Discipleship

 Forgiveness Is Freedom Ever had an experience where you gave trust and love with abandon, but you were “burned” in the end? You know. Went out of your way for someone, but not only did you not get a bit of recognition, you were criticized for it. Transgressions, or abuses, against us are very difficult to ignore or let go of. Often, we say to ourselves that we’ll forgive the person, but we know we won’t forget. Speaking of transgressions, when inspecting my life, I see that my transgressions against God are enormous. Yet God has forgiven me. Unbelievably, He has moved my sins away from Him, as far as the East is from the West. God forgives me, but commands that I forgive others in the same way. He tells me in Matthew 6:14-15, “For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you. But, if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.” (NASB95) Also, and here is the tough part, Philippians 2:3 says, “Do no...

  The melancholy and shame left him slumping in his chair like a spineless, cast-aside stuffed doll. He had failed again. How many times must he go through this? He wants to live a godly life, a God-honoring life, but this habit controls him like meth to a junkie. He had read in the Bible that the Apostle Paul had a weakness, and he wanted God’s help with it. But God told Paul He wouldn’t fix Paul’s weakness, but He would strengthen Paul for his work. Well, God knows he is weak and needs God’s strength, and he is wondering why God hasn’t helped him. Ever feel this way? Facing the sin in your life has several avenues. Some think the constant recognition of sin is a means to appreciate God’s forgiveness and grace rather than a source of debilitating shame. Then there is the view that calling oneself a “sinner” after salvation is wrong and believers should identify with their new nature in Christ rather than their old sinful nature. They should concentrate on Romans 12:2, “…...

 Why Pray? When you pray, do you ever feel like God is not listening? That God doesn’t care? That God is punishing you by remaining quiet? Me, too. I mean, how many times have we asked for the same thing over and over, only to hear or see nothing concerning it? Even when it isn’t anything huge—like moving a mountain or world peace, it still doesn’t seem to get addressed by God. In Matthew 7:7-8, Jesus says, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.” (NASB95) In David Guzik’s commentary on Matthew 7, he says, there is “A threefold description of prayer, ask, seek, and knock. Progressively more intense. Persistent prayer glorifies God, expresses dependance upon Him, and aligns our heart more with His.” I don’t know about you, but when I revisit my prayer’s, I rarely glorify God or express my dependency on Him. I just want what I...

  Three Steps to Inner Peace  Waiting for the coffee to finish its dripping course through the grounds, I check my newsfeeds on the phone. With each headline, the blood drains from my old face, accentuating my look of despair; where is the fairness and the justice, I ask? Filling my favorite cup, I shuffle to my favorite chair to read from my favorite news sites. I’ve begun allotting fewer and fewer minutes for this habit because each site erases some peace from my soul. When my cup is empty, it feels as if all hope has been drained from my day. But I remembered a specific Scripture where Jesus was talking with His disciples. He knew He would soon be gone and wanted to leave them with something they could count on. In John 14:27, He said, “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.” (NASB95) Jesus provided me with the gentle reminder that calling Him Lord entitles ...

  Our history is full of periods of trouble: wars, plagues, famines, and injustice. I don’t know about you, but it has affected, nay suffocated my normal optimism. The prophets in the Old Testament have gone through these same things. Jeremiah was known as the weeping prophet because of Israel’s abandonment of God, resulting in wars, plagues, famines, and injustices. We wonder if God has forgotten us, or is punishing us, or is teaching us some lesson. Three short years ago, my life was much better. There was more peace in the world, the economy was strong, and I felt our votes counted. Today, like Jeremiah, many are weeping due to wars, government oppression, increased inflation, and lack of control over their lives. But there is good news! Psalm 78:7 says, “That they should put their confidence in God and not forget the works of God, But keep His commandments.” (NASB95) Written by Asaph, a prominent Levite singer in King David’s court. He reports what God wants His peo...

  Saturday morning came with brutal force, Hamas had attacked Israel. Scenes from the battles turned my stomach, much like scenes from the Benghazi massacre. People being brutalized and killed. Just another atrocity in our world today. It seems they are occurring with greater frequency. Instant digital connections, like intravenous drips, feed us news that is sensational and the gorier the better. What can we do to dampen the evil input we are subjected to each day and bathe in the grace of God’s righteousness? Where to find our Joy? In 2 Corinthians 5:21, the Apostle Paul says, “For He made Him who knew no sin, to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” With no input from man, God gave all the past and future sins of the world onto the shoulders of His Son, Jesus. Why? Because He loves us that much. God wants His creation to understand the depth of His love. Just as a parent forgives a child’s misbehavior, God forgives us. Not only forgive...

  Is Your Light on Dim? Our Bible study group decided that, for a change, we would read and discuss a new book. It details how Christ’s Church today is looking much like His Church in Germany in the mid-thirties. When Hitler rose to power. Then, there were only a few pastors alarmed at his power grab while the vast majority saw no problems. The result was that the German church was co-opted by the Nazis, giving them credibility and sway with the public. The silence of these church pastors “voiced” what the congregants saw; “God” approving of Hitler. In hindsight, we see how silence in the face of evil, is evil. In Matthew 5:14-16, Jesus says, “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, it gives light to all that are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” (NASB95) In my s...

    I love salt! My wife claims that she adds it when she cooks, but I think her fingers are crossed. I always need to add a bit more. She says it’s bad for my heart but, thank the Lord, I don’t have any issues. I don’t know about you, but I love salt on beef, chicken, potatoes, and vegetables. Oh, and those crispy, oily, salty snacks are my favorite—you know the ones. Wikipedia states that salt was a contributing factor to the success of civilization. It preserved food and enabled ancient man to be nourished regardless of the time of the year. It made food taste better. Salt is good! In the Old Testament, we learn that salt was valued. It was to be included in meat sacrifices at the temples to offer the very best to God. Matthew Henry’s commentary on Matthew 5 stated if sinful man, corrupt and putrid flesh that he is, is being offered to God, he needs to be salted as well. Jesus mentioned salt, and I tried to convince my wife that he wanted us to eat salt. She did...

  Truth Matters The universe was created by no one, out of nothing? More than two genders? The Bible is not the inerrant Word of God? Please. In Colossians 2:8, Paul says, “Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that comes from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ.” (NLT) Timely advice. Satan does not want man to follow God. He wants man to follow him. He will do everything possible to destroy the perfect structure God created for man. Destruction is Satan’s goal; the resulting chaos provides fertile ground for his persuasive lies. His favorite method of tempting us is with lies about worldly, physical pleasure. How it is the answer to all our needs. But if we stop for a moment and think about our pleasures from the past, are any of them still giving us pleasure? Fitting in with this world, going with the flow, or just plain not caring opens us up to empty philosophies and high-sou...

  We awaken, heart pounding, adrenaline beginning to surge, wondering how the bits and bytes of disaster news will affect us today. What has happened? Life was so predictable, even boring, but certainly no more. Nothing is as it was. Amid the wrenching changes of life, it is good to know there is hope! You know change is relentless and racing to affect us. You can believe that life came about in some mindless, big bang, no reason, no purpose, no hope, way. Or you can believe that “In the beginning, God…”, who created heaven and earth, has a purpose for us. God brings hope and here is the good part: He provided an instruction manual for us. Life makes sense, and isn’t this what we crave, when viewed through the pages of the Bible. Take the Ten Commandments. Ever look at each one? Morning newsfeeds would be much different if everyone followed them. And, when you look at each one, don’t they make perfect sense? · The first four commandments deal with your relationship with...