godly

Undue Influence 

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Hosea 2:14
“Therefore, behold, I will allure her,
Will bring her into the wilderness,
And speak comfort to her.”

Hosea is ministering to people who have drifted from the Lord. Their drifting was partially caused by the spiritual confusion of the day; a result of the leaders using their influence to pressure others into ungodly practices. Young minds have always been easily influenced by those in positions of power and prestige.

We are facing similar problems today. Actors, musicians, athletes, educators, and politicians are using their positions to influence young minds to accept lifestyles that are not only ungodly, but also unhealthy. People are being told to explore their feelings no matter where that road might take them. As a result, we are finding we have a generation of hurting, confused young people who are losing their moral compass and pursuing lifestyles that will prove to be destructive.

I am so glad Hosea declares the heart of God toward those who have been led astray. He declares, God wants to allure them back to Himself. No matter how dark things have become, we can be sure God desires to win us back. it is my prayer for those who have wandered, that their eyes would be open to the loving God who desires to wash them clean and bring them home.

Pastor Jim

 

Wisdom

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Proverbs 1:7
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.”

We often find ourselves in the middle of situations where we do not know what to do. Arriving at a fork in the road, without road signs, we feel lost and confused. Often, the most difficult concern is the fear of making a bad decision. The Bible promises, in those times, the believer can call out to God, who will give us a liberal serving of wisdom. No matter what you are facing, the Bible will direct you to a good and godly decision. The purpose of the book of Proverbs, is to provide heavenly wisdom for earthly living. Solomon begins this long journey, consisting of hundreds of nuggets of godly advice, with the secret to obtaining wisdom. He tells us, all wisdom and knowledge must begin with a healthy fear of the Lord.

The fear of the Lord might be best defined as simply desiring to be pleasing to the Lord. The first step to problem solving is to ask ourselves, “What is most pleasing to the Lord?” If you are facing a problem in your personal life for which you need heavenly direction, the first step is to ask what God wants you to do. It is vital to remember, the answer to that question will be found in the pages of your Bible.

One of the most important of all the proverbs Solomon penned, is a word of warning found in Chapter 14.

Proverbs 14:12 “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.”

Instead of trying to figure things out on your own, or doing only what you think is best, take the time to look into the pages of God’s Word and do what He says.

Pastor Jim

 

True Grace

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Jude 4
“For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Jude warns of those who turn grace into lewdness. The word lewd is somewhat outdated, but refers to something vulgar or obscene, especially that which is sexually immoral. Jude is referring to those who think the grace of God allows for behavior which is clearly forbidden in the Word of God. It is important to remember,  grace does not excuse sin, but provides forgiveness when we fail.

Recently, I heard a politician say how pleased he was with the states that voted for same sex marriage. His rationale held, since God created all of us, we should all have the same rights and privileges. I think this is a good example of forgetting that the grace of God does not condone sinful behavior. Sexual sin, whether it is homosexuality, marital infidelity, or premarital sex, is all clearly forbidden in the Word of God. To suggest that grace somehow overshadows the clear directives of God’s Word, is to misunderstand grace. Instead of releasing us to live however we want, grace provides a way for us to be forgiven and restored, no matter how we have failed. Perhaps you are married, and have been unfaithful to your spouse, grace does not excuse your behavior, but screams out that you can be forgiven, and your marriage restored. Perhaps you are a young person who has been drawn into the homosexual lifestyle. Grace calls out to you, that you can have your sins forgiven and be restored to relationship with God.

Instead of looking at grace as a license to misbehave, we should see it as an expression of God’s love. It is His desires that we spend eternity with Him. Let’s not cheapen His grace, but rejoice that He would pardon sinners.

Pastor Jim

 

Clean Me

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Jeremiah 48:11
“Moab has been at ease from his youth; He has settled on his dregs, And has not been emptied from vessel to vessel, Nor has he gone into captivity. Therefore his taste remained in him, And his scent has not changed.”

Jeremiah is describing the judgment that will fall upon Moab. He explains, in vivid fashion, that one of the chief causes of their wickedness was the fact that they were like a vessel which had never been cleaned. Their failure to allow the difficulties of life to purify their actions, ultimately lead to their judgment and destruction.

Trials are not the most pleasurable experiences in life. Whenever we face difficulty that is beyond our ability to endure, we wonder if there is a God, and if so, why He is allowing such hardship to come our way. One reason for the difficult seasons of life, is that they are designed to stir things up in our lives, in order to purify us.

Like taking a dirty cup, filling it with hot soapy water, and shaking it back and forth to release the dregs, hardship is designed as a means of getting things out of our lives that will ultimately bring the judgment of God. Instead of questioning the love of God, we should allow difficulty to serve its purpose, and examine whether or not we are living in a way that pleases God. Had Moab turned from their wicked ways, they would not have been facing heaven’s wrath.

What about you? Are you practicing things that are unacceptable to God? I am not talking about wanting to live for God and slipping along the way, instead, I am referring to a person who is looking at the Word of God and saying, “I don’t care what it says, I am going to do what I want.” Be careful, that kind of living will lead you face-to-face with the judgment of God.

Pastor Jim

 

Competition 

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Jeremiah 39:18
“’For I will surely deliver you, and you shall not fall by the sword; but your life shall be as a prize to you, because you have put your trust in Me,’ says the Lord.”

This promise was first given to a man from North Africa named Ebed-Melech. He was told that his life was like a prize, because he had put his trust in the Lord. It is quite common in Scripture for our lives to be compared to a competition. The New Testament compares the Christian life to a walk, a run, a race, a fight and even a battle. Jeremiah reminds us of one key ingredient of our training, if we want to win; Ebed-Melech, the Ethiopian, trusted in the Lord.

Trusting the Lord suggests he did not buy into the popular teachings of the day. While the Word of God warned against sin, idolatry, and worldliness, the culture declared these things to be acceptable in the eyes of a loving God. While prosperity teaching filled the pulpits throughout Judah, the Word of God spoke of judgment coming upon His people, for abandoning the ways of God. Ebed-Melech chose to put his confidence in the Lord, rather than trusting in the popular teachings of his day.

While our lives are a competition, it is important to remember we do not compete against one another. I am not seeking to beat you to the finish line, storing up more eternal reward than you. We are competing together, and we must encourage one another. Just as Jeremiah shared the promises of God with Ebed-Melech, we should encourage each other with the written Word. As you pray for your friends and family, consider the Word of God; perhaps He would have you share a promise with them that would help them run in such a way as to win.

Pastor Jim

 

Navigation 

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Jeremiah 10:23
“O Lord, I know the way of man is not in himself; It is not in man who walks to direct his own steps.”

Human beings are the highest expression of God’s creative order. We have been fashioned in the image of God, and are fascinating creatures, with seemingly unlimited potential. We marvel at the animal creatures within the kingdom for achieving accomplishments like building their own homes, navigating their way back to the place of their birth, or working together as a pack to ward of a predator. But the achievements of human beings are so vast, they seem to be almost unlimited. I am sitting in my living room typing on a tablet with the capacity to not only store the information, but to send it around the world. At the same time, my wife is traveling across the country on an airplane. She had dinner in California and will have breakfast in Florida. In some ways, it seems, if we can think, it we can accomplish it.

All that being said, it is important to realize, when God created us, He did so with certain built in limitations designed to show us just how needy we actually are. With all our capabilities, we are not capable of going more than about a month without food, a few days without water, and a few minutes with air. We have physical, emotional, spiritual and social needs that must be met in order for us to survive. Jeremiah points out one of our needs that often goes unnoticed. He writes,

“O Lord, I know the way of man is not in himself;
It is not in man who walks to direct his own steps.”

We do not have a built in homing beacon to always guides us in the right direction. We need a source outside ourselves to show us the difference between right and wrong, and to help lead us in making proper decisions. One of the great failures of the people of Jeremiah’s day is, they failed to recognize this and, as a result, chose to follow their hearts, which led them into sin and away from the blessing of God.

God has given us His Spirit and His Word to guide us through life. If we neglect the counsel of the Word of God, and only choose to do what we think is best, we will find we are continuously making decisions that will lead to our own hurt. This is not always immediately obvious. However, the longer we walk down that road, the farther we will get from the good ways of God.

Make it a habit to start your day by receiving counsel from God through His word. The Bible is so much more than a rule book, it is also a GPS designed to guide us through life.

Pastor Jim

Walking In Sunshine 

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Jeremiah 2:13
“For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, And hewn themselves cisterns—broken cisterns that can hold no water.”

Water is a necessary element for life. Ancient cities were founded with two main concerns; first there must be an ample water source to support the people and second they must be able to defend themselves from enemies who might attack. In arid climates, it became necessary to capture any rainfall and store it for the dry season. Without the advent of poly tanks or cement, the method for creating a reservoir was to cut a pool out of a massive bolder. Imagine the amount of work it took using hand tools, to hollow out a bolder into a swimming pool. This would not be the work of days or weeks, but that of years, and perhaps a lifetime. What a tragedy it would be if, after it was finally completed, you found that it had a leak and would not hold  water. Jeremiah uses this vivid imagery to illustrate the impact of turning away from the Lord. He describes the backslider as one who has both turned from the source of living water and spent his life digging a pool that will not hold water.

Fortunately, it is not too late to mend your ways. If you have turned from Christ in pursuit of other things, all you need to do is turn back to Him. In life, if we make a wrong turn and travel an hour out of our way, it will take us an hour to get back, but the same is not true as it relates to returning to the Lord. If you walked away from Jesus five years ago, it will not take five years to get back. It takes only a moment. All you need to do is turn to Him, confess your sins, and start following Him and His word.

I was in an open air church building in a tropical climate when, just as the service, ended it began to rain. Because of the way the building was designed, I could exit from either the front or the back of church. As I looked more carefully, I observed that it was only raining in the back. I had a choice to make, I could walk in the sun or I could walk in the rain. I chose the sun and made my way out without getting wet. The same is true as it relates to life. We get to make a choice. We can choose to turn to the Lord, and walk in His ways, or we can choose to ignore Him, and continue down a path that will never satisfy, and leave us wanting, when we face eternity.

I think it is time to start walking in the sunshine.

Pastor Jim

 

Old Faithful 

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Titus 3:8

“This is a faithful saying, and these things I want you to affirm constantly, that those who have believed in God should be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable to men.”

Sometimes, when we want to emphasize the importance of something, we might add a phrase like “to tell you the truth” or “honestly speaking” or “without a doubt” or “without question.” It was common for Jesus to use the term “verily, verily” or “truly, truly”, when driving home a particular truth. For Paul, the favorite lead-in was “this is a faithful saying.” He used it five times in his writings, and each time emphasized a different truth.

1 Timothy 1:15 “This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.”

Beyond any doubt, the reason for Jesus coming into the world was to save sinners. He did this by willingly laying down His life on the cross. The Jesus who called the dead back to life, walked upon the water, and commanded the demons to depart, is the same Jesus who allowed Himself to be tortured and crucified; all this to save sinners. For us to benefit from His work on the cross, we must, like Paul, realize we are the sinner He died for, and receive the pardon He provides.

1 Timothy 3:1 “This is a faithful saying: If a man desires the position of a bishop, he desires a good work.”

Something happens when we begin to grow in our relationship with Jesus. Within us, a desire grows to serve Him. People, who prior to coming to Christ, may have been extremely selfish, now find themselves wanting to help others, or serve in the local church. Paul explains, wanting to serve the Lord is a good thing, and wanting to serve in the capacity of a pastor is a call of God. If you are being called, answer.

1 Timothy 4:9 “This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance.”

Before making this statement, Paul had declared, “godliness is profitable for all things in this life and the one to come.” Whenever making an investment, we want to know the profitability of it. Will I get back what I am putting in? Paul explains that with godliness you will get a return far greater than the investment you make. Godliness will affect every part of this life, and will leave a storehouse of treasures awaiting you in the next.

2 Timothy 2:11 “This is a faithful saying: For if we died with Him, We shall also live with Him.”

This is the first line of a chorus sung by the early churches. It declares, without question, there is life after this life. For those who trust Christ, we will live with Him for all eternity. Heaven is filled with glory, but the heaven of heavens, is the presence of Jesus. To be absent from this body is to be present with the Lord.

Titus 3:8 “This is a faithful saying, and these things I want you to affirm constantly, that those who have believed in God should be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable to men.”

This is the final use of the phrase in Paul’s writings. Here, he is emphasizing the fact that all who trust in Christ for salvation should be filled with good works. Doing good things will not save you. However, if you are saved, you will long to do good works. You will desire to show your trust in Christ by living a brand new life. These good works should show themselves in your home, neighborhood, place of business, school, hobbies and circle of influence. How do you think your world would be affected, if today, you walked out the door seeking opportunities to do good works unto others, as a way to reveal Christ to them?

Let’s be sure to maintain good works, after all, the salvation of our loved ones may depend on it.

Pastor Jim

 

Godly Home 

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2 Timothy 1:5
“When I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded is in you also.”

Timothy is one of the stars of the New Testament. His story has all the makings of a blockbuster hit. When we are first introduced to him, he is a teenager described as “being well spoken of in all the churches.” We know that his commitment to Christ struck a chord with the apostle Paul, who invited him to join the ministry team and take the Gospel to the unreached people of the ancient world. While traveling with some of the greatest saints of all time, Timothy rose to the top and became Paul’s most trusted ally and closest friend. By the time his story comes to a close, he is pastoring one of the most influential churches the world has ever known, in the bustling city of Ephesus. We know his success in following and serving Christ had much to do with a teenage decision to surrender to Jesus and the influence of Paul, but we also find that he was greatly impacted at home.

From the few scattered pieces recorded about Timothy’s home life, we can surmise that he grew up in a family with an unbelieving father and a committed mother. Since we know that his mom was Jewish, and as such, was forbidden to marry a gentile, we know that her past included a time of having wandered from the Lord. Rather than letting her past define her present, Eunice determined to raise her son around the things of the Lord. Along with the assistance of her mother, Lois, they raised Timothy on a healthy diet of the Word of God. It is not a stretch to conclude, he was actually taught to read and write using the Word of God as his textbook. With such a godly foundation having been laid, it is no wonder this young man became one of the great saints of all time.

Perhaps you are in a less than ideal family situation. Perhaps you are even the cause of much of the struggle. Instead of letting the past write your future, take the time to surrender all to Christ, and make your home a place where others will be instructed in the ways of God. It is not too late to allow God to use your life to influence others for the Kingdom of Heaven.

Pastor Jim

 

Leading The Way

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Isaiah 3:12
“…O My people! Those who lead you cause you to err, and destroy the way of your paths.”

Isaiah is warning of coming judgment. The people had left the ways of God; perhaps thinking the Word of God was antiquated. Instead of being a nation that shone as a light to the world around them, Judah had become like all the other nations. Morally, spiritually and ethically, the people who were called by God to be a light, looked all too similar to the world around them. Isaiah points out one of the main contributors to their downfall,

“Those who lead you cause you to err. . .”

Those who should have been leading the people to follow the paths of God, were in fact, leading the people away from God. Jesus warned about blind leaders who led blind followers right into a ditch (Matthew 15:14). A nation is in trouble when the leaders lose sight of the proper destination. But who are these leaders? Who are the people who have the greatest influence on the next generation?

It is not difficult to see the influence entertainers have upon a culture. Whether it is a sports hero, musician, or actor, they have a powerful platform, and a strong voice. Both, companies and causes, understand the way to increase their influence is to get a famous person behind their product. That being said, the most influential leader with the loudest voice to the next generation, is the voice that happens within the home. Parents continue to have the most powerful effect in the lives of their children.

If we want to see the next generation walking with the Lord and seeking to honor Him, we cannot leave that kind of leadership to others. Christian parents cannot expect the church to be the primary tutor of their children’s spiritual development. That is the role of the parent. Every mom and dad who wants to see their kids walk with the Lord, should determine to walk with Him themselves. If you want your children to read their Bible, start reading yours. If you want your kids to make good choices, exemplify that in your life. If you want your kids to think living for Christ means we follow a higher standard than the world around us, then be sure you are living by that standard yourself.

In our nation, we have developed a dangerous trend. Parents have bought into the lie that children are resilient and can withstand divorce. Time and time again, I hear people say, they split up for the sake of the kids. “All we ever did was fight and that was not a healthy environment for raising children, so we decided to split up.” If you have decided to divorce your spouse, you are not doing it for the children. If the children were your concern, you would do whatever it takes to work through the problems in your marriage, and create an environment where the love and grace of God are being seen daily.

Instead of blaming the world around us for all the problems, it is high time the people of God stood up and began to lead.

Pastor Jim