The Opportunity of a Lifetime



Don’t allow your feelings, finances, or friendships to steer you away from the will of God. Those are all important things, but don’t let these things take the lead and keep you from following Jesus as the central aim of your life. Don’t let a dream situation, a dream job, or a dream relationship become the thing you pursue to the detriment or denial of your faith. Any dream that requires you to venture outside the will of God is a nightmare.

 

Of course, people will try and justify their actions by thinking about the good that they might be able to do because of the action. But to do this is to simply justify the action after the fact, when the action itself is wrong in the first place. You might tell yourself or others, “Well, if I do this then we can do this or this”, but you can’t do wrong to get a chance to do right. And you can’t put good things as the reason for denying God things. That is idolatry.   

 

Speaking of idolatry, think about Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (Daniel 3:13-18). King Nebuchadnezzar told these young men that he would spare their lives if they bowed down to his golden statue. They said no. How could they deny God in such a way?

 

But now imagine if Nebuchadnezzar went further, and told them that he would release all Israel from captivity if they just bowed down to his idol. What an opportunity! They would be heroes! Surely, God would be pleased. Surely, he wanted his people set free. Surely, this must be his will. But their answer would still have been no.

 

Think about Jesus with Satan on top of the mountain (Matthew 4:8-10). The Devil said he would give Jesus the whole world if he would just bow down to him. But Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, “‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’” 

 

Lady Folly tells you to gratify your desires (Proverbs 7:18). But Lady Wisdom says nothing you desire can compare with her (Proverbs 3:15). Don’t be a fool. Mark 8:36 – For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? 

 

To follow Jesus despite potential loss is the opportunity of a lifetime. It shows the world his worth to you.   

 

“Living For Today With An Eye For Tomorrow”©

Let the Healing Start with You

Today, someone destroyed our mailbox at the church. They tore the big box completely off its wooden plank, busting up the wood, which was bolted down on top of a concrete base. It would have taken quite a bit of work to do that. It would have to be done by hand. It couldn’t have just been a car hitting it by accident. And so, it was obviously on purpose.

 

Now why did someone take the time to do that? I guess they were just relieving some stress. Maybe it was personal or church related. I don’t know. I told my wife about it, and she and I agreed it was just a petty aggravation. Of course, it was frustrating to me. Someone was spreading their own petty aggravation to me and it gave me petty aggravation. It would take some time and money to fix. And considering my lack of skills, I’d have to get someone else to do it. What a bother! As if didn’t have enough to concern myself with already.

 

It was as if someone knew just what button to push at just the right time. Because I was already dealing with some very frustrating things this week. But somehow it really ministered to me. Instead of figuring out who did it and why and making them “pay for it”, or making some big deal out of it that would ruin my attitude, my day, or my weekend, I asked the Lord about it. And I talked to my fellow elders about it. They said it was the other person’s problem, not ours. And fortunately, we live in a land of plentiful mailboxes.

 

And then the godly thought hit me. Someone was spreading their own petty aggravation to me and it gave me petty aggravation. But would I take that petty aggravation and try to put it on someone else? Would I spread it out, or stop it from spreading? Would I make the world a more hurting and hurtful place? Or would I let the healing start with me?

 

The lesson is this: Next time someone says something hurtful, personal, spiteful, grumbling, gossip, complaining, bitter, etc., on social media, or when someone anonymously spreads their anger, aggravation, bitterness, stress, etc., out to your world, instead of spreading it out even more, why not let the healing start with you?

“

Living For Today With An Eye For Tomorrow”©

How Free Are You?



Freedom is not autonomy. Freedom is liberation from the enslavement of self-interest. You might think of freedom as the liberty to do what you want. But again, that is just the ability to be selfish. Rather, freedom is the ability to give oneself to others.

“Living For Today With An Eye For Tomorrow”©

A Church Full of Hypocrites

“I’m not going to church, it’s full of hypocrites.”

 

I’m sure you’ve either said it, or heard it said.

 

Well, then, if the church is full of hypocrites, you should want to come, because you’ll fit right in.

 

And if you’re not a hypocrite, then you should also want to come, because then you’ll provide the needed balance.

 

Either way, if you call yourself a Christian, you can’t use the “hypocrites” excuse. Christians want to come to church. It is the hypocrites who don’t.  

 

“Living For Today With An Eye For Tomorrow”©

Church and the Secular Mindset

Secularism is the dominant idea today that guides peoples’ lives. Unfortunately, many professing believers are succumbing to a secular mindset in one very important way.

Exposing a secular mindset

First, you need to realize that secularism means “this age”. To the secular worldview, what matters is the temporal world. Any ideas about the eternal shouldn’t influence how we act as a society, and religion gets in the way of modernization and human flourishing. In other words, secularism isn’t concerned with cosmic ideas such as heaven and hell (expressed in John Lennon’s song Imagine). It is all about this age, and getting the most out of this life.

Exercising a secular mindset

This secular mindset is what professing believers are adopting, even if unwittingly, when they treat church as if their attendance or absence has no bearing on the life and health of the institution that Jesus started and is expressed in local assemblies. Your absence is a testament to your secular mindset. Your actions speak loudly, that church doesn’t matter all that much. You’ve got your ticket to heaven and that’s all that matters for the next life, so you can just go and live this life, you don’t need church. But you do need the church, and the church needs you. It isn’t some secondary matter, and to treat it as optional or occasional is to give into the secular mindset.

Your attendance matters

Jesus said that he will build the church, and the local church is the visible expression of the Lord’s promise being fulfilled. Do you want to the local church to die out? You can say “no”, but when you don’t go, you are contributing to the death of the local church expression. Church is important to God. Corporate worship is important to God. Corporate worship is important for you. Corporate worship is important for the life and health of the local church. For Christians, corporate worship is our most important hour of the week. Nothing else takes precedence over the worship of God. When you purposefully miss church, you are missing the most important hour of the week. What could possibly take priority over God’s ordained means? You need to make church a non-negotiable habit, just like eating or sleeping, something you skip only in the rarest of circumstances, and something you resume as soon as you possibly can.     

Think about it

When you are absent, what are you saying to the culture? What are you saying to new believers? What are you saying to your brothers and sisters in Christ? What are you saying to Jesus? When you decide not to go, are you contributing to the strength of the local church, or are you contributing to the decline of the local church? Do you think Jesus cares? Which matters more, what he thinks about it, or how you feel about it?    

“Living For Today With An Eye For Tomorrow”©

You know the reason why

Why don’t people want to come to church?

It’s because it isn’t about wanting to come to church until it is about needing to come to church. In our neck of the woods, before the hurricane got near, people weren’t waiting all day in gas lines. But as it approached, people were scrambling all around this county trying to find anywhere that had gas. It was limited, it was running out, and people were running out of patience, and hope. Everybody was willing to wait in the gas lines then. People were up at all times of the night, looking anywhere and everywhere, hoping to see a tanker at a station, going from station to station, checking their GasBuddy phone app, and trying to get a good place in line. You needed gas to get your family out of town, gas for your generator, to hunker down, gas to drive, and gas to stay alive. You had to have it. People don’t come to church when they aren’t convinced that they really need it. But if you know you must have it then you will want it. And you’ll do whatever it takes to get it. People don’t want to come to church because they think they can be good with God without it. But that only proves they aren’t.

Why don’t people walk away from their sin?

Because when you know how sinful sin really is, what it is really doing to you, you won’t walk, you’ll run from it. When you aren’t convinced that it is really doing what it is really doing, you play with it, you tolerate it, and you relish it, instead of running from it. People don’t walk away from sin because you never walk away from sin. When it comes to sin, you don’t just need to see the light; you need to feel the heat. If you saw your sin as the monster it is, eating your soul, and then you saw God as your only protection, you’d run all right. When you see your God, and you see your sin, you’ll run to him.

“Living For Today With An Eye For Tomorrow”©

The Sweetest Sound

He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the LORD.
(Proverbs 18:22 – ESV)

On our anniversary day, I think back to a time when I came face to face with the reality of my love for my wife. Oh yes, certainly I did love her and I knew it, and I knew that she knew it too. We have a great marriage, and we go through the ups and downs and “all arounds”, and we grow through it all, to the glory of God, we pray.

Now I don’t want to sound all pious about our “picture book” relationship, I want to be real, and to help you with some hope. The truth is that sometimes things don’t work out like we want them to, but the Lord of Life has a way of helping you regain a true focus and rediscover the depth of devotion when the shallow waters of situation come roaring into your mind.

You may be distracted, disappointed, disgruntled, or in despair, but I hope God will help you apply this to your situation. He can turn any situation into a celebration of Him and those good things He allows us, even if only for a season.

You see, we were in church one Sunday, and my wife had a sudden, intense attack of pain, and she couldn’t tell if it was just some muscle thing or something much more serious, because it was near her heart region. She was in incredible agony, and she had that look of “ultimate concern” on her face as tears were streaming down her clothes. The church had the look of horror as we ran her out of the building as fast and as calm as we could.

We rushed her to the emergency room, and they were able to stabilize her quite quickly. Thank the Lord, it didn’t seem serious, but even after several visits to other doctors, no one could ever tell us what actually happened or any root problem there might be. In any event, we were relieved, as was the church when they found out she would be okay.

A few days later, my wife and I were sitting around the house in the morning hours. I was doing some writing at the computer, and she was eating breakfast. Now my wife and I both have these little “noises” we each make, and I won’t go into all of them here, but it can be quite entertaining to say the least. However, sometimes our little “noises” become nauseating to us, ourselves and to each other. Some noises we can “appreciate” more than others, if you know what I mean.

One such noise that was bothering me to no end on this day was that all I could seem to hear from the other room was my wife crunch, crunch, crunching her cereal. Munch, munch, munch, crunch, crunch, crunch, I was about to scream out, I tell you the truth. This was one of those little “noises” that could really get to me, especially when I was in the middle of doing “important work” like writing my sermon.

All of a sudden, it would seem as if God crunched right down on my head and munched right into my heart. It was then I realized that while I had always detested the sound of the crunching of cereal before, to be able to hear it now was sweet music to my ears, for it meant that she was alive, and she was here. I now did more than “appreciate” it; I relished every little noise, every little wonderful sound! Crunch, crunch, crunch – It was her! Munch, munch, munch – My baby was still with me! That munching became the melody of love to my heart.

Now I am a lover of classical music, and I have heard many live orchestras perform many great works of music in my life, but no Bach, Beethoven, or Brahms could have lifted me to such heights as I felt that day.

I hope you find the joy I found…the day I heard the sweetest sound.

“Living For Today With An Eye For Tomorrow”©

Cross Stitching (Radio / Podcast)

that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God's mystery, which is Christ,
(Colossians 2:2 – ESV)

Their hearts may be encouraged, reaching all the riches, full assurance, etc. This isn’t talking about material prosperity but spiritual prosperity. Spiritual well being, not physical well being. The more intimate our communion with other believers, the more spiritually rich we will be.

Look at the previous verse in Colossians 1:28 – warning everyone, teaching everyone, maturity for everyone. Now then you can clearly see the context here, warning and teaching for maturity in every person, struggling so that they all might be on the same page, strengthened (encouraged, confirmed) by being instructed in love (a good rendering of “knit together”), and coming to a more full understanding of just how marvelous Christ is.

Now being instructed in love doesn’t just mean instructed as to how to love, but also instructed as to what to love, or actually who to love. Of course this means Christ. Now they already had a love for Christ and for one another, but Paul knew that this must continue to be solidified, not just for individuals, but for the group as well. We need each other, and if one is struggling with their faith and doctrine, it serves to bring us down. Paul had been praying and persevering for their pressing on to maturity in the mystery of Christ. Everybody needs to grow up, and we need to help each other grow up, and we need to grow up together as a unit. In the battle against heresy, we need all the soldiers following the same battle plan.

You see, Paul is not speaking primarily of unity for the sake of peace but unity for the sake of the gospel, unity so as to ward off deception, knit together and encouraged as to the truth about Jesus. Building one another up in the truth. Division in doctrine causes division in the body. He is speaking, as he usually does, about being of one mind and in one accord. This is accomplished as to primary doctrine first, which would lead to correct practice and eventual understanding in secondary doctrines, a full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God's mystery. To have right practice without right doctrine is to love leaven, to court corruption, to suffer with sin, and this is what Paul was warning against. The Colossians had a right practice (1:4) and a right passion (1:8), and he wanted to make sure they had a right perspective on Christ. His strong desire is that they would have strong doctrine (1:9). As we have said before, what we need is unity with verity, togetherness with truth, and fellowship in the truth, and around the truth, not just fellowship for friendship’s sake.

The result of this being knit together is to be able to reach a full, or wealthy assurance. Again, this is not a worldly wealth, but a spiritual wealth, something far more to be desired by those who know. However, to reach these riches, to reach a full assurance you must be knit together, can’t you see that? As an individual, you can have an assurance of your salvation, of course, but it reaches its fullness in the context of community. Even John the Baptist lost his assurance of who Jesus was when he was isolated (Matthew 11 / Luke 7).

Some lack an assurance of God and His character. Is He really good and loving? The answer is in knowing God as He is revealed in His Word. Some lack an assurance of their salvation. Is my Christian life for real? The answer is in knowing that the bottom line is that our salvation rests in God, not in us. Being around the Body ought to give us an assurance of God’s character and of our salvation, and frankly, this is an assurance we simply cannot give to those who would stay away from church. How can we give it to those who won’t hear it? They aren’t here at church to hear it from us!

The church that is growing in Christ, and that is the key of course, a church like that provides a measure of protection against heresy. Now you might say that you cannot find a church like that and use that as an excuse to not go to church. Well, no church is perfect, and heresy is always at the door waiting to be let in; however, consider this fact. The fact that you are ignoring parts of the Bible that are so clear proves that you have already drifted into heresy. If you really know the riches of Christ in full assurance, in understanding and knowledge, you will want to share it with others; you will want to be knit together.

It cannot be otherwise. Believe me, and more importantly, believe the Bible, to think you can avoid being knit together and still be made whole is heresy. You’re coming apart at the seams.

“Living For Today With An Eye For Tomorrow”©

The Fire of Obedience (Radio / Podcast)

… we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.
(Daniel 3:18)

This passage gives us perhaps the starkest contrast between the presumption and the obedience of faith. It also provides us with clear insight as to how we can identify each, and is relevant for today in that it deals with situational pressure not uncommon in today’s world. Of course, we are not as yet subject to being thrown into a fiery furnace, but the emotions and the temptation to compromise are the same in a sense.

Having seen so many different instances of what the presumption of faith looks like, and now having seen the antithesis, the obedience of faith, you hopefully are convinced of the need to discern between each. The question is: HOW? Pay close attention, please, you won’t regret it.

The young men had been obedient in some smaller details earlier in Babylon. Recall how they were not eating the polluted meat, but trusted God by eating only vegetables. Lesson: the obedience of faith is about being obedient in the small things first. Obedience in “little” areas opens up true faith to be used in “big” areas, not God doing something “big”, and then you obey in the small things. Question: are you waiting for God to do something big before you let go and completely obey? How many times do you compromise on the little things?

These young men knew that God was able to deliver them, but they did not presume that He would. These men knew that they were innocent in God’s eyes, but that they were indeed guilty of disobeying the unjust law. They were ready to suffer the flames of the fiery furnace of Nebuchadnezzar rather than suffer the fiery furnace of Hell. They were obedient to God’s will, believing as Job did – Though he slay me, yet will I trust him (Job 13:15). They did not whine about injustice, and did not use excuses to compromise. They could have reasoned, “why not just give in this once, for ten minutes?” Or, “we will be able to help our brethren more by staying alive”. But they did not compromise God’s glory for the sake of their own skin.

Lesson: The obedience of faith is concerned with matters of eternal importance, more than matters of earthly importance. Even in death we have victory, because we are not to fear them that can destroy the body but cannot destroy the soul (Matthew 10:28). Question: Do you complain out loud or to God about having to do more than others? Do you complain about injustice and/or persecution? Do you try to help God out by bending the rules?

These young men knew that they were doing what was right. They knew that their God was God. But they didn’t try and vindicate themselves by shouting down the King with taunts such as, “Our God will save us, you loser!” They didn’t presume upon God by acting holier than thou about their faith. They had confidence in God; but in His overall love and purpose for them, not in a belief that they would be shown as righteous before men.

Lesson: The obedience of faith is living out your faith before God and man, not giving lip service to God and provoking man. These men did not put their faith in a vacuum, everyone knew of them. But they did not live their faith with a microphone, either. Question: Do you think that if you are “doing what is right” that no harm can come to you? Do you chide others about their sin? Do sinners see God’s grace when they encounter you, or do you trumpet your personal faith?

How tragic it is to see supposed Christians today ignoring the lessons observed here. Some are waiting for God to move, while He is waiting for them to move. Some separate themselves from the culture so much that they never encounter the lost outside of church functions. Others browbeat people with the fact that they are “saved”.

There are many who believe that they are sanctified, when they are only sanctimonious. This behavior elicits two responses: “hypocrite”, or “holier than thou”, and neither works to bring the lost to repentance. Still others believe in their personal vindication, thinking that if they are following God that they can revile men. To these latter two groups I would advise a careful reading of the second chapter of Romans.

In this life we will all have to go through some fiery trials. Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you (1 Peter 4:12 – ESV). Everyone will have to go through a fiery furnace. There is the one the world puts you in for not doing it their way, but that one God uses to burn off the dross, He uses it as a refiners fire. The other type is the one that awaits those that bow down to the idols of this world. The question is, which one do you want?

“Living For Today With An Eye For Tomorrow”©

Eternal Economy (Radio / Podcast)

Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ.
(1 Peter 1:2)

This particular verse speaks of God and His eternal plan and workings to obtain salvation for His chosen ones. However, this passage also echoes what Paul said in 2 Thessalonians 2:13, that the Spirit is indeed moving us on to sanctification, and that progress will be made as we grow in grace. Notice that election here describes foreknowledge not simply as a decree of God to heaven, but also that it deals with life on earth as well, who are kept by the power of God through faith (vs.5). Upon our justification, we also received definitive sanctification; we WERE set apart for God’s purpose in a real way, sanctified perfectly, right then. We still go through the process of progressive sanctification, however, and sanctification and obedience are hallmarks of election (2 Peter 1:1-11). A continued life of obedience and a transforming character are marks of the Spirit’s work.

We know that Jesus has become our sanctification (1 Corinthians 1:30), and so we are already holy as God sees us positional in the Son, but we can and should become more Christ-like here on earth as well. This verse and others state that the condition of a person’s life will come more and more in line with their position in Christ. The question is are you becoming a more obedient Christian? If not, perhaps you need to examine yourself (2 Corinthians 13:5 / 1 Thessalonians 4:7-8). Of course we will not be perfected in this life, so Peter mentions that the blood of Jesus which cleanses us from all sin (cf.1 John 1:7-10).

The way Peter describes the work of the Father, Son, and Spirit here shows us the Trinity in salvation, or the economic aspect of the Trinity (what God does), as opposed to the ontological aspect of the Trinity (what God is). The covenant of grace was planned by the Father (Ephesians 1:4-5 / Romans 8:28-29,33 / 2 Timothy 1:9), executed by the Son (Ephesians 1:7 / Romans 8:3-4,34 / John 6:37), and applied by the Spirit (Ephesians 1:13 / Romans 8:2,9,15). Galatians 4:4-6 also gives us a look into the economic Trinity in concise terms.

Although the Trinity as a doctrine is not discussed as explicitly as we might like within the New Testament it is certainly woven into the fabric throughout. Take for example this sampling of 20 texts: Isaiah 48:16 / Isaiah 61:1 / Isaiah 63:9-10 / Zechariah 2:1-10 / Matthew 28:19 / Mark 1:10-11 / John 14:16-26 / John 15:26 / John 16:7-15 / Romans 8:1-11 / 1 Corinthians 12:3-6 / 2 Corinthians 13:14 / Galatians 4:4-6 / Ephesians 1:3-14 / Ephesians 2:18 / Ephesians 4:4-6 / 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14 / Titus 3:4-6 / 1 Peter 1:2 / Jude 20-21.

However, the truth about the Trinity is that we are not restricted to “all in one verse” texts; other texts show evidence of the Trinity by showing the deity of Jesus and/or the distinct personhood of the Holy Spirit. There is massive evidence including verses where Jesus is called God (Theos), such as John 20:28 / Acts 20:28 / Romans 9:5 / Titus 2:13 / Hebrews 1:8 / 2 Peter 2:1 / 1 John 5:20.

The Trinity is the truth, and the truth is that the Triune God has a perfect plan for your life. The question is how well are you following God’s economic forecast?

“Living For Today With An Eye For Tomorrow”©

They Mean Something (Radio / Podcast)

…And Arphaxad begot Shelah, and Shelah begot Eber…
(1 Chronicles 1:18)

When we are committed to reading our Bibles through, all the way through, not skipping a word, we are tempted to wonder why God saw fit to include some things. Like the genealogies, and the details of travels, why are these in the Bible at all?

Well, you can be sure they are there for a reason, and perhaps we won’t know all of the richness of why in this life, but let me give you some things to think about. When we study we find out certain things have their rightful place in being included. For instance, notice that the two different genealogies in Matthew and Luke point to the two different lines of Jesus through Mary and Joseph, but both have roots in David. So these seem a necessity, in a sense.

What about those seemingly endless genealogies in the OT books, what are they there for? Well, when we see those endless names, think about the fact that God cared enough to put them there. Then think about this. When you are nothing but a name to everyone else, you are still important to God, important enough to be included even if no one else thinks you are worth the time. When you see where the Bible talks about the travels of the old timers and said they pitched a tent here or there, and then here or there again, and so on, think about the fact that when no one else cares where you are God knows exactly where you are, and He does care, every step of the way. God is interested in individuals.

When we see the personal greetings of Paul to certain individuals, think about the fact that although we don’t have much more information than their name, they were important to Paul, and they got their names in the Bible; don’t you wish that were you! Beside the Book of Life, that Bible is the one book I would want to get a recommendation in, it is better and more prestigious than any who’s who list you will ever get on this earth!

When someone takes an interest in you and your details, whether they know it or not, they are acting like Jesus. He has your hairs numbered, and even if you're bald, He counted each one as it fell off your head. Use your head, and realize that those words in the Bible, they mean something. You may not care but God does. I may not ever know what all those names mean, but I know this, God wanted them included, and He wants you included, so be glad that God wants your name included when no one else thinks you're worth the time. That means something to me.

“Living For Today With An Eye For Tomorrow”©

For His Name (Radio / Podcast)

…to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name…
(Romans 1:5 – ESV)

It is all about Jesus – anything that has as its focus something other than the person of Jesus Christ, His atoning work, and our becoming like Him is not from God. No matter how right it may seem, and how much it sounds like the real thing or how much it talks of Jesus, if the primary focus is something else, it is a distraction, which leads to diversion, and ultimately to deception. No work you do for God that comes from your own power will survive the judgment seat of Christ and anything good but not for Him is of no eternal worth either.

This includes partnering with non-Christians of other faiths for “the common good”. The common purpose may seem right, however, it is not done for the name of Christ but for the good of men. It is certainly right and good to help hurting people, of course, but there are limits. The church is not to be a “partner” with government and business to help eradicate society’s ills; that is the old social gospel of the early twentieth century. When an effort places the gospel as being secondary in importance to other needs, even if they are real and epidemic it is wrong. The most important thing is a person’s soul, and to set the gospel aside in order to work with non-believers is to deny Christ. A watered down gospel is no gospel at all. We may work with them for noble purposes, yes, but if it means that we have to silence our voice about the gospel then no, no matter how pressing the need.

The true gospel offends people. It reminds us that we are fallen creatures in bondage to sin and on our way to hell apart from God and His offer of salvation in Christ. It reminds us not to expect popularity in the world when we are true to His Word. Instead we are called to follow His narrow, difficult road, no matter what the cost.

Look at what Jesus said in John 15:18-21 – If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, 'A servant is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also. But all these things they will do to you for My name's sake, because they do not know Him who sent Me.

In contrast to this, deeds done in the name of humanity will win the world's approval. So will a gospel cleansed of offensive truth, and focused on man's worth rather than God's righteousness.

The gospel cannot be partnered with the world – 2 Corinthians 2:15-16 (NKJV) – For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. To the one we are the aroma of death leading to death, and to the other the aroma of life leading to life. You are an offensive smell to either God or the world; you cannot be a pleasing aroma to both. For His name, choose the sweet odor of death to self and life to God.

“Living For Today With An Eye For Tomorrow”©

Fervent Fellowship (Radio / Podcast)

… see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently…
(1 Peter 1:22)

Notice how Paul and Peter say virtually the same things at times. Compare Peter’s exhortation to us with 2 Corinthians 6:6, where Paul expresses the fact that he indeed was behaving as Peter says we ought. The Bible is remarkably consistent, and the Apostles knew what the Spirit’s power could do in the life of a believer, and in uniting a fellowship around Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit is the bond between believers (Ephesians 4:3-4), and He provides the power that we need to stay in fellowship together. It is not simply tolerance, but togetherness, growing in grace and trust of God and each other. We are to be fervent for the spiritual growth of our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ; after all, we are of the same body.

Fervently, think about that. When you love someone with a pure heart, and you love them fervently, you will stop at nothing to do what it takes to please them, to help them, to love them, no matter what. You are passionate about whatever it is you love fervently. You sacrifice for what you love fervently. You look to what you love fervently before your own needs. If what you love fervently has a problem you try and fix it.

This is just one more reason that believers must go to church; how can you love one another fervently if there are no “others”? Fervently doesn’t stay at home, fervently finds a way to fellowship. Fervently looks for the betterment of the whole fellowship. Fervently knows that everyone on the team is important. Fervently forges relationships that will stand the test of time. Fervently realizes that an on fire church starts with them. Is the whole of your fellowship fervent, and what are you doing to develop a fervent fellowship? If your church isn’t on fire, start a blaze by beginning to love others with a pure heart, fervently.

“Living For Today With An Eye For Tomorrow”©

Rule or be Ruled (Radio / Podcast)

He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down, and without walls.

(Proverbs 25:28)

This verse parallels Proverbs 16:32. To be tossed about by every whim of emotion makes us vulnerable to attack, and we have no defense. If we cannot control our passions, like anger for instance, we cannot focus on resisting the enemy, and we become caught up in a world of self-induced slavery. If you cannot control yourself others will always control you. If everyone can push your buttons, perhaps you have too many. On the contrary, self-control is identified as the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:23).

It grieves me to hear of people who always have to “vent” their anger and frustrations. The truth is that you don’t have to vent if you’re already ventilated. Are you as a cool breeze or a hot house? Allowing your thought life to be controlled by expectations will lead to anger, for that is what unmet expectations engender.

We must keep on maturing in the ways of God; it ought to be the normative pattern. However, this is simply not happening in the Christian world today. It seems that the moment there is conflict and discord people toss off all religious pretence and go after each other with the same fervor and passion as the unregenerate, who don’t even claim Christ.

Satan will always go for the most vulnerable part he knows of. He will try and enflame the flesh, excite the passions, and arouse the emotions. If you have self-control you disarm the enemy. But people want to cry and say “woe is me” before they even let a situation play itself out. They immediately go into attention getting mode. However, the only prize that real life drama kings and queens win is the crown of self-pity.

We need to exercise self-control. Think about that; exercise, work it out, keep it in shape, don’t get used to letting go, but get trained to staying in control of your emotions. This doesn’t mean we need to be a stoic, a monk like robot with a steely stiff upper lip. No, emotions are God given gifts, they just need to be used properly and understood, not given into without any thought. We need to learn to process things before we “go off” about them. Yes things can hurt our feelings, but remember this: in the long run, what counts is not how you feel but how you deal.

“Living For Today With An Eye For Tomorrow”©

Sunstroke (Radio / Podcast)

I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit.
(Ecclesiastes 1:14)

The book of Ecclesiastes deals with man and his mental anguish at confronting the seeming lack of purpose to life. The author takes a comprehensive look into all sorts of lifestyles and worldviews, yet comes back, ultimately, to God. This journey is from a human, rather than divine point of view, and although there are human errors of judgment in it, it is inspired by the Holy Spirit as scripture. Not that the Bible is promoting error; what the Bible does is accurately reflect the point of view that is expounded.

Here it is the view of frustrated man, shown so as to give the ultimate lack of purpose for the humanist. It is a reasoned evaluation considering everything that can be known about the cosmos and of life from a point of view that isn’t truly considering God. The sole means of investigation into the meaning of life is to look “under the sun”, that is, to look at nothing beyond what one can see, investigate, or by appearances alone. This is the plight of those who would look to purely naturalistic explanations for everything.

This book has good in it, but it really is to be a contrast to a divine perspective, and to bring us closer to God, to show us that we cannot possibly find the answers no matter how much we learn apart from the Almighty. Even if scientists were to find their panacea, a unified theory, they still wouldn’t become the Creator whom made it so. Science is a window to the Divine but we stop at studying the window instead of looking through it to God. The window was placed there not simply to be looked at but also to be looked through.

Even those who aren’t scientists per se can get caught up into a “see it and believe it” mentality. Christians can get the idea that they should test God, and they “put out a fleece”, or bargain with God, or any number of other silly things. By assuming to everyday life the empiricism and inductive reasoning of the scientific method, a person may naturally develop an epistemological idolatry – experience becomes the sole god of revelation. If it can’t be tested, it can’t be trusted. We turn the knowledge of God into a scientific experiment. But if we need to know everything to know anything, then we know nothing – which is self-refuting.

Solomon tested everything under the sun, and found it lacking in eternal quality. Vexation of spirit is a term that is used throughout the book, and it basically means a grasping at the wind. That is what trying to discover the meaning of life is apart from God, for it is He who gives life, sustains it, and is the ultimate cause and purpose for it. The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy him forever. To know God is to know life, and to know your purpose. You can try everything under the sun, but all you will do is get sunstroke, and remain thirsty. However, he who hungers and thirsts after righteousness will be filled (Matthew 5:6).

“Living For Today With An Eye For Tomorrow”©

Service of the Stars (Radio / Podcast)

And do you seek great things for yourself? Seek them not…
(Jeremiah 45:5 – ESV)

One of the ironic problems pastors in small or growing churches face happens when they call the people in the pews to service. Some, instead of coming to the leadership and asking what needs to be done, take it on themselves to decide what needs to be done. Then they ask the leadership to put their stamp of approval on it, and more, to participate and sometimes to actually do the thing. It gets out of control, and ironically people are getting geared up but you want them to slow down. We want people to do something, and we already have an idea in mind, yet they don’t or won’t come to us, they feel like they have this big thing they want or they feel like the church needs to tackle, and then they expect us to sign on, and it's out of order.

It would seem that when we surrender to the person of Jesus, then the idea is that we can now just do what we want as far as service is concerned. It is like those movie stars who get saved and then they justify in their minds that of course they should have a big ministry because they have a big platform, etc. We need to submit before we serve, we don’t just get to serve in whatever way we want. We submit and do what needs to be done and then we find what we are suited for. It is part of the process of being integrated into a community of faith. God will then allow us to be used “properly”, but first God wants us to be humble enough to admit that we aren’t right to have the mentality of, “if I decide to serve I get to do it my own way”. That isn’t service that is selfish.

Some know they aren’t movie stars but they want to be ministry stars. “If I could just find a church that would let me do my thing, then they would see.” No you need to see that you are completely out of order. It is hard to tell people these things however, because they will get offended and stop doing anything and give the old “I was just trying to help like you asked” but they are wrong. They may be sacrificing time or money or talent or whatever but they are not sacrificing their will, not really. What they are saying, in effect, is, “Okay I’ll serve but you still aren’t going to tell me what to do.”

The would be ministry star has these projects that they want to do, when what they need to do is all the ordinary boring stuff that they just won’t do. You will hear the retort in many different, subtle forms, “But I have been trying to do this for so long and someone else gets their thing before mine”. They won’t be faithful in a little thing and they expect to be promoted in their big thing. How many people do you know that have big talent and never move on? Why? This is why! You must be faithful with little things and in another person’s ministry before God will let you and let them promote your own.

Here’s my advice, just suck it up, and let it go. When you are satisfied in God, and content to NEVER be able to do that great big ministry you have in mind, then maybe, God will give it to you, but not before. God forbid that He does allow you to have it when you aren’t submitted, because if you get to do it before you are fashioned in submission then what is happening is that God is allowing that, your dream, to be the means of your downfall. I tell you the truth!

It’s not about some heavy handed “this is what you must do” thing it is simply a matter of perspective. Instead of coming and asking how can I help we state, “this is the way I want to help”, and “will you help me”. It is turned on its head; the church is asked to help the member with their mission instead of the member asking to help the church with its mission.

Service without submission can be well-intentioned, but will be ineffective, it is often professional, paternalistic, problem solving, and wanting to do good by “sharing” from a position of superiority. The Bible deliberately pushes us into the area of discomfort, forcing us to accept a posture of submission until our pride is exposed, and our desire to be controlling is revealed. Instead we have no control over our own lives and yet we want to and think we can fix others.

Like Baruch, we must learn that significance is not prominence. God is watching, and we need to be faithful to give Him glory in all we do, whatever that may be (Colossians 3:23). Be a shining star in the world He creates for you, not in the one you create for yourself.

“Living For Today With An Eye For Tomorrow”©

Old Hymns, New Life, Good Wife (Radio / Podcast)

An excellent wife is the crown of her husband,
(Proverbs 12:4a)

I have often said that the old hymns aren’t dead, but that we just need to breathe new life into them. I have also said in conjunction with that statement that at our church we often use old hymns with new arrangements, and the same words with different sounds and rhythms. The point was not about the new arrangements or sounds or rhythms, but a new, fresh vigor and appreciation for the theological and biblical words, phrases, and concepts delivered by these old hymns and spiritual songs, so wonderfully rich with timeless truth. However, this was perhaps not as clear to the people as it was to me.

My wife was talking to me one day and said that she thought I needed to be a little more precise on this matter. It seemed to her that when I said this, some people though it meant that we should indeed do old hymns, but that in order to breathe new life into them we need to use new rhythms. Perhaps, she said, some might even think that they would remain dead unless we used new arrangements, etc. For them what I was saying was that it was not just about keeping the old songs, but also about losing the old timing, music, etc.

Even though I communicated clearly, people hear from their own perspective, and as a pastor I must communicate in such as way as to speak to every situation that I can without clouding the message. I had got my point across, we were doing a lot of old songs, but did I do more than I intended by my unbeknownst lack of clarity? I knew what I had meant and I was right, but did people get all of what I was saying, or did they apply it in too literal a fashion?

You can be right about a thing but still not be considerate of all the angles necessary for others to appreciate it and apply it. Think about the Corinthians who had the right knowledge of idols but didn’t consider others who still had a weak conscience. Their right was made wrong, not by their understanding, but by their misunderstanding of how love limits liberty. In the same way, we don’t just get something right and then expect that all will understand as thoroughly as we do. If it took us time to come to the understanding, and that happened after specifically studying the matter, why would it not take others time as well?

It was worth thinking about and investigating. The ministers of music send me their ideas for the songs they want to use each week. I began to notice that my wife was right; we were using many old songs but almost always with new beats, rhythms, arrangements and such. Although they had a new appreciation for singing the old songs, perhaps they missed the point that we didn’t always need to revamp the old songs to re-amp them.

I meditated on this and realized that I do not want to miss a very practical and powerful point for my own life: listen to the wife even if you know you are right. You may be right but you can always expand the reach of your rightness. Her perspective is valuable and most precious. She is on your side, but she can see more than your shore. If she understands you like no one else, and yet she isn’t exactly clear on a matter, what does that say for people who know you less?

My wife truly makes me a better pastor. Your wife is here to make your old rights even more right. Listen to her rhythm and you will be blessed. If you fail to listen to her you fail to appreciate one of God’s greatest means of your growth in sanctification, as well as sanity.

“Living For Today With An Eye For Tomorrow”©

Potion of Emotion (Radio / Podcast)

For whatever overcomes a person, to that he is enslaved.
(2 Peter 2:19 – ESV)

Our text is speaking primarily of individuals who dupe others, but we want to look at the idea that our feelings and emotions can do the same thing. They promise liberty, but they bring bondage, because if we let them lead, if we do not put them in their proper place, then we become enslaved to them (Romans 6:16). If we try and fly by our emotions, we are flying backward, by the seat of our pants. Have you ever made “an emotional decision” and how many times have you been “overcome with emotion”?

We are not denying your emotions. You have them, they are real, and everyone has them. We cannot give a prescription as simple as “keep a stiff upper lip”, or “just suck it up”, because emotions are not all bad. They are a powerful motivator and they explain a lot of things, but we often fail to process our emotions in a rational way, and we can get caught up in a whirlwind of emotional activity and make decisions we might not otherwise make if we were in a more controlled environment. Emotions are there to inform us, not to lead us. They inform us of how we feel about a situation, not about how we should deal with a situation.

Many times, however, we can be under the spell of an emotional potion and it poisons our thoughts to everything that would lead us in a right direction, and lead us to make good choices. Instead we are led to destructive behavior, and away from Christ. We must learn to rule over our emotions. Feelings can be good, they can help us in many ways, but feelings can be faithless, or misdirected. We can easily become spellbound by our own emotions if we do not learn to process them and put them in their place, using them instead of them using us.

A careless cocktail of fleeting feelings can become flaming feelings, and our addiction of choice if we continue to give in to them. Many times to entertain these thoughts is to yield to death (James 1:14-15 / Galatians 6:8). In Philippians 4:8, Paul tells us to direct our thoughts to right things. Romans 12:2 says that we are to turn ourselves over to God in order to renew our ways of thinking about things. Ephesians 4:22-24 confirms this and says we can put on a new way, a new man, one who is not like the old man, who was ruled by his emotions. Christ rules the new man. The new man is the new man of maturity.

Maturity is mastering your emotions. Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane showed Himself to be the master of maturity. He had emotions, for sure, but He said not my will but thine be done. How about you? You may have everything against you, but do you give up, or go on, are you ruled by your emotions or do you rule over them? Are you going to let some fleeting feeling gain ground and score a terrible touchdown on your home turf, or are you going to defend your mind and spit out the potion of emotion? Are you your own worst enemy? In your old man, yes you are, but are you going to put on the new man, or not? What clothes are you wearing? What scent are you giving off, the fragrant aroma of Christ (2 Corinthians 2:16) that Christians are supposed to or the pungent potion of emotion, like the rest of the world?

“Living For Today With An Eye For Tomorrow”©

Goats, Dogs, Pigs, and Sheep (Radio / Podcast)

So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.
(James 4:17 – ESV)

Too often people want to know God's direction for their lives in certain areas, but they won't even look to do what He has already laid out in other areas. It seems that people want God to enter into something so that they can get out of something. They only want to do the minimum it takes to get the results they want. They submit only to the extent that it gives them pleasing possibilities. It isn’t a matter, usually, of attempting to be biblical, but struggling with it.

Now having said that, some are just not aware of what the biblical instruction or injunction is, and we cannot assume they do know what is right when they have never been doing it at all. Perhaps they just don’t know this or that thing we think is obvious, to them it isn’t. Therefore we must make them aware of the relevant biblical truth and instruction before we simply confine them to criminal status.

It is time to bring the scriptures to bear. Yes God knows your heart, and He uses His Word to reveal to you the condition of it (Hebrews 4:12).

Regarding sin in our lives; very often we cling to the worthless things that we think will deliver true satisfaction. This can be especially true with new believers who are getting used to living the new life. Of course, there are people who have been believers for some time who also struggle with this. We all do to an extent, but some of the major problems ought to be “cleaned up” sooner. It is a mindset that needs to be met with scripture, but too often we are afraid to talk about such obvious problems because we know we have problems too.

This does not change the truth that Christians should be changing, letting go of lying, cussing, stealing, and things that were normal to their old life. They may still struggle and we can struggle with them, but to think it is okay to stay in that sort of lifestyle pattern is more than just sin, it is rebellion that shows a lack of real repentance, and calls into question someone’s salvation. Again, someone who knows it is wrong, and says it is wrong, and wants to change it is different than someone who tries to justify “doing a little bad”. For example, they supposedly need to skip out on the rent in order to have the deposit for the next place and they think it is no problem.

Now it is true that your personal convictions do not bind someone else’s conscience. However, we do need to show people the clear teachings of scripture when they obviously think stealing or lying or a little racism or things like this are justifiable whenever they deem it right to do so. There are things people “hold onto” like horoscopes, for another example, things people need to be trained out of, and it might seem obvious to you, but it might not to them, especially if no one has ever confronted them with it.

Salvation is more than just a change of appetite, but it cannot be less than that. God’s sheep are led by the Good Shepherd. Goats simply go their own way and only turn when they are coerced or forced. As dogs, we return to our vomit, and as pigs, we love our mire, and even if we’re taken out and bathed, we hurry back in (2 Peter 2:22). But when God changes us from goats or dogs or pigs to sheep, so to speak, we are not as open to rebellion when led by the truth and we begin to see these disgusting things as they are. If we are still “butting back” against the truth, perhaps we still have horns.

“Living For Today With An Eye For Tomorrow”©

Stop the Worship? (Radio / Podcast)

You worship what you do not know…
(John 4:22 – ESV)

As a pastor you always need to be talking to the song leaders about the balance. We should review the songs in the rotation and look together at new songs that they want to bring in. In this way you can use these times as teachable moments. Indeed we should have feelings and responses because of God's grace, but we need more "Thou art" and less "I will" in the songs, God entranced and not man entranced.

Now sometimes songs can slip by you or they can slip by a congregation without anyone really focusing on what is actually being taught. Congregational singing is more than stirring up feelings, it is teaching each other in song, and it is important, albeit for reasons that are sometimes lost on “worship leaders”.

It should be more about “doctrinal led devotion” than simply proclaiming our increasing love for a God we aren’t increasing in our knowledge of. It isn’t how much more I feel Him means how much more I love Him, but how much more I know Him, and then this would produce the proper devotion. We more often than not get the order reversed, and think we are growing deeper in our love for Him when we are actually growing colder even as our feelings burn hot.

Considering this, I have literally “stopped the worship” more than once. Actually I just stopped the music and singing and focused our worship on some truth I was absolutely sure we needed to hear more clearly as we sang it.

It was during the song “unfailing love” that I stopped the music and went over to the screen and pointed out the lyrics and something I wanted to make sure people noticed. The lyrics were “Praise you God of earth and sky how beautiful is your unfailing love, unfailing love”… “And you never change Lord you remain the holy one and my unfailing love, unfailing love”.

From these lyrics I showed that they teach correctly that His unfailing love is grounded in His holiness, “you never change you remain the holy one”, and so therefore He remains unfailing in His love. His love is grounded in His holiness not in our faithfulness and His holiness is that from which His love springs, not vice versa.

I’m not sure whether or not the author intended it this way, but it was good to point out considering the sermon of the day, or any day, nonetheless.

Also I used the stoppage purposefully to stop people from just “going with the flow”. The atmosphere was starting to get moving, and not necessarily in a bad way, but I wanted to make sure people don’t always equate this “everybody’s into it” thing with “now we are really worshipping”. I pointed out that we shouldn’t bristle at someone, something, or some event stopping our “flow”.

I asked if anyone was thinking like, “I was just getting into it man”, and how their focus would be wrong. Well, no sir, you were just feeling it, but God was already here to be worshipped and you must renew your mind to the fact that feelings are a byproduct of worship, not the conduit of them. Feelings aren’t the way into His presence, as if we simply stir up our emotions by repeating some vague chorus over and over, and “poof!” God is there. No. Was I wrong to stop the singing, no, not at all, it was a good demonstration of the fact that if this hindered your worship than you were worshipping at the altar of your own feelings.

“Living For Today With An Eye For Tomorrow”©