed that he was dizzy and and after he woke up, he was still dizzy. He too had a fever. Each boy would end up with a fever and so did I. We would get over the fever and then about a day later we would have another, but the cough and runny nose would continue for another week. Crystal got sick too, but not quite as bad.

It is not fun being sick for multiple weeks, but it does help me to appreciate the times when I am healthy. God allows the trials of sickness even to those who are faithful. For example Job (Jobe) was a man who faced terrible trials, yet God said of him, "Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man fearing God and turning away from evil. And he still holds fast his integrity, although you incited Me against him, to ruin him without cause."  (Job 2:3 NASB)

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Job was an example of a righteous man who suffered, but the Bible also warns in Hebrews 12:4-11 that God disciplines Christians when they do wrong. In other words, there are times that we might get sick so that God can get our attention. The passage in Romans showed how trials can build character even in a righteous man, but Hebrews shows that trials can also build character in a Christian is who not living so righteously. “Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, that we may share His holiness. All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.” (Hebrews 12:9-11 NASB)

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Trusting God in Our Elections  3-18-2016

Our 7 year old son was disappointed when he heard that Marco Rubio was no longer running for President. His mother and I were actually supporting a different candidate, but when our son heard Marco Rubio's name on the radio he asked me if he would be a good President. I told him that I thought he would. From that point on, he was rooting for Marco.

Not everyone agreed with his choice, just as not everyone agrees with mine. The fact that my choice is not the front runner proves that point. I actually heard a discussion on the radio concerning this topic and one of the people began to speculate about who Jesus would vote for. I turned to my wife and said, “well I guess we will find out. He voted for President Obama last time.”

I, however, did not vote for President Obama in either of the last 2 elections, so why would I not vote for a man that I believed Jesus had voted for? When I say that Jesus voted for our current President, I mean that God ultimately decided to allow or stop every President or potential President our country has ever had. “Daniel answered and said, "Let the name of God be blessed forever and ever, For wisdom and power belong to Him. "And it is He who changes the times and the epochs; He removes kings and establishes kings; He gives wisdom to wise men, And knowledge to men of understanding.” (Daniel 2:20-21 NASB) Daniel shows that God has the power to remove and set up kings. He continues, "This sentence is by the decree of the angelic watchers, And the decision is a command of the holy ones, In order that the living may know That the Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind, And bestows it on whom He wishes, And sets over it the lowliest of men."  (Daniel 4:17 NASB)

God is in control of who rules over nations, but notice that He does not always chose the best men to rule. “He sets over it the lowliest of men.” Every candidate running for President has sinned and come short of the glory of God. In fact every past President- even George Washington- has sinned. As I go to the ballot box, I must make a judgment call based on the information that I have, realizing that God is ultimately in charge of who actually becomes our next President and that He does not promise to give us the most righteous or smartest ruler.

Still there are benefits to having a righteous ruler. Proverbs 29:2 says, “When the righteous increase, the people rejoice, But when a wicked man rules, people groan.” (NASB) We understand that God is ultimately in control, but He also gives man a certain amount of freedom to make decisions. How all that balances out is decided by God Himself. Thus with an understanding of God's sovereignty over our elections, I also understand our responsibility to do what is right. With that in mind, I vote for those who I believe would be a righteous leader. For example, I look at their view of the unborn in making a determination.

I also realize that God allows evil men to rule. In I Kings 11:31 we read of His selection of Jeroboam who was an evil king over Israel. Though they did not have an electoral college like we do, Jeroboam rose to power as the people rallied around him. This is a reminder that an all powerful God is able to use even sinful men to accomplish His ultimate purposes.

Romans 13 reminds us that the governmental powers are ordained by God. As Christians we should prayerfully consider our voting choices and should realize the benefits of voting for a righteous ruler. At the same time, we need to trust God even if we are given an evil ruler that may end up causing much grief for our country.

Conforming vs Transformation  3-4-16

When I was a child, my little brother asked who would win if a mountain lion attacked a horse. Well, about a month ago we found out that the Broncos defeated the Panthers in the Super Bowl. Imagine that you were a Broncos' fan, but you had been invited to go to the super bowl by a group of friends who were die hard Panthers fans. They agreed to give you a ticket and to pay your way to the game as long as you wore a Panthers jersey to the game.

You still wanted the Broncos to win, but you did not want to pass up the chance to go to the Super Bowl, so you conformed to their request. Wearing the jersey did not turn you into a Panthers fan, but it got you into the game.

You were not actually transformed into a Panthers fan, you simply conformed to your friends request. How does this fit into the issue of faith? Christianity should not be about being conformed to some outward appearance or even conformed to some set of ideas, but rather to being transformed by Christ. Romans 12:2 says, “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” (NASB)

Obviously Christians should not be conformed to the sinful behaviors of the world, but what if we are simply conformed to the idea of presenting ourselves as Christians without actually having an inward transformation? Christ had to address this very issue when He says, "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside they are full of robbery and self-indulgence.” (Matthew 23:25 NASB) The scribes and Pharisees were conforming on the outside, but inside there was no transformation. They were conforming both to an external appearance to be seen of other men, and also to a set of rules and standards drawn up by man. The problem was not with their zeal to obey God, but rather a zeal to follow man's standards while rejecting God's. Sadly that is still what happens today when religious people focus on conforming to religious expectations rather than being transformed by God.

True transformation should have an affect on our lives. In the Matthew passage Jesus next says, Mt 23:26 "You blind Pharisee, first clean the inside of the cup and of the dish, so that the outside of it may become clean also.” (NASB) True transformation should cause the Christian to conform to God's standards, but simply conforming gets men stuck in ritual rather than renewal.

If you really become a Panthers fan, you will want to promote that team. It will be transformation rather than conformation. If you think that Christianity is simply going through the motions of religious expectation, you do not understand transformation. Christianity is about realizing you are a sinner in need of forgiveness. It is about changing direction in your life to follow Jesus Christ. It is realizing that He is your only hope for forgiveness. At that point old things are become new and you are completely transformed from a lost sinner on his way to the lake of fire, to a Christian saint who is now following the risen Savior.

Conforming is about following people. Christian transformation is about following and obeying Christ no matter what people think.

Finding the Right Way  2-18-16

      I then drove to St. John's and found the street that I was told that he lived on, but I still could not find his apartment. I did find another apartment. I called my wife to see if this was the right building. As I described it to her, we realized I was again in the wrong place. After more confusion, we discovered that I had also been given the wrong street. No wonder I could not find my destination.

      Fortunately, I was very close by this time. In fact I was only about a block and a half away, but I needed to turn down another street from the street that I had been told to go on. Once I found the correct street, I quickly found the apartment.

      What if you were searching for eternal life with God, rather than your brother-in-law? What if you missed out because you had been given the wrong directions? This issue is so serious that the Apostle Paul wrote, “I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel; which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you, and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even though we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to that which we have preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to that which you received, let him be accursed.” (Galatians 1:6-9 NASB)

      The word “gospel” means good news. In the Bible, it refers to the good news of eternal life through Jesus Christ. So how does a person apply the gospel to their lives in order to have eternal life? John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

      A jailer asked the Apostle Paul and his fellow minister Silas how to be saved. The answer was, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you shall be saved.” (Acts 16:30-31). That same offer was extended not just to the jailer, but to his whole household.

      Notice that belief must be in the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus says in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” Acts 4:12 says, "And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men, by which we must be saved." (NASB)

      I am often asked about those who have never heard about Jesus. For them to try to find eternal life would be like me trying to find the apartment with the wrong directions. Let us not forget that the same God who is powerful enough to create heaven and earth knows the very thoughts of men's minds. He can know who would and would not believe if they heard. That means He is able to get the right directions to those who are truly seeking Him. In Acts chapter 10, Cornelius prayed and God sent Peter to tell him about Jesus. As hearts are moved and the truth is shared, people all over the world are able to hear the gospel and realize that the only directions to an eternity with God are by believing that Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior who died for your sins and rose again. www.southtownchurch.com

Faith Like a Mustard Seed   2-5-16

      My little boys are still at the age where they think that their daddy can do almost anything he sets his mind to. Part of me enjoys that they have such confidence in me, but I also want them to understand reality- even if I become less of a hero to them. I would rather they understand the truth now than to have them face a major letdown later.

      As Christians, we need to be cautious how we teach on faith, otherwise both children and adults can end up facing a similar letdown. Are there dangers in teaching that if we have enough faith, then we can do whatever we set our minds to do? Does the Bible support such teaching? What about Luke 17:6 which says, “If you had faith like a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and be planted in the sea'; and it would obey you.” (NASB)?

     In order to understand Christ's statement in Luke 17, we must look at the context of what He was talking about. He had just finished teaching about how Christians should not be a stumbling block to others and how we should forgive a brother even if they repent 7 times in one day. It is difficult- seemingly impossible- to consistently obey these expectations, thus in Luke 17:5 the disciples ask the Lord to “increase our faith.” The reason they are requesting faith is so that they can obey what Christ has commanded them to do. Upon hearing that request, Jesus gives the mustard seed illustration.

     James shows in 4:3, that prayer requests are not granted because they are asked for out of selfish motives. In other words, they are man's requests rather than God's will. The point is that if we pray according to God's will rather than our own, then all it takes is faith like a mustard seed for what we prayed about to happen.

     The challenge is to know God's will. In Luke 17, Jesus had just shown the will of God when He taught on forgiveness and not being a stumbling block. In other words, the context shows us that all it takes to obey God is faith like a mustard seed. This is supported further as we continue to read the next verses. In Luke 17:7-8, Jesus talks about a servant who worked hard all day, but then still had to work more to prepare a meal for his master at the end of the day instead of expecting his master to make the meal for him. The point is that in a servant master relationship, the servant does not get to order the master around even if the servant has been working hard.

     Christians must remember that our Lord is our master and even if we have been working hard, we do not have the right to order Him around. We do not have the right to make demands of God in our prayers. Instead we should focus on obeying Him.

     To suggest that an increase in faith gives us a right to make demands of God totally contradicts the teaching of Luke 17:1-10. The faith of a mustard seed is the power to obey God, not the power to order God around. Realizing that God is all powerful, loving, merciful, and must judge sin, we should be thankful that He restrains us from doing whatever we decide while showing us that it only takes faith like a mustard seed to obey Him.

Is There a Key To Heaven?    1-22-16

     Have you ever lost your keys? Imagine being outside your own house and not being able to get in because you do not have the key.

     What if you do not have a key to heaven? Can you simply slide the locks on the pearly gates? How about just climbing over the gates? It is not that simple. Without Christ, you cannot even get close to heaven. Consider the account from Luke 16, where Jesus tells of two men who died. "And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. "Then he cried and said, 'Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.' "But Abraham said, 'Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented. 'And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.'” (Luke 16:23-26 NKJV)

     In this parable Jesus tells us that there is a great gulf between the place of torments and the place of comfort. Even if you think of hell simply as the grave, Jesus shows us in Luke 16 that the place of the departed dead has a place of comfort and a place of torments and that there is no way to get from the one place to the other. Notice as well that the place of torments had flames.

     As bad as this place of torments is, things will get even worse. “Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.” (Revelation 20:14-15 NKJV)

     Right before this we are told of the dead standing before God. This is referred to as the Great White Throne Judgment. Those who are not written in the book of life will be cast into the lake of fire along with the place called Hades/Hell.

Is the Bible Too Hard?            1-8-16

Our oldest son just turned 8.  We were excited when he finished his math worksheet and said, "Tomorrow I want to do more like this. I like them."  That wasn't always his response to schoolwork.  In fact, when he first started school he struggled with grasping concepts and did not like it very well.  Now that he "gets it," his schoolwork has become fun.  

The individual books of the Bible are divided into chapter and verse simply to make them easier to study.  These were not part of the original Bible. Realizing that the Bible can be kind of intimidating, I like to start out with a Bible study just in the book of John. This allows the “student” to get used to the chapter and verse divisions without having to find a number of different books. If you are interested in a 4 lesson study in the Gospel of John, please contact me at jdpastor@yahoo.com.

New Babies & Christmas Grace  12-27-15

As we traveled to spend Christmas with my in-laws, Crystal's brother's wife was in labor.  We were blessed with a new niece at about 11 p.m. Christmas Eve.  They named her Jana Grace.  What a wonderful Christmas gift.

Yes, we are sinners who need to repent.  Yes, God is gracious and if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (I John 1:9)  

Christians & Christmas Giving   12-12-15

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about our wonderful Thanksgiving meal. Recently we sat down to another meal, but at the end of it, or boys said that they were still hungry. Crystal told them that they could have more chicken, but they wanted more potatoes. The potatoes were gone but they did not want more chicken. The truth was that they were not THAT hungry.

We had a similar issue happen when I was a pastor in small town Iowa. We got a phone call asking for food. The person said that their food stamp payment would be late and that they needed food. We were being very careful with our budget and ate a lot of rice. We could get a 25 lb bag for less than $9. We offered to share our rice and a few other basics, but the response I got was similar to when my wife offered more chicken to our boys.

I then looked up the Iowa food stamp payment. It was about double what our food budget was at that time. I did not think it was right that we were expected to give up our hamburger for someone who could afford to buy steak if they ate more rice like we did.

The scripture is clear that we are to help others. Jesus said in Luke 3:11, “He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do likewise.” The Apostle Paul says in Acts 20:35, “I have shewed you all things, how that so laboring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.” Consider as well 1John 3:17, “But whoever has this world's goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?” (NKJV)

The scripture teaches us that we are to help others. That does not mean that we are always expected to help everyone who has less than we have.

During the time of the Apostle Paul, the widows were among the most needy people in society. In First Timothy 5:3-10, he gives a list of requirements that widows must meet before the church would take care of all their needs. First, if she has children or grandchildren, they are to take care of her. Further, she is to be faithful in prayer and not just living her life for pleasure. She is to be blameless (not sinless, but not scandalous either). She is to be at least 60 years old and is to have a good reputation which includes having helped others.

These standards do not mean that we should not help others if they do not meet all these requirements. These are simply standards for whether or not to help these widows for the rest of their lives. There are some individuals in our society that expect to be helped for the rest of their lives regardless of whether they meet any standard. The Christians is not obligated to help all these people.

At the same time there are many people who find themselves in temporary circumstances of need. Things come up that there was no way to plan for. As Christians we must be willing to help those with needs without allowing them to have an expectation that they will no longer have a responsibility to work themselves. “For we hear that there are some who walk among you in a disorderly manner, not working at all, but are busybodies. Now those who are such we command and exhort through our Lord Jesus Christ that they work in quietness and eat their own bread.” (II Thessalonians 3”11-12 NKJV)

We can and should have compassion for those in need. That compassion should translate into action (James 2:16). Christmas time is a wonderful time to give to those who could really use a gift. At the same time, Christians are not required to become slaves to those who would take advantage of them.

Be Thankful, not Covetous  11-27-15

We had another wonderful Thanksgiving. We were able to go to Crystal's parents where our boys got to see cousins, aunts, uncles, Grandma, and Grandpa. I enjoyed visiting and playing a game of Scrabble. I also enjoyed the meal. There was turkey, ham, potatoes, gravy, string beans, corn, cranberries, numerous kinds of pickles, bread, crackers, pickled herring, jello, punkin pie, apple pie, other desserts, etc, etc. There was much to be thankful for as we sat down to eat. In fact there was so much good food that I did not even notice until later that there was no stuffing. I was so appreciative of the abundance we had. There was no thought of what we lacked.

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If we end up focusing on what we do not have instead of what we do have, it is easy to become a complainer rather than a thankful person. We actually witnessed that when we sat down to eat the evening meal. Our boys were given leftovers from the noon meal and one of them responded by asking, “didn't we just have this?”

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As we drove home, I turned on the radio and we heard about some orphans from Ukraine who were brought to a McDonald's for the first time in their life. A little six year old girl was unaware that they could get free refills, yet she still shared her drink with her little sister. Another little girl only ate half of her hamburger, because she wanted to share the other half with a friend back at the orphanage. They all saved their empty happy meal boxes.

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As I listed to this, I realized how much we have to be thankful for. No doubt there are poor people in our own country who have slipped through the cracks, but those who are crying the loudest for more assistance already have so much more than those poor orphans do.

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I Timothy 6:6-8 says, “Now godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content.” (NKJV) Notice we are to be content with food and clothing- or basic needs. Few people are content with such things. In fact, political movements have been formed to demand that if anyone has more than another, then they should share it. Too few involved in these movements are thinking of the little girls in Ukraine, but instead many are thinking about what they can get for themselves. In the very next verse of Paul's letter to Timothy he writes, “But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition.” (I Timothy 6:9 NKJV)

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You can be in the lower class socially and still have a preoccupation with being rich. Paul is warning us to be content with food and clothing and not to get distracted by wanting riches. Why would he give such a warning about foolish and harmful lusts? If we go back to the 10 commandments we are warned not to covet what other people have. Many of the “demands” being made today are not “requests” for food and clothing, but rather a call to have covetous desires satisfied.

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Though we as Christians must have compassion on those who are truly in need, we must not encourage sinful behavior. In fact, we should call it what it is. Exodus 20:17 says not to covet anything that is thy neighbors. Romans 13:9 repeats the command not to covet. To covet is to disobey God. To disobey God is sinful.

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Instead of demanding a share of the worlds riches, let us work hard so we can share what we have when we see a true need. “Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need.” (Ephesians 4:28 NKJV) 

 Did Jesus Die on Friday?        4-6-2015

If Jesus died on Friday, how did He spend 3 nights in the tomb before raising from the dead on Sunday morning? (Matthew 12:40)  This question could easily be resolved, by simply suggesting that the crucifixion took place on Thursday instead of Friday.  This view does face some challenges, but a better understanding of the Hebrew holidays and Jewish culture helps to bring much clarification.
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The problem with a Thursday crucifixion is that Mark 15:42 tells us that Jesus was crucified the day before the Sabbath (the day of rest).  The Hebrew Sabbath occurred each week on what we call Saturday, thus the day before Saturday is Friday, not Thursday.  This only gives part of the picture however.  The Hebrews also observed other Sabbaths in addition to weekly Sabbath.  For example there was to be a day of rest in conjunction with the Passover which was taking place that very same week.  John clarifies this in his gospel account as he points out that this was one of the special Sabbaths.  John 19:31 states,  “Therefore, because it was the Preparation Day, that the bodies should not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.”  (NKJV)
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The preparation day was the day that the Passover lamb was killed and prepared for the big Passover feast.  Jesus was killed on that very day showing us that just as the blood of the Passover lamb delivered the nation of Israel prior to the Exodus, Jesus blood delivers us from our sins.  The next day was a special day of rest.  The next Hebrew day started at 6 p.m. rather than at midnight.  Thus when Jesus died at 3 p.m. there would have only been 3 hours before the high Sabbath.  That is why there was such impatience to get the bodies of all 3 men off the cross before this time.  Please note that the Romans used midnight as the start of the new day and counted hours from that time thus we find Jesus before the Roman authority at the 6th hour (6 a.m.) in John 19:14, whereas Mark and Luke record Him on the cross from the 6th-9th hours (Jewish time calculated from  our 6 a.m. thus noon to 3 p.m. our time).
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Since there was such a short window of time between Jesus being taken off the cross and placed in the tomb, the women who wanted to anoint Him did not have time to both prepare the spices and apply them.  Luke 23:54-56 tells us that they went to see where He was laid and then went to prepare the spices as the Sabbath was getting close and that then they rested on the Sabbath just as they were commanded.
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Then fast forward to Sunday morning (the resurrection day).  They arrive at the tomb to apply the spices and find it empty.  Why did they wait so long to arrive?  Friday was a high Sabbath, so they were not allowed to work on that day.  Then Saturday was the weekly Sabbath and they were not allowed to work on that day either.  That Sabbath would have ended at 6 p.m. Saturday, but they were likely finishing up preparations that night, so they wait until early morning on Sunday and arrive at the tomb to find it empty. (see Matthew 28:1 and Mark 16:1).
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Thus we would have Jesus placed in the tomb on Thursday, remaining there Friday and Saturday (3 days- the scripture does not specify that they were 3 full days).  Further He would have been there Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights.  Therefore I believe He was crucified on Thursday, not Friday.

  Racism, Bias, & Christianity    1-9-2015

On August 9th of 2014 in Ferguson, MO, a young man named Michael Brown was shot by another young man- a police officer named Darren Wilson.  Michael died as a result of the encounter.   This incident was more than just a passing news story though.  Another component was involved.  The two young men, Michael and Darren, were of different ethnic backgrounds.  Soon racial tensions across the United States were heightened even more than they had been before.
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The incident at Ferguson and the surrounding controversies were not the beginnings of racial tension in our country, they were just further evidence of its existence.
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Racism is not a new problem.  As we read the New Testament, we see much racial tension.  Jesus’ encounter with the woman at the well is the encounter of a Jewish man with a Samaritan woman.  As we look at the encounter we find that much of the tension has more to do with ideology than it has to do with race.  She says, "Our fathers worshiped in this mountain, and you people say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship." (John 4:20 NASB).
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The “you people” comment is often used by racist people today as well.  One of the difficulties with the whole discussion is that racism is not limited to one particular ethnic or ideological group.   
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Racism can come in so many forms.  Often there is a cultural, ideological, religious, or even political component.  It is not uncommon for people to excuse racism as long as the racist has similar religious or political views.  This brings in another component- bias.  Bias is an unfair preference or dislike for something.  It is very similar to racism.
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Racism is basically bias directed at ethnic heritage.  Such bias is wrong whether it comes from the majority or minority of the population.  
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Even when dealing with the leaders in the church, Paul warned Timothy, “I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and of His chosen angels, to maintain these principles without bias, doing nothing in a spirit of partiality.”  (I Timothy 5:21 NASB)  
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James also deals with the issue when he talks about wisdom from God.  “But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.” (James 3:17)  In the verses right before this statement, James warns about the wisdom that does not come from God and the damaging results.  “But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth.  This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.  For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.” (James 3:14-16)
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Much of today’s racism is rooted in bitterness, envy and strife.  All races ought to judge others by the content of their character and not the color of their skin.  Christians need to remember that we are all created in the image of God no matter what race we are; therefore, there should be no racial preferences.  Consider Colossians 3:9-11 NASB) “Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices, and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him --a renewal in which there is no distinction between Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and freeman, but Christ is all, and in all.”

The Best Christmas Gift   12-13-13

Christmas time is exciting- especially with little kids in the house. We have four little boys and our oldest is almost 6 and our youngest is 2. It is fun to see their excitement as they open their presents. Of course with little boys in our house, we have a lot of toy trucks. We have some friends who only have little girls and they have a lot of dolls.

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Even though our boys love trucks and tools, they have dolls as well. Of course they look like dolls that have been played with by boys. Instead of dressing them up in frilly dresses, our boys have colored them with markers.

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As fun as trucks and dolls are, I hope we understand that they are not what Christmas is really about. Christ-mas is about the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, but even as we consider the true meaning of Christmas, we can still end up missing it’s full significance.

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Our oldest son Jared recently reminded us of why Christ’s birth is so important. He approached his mom and told her, "Mom, I need to tell you something. My dolls need Jesus too." From a strictly theological perspective, dolls do not have souls and are not even alive, but our little boy had the right idea in realizing that everyone needs Jesus.

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That is why it was so important that Jesus was born into this world. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” In other words we need Jesus in order to have everlasting life. This is clarified later in the same chapter when verse 36 states, “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.”

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The wrath of God sounds a bit scary, and it should, for the wages of sin is death, but the love of God should balance that fear with comfort because the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 6:23)

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Can you imagine a better gift than eternal life? As much as I would still like a toy truck for Christmas, eternal life is way better than even a brand new real truck and all we have to do to receive it is to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 10:9 says, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”

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Christmas is about the birth of Christ, but it should be about so much more than just that. It should also remind us that baby Jesus grew up to be the Savior of the world as He died on the cross for our sins and that He did not stay dead, but rose again 3 days later. If you believe in Him as your Lord and Savior- your only hope for eternal life- then you too can be assured that you have the greatest gift of all. Take comfort in the promise that He made when He said, “All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.” (John 6:37) No wonder so many are excited about celebrating His birth.

Don’t Eat Ducks in That Pond 11-29-13

On a cold day this fall, I suddenly heard the honking of geese. They were flying in a southern direction- obviously heading for a warmer place to spend the winter. Earlier I had noticed a group of ducks floating on a body of water. I was not sure if they were local ducks or if they too were just passing through, but the water that they were floating on was a sewage lagoon.

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I must admit that I was a little grossed out, but for someone who did not know what sort of pond it was, the scene could have looked peaceful and even pleasant. There were beautiful trees and lush grass surrounding the pond and the ducks looked quite healthy and happy.

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That scene got me to thinking about how things are not always how they seem. The scripture actually warns us about those who seem good but are actually evil. 2 Corinthians 11:13-15 says, “For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works.” (NKJV)

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Satan and his ministers do not always look like a murky sewage lagoon. Instead they might look more like a peaceful pond. They might even say a lot of things that sound good on the surface.

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Satan’s messengers try to look like spokesmen for Jesus Christ, and Satan tries to make himself look like an angel of light. Let us not forget that the true light of the world is Jesus Christ. “Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life." (John 8:12 NKJV)

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Before the apostle Paul warned about the Satan and his ministers in 2 Corinthians 11, he warned, “But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted--you may well put up with it!” (2 Corinthians 11:3-4 NKJV)

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Today even some church leaders are saying that there are many ways to God, but Jesus Himself was very clear when He said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6 NKJV)

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When someone pretends to be a spokesman for Christ and says that there is a different way to God, they are giving a different gospel and are thus ministering for Satan rather than for the truth. They are like the stinky sewage pond that may look good on the outside but is a mess within.

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Jesus is the only way to eternal life. "Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved." (Acts 4:12 NKJV). We should not expect the false teachers who give another gospel to have horns and a pointed tail. We should not even expect that they will look ugly and menacing, but we should be able to compare what they say to what the Bible teaches.

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I would not want to eat a duck that had been swimming on the sewage pond, and I would not want to follow a false teacher no matter how good they looked

Can You Relate to The Bible? 11-16-13

How high can you count? My three year old surprised me by counting to 5 all by himself. His older brother was not able to count that quickly. For some reason he had trouble figuring out the difference between 3 and 4. He would count one two four and then get stuck, even though he knew six, seven, eight. Finally I came up with a rhyme so that he could remember three. I told him to say, “three is like me.”

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Soon he was counting by saying, “one, two, four is like- three is like me, four, five…” Before long he no longer had to use the rhyme because he had learned the number 3.

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It can be frustrating trying to learn something and getting confused. To those of us who have been counting for a long time, three and four do not sound all that much alike, but to my little boy they were very confusing.

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The same sort of confusion can come when people first start to study the Bible. Theologians are able to quickly distinguish between Noah and Moses, yet some of them have still fallen for the trick question about how many animals Moses brought on the ark (Noah built the ark, not Moses).

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For those reading through the Bible for the first time, all those names and events can look like advanced algebra to someone who has just learned how to count. Once you figure out the difference between Noah and Moses, you then have to figure out the difference between Elijah and Elisha.

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It is kind of like watching a TV series for the first time. When you tune in during the middle of the second season, you do not know all the characters. You do not even know right away who the good guys are and who the villain is, but as you watch you begin to sort things out. Imagine thought that the TV series took place over hundreds and even thousands of years of history and the characters were constantly changing. If the series were really exciting, you would want to go back and watch the first season to find out what led up to the events in the second season. That is what the Bible is like.

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The Bible is not just a bunch of random stories that are not connected. It is a history of a people and of a particular family group and it traces that family group all the way to Jesus Christ.

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Once you realize that the events of the Bible are connected, you can then start to see how exciting the scriptures really are. That is part of the reason why I like to preach through a whole book of the Bible and explain who the people are, the significance of the events, and how we can relate those events to our lives.

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Often when people go to church, they only get a small sample of Bible verses and then the next week they get another random sample from another place in scripture so they do not get to see how the events are connected. It is almost like seeing a bunch of random movie clips without sitting down and ever watching the movie. My goal is to plant a church where God’s word is preached verse by verse so that people can see who the Bible characters are. Then they can also learn about who God is, how He interacts with man, and how He is relevant to our lives today.

Don’t Stay Up All Night           11-1-13

I drove home late the other night and began to get tired. As I stopped to get gas, it changed from night to morning as the clock ticked past midnight. I was still about an hour from home and I wanted to get back to my family and my own bed. I walked around as the fuel pumped. I wanted to feel more awake for the final leg of my journey.

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No doubt about it, the sleep was sweet once I was finally able to lay my head on the pillow, but how important is sleep? Had I continued to drive without getting out and moving around, I would have become a danger to myself and others. Had I continued to drive much later instead of arriving at home it would have also been hazardous.

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Sadly, some suggest that sleep deprivation is a sign of spirituality. No doubt we must take into account the verses that say, “A little sleep, a little slumber, A little folding of the hands to rest; So shall your poverty come like a prowler, And your need like an armed man.” (Proverbs 24:33-34 NKJV) In other words, if you are too lazy to get out of bed and go to work, do not be surprised if you are a victim of poverty.

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Still, there is another side to this issue. With modern lighting, it is much easier to stay up late and avoid sleep. From the Christian perspective this too can be a problem. First of all, let us not forget that God created man to need rest. The Lord said in Mark 2:27, “The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.” The Sabbath day was set apart for man as a day of rest because God understands that we need to rest.

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The Psalms speak of meditating on God’s word day and night and even give special attention to focusing on it at night, but simply depriving ourselves of sleep can end up being an exercise in vanity. Psalms 127:2 tells us, “It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep.” Let us not neglect the gift of sleep. Even modern medical science shows us that sleep deprivation is hazardous to our health. As Christians our bodies are God’s temple. We need to take care of our bodies, and that includes getting enough sleep.

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But sometimes laziness can take the form of being poor stewards of our sleep. For example the person who only got 4 hours of sleep because they stayed up half the night watching TV is not less lazy than the person who got 9 hours of sleep after a hard days work. Ecclesiastes 5:12 tells us that the sleep of a labouring man is sweet.

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As Christians we need to be careful not to love sleep so that it leads to poverty (Proverbs 20:13), while still getting the rest that God made us to need. This is one of the many areas of the Christian life where if we only look at a couple of isolated verses, we can end up with wrong conclusions. Biblical balance shows us that we should not be lazy and spend all our time sleeping, but it also shows us that we need rest. Therefore, if you are reading this in bed and it is time to get up, throw off those covers and get to work. If you are falling asleep while reading this after a hard days work, then reward yourself with a good night’s sleep.

 God’s Love for Bad Guys  10-18-2013

Our little boy’s favorite TV program is Emergency. It is a series from the 1970’s that features two emergency rescue workers and their adventures helping others. The other day our 3 year old was laying in the back yard pretending that he was hurt and trapped in a hole. The 5 year old was tying the dog cable around him so that the 4 year old could hoist him out. I had to caution them not to hurt their little brother as they pulled while smiling under my stern admonition.

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Another one of their imaginary adventures involved a “bad guy.” I did not hear all of what was happening in their role play, but I listened long enough to hear our 4 year old say, “We should tell the bad guy about Jesus. He needs to know that Jesus loves him.” Some would have expected to hear, “We need to shoot the bad guy,” but instead my little man realized what the bad guy really needed.

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In a child’s mind, a bad guy is someone who steals, hurts, or kills, but according to the scriptures we are all bad guys. “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;” (Romans 3:23). Although the following list is by no means exhaustive, it gives some examples of the sort of things that prove we are all “bad guys” in God’s eyes. “Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.” (I Corinthians 6:9-10 NKJV)

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Some may look at that list and say, “Well, I’m not a drunk or a thief, so at least I’m all right.” But notice that even being covetous- wanting what someone else has- makes us unrighteous before God. No wonder Romans 3:10 says, “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:” As I look at my own life, I realize that I truly have sinned and come short of the glory of God. I also realize that the wages of sin is death. I realize that because of my unrighteousness, I do not deserve to be allowed into the kingdom of God. I realize that because of my sin, I am a bad guy.

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But I also realize the truth that my 4 year old shared. I understand that Jesus loves me. I understand that God loves me even though I am a sinner. “For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:7-8 NKJV)

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The consequences for my sin are serious, but because of my trust in Jesus Christ, I do not have to face those consequences. “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 6:23) God’s gift is eternal life through believing on Jesus Christ. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)

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Remember that list of sins from I Corinthians 6? The Corinthians that the Apostle Paul was writing to in that letter were bad guys, but they had trusted Christ, therefore he is able to say in the very next verse: “And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.” (I Corinthians 6:11) If you have not yet trusted Christ, you can trust Him now and be washed as well.

Our Creator and Savior          10-4-13  

Our boys have a new fort.  Their uncle came to visit and he gathered up 3 old pallets for walls and then covered them with leaves and branches that he cut off of our willow tree.  It looks like a cross between an obstacle course and a duck blind, but our boys love it.  I have to admit that it is a cool fort for 4 little boys.
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The fort sits right between the house and the garage- two structures that took much more planning than the fort did.  Though the house took much more planning than the garage, I must admit that it is a fairly simple structure compared to the Corn Palace.  The Corn Palace might seem impressive until you see Mt. Rushmore.  Still, the work Borglum did on Rushmore is nothing compared to the creation of the whole world. 
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We do not expect that Mt. Rushmore came about by chance.  I do not even look into my backyard and imagine that the wind blew the willow branches and pallets together to make a fort.  So how did the world get here?
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One of the most ancient history books states in it’s opening statement, “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1)   Then we read later in Isaiah 44:24, “Thus saith the LORD, thy redeemer, and he that formed thee from the womb, I am the LORD that maketh all things; that stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself.” 
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There are many other verses in the Bible that refer to God as creator.  One of the passages that I love the most concerning creation is the passage that shows that Jesus is creator, thus showing that He is God.  Colossians 1:16-17 states, “For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.”
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The study about what the Bible’s teaches concerning creation shows us many vital truths.  Just in this short article we have already seen that God is the creator and that Jesus Christ is God.  But why should we listen to what the Bible says over other history books?  The Bible claims to be much more than just a history book.  2 Peter 1:21 tells us, “for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.” (NKJV)
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The Bible is not just some history book.  It is not just some myth made up by some clever author.  The Bible is God’s word given to us through the Holy Spirit.  “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.” (2 Timothy 3:16 NKJV)
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Look again at Isaiah 44:24, “Thus saith the LORD, thy redeemer, and he that formed thee from the womb, I am the LORD that maketh all things; that stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself.”  Notice that not only is the LORD our creator, He is also our redeemer.  Jesus not only made us, but He redeemed us.  That means He paid the price for us as He paid the price for our sins on the cross.  That means He saves us from the penalty for our sins if we believe in Him- not just as our creator, but also as our savior. 
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As we understand that Jesus is our creator and savior, not only should we believe on Him, we should also worship Him as God.  "You are worthy, O Lord, To receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things, And by Your will they exist and were created." (Revelation 4:11 NKJV).

Will God Tickle Your Feet?  8-23-13

As I stood in my bedroom getting dressed, I could hear our little boys playing outside of the door. They knew I was there as well and soon one of them poked his foot under the door and said, “Daddy, tickle my feet.” I did not go over right away so he repeated his request. After he had asked about three times, I finally went over and tickled his feet. Soon two of his brothers also had the tips of their feet under the door. As I tickled their feet, they squealed with delight.

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In their position on the other side of the door, they could not see Daddy, but they knew I was there. They could hear me in our room, and then they could feel my presence as I touched their feet.

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As I enjoyed that special time with my sons, I also thought about my time with God. Though I can not see Him with my eyes, I know He is there. No, God does not tickle my feet as I pray to Him, but He is concerned about my feet. Notice what Jesus did when He was here on earth. “After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded.” (John 13:5 NKJV)

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Though God is no longer here on earth in human form so that we can see Him and have Him wash our feet, He has not forgotten about us. He still cares about us and He is still showing us His very real presence.

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One of the most obvious ways that God reveals Himself is through His creation. “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse” (Romans 1:20 NKJV) The very presence of the world and the things around us are a testimony to the reality of God. Even though we cannot see Him, we can see what He has done and is doing. Psalm 19:1 has a similar message, “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.”

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It is one thing for God to reveal His existence, it is another thing for Him to actually show that He cares about us and wants to interact with us. For example, my boys knew I was in the room, but I could have just ignored them when they stuck their toes under the door. Our God does not ignore us. Not only has He given us the Bible to tell us about Himself, He also sent His only begotten son into the world to die for our sins so that whoever believes in Him might have eternal life. Let us not forget that even before He went to the cross He showed His love by washing feet. We really do have a wonderful God who really does care for us.

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My boys called out to me to ask me to tickle their toes. God wants us to call out to Him. We are told to pray without ceasing. In other words, we should be talking to God all the time. Though we cannot see Him, He is there and He wants to interact with us.

John Deere & Jesus Christ   7-14-13

My lawnmower quit working.  It was not a total surprise, since it was about 35 years old and I knew the engine was getting weak.  The fact that it lasted that long is a testimony that John Deere has made some decent mowers through the years.  Still, I was discouraged that my day was messed up and the grass was getting longer.  
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It is not unusual for us to face such challenges in life.  Maybe the car won’t start or you have a flat tire.  Perhaps the problem is more serious, such as a job loss or an illness. Learning to trust God with the little things like a broken lawn mower can help us to face the bigger challenges in life.
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Romans 5:1-4 says, “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.  And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope“ (NKJV).
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If my trust were in John Deere rather than Jesus Christ, my whole world would have fallen apart when the lawn mower would not run.  Because I have peace with God through Jesus Christ, I realize that His grace is sufficient for the trials of life.
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In fact, as Romans 5:3 says, I can actually glory in tribulations.  In other words I can boast as I rejoice about the problems I face.  I am not talking about being a masochist.  I do not look forward to problems- instead I realize that when they do come, I can trust God and even allow Him to use them in my life.
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As I look at Romans 5:3-4, I understand that God used these trials to help me persevere so that I have the sort of enduring patience that will allow me to better face the larger challenges in life.  “And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope“ (Romans 5:3-4 NKJV).
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Not only are patience and character built up through the trials in life, but as we come through them, we realize that there is hope.  When I could not get the lawn mower running, I decided to go to Craigslist and find one that would get me by until I could get the other one fixed.  I thought I had found one, but that led to another trial because when we showed up to look at it, it would not start.  Suddenly, the seller was facing an even greater trial than I was as he shared his embarrassment.
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I did not buy that lawnmower from him, but I found something even better- the stranger trying to sell his lawn mower became my friend.  Friends are far better than lawnmowers.  This is a great reminder that even in trials there is hope.
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The story gets even better.  When I called my brother and told him of my problems, he told me that he had an extra mower that wasn’t in the best of shape but it would probably work for a while.  I went to pick it up, but stopped at a Snapper dealer on the way and found a really nice used mower at an excellent price- such a good price that it was not worth fixing up my old mower.  Not all our trials work out as good as this one did, but it is a reminder that we can trust God and have hope even when things are not going so well. 

We have a mud hole in our back yard.  Our little boys love to play in it.  The other day our four year old rode his tricycle into the puddle and got stuck.  His five year old brother found a light log chain, hooked it onto the trike and was trying to pull him out.  Earlier the three year old wore his mom’s cowboy boots into that same hole and got them all dirty.  Of course she was not happy about that.
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Not only did Crystal have to wash her boots, she also had to wash our boys.  We finally had to put limits on playing in the mud puddle.  We told them to just stay away from it because they were making too much of a mess. 
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The problem is that little boys really like mud holes.  Still, their love for mud holes does not make their disobedience okay.  The three year old especially has trouble staying away.  His lack of maturity is reflected in his disobedience. 
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As a father, I get discouraged when my children disobey, but then I am reminded of my heavenly father and my own disobedience.  As Christians we are saved by grace, not our works, yet God still expects us to obey Him.  Romans 6:1-2 says, “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?  God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?”
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I Corinthians 6:9-10 gives a list of sinful activities that would keep us out of heaven if it were not for God‘s forgiveness, but then look at what verse 11 says, “And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.” 
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Just as the boys get all dirty in the mud hole, our lives are dirty with sin.  “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one” (Romans 3:10).   “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).  The dirtiness of sin has consequences-death.  Still, because of God’s grace, we have the gift of life.  “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 6:23)
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We are all dirty with sin and need to be washed by believing in Jesus Christ as our savior.  Once we are washed we should not continue to sin just so we can get grace, yet that grace is still available to us when we do sin.  Like our little three year old, we should be growing in maturity so that we sin less.  “Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby” (I Peter 2:1-2).
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Sadly, too many people return to the mud hole of sin.  “But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.”  (II Peter 2:22)
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As believers, we should not go back to the mud hole of sin, instead we should recognize that we are washed through the blood of Christ and then stay clean because we love Him and want to obey Him.  “And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.” 

Fear God’s Restraining Power  5-30-13

Our youngest son is finally walking.   Not only is he walking, but he is already trying to keep up with his bigger brothers.  As I write this he giggles as he tries to wrestle with our oldest son.  He has no chance at this point to defeat his big brother, but he keeps going back for more.  His big brother wrestles back but without using his full strength so that he does not hurt the little guy.
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I remember doing the same thing with my little brothers.  They had little fear of me, because as we wrestled I was careful not to hurt them, but because I was so much bigger, they did not worry so much about hurting me.  I finally quit wrestling with them when they became big enough that I could no longer pin them without hurting them.
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As I watch my boys I think of Jacob wrestling with God (I believe Jacob wrestled with Jesus Christ taking on human form in Old Testament times).  “And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day.  And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him.” (Genesis 32:24-25)  
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As we think of Jacob wrestling with God, realize that God could have used His power at any time to subdue him, but that God chose to let the wrestling continue.  Also realize that God never has to worry about a little brother growing up and becoming stronger than Him someday.
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Our one year old son has no idea how much power his wrestling opponents have, and as he wrestles with his brothers, he has no fear of them.  I sometimes wonder how many people approach God in a similar manner.  If my one year old wrestles with me, I have the strength to take his life, but love him enough to protect him rather than harm him.
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God loves us so much that He sent His son to die for us, but He also has the power to take our lives.  Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
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Though we should never forget about God’s love, we must also remember both His strength and His justice.  If I were to wrestle with my sons and one of them continued to kick me as hard as he could, then he would find himself on the receiving end of justice so that he understood that he was not allowed to carelessly hurt others.
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As we remember God’s strength and justice, we must not forget to have a reverent fear of Him as we realize the justice that He can bring to bear.  “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.” (John 3:36)  “And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him:  For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.” (Hebrews 12:5-6)
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God does love us, and has shown us mercy by holding back the full power of His wrath from us, but we should view Him with awe (fear) as we realize the power He has and the justice we deserve.

Biblical Standards and Love  5-17-13

Because we are sinners living in a sin cursed world, all of us have experienced some measure of heartache in our lives because of sin.  Perhaps someone was rude to you or you were rude to someone else.  It may be tempting to just decide that this is the way things are and there is nothing we can do about it.  We may not be able to change other people, but we should be concerned about our own behavior.  
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As Christians, we understand that the greatest command is to love God and the second is to love our neighbor.  With that in mind it should not surprise us that our love should be growing more and more.  Philippians 1:9-11 says, “And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment; That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ; Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.”
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As our love abounds more and more, the result should be a life that understands what is excellent according to God’s standards, and then that should translate into a life that is lived in a righteous way.
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As we study scripture we find a number of things that should not characterize the Christian life and we also find things that we as Christians should be doing.  All of scripture taken together and applied appropriately should show us how to apply our love for God in a way that conforms to His standards.
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Still, we understand that none of us will measure up to those standards.  “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).  Still that should not be an excuse to ignore His standards.  “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?” (Romans 6:1).  
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Because of our love of God, we should not make excuses for those who reject God’s standards, but what happens when someone accuses us of rejecting God’s standards as we are trying to apply them?  This can sometimes happen among those who have a zeal for serving God.
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For example we have some friends who have a concern for dressing in a modest way as not to offend God or cause others to stumble.  We share that same concern.  The problem is that our application differs drastically.  They believe that for a woman to be dressed modestly she must not wear pants.  Though I disagree with their conclusion, I admire their desire to do what they think is right, however, when they invited us to go roller skating with them, I insisted that my wife wear pants.  I did this for the same reason that the women in their family wore dresses- modesty.  My wife had not skated in years and I figured that if she fell down and her legs went up that it would be much more modest for her to be in pants than in a dress.
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You see, both families were concerned about high standards, but our conclusions were quite different.  This is a reminder that we need to be careful about not being judgmental toward those who apply a principle a bit differently than we do.  It is also a reminder to let our love for God and our love for others abound more and more as we take care to apply God‘s standards appropriately.