Tuesday, December 25, 2012

Don't Fret, The Choice Is Yours

It is absolutely amazing to me how people blame God for tragedy. When something catastrophic happens, God gets blamed for causing it. Or He gets the blame for not intervening and stopping it. ("God, you could have prevented this!")

Could God have prevented 911 and the tragic deaths of nearly 3,000 people? Of course He could have. Could God have prevented the tragedy in Newtown a few days ago? Yes, He could have. How do I know this? Because the Bible says "Nothing is impossible with God." (Luke 1:37) Did God know about Newtown before it happened? Absolutely. God knows everything. He is omniscient. (All knowing)

The truth is...if God stopped or prevented every tragedy He would also intervene in your life! He would see to it that you went to heaven and not the tragedy of hell...whether you agreed or not. He would force you to serve Him and bless you...against your own free will. Every time you attempted to gratify your flesh (in a sinful manner) He would forcefully stop you to prevent you from sinning. And you would hate Him for that! Every time He wanted you near He would force you there. The point is you would have absolutely no freedom of choice.

The reason bad stuff happens on planet earth is because of Adam and Eve's God-given choice a very long time ago. God had given them the keys of eternal life. God also allowed the serpent to come and attempt to deceive them. They chose (of their own free will) to listen to the serpent. Could God have intervened? Definitely. But God offers the freedom to choose. God wants you and me to choose Him, after having been presented with the truth.

Listen to this very carefully. God never gives the freedom to choose without fully disclosing and explaining the consequences. He will never deceive. He makes it clear. Adam and Eve knew exactly what they had with God. They also knew what would happen if they chose another way. The result of their choice is all the sin, evil, and tragedy in the world today. But they, and all of mankind had to live with their choice.

The good news is that God sent Jesus 2,000 years ago to be offered on the cross for our sins and short-comings. He paid the price for all the sin that came about as the result of the choice made in the Garden of Eden. We still have a choice, redemption and salvation through Jesus, or our own way. You have the freedom to choose your destiny...Jesus or self...heaven or hell. God will never force Himself on you. He has given us His Word to make it clear, so that our choice will not be one based on ignorance. Those who choose Jesus will live forever with Him. Those who don't will live forever as well...except in hell without Him.

You can choose to reject Jesus if you desire. The choice is yours. But when you stand before God on the day of judgment this is a choice you will regret.

The next time you are quick to blame God for a catastrophe or a tragedy, think again. Think about your own life. Should He forcefully intervene and make you choose Him? Or should you have a choice? If you freely reject Him (and all He offers) there will come a day when you will  blame God for not intervening in your own soul's destiny. On that day it will be too late.

Monday, December 17, 2012

MY TOP BLOG POSTS OF 2012

It's Monday...Again!!

It's Monday morning.  A very busy week lies ahead and what are you thinking?  It's quite common for working people to be thinking "On no!  It's Monday.  Not again!"  Some are thinking "Where oh where did the weekend go?"  The answer to the last question?  It's gone!  However another weekend is on its final approach to your life and it will be here soon enough.  And between last weekend and this weekend is another work week.  It's kind of difficult to change that.  So let's see this brand new work week as a week filled with opportunities that begin today...Monday!

Yes, you still have to face the routine stuff in your work week that you face every week.  But do something different this week (starting today). (Read more...)


Time for A Vision Evaluation?

What on earth is a vision evaluation? It's just that...a vision evaluation! God has given you as a  follower of Christ, spiritual vision to help you fulfill your purpose and destiny. Vision is the God-given ability to see at least parts of your destiny fulfilled. Without vision, you cannot reach your destiny. Without vision your purpose is unclear (to you). A loss of vision results in a loss of focus...further resulting in an unfulfilled destiny.

What is destiny? Destiny is purpose applied and fulfilled. Your destiny is God's purpose for your life (Read more...)


Unity = Diversity Focused on Jesus

Recently I was pondering the subject of unity. Once we understand the purpose and power of unity, and how God responds to it, we better understand the operation of His entire Kingdom!

Unity is an incredibly powerful force. God uses unity among followers of Christ to perform His will in the earth. Unity does not take place when everyone agrees on everything. Unity is produced when folks focus on ONE thing. (Read More...)


Where Are The Godly Men?

There are many more men of God out there than we know. There are many more than we see with our eyes. You see, a man of God is not simply someone who preaches, or is the pastor of a church. A man of God is not simply an Evangelist or a Missionary. Simply stated (as I so often do), a man of God is a Godly man! Any man who is Godly is a man of God.

Why do I not see more men of God? Because most men of God don't realize who and what they are - men of God. The truth is, God intends for all male believers to be men of God. He can change cultures and societies through men who sell out to Jesus and live wholly for Him; men who uncompromisingly stand for the righteousness of God. However, if the enemy can thwart this, our cultures and societies continue to degrade and become more and more God-less. (Read more...) 


A Taste of Heaven

The sight of Christians worshiping in India, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Germany, Saudi Arabia, Canada, and of course, our United States does something for me. I cannot accurately explain it, but something sparks inside of me when I see people of different color, language, ethnicity, culture and nation come together for one purpose - to uplift the mighty name of Jesus.

I was in Saudi Arabia a few years back on temporary duty for the Air Force. One particular Friday a few of us gathered in the British Airways compound (a community within a community) for a worship celebration. It was during Thanksgiving so some of us Americans were joined by a host of folks from other nations to celebrate. We had a time of praise and worship that changed my life. In that little room I saw people from India, Pakistan, England, Germany, Africa, Saudi Arabia, the U.S. and other parts of this planet worshiping (with all their hearts) the same Lord I had come to know just 2 years earlier. Suddenly I had a thought (I know was prompted by the Holy Spirit)..."This is a taste of Heaven". Wow...a taste of heaven! (Read more...)


He Came

Black Friday, 2012 is now History! Time to celebrate! It's all over...right? Well...not exactly. Black Friday is the official kick-off for the entire Christmas retail shopping season. In other words...it's on! The official Christmas shopping clock is ticking toward that unavoidable deadline - Christmas Day.

Will you make the December 25th deadline this year? Gifts must be purchased. And not just gifts,   perfect gifts. What do you get folks who already have everything? Will you establish or add to your debt by purchasing these perfect gifts (for folks who have everything) on a credit card? (Read more...)

Sunday, December 16, 2012

Over The Top

There was an incident in Luke's Gospel, Chapter 7 in which a woman (who was believed to be a prostitute) learned that Jesus was having lunch at the home of a Pharisee. What she did next was what we would call today..."over the top".

Somehow she gets in, finds Jesus, and weeping....wets Jesus' feet with her tears. But that wasn't all. She began wiping His feet with her hair! Was she done? Not really. She also began kissing Jesus' feet, and pouring very, very expensive perfume on His feet. The Pharisee who invited Jesus criticized Him for not supernaturally knowing the woman was a sinner. The truth is, Jesus knew exactly who and what this woman was. But He saw something in her actions that reflected His own heart. Jesus was blessed by this "over the top" treatment He received from her. What Jesus saw by this woman's actions, the Pharisee and His guests did not see.

What did Jesus see in her actions? What was it that grabbed His heart? I am convinced that the actions of the woman indicated a heart very similar to Jesus. How could this come from a prostitute? The truth is, it could have been anyone. It could have been you or me! It was her extravagance that connected with Jesus' heart and moved it. It was her "over the top" treatment of Jesus that touched Him. Why? Because Jesus' own destiny was to go "over the top" for all of mankind.

Let's talk about the woman first. It is "over the top" for a prostitute to burst into the home of a pharisee. It is "over the top" to be so broken that you wet someone's feet with your tears. Man, that's a lot of crying. It is "over the top" to wipe someone's feet (in brokenness) with your own hair. (Feet that were dirty and probably covered with animal dung from walking through the local streets.) It's "over the top" to kiss those same feet with your own lips, and then pour extremely expensive perfume on them; perfume that could have been sold for a great sum and the money given to the poor.

In the same way, Jesus went way "over the top" for you, me, and ALL of mankind. Think about it. Jesus, God the Son, laid aside His Kingly privileges, left His glory, and became a lowly human. That's "over the top". He, as the Son of God, and the Son of Man was tempted in every area, like us, yet without sin. (See Hebrews 2:18; 4:15) He went "over the top" when He was persecuted, beaten, bruised, and battered...in our place. He went "over the top" as He hung on the cross and gave up His own life so that all of humanity might live through Him. Conquering death, hell, and the grave, and rising three days later was a feat we would all deem as "over the top". Sending God, the Holy Spirit, to dwell within us and upon us until the end of the age was no doubt..."over the top".

It's clear to see how Jesus was touched and blessed by the actions of a prostitute who went "over the top" to acknowledge her love for the One who delivered her from seven demons; and set her free from the bondage of immorality! I understand why Jesus would say of her, "Truly I say to you, wherever the gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be spoken of in memory of her." (Matthew 14:9) This woman loved Jesus so much she went "over the top" in expressing this love.

The more I ponder this, the more I see the need for "over the top" expression of our love to Jesus. Jesus understands extravagance because it was His heart to go "over the top" for us. He is blessed when we go "over the top" in our expression of our love to Him.

Remember, Jesus has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and sound judgment. (2 Timothy 1:7) Thinking about how He expressed His love for me gives me the drive to go "over the top" in expressing my love for Him.


Wednesday, December 5, 2012

A Taste of Heaven

The sight of Christians worshiping in India, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Germany, Saudi Arabia, Canada, and of course, our United States does something for me. I cannot accurately explain it, but something sparks inside of me when I see people of different color, language, ethnicity, culture and nation come together for one purpose - to uplift the mighty name of Jesus.

I was in Saudi Arabia a few years back on temporary duty for the Air Force. One particular Friday a few of us gathered in the British Airways compound (a community within a community) for a worship celebration. It was during Thanksgiving so some of us Americans were joined by a host of folks from other nations to celebrate. We had a time of praise and worship that changed my life. In that little room I saw people from India, Pakistan, England, Germany, Africa, Saudi Arabia, the U.S. and other parts of this planet worshiping (with all their hearts) the same Lord I had come to know just 2 years earlier. Suddenly I had a thought (I know was prompted by the Holy Spirit)..."This is a taste of Heaven". Wow...a taste of heaven!

What was it about this experience that prompted the Holy Spirit to say what He said? It was the fact that in heaven (just like in that room) people from every tribe, tongue, and nation will be gathered to worship and adore the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords forever and ever and ever.

Even now at gatherings when there is a parade of flags from the nations represented, I have to hold back the tears. It just touches my heart. Each flag represents a people group or groups, different from mine, devoted to giving worship and praise to the same God..the ONE and ONLY God. There is no doubt God is moved when the nations of the earth gather to worship Him. Why? Because it will be the same in heaven when we're all gathered before Him, blessing His heart.

He created the different nations to be different! Different  tongues. Different color. Different cultures. Different locations. Different environments. But...as we worship the ONE and only, the ONLY true God, we become as He is...ONE! He causes the diversity we represent from each nation and each person to become ONE Holy Nation before Him. We must retain our individuality because He died for each one of us. However, as we uplift our King, in His presence our diversities blend into one voice, no matter where we are located on the planet!

I believe this IS a taste of heaven. There is much about heaven I do not know. But I do know what He is showing us. Heaven will be filled with color (contrary to popular opinion)! There will be diversity. There will be individuality. But there will be ONE holy nation, composed of all the color and diversity and individuality. It will be indescribable! It will be incredible! How do I know this? Because I have already gathered with believing folks from a host of different nations to experience the oneness that is produced through worship of Him. I have already had a taste of heaven!