Jesus Painting

TURN YOUR VOLUME ON! Be patient and watch this guy work. You will like it.

What's YOUR Soul Worth?

What’s YOUR Soul Worth?

“For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away?” (Luke 9:25 – King James Version).

Ask Adam…the whole world was his and he was given rule over it. He traded it for a moment’s indulgence. He might not have known, or perhaps he did not clearly understand it, but I believe it was unbelief. He just didn’t take God very seriously when the Lord said, “If you eat of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, you WILL SURELY die!” Adam had it all, the whole world and his soul. He was the only man that ever had it all. He’s the only one that has ever lost it all. It seems many times that we are trying to get it all back. It’s not going to work! If we do get it, what good would it be if losing our soul is the price? The world is going to burn one day anyway.

What if you had all the riches of Bill Gates? My wife told me recently that 0.2% of his worth is ten million dollars. That guy is rich! Is your soul worth all of that money?

What if you had the mind of Albert Einstein? What if you were the smartest person on the face of the planet? What if there were no fact that you did not know and no theory that you did not understand? Is your soul worth that?

What if you had the power of Alexander the Great? What if you ruled the known world and every person was at your beck and call? Is your soul worth that?

Really…what’s your soul worth? It’s worth more than the world and you know it. It was worth God stepping down from the lofty heights of heaven and putting on the flesh of man and dying on an ugly cross. That’s what your soul is worth.

The fact of the matter is that we rarely will ever get the chance at any of those things. I doubt any one reading this today has the temptation of billions of dollars. I doubt any one of us has the lure of great power or world-shaking intelligence. What we do have are opportunities that are a lot smaller that we trade our soul for. We work too much and pray too little. We buy too much and give too little. We find more to want and less to be content with all the time. We find more distractions in the world than we do attractions in the Lord. Sometimes we simply trade obedience to God for a selfish pursuit. I could go on and on.

The point is simple. We ALL need to truly analyze ourselves. What’s our soul worth? What’s worth risking it?

The Plan

The Plan

“Yet God does not take away life, but plans ways so that the banished one will not be cast out from him” (2 Samuel 14:14b – New American Standard Bible).

Have you ever heard of a game called “Kick the Can”? It is a variation of hide and seek that we used to play a lot when I was a kid. Almost every time I visited my cousin, who lived in a large neighborhood with many houses, we played kick the can. I remember this kid who never won if would not let him win. He would stay “it” forever if we did not do something to prevent that. Invariably, we would play several rounds and someone would say that we need to let “Marvin” win. We would then formulate a plan that would allow “Marvin” to win. It was just the right thing to do.

In the Scripture above, King David’s friend, Joab, saw how troubled David was that his son, Absalom, and he were estranged. Joab sent a woman from Tekoa to tell David a made up story of two sons who had fought resulting in one son killing his brother. She tells the king that her family wants to put the other son to death. David decides to judge in the remaining son’s favor. He promises the woman that anyone who lays a hand on her son will be dealt with. Of course, Joab fabricates this story and has the woman tell it to the king so that David may see that is the very situation that David’s own family is in. David’s son, Absalom, had killed David’s other son, Amnon. She goes so far as to say, "Why then have you planned such a thing against the people of God? For in speaking this word the king is as one who is guilty, in that the king does not bring back his banished one?” (2 Samuel 14:13 – NASB). To which, David replies, "Behold now, I will surely do this thing; go therefore, bring back the young man Absalom" (2 Samuel 14:21 – NASB).

God will always make a way for us to succeed. He did it through the cross. God wants us to have a way to Him by salvation through Jesus. For His children who are currently away from Him, the answer is still Jesus. This is God’s plan to bring us back from banishment. He designed the plan in the Garden. He unveiled the plan in Christ’s life. He performed the plan at Calvary. He culminated the plan at the empty tomb. He informs us of the plan through the work of the Holy Spirit. He designed the plan from the beginning, performed it Himself, and calls us to reap its’ benefits. WHAT A GOD! He wants us to win! What a PRIZE! It’s not a game, but seeing no way for us to win, HE MADE THE WAY!

It is not His desire that we be banished. It is a feeble example, but we did not want “Marvin” to fail. Seeing no way for “Marvin” to do it on his own, we made a way for “Marvin” to win. God, seeing no way for us to make it on our own, made a way. It is Jesus.

Have you accepted His plan? Christian friend, are you away from God? He would not have you be. He’s got a plan. He’s made a way. It is Jesus.

On The Run

On the Run

“Then Absalom fled…” (2 Samuel 13:34a – New King James Version).

Once, when I was a kid, I broke the key to the ignition of one of my dad’s trucks off in the switch. I freaked! I jumped out of the truck and started to run. Then, to make matters worse, I realized that I had left the truck out of gear, and as I turned around to go back I realized the truck was rolling. Not only was it rolling, but rolling toward the pond! I tried to stop it, but could not. It rolled into the edge of the pond. Let’s recap; I had broken the key off and let the truck roll into the pond. As if it could get any worse, my dad had told me to leave that truck alone. That’s not good. I fled. I ran home and hid under the couch. That was my first instinct…to flee.

That is where we find Absalom. His half-brother, Amnon, had forced himself upon Absalom’s sister, Tamar, which was also Amnon half-sister. Absalom was furious! He waited two years, and finally took his revenge upon Amnon. He invited Amnon to a sheep shearing celebration. Absalom told his servants to wait until Amnon was drunk and kill him. They did. Absalom’s first response, knowing his wrong, was to flee, because Absalom knew that his father, King David, would be angry with him.

Isn’t that what we do when we sin? We run from our Father. Why, do you think, don’t we run to our Father? Is it fear? Is it fear of punishment? Is it fear of the response we may get? Is it fear of rejection? Is it a lack of wanting to take responsibility for our actions? Most likely, it is a combination of them all.

We need not feel that way. Look at the last verse in 2 Samuel 13. It says, “And King David longed to go to Absalom…” (13:39a - NKJV). Absalom’s father wanted to see him. As a matter of fact, David “longed” to be with Absalom.

When we sin, God does not want us to run from Him, but TO Him. 1 John 1:9 says, “But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from every wrong” (NLT). Sure, there are consequences to be faced. Sure, we must take responsibility for our sins. But, the over riding truth is that God will NOT REJECT us. He will cleanse us. He will forgive us. We must, however, run TO Him and not FROM Him. We miss so much fellowship with Him because we flee from God rather than flying to Him.

If you are on the run, make sure it’s TO God and not FROM God.

A Real Pro

A Real Pro

“All athletes practice strict self-control. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize” (1 Corinthians 9:25 – New Living Translation).

I watched a very famous basketball player perform marvelously in a game in which he was extremely ill. Previous to the game, many of the sports newscasters were reporting that it was very possible that the man would not play because of the severity of his illness. However, this was the playoffs. In the playoffs you either win or go home. So, this player gathered all his physical reserve and made a tremendous showing. He wanted to win and he wanted his team to win. It was such an extraordinary effort that nearly every time a story of about Michael Jordan is done that game is mentioned.

In Paul’s letter to the church at Corinth, he likens his Christian walk to the discipline a professional athlete exercises. Paul says that they deny themselves much so that they can win a prize that is temporary. He goes on to say that the discipline he employs is that which will win an eternal prize.

Jesus told us to bear our cross daily. He knew that denying our selfish desires would keep us from the prize. He understood that to win, we need to deny ourselves some of the things we like most.

Think about it like this…how long would a fly weight boxer last in his division if all he ate was fudge? Not too long, right? As a matter of fact, Paul said, “So I run straight to the goal with purpose in every step. I am not like a boxer who misses his punches” (1 Corinthians 9:26 –NLT). A fly weight boxer, if he didn’t get kicked out of his weight class, would get too heavy to effectively throw and elude punches.

So, what weight is holding back your Christian discipline? What areas of your walk with Christ do you need to practice more strict self control?

According to the Bible, the weight that holds us down is sin. So if we want to win this eternal trophy we need to take the advice of Hebrews 12:1b; “…let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us” (NKJV). You may say, “I have tried!” I know I have and I am sure you have too. What, then, is the way? According to Hebrews 12:2a, we are to look “…unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross” (NKJV). You see friend, Christ has won for us. We must claim His victory and make it ours. We must lay our sins at the foot of the cross and cast our yoke upon Him. You will never be disciplined in this spiritual contest on your own.

To be a real pro in this contest; to exercise control; to win is to take on Christ sacrifice. Is the prize worth the surrender to you today?

Gift of Grace Shared

Gift of Grace Shared

“And they beckoned unto their partners, which were in the other ship, that they should come and help them. And they came, and filled both the ships, so that they began to sink. When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, ‘Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord.’ For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the draught of the fishes which they had taken: And so was also James, and John, the sons of Zebedee, which were partners with Simon. And Jesus said unto Simon, ‘Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men.’ And when they had brought their ships to land, they forsook all, and followed Him” (Luke 5:7-11 – King James Version).

My dad had a friend named Charlie when we lived in Texas that was a lot of fun to be around. Charlie loved kids and he did a lot of nice things for us. The first time I met Charlie he asked me to come over to his house; “It’s on the lake; you can go fishing,” he said. Well, fishing or no fishing, I didn’t know that fellow very well and I wasn’t too keen on the idea. My dad said, “Go ahead, boy, it’s all right.” Trying to find something that might interest me, Charlie said, “I’ve got a big, pink yacht over there and you can ride it!” Well, now…that changed things dramatically! First off, I liked riding boats and secondly a pink boat was a sight that shouldn’t be passed over. I decided to go.

On the way over to Charlie’s house he stopped at a convenience store. “Do you want a piece of gum?” asked Charlie. “Well, I guess so; thanks,” was my weak reply. I didn’t want to turn down Charlie’s kindness, but I wasn’t (nor am I now) in love with bubble gum. If I had to chew the stuff I wanted Super Bubble. I got a piece and was blowing bubbles pretty good when Charlie came out of the store. I noticed right away that Charlie had one of those large, plastic buckets of gum under his arm. He got into the truck and presented the bucket to me, exclaiming, “It’s all yours!” Though I neither needed nor wanted that much gum, I liked Charlie from that moment on.

We had not been in Texas long, so I was in want of making new friends. I found out that many kids went to the Dairy Queen every day. I went down to that ice cream shop and handed out gum. I made some new friends with that big bucket of Super Bubble. The bonus was that I was making friends with gifts that didn’t cost me a dime. (For the record…Charlie did have a big, pink boat…it was grand!)

When I reread these verses today I remembered good ‘ol Charlie and that story above. The big boat and the chewing gum served to get my attention and from there Charlie and I became good friends. Charlie was always good to me, so I tried my best to respond in kind.

The great catch of fish got Peter’s attention. From there he went on to become well acquainted with the Lord Jesus. How did Jesus first get your attention?

I cannot help but notice that Peter’s first instinct was to share the Lord’s blessing. Peter and his fishing mates “beckoned unto their partners” and both ships were filled with fish. The Lord has blessed us all in some way and many of us in many ways. What have you shared from His benevolent hand? I gave away gum that cost me nothing just as Peter gave away fish that cost him nothing. The Lord Jesus gives us things all the time (even the air of our lungs and the blood in our veins) and I truly believe He intends for us to share. Has God blessed you with money? Share it. Has God blessed you with the abundance to have more things (cars, property, clothes, houses, food, etc) than you have NEED of? Share them. Every thing we have comes by His grace and we have the RESPONSIBILITY to share those things. If Peter had kept all the fish his ship may have sank (verse 7). He gave them away and both boats nearly sank! We are drowning in things! We NEED to give some of them away before they pull us under!

The story with Charlie stops at things, but the truth of Jesus’ giving only begins with things. Christ then called those fellows to become fishers of men. Sure, they would continue to share the things that God gave them, but a higher gifting was at hand. The giving would be better as well as the gifts. Where once Peter had only fish to share, now he would be given the privilege of sharing the message of life (Acts 3:6)!

Do you want to give away something that cost you nothing? Do you want to have the proper response to the grace of God? Share the grace that has been given you! Share liberally for the supply is unending. Share confidently; “fear not,” the Giver will insure the gift! Share often, it cost us nothing and the price (a dear one at that), has been paid! Rather than material gifts that may weigh us down to near sinking, the gift of life in Jesus lifts us up! SHARE IT! Bubble gum will serve to make friends for a moment; the gift of life makes friends that last forever. Share it!

"I'll Be Here When You Land!"

“I’ll Be Here When You Land!”

“A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity” (Proverbs 17:17 – New American Standard Bible).

One of my friends was at my house one time, and we were playing in the woods. There was a tall poplar tree that we always talked of climbing, but had not done it up to that point. It was huge, especially in the eyes of nine year old kids. I decided to climb it. My friend, Gary, told me not to. I called him a chicken and started to climb. He told me he didn’t care what I called him; he was not going to climb that tree. I was about two-thirds of the way up the tree when I yelled, “C’mon you ‘fraidy cat!” He yelled back, “I’ll be here when you land!” Guess what happened? You’re right; I fell out of that tree and landed at Gary’s feet with a thud. Several branches slowed my descent, and I was not seriously injured. What struck me most was not that I wasn’t hurt, or that I fell, but as I got hold of Gary’s extended hand, he said, “Hey man, are you okay?” I didn’t get the standard “I told you so!”, or a horse laugh, but a hand up and a concerned word.

There is so much wisdom in the Proverbs. In the verse above, we find an appropriate and Godly description of a friend and a brother. A friend is not a friend just because they do everything you do. A real friend will warn you of the danger. A real friend will, however, still be your friend when you do something stupid. They will not condone foolish behavior, but they will still love you. A real friend is someone you can call on when you have done something unwise. They may not have an answer or solution, but they will have love.

A true friend will love you in spite of the adversity in your life. The true friend will tell you, honestly, when you bring adversity on yourself. True friends feel no need to say “I told you so”. That same friend, though, will be there “when you land” speaking words of encouragement and concern.

We have a great friend in Christ. According to Proverbs 18:24, there is one that sticks closer than a brother. That friend is God. If a human friend can be so good for us, how much better is God who already knows our failings, faults, and weaknesses? The Holy Spirit is always trying to warn us when we are about to act foolish, and always waiting when we hit bottom. As the old song says, “What a friend we have in Jesus!”

Think of the folks you call your friends…what kind of friend are you to them? Do you love them at all times? Are you there in adversity? Have you told them of the greatest friend they can have?

Wasp or Crow?

Wasp or Crow?

“Like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation” (1 Peter 2:2 – New American Standard Bible).

A wasp grows from its larvae state to its fullness before it ever leaves the nest. When it flies from the nest, it flies away as big as it will ever get. A crow, on the other hand, continues to grow until its death. The crow will hatch from the egg and continually grow in size over a life span that can last well over fifty years. The bigger a crow, the older that crow is.

A poll of “born again” Christians yielded some astonishing results. Only eighteen percent of polled Christians said they read the Bible every day, while twenty-three percent said they NEVER read it. It is IMPOSSIBLE to grow as a Christian without CONTINUAL study of God’s word.

Peter tells us about our call to holy living in 1 Peter 1:13-2:3. If you read that, you will see some tough things to live up to, but Peter tells us in verse 2 to desire the WORD. Why? He knows it will help us to see God’s character, correct us in our wrongs, learn of what Jesus commanded and did, and provide instruction for living, serving, and relating to one another. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 put it this way; “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work” (NASB). I think we often fear God’s word because we KNOW it will convict us to change our actions and attitudes. James tells us that that fear turns to freedom and blessing; “But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does” (James 1:25 – NASB).

Look closely…how does Peter tell us to desire the word? Yes, like a baby wants milk. If you’ve ever been around a baby, you know that when they get hungry, they will wail until you feed them. Everyone around will know when a baby is hungry. I think that is a beautiful picture of how God wants us to yearn for His word. He wants us to know Him! And, just like a baby needs milk to grow, we need God’s word to grow.

Don’t wait for someone to feed it to you all the time! Feed yourself, and as you have questions pray, seek out mature Christians, Sunday school teachers, and/or your pastor to discuss these things with.

Some Christians are like the wasp; they are saved (fly from nest) and never grow. Some are like the crow: they are saved (hatched from the egg), and they grow and grow and grow right up until they are gone.

One question; are you a wasp or crow?

The Great Adventure

The Great Adventure

“…for you have not passed this way before" (Joshua 3:4c – New King James Version).

Have you ever played laser tag? The first time I played was the best. Not because I got to shoot people with an electronic gun, rather the maze we played in was fun to search through. It was generally dark, but lights were flashing. There were strobe lights, and some places on the walls were painted with fluorescent paint. It was exciting to run around looking for different passages. Every time I thought I’d seen the entire maze, I’d find a new hallway or hiding place. I stopped shooting, because I was having great fun “discovering” new places. It wasn’t a new maze, but it was new to me.

That’s Christian life for me. I am generally in a dark place (the world), and there are bells and whistles (flashing lights and fluorescent paint) every where I turn. The exciting part is that every time I think I have things figured out, God shows me something new. God is not a new God, but He is new to me. I like that. I want to thirst for Him as the Psalmist does in Psalm 42:1.

In Joshua 3, the people entered a new phase in their relationship with God. They went into the land God had promised them. He sent out the Ark of the Covenant before them as a guide for them. Every step they took was a new place that they had not passed through before. How exciting!

Sure, I’ve been through this world before, but now I’m going through it with God. I have new vision. I am seeing things as He leads me, not as I lead myself. This is great! Joshua told the people, "Sanctify yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you" (Joshua 3:5b). I want that to be my prayer every night…”Lord, set me apart, help me to see the great adventure that you have for me tomorrow!”

Paul said, “To live is Christ…” (Philippians 1:21). He understood that great adventure. As he lived on this earth, Paul was discovering the world moment by moment in Christ’s eyes, getting to know Him more all the time.

I know there will be dead ends in a maze, and I know that there will be trouble. Still, I am excited to go through one. In the same way, I know I will experience difficulties in life, but I am excited to go through it with God. I want to pass through a way that I have never been before. I want to experience Him moment by moment as I go through this world. I WANT THIS GREAT ADVENTURE!

Every step with Christ is one that I never made before. The explorer in me can’t wait to see what wonders He will do next in my life. Are you enjoying YOUR great adventure?

Misunderstood

Misunderstood

“As she was praying to the LORD, Eli watched her. Seeing her lips moving but hearing no sound, he thought she had been drinking. ‘Must you come here drunk?’ he demanded. ‘Throw away your wine!’" (1 Samuel 1:12-14 – New Living Translation).

Don’t you hate misunderstandings? Sitcoms are built on them. One character misunderstands what another is doing, and you get thirty minutes of mayhem. Too bad life’s misunderstandings don’t always end up in laughs. Some do, but most have an ending where friendships change and feelings get hurt.

Hannah certainly knew what it meant to be misunderstood. As she was in the Temple praying, the High Priest thought she was drunk! Did you catch that? In the place where one would think they would get the most understanding, Hannah’s actions are misunderstood in the Temple. She is misunderstood by the High Priest, and one would think he would be the most understanding. She was misunderstood while engaged in the act and attitude of prayer, and one would think that would be the last thing you would be doing and be misunderstood.

Hannah was misunderstood by her High Priest, in her church, while doing something spiritual…that’s hard to swallow. She obviously didn’t think so. Do you want to know why? She KNEW that God understood. She didn’t take offense. She didn’t leave her church (Temple) in a rage. She didn’t slander or try to run off her preacher (the High Priest). She didn’t get out of religion (stop praying). What she did was very clearly explain what was going on in her life (1 Samuel 1:15-16). The priest, then, prayed blessing on her. No relationships were destroyed; no feelings of bitterness reigned; no revenge was necessary; no lives destroyed by slander. Why? Hannah KNEW God understood, swallowed her pride, and explained herself. Granted, she shouldn’t have HAD to explain herself, but she did.

I wish the Church would grasp this. So many Christian folks hop from congregation to congregation because of misunderstandings about their actions from their preachers and fellow congregants. So many relationships are altered or ended by misunderstandings. Feelings get hurt, often with no one knowing the wound but the one who was hurt.

Have you ever been misunderstood? God knows. He is fully aware of your intentions. Look at Hannah’s prayer in chapter two of 2 Samuel. You will see a formerly misunderstood lady praising God for His greatness and for His kindness to her. She didn’t leave the Temple experience bitter, but better.

If you have been misunderstood, and it caused hurt, trust me, God knows. In the future, if you are misunderstood, stop, swallow hurt and pride, and explain yourself. It could mean the world of difference in a relationship with an individual, your spiritual leaders, and your congregation.

Hang in There

Hang in There

“Then the Spirit said unto Philip, ‘Go near, and join thyself to this chariot’” (Acts 8:29 – King James Version).

I was visiting with a congregation in revival services one time, and spent some time in prayer with two gentlemen who worked together. They told me how tough it was to be the only two Christians on their shift. We prayed for quite awhile, asking God to give them strength, give them opportunities to witness, and prepare the soil of the hearts of their lost co-workers. When we finished praying, I think they expected me to say something profound. I told them that I truly believed that God had them there for a reason. It seemed as if they wanted me to say more, so, like the knucklehead that I am, I said, “Hang in there.” Little did I realize what I said! I ran into one of those guys at a local restaurant a few weeks later. He was beaming from ear to ear. He told me how God used him to lead a lost co-worker to salvation in Christ.

Sometimes, we seem to be in tough situations. We honestly wonder what God is up to. That happens a lot in our life situations. We may be strained, and seem to be in a place that we don’t belong. Then, God, in His timing, shows us why we were there all along. We simply need to be obedient, prepared, and ready to serve.

That is where we find Philip. First off, he’s preaching in Samaria (Acts 8:5), and we know that Jews and Samarians didn’t get along very well. Nevertheless, Philip was there, being obedient, prepared to share Christ, and serving God. Secondly, we find Philip talking to an Ethiopian of the royal court in the desert south of Jerusalem (Acts 8:26-39). Let’s remember something here…Philip was a Jew, probably a peasant. What in the world is he doing talking to Samarians and Ethiopians?!? He probably wondered that himself. Yet, like as not, there Philip was; obedient, prepared to testify, and serving.

Imagine yourself in that position; God says to you, “Go catch up with that moving vehicle and talk with those folks.” Your reaction might be, “Excuse me, what did your say? I can’t do that. That’s too hard! I wouldn’t fit in!” To which God might reply, “Hang in there!”

That may be where you are in your workplace, your community, your school, or possibly even your home. Hang in there! God wants to use you! It may seem like a strained, strange, and tough place to be, but grab hold to the “chariot” that God has you on the road with, and hang in there.

Philip did. He was used of God, much like my friend, to lead someone to Christ (Acts 8:37) in spite of difficult circumstances. God knows exactly what YOUR situation is. Will you be used in His service? Hang in there!