Random Prayers

Most people learn to pray through rote prayers. They learn the mealtime prayers of ‘God is great, God is good, now I thank Him for this food.’ Or they learn the Lord’s Prayer: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.’

Along with this, prayer often is very organized. We pray at certain times. We take prayer requests so that we can pray for specific events and people. We have organized prayer meetings or special times of prayer in church services. We like to know how we are going to pray and when we are going to pray and who we are going to pray for.

But what about random prayers? What are random prayers? They are prayers that just happen throughout the day randomly. For example, maybe you are driving along and you hear a siren, so you randomly pray for the ambulance and the person who is injured. Or you pass a school and you decide at that moment to pray for the teachers and students of the school.

Why random prayers? Random prayer allows you to pray for people and things you might not normally pray for. Being open to random prayer allows you to listen to God’s prompting for situations that might be a ‘now’ need. Random prayer leads you to reach beyond what is comfortable and normal for your prayer life. Random prayer leads you to trust in God for His leading, and guiding, and responding.

I hope you try some random prayer today, and every day! Blessings.

What is Hell, Exactly?

Hell is not a topic most people like to talk about. It is not even a topic most churches talk about? Why is this? I believe it is because the idea of hell is appalling to most people. The idea of hell is that it is a terrible place of intense heat and pain and torture. Why would a place like that exist? How could God allow something so terrible?

According to Jesus, Hell does exist. I'm not sure EXACTLY what hell is, but I do have a relative idea based on the teachings of Jesus. In the gospel of Luke, chapter 16, Jesus tells the story of a beggar named Lazarus who begged at the gate of a rich man named Abraham. Lazarus had faith, but Abraham did not. They both died. Lazarus went to heaven and Abraham went to hell (or hades). Then Jesus says this in verses 23-24, "In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham (the Father of all Nations who is in Heaven) far away, with Lazarus by his side. ²⁴ So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.'"
Apparently, there is torment and great need in hell (he was needing even a drop of water). He goes on to ask God to send someone to his brothers to tell them that hell is real so that they will believe in Jesus and be saved.
So let's look briefly at these issues:
Why does hell exist? Hell exists because Satan exists. Ever since Satan (who was once an angel of light) got himself thrown out of heaven by trying to overthrow heaven, he has been bent on trying to steal people from God. As 1 Peter 5:8 says, "Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." Satan wants to devour you by taking you away from God, and all the blessings God wants to bring into your life. Hell has been established for Satan and all of his followers.
Why is there torment? There is torment because the truth is, hell is devoid of all love. If God is love, and only because of God love exists in the world, then once you are out of the presence of God, you will be out of the presence of love. Imagine for a moment having "NO" love, or peace, or goodness in your life. That would truly be a world of torment. Hell at its worst is the fact that you will be forever out of the presence of God!
Why is Abraham (the one in hell) in such great need? People search for meaning and purpose in so many things: money, fame, success, possessions.... Yet, none of these things will ever satisfy. Without Jesus as our Savior, we will always find ourselves in need, because our spirit will never be at peace. In hell, you will forever be without peace; you will forever be in need.
So, don't think that hell is a great place to party with all of your non-Christian friends. Don't sing "I'm on a highway to hell" as a trumpet call. Give yourself to Jesus, and receive the wonderful gift of love, salvation, and forgiveness. Blessings.

Oppression

Oppression is the exercise of authority or power in a burdensome, cruel, or unjust manner. Notice key words like ‘burdensome or cruel.’ To understand how these words are important, it is good to note that God created us to be in relationship with each other, not to be a lord over another.

We see oppression in many forms. A man can oppress a woman. A parent can oppress a child. A leader can oppress those whom he or she leads. One group can oppress another group. We see a prime example of this in the book of Exodus (in the Bible), where the Israelites were slaves to the Egyptians. At one point Moses is appointed by God to free the Israelites from their slavery. However, when Moses came to inform the Pharaoh, the Pharaoh responded by adding more work to be done; the oppression increased.

We see this happen often in marriages as well. That is why the statistics for domestic violence are so high. One spouse ‘oppresses’ the other by use of some kind of control. This is not how a marriage is to be. In a marriage there is to be mutual love and the giving of themselves to each other.

People can be oppressed by addictions as well. When a person ‘has to have’ a drink, or a cigarette, or a drug, they are oppressed by this substance. The substance ‘controls’ their life.

God wants to break us free of any oppression. Free of our sin, free of the abuses, free of the cruelty. God, who is love, wants us to experience love. God created us in love, and made us to experience love. As children of God, we need to not only seek God to break us of our oppression, but help others to break free as well. As we are told in Galatians 6:2, “Bear one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”

What oppressions do you see around you? How can you break free of them? How can you help others break free? Blessings.

Copycat

They say that imitation is the greatest form of compliment. I remember when Tyler and Tiffany were young. They would regularly copy Tami when she was in the kitchen cooking. When Tyler was younger, he loved to get out his Star Wars sword and copy the Jedi Knights from the Star Wars movies. I have a great picture of my dad and me sitting on our couch when I was young. My dad had his hands behind his neck, and right next to him I was sitting in the same way!

Why do kids copy their parents? Because they look up to them and want to be like them. Kids want to get bigger, older, and smarter, so they look to their parents for an example. The problem with this comes when the parents aren’t setting a good example. Later in life through peer pressure, this can be a problem if their friends are setting a bad example. Copying others can be helpful, but only if their behavior is worth imitating.

When Jesus called His disciples, He did so by saying ‘Follow Me.’ Jesus not only wanted them to follow Him physically, but to follow what He did as well. Jesus’ method was to have them watch Him minister to people, then He had the disciples do some ministry while He watched. This was so that when He left the earth, they would be ready to do it on their own and be examples to others.

So a couple of good questions are: What kind of example are you? Who are your examples? We are called to live our lives as Christians in a way that helps other know how to live. We need to have people in our lives who help to remind us of how to be strong, obedient Christians. That way, when others are copying you, it is a good thing, not a bad thing. Blessings.

What are you settling for?

Do you have a job that you don’t like? A spouse who isn’t there for you? A life that you are tired of? Many will answer “yes” to at least one of these questions in their lifetime. That doesn’t mean that you have to change jobs, your spouse, or quit on your life. What it might mean is that you are just “settling” for things in your life, thinking that what you have is all that you can have.

In John 10:10 Jesus tells us, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” The thief Jesus is referring to is Satan. Satan, having gotten kicked out of heaven, is furious at God. Satan doesn’t want anyone to find God. Satan is trying to steal our joy and our salvation. That is why Jesus came to this earth, to defeat the power of Satan. The apostle Paul tells us, in 1 Corinthians 15:56, “The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. ⁵⁷ But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

When we let sin reign in us, we will be robbed of our joy. But when we let Jesus have His way with us, then we will experience the deep joy of life. We will enjoy our job because we work at it for the Lord, not for people. Our marriage will be more meaningful because we give it to God, and love our spouse the way God’s calls us to. Our lives will have more joy because we will be filled with the joy of the Spirit.

We will discover new meaning to our lives when we live for God. We will have a new understanding of what we are called to do, because we will have the wisdom of God. We will see blessings abound because we will have the eyes of God. So, don’t just settle for life, live it fully in Christ. Blessings.

Who Turned Up the Heat?

A few weeks ago my family and in-laws went to Palm Springs to celebrate Tami’s dad’s birthday. The one thing he wanted to do was play golf, so we did. It was team golf: Tami and me verses Tyler and her dad. When we started at 7:30 a.m. it was about 90 degrees. When we finished it was about 115 degrees. As we were finishing we all felt like someone has just turned a dial to turn up the heat! It was nice when we were able to go back to the hotel and lounge in the pool.

The weather is not the only way the heat can be turned up. We can feel the ‘heat’ in relationships, our work, even in athletics. When the heat gets turned up, life is not fun. You always want to figure out who turned up the heat. Is it heat from outside pressures, or heat from our own inner expectations? Sometimes it can be both.

Whenever you feel the heat getting turned up, here is what you should do: look beyond yourself. Where should you look? Look to God. This is because we are not capable of turning off the heat ourselves. Often times when we try and turn off the heat, it just causes more problems. But God has the power and know-how to turn it off.

In the last month it seems that the heat has been turned up in my life via conflict. At first my anxiety level goes up, my stress level goes up, my ability to sleep goes down, and I get a little overwhelmed. Then I remember to look beyond myself. I do 2 things that help. First, I seek to give it to God. As Philippians 4:8 says, “Finally, brothers, whatever true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable, if anything excellent or praiseworthy, think about these things.” What we allow our minds to dwell on will determine if the heat will get to us or not.

Second, we need to give it away to God and let God deal with it. Going back to Philippians 4, verses 6-7, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Give it away by presenting it to God. But for God to deal with it you have to let go of it.

In my situation, conflict after conflict was dealt with in time. God provided me opportunities to resolve the conflict, or cause me to realize that the conflict was more in me than in the situation. In giving it to God I was able to be less anxious, be less stressed, and sleep better. I trusted in God and He delivered me.

The next time you feel the heat is being turned up, forget about the heat, and look to God. Blessings.

That's Rich

When I saw our blog topic for this week, “That’s Rich,” the first thoughts in my mind were: ‘What do I want to say about gaining money?’ But then as I thought about it more, I realized that one of the great problems in this world is that people think that they can find contentment with money. If you read the book of Ecclesiastes, you will realize that King Solomon, who was very rich, discovered that you do not get contentment from money. As he said in Ecclesiastes 5:10, “Whoever loves money, never has enough…”

So, what was I to write about? I realized that the Bible is full of wonderful verses that share about how we can be rich. Let me share just a few…

Luke 12:21 “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.”

2 Corinthians 8:9 “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.”

Ephesians 2:4 “But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy.”

1 Timothy 6:18 “Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share.”

The Bible talks about the best kind of riches we are to have: being rich toward God; rich in God’s power; rich in God’s mercy; rich in God’s presence; rich in good deeds. We are told in the book of Colossians to set our eyes on the things of heaven. When we are rich in how I just described, we are keeping our eyes on heaven, because this is how God guides us to live. A life lived according to God’s ways will always be a rich life. Blessings.

God Uses Us

If you were to list the ways your life has been useful for this world, what are some things you would write on your list? Raising your kids? Becoming a helpful person? Teaching someone an important skill? It can be a challenge to be useful in this life. We can’t all create a cure for a disease or bring about peace between warring nations. So how can we truly have a useful and purposeful life?

The truth is, when we give our lives to God, God will find a way to bless our efforts. In this way, as we live for God, God uses us. Jesus told us in Matthew 16:24-25, “Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. ²⁵ For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.’” We wrongly think that we need to do things for ourselves, and then we will be happy and find our purpose. The truth is, we must give ourselves to Christ who will guide our way and lead us into a purposeful life.

God cannot use us when we seek our own way, but only when we humble ourselves and live for God. This is because when we follow the way we think we should go, we are not open to God’s way; we have hardened our hearts towards God whether we realize it or not. This world leads us astray causing us to think that we are on our own to find meaning. God gives our life meaning; God gives our relationships meaning; God gives our work meaning.

Our ultimate call in life is to worship God. The life and death of Jesus helps us to do this. As we come to know Jesus, life makes sense, because we can see this life in the context of the eternal. We cannot see the eternal without accepting Jesus as our Savior and our Lord. Life will never make sense without this kind of awareness.

One of the best ways that God can use us is to help someone else come to know Jesus. When we can help another receive Jesus, God truly uses us and gives our life purpose! Blessings.

Sanctification

Sanctification is the act of setting apart a believer for God. This setting apart is enabled because of Christ’s sacrifice. Romans 3:10 says, ‘There is no one righteous, not even one.’ There is no one who is righteous because we all have sin in our lives. God, being a holy God, cannot be in the presence of sin. To take care of this problem, God sent Jesus to this earth to give His life as a sacrifice. In other words, Jesus paid the penalty for us; for our sin. When we accept Jesus as our ‘Savior,’ Jesus sanctifies us, or sets us apart from our sin. In this sanctification we are able to come to God.

What does this mean? It means that our sin no longer separates us from God. Through confession and forgiveness we can have our sin removed. So, we can always have access to God, because we can be sanctified again and again by the blood of Jesus. This can also help remove our feelings of guilt, because once the sin is removed, it is done away with, and no longer has any power in our lives. It is as if that sin never happened, for God ‘remembers it no more.’

As a pastor I deal with so many people who live their lives feeling guilty for their past sins, even though they say they have asked God to forgive them. They live in guilt because they cannot forgive themselves, or they think that God continues to remember. In essence, by not moving on, they are crucifying Jesus over and over again. They are not believing that Jesus’ death on the cross once and for all paid for their sins!

What we need to do is accept and believe that Jesus’ death sanctifies us. What we need to do is live as people who are free, not as people who are trapped by our sin. What we need to do is let God empower us to be a blessed people because we are lifted up above our sin. Our Lord, sanctify me this day. Amen.

God Bless America

One of the songs people sing on and around the Fourth of July is “God Bless America.” The lyrics say: “God Bless America,
Land that I love.
Stand beside her, and guide her
Thru the night with a light from above.
From the mountains, to the prairies,
To the oceans, white with foam
God bless America, My home sweet home.”

You hear these words, as if they are a prayer to the Lord, to stand beside her (America) and guide her. But how can God bless a Nation that has departed so far from Him? Much of what really happened in establishing our nation has been erased from our textbooks. Revisionists have rewritten history to remove the truth about our country's Christian roots. Fifty-two of the 55 signers of The Declaration of Independence were orthodox, deeply committed Christians. The other three believed in the Bible as the divine truth, they believed in the God of scripture, and they believed in God’s personal intervention!

Our country has gone far away from our Christian roots. From outlawing prayer in school, to taking the Ten Commandments out of the courtroom, the country has turned to moral relativism (morality determined by each person on their own). Instead, they should be using the Bible, God’s word to us, which guides us in moral absolutes. How can God guide those who do not seek Him? How can people expect God to bless our country (or them as individuals) when they do not follow God?

I believe that if we want God to bless our country again, then we need to get back to our Christian roots, and let God’s word be the guiding force of our lives, our laws, and our country! I know there are many who disagree, but I believe that is a strong reason of why our country is as troubled as it is. I do want God to bless America. I hope that people humble themselves, and turn to God. Then indeed God will bless our great nation.

Why Are Celebrations Important?

Just this month we have already celebrated communion at church (June 5), my daughter Tiffany’s birthday (June 7), and Tyler’s 8^th grade graduation (June 15). Tomorrow we celebrate Tiffany’s graduation from 6^th grade. So, we might wonder, why are all these celebrations important? Do they put undo attention on the person or event?

Let me give my opinion on this, but saying that I do believe celebrations are important. First, they give us a reminder of what is happening. The celebration of communion reminds us that Jesus died on the cross so that we might receive forgiveness for our sins. The birthday celebration reminds us of the wonderful blessing of Tiffany being born 12 years ago. The graduations tell of the hard work and learning that the kids experienced in school.

Second, it gives us a sense of tradition. It allows us to recognize the significance of the person, or event, and binds us with those who have gone before us. It gives us a nice regularity to our lives as we celebrate the event monthly (like communion) or annually (such as birthdays or Christmas).

Third, it acknowledges the accomplishment. It is important to remember what Jesus accomplished for us on the cross. Communion allows us to keep that fresh in our minds. It is important to remember our birth and that God created us special and unique (especially for Tami and me since we struggled to have our children). In terms of graduations, it gives praise to the individual who put in the work it takes to graduate.

Fourth, it helps us feel special. There is so much in life that can beat or tear us down. These celebrations allow us to feel good about who we are and what we have done. These celebrations lead us to believe that we are special, just as God believes we are special. It gives us a time where others encourage us by being part of the celebration with us.

Do you think celebrations are important? What do celebrations mean to you? Blessings.

What Makes YOU So Right?

If you have ever tried to talk to someone about the Christian faith, someone who doesn’t believe as you do, you know that they are thinking: What makes YOU so right? There are many people who believe that the Christian faith is not the ONLY right way. They believe that there are many paths to God, not just Christianity. They believe that our thinking that Christianity is the only right way is NARROW thinking.

The truth is that it is Jesus, not me or other Christians who said in John 14:6, “..‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’” What makes me so right is that I am sharing the truth of Jesus, God in the flesh. Jesus, the One who died on the cross and was raised from the dead so that we could have forgiveness of sins, and life eternal. Jesus, the One who said: “For God so loved the world that He gave His One and Only Son, that whoever believes in whom should not perish but have everlasting life.”

The truth is, people in our world like to have options. They have the option of staying home to eat, or going out to eat. They have the option of driving or flying when they go on vacation. Life is full of options. So, because of this, people want to have options when it comes to faith and religion. They don’t like to be told what is true and what isn’t true.

I trust in Jesus. I fully believe that Jesus is God in the flesh. There is great merit in who Jesus is and what Jesus has done. I have experienced His presence and power and forgiveness in my own life. Because of this, I don’t look at Jesus’ statement in John 14:6 to be limiting, but to be life changing and freeing. In Jesus I have discovered who I truly am, and the purpose I have for my life. In Jesus, I have assurance that I will dwell with God for all eternity. In Jesus I know that my life makes a difference, and is important.

I hope that you will open yourself up to this truth. Blessings.

Jesus Won a Choice for Us

There are many people, because of their economic conditions, that don’t have a choice in certain matters. Some people will never be members of a country club. Some people will never be able to attend a top academic university. Some will not be able to have a fancy wedding. And on and on it goes. We might think about this and think it to be unfair.

The good news is that there is something that is very fair, and that is salvation. Whether we go to heaven or not is a choice that everyone can make. This is because of what Jesus has done. As Jesus Himself said, “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many.” Jesus gave His life on the cross so that people could choose to receive Him as their Savior.

When Jesus was hanging on the cross, there were two criminals by Him; one on either side. One of the criminals asked Jesus to remember him when Jesus got to heaven. Jesus said to the criminal: “Truly, I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise!” Jesus wasn’t concerned about his status, or how much money he had. Jesus didn’t care about his reputation or his wrongdoings. At that moment, that man was in essence asking for forgiveness from Jesus, and receiving Jesus as His Savior. With this, Jesus told the man He would be in heaven.

Because of Jesus’ victory over death, Jesus has won for us a choice: the choice of heaven. Because of Jesus’ victory over Satan, Jesus has purchased us from death to life. Because of Jesus’ victory over sin, Jesus makes it so that we can choose to be free of our sins!! How wonderful are these choices we have to make. May we make them well. Blessings.

Keeping Up Appearances

In life we often have a side of us that we show in public, and another side that might be seen in private. We like to ‘keep up appearances’ so that others will think good of us. We don’t like others to see our faults and weaknesses. We want to appear strong, capable, and independent, even though inside we often feel weak and in need of help.

The apostle Paul helps us with these words from 2 Corinthians 11:30, “If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness.” And also these from

2 Corinthians 12:10, “That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” How could he say this? Because he knew that he had weaknesses, and that God could not only help him in and through his weakness, but bring about something wonderful through them!

Today when I was in prayer I was able to let down my guard to the Lord, and let the Lord know that I needed His presence, wisdom, and power in my life. In this time of prayer He gave me the word RESTORE. As I thought about this word I realized that there are many ways that I need to be restored by God. As God restores me, He fills me with His presence, wisdom, and power.

How is it that I need to be restored? I need God to restore my focus, as I can easily become unfocused. I need God to restore my energy as the ministry I do often drains me. I need God to restore my spirit so that I can connect to His Spirit. I need God to restore my desire to serve Him. I need God to restore my perspective, as I get lost in an earthly perspective and need to again have an eternal perspective. I need God to restore my ability to live in the ‘now’ instead of always thinking about what I need to do in the future.

There are so many ways that life can drain me, leading me to need restoration. How wonderful it is that God is a restoring God. How wonderful it is that I can be real with God and admit where I need help. How wonderful it is that I can trust God to love me in the midst of my being weak. God will not put me down for being weak, but all the more will lift me up into His presence and provide me what I need to carry on.

Praise be to God for His love and presence. Blessings.

What is Seen in the Light

When I was in college I worked during a summer as a Junior High summer counselor for a Day Camp. I had about 8-12 Junior Highers 5 days a week, 6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., for the whole summer! If you know anything about Junior Highers you know they have trouble entertaining themselves. So in a desperate moment one day I decided to create a game. We were in a small classroom with several long tables. The kids hid under the tables, then I turned off the lights. I then threw a penny, you could hear it bounce around, and then drop to the ground. The point of the game was to find the penny in the dark! (I know, I know, I was desperate to keep them occupied). Anyway, sometimes we would find the coin, sometimes we couldn’t find it until we turned the lights on. We were able to see the penny in the light.

Many people live their lives thinking that what they do in the dark cannot be seen; that their bad deeds can only be seen in the light. That is why crime increases when it gets dark. We think the darkness hides what we do.

But the truth is, God can see what we do in the darkness and in the light. In Psalm 139:7, 11-12, we read: “Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?… If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,” ¹² even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.”

You need to live your life as if you are always living in the light. Character is about how you behave even when others aren’t looking. At your job, you work hard whether your boss is there or not. If you work with money, you make sure you are always responsible with it. When you are talking about someone else, and they are not there, you make sure you don’t slander them. And on and on it goes. Live as though everything you do is seen in the light!

How are you doing with this? Where might you need to adjust your living? Your thinking? Blessings.

Encouragement

A couple of months ago I did a sermon on being generous, and how when we are generous we have a much more thankful attitude. The idea of being generous comes from giving back from what we have been given. To do this we have to be aware of all that we have, and be thankful for the many blessings in our lives. More often than not, it comes from believing that we have all that we need, and can share from our abundance.

However, when we talk about being generous, I believe it needs to include our words. We need to be generous in giving words of encouragement to others. We live in a world that is so faced paced, and so concerned with individuality, that we often forget to be encouraging to others. We are so focused on what we are trying to accomplish that we forget to let others know of the good job they are doing.

I coach my son’s 13-14 year-old baseball team, and as a coach my job is to help them be the best baseball players they can be. I try and evaluate their current skill level, and then try and help them progress in their ability. Sometimes I do this by challenging them to not make mistakes. But I need to also remember that I can do this by being encouraging to them. I need to let them know what they are doing well before I tell them what they are doing wrong. Then I need to encourage them and instruct them in how to do it right!

Wouldn’t it be nice to have people experience your mere presence as an encouragement? In Ephesians 6:22 the Apostle Paul said: “I am sending Tychicus to you for the purpose of telling you of how I am doing, to let you know how we are, and to encourage your hearts.” Tychicus’ presence was going to bring encouragement to the church in Ephesus. In 1 Thessalonians 5:11 Paul said, “Therefore, encourage one another and build up each other, as indeed you are doing.”

Encouragement is a wonderful attribute to possess. It is such a blessing to build others up and help them believe in themselves. It is powerful to let others feel words of encouragement, and lead them on to great things. It is freeing for someone to break the barrier of self-doubt and unbelief because they have been encouraged to do so.

So, my challenge to you is to search for your gifts, talents, and abilities. What are you capable of doing? Probably more than you might already believe now. Know that God has created you with great abilities and potential. Let yourself believe in yourself, and do not let the negative voices of the world hold you down. Start doing great things today, and learn to encourage others as well. Blessings.

Your Favorite Disney Movie

Disney started making movies in 1937 with Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Their movies have set the bar for imagination and creativity. While I believe Pixar has now surpassed Disney in the making of quality movies, Disney set the standard for movies that entertain both kids and adults alike.

As I was thinking about the many Disney movies, I started to wonder which one I would choose as my favorite. There are so many good ones that I find it difficult to choose. So I’m not going to choose one, but list several: Pinocchio (made in 1940), The Jungle Book (1967), and Toy Story (1995), are my favorite animated movies.

I also like several non-animated movies: National Treasure (2004), The Chronicles of Narnia series (2005, 2008, 2011), and Bridge to Terebithia (2007). Without going into great detail into all these movies, what I like best is how you can be drawn into a world of adventure and fun, but also experience the reality of conflict and resolution. In each movie, in their own unique way, they teach us about friendship, love, and sticking together. They challenge us with the idea that life should and can be enjoyed.

In 1 John 4:8 we are told, “Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.” The overriding theme in all of the Disney movies is love. Love helps to conquer all situations. This is so true to scripture, because God, who is love, is how we are empowered to excel and thrive in this life. Love is what leads us past our struggles and gives us the reason to believe in a better life and a better world.

I would love to hear from you about what your favorite Disney movie is, and why. But most of all, let the love of God dwell richly in you. If you do, your life will be so much better for it. It might even have a “happily ever after.” Blessings.

Why Did Jesus Have to Die?

One of the things about the Christian faith that people are most bothered by is Jesus’ death on the cross. Why did Jesus have to die? Could there have been another way?

Actually, before we can answer that question, we have to understand sin and sinful nature. Without going into a long theological discourse, let me give a quick overview of sin. When Adam and Eve were created by God, they were created to be in relationship with God. They were given everything that they needed. The Garden of Eden was a wonderful place to live, with choice foods. They were given the responsibility of caring for the animals and the garden.

However, there was one thing that was forbidden for them, and that was to eat of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. They were deceived by Satan into thinking this fruit would be good to eat, and when they ate, for the first time, they knew good AND evil. In knowing evil they were now tempted to do evil. With this act sin was brought into the world.

Since God is a holy God, and cannot be in the presence of sin, this meant that human beings were cut off from God’s presence (which had been enjoyed so well by Adam and Eve up to this point). Through sacrifices of animals and their spilled blood, the penalty for our sin was paid. This happened on a daily basis.

God determined that through His Son Jesus Christ, the One who was perfect, a sacrifice once for all would be paid. As we are told in Romans 6:23, “For the penalty of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Jesus gave His life so that we could be free from our sin, and be made holy in Him. Through this imparted holiness we are again able to fellowship with God while on this earth, and have entrance into heaven when we die.

This, in short, is why Jesus had to die. Let’s us be thankful for this gift and receive this gift, today and always. Blessings.

I DON’T APOLOGIZE FOR GOD, I JUST EXPLAIN

The title of our blog group this week is an interesting one, because it implies that God “needs” others to apologize for Him, as if God has done something wrong. The truth is, we only need to apologize when we have wronged another.

So why is it that some people think that God has wronged them? I can think of a couple of reasons: first, people feel entitled to a life of happiness. This is because our nation was founded on the principle of “the pursuit of happiness” for all. So, when life doesn’t bring happiness, they ultimately blame God, since God is supposed to be a loving God. So many think that a loving God is one who only allows good things to happen in our lives. The truth is, more often than not, we learn from our struggles and failures more than our successes. We also are made stronger through our trials. Just like a parent would be negligent if they gave their child “everything” they wanted, so God would do us a disservice in this as well.

Second, people feel wronged by God when a loved one dies. For some reason, even though we all know that we will die one day, people feel wronged by death. Why is it that people blame God for not keeping their loved one alive? All too often we are short sighted in this regard, not understanding life and death in eternal terms. We are told in the Bible that this earth is not our “home.” Our home is in heaven, where we will one day go to be with God for eternity. This world is our time to learn how to love others, and love God! When the time comes, death with come.

Third, people feel wronged by God in thinking that the way to heaven is so narrow. People have trouble accepting that only through faith in Jesus Christ can we get to heaven. “How narrow is this?” they ask. The truth is, God took on flesh, in human form, as the man Jesus Christ, to ultimately die for our sins. He paid the price for us. He made it so what was impossible (dwelling with a holy God) could be possible by making us holy through the shedding of His blood. He has given us a ticket to heaven. All we have to do is accept it. As Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ.” We have not been wronged, but blessed with this wonderful gift.

So the next time you feel “wronged” by God, or feel like you have to “apologize” for God, remember who God is, how much He loves us, and all that He has done for us. Blessings.

A Table Before My Enemies

Have you had enemies in your life? I can remember when I was in seventh grade, an eighth-grader would follow me home and threaten to beat me up. That was pretty scary. I had others who disliked me in high school. And once while working at a church, there was a couple who was trying to get the congregation turned against me. These are all examples of having enemies in life.

What are we to do with our enemies? The Bible is clear that we are to pray for them. As Jesus said in Matthew 5:43-44, “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ ⁴⁴ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.’” That is hard advice, because our tendency is to hate our enemy; to get back at our enemy. Why would Jesus tell us to pray for them? Because Jesus believed our enemies existed because they were misguided, and by prayer they could be brought back to God.

Even more, to seek evil against others, or to harbor hatred in your heart will make you a bitter and angry person. When we carry these feelings around in us, we cannot enjoy life, we cannot love others, we cannot fulfill God’s call. Instead, we are governed by our hatred and bitterness.

We see this ultimate example with Jesus, who on the cross was forgiving all who put Him on the cross. Jesus understood that their actions were due to their sinfulness; their shortsightedness. Jesus’ prayer for His enemies was this: “Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing.”

You might struggle with the thought: But it isn’t fair that they get away with it. The truth is, they won’t get away with it. God will judge those who deserve judgment; those who have not given themselves to Christ. In Psalm 23:5 we are told by the Psalmist: “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies…” Our enemies will see the wonderful blessings we receive from God, while their actions and dark heart keep them from these blessings.

Next time you are wronged, instead of seeking revenge, pray. Pray that God would show them the error of their ways. They may humble themselves before God, ask for forgiveness, and tell you they are sorry. But even if they don’t, you will be able to enjoy God’s blessings here on this earth, and in heaven. Amen.