What ever happened to right and wrong? People who say something is wrong are deemed judgmental. They are castigated as what is wrong with the world.
It seems that no one can say something is wrong if they have ever committed the wrong. The less people say something is wrong, the more people commit the wrong. Committing the wrong is a tacit approval of the wrong. Therefore, the wrong becomes the right and those who are saying anything is wrong are actually wrong themselves.
Let's take that a little further. Let's say that bank robberies were so common that just about everyone committed the robbery some time in their lives. They would say that they can't say that bank robberies are wrong because that would make them hypocrites. Therefore, fewer and fewer people would say that bank robberies were wrong because there is no one establishing that it is wrong. Eventually we will need to lock up the depositors because they are the only people saying it is wrong. They will be in the wrong because they have judged those who rob banks.
Yes, that's silly but let's take something that appears to be happening. Premarital sex was once said to be wrong. The commitment of marriage preceded sex. Time passed with more people saying it was wrong to judge those who had premarital sex. Many people openly admitted that they had premarital sex. They did not feel that they could "judge" others by saying it was wrong now that they were married. Thus, less and less people said it was wrong. More and more people joked about it. Before long it became the norm. Now, young boys and girls are ridiculed if they haven't had sex. Even the "G" rated programs speak of a person being ready for sex without any thought of marriage. Children born out of wedlock is more common in Hollywood than those who have married parents. Wrong has become right and right has become wrong.
People have to adjust their reasoning if we have any hope to preach righteousness in our churches. Committing a sin does not mean that you can't say it was wrong. In fact, you may have more right to say it was wrong than others. You can say that premarital sex has created a loss of trust that takes years to rebuild. (The husband wonders if his wife will sleep with someone else she is not married to if she slept with him before they were married. The wife wonders if he is using the moves on someone else he used on her before marriage.) You can say it is wrong even without admitting that you did it yourself.
Wrong and right must be established outside of what is going on. Righteousness is not determined by what everyone else is doing. Righteousness is established by Someone who has the right to determine what righteousness is. Only God can establish right and wrong. Mankind will always deteriorate the meaning of righteousness.
Righteousness must be established with authority. The Bible must be the written authority for God's Word. It should be preached regardless of the more' of a society.
Judgment is not saying something is wrong. Judgment is condemning someone for the wrong. We must stop the condemnation process while being able to say when an act is wrong. We must stop using Matthew 7:1 (Judge not lest ye be judged.) as a tacit means of approval of every sinful act. (Note that the following verses give instructions how to judge.)
Maybe a parable will help us understand:
A teacher who has been living with her boyfriend is told by one of her fourth grade students that she doesn't think that living together before marriage is right.
The teacher rebukes the child, "Judge not lest ye be judged!"
Later the teacher gives a math exam. The student gets her paper back. Several of her answers have big red X's over them. The student asks why they were marked as wrong.
"That's because those are the wrong answers, honey," the teacher explains.
"Judge not lest ye be judged!" the student replies.
Psalm 119:105-106 (NIV)
105 Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path. 106 I have taken an oath and confirmed it, that I will follow your righteous laws.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Stop Making Excuses for Failure
I hear it happen often. A person comes to the pulpit and complains about being sick or makes some other excuse for the bad sermon he is about to preach. This person will also tell how dumb he is or how inept he is at what he does. He thinks he is being humble but he is far from it. Humility is not self deprecating. Humility is not trying to make others think less of you.
I believe that those who are openly critical of themselves think of themselves too much. They are saying that God isn't doing such a great job. They are giving themselves excuses for failures. They are afraid that success costs too much. They make excuses for their failures before they fail.
Thus, they will belittle their churches, their children and themselves in an effort to make an excuse if anything goes wrong. However, their true nature is discovered if you ever question something they have done. They generally defend their actions to the hilt. It is evident that they really don't believe that they are the dumbest person in the room. They really are telling others how bad they are so that they can receive the applause of those who feel compassion for them. Then, if they really do fail, they have merely met their own (and others) expectations.
How can this be if you really know you are doing what God wants you to do? Shouldn't you have an expectation of success rather than failure? Shouldn't you expect God to give you strength to accomplish everything He has called you to do?
Joshua became the leader of the Israelites after the death of Moses. How could he expect to lead this people after they had been led by someone whom God spoke face-to-face? Sure, he had been trained by Moses but could he actually take the place of Moses?
Imagine if he had stood before the people and said:
"Children of the former slaves from Egypt, Moses is dead. I have been placed in leadership over you but I am not fit to be your leader. I am not very smart. I don't talk to God like Moses did. I am really scared right now and you would be better off going back to Egypt than following me. However, I will lead you to the Promised Land where we will most assuredly die trying to defeat the people who already live there. Now, who's with me?"
Of course, no such speech was given. However, in all of his instructions to the Israelites Joshua added, (Joshua 1:13 (NIV)) "Remember the command that Moses the servant of the LORD gave you: 'The LORD your God is giving you rest and has granted you this land.'
Joshua made no excuses for failure. He didn't even accept the possibility of failure. He was expressing incredible confidence in God and the people. He was saying that victory was already theirs.
I wonder how many people would be successful at what they do if they would do what God told them to do and stopped giving excuses claiming failure is eminent.
Try praying the following prayer:
I thank you God for you have prepared me for every challenge I will meet today. I will call upon you when I feel weak. I praise you for you have strengthened me. I need your wisdom. I thank you for giving it to me. Success will be determined in my faithfulness. I will do what you say because I love you with all my heart. Amen.
Now, dont' make another excuse. Go and do what God says.
I believe that those who are openly critical of themselves think of themselves too much. They are saying that God isn't doing such a great job. They are giving themselves excuses for failures. They are afraid that success costs too much. They make excuses for their failures before they fail.
Thus, they will belittle their churches, their children and themselves in an effort to make an excuse if anything goes wrong. However, their true nature is discovered if you ever question something they have done. They generally defend their actions to the hilt. It is evident that they really don't believe that they are the dumbest person in the room. They really are telling others how bad they are so that they can receive the applause of those who feel compassion for them. Then, if they really do fail, they have merely met their own (and others) expectations.
How can this be if you really know you are doing what God wants you to do? Shouldn't you have an expectation of success rather than failure? Shouldn't you expect God to give you strength to accomplish everything He has called you to do?
Joshua became the leader of the Israelites after the death of Moses. How could he expect to lead this people after they had been led by someone whom God spoke face-to-face? Sure, he had been trained by Moses but could he actually take the place of Moses?
Imagine if he had stood before the people and said:
"Children of the former slaves from Egypt, Moses is dead. I have been placed in leadership over you but I am not fit to be your leader. I am not very smart. I don't talk to God like Moses did. I am really scared right now and you would be better off going back to Egypt than following me. However, I will lead you to the Promised Land where we will most assuredly die trying to defeat the people who already live there. Now, who's with me?"
Of course, no such speech was given. However, in all of his instructions to the Israelites Joshua added, (Joshua 1:13 (NIV)) "Remember the command that Moses the servant of the LORD gave you: 'The LORD your God is giving you rest and has granted you this land.'
Joshua made no excuses for failure. He didn't even accept the possibility of failure. He was expressing incredible confidence in God and the people. He was saying that victory was already theirs.
I wonder how many people would be successful at what they do if they would do what God told them to do and stopped giving excuses claiming failure is eminent.
Try praying the following prayer:
I thank you God for you have prepared me for every challenge I will meet today. I will call upon you when I feel weak. I praise you for you have strengthened me. I need your wisdom. I thank you for giving it to me. Success will be determined in my faithfulness. I will do what you say because I love you with all my heart. Amen.
Now, dont' make another excuse. Go and do what God says.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Can You Recommend Your Church?
Once you were likely to receive an unannounced visit from a church you recently visited. They would arrive at your door and want to talk to you about your faith and the church. They would expect you to open your door and spend a minimum of thirty minutes to an hour assuring them of your faith. This method has become less and less effective (except possibly in rural situations). Many people see this an invasion of their homes. They do not want anyone coming unannounced. They don't like it when their family does this to them; why would they want someone they don't know doing this?
Many churches went to the telephone contact people for their church. They reasoned that this was not an invasion of privacy. The telephone seemed benign. Then, the telemarketers hounded people. They called until no one could eat their evening meals. They called in the middle of favorite television programs. They called until caller identification became a standard feature on phones. Now, the contact from a church is met with the same resistance as if the church is a telemarketer.
Email seems to be the next best solution. Many find it the most impersonal but it neither invades privacy nor interrupts what is going on. Then, spam came to destroy this method of contact. People started getting so many unsolicited emails that spam filters became the norm. Many will never see their emails received because the person must place the address of the sender into their address book before that email can proceed. Of course, the church or the church member who is making this contact is not in the address book. Therefore, the emails being sent are going unread.
So, how are churches to make contacts if these methods are ineffective? I am glad you asked.
I have a couple of Honda cars. Hondas need their timing belts changed every 80,000 miles. That time has come on one of my vehicles. I asked people who I should go to. Most people scratched their heads and said they didn't know. A recommendation is putting your own reputation on the line. The people I asked did not want to be responsible for a bad mechanic. They preferred to be silent.
Finally, someone recommended a place to me. This place works on Hondas exclusively. I went looking for them on the internet. They were listed in the White Pages but did not have a website. I called them and told them what I needed. Their hours of operation were very limited. I got a map from google and headed to their business. They were very hard to find with the GPS and the map. How are they able to stay in business?
The answer is simple. They live on recommendations. I have never seen their advertising. No one is going to find their business unless they are purposely driving there. (And many of them will lose their way!) They must do a great job or they will never see another customer.
Is this a crazy idea for a church? Should a church exist on its reputation? Why hasn't the church done so?
Jesus healed a blind man by making some mud from His spittle and putting it on the man's eyes. The blind man was instructed to wash the mud off at Siloam. The man received his sight and, no doubt, exuberantly declared that Jesus had healed him.
Those who chose not to believe questioned the man who said, "Whether He is a sinner, I do not know; one thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see." (Does this sound like a recommendation to you?) The man who was born blind had become someone who would endorse Jesus wholeheartedly.
This is what is missing in the church. Few people are saying that they have found the One who can open their eyes. Every method we use is going to be ineffective as long as this is true. Maybe the church has not been that effective in opening eyes.
Therefore, the man born blind became a believer. Those around him received his recommendation. Every day he walked around seeing was a testimony to Jesus.
Of course, some people will never believe nor will they accept our recommendations. That's not the point anyway. We must be in the business of opening the eyes of people by the power of Jesus if we are to reach out world. It will be on their recommendations (testimonies) that the church will exist. We will stand on fact that Jesus is the Messiah. We will proclaim who He is through our seeing.
Listen to this seeing man's recommendation:
John 9:30-33 (NIV)
30 The man answered, "Now that is remarkable! You don't know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes. 31 We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly man who does his will. 32 Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind. 33 If this man were not from God, he could do nothing."
Many churches went to the telephone contact people for their church. They reasoned that this was not an invasion of privacy. The telephone seemed benign. Then, the telemarketers hounded people. They called until no one could eat their evening meals. They called in the middle of favorite television programs. They called until caller identification became a standard feature on phones. Now, the contact from a church is met with the same resistance as if the church is a telemarketer.
Email seems to be the next best solution. Many find it the most impersonal but it neither invades privacy nor interrupts what is going on. Then, spam came to destroy this method of contact. People started getting so many unsolicited emails that spam filters became the norm. Many will never see their emails received because the person must place the address of the sender into their address book before that email can proceed. Of course, the church or the church member who is making this contact is not in the address book. Therefore, the emails being sent are going unread.
So, how are churches to make contacts if these methods are ineffective? I am glad you asked.
I have a couple of Honda cars. Hondas need their timing belts changed every 80,000 miles. That time has come on one of my vehicles. I asked people who I should go to. Most people scratched their heads and said they didn't know. A recommendation is putting your own reputation on the line. The people I asked did not want to be responsible for a bad mechanic. They preferred to be silent.
Finally, someone recommended a place to me. This place works on Hondas exclusively. I went looking for them on the internet. They were listed in the White Pages but did not have a website. I called them and told them what I needed. Their hours of operation were very limited. I got a map from google and headed to their business. They were very hard to find with the GPS and the map. How are they able to stay in business?
The answer is simple. They live on recommendations. I have never seen their advertising. No one is going to find their business unless they are purposely driving there. (And many of them will lose their way!) They must do a great job or they will never see another customer.
Is this a crazy idea for a church? Should a church exist on its reputation? Why hasn't the church done so?
Jesus healed a blind man by making some mud from His spittle and putting it on the man's eyes. The blind man was instructed to wash the mud off at Siloam. The man received his sight and, no doubt, exuberantly declared that Jesus had healed him.
Those who chose not to believe questioned the man who said, "Whether He is a sinner, I do not know; one thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see." (Does this sound like a recommendation to you?) The man who was born blind had become someone who would endorse Jesus wholeheartedly.
This is what is missing in the church. Few people are saying that they have found the One who can open their eyes. Every method we use is going to be ineffective as long as this is true. Maybe the church has not been that effective in opening eyes.
Therefore, the man born blind became a believer. Those around him received his recommendation. Every day he walked around seeing was a testimony to Jesus.
Of course, some people will never believe nor will they accept our recommendations. That's not the point anyway. We must be in the business of opening the eyes of people by the power of Jesus if we are to reach out world. It will be on their recommendations (testimonies) that the church will exist. We will stand on fact that Jesus is the Messiah. We will proclaim who He is through our seeing.
Listen to this seeing man's recommendation:
John 9:30-33 (NIV)
30 The man answered, "Now that is remarkable! You don't know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes. 31 We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly man who does his will. 32 Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind. 33 If this man were not from God, he could do nothing."
Monday, September 27, 2010
What Kind of Faith Do You Have?
I wonder why some people call themselves Christians? Sure, they go to church and they are fairly moral people but there are plenty of people who live lives better than many Christians who aren't Christians. Many Muslims are more devoted to their faith. They fast, abstain from alcohol, abhor premarital sex and pray several times a day. Most of the people who call themselves Christians don't allow their faith to cause such a different lifestyle than those who have no faith at all. Many more Muslims act like Muslims than Christians act like Christians.
I wonder if many of the people who call themselves Christians only became so because they believed it would make their lives better. That makes a lot of sense when you see the sermons from some of the fastest growing churches. It is hard to find a sermon that doesn't have "victory" or "successful" in the title. There are steps and ways and methods to put the hearers ahead of those who aren't at those churches. Who speaks of commitment, suffering and being "washed in the blood" anymore?
These messages don't seem to be the ones being preached during the New Testament. Jesus said that people would try to give His followers hell even though they were trying to give the world heaven. He said that they would be beaten and martyred for the sake of the gospel. Their faith wasn't one of what they would get out of Christianity. They believed in Someone who brought life. Their lives had received the joy of the Holy Spirit. Many of them would indeed be martyred. Others would see Christians torn apart by wild beasts and placed on poles and used as torches to light the city streets of Rome. Why would anyone believe in something so dangerous?
Many of Jesus disciples left Him after he made some very hard statements. It had to be extremely discouraging. Jesus went to the Twelve and asked if they would go too. But their faith was not one of trying to get an advantage over others. Their faith was one of commitment that could not be shaken by difficult words. They believed in a way that their lives made their Lord central. This is not a life of God as number one. It is a life that does not exist unless God is central to everything that goes on around it. It is a internal faith rather than a simple belief. It is one that becomes the person rather than something the person outwardly believes.
All but one of Jesus' disciples had this faith.
What kind of faith do you have?
John 6:66 (ESV)
After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him. So Jesus said to the Twelve, "Do you want to go away as well?" Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God." Jesus answered, "Did I not choose you, the Twelve: And yet one of you is a devil." He spoke of Judas the son of Simon Iscariot, for he, one of the Twelve, was going to betray him.
I wonder if many of the people who call themselves Christians only became so because they believed it would make their lives better. That makes a lot of sense when you see the sermons from some of the fastest growing churches. It is hard to find a sermon that doesn't have "victory" or "successful" in the title. There are steps and ways and methods to put the hearers ahead of those who aren't at those churches. Who speaks of commitment, suffering and being "washed in the blood" anymore?
These messages don't seem to be the ones being preached during the New Testament. Jesus said that people would try to give His followers hell even though they were trying to give the world heaven. He said that they would be beaten and martyred for the sake of the gospel. Their faith wasn't one of what they would get out of Christianity. They believed in Someone who brought life. Their lives had received the joy of the Holy Spirit. Many of them would indeed be martyred. Others would see Christians torn apart by wild beasts and placed on poles and used as torches to light the city streets of Rome. Why would anyone believe in something so dangerous?
Many of Jesus disciples left Him after he made some very hard statements. It had to be extremely discouraging. Jesus went to the Twelve and asked if they would go too. But their faith was not one of trying to get an advantage over others. Their faith was one of commitment that could not be shaken by difficult words. They believed in a way that their lives made their Lord central. This is not a life of God as number one. It is a life that does not exist unless God is central to everything that goes on around it. It is a internal faith rather than a simple belief. It is one that becomes the person rather than something the person outwardly believes.
All but one of Jesus' disciples had this faith.
What kind of faith do you have?
John 6:66 (ESV)
After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him. So Jesus said to the Twelve, "Do you want to go away as well?" Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God." Jesus answered, "Did I not choose you, the Twelve: And yet one of you is a devil." He spoke of Judas the son of Simon Iscariot, for he, one of the Twelve, was going to betray him.
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Confession Is Better than Perfection
I recently read that only 2% of the people who talk on cell phones while driving can do so safely. They have the true ability to give the same attention to their driving as they would if they did not use the cell phone.
I have a prediction, though it has no scientific backing. I predict that 98% of the people who talk on cell phones while driving believe they are in the 2% who can do so safely. Many of us make ourselves legends in our own minds.
This is why we fail to see many of our own sins. We don't notice when we gossip. We may call it sharing or doing so as a prayer request. We don't believe we have lied when we tell a church member that we have prayed for them when we really haven't. We don't notice our own judgment of others by the way they dress or their accent. We fail to notice our own lusts and greed.
I believe that trying to live a perfect life is a horrible way to live. I believe it leads to legalism rather than an intimate relationship with our Lord. However, I would like to be changed from the inside out by His presence so that my actions change. I would like to recognize my own sins so that I can honestly confess them.
I would rather be clean than perfect. I would rather be made righteous by God than to believe that my righteousness comes from my own actions. I would rather my God continually change me than to be without any flaw because of my own efforts. I would rather be His creation than to believe that I am my own.
Of course, getting to this point takes a lot of confession. It means that I can no longer look at my own actions and deem them good or bad. I must have the Holy Spirit who convicts me. I must pray that prayer, "Search me, O God, and see if there is any wicked way in me." This prayer made honestly will bring conviction. Conviction should bring confession.
God does the most miraculous thing when I have confessed. He cleanses me from all unrighteousness. This unrighteousness was already forgiven for our salvation but it still separated us from Him in the present. Its separated us from His word. It was necessary for the cleansing to take place.
Would you pray that prayer? "Search me, O God, and see if there is any wicked way in me."
Then, confess. His word will show itself to be in you.
1 John 1:9-10 (NIV)
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.
I have a prediction, though it has no scientific backing. I predict that 98% of the people who talk on cell phones while driving believe they are in the 2% who can do so safely. Many of us make ourselves legends in our own minds.
This is why we fail to see many of our own sins. We don't notice when we gossip. We may call it sharing or doing so as a prayer request. We don't believe we have lied when we tell a church member that we have prayed for them when we really haven't. We don't notice our own judgment of others by the way they dress or their accent. We fail to notice our own lusts and greed.
I believe that trying to live a perfect life is a horrible way to live. I believe it leads to legalism rather than an intimate relationship with our Lord. However, I would like to be changed from the inside out by His presence so that my actions change. I would like to recognize my own sins so that I can honestly confess them.
I would rather be clean than perfect. I would rather be made righteous by God than to believe that my righteousness comes from my own actions. I would rather my God continually change me than to be without any flaw because of my own efforts. I would rather be His creation than to believe that I am my own.
Of course, getting to this point takes a lot of confession. It means that I can no longer look at my own actions and deem them good or bad. I must have the Holy Spirit who convicts me. I must pray that prayer, "Search me, O God, and see if there is any wicked way in me." This prayer made honestly will bring conviction. Conviction should bring confession.
God does the most miraculous thing when I have confessed. He cleanses me from all unrighteousness. This unrighteousness was already forgiven for our salvation but it still separated us from Him in the present. Its separated us from His word. It was necessary for the cleansing to take place.
Would you pray that prayer? "Search me, O God, and see if there is any wicked way in me."
Then, confess. His word will show itself to be in you.
1 John 1:9-10 (NIV)
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Didn't You Know He Knew?
I have seen it happen so many times before. Someone who has charge of the church money takes some of it. I have seen financial secretaries take hundreds of thousands of dollars. I wonder if they thought that they would never get caught. I wonder why they didn't know that God already knew. Do they think so little of Him that they perceived Him as an old man who didn't care or didn't notice? Do they believe in God at all?
Of course, these aren't the only ones who have been active in church and continued to do something they shouldn't. There have been infidelities and even bank robberies by church people. There have been murderers, pastors who preached against homosexuals but were homosexuals themselves and out and out perverts active in the church and practicing their sins when away from it.
This blog is not an effort for us to look down on these people. Their sins are particular and they have more severe consequences but they are sins. They are no more or no less than what any of us have done to send Jesus to the cross. Yet, they were so hidden and continued that I wonder if these people thought they would get away with it. I wonder if they never thought about God knowing what they did.
This all makes me think that I must be very careful to confess my own sins. I am not going to get caught. I am already caught. God already knows the things I have done. He knows the things that I wouldn't want anyone else to know. He knows the sins that I have committed secretly. He knows my words and my thoughts.
People haven't changed. David thought he wouldn't get caught in his sin with Bathsheba and the cover-up that killed her husband. Ananias and Sapphira didn't think they would be caught. Maybe even Judas didn't think he would be caught. Yes, Adam and Eve hid from God after they sinned. I guess thinking we wouldn't be caught goes back a long ways.
The best thing is to confess. Nothing else cleanses us from all unrighteousness. Confession is much better than being caught.
Psalm 51:1-4 (NIV)
1 Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. 2 Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. 3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. 4 Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are proved right when you speak and justified when you judge.
Of course, these aren't the only ones who have been active in church and continued to do something they shouldn't. There have been infidelities and even bank robberies by church people. There have been murderers, pastors who preached against homosexuals but were homosexuals themselves and out and out perverts active in the church and practicing their sins when away from it.
This blog is not an effort for us to look down on these people. Their sins are particular and they have more severe consequences but they are sins. They are no more or no less than what any of us have done to send Jesus to the cross. Yet, they were so hidden and continued that I wonder if these people thought they would get away with it. I wonder if they never thought about God knowing what they did.
This all makes me think that I must be very careful to confess my own sins. I am not going to get caught. I am already caught. God already knows the things I have done. He knows the things that I wouldn't want anyone else to know. He knows the sins that I have committed secretly. He knows my words and my thoughts.
People haven't changed. David thought he wouldn't get caught in his sin with Bathsheba and the cover-up that killed her husband. Ananias and Sapphira didn't think they would be caught. Maybe even Judas didn't think he would be caught. Yes, Adam and Eve hid from God after they sinned. I guess thinking we wouldn't be caught goes back a long ways.
The best thing is to confess. Nothing else cleanses us from all unrighteousness. Confession is much better than being caught.
Psalm 51:1-4 (NIV)
1 Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. 2 Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. 3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. 4 Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are proved right when you speak and justified when you judge.
Friday, September 24, 2010
A Testimony Starts with "A Test"
Matthew 4:1 (NIV)
1 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil.
Right after Jesus was baptized He is led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. It seems that the purpose of the Spirit is to test Jesus.
I believe that everyone that makes a commitment to the Lord will be tested. He or she will have difficult times as soon as they say, "I'll do whatever you say, Lord. No matter what!" It is then that the test begins.
I have had many people tell me that they have committed their finances to the Lord only to have unexpected bills come their way immediately. They have told the Lord that they will always trust Him and soon seen their children sick or their job in jeopardy. They have committed themselves to a mission trip or to teaching Sunday School and been struck with a personal illness which shook their faith.
I am not trying to say that "no good deed goes unpunished." I am saying that we never know the reality of our own faith as long as it is never tested. A testimony starts with a test.
I looked carefully as I read this one verse. The Spirit led Jesus. The Spirit does not tempt us. We are merely led to the place of temptation. The tempter will always stand ready to have us tarnish God's glory. He will tempt with the hope that we will join him in cursing God.
The Spirit led Jesus also means that He was out front. Leading requires you to be out front. He doesn't send us to the place of temptation but leads us to that place. He knows what will happen and therefore stands before us.
The Spirit led Jesus also means that He is with us through the whole temptation. We are never alone. We always have His strength if we will simply stop trying to win our battles without Him.
It is interesting to note that the devil threw his best at Jesus, failed and left Him. This does not mean that he never opposed Jesus again. He just realized that he was defeated and had no further reason for being there.
It was from this point that Jesus began His preaching ministry. He had been tested and proven true. He had a testimony.
Is there a testimony being created for you right now? Have you committed yourself to the Lord only to find yourself being challenged like never before? Please remember these three things:
The Holy Spirit is leading you right now.
The Holy Spirit is before you right now.
The Holy Spirit is with you right now.
Your power can be found in Him. From this testing you will have a powerful testimony.
1 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil.
Right after Jesus was baptized He is led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. It seems that the purpose of the Spirit is to test Jesus.
I believe that everyone that makes a commitment to the Lord will be tested. He or she will have difficult times as soon as they say, "I'll do whatever you say, Lord. No matter what!" It is then that the test begins.
I have had many people tell me that they have committed their finances to the Lord only to have unexpected bills come their way immediately. They have told the Lord that they will always trust Him and soon seen their children sick or their job in jeopardy. They have committed themselves to a mission trip or to teaching Sunday School and been struck with a personal illness which shook their faith.
I am not trying to say that "no good deed goes unpunished." I am saying that we never know the reality of our own faith as long as it is never tested. A testimony starts with a test.
I looked carefully as I read this one verse. The Spirit led Jesus. The Spirit does not tempt us. We are merely led to the place of temptation. The tempter will always stand ready to have us tarnish God's glory. He will tempt with the hope that we will join him in cursing God.
The Spirit led Jesus also means that He was out front. Leading requires you to be out front. He doesn't send us to the place of temptation but leads us to that place. He knows what will happen and therefore stands before us.
The Spirit led Jesus also means that He is with us through the whole temptation. We are never alone. We always have His strength if we will simply stop trying to win our battles without Him.
It is interesting to note that the devil threw his best at Jesus, failed and left Him. This does not mean that he never opposed Jesus again. He just realized that he was defeated and had no further reason for being there.
It was from this point that Jesus began His preaching ministry. He had been tested and proven true. He had a testimony.
Is there a testimony being created for you right now? Have you committed yourself to the Lord only to find yourself being challenged like never before? Please remember these three things:
The Holy Spirit is leading you right now.
The Holy Spirit is before you right now.
The Holy Spirit is with you right now.
Your power can be found in Him. From this testing you will have a powerful testimony.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)