Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Faith that changes lives Part II

Everyday is different, but for the Christian there is one thing that is the same: I have to decide whether I will live this day for Christ or for me. Look at this honestly for a minute, we hold on to the things that keep us from God. That is the only reason that we don't surrender our selves to God. What is wrong with what God offers to each and every one of us? Divine guidance, love that exceeds all that we ask or think, forgiveness for every wrong, encouragement and a life filled with hope, and to all that we say, "No thanks." Do you honestly believe that we can do it better on our own? No guidance, no love, no encouragement, no forgiveness and no hope; really, that's better?

But if I let Christianity get a hold of me, there's no telling what I might be doing or where I might end up. So what! you don't know those things now; you're just under the delusion that you are pulling the strings. Ask anybody if they would have ever thought five years ago they would be where they are today. They will all say, no; because, not one of them knows the future. Would you at the same time recommend to sailors, that they keep their maps rolled up tight, and throw the compass and instruments overboard and just do what seems best to them? So, tell me why is it that you can recognize that idea as ludicrous, yet still think it is the best way for you to live your life? Sailors get where they are going, because they have a map and the tools to check their progress; you are never going to get anywhere in this Christian life, if you do not read the your Bible, spend time in prayer and spend time quiet before the Father, so that you can listen to His direction.

Listen, Christian in profession only, is no Christian at all, and in fact someone who lives like a pagan, yet happily reports to all that they belong to Christ. Check me on this, but that is what got the southern kingdom exiled to Babylon; because they claimed the Name of God and refused to live as anything other than pagans. Exile doesn't sound that bad, but when you read the accounts you find that they were hauled off as slaves, and left their dead in the streets unburied. The problem is not that we have Christians with one foot in the church and the other foot in the world; the problem is that we have "Christians" with one foot in the church and the other foot in the world on Sundays, and both feet in the world the other six days.

To the degree that you find it an untenable idea, that you should run the pursuits of your life through the filter of what God wants, it is an exact expression of your distance from God and His purpose. Go back and check the Book, we were created for His pleasure, not the other way around. God can do amazing things with any one of us, but it requires that we are in fellowship with His purpose. Time is running out, and not one of us is guaranteed tomorrow, so you've only got today to get in fellowship with His purpose. So, what are you waiting for?

Monday, May 16, 2011

Faith that changes lives

I have noted over the years, that some love God with their whole being, and others seem to handle the things of God with what can only be described as a fear that they are playing with a fire that might get out of control, if it isn't "properly handled." There is a great need for professed believers to quit "properly handling" their faith, and let their faith handle them. And by saying that, I am in no way advocating checking your brain at the door, to get some holy experience.

In the same way the nonbeliever has to reconcile the fact that Christ is the Son of the only God, and that He gave His life to pay for everything they did, do and will do wrong; they have to make a decision. In light of that fact, I either have to go with Christ or go against Him, but I can not remain neutral. The problem exists for those who haven't turned their lives over to God; I have accepted Christ as my Savior, but I can not yield control of my life to Him, why? I'll tell you why: it will mean that business as usual is over.

If you think that surrendering your life to Christ means that you go into some sort of long term brain numbness, you couldn't be more wrong! Do I, then, understand everything: no I don't, in fact there are a great many things I do not understand. But what I do understand, is that my faith requires study and reading and many other things that require my intellect to be at its best. Now, in great harmony with that, there are the things God does, that I indeed, cannot understand. I must study to show my self a workman who needs not be ashamed, and at the same time I must not quench the Spirit of God when He moves in ways that I do not understand. That is where faith comes in, that is where faith changes me, that is where business as usual bows to my God and King.

More tomorrow loved ones.

Thursday, May 5, 2011

Hannah

What am I in relation to God? Am I what I think of myself everyday? It is God who started it all, I am a creation of His. The only way to achieve any success in this life is to give that creation back to God. We like to hold on to things, though. I wonder sometimes, how it is that we believe we can improve on God's plan. In case you're wondering, we can't.

Hannah is an excellent example of asking God for the means to glorify Him. She wanted a child, and not for her own selfish reasons. She wanted a child, so that the child could be given back to God. Hannah becomes the perfect example of motherhood, because she gave the child to His service.

She asked, not to fill a need in her life, but she asked for the sake of God's glory. Not so she could go to the market, and everyone could say, "What a cute boy you have; you must be a wonderful mother." My point is that if anyone would ever hold on to anything; surely, it would be a mother holding on to a child. So, when you see Hannah giving this child to God: you see extraordinary faith in the God to Whom she gives him.

It would be easy to believe that she had given Samuel to God because of His blessings. Don't miss this: she gave her child to God, specifically because He hadn't blessed her in the way that was closest to her heart. You think of the tragedy this poor soul endured, why? Because God wouldn't give her what she wanted? No, dear soul. It was through those tears and heart ache, that God was building, in her heart, His purpose for this child. It wasn't the absence of His faithfulness; it was the very expression of His faithfulness! He would give her a child in just such away, that everything surrounding the birth of this longed-for child, reflected His glory. God bless you all.

P.S. There are a great many things left unsaid in this post, so I encourage you to go back and read the story from the Bible, it will be a blessing to you. For further reading I Samuel 1 and I Samuel 2.

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Extraordinary Christians

What is it that transforms some souls into extraordinary Christians? I was listening to Charles Stanley recently, and he asked the question, "How did we ever get so content to know so little of Christ?" The fact is our primary suffering, even with the current recession, is bound up in affluence. The problem caused by having more than enough is not self-reliance, the problem is believing to any degree that you caused it. The thing that is killing our churches, is that the members never stop worshipping themselves long enough to start worshipping God.

I recently heard of a lady, through my pastor, who only showed up on Easter Sunday, so that she could sing a solo. There is a great problem in our country, that too many never worship away from their bathroom mirror. It is not that wrong choices are made over what give God the most glory; it is that, generally speaking, the people in the pews, don't care if God gets any glory at all. But, that's not the "try this, it'll make you feel better" preaching that I am used to. The reason I am not hocking those ideas, is because they are absolutely useless.

It is God Almighty that we serve, and don't you ever forget it! You do not come into His house on your terms. It is only when we humble ourselves (humble - to make low) that we meet with God on His terms, and you will never experience God until you are willing to do that. This is what has made the difference in the souls that we talk about hundreds after they left this life. They exalted God, and lived at his disposal; no glory for me and more glory for Christ. The only way to become an extraordinary Christian is to sacrifice your glory for His, and I promise you: you will never be sorry that you did.

Monday, May 2, 2011

Perspective

I remember when I was a young man, truthfully still a boy, about 18 or 19. I got into an argument with my father. There was a report on the news, about a murderer who had been executed. His crimes were particularly heinous, so when I saw the report, I exclaimed, "Good!" My father got on to me, and then I remember saying, "I'm glad that he's dead." He told me to in no uncertain terms to close my mouth, because I did not know what I was saying. He then explained to me that there is no cause for rejoicing at the death of an unrepentant sinner. My father was right.

"Justice has been done," that is what the President said. What the Christian should understand is this: justice has just begun. A man went out into eternity with out Christ, and he will answer for everyone of the evil deeds he committed. There is nothing that we could ever do, that would remotely compare to what the One Who can destroy the soul can do in dispensing justice. A man stands before his Maker, with nothing but evil to show for his time on earth.

Where is the cause for rejoicing? Is it in the crimes he committed that made him such a hated man? Is it in the sorrow that he caused to millions? Was it in the lives that were lost in pursuit of bringing him to justice? Can you even hear his name, without recalling the sorrow he caused us? He was a miserable murderous fiend, with nothing to show for his existence. There was no cause for joy from his life, and it is nothing but a miserable shame that we had to expend our resources to end his life.