Is Your Life A Derailed Train?

Revelation 3:15-16 says, “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold or hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm-neither hot nor cold-I am about to spit you out of my mouth.” There are a couple of reasons why God would prefer Christians to be cold rather than lukewarm: First, it is important to realize how much God loves each of us as individuals. John 3:16 teaches us that God loves us so much that He sent His only Son to die for me! When I live a lukewarm lifestyle, it hurts Him when I only want part of what He sent His Son to die for. He came that we may have life more abundantly! But, there is even a greater reason why our lukewarmness bothers God enough that He would spew us out of His mouth. That reason is that He see a much larger picture of mankind and he sees the destruction caused by being halfhearted. Yes, Jesus dies for us individually, but He also died for all of us. 1 Timothy 2:4 says, “He desires all men to be saved.” The problem is that halfheartedness and inconsistency in our lives cause other people to fall away from God.

Let suppose we are in an area of the world where the main avenues for commerce are by rail. Suppose a train on a major railway were to halfway derail, part on the track and part off. In most cases it will take at least 3 days to get a crane to the area to clear away the wreckage, so that the track would be useable. But suppose this same train had completely derailed. Other trains could immediately continue on schedule. The first situation would probably not seem so bad, but it could cause 30 to 40 trains schedules to be cancelled and affect business all over the country. Hospitals could be waiting on blood or medications, and some waiting on food. In the second situation, although the train totally derailed, the only train affected was that one.

Your friends are watching and you cause the most harm to God’s kingdom when we are living a life that is partly on the track and partly off. In other words, are you keeping them from wanting to get closer to Christ? Live a life that would honor Jesus Christ. Reflect His glory and love to others today. God bless!

Dump The Load

In Psalm 32:3-5 David writes, “When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy on me; my strength was sapped as in heat of summer. Then I acknowledge my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord.” And you forgave the guilt of my sins.”

Nothing is more addictive than sin, which seeks to enslave us. And without confession we miss the riches blessings of God’s forgiveness and grace. Without seeing the depth of sin, we will never understand the height of God’s love and grace. We put so much energy into running away, hiding, and pretending like it’s not a problem. Sooner or later we stop running, because we’re running out of places to hide, and we are physically and mentally drained. You finally come to the end of yourself, you swallow your pride, and the tears flow! That’s when you find the missing strength. Not in your strength, but the power of God’s arms wrapped around you!

What do you need to confess to the Lord this morning? That secret sin that no one knows about. That sin that you have hung on to for years, and can not let go of in your own strength. Is there someone who you need to forgive, or maybe you need to go and ask someone to forgive you? Carrying all that extra baggage will sooner or later wear you down! Psalm 32:1-2 says this, “Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord does not count against them and in whose spirit is no deceit.” Drop that heavy load, confess your sins to Jesus, and begin to walk in freedom! God bless and have a great Friday!

What Really Matters?

One million years from now, what will be the only thing that will matter? Will it be: Who you dated in High School or who was the captain of the football team? Or who won the NCAA National Football Championship in 1990? Will it be how much money you made in your life time or how big your retirement fund is? One million years from now, the only thing that will matter is who is in heaven and who is in hell. If that is the only thing that will matter then, then telling others about Jesus should be one of our highest priorities. What are you doing of significance today that will matter one million years from now?

Romans 10:14-15 says, “How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” Heaven is a prepared place for a prepared person. Let me tell you, Heaven is going to be unexplainable! We will worship and praise the Living God forever and ever. Truth will be revealed and all our questions will be answered. Everything will all make sense. Then there will be a union with friends and family like you have never experienced before. But, do you realize when you take your last breath, you will never again be able to talk with someone who doesn’t know Jesus? That maybe your best friend, you son or daughter, your sister or your brother. Take time to read Luke 16:19-28.

Who do you need to share your story with today? Who do you need to tell about Jesus and His amazing grace and love? What are you doing today that will last one million years from now? Invest in things that will last forever. God bless.

Run To The Shelter

I grew up playing ball, and I have so many fond memories of when I was a child. I remember playing football, basketball, and baseball with other kids in the neighborhood, and loving every minute of it. We would play during the summers from sunup to sundown. You didn’t have to worry about us getting off the couch! But I can recall a couple of games being interrupted by a thunderstorm. We didn’t want to stop playing, we wanted to finish the game. Yes, we would play in the rain, but when the thunder sounded and that lightning popped, we all ran for shelter! We had to get to a safe place. But when the storm was over, we went back at it!

Here is my question for you today? When the storms of life hit, where do you run to? Where do you find security and peace? Psalm 91:1-2 says, “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” You maybe overwhelmed and weary today. The storms of life have discouraged you and caused you much fear. Run to the Shelter! Run to the presence of God. Don’t allow fear, frustration and worry beat you down. Look what Psalm 91:14-16 says, “Because he loves me” says the Lord, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.” Run into the arms of Christ and rest in His presence! He is the High Tower and our one true Shelter that will keep us safe in the storm. Trust Him with your worries today! Love you guys!

Blending In

Good morning! I hope you all had a great Memorial Day yesterday. It was a great time to remember, and honor all those men and women who willingly laid down their life for this country! It was also my 53rd birthday! I want to thank everyone for all your birthday wishes and prayers. It is so good to be loved! Thank you for all the texts, cards, and Facebook messages. There is nothing like having a good Christian friend.

I want to share a strong word that Paul wrote to his brother in Christ, Timothy. It is found in 2 Timothy 3:1-5, “But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last’s days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God-having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them.”

Paul continues on in 2 Timothy 4:3-4 which says this, “For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from truth and turn aside to myths.” God hasn’t called us to a life of blending in. Sometimes it is hard to tell the Church from the world. Ephesians 5:1-3 says, “Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people.”

Paul didn’t mind being straight forward and sharing truth! We the Church, need to hear this message today. You see, God has called us to be holy and to pursue righteousness. We are called to be imitators of God himself. We are to pursue God’s approval and not the world’s. Paul encourages us to live as children of light, live a life that is consistent with righteousness and truth! Find out what pleases God, have nothing to do with darkness, but rather expose it. We can’t just blend in and make a difference. God bless!

3 Feet Away

Do you realize that one of the largest veins of gold ever discovered in America was found only three feet from where previous miners had stopped digging? Christians often experiences the same problem; just beyond where we quit, just out of reach from where we are willing to go, is God’s greatest blessings.

Nowhere does the Bible say life will be easy! Satan will attack you as you are bending your knees before God in prayer, harassing you with doubt and sending distractive thoughts into your mind. Satan is a formidable foe and he is a liar! He will doing anything to discourage you and cause you to doubt your calling. This morning I want to encourage you to press forward and lean into the Lord. Don’t give into the lies and deceit! Press forward and stand strong. Fight back, stay positive, and trust the Savior of your soul. Put that smile on your face because you are loved and protected by the King of kings, and the Lord of lords! Only 3 feet away!! Yes Lord!

Happy Memorial Day! Thank God for all our men and women who serves this country. You are a blessing from God. I hope you enjoy your day with family and friends.

What Are You Looking For?

Israel found themselves wandering in the wilderness after Moses lead them out of Egypt. As they approached the land of Canaan, Moses sent 12 spies to scope out the land and the people there. He wanted to know what that were about to encounter! So the 12 spies went into Canaan and saw the land with their own eyes. The rumors were true, the land flowed with milk and honey. Yes, the people there were very large and powerful, and the cities were fortified. All 12 spies looked at the same territory, but came back with 2 different reports. Numbers 13:30-31 says, “Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we will certainly do it.” But the men who had gone up with him said, “We can’t attack those people; they are stronger than we are.” One very optimistic report and the other very negative. Moses had a difficult decision to make.

I love Peter Lord’s newest book which is called, “10 Secrets To Life Biggest Challenge.” He said that an optimist searches to find something good in every situation, while a pessimist looks for the worst. The optimist finds reasons to be happy. The pessimist finds reason to be unhappy. The optimist says, “My cup runs over. What a blessing!” The pessimist says, “My cup runs over. What a mess!” People tend to find what they are looking for. Miners move tons of dirt to find an ounce of gold. They are not looking for dirt; they are searching for gold. To find the best in your situation, you must look past the filth and hunt for treasure.”

I want to encourage you this morning to reprogram the way you think. Begin to see things through God’s perspective. I don’t know about you, but it is hard being around people who are always negative! It is so draining and it is very contagious. Refuse to fall into Satan trap of negativity! Begin to see the best in every situation. Speak encouraging words to other and express your thankfulness to the Lord throughout the day! Philippians 4:8 says this, “And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worth of praise.” Enjoy you time of worship today!