Tag Archives: faith

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!

Quit Trying

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Psalm 49

What is a person’s eternal soul worth? We know God thought it was worth dying for. But I can’t die for my own sins. If I die a sinner, I can’t come back clean. If I die a sinner, I will spend eternity as a sinner, separated from God.

Some people try so hard to be good enough. Friend, I hate to break it to you, but there aren’t enough good works in the world to ransom one lost soul, “to redeem him is too costly.” (vv 7-8) I love the psalmist’s conclusion also found in those two verses: “One should forever stop trying.”

Quit trying to be good enough to earn a spot in heaven. Quit trying to go to church enough, or say enough prayers, or give enough. The cost of your redemption is beyond what you can pay.

So stop trying so that (you) may live forever and not see the Pit. (vs 9)

Are you so arrogant to think you can equal what Jesus did on the cross? Paul said this:

I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died for nothing.” (Galatians 2:21)

If you can earn your way into heaven, then Jesus’ horrible death was a waste of time.

Have you ever tried to accomplish a daunting task? You try and try and try, but with each attempt you are met with failure. No matter what you do, it’s just not good enough. You’re frustrated, defeated, hopeless.

But then you rush to a parent, a spouse, or dear friend, and melt into their embrace. No words need to be spoken. Yet as you feel the warmth of their loving presence you begin to relax, the frustration is calmed, you can breathe.

That’s kind of what it’s like to stop trying to be good enough to go to heaven. It’s like how it feels to receive what Jesus died to give you. You feel the warmth of His presence and you begin to relax. The strain of all the “trying” is released and you can breathe.

Have you ever been asked the question, “If you were to die today and stand before God, how would you answer His question: “Why should I let you into My heaven?'” The saddest answer begins with “I.”

I went to church
I gave to the poor.
I was a good person.
I hope I did enough.

Let me put your mind at ease. You can’t do enough. Period. Dear one, that is really, REALLY good news.

If you are depending on you, you are in for a world of hurt. So quit trying.

Surrender. Rush to Jesus and melt into His embrace. Admit you are a sinner in need of saving. Confess your inability to save yourself, and accept the free gift of total forgiveness bought and paid for by the precious blood of Jesus Christ.

You can’t do enough, but Jesus did.

You can’t do enough, so quit trying.

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.

I’m a Tree

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Psalm 1-8

It wasn’t until I was about halfway through my life that I developed an appreciation for the Psalms, even though for 30 plus years I had heard people say how meaningful they were to them, and how blessed they were by them. I used to think I couldn’t relate to the psalms because, unlike David and some of the other writers, I didn’t have an enemy with an army trying to kill me. I didn’t want to see anyone pulverized because they hurt me. Plus, I’m just not into poetry.

That is until a pastor of mine reminded me I do have an enemy with armies that are continually attacking, continually attempting to kill my soul. “Read those psalms with Satan in mind,” he said.

Oh right. Now I get it. And over the years I have grown to love the psalms, to be blessed and challenged by them. I’ve seen my enemy, and rejoice with the psalmists over my Lord’s defeat over Satan on my behalf.

These are God’s words. What’s not to love?

That’s why I love about the Bible and why I look forward to reading it every day. I relate to what the writer of Psalm 1 says. The Word of God plants my soul by the water that refreshes me, nourishes me, strengthens me to produce fruit for His pleasure. It’s my lifeline between me and God.

I agree with David’s words in 4:6 because I can look at our fallen world and see only violence, hatred, lies, immorality, war, and an uncertain future and say:

Who can show us anything good?

And, honestly if I look at the news, I don’t think there is anything good to see.

Then I look up. I open my Bible and see God in all His glory. I see the God who is love, who died to take on the punishment for all the evil I see in our world, and in me. The revelation of the seriousness of sin, and also its cure, is found in these precious pages. David goes on in verse 6 and prays:

Let the light of your face shine on us, LORD.

That light is revealed in the words God inspired to be written in the book we call the Bible.

I’m looking forward to the next month or so as I dig into the psalms, meditating on them, praying them back to God, singing them, and allowing God to speak to me through them. I want to be that tree in Psalm 1, drinking in the flowing stream of comfort and Truth, and God Himself!

LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the world.

LORD, my Lord, how majestic is your name in my heart.

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.”

All That Glitters Is Not Gold

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1 Chronicles 12-15

What is the difference between worship God accepts, and worship God rejects?

Obedience.

It has nothing to do with the music or whether or not hands are raised and people are singing with smiles on their faces. Read about these two examples of identical expressions of worship. (13:8; 15:28)

Worship leaders, stop emphasizing the outward expressions of worship. Stop going for the emotion. Stop worrying about “Bubba” and worry more about whether or not God is accepting our worship. So many of you seem to try so hard to get people engaged. The question you should be asking is, “Is God engaged?”

I’ll tell you right now, He isn’t engaged with expressions of worship coming from unrepentant hearts. That kind of worship makes him sick. That kind of worship makes him angry. That kind of worship ends in death.

Just this morning I heard Josh Howerton, a young paster I respect, defend popular Christian singer, Brandon Lake who is being criticized for saying that when our worship services begin with “Holy, Holy, Holy,” Bubba can’t worship because he doesn’t understand what the song is saying. I guess these men believe we should dumb down our worship so the regular people are satisfied.

My question is: are we worshiping people or God, because I’m pretty sure God understands “Holy, Holy, Holy.”

Worship leaders, please spend more time preparing hearts to worship God. Talk about the importance of presenting clean hearts to the Lord before we sing a note. Talk about the danger of offering worship God can’t accept. (Think about Nadab and Abihu who tried to offer unauthorized fire to the Lord).The people sitting there in that room need to understand that offering worship God can’t accept not only makes God sick, it angers Him, and ends in death. Yes, dear worship leaders, you might be leading someone in that direction.

Worry less about the outward expression of worship and more about the holiness of the people who are there to worship. Worry less about generating an emotion and more about the Holy God to whom we offer our worship. Because God doesn’t accept counterfeit worship, no matter how good it looks or makes us feel.

All that glitters is not gold.

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.

God Forgives

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1 Kings 8-9; Psalm 86:5

Solomon’s prayer at the dedication of the Temple spoke to me today. He must have looked out at the crowd of eager worshipers and realized their excitement at the moment wouldn’t last. When life happened, they would sin, and God would punish them for their sin.

Solomon prayed that when God allowed war, or famine, or captivity, or drought, or pestilence, mildew, and locusts, and when His people repented of their sin, God would hear and forgive. We will sin, Solomon admitted. But “when (we) return to you with all (our) hearts and all (our) soul…” please forgive us. (8:48)

Several weeks ago I was challenged to ask God to help me memorize a Bible verse a week. I’m old. So I will admit I was skeptical. But God is answering that prayer. I’m on week 9! Nine verses I have hidden in my heart, some of which I remembered from my youth, and some that I’ve never memorized before. I love how God continues to use these verses throughout the week. Like today.

Listen to the verse I started memorizing just yesterday, as it applies to Solomon’s prayer I read today.

For you, Lord, are kind and ready to forgive, abounding in faithful love to all who call on you. Psalm 86:5

Solomon knew the people would sin. But he also had faith that when they sinned, they would eventually repent. And he had faith that God would hear their prayers, and forgive. I think he knew what the psalmist knew: God is kind and ready to forgive!

He is kind and ready to forgive you, too. If you know the Old Testament history of the relationship between God and the Jews, you know the cycle. You know that time after time they would sin, He would punish, they would repent, and He would forgive. Time after time.

Been there. Done that.

I am so thankful how God uses His Word to amplify His Word. What was true for Solomon, was true for the psalmist, and is true for you and me.

God forgives. He is ready and eager to forgive when we go to Him with all our heart and all our soul. And he is abounding in faithful love toward all of us who call on His Name!

Hallelujah!

Where Do You Go?

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1 Samuel 25-28

It always bothers me when I read about David who, without going to God first, thought it was a good idea to hide out in enemy territory to get away from Saul. David spent the next 16 months murdering and looting and lying about it.

Sure, Saul didn’t dare go into Philistine territory to get him, But where was David’s heart during that time? He thought he was safe from his enemy, but he willingly gave himself over to the enemy of his soul.

Sometimes life is hard. Sometimes remaining separate from the world seems like fighting a losing battle. We’ve all been there. The question is, what is in your heart during those times?

Fear? God tells His children to “Fear not.”
Turmoil? Jesus says, “Peace I give you.”
Feeling like no one cares? Jesus says, “Come to Me and I’ll give you rest.”
Wavering faith? Jesus says if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, that mountain will move.
Unloved? God shows His love for us in that, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

So many times we run to the enemy of our souls. We pull out the self-help books, we go into secular therapy, we attach ourselves to social media influencers who tell us what we want to hear. We, like David, try to find shelter anywhere but with God.

Didn’t go well for David. It doesn’t go well for us, either.

So my question is, do you feel the enemy of your souls at your heels? Are you tired of the struggle, and done with feeling alone and afraid? Where will you go?

Don’t do a David. Go to God. Open the Scriptures and do some digging, asking God to reveal Himself and His desires for your life during this time.

Humble yourself. And He will lift you up.