Tag Archives: Christianity

250 Years Blessed Because

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Psalm 118

This is the day the LORD has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it. (118:24)

I will loudly proclaim without apology that America has been blessed by God more than any other nation in the history of the world BECAUSE of our allegiance to God. More than the nation of Israel, God has blessed these United States because of the people who have bowed to the sovereignty of God and His saving grace through Jesus Christ. Try to rewrite history if you must, but the facts are the facts.

We are one nation under God, indivisible, as long as we remain one nation under God.

That mean Church, our freedoms depend on YOU! That means you, Christian, must take up your cross and follow God into the voting booth. Many of you must follow God into the halls of justice, into Congress, into the Senate, into the governors’ offices, and into the Oval Office.

This is not the time to sit back and watch the wrath of God fall on this nation because we have abandoned Him. Stand up for the truth. Stand strong. Use your voice loud and clear. Use your vote. Use you dollars. Use your pulpits.

People say no great nation has lasted more than 200 years before it crumbles. Well, we’ve racked up 250 years, and I am convinced we have 250 more years in us if we can stay submissive to the authority of Almighty God.

The LORD is for me; I will not be afraid. What can a mere mortal do to me? (vs 26)

So come on Church. Come on Christian. Come on America. It is true that if God is for us, who can be against us? (from Romans 8:31)

May God bless you. May God bless America because of you.

Happy 250th! Here’s to 250 more!

It’s The Same, But Different

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Psalm 21-25

God’s goodness, his compassion, love, and mercy have always existed, even before Creation, because God has always existed. He IS compassion, love, and mercy. Nature itself, all humanity are recipients of those blessings every minute of every day. Like it or not, believe it or not, we are all blessed because God IS.

That being said, there is a special level of those blessings for God’s own children. There is a special relationship between the Shepherd and His sheep. It’s a different level of blessing for those who are His through the blood of Jesus.

I’m going to use an example that some of you will object to. Let’s try to set politics aside and see the comparison for what it is, just a comparison. Here goes:

We Americans are the recipients of the blessings afforded us by Donald Trump’s presidency, his generosity, patriotism, common sense, and the ability he has to negotiate for the benefit of America first. Like it or not, believe it or not, we are experiencing the benefits of his leadership.

But there is a special level of blessing reserved for his children. They receive all the blessings from his presidency, just like the rest of us. But sit around the dinner table, snuggle up to Grandpa on the couch, and there is a precious connection that we outside his family cannot know. He is Dad or Grandpa to those few, and not to the rest of us.

That’s what David understood about God. God is good all the time. Believe it or not, like it or not, the world is blessed because God is God. We are all blessed exactly the same by Creator God.

But snuggle up next to Him through His Word. Receive the blessings reserved for His children. He is Father to those of us who know Him through His Son Jesus, and not to the rest of humanity.

We are all blessed the same by God who is over all. But it’s a different level of blessing to those of us who know Him, who call Him Father and LORD.

It might be the same, but it’s also very, very different.

Who Do You Think You Are?

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Job 38-42

Here’s the thing. When we come face to face with God, when we take a good look, a sincere look at who He is – Creator God – we will have the same response as Job had:

I had heard reports about you, but now my eyes have seen you. Therefore I reject my words and am sorry for them. I am dust and ashes. (42:5-6)

I hope you’ll read these chapters today as though God was talking to you. Get ready to be humbled. Can you honestly stand next to God and dare to tout your own accomplishments? Can you declare your goodness, or intellect, or righteousness equal to His?

Who do you think you are? The correct answer is dust and ashes.

Then take a good look at Creator God, all powerful, all knowing, righteous and holy, and know He sees you. He loves you. He gave His life to save yours.

If you’ve never humbled yourself and accepted the grace of God through Jesus’ blood, do it today. Get to know Him through His Word, and receive what He died to give you.

If you are already His child by way of the cross, let this challenge you to take a good look at Him today. Stop and consider the truth of who He is. Check your heart against His. Is there is a hint of pride, or self-satisfaction, or a suggestion of a skewed opinion of Him shaped by the world? Then repent immediately. Don’t let Satan get a foothold.

When you take an honest look at God, you will be humbled. You will feel like dust and ashes in comparison. As you should. The question is not so much, “who do you think you are?” as it is “who does God think you are?

According to Scripture He thinks you are worth dying for. That lump of dust and ashes that is you, is precious to Him, someone He wants a relationship with. Can you grasp the wonder of that truth?

“Who do you think you are?” I pray you can answer that with, “A child of God, a sinner saved by grace!”

My Prayer for Parents

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1 Chronicles 22

Here is a father’s heart.

In David’s charge to Solomon we see a man devoted to the work of the Lord. Yes, he would not build the temple, would not realize his longing to do something amazing for God. So instead, he poured out his heart to his son and challenged him to carry on.

“I’ve provided what you need, son. Now go do something amazing for the Lord. You will succeed if you carefully follow God’s law. Be strong and courageous. Don’t be afraid or discouraged.” (from 22:13)

Parents, do you recognize your own heart’s desire here? Are you devoted to the work of the Lord? Do your children see your passion for the Truth, for the Gospel to reach lost souls? Do they see you actively taking part in the Great Commission? And are you equipping your children to carry on when you are gone? Can you honestly say you are giving them a firm foundation on which to build their lives and ministry?

I think it’s a bit like teaching your child to ride a bike. Do you remember what that was like? You probably provided them with training wheels at first and let them get used to maneuvering the bike with the help of four wheels instead of two. Did you talk to them about balance and show them how to move the handle bars to control the direction of the wheel?

Then the time came for removing the training wheels. Did you grab the seat and run along side the wobbly bike for a distance until you felt your child was balancing the bike on their own? What was it like to finally let go and watch that precious one take off? “Don’t be afraid,” you might have said. “I’ve given you everything you need to be successful. Be strong and courageous.”

Parents, spend time with your children. Read the Bible with them. Talk about what you are reading. Answer their questions. Show them what serving God looks like. Go to church with them and teach them reverence for God’s house. Because one day that child will get on that bike and ride away. He or she will walk out your door and head toward a life you can’t control.

My prayer is on that day, you’ll be able to say, “I’ve given you what you need. Now go do something amazing for the Lord. You will succeed if you carefully obey God. Be strong and courageous. Don’t be afraid or discouraged.”

Given

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1 Chronicles 6

When it says these towns and pasturelands were “given” to the Levites, I wonder what that looked like. Were the residence of the towns agreeable? Did they have to give up their homes to make room for the new residents? Surely there were shepherds already using that pastureland. I wonder what they thought.

And who did the “giving” anyway? Was it decided in a boardroom? The US is rearranging voting districts in some states. Lots of red tape. Lots of debate. Lots of anger. I know God was in the assignment of land as we read in Chronicles. But there were people involved, too. I wonder what that looked like.

And… what would God say to us through the oft repeated genealogy and geography lesson?

First, I am reminded that the “giving” was not earned. The very fact the Jews were living in the Promised Land is a picture of God’s grace. God had the authority to give and take, assign and reassign according to His will for His children. Not because they deserved it. But because He is who He is.

Secondly, it reminds me that God has a place in His kingdom for all of us who are His through the blood of Jesus. None of us deserve what is given us. Yet because our gracious God has showered us with blessings, we are free to serve Him.

These chapters might be tedious reading, but it’s also beautiful! It shows us that God is intimately, personally involved in each of our lives. He knows us by name, and He has given us real estate in His kingdom. You are where you are today by the grace of God, and this little mission field you have has been given to you for a reason.

I’m thanking God for grace today. I’m thanking Him for allowing me to live in this part of His beautiful creation. And I’m thanking Him that not only does He know my name, but He is with me to use me right here for His glory.

What God has “given” me, I give back to Him to be used as He desires. May He be glorified today.

A Deafening Silence

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Joshua 24

When Joshua addressed the Israelites for the last time he said, “get rid of the foreign gods that are among you and turn your hearts to the Lord, the God of Israel.” (vs 23)

He had been reminding them of God’s history with their ancestors, how blessed they were with God protecting them and providing for them and fighting for them. He warned them that if they abandoned the Lord by worshiping foreign gods, God would turn against them and, although He had been very good to them in the past, He would destroy them as He’d destroyed their enemies.

Then Joshua said they should worship God only, so they needed to get rid of any lingering idol they might be holding onto. Get. Rid. Of. Them.

Here is Israel’s sad reply: “We will worship the Lord our God, and obey HIm.” (vs 24)

Did you catch the silence? What is missing in their vow?

Repentance.

Getting rid of their idols would mean an acknowledgment that those idols were sin in their homes. It seems they weren’t ready to turn from their sin. They were only agreeable to turning toward God. Is that even possible?

No! Regardless of what Satan would have you believe. You simply cannot serve two masters. God will not share your devotion with anyone or anything. Not a family member. Not a job. Not yourself.

Too may Christians think they can worship God on Sunday, and live for themselves, or blend in with the world the rest of the week. They would call themselves Christians, but a true Christian cannot ride that fence.

“I’m a Christian, but I cuss.”

“I’m a Christian but I affirm gender choice, or abortion, or all religions.”

Or, and here is what I see in Joshua 24, “I’m a Christian but I will stay silent about sin.”

Our tolerance of sin, our dabbling in sin, our silence in regard to sin and its consequences speaks volumes. It’s a deafening silence. And what it is shouting is the admission, “My Christianity is a lie.”

Dear One, you can’t follow Jesus AND follow the world. You can’t die to yourself AND live for yourself. You can’t be separate from the world AND blend in. The scary truth is: you can’t be for Christ AND against HIm.

I say scary because many of us have tried to blur the lines. I don’t now how much clearer God can be than what He has written in Scripture. You are either all in, or you’re not in at all.

I pray that each of us will search our hearts for lingering idols, sins we consider secret or tiny, harmless sins. I pray that we will guard against the temptation to think God somehow is ok with that sin in your life even though He’s clearly against it in others. I pray that we will recognize the inclination we have of putting ourselves on the throne, then telling God that He should just be happy we’ve included Him at all.

I pray that each of us will consider what our silence is saying. Because, friend, it can be a deafening silence that is revealing loudly and strongly, where your heart truly is. People are listening to your silence. God is certainly listening to your silence. And He knows exactly what you are saying.

Rejecting God Is Serious Business

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Joshua 9-11

Once again we read that it was God’s intention to harden the hearts of Israel’s enemy. I know some people read this and interpret it as an indication that God’s sovereignty means His total control over everything that happens, every choice that humans make. God wanted Israel to have the land, so He must have manipulated the people already living there in order to make that happen. But, are we to believe God caused them to reject Him? Does God make certain people sin in order to accomplish His will?

if that is your position, I wonder if you really know God at all.

Every one of those kings and nations had heard about God and how He fought for Israel, how He revealed Himself through miracles. They all knew there was something different about Israel’s God. Yet they rejected Him in favor of their powerless, pretend gods. They chose to fight against God instead of surrendering to Him.

Do you know why I know they all had the opportunity for surrender? Gibeon surrendered. They’d heard the same stories about Israel’s God and chose to surrender, become slaves, instead of fighting against Him. Their choice saved their lives. The choice of every other king ended their’s.

Like what we see in Egypt’s Pharaoh, every rejection of God causes a heart to harden against Him. Yes, that hardening comes from God, but God wants us to know the hardening is His punishment for rejecting HIm. God does not harden hearts so that He can punish them. I will die on that hill. Why?

When I look at God as He reveals Himself in all of Scripture, I see a God who is patient, long-suffering, slow to anger, abiding in love, gracious and merciful (His description of Himself). I see God who promises to forgive anyone who confesses and repents of sin. And I see a God who warns us that He is holy, He hates and punishes unrepented sin, and He will not let the guilty go unpunished. I see God who is not willing that anyone die without Him, and that His will is that everyone come to Him to be saved.

Whether you side with Calvin or not, we all should be able to agree that God takes rejection of Himself very seriously. The only hope we have of getting out of this life alive, is through the blood of Jesus, surrendering to the Way, the Truth, and the Life, because that is the only way to God.

My prayer is that all of us will do a heart-check. When faced with the Truth of Almighty God, are we eager to surrender, or is there a hint of rejection of Him? Take inventory, my friend. Because rejecting God is serious business.

A Pile of Rocks

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Joshua 1-4

After leading the Israelites across the Jordan River on dry ground, God instructed Joshua to collect 12 stones from the riverbed and set them up as a memorial, just like He’d instructed Moses when they crossed the Red Sea.

“In the future,” God said, “when people ask about the stones, tell them about the miracle I performed on your behalf.”

I wonder why God thought the people would need a tangible reminder of the amazing show of His power. Wouldn’t the miracle itself be enough?

God had brought them out of bondage and into the Promised Land with book-end miracles. But, as we humans do, once the water started flowing again, their thoughts turned away from the miracle and toward their circumstances, more hurdles, more battles, more miles to go.

If you are a believer, you have already experienced a greater miracle than the parting of the waters we read about in the Old Testament. You have experienced God Himself taking the death penalty you deserved so you can be free from the bondage of sin, and enter the Promised Land of His presence. Do you remember that glorious day when you stepped from death into life, when you surrendered and accepted God’s grace? Take a second and let yourself remember the miracle.

But the waters started flowing again, didn’t they? Life continued with all the ups and downs, blessings and trials. Sometimes our circumstances, or the temptation to go back to “Egypt” consumes us, causing amnesia. We forget the miracle.

God knew we, like ancient Israel, would need the tangible evidence of the miracle of our salvation to remind us. So He inspired men to write down His Words. You need the evidence? Open your Bible. The how’s and why’s and the assurance of your salvation are right there.

Some people look for a sign of God’s presence, the assurance of their salvation, by looking for a rainbow or a butterfly. I’m not saying God doesn’t reveal Himself in nature. But if that’s the extent of your assurance, I’m afraid you are looking for a feeling rather than the truth

If you’re looking for a tangible sign of God’s presence, the assurance of your salvation, read God’s Words. When you do, you are looking toward the Rock. The Bible is our pile of rocks that reminds us of the miracle of our salvation. And the beauty is, it doesn’t weigh as much as the rocks stacked across the Jordan River. You can carry it with you. You don’t have to travel far to take it in. You probably only have to go as far as your bedside table. (or open the phone in your hand).

The things written in the Bible are the tangible truth of your salvation. Look at it every day. Remember the miracle. Then tackle your day with the power of the Rock, the rock-solid Truth of God.

Are Borders Biblical?

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Numbers 33-34

I believe there is a repeated theme in these two chapters. Borders.

Every city, every territory the Israelites camped in as they traveled from Egypt (defined by borders) to the Promised Land had borders. We know from Scripture that if the ruler of one of those territories didn’t want the Jews crossing their border, they would refuse entrance, and the Jews had to take another route.

God Himself established borders to separate the Promised Land from the rest of the world. And with it came a warning: Drive out everyone who is not a Jew, or I will punish you as an enemy.

Yes, I believe in strong borders. I believe the USA is feeling the effects of allowing our borders to be breached. I believe we need to drive out everyone who is not a citizen or a legal immigrant.

Now, if you are still reading this post after that, let’s not make this only political.

Let’s talk about the border that ought to be protecting the Church. The Body of Christ is intended to be holy. This whole philosophy of welcoming sinners into our fellowship is like inviting one little cancer cell into our body, hoping it will heal surrounded by healthy cells.

“Invite your unsaved neighbor to church” is not only lazy evangelism, it is ignoring Jesus’ command to “You go. You make disciples.” I believe the Church is seeing the effects of having its borders breached. Watered-down theology. Homosexual pastors. Emotion driven false worship. It’s become more and more evident our borders aren’t just weak. We have no borders protecting the Church.

Let’s go deeper. What about the borders protecting your family? What do your kids see you watching on TV? What do you ignore concerning what your kids are being taught in school? How important is Scripture in your family life? Do you accept your child’s “furry” or trans friend? Do you entertain “pronouns” in your home? What music do you play in your home, or allow to be played in your child’s room? Do you know what your child is doing with his or her phone/computer? What of the world has found a crack in the border that’s supposed to be protecting your family?

Well, now that I’ve meddled a bit I might as well go the whole way. How is the border around your own heart? Do you strengthen that border every day by spending quiet time reading God’s Words, praying, listening to His voice through the words he inspired? Have you truly repented of sin, turned away from sin, or are there still sins you are holding onto – even just in your thoughts? How committed are you to live a holy life, not just a good life? If your heart has a weak border, you don’t really have a border at all.

Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. (Proverbs 23:12)

And there’s the rub. The borders around the country, the Church, the family are crumbling because we haven’t guarded the borders around our own hearts. It starts – and ends – there. Scripture says that everything that happens in our nation, the Church, and our families flows from our individual hearts. Everything.

I titled this post “Are Borders Biblical?” What is your answer?

Bitter Water

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Numbers 5

Modern feminism has made us hyper-sensitive to the roles of men and women. “Equality!” they cry. They see misogyny in the eyes of every male. So I imagine if your sympathies lie with the feminists, you went ballistic as you read this chapter.

“You mean if some jerk gets jealous of his wife – even without reason – he could take her before the church and force her to drink dirty water that could cause her to blow up like a balloon, in great pain, and maybe leave her unable to ever have children? He’s jealous… and she pays?”

I know. It’s awful if that’s what you get out of reading these verses. But is that really what we see here?

Notice this is a ceremony of a husband who recognizes HIS sin of jealousy. He brings a sacrifice to the priest to atone for HIS sin. Hearing his wife’s public declaration of her innocence, then watching her drink the cursed liquid without having all those horrible things happening to her, was proof that his jealousy was unwarranted, and he is right to confess his sin in order to be forgiven.

Do I think even one innocent woman suffered those physical ailments as a result of drinking the disgusting water? No.

Do you know why I’m 100% sure of that? Because God commanded a jealous husband to confess his sin in this way. And God doesn’t make mistakes.

Yes, more than likely there were women who had affairs, and maybe they did suffer the harmful effects of the bitter water. Scripture doesn’t say one way or the other. But I am looking at the innocent woman and the seemingly unfair treatment of her.

God is not a misogynist. In fact, I see a God who gave dignity to a women unjustly accuse You don’t treat women like that and expect God to be ok with it. This jealous husband who may have wanted to humiliate his wife, was publicly humiliated himself. His jealously was a sin everyone could see. He needed to repent of that sin.

If you were upset by what you read in Numbers 5, go back and read it again. This time remember the character of God, and see if you don’t recognize his love and mercy for both the man who needed to repent, and his wife who needed to be exonerated.

It’s in there.