Are There Hypocrites in Church?

This is one of the main reasons people give for why they don’t go to church or believe in God. I have been told that, “You have people that sit in church on Sunday and look all perfect and honest, and then they go to work on Monday and they are completely different than they were at church.” To that I answer, “You are right!” I guess I need to ask the question about where they heard that Christians are perfect. The Apostle Paul wasn’t perfect... he killed Christians, at first. Peter wasn’t perfect... he denied Jesus three times. Moses wasn’t perfect... he disobeyed God and wasn’t allowed to enter the promised land. Adam and Eve weren’t perfect... well, they were when they were created, but they disobeyed God and brought sin into the world. As a matter of fact, the Bible is full of imperfect people. That is the whole point of Jesus coming into the world. I want to share a quote I read recently... “You say that church is full of hypocrites, but you train in gyms of unhealthy people, sit in hospitals full of sickness, and work with broken humans daily. The church isn’t for the perfect; it’s for those honest enough to admit they need God.” According to the Bible, are we to hate sin? Yes. Unfortunately, there is no one who is without sin, except Jesus. Are there people too comfortable with their sin? Sadly, Yes. Why don’t we kick them out? Does a hospital kick out a patient who disobeyed the doctor’s orders and ended up in the hospital again? No. They give them what they need and encourage them to follow the instructions. Does a gym only take healthy and fit people? Some may try, but most offer the tools to get back in shape. If the person chooses not to go or not to train hard, they will likely continue to be out of shape. We accept failure in every other field except the church. Why? Maybe they’ve experienced a pompous Christian who expects others to shape up even when they don’t. Maybe they don’t want to change and so if they can cut down the church so they feel justified not going. Maybe they know they need a Savior, but are afraid, embarrassed, or overwhelmed and lash out. We come before our Gracious God just as we are with all our sin, but our prayer is that God transforms us and strengthens our faith. Merciful Father, we confess to You that we are sinners in need of a Savior. You are our only hope. Transform us. Amen

Are Churches Actually Spiritual?

As I look at the world around us, I have seen many people lose jobs to Artificial Intelligence (AI). The kiosks in the fast-food restaurants, assembly lines, music, writing, movies, etc. I have watched some of the miniseries on the internet and always wondered how some of the same actors were in so many different things. I never considered that they were manufactured by AI until I noticed a few where the voice was tied to the wrong person. Their mouth moved perfectly for the words, but the voice was another character completely. So many of the stories are minor variations of the same story... different characters, different occupations, and different approaches, but the same story. Makes me think that even the storyline may have been produced by AI. What can we trust? So what about the church. I have seen multiple places that offer to write the sermon for me. I just need to provide the text or topic and it will do the rest. I believe that there are many pastors that are doing this and maybe seem very effective, but there is something missing. It can only produce “man’s wisdom” and not the heart of God. I ran across a quote by A.W. Tozer. He said, “Most churches could run without God.” Is he right? Have our churches become so predictable and unspiritual that we don’t need the moving of the Spirit to inspire, convict, convert, and cause us to respond? The fear of the Lord cannot be produced by AI. An inspiring and motivating message can. AI might be good to search for information, but it is too easy to get dependent upon it. If I seek AI to help me put my message together, it has no way of truly connecting the texts with what the Spirit might lay on our heart to say. What would a church look like that was needing God? Humble. The focus would not be on us or what we wanted. It would be focused on missions... making disciples of all nations. It would be spiritual. The fruit of the Spirit would be present everywhere. It would be forgiving, but not accepting of anything contrary to God’s word. It would be loving toward all people, Christian or not. It would also be just, standing on the truth of God’s word. It would be single minded about faith with Christ as the head. Lord, help us to be a spiritual church that hungers for You and Your word. May Your love shine through us in all that we do. Amen

Who Was the Doubter?

I have probably shared this before but I get frustrated with the phrase doubting Thomas. It is taken right from our Gospel lesson today in John 20:19 and following. Let’s compare Thomas to the rest of the disciples. The women had gone to the tomb and had seen Jesus. They ran back and told the disciples. Where did Jesus find those disciples? Behind locked doors for fear that they might get arrested and face the same death as Jesus. Now we have all the disciples except Thomas. Jesus appears. He showed them His hands and His feet so that they could see the nail marks on His hand and believe. He greets them with a common phrase, “Peace be with you”. What Jesus says next is important, not that some of His words are not important. Anyway, Jesus says, “"Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you." And with that he breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven." Jesus gives them the Holy Spirit and a special calling... not to take away their fear or enable them to do miracles, but to bring healing to other people's souls. He gave them the authority to forgive. We take that for granted, but until Jesus died and rose, burnt sacrifices were their only way to have their sins covered over. Now Thomas enters the picture. He didn’t believe Jesus was really alive. No different than all the others that didn’t believe the women. Before I go on, if the disciples had received the Holy Spirit and if they had seen that Jesus was still alive, why were they still hiding behind locked doors? Who is really doubting? Thomas doesn’t see the proof of a risen Savior in the actions of his fellow disciples. Well, Jesus appears again and this time He specifically asks Thomas to see the nail marks and put his hand where the spear had pierced His side. Here is where I think Thomas shines. He responds with, “My Lord and My God”. It was considered blasphemy, claiming someone was divine who was not. It was punishable by death, yet Thomas is the first of the disciples to declare who Jesus really is... without fear or apology. So, what is your declaration? Do you see Jesus as a good teacher? A worker of miracles? A prophet? Or do you worship Him as God? Father, thank You for sending Jesus to rescue us from death and the Devil. We lift our voices in praise and worship. Amen

Step by Step

I'm getting ready for tomorrow’s worship. There have been hours of study to prepare the message. A bulletin has been put together with all the relevant announcements, hymns, and order of worship. It was checked and double checked for mistakes. Then it needed to be printed, folded, and placed at the church for worship tomorrow. Were we ready for worship? Physically... yes. Spiritually... the preparation needs to continue. Does that mean that I need to be lifting the worship in prayer? Yes, but not just me. Between now and then, we all need to be lifting things in prayer. What sort of things? Praying that God would prepare the people who gather so that they hunger for God’s word and are fed. Praying that God would guide the worship and message, whether through the word, singing, or any other way God should choose. Praying that each member grows spiritually and puts what they learn into practice. Each step is an important part of preparing. In our own lives, from day to day, we have our own steps. When do you spend time with God in His word, reading a devotion, praying, serving God? It should not be do you, when do you, for these are fundamental to a deep and growing relationship with God. There can and should be a deliberateness to our spiritual walk... not so structured that there is no room for God, but not so carefree that we might miss a meaningful time with Him. It is God that we need to seek and serve, but we need to be available. I think of Daniel that knelt down multiple times each day, facing Jerusalem and prayed. Jesus went out early in the morning to pray. When we are not deliberate about setting time aside to spend with God (making Him the priority), time will run out and we will miss that intimate walk with God. If you had a friend that every time you wanted to get together indicated that they had something more important to do, you would begin to realize where you stand in that relationship. When we fail to set that time apart for God, we usually are telegraphing to Him that He is not our number one priority. What we do with our time with God doesn’t have to necessarily be structured, but whether or not we spend that time with God is not debatable. How much time are you giving Him? Father, as we come to You in prayer, as we open up Your precious word, as we gather in worship, lead us. Amen

Make a Joyful Noise

I sometimes wonder if we are too quiet and reserved in many of our traditional churches. Worship should be the expression of the heart and soul. Psalm 100 says to make a joyful noise to the Lord or shout for joy to the Lord. There is nothing reserved about that. There is an exuberance... a loud declaration of our Christian faith. When we had a few more kids in Sunday School, I used to start by saying good morning. They would answer me back. I would indicate that I couldn’t hear them and tried it again. This time I kind of wished I had ear plugs in. There was an excited, joyful, make-sure-I’m-heard tone to the voice. It is not being tucked away in a prayer closet being careful not to disturb anyone, but rather going to the top of a mountain or even the bell tower and shouting the good news. We don’t like to do things like that and that it makes us uncomfortable. If you just gave birth to a child or are a grandparent or great grandparent, you have a picture ready to show anyone that will allow you to show them off. We don’t’ think twice about it. Shouldn’t we be at least that excited to share Jesus? When I think of make a joyful noise or shout to the Lord for joy, I am much more likely to see the response at a football game than what we might normally see in church. When the ark of the covenant was brought to Jerusalem, David was dancing before God, giving up all earthly restraint. We have to be careful that we are responding in worship and not drawing attention to ourselves. It must come from the heart and not be a contrived response. Note, it doesn’t say to just raise the voice, but to shout for joy... a joy that is grounded in the knowledge of who God is and what He has done. If you go to a ball game, you can tell the difference between the noise that is meant to support your team (which can get very loud) and the joy that comes from being excited for your team and the possibilities. The next time you go to worship, find out what songs you are singing, what they are saying, who they are addressing and then let your heart rejoice. When we sing that hymn we like so much, is it the sound and music or the message that resonates. May your voice declare what your heart and spirit hunger for. Father, Help us to lift our voice to You in praise and worship. You are worthy of all praise. Allelluia! Alleluia! Amen

New Life

I have a car that I was going to sell last fall, but the battery had died on it. Hard to sell a car that won’t start. I bought the battery, but then the weather turned cold, we had snow, and the job dropped towards the bottom of my to do list. Now the snow is gone from the car and I need to get it up and running. Since it has been sitting around for about 4 plus months, I am not sure how well it will run. I expect it should be good, but there is always that unkown. It Is amazing that with all the gadgets and gizzmos, nothing works if the battery is dead. I have know people that call themselves Christians that are much like that. What do I mean? They know the language to use, they can quote their favorite verses, they pride themselves in the things they do and the way they serve their community, but inside, it is dead. All the right parts but without the fire. They are motivated by the power they carry, the influence they have, and wanting people to look up to them and rely on them. Just like a car without a battery, it doesn’t matter how good the car looks or if all the other parts are functioning, the power is absent and therefore the car becomes a giant paper weight. When we surrender to God and His Spirit is at work in our heart, it is there we are truly God’s servants. I would rather have an old beat up car that has power and runs than to own an expensive or fancy car that won’t start. God would rather have average people surrendered to Him than have a whole church of people that march to their own tune. Knowing the drivers manual (the Bible) is crucial to understand who we are so we are to navigate through life. Spending time in prayer puts all the parts in the right place and prepares us for service. But that battery, the source of power, the Holy Spirit, is what makes everything run and is able to fine tune us so as to accomplish the work set before us. How is your spiritual life running? Is the Holy Spirit filling you with wisdom and understanding? Is there a passion in your heart to reach out to the lost around you? God is calling you to be His ambassadors to those around you. He doesn’t need fancy words or an extensive education. He needs a willing heart Are you ready to be the servant God wants you to be. O Holy Spirit, fill us with Your power and loved as we go to our families, our neighbors, and those we daily meet. Amen

Abusing God’s Word

God’s word is very clear about how it should be used. In 2 Timothy 3:16-17 we are charged, “ All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” The more I look at our culture, the further we seem to get from that. Many know that the Bible is meant to be very important for daily living, but they don’t really know it. This becomes a very dangerous breeding ground. It is often used by the non-churched or those that are pushing their own agenda. I can’t tell you how many hundreds of times... even thousands, that I have heard people quote a verse or just a portion of verse to support what they want to say. For example, I have heard so many people use the Bible to try to prove that God doesn’t want us to enforce boarders, but to accept everyone that comes. I believe many Biblical cities had a wall around it. God also warned about associating or marrying people that didn’t walk in true faith to Yahweh. The reason was not race, but that intermarrying would lead to falling away from God and into idol worship. Even Heaven has a wall around it according to Revelation. I’m not trying to persuade someone’s political position, but just to say that Scripture can be twisted for personal gain. I was disturbed by an advertising of a Bible that was meant to have 22 more books than the accepted canonized Bible we use today. In order to sell this Bible, they are making these other books seem valid and making the content seem enticing. The books we have went through a strict process that looked at author, historicity, theology, and other locations that have the same manuscripts as proof of their usage and importance. I looked at a few of these pseudepigraphal books and found them to be lacking in credibility. The content, if they met the stringent Biblical standards, would be fascinating to read. If, however, these books are not of God, they open the door to a lot of false teaching and understanding. On top of that, I have been hearing more and more of people saying the Bible gives a recipe to cure blindness, lose weight, end diabetes, etc. If God gave such insight, it would be clear and easy to understand. You should not have to decode it. Father, I want to know You and Your word. I want to have my heart and mind filled with Your truth. Fill me, Holy Spirit. Amen

Self-Reliant

We have a water softener, and the company comes around once a month to refill the salt that is needed to soften the water. Does it make a difference? Absolutely. Note only is the water free from hard minerals, but it takes much less detergent to wash clothes, dishes, and even showering. The last time they called to remind me that they were going to be in the area, I wasn’t sure if we would be home. The company doesn’t give an exact time. I told them I would pick the salt up myself. My knee was bothering me a little when I went in so I took my cane. After paying for it, the cashier apologized that there weren’t any guys there to put it in the car for me. I knew I could do it, but I’d have to take my time. A woman at the next desk saw my cane and immediately came and put the bags in the car. I thanked her profusely. The bags sat in the car for a while. I decided to take them to the basement and put it in the water barrel. I think the bags are about 40 lbs. and I had to take them down, one stair step at a time. I did get it all done, but it wore me down somewhat. I think the next time, I will juggle my schedule so that the delivery person man carry them downstairs. Sometimes we want to be so self-reliant that we do things that may not be wise. I will see what my knee and back are like tomorrow. Was it necessary to do. If I wanted good water, yes. The question is, why did I work so hard when someone else was willing to do it. We could say the same thing about our Christian faith. I often see people at extremes. One group is questioning their faith or working really hard to “accomplish God’s commands for them”. The other group is overly confident, assuming since Jesus did it all, that they can sit back and do nothing and still have the hope of eternal life. While we can’t earn our way, our faith should be active and serving God. Earning it ourselves or being over confident both have dangers. We need to both trust that God has already done everything for us and that He desires that we are about His work. Just as the water softener company called to let me know help was available, God calls us through His holy word and the Holy Spirit. The word is, however, not whether we needed help, but that help was already given. We need but receive it and live each day under His amazing rule and leading. Dear God, help me never to turn down Your help, but also to have a willing heart to do what You call us to do. Amen

Symbols for Worship

There are many different churches and sadly, many different denominations. DoI believe that God intended us to be one church and not many. Absolutely. The problem is who needs to change. Each denomination or theological view of Christianity is based on God’s word, except those that have become so liberal that the Bible is no longer the absolute authority of God. God doesn’t want philosophies, but real life-changing faith. If you have ever visited different churches from different denominations, you will likely find that church and altar areas often look different in each of these buildings. I am not an expert on other churches, but I will try to present each church honestly and not use it as a means of tearing down any church body. A lot of Catholic churches are quite ornate with statues, paintings, stained glass windows and the like. The intent is using the decor as a way of honoring God. If God is our majestic God, the feeling is that the churches should reflect that honor and worship. Just as we might dress well for meeting a great person, so the church (Jesus’ bride) should be dressed to receive Him. On the opposite end of that are churches whose building and worship areas look very plain. There are no symbols, decorations, or the like as to not make any graven images. The fear is that people might focus more on the symbols than Christ Himself. The conservative Lutheran church, of which I am a part, lies somewhere in the middle. In the 1500's, when Luther was kept in a castle to do His work because of the fear that he might be killed. While in isolation, Luther heard that people were destroying statues and artwork so as not to make idols of them. Luther came out of hiding to stop it. Why? He believed that symbols and Christian images were a powerful reminder of who Jesus was. Like Catholic churches, Lutheran's had many symbols, but most were not as ornate as the Catholic Church. It wasn’t because we didn’t think Jesus should be honored and praised, but that the call to make disciples of all nations required financial support, thus making missions a high priority to receive financial help. I’m not sure how well the other churches are doing, but even with a financial mission priority, I’m not sure we are faithful with that outreach to the world anymore. Father, give us a passionate heart for missions. Help each church serve You faithfully here and abroad. Amen

Our Plans Are Not Always God’s Plans

How egotistical we are when we think that our way of thinking is right and that, if only God would listen, things would go well. We don’t say that, but our actions kind of show that. How often I think through something and either assume I have the answer or realize I have no idea how I am going to accomplish it. Then God steps in. I think that probably the most embarrassing situation I get myself into is preparing a sermon about how we need to depend on God and then realize I didn’t ask God to help me prepare the message. We can talk a good talk, but sometimes our walk is more like a stagger or a crawl. I was feeling pretty good about the worship services on Easter Sunday, especially the 8:30 and 10:45 services. Right after I started the 8:30 service, I realized I had forgotten to start the recording. Instead of interrupting things, I figured I would record the 10:45 service. The sad thing at 8:30, is that the choir sang, we had a flute accompaniment, and a lot of good voices to join in the singing. Well, after the 10:45 service, when I was taking the SD card out of the camera to put it in my computer, I must have done something wrong, or it just didn’t record right. For some reason, it didn’t seem like that recording was meant to be. Maybe I was too prideful in how things seemed to go. Maybe it was a message just for those that came. I might feel that God should have made the recording work, but He might have had other plans. So now, instead of thinking of what didn't happen, we need to consider what did happen. Jesus died on Good Friday and rose on Easter Sunday. Jesus paid the ransom for our sin, destroyed the power of the devil, conquered death, rose to life, and has gone to prepare a place for all believers. That is the heart of our celebration... not family... no Easter eggs... not huge servings of food... etc. The heart of Easter is Jesus! I have a friend that always likes to say every day is Christmas or sometimes, every day is his birthday so it is time to celebrate. Much more important to our faith is making every day Easter. How do we do that? By recognizing that God forgives not only me, but all who seek Him. By responding, when asked how we are doing, “Joyfully waiting for Jesus’ return”, or “Still celebrating Jesus’ resurrection”. Father, may the words we speak to others be so filled with spiritual truths that others will be drawn to You. Amen

Is Jesus a Myth?

I haven’t heard this until recently, but there is a presence on the internet that is trying to say that Jesus doesn’t even exist. Instead of debating the ideas, they chose to question history. This shouldn’t surprise us as we have seen many try to tear down statues, rename places, and insert ideas that are foreign to good order to erase history. There actually are many ways that we can defend Jesus' existence, but what I believe is the greatest argument for Jesus is not one I have heard scholars use. I think the greatest defense of Jesus existence is the calendar. You might think that is a crazy approach, but do you really believe that when they first started keeping calendars that they started at 3000 and started counting down? That would be ridiculous. Every calendar counts from year one and then climbs to a higher number each year. That means that where the years stop counting down and begin counting up again, there had to be an even so big and life changing that everything changed for that moment. So I ask you... what event took place in the vicinity of this calendar change. There were kings at that time, but nothing monumental enough to change a calendar. If there was an event other than Jesus that caused the calendars to be renumbered, history hasn’t kept track of it. If we were to look at history from that era, we would find at least three well known historians that were not Christian or had leanings in that direction, that speak of a man named Jesus and some of what He did. We have archeological information that supports a man named Jesus teaching during that time. We have the Scriptures themselves that testify about Jesus. Archeological finds continue to support the truthfulness of the Bible. I’m not aware of any findings that discredit what was written. The Gospels, four books that tell of the life and ministry of Jesus, were written at a time that many of the witnesses to Christ and what He did were still alive. More than that, it was proclaimed in Jerusalem and the very areas that would be able to refute it, if it were false. The Apostles, those that were with Jesus, were willing to die for what Jesus taught. Who would willingly die for a lie? I think there is more proof for the existence of Jesus than for King Herod, at yet no one questions his existence. Proving that Jesus did everything recorded might be harder, but that He exists... easy. Father, forgive those that would attempt to erase You and Your Son from history. Equip us to boldly proclaim the truth. Amen

Good Friday?

It is always a struggle for me to refer to this Friday as Good Friday. Why? Because that is when my Savior was crucified on the cross. Don’t get me wrong, I understand how good it was for me! God’s wrath rests on anyone who is a sinner. That would be me... and you! It is only through what Christ did for me that my sin is not just covered over, but atoned for. The price was paid, not with silver or gold, but with Jesus own precious blood. It is hard for me to feel good about it though. Imagine that you were walking on the road and a car was coming straight for you. Someone runs out and pushes you out of the way, but in the process, they die. Others might say that it was good that you didn’t suffer the consequence of the accident, but you know that it was because of your inattentiveness that this happened in the first place. Jesus rescued us too. We need to understand our sin put Jesus on the cross. My hope and assurance come at great expense to Jesus. So, how am I meant to respond? I need to grieve over my sin. I am not to treat it casually as if it didn’t matter. If my sin put Him on the cross, I should desire to avoid that which is so repressible to Him. He alone is able to wash me from within. If Jesus was willing to sacrifice so much for me, it is my privilege and my duty to praise and thank Him. If Jesus was willing to put up with all the mocking and jeering, even though He could have left at any time, I should not be concerned about what others think of me. I need to be faithful to what God has placed before me to do. Since the centurion at the cross saw the darkness and the graves of holy people open and declared, “Surely this was the Son of God”, we should not only put our complete trust in God but freely declare who Jesus is. When I look at the cross, I must also understand that this is God’s plan, and the death of His son is the only way. After all, Jesus prayed that if the crucifixion and all that is tied to that could be taken away, it would please Jesus, but He followed up on that request by saying, “Not my will, but Yours be done”. I am a sinner. Jesus died for my sins. I am a lawbreaker. Jesus fulfilled the law with all of its demands so that I might be set free. If Jesus loved me so much that He was willing to do what ever was necessary to save us, we too ought to be reaching out to the lost. Father, words cannot express our gratitude for all that You have done for us. Help us as we surrender everything to You. Amen

God’s Command

Today is Maundy Thursday. Many people are not aware of what Maundy means. In Latin word, mandatum, means command or mandate. Two themes are prevalent on this day. One is Jesus washing the disciples feet and then commanding them to follow His example. The other one focuses on Holy Communion, and Jesus commands that we “do this as often as we eat and drink Him”. When we think of the Mosaic Covenant, we think of Moses going up on top of Mount Sinai, meeting with God, and bringing the 10 commandments down with him. The people all promised that they would follow everything that God was commanding of them. A few verses before the commandments are given, Exodus 19:5-6, we read, “Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.' These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites." Not only is there a call to obedience, but to keep God’s covenant. If we do, God claims us as His treasured possession. We often think calling someone our possession is abusive, or at the very least too authoritative. When God calls us His treasured possession, it gives us a preferred status, belonging to Him. By this point, God has rescued them from the Egyptians and showed His mighty power. They are still alive because God has taken them as His own. Like a child with a favorite toy doesn’t want to share it with anyone else, we are that precious people in His sight. God declares, “I am the Lord your God. You shall have no other God’s before me." He is a jealous God that doesn’t want to share His glory or us with other powers and authorities. The difference is that His glory cannot be taken from Him, but we can, and sometimes do, walk away from Him. Good commands are not something to avoid, but to rejoice that God has laid out ways that His people, living in community with one another, can function well and live at peace with one another. We may not live as a community, the way they functioned, but we still need those rules and directions for daily living. It is usually when we walk away from God’s directions and law that we find ourselves in trouble. Love God, then love each other. Father, Your commands are not burdensome. They lead us nearer to Your heart. Help us to walk according to Your will. Amen

April Fools

I remember a time that I would go out of my way to come up with great April fools pranks. In grade school, they were quite silly. In college, they become a little more elaborate. Sometimes I enjoy hearing what others have done, but I have lost a lot of my desire to pull these pranks. I have seen too many of them cause great embarrassment, and some have lasting effects. I still appreciate a well thought out joke that pertains to people that I know that can take a joke, but when everyone tries to outdo the next, it starts a recipe for belittling. Now, April fools is a term used for someone that is fooled on April 1st, but the Bible talks about another type of fool, one who lacks common sense or good knowledge. Proverbs speaks of it quite often. For example, Proverbs 12:15-16, “The way of a fool seems right to him, but a wise man listens to advice. A fool shows his annoyance at once, but a prudent man overlooks an insult.” The fool doesn’t learn from others, but is consumed with their own ideas, even if they are not good. He reacts quickly to everything and lacks patience and self-control. The great difference between the two is the desire for knowledge and where they seek it. We read in Proverbs 10:23, “A fool finds pleasure in evil conduct, but a man of understanding delights in wisdom.” The true believer seeks to know God and prays for wisdom. Just as many turn to computers for answers, how much more we need to turn to God and His word. I want to close with a passage from Psalm 14:1-3, “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’ They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good. The Lord looks down from heaven on the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God. All have turned aside, they have together become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one.” From creation to eternity, God gives us all we need to know. Israel failed every time they turned to false gods and didn’t acknowledge the One true God. We will not do any better by denying Him today. Humans have always tried to find ways to explain things without God... evolution, big bang, false gods, false religion, faulty science, self-sufficiency, denying God’s design for His creation, and the list goes on. Don’t be fooled. Father, You know all things and desire to give us wisdom if we ask. Pour out Your Holy Spirit upon us today! Amen

Lower the Standard?

I see it happening all around us. I believe it happens at schools, at work, and even at home. There is a student or worker that is struggling with the work. Instead of trying to help them reach for the stars, we lower the standard. I think about the work, the pay, and the focus that was part of my daily life. Now I look at people complaining that they can’t make a comfortable living doing basic work. There are starter jobs that we took to get experience and to pay for the things we needed. As I got more education or if someone had the opportunity to move up in their own workplace or work for someone who offered a better job, we’d hand in our two weeks notice and begin again. Today I see some of the youth that just quite because they don’t like what they are doing or the boss won’t let them have all the time off that they want, when they want it. In order to try keeping workers or keep some of the students from failing, the standard is lowered. In fairness, the attitude of some students that they might work with is not focused or disciplined. When the standard is lowered, everyone loses. If we want to see things change, we either need to get parents more involved, have a way to discipline the students with real consequences, or both. I think there is a similar attitude in many people's faith. We might go through the motions, but there is no real drive. We go because it suits us, not because we need Jesus. Sadly, we don’t live with a spiritual passion that acts as if our life depended on a deep unshakable life. God has not, nor will He ever lower the standards. Do you think God would have let His son die if there was another option? God demands perfection. I am sometimes just trying to make it through the day. How can I compare? If God doesn’t lower the standards, who can stand? The standard of perfection remains for entry into heaven. What has changed is the means to reach perfection. Jesus bore upon His own body God’s wrath that was intended for my sin. He fulfilled the law, took the punishment for sin, conquered the power fo death, and gained eternity in Heaven for any who would surrender to God. Believing in God will necessarily change my heart and mind. My desire switches from selfish to selfless. I am not my own anymore. I belong to Jesus. He redeemed me. I owe him my all. Lord, thank You for not lowering the standards or compromising our faith and the hope of heaven. Save me from myself. Amen

The End of the Week

It is interesting how everybody responds differently to the end of the week. For some, it is time to sit down and do nothing. For others, it is time to catch up on all the chores and projects that need to be done. Still others see it as a time for fun and entertainment. Sadly, it seem like more and more people don’t see it as a time to prepare our hearts for worship or lifting our hearts and voices in worship. We need to make sure that we get enough sleep on Saturday so that we are awake and alert on Sunday. After that, it is an opportunity to begin the new week on a good foot. I’m not saying we should avoid chores and entertainment, but never at the expense of gathering around God’s word. If we were going to a professional sports event, many would not just show up. They might prepare a tailgate party, make sure they have the right clothes or sports jersey, get there early to find a good parking space. The whole week is in anticipation of that game. How much more important is our worship, and yet we don’t see much preparation out of most people. We show up, visit with a few people, get the service done, and then go home again. For special days like Easter and Christmas, we may do a little more preparation, but sadly, very little of it enhances the worship. We get decorations, food, gifts, and gather as family to enjoy the meal or sports or a special movie. What about Jesus? Maybe we can find some way each week to show our faith to others. Write cards to say you are thinking of them or invite them to worship. Maybe plan a service project with others to help someone in need. Stop by and visit, or call, someone who you haven’t seen in a while. Let them know you were thinking of them. Call someone who is shut in and ask if you can get some groceries for them or if there was another errand you could run for them. Invite someone over to play a game, put a puzzle together, or enjoy a meal together. The list is endless. It doesn’t have to be perfect. Don’t get stressed out over it. Just pray for wisdom and direction on how you might be an encouragement to others. Sometimes the simplest things can be the most effective. Maybe do something once a month for a start and keep building from there. Leave time for your chores, but also leave time to serve others too. Merciful Father, help us to follow the example that was given us in the Bible to love and serve others. Amen

Puzzles and Crosswords

I love to work on logic puzzles because it challenges me to think and push myself. In particular, I like the ones where a quote is given, but the letters are not what they seem. Let me explain. Letters have been given different values. For example, every “a” in the sentence might actually be written as a “v”, and every “s” might be written as an “o”. So, if I can determine that the “v” stands for an “a”, then I can change every “v” in the quote to “a”. It can be a challenge to figure out what a few of the letters are, but the more letters that are found, the easier the puzzle gets. I can look at the puzzle for minutes, hours, or even days, but once I find several letters, the quote becomes clear very quickly. It is almost impossible to look at that quote and just read it. I find the easier letters to identify and use them to help me determine the rest. This logic is also good to use when reading God’s word. Sometimes we get to a confusing passage and struggle to figure it out or just give up. What choice do we have? Just as when an appliance doesn’t work, the first question the repairman will ask is, “Is it plugged in?” Likewise, with the Bible, I must ask, “Did you pray for the Holy Spirit’s guidance?” After that has been done, the best way to approach some of the problematic passages is find other similar passages. We can often use cross references, other Bible verses that relate to the passage. See if your computer can give some similar passages. Find the ones you know for sure and use them to tackle some of the more difficult passages. God never lies or contradicts Himself, so if you understand a simpler passage, it will give you a better foundation to build on. I hope this is all making sense. An example might be, if you are struggling as to why Jesus had to die on the cross, look up why they had to offer up sacrifices before Jesus went to the cross. We would find that there is not forgiveness without the shedding of blood. The life of an animal is in the blood. The blood of the sacrifices were given in place of my sin. It had to be offered over and over again because the sacrifices were not perfect and they were not human. All these little passages help us to understand that the only sacrifice that could save us would be a perfect willing human sacrifice. This cross referencing can help in many passages. Father, help us to understand Your word. By the power of the Holy Spirit, reveal what we need to know to grow in faith. Amen

Faith, Knowledge, and the Spirit

It seems that since Charlie Kirk was assassinated, there are people speaking more openly about their faith, or at least I am seeing a lot more feeds on the internet about faith. It is refreshing in so many ways. Especially among the younger generations there seems to be a revival of faith, and a feeling of unfulfilment in what the world offers. Along with this great success are those that jump on the desire to learn and are putting out false teachings. I have seen so many clips where the person indicates that you thought this is what the Bible was saying, but really, it says something different. There are a few times that they had some interesting ideas and possible interpretations, but the vast majority of the time they were laying a foundation of sand to support what they wanted to build, but when truly tested, their foundation would be doomed to fail. So, what are we to do? Can we kick them off of the internet? No. They have freedom of speech, even if we don’t like what they say. Should we try to get them blocked? It would be nice, but if you already knew what they were teaching was wrong, you would have avoided them in first place. The best way to combat the false teachings are either asking someone that you know and trust to help you understand or make sure you are familiar with God’s word. Some say they try to read God’s word, but struggle with understanding. Have you asked the Holy Spirit to guide you and give you understanding? Have you submitted yourself to God and asked Him to be Lord of every aspect of your life? I think it is so important to be armed with knowledge. If you are uncertain of how to interpret the Bible, get involved in solid Bible based teaching that is willing to follow God’s word over siding with worldly thinking. They say iron sharpens iron. You can’t sharpen a knife with a marshmallow. Likewise, as we listen, learn, challenge, and build up one another in the word, we come out stronger and sharper on the other end. Learning God’s word from someone who interprets God’s word for their own gain doesn’t sharpen, but leaves the blade of faith sticky and dull. We need the Holy Spirit to open our eyes to the truth. He then leads us to faith and reveals God’s truth. That knowledge leads faith. Heavenly Father, draw more people into Your house for worship and Bible studies that Your knowledge and passion may fill us. Amen

Is There Any Hope for Me?

It can be very overwhelming to see the standard that God sets for us... perfection. The Bible says that the wages of sin are death. Sin is disobeying God in any way... a bad thought, a “white” lie, and even the tiniest slip up. What hope can there possible be? It is an impossible standard. Who could possibly stand under those conditions? We might see the Bible as painting a picture that gives us no chance. There are a few examples that seem to validate this out-of-reach standard. Job, even though he faced a lot of suffering continued to be faithful, even though he lost everything. Even more intimidating is Enoch, who walked faithfully with God and was taken to heaven before he experienced death. Now, let's start looking inside the Bible at all the people that God tells us about. Adam and Eve, though they were born without sin, brought sin into the world. God still had a purpose for them. Abraham, two separate times, allowed his wife to be taken as a potential wife by foreign rulers, and then didn’t trust God to give Him the son that was promised. Jacob, who later was known as Israel, cheated his brother out of his inheritance, but God still blessed him and fulfilled his covenant through his descendants. King David, a man after God’s own heart, committed adultery and had her husband killed, and because of that, his son died as an infant, yet Jesus was descended from David. Then there is Samson, who foolishly told his girlfriend the source of his great strength and was captured. At a great feast of these pagans, Samson prayed for his strength one last time and caused the whole roof and pillars to fall on all the guests. Moses was called to lead the people out of Egypt, even after he had killed a man. On top of that, because of his disobedience against God, he was not permitted to lead the people into the promised land. The Apostle Paul, who became one of the greatest missionaries, had originally been persecuting the Christian church that he now defended. Then there is Peter that denied Jesus, Elijah, who won a competition against the false prophets of Baal, and after being victorious, told God he wanted to die. The list goes on. The Bible is full of imperfect people that were used in powerful ways by God. The question is, are you willing to let God use you today? Father, when we are feeling hopeless, You remind us that we are not alone. Use us for Your name’s sake. Amen

Through His Eyes

I remember a fable from years ago about 6 blind men. They had often heard of elephants, but had no idea what one looked like... they were blind after all. One day some told them that an elephant was passing by their way. They asked if the elephant might stop so that they could understand what this animal was like. The first touched the elephants side and described it as a wall. The next touched the tusk and thought it was long and sharp like a spear. The third touched the trunk and described it as being like a snake. The fourth touched the ear and figured it was like a giant fan. The fifth touched the leg and though it was like a tree trunk. The last one touched the tail and described it as a rope. As the elephant was taken away, these six blind men argued with each other about what an elephant was really like. The only one that truly understood was the one that told them the elephant was coming in the first place. Why? Because he could see. Had those blind men asked a seeing person, their arguments would have come to an end. Sadly, we can often be spiritually blind. When we read God’s word, we too often interpret it through our experience and desires. I remember passages that I have read many times and yet sometimes there is something new that I see. Truth is, it was always there. For whatever reason, I had never seen it as important until now. We take from the readings what we want to see, just like those blind men perceived the elephant from their perspective, not really searching for the truth. We ignore the problem texts and remember the texts that benefit us or make us feel good. This contributes to some of the splits in churches, in politics, and in families. Just as the blind men would have done well to ask the seeing man to explain why they each had a different view of the elephant, we too would do well to ask the One who truly knows God and His word the best. I am of course talking about God. We are told that the Holy Spirit desires to give us understanding and wisdom, but we must seek His help. We need to stop and ask if what we believe is what God’s word says or what we’ve been told God’s word says. We try too often to prove ourselves right rather than seek God to reveal His truth to us. When there is an elephant in the room, it may be us...our failure to see. O Holy Spirit, give us wisdom and understanding, not for prideful desires, but to truly know Your will for our lives. Amen