Spiritual patience

Patience.

Just saying the word makes you want to grimace or roll your eyes.

Patience.

But it seems as though we're always waiting for something. Waiting for a certain thing to happen, for one thing to begin and another to end. Waiting for more time or more money. Waiting for our marriage to get better or for our spouse to change. Waiting for the kids to grow up. Waiting for our prayers to be answered. But God says that waiting is good. That's because it produces patience in us.

Paul tells us that patience is a byproduct of having God’s Spirit living in us (Galatians 5:22). However, just because we’re waiting doesn’t mean that we’re being patient. And yet, we can't have patience without the waiting.

What does waiting on God do for us?

David says in Psalms 26:2-3, “Examine me, O Lord, and try me; test my mind and my heart. For Your loving-kindness is before my eyes, and I have walked in Your truth.” Sometimes waiting can reveal our true motives.

One pre-marriage counseling suggestion is to watch how your future spouse handles waiting for something to download on a slow computer, or how they react to being put on hold for 45 minutes waiting to ask a simple question about car insurance or something. Those periods of waiting really do test our character.

Another benefit of waiting is the anticipation that builds for whatever we’re waiting for. Consider the wonderful benefits of waiting to have sex until we’re married. Consider the benefits waiting to graduate before trying to find a career. These are just a few benefits that help us appreciate the rewards that are associated with something better, later.

Part of the problem is failing to see how God will use that wait time. Paul told Timothy in 1 Timothy 6:11-12, “But you, Timothy, are a man of God; so run from all these evil things. Pursue righteousness and a godly life, along with faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness. Fight the good fight for the true faith. Hold tightly to the eternal life to which God has called you…” In context, he’s warning against the dangers of money. The temporary allurement of wealth can cause us to quit on the things that last forever. Money can end up being the antithesis of patience.

Hebrews 11:24-26, “By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to endure ill-treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, considering the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt…”

So how do we get that Moses-like patience? Or the heart that truly pursues godliness even if I have to wait a long time for it?

We may need to pray for patience. It’s taboo in our culture to say that, but it’s true. What if Satan helped to promote that notion that praying for patience was a mistake? It would serve his purpose better than it would God’s purposes for your life.

Another step might be to re-evaluate what I’m doing while I’m waiting. We live in a multi-task culture that is always “finding something to do with our time.” So why not try that spiritually?

• Psalms 130:5, “I wait for the Lord, my soul does wait, and in His word do I hope.”

• Micah 7:7, “But as for me, I will watch expectantly for the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation.”

Waiting on the Lord gives me the sense that something is going on, but I just can't see it at the moment. But I wait with eager anticipation to see what God is going to do.

For that, it leads me to be thankful. We’re constantly reminded in scripture to be thankful. Whether it’s in what Christ did on the cross, or for God’s design for the church, or even for our trials we face, God works amazing things through those who love Him.

And instead of complaining about our obstacles, we could keep quiet and do as Paul says in 1 Timothy 2:1-2, “I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them.” Complain less, pray more with thankfulness knit within every situation. Even if we don’t understand the situation.

But perhaps waiting on God, and demonstrating patience, is a powerful method for not giving up. He’s promised a reward to those that persevere through whatever happens to us (Revelations 2:10), and time after time epistles were written to churches urging them to stay in the game. Run as if you want to win, not like a quitter who stops when it gets too hard.

We might be surprised how much exercising patience grows our faith to unheard of levels. So pray, wait, thank God, be still, and press on towards what God is willing to do in you… if you’ll wait on His timing.

Spiritual peace

“What caused you to become homeless?” This is a common question we ask people that find themselves on the doorstep of a homeless organization I’ve helped with for years. The question is less for our benefit as it is for the person in trouble. The problem is that many don’t see the connection between their current situation and the decisions they made at an earlier date.

When I asked this question to a middle-aged man covered with scars and half blind he said, “I had to get away from where I was at; it was too dangerous for me.” Whether he made the connection between his druggy roommates and his now homeless situation I’m not sure, but I know that most of us find ourselves using the same kind of logic at times. We run from one problem only to be faced with another problem.

As we explore the Fruit of the Spirit, we come to peace in Paul’s list from Galatians 5:22. Peace is ultimately the absence of conflict or trouble. Peace is what most people want in their life. The man in the homeless office sought peace in the form of a place to stay; but based on that way of thinking, peace is always contingent upon our circumstances. What would he find at his new place to stay? Had his previous dwelling place been an answer to prayers for him at one point?

Conflict and struggles are part of life. In fact, every day will present a new series of struggles and difficulties to face. Jesus said in Matthew 6:34, “So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

Therefore finding peace in life takes a different way of looking at what I have to face. I ouldn’t know I had peace unless I knew what the opposite of peace looked like. For the Israelites, they had known struggle and conflict most of their existence as God’s chosen people. Yet perhaps like the homeless man seeking help, many of their struggles were brought on because they ran from one problem to find another one around the corner. From seeking gods to finish what Moses started at Mt. Sinai to Judah turning to Egypt for deliverance from the countries God sent to chastise the rebellious Jews, Israel seemed to remain in a state of struggle and conflict.

However, perhaps as we think about the words of the angels to the shepherds outside of  Bethlehem, we can appreciate what they were announcing. They shouted out in Luke 2:14, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.” Immanuel, God with us, would not only pay the penalty of our sins which bring us struggles in life, he also modeled a way to stay focused through the struggles we face.

Paul said in Romans 2:7-10, “To those who by perseverance in doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life; but to those who are selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, wrath, and indignation. There will be tribulation and distress for every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek, but glory and honor and peace to everyone who does good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”

God’s way of living gives us a new perspective of the events we face in life. We may not always understand them, but the more we learn to trust God to work something good from our situation, the more likely we’ll understand God’s kind of peace. This opens another dilemma, which is, “Will I find peace if I continue down the same road I’m heading down that caused me so much trouble?” Just because we look for God to make something good of our mess doesn’t mean we’ll truly grasp Godly peace. Godly peace is a product of “walking according to the Spirit.” Paul concludes the list of Spiritual qualities produced in those who love him and obey him this way in Galatians 5:24-26, “Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. Let us not become boastful, challenging one another, envying one another.”

Godly peace is a product of listening to the guidance of the Holy Spirit, which is directed by God and His eternal words given to us.

Ultimately, the struggles that many of us face are because we are engaged in a battle of the wills -- my will verses God’s will. When I follow my will, I am more likely to find myself in a situation tied to the consequences of living selfishly. However, when I follow God’s will, even if I go through a horrific experience, I’ll find myself walking hand in hand with God as He leads me towards the eternal rewards prepared for those who love him. A place that truly is a picture of real and lasting peace.

The angels had a good reason to be excited for the peace that Jesus would bring to earth, but it wasn’t about the absence of struggles but a new way to look at them until we reach the home God has promised us.

Spiritual Joy

Salvation has often been equated to a gift that can only be enjoyed if we take it. God won’t force us to accept his tremendous mercy and kindness, but why wouldn’t you want it? It’s a valid question that has boggled the minds of passionate evangelists throughout the ages, “Why wouldn’t someone want to go to heaven?” Yet as Jesus says in Matthew 7:13-14, “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.”

The Bible is filled with passages that help us see just how wonderful heaven will be, and how loving God is to make the way there possible for us. One of the most quoted passages in scripture speak to this; in John 3:16-21, “For God loved the world so much that He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.” However, it goes on to explain who can have this promise and why someone wouldn’t want it. He says, “God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him. There is no judgment against anyone who believes in Him. But anyone who does not believe in Him has already been judged for not believing in God's one and only Son. And the judgment is based on this fact: God's light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed. But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants.”

How awful it will be for those who reject the wonderful offer of salvation made possible through what Christ did on the cross. However, how about the person that refuses to receive the gifts given to the believer?

We’re told that at the point when we recognize our need for a savior and turn to him we receive a powerful gift. Acts 2:38-39, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.”

At our conversion, we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, and a large portion of the New Testament is helping Christians understand how to live by the guidance of the Spirit rather than the guidance of the flesh, or worldly things. Paul says in Galatians 5:22 that among the “Fruits of the Spirit” is joy.

Once the church began on the Day of Pentecost a new and exciting attitude swept over the believers. People eagerly sold property to help others, they met together every day studying scripture, praying together. Acts 2:46-47 says, “They were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people.” They really enjoyed the fellowship of other Christians.

Joy is a byproduct of living according to the Spirit, but is it something that many Christians experience? It seems so common to meet Christians that look and act like they’re miserable. Is this what the Spirit produces within us?

Many scholars have debated over the centuries about what it means to “quench the Spirit,” which is referenced in 1 Thessalonians 5:19, but also mentioned a little differently in Ephesians 4:30-32, “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.”

It saddens God to see us live contrary to what the Spirit guides us towards. Perhaps this is where Christians should seriously consider what it means when I live a life of constant negativity, or complaining, or any other attribute that diminishes the Spirit of God. At the risk of undermining the grace of God, when does a person unwilling to submit to the guidance of the Spirit fall from God’s grace? When does a person close their heart to such a degree that joy can’t be seen in their life? And, how might that impact the very message Christ gave us to spread to the lost and dying people of the world?

My hope is that we completely accept the gift of God, and in trusting faith, give our worries over to God, and by that process, experience the wonderful joy that comes from doing just that. Let’s encourage one another as long as we can… and do it with joy.

Spiritual Love

On Aug 23, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his famous “I have a dream” speech from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in hopes that he could inspire people to put an end to racism. But, on April 4, 1968 he was assassinated by James Earl Ray, who was a racist. The battle has not ended, and as anyone with eyes, ears, and a brain knows our nation is just as racist today as it was during the '60s.

The problem wasn’t in the speech; it wasn’t in the approach taken to eradicate racism; the problem was in people. People from all walks of life, every ethnic group, every social group, and every gender group all struggle with the darkness Satan pulls down around us. He so effectively blinds us that he ends up binding us to the pain of living according to the principles of this world. The result–pain and more pain. Pain within ourselves, and pain caused towards others.

In Paul’s recognition of the struggle, he said in Romans 7:21-25, “I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. I love God's law with all my heart. But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death?”

We are slaves to hate, to selfishness, to pain and depression. However, God did something through Christ that offered freedom. Paul continues by saying, “Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God's law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin.”

But how will Christ change the hatred I feel towards people because of my own prejudices? How will Christ alter my thinking so that I think first before I react in some harmful way? There is a gift God has given everyone who submits to Christ’s authority to rule over everything. God gives us the gift of the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:37-39, “Now when the crowd who had gathered for the Feast of Pentecost heard the apostle’s speech, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, ‘Brethren, what shall we do?’ Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.”

The good news is that God loves us enough to give us a heavenly tool, a part of Himself that will see past the temptations to be selfish, to be unkind, to ultimately be heartless. The challenge then is to identify how this gift works. How do I know when the Spirit is driving my reactions verses my own clouded heart?

Just as Jesus said that “you will know them by their fruits.” Just check out the context in Matthew 7:17-20, “So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”

So what is the fruit of having the Spirit control my thinking? Paul said in Galatians 5:22-24, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.”

The Spirit helps us understand God’s heart. The law that was given to Moses identified the actions God loves, but was never able to penetrate to the soul. It’s when God’s holy desires penetrate our hearts and we submit to His will, that’s when we see the strength to say NO to me and YES to Him.

The more I know what pleases God, the more I’ll recognize when the Spirit will nudge me in the right direction. This was exactly the result Jesus talked about in His parable of the soils. He says of the final soil, the productive Godly soil in Matthew 13:23, “And the one on whom seed was sown on the good soil, this is the man who hears the word and understands it; who indeed bears fruit and brings forth, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty.”

God’s word reveals God’s heart. The gift God gives believers is what gives us the ability to live the way God lives. He has loved us so much, therefore we must love others that way. A feat only possible by having God’s Spirit directing our actions. Let’s truly “think of others as more important than ourselves” and change the world with God’s love.

The Result of the Spirit

What determines life? Throughout the countries on this planet, this is an ever-increasing debate on what is life. Whether it’s the quality of life or when that life begins officially, we hear about these a lot.

Dr. Jack Kevorkian gained a lot of attention as the “death doctor” after his arrest in 1999 for voluntary euthanasia, or assisted suicide. It was believed that he assisted over 130 people end their life. One major reason for doing it was both the patients, and the doctors’, perception that their quality of life wasn’t good, therefore, they didn’t need to go on living.

Interestingly, Kevorkian’s mother, Satenig, was a survivor of the Armenian Genocide of 1915 during the World War I. In an effort to rid the world of the weak and the Christians, the Ottoman government, modern day Turkey, made up primarily of Muslims, drove out the people that they deemed unworthy to live. From Constantinople towards the Syrian Desert, their trail of cruelty gained attention from those sympathizers of the infirm and Christians, but not before 800,000 plus people died.

Dr. Kevorkian ended up following in the same footsteps as those who nearly annihilated his own mother and her people. The Nazi’s also modeled their efforts after the Ottoman’s philosophy to some degree. In each of these cases deception was a key ingredient in letting people to give up their homes, their citizenship, or their lives to someone set out to destroy them.

Peter reminded his followers that there was a similar foe that is essentially doing the same thing in 1 Peter 5:8-11, “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” However, he gives hope to those enduring his efforts to “steal, kill, and destroy” by saying, “But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world. After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. To Him be dominion forever and ever. Amen.”

But how do you resist someone, or something that is so deeply deceptive as Satan or people like Hitler or Kevorkian? Perhaps it’s in the spiritual understanding of what is the real meaning and value of life.

That understanding helps us determine the real gift of life that God offers but it only comes through what Jesus made possible on the cross. John begins his gospel similar to how Moses began the book of Genesis, “In the beginning…” but John says in “In the beginning was the Word…” John 1:4-5, “In Him (the Word) was life, and the life was the Light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.”

And he continues in his epistle in 1 John 5:19-20, “We know that we are of God, and that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one. And we know that the Son of God has come, and has given us understanding so that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.” The real value of life is found in Christ, not in what a person has the ability to physically do, not in the intelligence a person demonstrates, not in any one ethnic group.

As Jesus said in John 6:63, “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.”

So as Paul, John, and Jesus remind us, that an understanding of what true life is results in a conviction to live according to the magnificent life that Jesus came and died to bring us. So how does a person know that they are living according to the Spirit of God? According to God’s evaluation of a quality life?

Just like a peach tree produces peaches and an apple tree produces apples; a Spirit filled person, which is the result of God’s gift towards eternal life, will bear fruit that shows they understand the real meaning of life.

Paul highlights the fruit that should be seen in someone who not only has the Spirit, but understands God’s desire for us to have real life. He says in Galatians 5:22-24, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.”

When we make these qualities the criteria to evaluate real life, it will be impossible to carry out things like genocide on whatever level that may come on. Dr. Kevorkian failed to understand what true life is because he still lived in the darkness, a darkness that many people still live in. My challenge to each of us is to better understand what life is through God’s lens. Or as Proximo said in the movie The Gladiator, “Everyone dies, but not everyone truly lives.”

Wouldn’t you like to have real, true, lasting life that is only found in Jesus Christ?

True Thanksgiving

The other night my wife showed our kids a video of some Syrian refugees landing in Greece in over-crowded rafts. They’d left their country because of war and violence. Ironically, I was reading William Bradford’s Of Plymouth Plantation at that very moment. In William’s journal, he describes the conditions leading up to the famous Mayflower voyage to America. The Puritans also felt the pressure of persecution and realized there was no relief except to leave.

So this was a teachable moment to explain what a refugee is and what that really means in terms of lifestyle changes and choices. To decide to leave what you know out of fear of loss of your property or your life forces you to venture off into unknowns and vulnerabilities. Trying to avoid the political muddle tied to the story of Syrian refugees, I took the opportunity to further explain how the Syrians both compare and contrast to the Pilgrims. But even beyond either of these groups, I wanted my children to understand how as believers we are called to be like refugees, sojourners, aliens, or pilgrims.

1 Peter 2:11-12, “Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul. Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation.”

Peter urged early Christians to live with that same “refugee” mentality. Live like you don’t belong here. Then use that understandably awkward and even scary position in life to demonstrate where your confidence really lies.

The real war going on isn’t within the borders of nations, but within ourselves. Wars are fought (to some degree) for freedom. Freedom to own a particular piece of land, freedom to use your money or your talents as you wish, etc. Sin steals our potential and our freedoms, which is one reason it’s so important to flee from those things that steal our potential in God.

Paul says in Ephesians 2:10, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” That’s our potential, to be a tool for God; which in turn reaps a harvest beyond understanding.

Paul told the Romans in Romans 6:17-18, “But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed, and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.”

Where will the refugees end up? Is there a place that will bring them peace? The reality is that the victory they’re seeking doesn’t come in the form of a title deed for property, or in a flag, or in anything you can put in the bank. The real victory is something bigger—it’s in God, the creator of all things.

1 Corinthians 15:57-58, “But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.”

That was a lesson the Pilgrims would soon learn as well. The freedom they
sought wasn’t in America, but in the freedom to fully surrender to Christ and His guidance. We were created for a purpose, and that purpose is to glorify God. Peter explains that through our “good deeds, as they observe them” that is when others see what real freedom is and that’s when God is glorified.

Nelson Mandela said just months before his release from prison, “The only prison that takes away a man’s freedom is the one that does not allow that man to dream.” God has given us something more than a dream; it’s a promise. To have that ability to live for that promise makes us freer than anyone on the planet.

This Thanksgiving, pay special attention to the opportunities around you to share what makes you free.

God's Promises

We are all accustomed to promises. We are also accustomed to seeing them made and broken. Anyone who has lived for a number of years would certainly never lay claim to having kept every promise made. There are many reasons why this is true. Sometimes we forget, sometimes we are negligent, and sometimes it may be due to circumstances beyond our control.

A brokenhearted girl might say to a boy, “But you promised to marry me.” And the answer comes back: “Yes, but I changed my mind.” People do change their mind, and they do break their promises.

What about the promises of God? How certain are they? Paul said this concerning God’s promises, “For the promise to Abraham or to his descendants that he would be heir of the world was not through the Law, but through the righteousness of faith . . . For this reason it is by faith, in order that it may be in accordance with grace, so that the promise will be guaranteed to all the descendants” (Romans 4:13, 16). God's promise to Abraham was first spelled out in Genesis 12. It was repeated in Genesis 22:18, “In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.”

A promise is only as good as the ability of the one who makes it to carry it through. It also
includes willingness to do so. God did carry through with Abraham. Paul points out in Galatians 3:16, that it was through Christ God intended to fulfill the promise to Abraham. Also in Acts 13:32-33, Paul says: “And we preach to you the good news of the promise made to the fathers, that God has fulfilled this promise to our children in that He raised up Jesus.”

Jesus’ life was shaped, while living on earth, by His trust in the power of the promises of God.
When Jesus said: “I am that bread of life," (John 6:48), “I am the light of the world” (John 8:12), and “I am the resurrection and the life.” (John 11:25), He did so fully realizing that He had been empowered with this right by the Father who had promised to raise Him from the grave. There were more than 500 people at one time who bore witness to the fulfillment of this promise, according to 1 Corinthians 15:1-6.

What can be said about God's promises to us?

1. He’s promised to supply us with what we need for everything we face. The Bible says: “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19). We have to realize that God knows what’s best, which means it may not include earthly things that often times distract us from the heavenly things.

2. God has promised that His grace is sufficient for us (2 Corinthians 12:9). In fact, He has
made provision for our salvation by His grace through faith. Read Ephesians 2:8. It is
through an obedient faith that we have access into the grace of God according to
Romans 5:2.

3. God has promised us in 1 Corinthians 10:13, “No temptation has overtaken you but such
as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted
beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape
also, so that you will be able to endure it.” Jude wrote: “Now unto Him that is able to
keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory
with exceeding joy” (Jude v 24). Darius, King of the Medes, said to Daniel, “Your
God whom you have served continually, he will deliver you” (Daniel 6:16). He did
deliver Daniel from the den of lions.

4. God has promised us victory over death. He first resurrected Jesus by way of assuring our resurrection. Peter said: “This Jesus God raised up again, to which we are all witnesses” (Acts 2:32). Paul wrote to the Corinthians: “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). Later on he adds: “but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:57).

5. God has promised that all things work together for good to those who love and serve Him faithfully (Romans 8:28). It may be difficult for us to see and understand how this is accomplished at times, but God has promised it, and He will deliver.

6. God has promised that those who believe in Jesus and are baptized for the forgiveness of sins will be saved. (Acts 2:38). It was a promise for those listening on the Day of Pentecost, but also as he says “For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.”

7. God has promised His people eternal life (John 10:27, 28).

These are just a few of the many promises God will fulfill in our lives if we honor Him and allow Him to work through our lives.

Control

During the late 1970’s the Chinese government began implementing some social controls in response to the economic strain the growing population was projected to put on the Chinese government. So the "one child" policy was put into place and remained in place until it began to be phased out this year. From an economic perspective it may have seemed very logical, however what about freedom?

China isn’t a free nation, but what about the church? As Christians we’ve been offered freedom through what Jesus Christ did on the cross. Paul said in Galatians 5:1-16, “It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery...”

Throughout history mankind has sought this hope-filled freedom offered to us in Christ, but not without reservations. There’s just something within most of us that gets a little scared of complete freedom. To allow other people to control themselves. In the first century, the Jews were really concerned that the Gentiles might not observe or honor the feasts, and other practices, that had been established during the Mosaic age, so laws were imposed upon them to make sure they would take time out to reflect on what God had done for “his people” in times past. However, it was what Jesus had done during their lifetime that deserved the most respect, the most honor.

A more pertinent concern would be that all Christians observe and honor what Jesus did in the NOW age. This remains a legitimate concern for Christians especially as it fits within the parameters of a congregation. Will my church show the proper respect for acts of worship like: prayer, The Lord’s Supper, Bible reading, or singing?

Can we trust each person to demonstrate the appropriate honor without imposing a law on them? What if they don’t do it like I do it? How is it regulated? Paul continued in Galatians 5 concerning those imposing circumcision on all Christians, “For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, you shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

Paul also said in Ephesians 5:17-21, “So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father; and be subject to one another in the fear of Christ.”

Ultimately, we have the responsibility to grow in our knowledge and understanding of Christ, not just as a person, but as our pattern to follow. Jesus modeled a revolutionary expression of honoring God, all while practicing self-control.

Just like the Israelites longing for a king to oppress them, people today still long for some kind of leadership to rule over them even if it limits the freedom they’ve been given. During the Restoration movement, many church leaders realized how quickly mankind resorts to oppressive leadership and they sought to break those bonds (once again). It didn’t take long for the fear of freedom to make some nervous. In the early-1900’s several groups (which included the churches of Christ) disbanded communion with each other because some groups felt you couldn’t preserve the integrity of pure worship without some kind of denominational government controlling how things are done in corporate worship.

So why write this? Perhaps the appeal to each of you reading this to KNOW why you believe what you believe and to learn to live within the freedoms allotted to us in Christ. It takes a lot of faith to follow what you believe the Scriptures to say. It takes faith to recognize action that you need to do because God wants you to do it, and simply do it. It takes faith to stand up to traditions that actually may harm the work of the Spirit in our lives. It takes faith to trust that God will do what He says the word of God has the power to do.

Hebrews 4:12-13, “For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes, and he is the one to whom we are accountable.”

To follow God requires to let go of our fears. We must trust that he really has come to give life, and give it to the fullest measure as he says in John 10:10, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” Our goal is not to regulate someone else’s spiritual walk, but to selflessly encourage them to love God with ALL their heart, soul, mind, and strength. Then we don’t have to control them, but model the Christ-like example of leading people to a fuller understanding of God.

Contentment vs. complacency

In 2000, Bruce Wilkinson wrote a short devotional book called The Prayer of Jabez. Within the pages of that little book, Mr. Wilkinson used 1 Chronicles 4:10 as a pattern to effective prayers. Tens of millions of people bought the book hoping that perhaps this little verse and the story of this obscure person tucked away in the genealogy of Ashur could indeed reveal how to be blessed.

1 Chronicles 4:10, “Now Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, ‘Oh that You would bless me indeed and enlarge my border, and that Your hand might be with me, and that You would keep me from harm that it may not pain me!’ And God granted him what he requested.”

The powerhouse in this verse isn’t that he asked, but that God granted his request. This verse became instantly famous with the publication of this book, but has it been taken out of context?

Unfortunately, there can be a fine line between trying to excel to higher levels to better one's position and being a covetous person that constantly focuses on being covetable. On the other end of the spectrum, there can also be a fine line between being content with where you are and being complacent. The drive to be better is inspired by God; the understanding of how far to go, how much to ask for, and when to stop before it takes control is also given to us by God.

James reveals one of the reasons that our requests to God may not be answered the way WE want them answered. He says in James 4:2-3, “You do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures.”

Finding that safe haven of contentment between the thresholds of complacency and covetousness might require a new way of thinking. The Bible urges us to think about heavenly things, and that serves as our motivation to endure less than perfect scenarios here because we’re anticipating a much better place later. However, that doesn’t come naturally or easily.

Hebrews 5:13-14, “For someone who lives on milk is still an infant and doesn't know how to do what is right. Solid food is for those who are mature, who through training have the skill to recognize the difference between right and wrong.”

In his prayer, Jabez asked to have his boundaries expanded, but we can recognize the other part of his request as the heart of what he was asking for, “…that your hand might be with me, and that you would keep me from harm…”

Paul says something similar in Philippians 4:4-7, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. 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 comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

As we consider where our real citizenship is found (Philippians 3:20), it helps us to be more content with our worldly situation and it drives us to demonstrate our gratitude towards God in how we live in spiritual situations.

Contentment could be explained by being satisfied with less than you think you deserve. It’s what Jesus modeled for us by coming to this earth to save us from the consequences of our sins. Godliness, therefore, becomes the asset we should desire to have more of. The nice thing is that He’s made the steps clear and that goal obtainable every time we seek it.

2 Peter 1:3-8, “Seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust. Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Jesus’ Plea for Unity

Imagine the moonlit olive tree orchard on the hillside of Jerusalem the night Jesus was betrayed. His closest friends had experienced an emotional Passover feast, which included having their feet washed by the one they believed to be the Messiah. Now, as He pulls them in closer so they can hear, what they’d later understand to be His final instructions to them, the Master revealed His plans to leave them.

Their hearts sank as they considered all that they had left to follow Him. They had hoped He really was the Messiah. Who else could do what He had done? Who else spoke with such authority? Yet He spoke of His death as if it were about to happen.

Jesus said in John 16:20, “I’m telling you, you’re going to weep and mourn over what is going to happen to me, but the world will rejoice. You will be sad for a time, but your grief will suddenly turn to wonderful joy…”

The crickets and frogs serenaded their savior as He spoke confusing words of tragedy and hope at the same time. Before He asked them to pray, He said, “In a little while you’ll be scattered, each one going his own way, leaving me alone. Yet I am not alone because the Father is with me. I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” (John 16:32-33)

Then He turned and walked away from them. He was in their sights as they watched Him kneel down, His face to the ground. Then a little while later His hands lifted to heaven, then back to kneeling. They sat down slowly thinking about what He’d asked them to do--pray. How could they pray at time like this? What could be said? As they leaned against a few large stones near the orchard, they followed His actions, heads low, faces to the ground. But their plea for understanding gave way to their fatigue and they fell asleep while their savior continued on.

Meanwhile Jesus said in a whisper as sweat and blood dripped from His forehead, “…Now they know that everything I have is a gift from you, for I have passed on to them the message you gave me. They accepted it and know that I came from you, and they believe you sent me. My prayer is not for the world, but for those you have given me, because they belong to you…”

A while later, Jesus got up from the ground and returned to find them sleeping. “You men couldn’t keep watch with Me for one hour? Keep watching and praying that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Matthew 26:40-41) Ashamed the weary friends glanced at each other and bowed in prayer once again, only to find that His words were true, “the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.”

Once again Jesus spoke to His father, “…Now I am coming to you. I told them many things while I was with them in this world so they would be filled with my joy. I have given them your word. And the world hates them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. I'm not asking you to take them out of the world, but keep them safe from the evil one…”

As He continued the sounds of broken branches, clanking armor, and muffled chatter could be heard in the distance. Judas. His time of trouble was here, and He knew that He would have only the father to comfort Him…for a while. Soon enough, as He would suffer on the cross, He would even lose that comfort: “My God, My God, why have you abandoned me?”

He stood by His sleepy companions as they got to their feet, these men He loved so much, knowing their hearts, and knowing what they would eventually do to fulfill His final plea that He’d asked of God: “I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message. I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me.”

Unity has the power to sustain us through even the darkest hours of life. At the heart of Jesus’ prayer, the goal of unity was boldly proclaimed. Now, many years later the gift of unity is still made possible to those who powerfully embrace Jesus's plea for the father to be glorified by the love of His followers. Unity is a powerful ingredient to experiencing the joy and peace that Jesus would be available because of His painful death on the cross.

Paul continues Jesus’ plea for unity in the letter to the Philippians that they would watch out for the things that cause division among them. And that they’d make the effort to seek Him and live in the joy of the Lord. What efforts can you make today to better fulfill the prayer of Jesus that we be unified?

The Community of Christ

Someone shared with me their excitement about being part of a “come as you are” church recently, and describing their church that way caught my attention. Of all the things that could have been said, “We read the Bible,” “We honor God,” or “We love one another,” it was the idea that you can come as you are which they were most drawn to.

What is it about the idea that you can “come as you are” that causes us to put our defenses down and go on in? It seems that at the heart of that statement is the absence of judgment. When people feel welcomed in spite of their faults, bonds can be built not on the basis of performance but of commonality – Jesus.

Since the beginning of the church this has been an appealing and dividing concept. One of the apostle’s biggest conflicts to resolve was the issue of circumcision before you could truly be a child of God. This required the Gentiles to become like the Jews before they would be accepted. However, the apostles were adamant that this wasn’t part of God’s plan for His family.

God invited the Israelites through Isaiah in Isaiah 1:18, “though your sins are as scarlet, and He will make them white as snow.” And the same kind of message is heard at the end of the Bible in Rev 22:17 where he gives an invitation to “Come! Let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost.” The Bible is filled with verses revealing God’s mercy and grace that is extended to sinful people. But how far reaching is that statement? Since the Bible is also filled with instructions about dying to your old self and following the pattern He laid out for us to follow.

When God brought the Israelites out of Egypt, it was because He had mercy on them, not because they did anything to obligate Him to action. However, once they were safely apart from their old way of life, God gave them directions to follow on Mt. Sinai. From that point on the people understood there were things that were not “come as you are” but rather “humble yourself under the mighty hand of God…” Things like not working on the Sabbath, or not to eat certain meats; and there could be serious consequences for not conforming.

Even after the establishment of the new covenant with God’s chosen people, there was a call to abandon the old life and begin living according to a new set of standards. One place in scriptures that spells this out so clearly is found in 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, “Don't you realize that those who do wrong will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Don't fool yourselves. Those who indulge in sexual sin, or who worship idols, or commit adultery, or are male prostitutes, or practice homosexuality, or are thieves, or greedy people, or drunkards, or are abusive, or cheat people—none of these will inherit the Kingdom of God. Some of you were once like that. But you were cleansed; you were made holy; you were made right with God by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.”

We USED to do those things, but something changed us. God performed a spiritual circumcision by removing the old person and giving His Spirit to us. God’s laws and commands, then, help to change our thinking to be in alignment with His, which keeps Satan from sneaking in the back door. Therefore, all of us can come to Christ exactly how we are, but we don’t want to stay in that state for long. Paul said in Romans 6:1-2, “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?” There is a reason Christ’s call is appealing to the people willing to listen and believe – He has Good News about who we can be.

The invitation to be part of a community that focuses on who God is shaping all of us into, absent from a cookie cutter human standard is comforting. We are naturally drawn to a community of people that will let us be ourselves; but who we are is being replaced with a God-centered common goal, vision, and purpose. This is the power of what community offers us, a place we can call home and discover together what God wants to do in us. It’s a place that we aren’t constantly being evaluated and compared to one another, and this is seems to be the essence of that statement “come as you are.” We want to be welcomed, loved, encouraged, forgiven, and appreciated.

As we look back over the landscape of the scriptures and God’s history with His people, we can quickly see how much God wants us to long for Him, to seek Him. He is holy, He wants us to seek Him and be like Him. We seek Him because He is our father and loves us unconditionally. The Sabbath, and all the other commands from God, were to help us see the benefit of holiness. Once we realize how wonderful it is to be in the presence of a holy God, we shouldn’t want to “stay as we are.” God’s very presence inspires us to be more than what we came as. Jesus is the author of life, the living water, the great I Am, the beginning and the end, the vine that gives life. People want that, God wants them, we should want God and all that He is – holy. Therefore, the community of Christ is a place that should inspire us to rejoice in the peace that only God offers.

Joyful

The Ark of the Covenant was also known as the Mercy Seat of God. A covenant is an agreement with a binding contract, or a promissory note. Therefore the Ark, or the holy box, of the promise was the reminder to the Israelites that God would demonstrate His mercy based on the promise in the box. When the Ark showed up, people got excited, and often in scripture, the word used to describe the Israelites' attitude when the Ark was brought in was “joyful.”

As the age of the judges was drawing to a close and before Samuel anointed Saul to be king, the Ark of the Covenant was taken by the Philistines. But once the Philistines sent it back to stop the plagues in their towns, the Israelites “rejoiced” to see it again. Later, when David wanted to bring the Ark back to Jerusalem the city danced with “joy” to see it back home. When Solomon built a special house, or a temple, just for the Ark, the people “sang songs of praise” because the Ark would finally be honored the way it should be. Then many generations later, after the release from captivity and the return to Jerusalem, the people rejoiced when the temple where the Ark once stood was rebuilt.

David wrote many songs and psalms about the joy that having God’s promises brought to his life. Today, under the authority of Jesus Christ, we still have the promise. Although the holy box isn’t necessary in order to be joyful of God’s promises. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 3:16, “Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” Remember the words of Peter to the anxious crowd on the Day of Pentecost. He told them the solution to their quandary was to “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.” (Acts 2:38-39) We are the temple where God’s promises are stored today.

For that reason, Paul can write to Christians everywhere giving them hope and just as much reason for “joyful celebration” about their relationship with God as the Israelites had when the Ark showed up. The Ark was a treasure worth having, and those same promises are also worth having today, regardless if they’re kept in a golden box. Peter describes that the cost may be big at times but always worth it.

He said in 1 Peter 1:3-9, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great MERCY has caused us to be born again to A LIVING HOPE through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, TO OBTAIN AN INHERITANCE which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, RESERVED IN HEAVEN FOR YOU, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. IN THIS YOU GREATLY REJOICE, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that THE PROOF OF YOUR FAITH, BEING MORE PRECIOUS THAN GOLD which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ; and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, YOU GREATLY REJOICE WITH JOY INEXPRESSIBLE AND FULL OF GLORY, obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls.”

There is a connection between the promises God gives us today and the joy it should bring our life, and the joy the Israelites experienced when God’s promises contained in a golden box showed up to their home. There’s a cost that comes by neglecting to honor those promises, and there’s a cost associated with preparing a place in our hearts for those promises. But as Peter reminds us, the temporary distress is nothing compared to the everlasting joy that comes through trusting in Jesus Christ and his promises.

Looking For Love

“Looking for love in all the wrong places…” This song made popular in 1980 by Waylon Jennings is iconic to the plight of our culture. People in desperate search of meaning through relationships, and if that can’t happen, then through some other type of fulfillment. The song describes a man that was going to singles’ bars and any place that most people would go to find quick, meaningless relationships. However, it seems that he didn’t really want that, instead he wanted a friend and someone who would really love him.

I won’t pretend the song had much of a spiritual undertone to it, but perhaps it’s representative of how people are constantly looking for something, or someone, to bring meaning to their life. What they search for in those places will always be elusive. Regardless of how close they get to what appears to be the “real deal” it slips out of their fingers or leaves them at a dead end.

Sadly, the search isn’t only made by lonely bar-hoppers but people in the church as well. People are constantly on the search for something spiritual, only to find that where they ended up wasn’t what they were looking for.

Some religious analysts have suggested that the age of contemporary worship is coming to a close. That may be up for debate, however the dropout rate in those arenas aren’t much less than the dropout rate among more conservative churches. Where are they going? What are they looking for? Why can’t they find it?

When I’m building a piece of furniture, it helps to have a detailed picture of the armoire. Just like an engineer, an architect, or even a surgeon, knowing what everything should look like in the end is extremely helpful. That’s just as important for a person who is searching for meaning, it helps to have an idea of the end result.

So without a pattern to follow anything, or everything can be a possibility. The result is a person looks for meaning in all the wrong places. The human mind and heart is typically only going to take so much before it gives up in the search. Satan has offered plenty of detours that lead us to nowhere we want to be.

However, we and Waylon Jennings know the appropriate places to find someone that genuinely loves us and cares about us. The bigger question is are we willing to be there? Then are we willing to accept the fact that we all have faltered? Our goal can’t be in a job, a sport, a school, a hobby, or even a spouse. Those things are fine in their proper place, but the only way to experience true and genuine love is in Christ. That’s where all the hope is found, and he’s also our pattern to follow.

Paul wrote an encouraging letter to a church in Philippi who had set out on a mission to help spread the gospel. Like a lot of us, they started out strong and problems cropped up occasionally. Comparatively, their problems were far less than many other churches, but they were problems that may have caused some to consider going somewhere else. But Paul reminds them in Philippians 1:6, “God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.” – Stay faithful to the plan.

He also appealed to them not to forget what they had seen and, more likely, heard in the example Jesus left for us. Philippians 2:3-5, “Don't be selfish; don't try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don't look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.” – Understand the designer.

There are a lot of qualities Paul outlines for a church that really was on the right track. A church that demonstrated something that shone brightly to the world. They just needed some encouragement to continue to be that beacon of light to those people still searching for purpose and meaning. One of the key themes to the letter to the Philippians and also happens to be one of the most impressionable qualities a Christian can possess (perhaps outside of faith) is joy.

Joyful people draw others to themselves. That consistent joy becomes one of the greatest ways the gospel is introduced to someone. Without joy, we don’t look to have discovered a true and meaningful purpose, like the purpose we have in Christ. Are you a joyful person? How do you think that impacts how spiritually attractive you are to those desperately searching for meaning in this world? Do you know how to become joyful?

Stay tuned next week to hear what the Bible says about joy.

Obstacles or Opportunities

Few people living today experienced the events of June 6, 1944. D-Day on Omaha beach was a risky attack that we should never forget. The Battle of Normandy was deadly, but it also revealed the determination of the military leaders to overcome the many obstacles between them and success.

History tells us that over 200,000 Allied troops were killed, wounded, or went missing during the battle. In many cases, more than 50% of any one particular infantry unit didn’t make it through the battle. Although some unforeseen obstacles like high tides, overcast, and major logistical problems appeared, there were plenty of risks the commanders had anticipated. The Germans had been preparing for this potential battle for a while, loading the beaches with steel ramrods, logs, and other debris, with landmines and barbed wire. The Allied generals knew the German’s use of the “blitzkrieg” strategy, which would expose their enemy’s weakness when they flinched, but they pressed on anyways.

General Eisenhower was instrumental in convincing the other Allied commanders to take the risk and take the beach. If they could overcome this obstacle the direction of the war would change as well. Eisenhower boldly said at a briefing after the attack was underway, “The present situation is to be regarded as opportunity for us and not disaster.”

A lot could be said about the bravery of those soldiers facing death. But more than just their bravery was their ability to see past the obstacles before them and have a plan that looked beyond the battle and looked to the end of the war.

Sometimes in our own lives we have to realize our obstacles are just strategies of Satan to keep us from reaching our goals. Paul faced many obstacles in his mission, which seemed to be “convert Rome, change the world.” He made it his ambition to be able to present the gospel to those who many Jews viewed as the enemy. Because of his efforts, the Jews falsely accused him and arrested him before he even got out of Jerusalem. “The people rushed together, and taking hold of Paul they dragged him out of the temple, and immediately the doors were shut. While they were seeking to kill him, a report came up to the commander of the Roman cohort that all Jerusalem was in confusion. At once he took along some soldiers and centurions and ran down to them; and when they saw the commander and the soldiers, they stopped beating Paul” (Acts 21:30-32).

Soon afterwards Paul would have to be smuggled out of Jerusalem because of a death threat made by the Jews in which they had made a pledge to “neither eat nor drink until they had killed Paul” (Acts 23:12).

While en route, he constantly defended his position. He says in Acts 28:17-19, “Brethren, though I had done nothing against our people or the customs of our fathers, yet I was delivered as a prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans. And when they had examined me, they were willing to release me because there was no ground for putting me to death. But when the Jews objected, I was forced to appeal to Caesar…” Paul spent the better part of the remainder of his life in prison; why? He took the mission spoken about him in Acts 9:15-16 seriously. “Paul is a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel; for I will show him how much he must suffer for My name's sake.”

Did he reach his goal? I think we can confidently say, “Yes.” We read in Philippians 1:12-14, “Now I want you to know, brethren, that my circumstances have turned out for the greater progress of the gospel, so that my imprisonment in the cause of Christ has become well known throughout the whole praetorian guard and to everyone else, and that most of the brethren, trusting in the Lord because of my imprisonment, have far more courage to speak the word of God without fear.”

What if we were as determined as Paul to let our light shine to the world? Paul didn’t look at his obstacles as problems, but opportunities. To have that kind of focus requires an understanding of WHY. It’s critical to understand the WHY in our battle for godliness. The world needs to see the “light of Christ” shining brightly. Perhaps the best place for us to start is in the words of God. He tells us why in the bible. Do you “have an answer for the hope that is in you?”

Throughout scriptures we can see many other people that eventually gained a confident oldness from truly understanding how God was using their circumstances. People like Joseph who told his brothers as they begged for their lives. “Do not be afraid, for am I in God’s place? What you meant for evil, God meant for good in order to save many people’s lives” (Genesis 50:19-21). Also people like David, Daniel, Hosea, Jeremiah, Elisha, and many more. God’s word reveals God’s purpose for our lives, and we are the ones blessed for it. Let’s become diligent students so we can know why we must “GO.”

Losing Money or Gaining a Soul?

"He who loses money, loses much; he who loses a friend, loses much more; he who loses faith, loses all.” -- Eleanor Roosevelt

Jesus said something similar in regards to losing something that’s worth more than money. He said in Matthew 16:26, “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?”

Our soul is the most valuable commodity we possess. Therefore we might conclude that souls in general are the most important commodity “on the market.” When we consider the opportunity for significant return is found in the most significant commodities in the market then souls would have to be a wise place to seek great gains.

That may sound like a selfish concept, but consider what our competition is doing to gain the SOULS of the people of the world. Trillions of dollars is spent on buying up as many souls as possible and sabotaging the market through corrupting their minds on false teaching, entertainment, and many other to ruin their lives. As an investor, I have to be poised and ready to get in the game if I want to tap into the greatest investment opportunity in existence. We have to consider our use of the assets that we have now as tools that can allow for those opportunities for gain.

What’s more important than having a bunch of dollars? The ability to use those dollars effectively. Effectiveness doesn’t just include being efficient or thrifty in how you spend it, but investing dollars into things that reach your highest goal. These are the things that many would say will have the biggest impact in your life and the lives around you. To make a big impact a person has to define for themselves what is “an impact”. When do I recognize that a person or a cause can make a big change where I’m at, or even society in general? The big change (in my opinion) is one that transcends beyond my life, which means it really can’t be about ME.

God made us to find some level of gratification from serving others. Acts 20:35, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” When Jesus bent down and washed the feet of His disciples (John 13), He was stepping out of the position of a prophet, king, and savior and into a role that would show us how to invest in people to make big impacts in the lives around us.

The apostles witnessed such gracious, selfless acts of kindness during their time with Jesus, that it gave them fuel to know how to invest in the lives of people for a bigger future purpose. What could be bigger than eternal life in the greatest kingdom this world has ever seen during an indefinite time of peace unmatched since the creation of the world? To give of myself and to invest in the lives of someone that needs something to remind them of their greater purpose is an effective investment.

Here are a few common investment tips that I’d like to challenge you to think about in regards to the souls around you:

Untapped Market
Part of being a good investor is being able to spot a great deal, a once in a lifetime opportunity, or a diamond in the rough. The unseen qualities of a potential gold mine is where good investors end up capitalizing most.

“Buy low, sell high.”
We find people at their lowest, and we show them the blessings found only in Jesus Christ. With their new renovated view of life, they can now leave living with a higher purpose. When other people balk at the facade, or they reject the cover, we have been given divine instructions and guidance to see something deeper and act on it.

“The one who delays, often pays”
Another part of being a good investor is being able to find the deals that few people see before others see it. In a spiritual sense we’re not in a competition, but the sense of urgency should motivate us to be ready to move quickly.

I hope you can see the connection between how an investor might look for a deal and how God wants us to look at the people around us. It takes wisdom to see beyond our own selfishness and seek the good of others. In doing that we find that we make impacts in lives. Those lives become friends. Those friends love and care for us when we’re feeling down. In other words, the cycle is endless if we’ll spend our time and energy in things that are good investments – people.

To do that WILL mean we have to sacrifice of our financial means at times. People are hurting, my dollars can become a way to connect with a person and help them to discover their purpose. Pray for wisdom to see money as a tool and not a goal.

More Than Enough Evidence

Christianity is more than a religion; it’s a way of life. It changes behaviors, attitudes, convictions, and more. Christianity encompasses every facet of life, therefore it’s important to truly believe that what we read in scriptures are factual, trustworthy, and reliable as a resource for our lives.

Apologetics is the defense of a person’s beliefs from an objective view rather than simply a subjective perspective. Having a firm conviction is important in order not to be pushed over by someone else's convictions. Colossians 2:8-9, “See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.”

The Bible is full of warnings about the attempt to destroy our faith, our trust in the scriptures, and God’s authority, or even His existence. For the people living during the time that Jesus lived on earth, there were miracles, teachings, and behaviors that confirmed His authority. John 20:30-31 states the main purpose in performing miracles: “...so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.” Even Nicodemus recognized His power (John 3:2).

These signs and teachings confirmed it for those in the presence of Jesus, but how about for those that would come after them? The Bible has always been under attack one way or another. Fortunately, there are many manuscripts that help defend the validity of many of the events recorded in scriptures, including the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the capstone event that verifies His claims to deity and authority.

A thorough investigation of Biblical documents will tell us that there are approximately 5,000 Biblical manuscripts of some form that confirm the story found in our New Testament. In fact, many of these ancient documents helped to form the Bible as we know it. Documents like the Codex Sinaiticus, Viticanus, Alexandrinus, Ephremaic, and Bezae, which are a more complete form of the letters found in our Bibles, which were written between 350-400 AD, and even more fragments of scriptures written less than 150 years after the inspired authors finished the recognized Biblical writings found in our New Testament.

Many non-Biblical writers of history have acknowledged the existence of Jesus Christ, a fact that too many people in modern times have tried to denounce. Writers and historians like Thallus, who wrote in about 52 AD about "the darkness that occurred at the crucifixion of Jesus," which he attributed that to an eclipse. Or like Mara Bar-Serapion who wrote to his son around 73 AD while in prison urging him to consider the problem with persecuting wise men like Socrates, Pythagoras, and Christ. Not to mention the familiar Josephus and his statements about Jesus being "doer of marvelous deeds."

We can also see writers that describe events that match up with events in Scriptures as well. Writers like Cornelius Tacitus who mentions that Christians as "the followers of Christ, whom Pilate crucified." Suetonius wrote, describing a time when Claudius expelled the Jews from Rome, something we see confirmed in Acts 18:2 where Luke records that event.

Each of these extra-Biblical writings accompanied by the more than sufficient manuscripts of scripture that have survived over the centuries should help us in our faith. At least it should help relieve some of the pressure to disregard the Bible as a made-up story.

Nearly every nation, especially those in the Northern Hemisphere, have been heavily influenced by the standards that the Scriptures invoke. What made their leadership adhere to a Christian lifestyle, Christian standards, which all contribute to a Christian culture? They believed the message taught in Scriptures. Why did they do that? The proof was confirmed by many witnesses in many different ways. The message had credibility due to the fact that it passed the tests unofficially required to be accepted as valid, authentic, and genuine.

Luke earned a reputation of an extraordinary historian over the span of time. He took time to carefully list details that were undeniable to anyone alive and aware of events happening around them. Christianity has always allured people into the mystery of what Jesus was revealing. While there are many that oppose the power in His words, there have not been any real discrepancy in what was written about Him historically (outside of the Bible), just a denial of His claims.

Having a more firm awareness of the way God works today and has definitely worked in the past helps us defend our faith more confidently and allows us to stand by Paul in his statement to the Romans in Romans 1:16-17, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith.”

The Slaughtered Lamb

One of the key elements of any good story is a conflict. Without a conflict it usually lacks intrigue, which would probably mean that you’re not interested in whatever drama you’re reading, watching, or participating in. People are drawn to conflict.

A good writer has to define the conflict well enough where the reader can either sympathize, empathize, or at least recognize that there is a conflict. Conflict is simply a disagreement Or a clash of two forces or ideas.

Although we probably hope our life isn’t filled with conflict, we do tend to remember the times of conflict better than the times of nothingness. There are many people, and you may be one of them, that talk about the hard days of yesteryear when you were poor, or when you were in a war, or stuck in a bad lifestyle. Most of us have some odd attraction to our conflicts in our past. Some don’t look at them favorably and are unable to talk about them much because of the pain that the conflict caused. However, even by avoiding talking about the conflicts would seem to be an indicator of their impacts on life.

There is one conflict that all of us have to come to realize, the conflict of sin. Paul said in Romans 7:18- 20, “For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not. For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want. But if I am doing the very thing I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me.” That’s the conflict: my lusts or God’s will.

It’s within that conflict of our two natures where we begin to understand the power in the cross. Jesus willing sacrifice opened up the solution to our conflict of sin. Jesus said to the apostles, “the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.” Or as Paul says in Romans 8:5-8, “For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.”

There is a scene mentioned in Revelations 5:2-10 of a serious conflict in the heavenly courts where an important book couldn’t be opened. “Who is worthy to open the book and to break its seals?” the elders around the throne asked. Now, I’m not sure how much of this scene John really understood, but when he realized that no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth could open this locked up, spirit-filled book, he began to weep greatly. But one of the elders sitting around the throne understood where the solution was found. He said, “Stop weeping; behold, the Lion that is from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome so as to open the book and its seven seals.”

The problem was that whatever was in that book would be sealed up forever unless it was opened. Jesus took the book out of their hand and had the power to open its seals. Why was that so important? Jesus eludes to why that was important in John 12:45-48, “He who sees Me sees the One who sent Me. I have come as Light into the world, so that everyone who believes in Me will not remain in darkness. If anyone hears My sayings and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world. He who rejects Me and does not receive My sayings, has one who judges him; the word I spoke is what will judge him at the last day…”

Every word Jesus spoke testified about God, His plan, His love, or the Judgment to come. The more we understand His words, the better we’ll see how the conflict of sin is solved. For this reason we should recognize how important God’s word is to salvation. 1 Corinthians 1:18, “For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”

Sometimes I read a book that I don’t like how it ends. To some, Jesus didn’t seem to be the solution to their conflicts, and they said in John 6:60, “This is a difficult statement; who can listen to it?” Many abandoned Him that day. But Jesus then went on to reveal the power in God’s words (John 6:63), “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.”

Thankfully, the story of life that the Bread of Life revealed to us made the solution to the conflict clear to those who wanted to hear it. Just as the apostles responded to Jesus when asked if they were going to abandon Him too, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life.”

Do you see God’s words as the solution to your conflicts? Please consider the words of God as more than a book. Hebrews 4:12 says, “For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”

The Bible is no small book that you hold in your hands. The heavens declare the power in the word of God; they recognize the value of those spiritual words that shape our lives and give us insight for the decisions ahead. Ephesians 5:15-18, “Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil. So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.”

Shining the light in Haiti

Cap-Haitien is a city of nearly 200,000 people, a city that used to be referred to as the "Paris of the Antilles" for its architectural beauty and sophistication, but for those that have visited there, there is little wealth there today. Cap-Haitien served as the capital of the French Colony of Saint-Domingue from 1711 until 1770 when the capital was moved to Port-au-Prince. After the Haitian Revolution, it became the capital of the Kingdom of Northern Haiti under King Henri Christophe until 1820.

What once was considered a bustling city reflecting the energy of Paris now barely stands on its own. The country of Haiti has endured many rebellions, earthquakes, and other disasters that have left it struggling. Although the economy may be less than desirable, the fields are white for harvest. Many people look to the work that the Cap-Haitien Children’s Home provides as a tremendous blessing for the city and the surrounding area.

People can look to the home as a beacon of light for those children who have been abandoned, orphaned, or anything else. For a Christian Home to function the way it needs to requires good leaders, teachers, and supporters. Thankfully, the Cap-Haitien Christian Home has received all of those. It’s also a blessing for the people that are able to volunteer; they get to participate in spreading the light of Christ in a land where it’s needed desperately.

The work the church is involved in isn’t limited to nurturing children in Cap-Haitien, but also equipping young, and old men alike, in spreading the gospel to their nation. The Haitian Christian Foundation (HCF) supports and prepares Haitians to be spreaders-of-the-word. HCF's primary ministry is the Center for Biblical Studies (CBT), where men learn to study the Bible, and they build relationships with wonderful mentors and in turn become mentors. Each of these efforts can make such a difference to a nation that needs so much.

When we look to how many benefits come from uniting for a purpose of raising Godly children and training men to preach the word, I hope we begin to imagine the blessing that would come from putting some of that same effort into the lives of the children we’re blessed to be around and into the lives of capable men by equipping them to know and spread the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ.

This Sunday as the members of our church share the work they were able to do in Haiti, be praying for how you can get involved in the future. If you already support the work, thank you. If you don’t, please consider how your participation may change many lives.

Thanks to those men who helped out in Haiti recently. May God bless you!

The Reaction

“Mirror, Mirror on the wall, who’s the fairest of them all?” This was the frequently asked question of the evil queen in Snow White. One day when the mirror responded with “there is someone more fair than the queen," the queen was angry enough to kill.

We all have different ways of responding to the discovery that someone is more kind, more generous, more forgiving, or just better than us. Some people become angry like the queen, others may experience a kind of depression or envy, and others find themselves idolizing that person.

Near the end of Jesus ministry on earth He demonstrated qualities that pricked people to the heart. From Peter to Malchus from the Jews to the Roman guards, Jesus’ reactions to how people were treating Him made an impression.

When the rooster crowed the last time, Peter remembered the words of Jesus, words that Peter had denounced. Matthew 26:34, “Truly I say to you that this very night, before a rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” On the night of Jesus’ crucifixion, Peter went away and wept bitterly.

Malchus, the high priest’s slave, experienced something as equally humbling as he accompanied the mob who came to arrest Jesus for being a fake and a troublemaker. But what Malchus learned was different. John 18:10, “Simon Peter then, having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest's slave, and cut off his right ear; and the slave's name was Malchus.” But Jesus immediately helped the man. Luke 22:51-52, “[Jesus] touched [Malchus’] ear and healed him.”

There was the Roman centurion whose job it was to assist in punishing criminals. But on this night, the criminal he was watching over actually convicted him. Luke 23:46-47, “Jesus, crying out with a loud voice, said, ‘Father, into your hands I commit my Spirit.’ Having said this, He breathed His last. When the centurion saw what had happened, he began praising God, saying, ‘Certainly this man was innocent.’"

Then there were the large number of Jews who had been convinced by the high priests that Jesus needed to die because of who He was. Yet they too observed what had happened, and began to return, beating their breasts.

As the seed that was scattered in the parable of the soils fell on soils that responded differently to it; Jesus’ life prompted reflection on those who came in contact with Him. Some remained bitter and angry; others wept and mourned. Still, there were others that were emboldened by the courageous display of God’s glory through Jesus’ sacrifice. People like Joseph of Arimathea, who had been a secret disciple, found the courage to ask Pilate for the body of Jesus; and Pilate granted permission. So he, along with Nicodemus, took the body of Jesus and bound it in linen wrappings with spices in the burial custom of the Jews (John 19:38-40).

It hadn’t been too long before this that some of those same people who had come in contact with Jesus reacted differently. Peter claimed he wouldn’t deny Jesus ever but would even die with him. The priestly group had “plotted together to seize Jesus by stealth and kill Him” (Matthew 26:4-5). The Romans had been beating and mocking him saying, “Hail, king of the Jews.” Meanwhile the Jews would be chanting, “Crucify him! Crucify him!”

Jesus paid for their sins and the sins of all of us that day. Later they would be saying something different, “Men and brethren, what do we do?” and “What must I do to be saved?” Where do we fit in? How do we respond to the message of Jesus? There had been many reactions, but in the end all will be humbled. Revelations 1:7, “Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him.” One day all will see that Jesus truly is “the fairest of them all." He is the one that truly deserves to be glorified. Why not let that begin with you… today?

The Answer Is (C) Faith

I remember a few times during college when I stayed up late into the night actually studying for a test. It was great that I was studying, it was pathetic that I had hardly cracked the book open until the night before the test. It seemed like every minute counted. Two more minutes reading something I was fairly certain I would forget before class started, or an extra minute looking at a chart that I was sure we’d looked at during class at some point. However, if I had been honest with myself, I knew that the likelihood that whatever I happened to stumble upon during my study blitz would actually come to my mind correctly at the time I needed it was pretty slim. That was the fruit of laziness, the byproduct of procrastination, and ultimately I deserved whatever low grade was most likely coming to me.

Thankfully I graduated college without any really bad grades. Looking back I realize how inefficient I really was; I can see where more consistency would have made studying for a test more effective. Perhaps that’s the value of hindsight and experience. In a nutshell I can see how unprepared I was for the test, thus how nervous I was to face that hour.

Similarly, we all have a test waiting for us. A day when we give an account for the things we’ve done. So how do you study for that test? If knowledge is the key to passing a science, math, or history tests; then faith might be the equivalent in a spiritual test.

How many books of the Bible I know probably won’t help, any more than how many times I made it to church. Each of those things may aid in building my faith, but knowledge alone isn’t going to help me pass the ultimate test at the end.

It’s easy for us to equate Bible knowledge with living for God, yet the Pharisees were living proof that wasn’t correct. In fact, Jesus informed a crowd in John 12:48, “He who rejects Me and does not receive My sayings, has one who judges him; the word I spoke is what will judge him at the last day.” Those words were the instructions of life. Living to glorify God, serving, forgiving, and plenty of instructions about what godliness actually looks like.

Jesus told some powerful parables in Matthew 25 that revealed how faith impacts our eternal reward. First, He explains how something changed in 5 of the 10 young women who had all started out with their fire burning brightly. Half of them kept their faith burning in their lamps, the others didn’t. Their negligence was equivalent to “rejecting Jesus’ words and instructions.” We know that’s the case because in that same chapter He tells another parable about the sheep and the goats where He describes the actions, and more importantly the motives, behind the faithful; those who receive the instructions of the Lord.

Matthew 25:32-36, “All the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me…”

As James said in James 2:26, “For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.” When Christians do not serve others, help others, comfort others, etc. for the purpose of sharing our faith, we miss powerful opportunities to make an impact. But the side effect of making a difference in the lives of the people around us is that our own faith will be strengthened.

As we ponder how to study for the test at the end of life, we have to realize that no amount of good I do is going to earn my way to heaven, however, part of God’s design is that with every good work I do for the purpose of glorifying God my faith grows proportionately. Can a man out give God?

Zaccheus offered four times the amount that he’d taken from anyone in order to show his repentance. Who was he repenting to? Ultimately God, but mankind was the recipient of his repentant heart. Remember God designed the link between serving others and our faith, so now we have the responsibility to “receive the sayings Jesus spoke to us,” and it’s in that trusting faith that we find God is pleased. Serve on for His glory!

Anyone Listening?

Years ago when I was in college, I took a Business Law class where my soft spoken professor uncovered a host of lawsuits that had resulted from a lack of warning. In one case a ladder company was sued for having too many warning labels. Another one was from some guys who sued a lawnmower company for not warning against using a push mower as a hedge trimmer; needless to say the two men who used it to shape the bushes can now only count to 4 on their hands between the two of them.

Even if we go beyond product lawsuits in the material world, we still would love to have warnings on life. What if we had been able to warn a loved one before they took that trip, went with those people, experimented with that drug, bungee jumped off that bridge, or any number of things. Warnings are lifesaving if we listen. If we fail to listen then they are a guilty reminder that we could have done something. God gives us tons of warnings about making choices. One in particular is the warning God gave Cain in Genesis 4:6-7, “Why are you so angry? Why do you look so dejected?” God said as Cain sulked over his rejected sacrifice to God. “You will be accepted if you do what is right. But if you refuse to do what is right, then watch out! Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master.” Cain failed to listen and it cost Abel his life, and it cost Cain his security and freedom.

Generation after generation God continued to give warnings to kings, to leaders, to the citizens of cities and countries. He even gave warnings to his own children. Sometimes they listened, many times they didn’t.

Looking at our own slice of existence causes me to think about how responsive are we to the warnings of God? Violent crimes are typically in direct correlation to state of the economy; hard times equal higher crimes. Regardless of the countless mall, movie theater, and school shootings there seems to be little consideration as to what’s at the root. Although guns are often targeted as the problem for violent crimes, there’s something deeper that is too often overlooked or deliberately ignored. Just like Cain, many people across our globe have rejected the humble, selfless, and holy way of living prescribed by God; and thus we are all paying the penalty of social chaos and constant reminders that the American dream can become a nightmare when we too fail to listen to God’s warnings or instructions for life.

He still warns us of a day coming, and it’s not too late to listen. It’s a day “when the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power” (2 Thessalonians 1:7-9).

Paul also described what the world will look like once more and more people reject God’s plan for mankind. He said in 2 Timothy 3:1-5, “But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these.”

How will those people in the “last days” get to that point in life? Overnight? No, instead little by little they’ll reject one of God’s warnings until one day they realize they don’t even know who God is.

We can read literally hundreds of verses that warn us against letting lust, hate, envy, apathy, and bitterness from becoming part of our lifestyle. Christians are equally guilty of failing to “submit to God” or “resisting the devil [so that] he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be miserable and mourn and weep; let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you” (James 4:7-10).

However, many people have listened to God’s warnings and saved themselves “from many griefs.” Even the warning that Jesus gave his followers in Matthew 24 about the upcoming destruction of their holy city, Jerusalem. He told them how they should respond when they see the “signs of the times.” They didn’t try to hang on to everything they had but realized the need to go. Delay was not an option.

Interestingly, some historians claim that a rather small number of Christians were actually killed in the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. Why? Because they listened to the warnings Jesus gave them. What about us? Will we be spared from a life of guilt and shame by listening to God? Or will we do as too many have done before us, and refuse to listen to him? Remember it’s in the daily decisions we make that demonstrate our listening hearts.