Tag Archives: Faith

If the Devil Can’t Make You Bad

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In our lives, we are all pretty busy. Each of us. We all have a lot going on, lots to do, lots happening. It sort of just is what it is. We don’t have a lot of time to stop moving. We just go. And we just do. We stay busy.

Staying so busy can create lots of problems for us if we are not carful. We can forget (or be too busy) to take care of ourselves. We can forget (or be to busy) to serve others as we should. We can forget (or be to busy) to do things in that strengthen our faith, like praying, or reading, or worshiping.

Getting too busy is a danger of our lives, our faith, our families, everything. I had an old preacher of mine that put it this why – if the devil can’t make you bad, he’ll make you busy.

There’s some truth to that. So real truth to that.

Listen to what it says today in John 5:20-21:

For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing. And greater works than these will he show him, so that you may marvel. For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will.

In this passage today, I noticed something that being busy can cause us to do. It says in verse 20 – “so that you may marvel.”

When was the last time you just marveled at God? When was the last time you stood back and said, wow, God, you are awesome. When was the last time you had an awareness at just how big and mighty and awesome God is? When was the last time you just marveled at God?

We don’t do it enough, probably because we too busy. Today, take time to stop. To marvel at God, His goodness. His vastness. His strength. His love. His grace. Just take time to realize what a great and mighty God He is.

And take time to just marvel in His presence. He is a great and mighty God. And He desires to know each of us. That’s pretty awesome.

May we never lose sight of that.

Going through the Motions of Religion

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Normally I reflect upon some daily suggested scriptures that can be found in our weekly Salt and Light bulletin at Asbury.  Today, though, in my own personal devotional time, I read a verse from Matthew 23 that really resonated with me. I wanted to talk a litte about it. Sorry for going off the board!

In Matthew 23, Jesus criticizes the Pharisees. They were the religious teachers of His day. They were the ones that thought the law and were the authorities for most people on what the law required and how a person of faith was supposed to live.

They wanted the people to keep and live by the law, because they were afraid. They remember what happened in the past when the people didn’t keep the law. We see in the Old Testament God say – if you keep the law, you will be blessed and have this land. If you don’t keep it, you will lose it.

The people didn’t keep it. They did their own thing and went their own way. And because of that, they lost the land. So, the leaders associated it, keeping law = land. Breaking law = losing land.

So, they were going to keep the law. And they added to the law their own laws as safeguards. They were’t going to take any chances.

So, when Jesus comes and does things they perceive as breaking law, like healing on the Sabbath, they go crazy. No! You can’t do that! No! Stop it! The reason they go so agree is because they were afraid. They had misplaced keeping the law for the point of faith.

And we see Jesus correct them today. Listen to what He says in Matthew 23:23-24:

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel!

He said that they had kept parts of the law, but had missed the weightier and more important parts. Justice. Mercy. Faithfulness.

They had “right actions.” But they hadn’t given God their hearts. They were going through the motions of religion. But they had missed the point of it all.

Today, God doesn’t just want you act religious. He wants control of your heart. Because if He has your heart, He will have your actions.

Today, don’t worry about being religious. Worry about giving Him your everything. And if He has your all in all, He will have you actions. Today, don’t worry about going through the motions of religion. Today, make sure you are giving Him the faith of your heart!

And when He has that, you will have all you need!

When, Not If

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When we pass through the waters, with God with us, we will not drown.

When we pass through fires, with God with us, we shall not be consumed.

When. Not if.

Isaiah 43:1-3 is one of my favorite passages of scripture.  Listen to what it says:

But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. I give Egypt as your ransom, Cush and Seba in exchange for you.

I first really heard this passage of scripture when I was a camp counselor at Twin Lakes Camp outside of Jackson, MS when I was in college. And at that point, this became, for me, one of those passages that I come back to over and over and over again in my life.

I love it. Because of what I stressed above. When we pass through the waters. When we pass through the fires. Not if. When. When we do it.

We will be ok. It will be ok. We won’t be consumed. We won’t be drowned.

For He is the Lord our God. He has called us by name. By name. He knows your name and has called you by it. He has redeemed you. You are is. He is the holy one, your God. He loves you.

So, when, not if, you pass through the troubles and the trials of life, He will be there with you and for you. He will not leave you. He will not forsake you. You are His. He is yours. He loves you.

So, today, if you are going through the fire, and through the water today, He is with you. He has called you. You are His.

And if you are going through the waters, know that you will. It will happen. You will face these trials and troubles.

You will be ok. He will not leave you. You will not be overwhelmed. For you are His. Never forget. Remember. You are His.

Even in the fire. Even in the water. He has redeemed you. You are His.

Why We Rejoice in Trials

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There is a theme that imerges all across scripture. We see it in the life of the Israelites, we see it early in Jesus’ ministry, we see it in Paul’s writings, and we see it today in 1 Peter.

This theme is this – when you are tested, when there are trials and troubles, when there are worries, rejoice! Be happy! Be excited!

Don’t let the trials and troubles you face get you down. In fact, the more trials you face, the more excited you should be!

Israel was tested. Jesus was tested. Paul was tested. We see Peter reference that testing today.

Listen to what Peter writes in 1 Peter 1:6-7:

In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

Why? Why should we be happy about testing? Why should we rejoice in trials?

Two reasons. First, something better is coming. This world is not the end. This life is not the end. This trial is not the end.

There are times in our lives when we are going through a trial and we think that this time of testing will be end of it all. But you know what happens? It’s not. We survive. We move on. We keep going.

These times of trial are not the end. And in fact, something better is coming. Something more life giving is coming. This is not the end.

And we rejoice secondly because these times of testing, they are just that. A test. They will make us better. They will make us stronger. They will make us more faithful.

And they make us cling to Jesus. They make us hold fast to what matters most. They make us hold on to what matters.

These trials won’t last forever. But Jesus will. Life in God will. That will last for all of eternity. So, today, if you are going through a tough time, hold fast to what matters most. Hold onto life. Hold onto faith. Hold onto what is most important.

Today, rejoice in your trials. And know that something better is coming. And let this time draw you closer to God.

Today, rejoice!

A Few Thoughts on an Election Day

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I’m writing this on November 8, 2011. It’s an election day here in Mississippi. If you’re not in Mississippi reading this, sorry about it. But maybe these thoughts will be helpful the next time you get to vote!

Every election day brings a couple of thoughts to my mind. The first is that voting is a privilege. I think about what Paul writes in Romans 13:1-7:

Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer. Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God’s wrath but also for the sake of conscience. For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed

Paul writes to Christians at time when the Roman government was starting to persecute Christians for the fact that they would not worship Caesar as God. It was tough to be a Christian in the world they were in. The government was working against them to stop and, potentially kill them.

How does Paul respond to this? He tells them to be the best citizens. Respect the authorities placed above them. Do right. Trust in God, even when the authorities might not be the ones you’d like, trust in God and be a responsible citizen.

So, today, vote. Too many people have sacrificed too much for us to have this right and not use it. Today. Vote.

But my second thought comes from Psalm 2. Listent to Psalm 2:1-4:

Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against his Anointed, saying, “Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us.” He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision.

This Psalm deals with the kings of earth making their plans. They are plotting and scheming. They have a plan. They are going to thwart God and His plan. They are going to win. They are going to stop God and they are going to prevail.

And how does the Lord respond to this? The Lord in heaven laughs.

Why? Because no human can stop the Lord’s plan.

They can’t stop the Lord’s plan. They can’t stop the Lord’s will. They can’t stop what the Lord is going to do.

God is God. He is in control. He has a plan and a way. No mater what happens in an election. No matter what happens in life. No matter how bad we think it may be.

God is in control. God wins. God is king.

So, do your duty. Vote. But more than voting, know that God is God, He is in control. He has a plan.

Do your duty. But trust in God more.

The One Thing I Do Know

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What do you truly and totally understand? Well, I guess it depends on what we are talking about, huh? I don’t understand how at this point, my Rebels can lose this many SEC games in a row, but that’s not important in the grand scheme of things.

What is important in the grand scheme is God. Is faith. Is Scripture. Is salvation. These things matter; these things are important.

And we want to be able to understand them. We want to be able to really know what is important.

But, we don’t fully know, do we? We don’t fully understand, do we? There are things about God, faith, salvation, and scripture that we may not fully understand this side of glory.

Today in John 9:24-25, we see a many questions about his healing by Jesus. He is being asked by the religious leaders, what about this? What about this? What about this?

Listen to what the man says:

So for the second time they called the man who had been blind and said to him, “Give glory to God. We know that this man is a sinner.” He answered, “Whether he is a sinner I do not know. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.”

He finally says, I don’t know the answers to the questions you are asking, but one thing I do know. I once was blind and now I see.

I love that answer. There are lots of things about faith I don’t understand. Lots of things that don’t make sense to me. Lots of things in life that I can’t figure out.

But, I do know this. I once was blind. But now I see. I once was lost and now I’m found. I once was wandering away from God and now I’m home.

I can’t understand every deep thing about God. But I do know that He loved me enough to save me.

Just as He loves you that much.

Today, no matter what you don’t know and don’t understand, one thing I do know. God loves you and wants to be in relationship with you.

And that’s the best thing of all!

The Words

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You ever been somewhere and know that God is calling you to say something, but you didn’t know what?

You ever know that you know that you know God is calling you to go talk to someone?

Maybe to share your faith? Maybe to give a word of encouragement. Maybe just to go and say hello in a friendly way.

And you think to yourself – what do I say? I don’t have the word. I’m going to make a fool of myself. I’m going to say the wrong thing, say it the wrong way, put my foot in my mouth.

So, you don’t do it. You keep your head down. You keep your mouth shut. You don’t walk across the room. You stay still.

We’ve all been there. We’ve all felt the need to say something, unsure of what to say.

Matthew tells us today, don’t worry about it. You might not know what to say. God will give you the words.  Listen to what Matthew 10:20 says:

For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.

See we live our lives not by our wisdom. Not by our thoughts. Not by what we’d like to do. We live it by God’s wisdom. And He will give us the words. Matthew says today, it is not you that will speak, but God will speak through you.

Is He calling you to go and talk to someone and tell them something? Go and do it – He will give you the words.

Is He calling you to give witness to you faith? Go and witness – He will give you the words.

Is He calling you across the room? Get up and go. He will give you the words.

Don’t worry about what you will say. Be faithful. Go where He leads. Follow where He is calling. Be faithful. And know that His word processes He will give you the words.

Today, be faithful. God will take care of the rest.

The Unbaptized Mind Podcast

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The sermon podcast for Sunday, October 16, 2011 is up on Asbury Church’s website.  This is the third sermon in our series “The Unbaptized Arm.”  This sermon deals with “The Unbaptized Mind.”  It deals with the fears that we all face, the fears of our head, and the fears of our heart.  The texts for this sermon are 2 Corinthians 10: 3-6 and 1 John 4:18.  Also by clicking on these verses you can see my notes from the sermon as a note in the YouVersion online Bible.   You can listen to it by clicking here, or you can listen to it here on this blog by clicking below. And, as always, you can subscribe to my sermon podcasts through iTunes.

God is Proud of You

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The best sermon I’ve heard in my life was taken from Hebrews 11:13-16.  It preached at  Presbyterian church in Jackson, MS, I think roughly in 1997.  I was visiting this church with a friend that worshiped there.  And I’ll never forget the sermon that was preached that Sunday.

The preacher was dealing with Hebrews 11, a chapter we sometimes call the “Hall of Faith.” This is one of the cool chapters in the Bible. This chapter talks about all the saints of God in the Bible that had faith. The folks had faith in God, in His plan, in His calling, and in what He was doing.

Listen to what this passage says:

These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.

It says this – they longed for these things from God, but they died not having received from God the things hoped for.

God promised Abraham a great nation. Which happened. But, not in his lifetime.

This did not invalidate the promise.  It happened.  Abraham just didin’t see it.

And even though he didn’t see it, he still believed.  He knew that God’s promise was true, even if he didn’t see it.

And because of this, God was not ashamed to be called his God. Abraham had faith, even when he didn’t see. And because of that, God was not ashamed to be called his God.

Think about that for a second. We often think about how we shouldn’t be ashamed of God. How we should stand up! Be strong!  Have faith!

But hear this. When we live in faith. When we follow, obey, and stand in faith – God is not ashamed to be called our God.

God is not ashamed of us. God is not ashamed of you.  God is proud of you.

Hear that.

Today, through faith, God is proud of you.  Live today, in that knowledge.

Foundations

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One of the things I’ll never forget was when I was preaching in the delta. When I was there, at night, you’d see people outside watering their yards.

Nothing unusual about that.

But you’d see them after they finished watering their yards; they’d take the water and start watering their houses. I thought to myself, ok, this is an odd place.

I asked one of my members what they were doing, and they said that they kept the ground around their houses moist so that the ground wouldn’t settle and destroy their foundations.

So, to keep their foundations of the house strong, they literally watered their house.

Foundations are important. They keep us stable, they keep us safe in storms. They give us something to rely upon in times of trouble.

So, the question for us is this, what is the foundation of our lives. Is it Jesus? Or is it something else.  Listen to what Jesus says in Matthew 7: 24-27

“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”

In this passage, Jesus warms us that storms are coming. The wise one builds their house upon Him. And when the storm comes, they will be ok.

The foolish builds their house upon something else. And when the storm comes, they are blown away.

Storms will come in our lives. Troubles will come. What is your life built upon? It it’s upon Jesus, it might not be fun, but you’ll be ok.

If not, the storm will cause great harm.

Today, what is your foundation?