Tag: God

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Living in a Kingdom – part 1

Daniel 7:14

14 He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.

It is mid-term election season as I write this post.  People in our country are pre-occupied with exercising their power to elect our nation’s ruling body.  Take away that right and people will protest…no people will riot.  The power to elect our government representatives is paramount to our form of government.

As children of God you become citizens of God’s Kingdom.  God’s kingdom is a absolute monarchy.  As Daniel 7:14 states, in God’s Kingdom His power is sovereign and His rule is everlasting. One of the stumbling blocks for people use to a democratic earthly government is that very fact…as a citizen of God’s kingdom He rules absolutely.  His rules, His way, and it is about Him.  You don’t get a vote and you don’t change how God rules His Kingdom.  Becoming a citizen in God’s Kingdom changes you.

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Truth Sessions (part 6) Doing YOU…is not doing good!

Luke 17:28-29: 28 “It was the same in the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. 29 But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all.

Live your best life…
You do you…
Live your dream…

I can keep going, but you get the picture. On their face those words of advice sound harmless. Actually, they sound pretty good. But, Jesus actually teaches the opposite. People focus on the sin being done in Sodom as the reason for it’s destruction. In the verse above you see Jesus giving a more insightful reason…living your life in a manner which bears no acknowledgement to God or the heavenly pursuits. The people just “eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building” were destroyed right along with the wicked behaving ones. Verses 32-33 of the same chapter in Luke goes on to warm us about the consequences of holding on to our own pursuits in life.

In reflecting on this truth I am reminded of an old song by Steven Curtis Chapman called “More to this life”. Here is the chorus:

But there’s more to this life than living and dying,
More than just trying to make it through the day;
More to this life, more than these eyes alone can see,
And there’s more than this life alone can be.

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Truth Sessions (Part 5) – Worshiping God doesn’t get you to Heaven..

Acts 16:13-15(NIV)

13 On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there.14 One of those listening was a woman from the city of Thyatira named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth. She was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message. 15 When she and the members of her household were baptized,she invited us to her home. “If you consider me a believer in the Lord,” she said, “come and stay at my house.” And she persuaded us.

There are many subjects in the Bible that God choose not to fully reveal the answers to. But, there is one that He has made very clear. In order to have eternal life with God you must accept Jesus Christ as your personal savior. Why isn’t worshiping God enough? I mean, I acknowledge Him as my creator, I follow the 10 commandments, I love people and help the less fortunate, I attend church regularly… isn’t that enough?

The answer is NO it is not. God is holy by nature and infinite. His requirement for living with Him in Heaven is to be holy. Sinfulness​ is the antithesis to holiness. We humans have a sinful nature and are finite. So, there is nothing a person who is finite and sinful can do on  their own to satify a requirement of a being that is infinate with a holy nature. It takes someone who infinate and holy to meet a requirement of someone who is infinate and holy.

God’s word states that forgivesness of sin must come through the shedding of blood (Hebrews 9:22). God provided a way for sinful finite people to meet this by allowing Jesus who is God (infinate and holy) to come down to earth and shed his blood as a remission for all sin. By accepting Jesus’ gift, our sins are forgiven and God sees us as holy. Through Jesus alone has the requirement been met. Worshiping God in and of itself is good but does not get you into Heaven (John 14:6). Lydia is an example of this. Are you Lydia?

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Posting beyond the “Like”…

Life can be so heavy and burdensome.  The weight of responsibilities can be too much to bear.  The pain and evil in this world can seem relentless.  I’ve noticed a trend where people are now only posting positive things to stem the tide of negativity and provide a brief respite from the craziness.  Posting for the “like” is what I call it.  The problem is that the “like” is brief and you find yourself scrolling and scrolling looking for more “likes” never really finding the rest we are seeking.  I recently had a very discouraging bit of news about a ministry activity I was involved in where what I shared about Gospel didn’t stick.  In the midst of my pouting God impressed on me “you did all that to get the Like”.

Deuteronomy 12:9-10 NIV

” 9 since you have not yet reached the resting place and the inheritance the LORD your God is giving you.

10 But you will cross the Jordan and settle in the land the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance, and he will give you rest from all your enemies around you so that you will live in safety.”

This instruction from the OT was to the Israelites in crossing over into the promised land.  This rest or easing of life’s burdens as told in chapter 11 (v. 18-20) comes through complete faith in and relentless meditation on God. Not in ourselves. No measure of cute post about puppies or unicorns, self help quotes, or inner strength statements to garner “likes” will give us the rest, the life easing balm we so desperately seek.  “Likes” change moods. “Life” which is only found through complete faith in and total obedience to God will bring us into His rest.  We must go beyond getting the “like” to giving the “life”.

 

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Which story do you believe? (Part 2)

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John 19: 28-30 NIV

28 Later, knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.” 29 A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ lips. 30 When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

When Jesus said “It is finished.” He was telling a story. Do you believe it? Or do you believe the many other stories? Stories like:

“I need to clean myself up before I come to Christ”
“I am a self made (wo)man”
“I’m a good person”
“I know how best to live my life”
“I’ve sinned too much. God can’t forgive me”
“There are many ways to heaven”

I could go on and on. Everyday, multiple times a day we are faced with alternate stories. When Jesus said “It is finished”. He meant it. Carrying around guilt and shame for the wrong you have done. Jesus said…It is finished! I took that for you. Trying to figure out life with self help books and seminars. Jesus said…It is finished! I am the light unto your path. Jesus’ story doesn’t have an end. His story is eternal life. What does your story end with?

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Which story do you believe? (Part 1)

Our lives are inundated with stories. All day and all night stories are in the news, stories at the work place, at the grocery store, in the department store. We can’t escape them and it is the ones we believe that determine our behavior. The weather person paints a picture of sunny skies all day yet that old pain in your joints tells you there is rain coming. Which do you believe? Which ever one you do will determine how you dress for the day. Or your doctor tells you that your blood sugar levels are too high and you need to reduce carbs and sugar in your diet. Yet that Krispy Kreme commercial tells you there is no harm in stopping by when the Hot Light is on and partaking of a half dozen right of the oven glazed donuts. Which do you believe? Which ever one you do will determine how you manage your health. You see we live our lives based on which stories we believe.

The most important verse in the Bible, Genesis 1:1 “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.”, tells a story. The question is do you believe it? Or do you believe the world’s story? If you do believe Genesis 1:1 then do you live your life as if you believe it? When you believe the weather forecast you also believe the high temp, the low temp, the pollen count, and the 10 day outlook. You believe it all…dress accordingly, adjust your activities, and even begin to take allergy medicine if the forecast indicates a high pollen count. If you believe Genesis 1:1, do you believe the rest of the Bible? Do you adjust your living, your thinking, or your outlook according?

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God’s Gym

I love tennis! I play at least twice a week and I am in two competitive leagues. Being prone to cramping I have learned the importance of hydration, monitoring what I eat, and drinking a protein shake with added amino acids before and after playing.  I’ve also added bike riding to my regimen to increase my stamina during matches. I recently out lasted a guy twice as young as me in a match and it was all due to my training.

1 Timothy 4:7 – 8 reads “… train yourself to be godly. 8 For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.”

Wow, I spend tons of time training and lots of money on supplements to prepare me for something of little value . I should be training to be godly. Rather than buying Muscle Milk I should be consuming God’s word and building spiritual muscle. I should be exercising my faith more than my legs. Rather than being concerned about cramping up on the court I should be preparing so I don’t freeze up when Satan confronts me. I’m gonna put down the shake weight and shake the dust off my bible…it’s time to renew my membership at God’s gym!

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My name isn’t Rockafeller…

I had a boss that carried a leather wallet that had so many holes that he could take money out without unfolding it! I would always hassle him about buying a new wallet and he would always respond “My name isn’t Rockafeller! I can’t afford to!”

Having the responsibility of shepherding a family of six is no small task. Throw on top of it that they are all females and it is enough to make your head spin! Just mastering the female language makes me long for the days of first period Mandarin Chinese! For example if your son came home from school and said “I started today” I would give him a hive five and congratulate him on finally making the first string in soccer. That is NOT the proper response to your daughter coming home and telling you that!

Females see, think, and respond differently than males. They watch my actions from a different perspective and those actions shape them in ways much deeper than most care to imagine.

I often struggle with feeling Ill-equipped to handle this post. Ephesians 1:11 says ” Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God,* for he chose us in advance, and he makes everything work out according to his plan. ” As a Christian I have been inherited into God’s family. Just as being in the Rockafeller family gives one financial resources and economic strength, my inheritance into God’s family give me access to all the tools or resources I could possibly need to live up to my position as shepherd of my family. I can do this!!!