Category: Uncategorized

www.bible.com/1713/eph.3.20-21.csb

Looking at this verse a couple things jump out at me. First, the nature of the power that works in us is the same power that raised Jesus from the dead. It is this power actively moving in us. To do what? If this power is not realized in miraculous events, what is all this power for? I think that as Christians, we rely on God’s power daily just to do ordinary Christian things. It is the power to pray to the King of the Universe. It is the power to resist temptation. It is the power to hunger and thirst for God’s Word. It is the power to display the fruit of the Spirit in our daily walk. We completely rely on this power as Christians, for it is the hope during the crisis, the trust in the sorrow, the faith to do when there’s no way we can. That’s true power. Miracles and healings are temporary. This power is eternal.

Second, the glory to Him in the Church. Who is tasked on earth to glorify God? It is the church. If the church is to glorify God, it is to make His Name great. We use His Name in holiness. We have respect for the things He has said. We walk the talk. Hypocrite should never be said of the Christian, because that is the opposite of glorifying God. It is not mere singing songs on Sunday. It is life.

May God bless you today and everyday as you seek to follow Him.

www.bible.com/1713/hab.2.14.csb

Just a short one before I retire for the day. Thank you all for keeping up with this. I will come up with something a little more in-depth tomorrow.

I have been driving all day on our way home from our first annual family reunion on my dad’s side. What a great week. I have more to say about this, but I’m just too tired tonight. Hope you all had a great day.

God bless you!

How Ancient Christians Were Viewed as Dangerous to Society

http://helpmebelieveblog.com/2019/07/22/how-ancient-christians-were-viewed-as-dangerous-to-society/
— Read on helpmebelieveblog.com/2019/07/22/how-ancient-christians-were-viewed-as-dangerous-to-society/

I would encourage my readers to take. Look at this one as well.

www.bible.com/1713/2ti.1.7.csb

We may not think much of the word “dynamic” as it’s overuse has reduced much of the meaning behind it. But it is an English word transliterated from Greek. The Greek word is what lies behind the word translated “power” in the passage above. This same word is the basis for dynamite.

God gives us His Spirit His Spirit is not commanded or ordered around like “the Force” from Star Wars. The Spirit is fully God, and has a mind of His own. But this gift of the Holy Spirit In is is given with purpose. He did not so gift us to continue to live in fear. Some translations add “timidity” As if to say, He did not gift us to be timid. When we have relieved His Spirit, He intends for us to share His attributes, His power, His love and His sound judgment. We can safely assume these are intended to be the opposite of timidity.

Rather we are to be bold in expressing God’s power. While some may be thinking about tongues and miracles here, let me tell of greater powers than these, like forgiveness, overcoming addiction, grace for others’ mistakes, preaching the word with boldness, and showing to the word what it means to live everyday for Christ. These take extraordinary power, more than can be found in a healing or a tongue.

Be bold in sharing God’s love. Seems simple, but like the above, can require exceptional power to carry out, especially for the unlovable. Yet God expects His people to love at all times, to reach into place where His love is not known and share it freely. It is a powerful love.

And has anyone ever heard of sound judgment? Some translations offer this as “self-control” or “self-discipline” and they probably have something there. The ability to control your self is hard, especially in light of a culture that promotes hedonism, or, “if it feels good, do it.” We used to call this temperance. And yes, this is how we get the phrase “lose your temper.” Sound judgment can be both the ability to choose wisely what you spend time doing, this disciplining yourself, and wise counsel when making decisions. Exercising judgment is not a bad thing, but essential for making good decisions. We used to call this “What Would Jesus Do?” And try to envision the Savior making the choices we are faced with.

The Holy Spirit is more than a “Force”. He is God who empowers you to love and make good decisions. He empowers you to grace and forgiveness. And when you do these things, you grow in Him, and have greater access to these. That’s pretty amazing.

Make today a day practicing these abilities, so that you grow in Him. God bless you today!

www.bible.com/1713/psa.46.1.csb

When this life stinks and your day’s on the brink, who ya gonna call?

When the bills are due and your wife hates you, who ya gonna call?

When your car won’t start and and your kids get smart, who ya gonna call?

Well, you get the idea. “In that day men began to call on the name of the Lord.” God is a very present help in hard times and in good. He is always found, even when you can’t see Him. He is never far from any of us.

On this day of worship, I want to encourage you to find a place of fellowship, where others of like mind and faith gather. If you don’t have one, try something new. I tried a new fellowship Wednesday night and the people there were welcoming and friendly. They invited me back next week. It felt good.

Be encouraged. God has not forsaken you. He loves you and wants you close. Would you give Him your time this morning?

God bless you today.

www.bible.com/1713/pro.16.18.csb

So I just had my tire fixed. Just had it fixed, drove around on it. It was wonderful. Just a few hours later, the tire is flat. Not just for me, but as me and my family are making our way to a family function. I’d been having a dour day anyway, trying to keep my mind busy while I was called off work again. And this thing, that I thought I had fixed, was broken. Again.

So I am back at the tire store again this morning. Maybe it’s something simple. Maybe it’s not. I just need it to work.

I used to feel like I had it all together. Had a good church, wife was in a good place to work, kids were happy at school. But life happens. We changed some things around. Now I am not in that church. They didn’t need me anymore. Wife is looking at job changes where she works. Our department in the hospital is cutting back non-essential hours. Kids are doing ok, but I know they feel something is going on. Yeah, pride sucks.

Pride may feel good for a time, it it’s about useless. It puffs you up, like air in a tire, but as soon as something pokes through your carefully curated world, the air goes out. You fall flat and you are stopped in your tracks.

Air is a good thing for your tires, but pride is bad for your life. If you try to fill your life with pride, instead of more solid work like love, grace and humility, then even the slightest puncture will put you down every time. Rather, work on filling your life with the Word, with the love of God, with prayer and grace for others. The Lord calls you to walk humbly before your God. He does that because He sees the road ahead of you. He knows what trials you will face. When you practice humility, life’s bumps will not hurt near so much.

Well, Now it looks like I need a new tire. Swell.

God bless and stay humble.

www.bible.com/1713/gal.5.1.csb

Yokes are comfortable things. Many would rather choose the yoke than be free. Why? Because freedom is dangerous and unpredictable. People like their lives to be predictable. They like order, like to be able to plan things out. A yoke, or a set of rules, helps them to do that. Decisions are easier when there are fewer of them. For example, when you are looking for a place to eat as a diabetic or a person with kidney disease, it is far easier to pick out places to eat because few places cater to those needs. You don’t have the freedom to eat anywhere, because you must abide by a set of rules if you want to live.

A work schedule helps you plan your day. You know where you will be at a certain time. It is a yoke from which others benefit from your labor. We have gotten so used to yokes that we wouldn’t want to live life without them.

And that’s how we feel about our religion too. We are far more comfortable with a religion as a set of rules that limit your choices and can be rigidly adhered to than a faith with few rules and greater responsibility. Yet that is what Jesus presents is with. He takes away the yoke of the Law and replaces it with grace, forgiveness and love. What is the first thing we did with it? We systematized it and overlaid with with rules. You must do this and you must go here. Actually, the more rules your religion has, the more you know it’s off the mark.

This is not to say hat Christianity is anarchy. It certainly is not. It has a Ruler and His Name is Jesus. And He has laid out what He expects from us. He expects us to tell others about this freedom we’ve experienced. He expects us to live righteously as He did. He expects us to be willing to sacrifice ourselves for the sake of others. He expects us to give as we have received, with liberality and generosity. He expects a relationship with us, through prayer and Bible Study. He expects us to be in His presence. That’s a lot of expectation for an anarchy.

Christ came to proclaim freedom to the captives, those caught and enmeshed in a web of laws and rules made by men. He wants us free from tyrants to live under His rule, a rule to grow us and perfect us for His eternal Kingdom. He has called you to be His.

Will you come and be free?

www.bible.com/1713/heb.12.14.csb

Kind of a dire warning this morning, but one we should heed. Maybe your preacher never covered this one, because I know I haven’t. Pursuing peace is an essential part of our walk with Christ. This isn’t just with people we like, but with everyone. This finds an echo in the qualifications for elder ship where an elder is not to be a contentious man.

I don’t know how this will work out in your life, but I encourage you to comment below, so that in the end, we may see God.

God bless you today.

www.bible.com/1713/exo.20.16.csb

What is truth? Shouldn’t we tell lies when they don’t hurt as much as truth? How can we know what truth is?

When we read this commandment of the law, we might get the impression that God is merely concerned about the integrity of the legal system, since testimony is part of accusation and proof to move to conviction. You certainly wouldn’t want someone accused falsely.

But what about everyday situations? Well, Lev 19:11 covers those when it says do not act deceptively or lie to one another. Truth matters to God, whether it’s on the stand or it’s in the home. So how do we know what truth is?

Jesus said “I am the truth”. Despite all the lies that we tell ourselves about our goodness and worthiness, Jesus is the gold standard of truth. Jesus came because we are sinners in need of a Savior. We are not righteous apart from Him. We have nothing in ourselves and our sinful inclinations that deserves salvation. Jesus stands in silent testimony against us. He proves by His righteousness that we don’t deserve it nor have earned it. But He also testifies to the love of God, and the grace extended to us. That too is truth. While we are sinners, Christ died for us, in our place, and extends his righteousness to us on our faith in Him. That is also the truth.

That’s the biggest truth. Truth for your everyday is fairly simple. Truth is that which corresponds to reality. Reality is determined by what you experience with your five senses under normal conditions. A lie would be to present a reality that does not correspond with the reality you’ve experienced.

Notice there is a great deal of wiggle room here. A person can tell a truth they’ve experienced that may not correspond to the way others have experienced it. That’s called getting both sides of the story. When you’ve examined all the witnesses to an event, you will receive a more balanced picture of what occurred. This is why it’s important for every witness to tell the truth.

We can only do as well as the reality that we believe in. If we are told lies about who we are and what we can do, then we will fail against the real world when we are tested. I.e., if you think you are a great survivalist without training, you will not last long in the woods. It doesn’t matter how confident or how sincere you are.

You may be sincere about your beliefs in Wicca or Atheism or a host of other believers. You may hold those “truths” to be self-evident. But if those truths do not correspond to the Truth, you may find yourself in the same woods as the unprepared survivalist. Even Christians who cling to “truths” not found in Scripture find themselves cast adrift when the reality they face doesn’t match their invented theology. The phrase “God doesn’t give you more than you can handle” isn’t true. God often gives us more than we can handle in order to test our faith in Him. If we could handle it, we wouldn’t need Him. Yet I’ve heard this simple phrase come from many Christian lips.

Be careful of the truths that you build you life on. You will find every one of them tested. If they are not true, you may be broken if you cannot adapt to what is true. Truth is found in the Bible, for God’s Word is true. I encourage you to study and read, reflect and share. Be prepared with the preparation of God’s Word.

God bless you today!

www.bible.com/1713/pro.17.17.csb

Good friends are hard to keep. Once you’ve got one, don’t let them go.