The Stuck Record of My Christian Life

 October 15, 2024

Tuesday

Many people are rediscovering vinyl records. They claim that they give a superior reproduction of the music that is recorded on them. My ear can't tell the difference but I am sure that some can. I remember vinyl records as getting scratchy. They could be broken. They would skip. And they would get stuck. Often, my Christian life seems like it gets stuck.

A stuck vinyl record would play the same groove over and over. I seem to repeat my mistakes and sins over and over. I know better but I get distracted. I know better but I get too emotional. I know better but I get filled with myself. Yes, that last one continues to be played over and over.

The problem is that I can't hold yesterday's filling of the Holy Spirit in so that I don't need to be filled today. Yet, when I look at the scripture that commands me to be filled with the Holy Spirit, I see that the "be filled" is in the present tense. It denotes continuous action. 

You can't fill up a balloon forever. If you continue to fill it, it will pop. That would be true for a tire on your can, too. However, if the tire has a leak, you can continue to fill it at a rate that will not cause it to explode. The trouble I have with being filled with the Spirit is that I leak so badly that I must continually be filled. Yesterday's filling won't last until tomorrow.

So, right now, again, like I have done so many times before, I must say, "I am willing, Holy Spirit, for you to fill me." I want to be filled one more time. I don't want to forget that I leak. I want to continue to seek the Lord in this.

Maybe the next time the record comes around I won't be stuck. I will realize that I didn't lose the Holy Spirit but I was far from full.

Is that how you are too?

Ephesians 5:18 (ESV) ¹⁸  And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, 

When You Slip and Fall

 October 14, 2024

Monday

Satan's not going to steal my joy! He's not going to get to me!

Maybe you have said that too. Then, something happens and it brings anxiety or fear. Then, your hope is challenged by circumstances. Then, you see your joy and peace slipping away. Then, you realize that Satan was just waiting for you to put your guard down. He is rushing in to devour you.

He can't take your salvation but he can take your joy and peace when he tempts you. He has gotten permission to "sift you like wheat" and he is using every moment to ruin your testimony.

Truthfully, he wouldn't have had an opening if you had kept that close, intimate relationship with the Lord. After all, that was just last week; wasn't it? It doesn't take long to get from filled with the Holy Spirit to almost empty. It doesn't take long for the flesh to start demanding attention.

So, do you just grin and bear it? Absolutely not! You go to the Lord in prayer. You admit that you slipped. You cry out for a moment to come home again. Funny thing, you didn't know you had left until the anxiety came on you.

Thankfully, God is the father of all prodigals. Some go far away. Some not so far. Or rather just far away for Satan to get ahold of them.

Satan is after you. He is just looking for the right opportunity.

1 Peter 5:8-9 (ESV) ⁸  Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. ⁹  Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. 

Never Waste a Mistake

 October 13, 2024

Sunday

About thirty-three years ago the church I was serving got a new pastor. Mike Glenn came to Brentwood Baptist Church in Brentwood, TN and was amazing. However, the first time he baptized, we forgot to tell him which waders to use. One of them had a hole in it. The problem is, if you don't know that you won't know it until you are in the water. Mike went ahead and baptized. He was wearing a light colored suit with light pants. It looked like he just didn't make it to the bathroom. I was called back to his study and burst out laughing the moment I saw him. He wanted me to get his wife to bring another suit. There just wasn't enough time for her to get it and bring it back to the church. So, Mike preached in his wet pants.

I learned something valuable that day. Never waste a mistake. Mike told the congregation what happened. They laughed and he endeared himself to the congregation. He was human. He humbled himself and made himself a whole lot bigger at the same time.

If we let God work when we make mistakes, we will see Romans 8:28 come alive. God will cause the good to come upon us even when something bad has happened. On the other hand, we can make a bad thing worse if we want to.

Admit what happened. Don't try to cover it up. Be humble and let God work. Those are things that have gone with me for a long time now. Mistakes that are covered up become larger. Mistakes that are admitted become learning opportunities.

Romans 8:28 (ESV)²⁸ And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

Some Characteristics of the Self-Righteous

 October 12, 2024

Saturday

If you have read this blog, you know that I have said that self-righteous people can be as mean at they want to be. They are right and they can condemn anyone who is different and doesn't agree with them. But tonight as I was riding my bicycle home from church, I realized some other things about the self-righteous.

Self-righteous people do not know that they are self-righteous. In fact, it might not have even occurred to them. They might notice that they are looking down on others. They might even see themselves as humble servants of God. They look good on the outside but are full of hypocrisy on the inside.

Matthew 23:27 (ESV)²⁷ “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness.

Self-righteous people do the right things but do not give grace to others.

Matthew 23:23 (ESV)²³ “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others.

Self-righteous people do the work of Satan in the name of God.

John 11:47–53 (ESV)⁴⁷ So the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered the council and said, “What are we to do? For this man performs many signs. ⁴⁸ If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.” ⁴⁹ But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all. ⁵⁰ Nor do you understand that it is better for you that one man should die for the people, not that the whole nation should perish.” ⁵¹ He did not say this of his own accord, but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, ⁵² and not for the nation only, but also to gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad. ⁵³ So from that day on they made plans to put him to death.

Self-righteous people actively seek people who are exactly like them. They want others to join them in their crusades of self-righteousness.

Matthew 23:15 (ESV)¹⁵ Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel across sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves.

Self-righteous people seek the praise of men rather than humility.

Matthew 23:1–7 (ESV)¹ Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, ² “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat, ³ so do and observe whatever they tell you, but not the works they do. For they preach, but do not practice. ⁴ They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger. ⁵ They do all their deeds to be seen by others. For they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long, ⁶ and they love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues ⁷ and greetings in the marketplaces and being called rabbi by others.

The real problem isn't the self-righteous people. The problem is that any of us can become self-righteous. We all have blind eyes on our sins. We all want some praise from men. We all think that doing what is right will make us righteous. At least, we think that in the flesh. So, we must diligently watch to see our self-righteousness. We will notice it when we are confronted by someone who disagrees with us. We will not listen and we will oppose that person. We may even say that we are doing it for God. We won't give grace. 

Beware for self-righteousness may overcome you before you know it.

Matthew 23:12 (ESV)¹² Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

Is Everyone Spiritual?

 October 11, 2024

Friday

As I have said before, we all communicate by what we know. Therefore, when a Christian says "spiritual" the non-Christian relates that to something he or she knows. Thus, everyone becomes spiritual with a different definition. We are thought of a spiritual and religious and they think of themselves as spiritual and non-religious.

A Christian is spiritual because the Holy Spirit dwells inside him. He is not necessarily spiritual because he dreams dreams or sees visions. I actually believe that a lot of non-Christians have dreams that can only be described as spiritual in a secular sense. It will not be the same as the Christian's experience. The Christian will understand the dream by the interpretation of the Holy Spirit. The non-Christian comes up with his own interpretation.

Sometimes non-Christians will admit that there is a God. They will even state that He does miracles. They think that people try to get on His good side by being religious. They have no idea that they could have a personal relationship. They have know idea that they could actually experience God. This is why they might believe that there are many paths to God. They might believe that God lets all people into His heaven. They might believe that they came into this world innocent and any sin that was committed was because the world influenced them to commit it. Through all this, they think of themselves as spiritual.

Today, I heard a man say that we are all spiritual beings. He is somewhat right. We all possess a spirit but our spirits are dead to the Holy Spirit until we become Christians. Our spirits receive communication from the Holy Spirit. Our spirits can grow if we obey and remain almost dormant if we quench or grieve the Spirit. It bothers me when a person who claims to be a Christian has no communication with the Spirit. We must possess the Spirit to be Christians.

I am also distressed when I see a Christian being controlled by their sinful nature. That means that they are not full of the Spirit. That means they are grieving the Spirit. That means they are far from God even if they are so "religious" that they go to church every week. The Holy Spirit should be more than a name we banter around on Sundays. He must be active in our lives. We must let Him become active. The non-Christian sees that backslidden Christian as normal. 

Lastly, I am bothered by those who are self-righteous. They believe they know more than everyone else. They evidently know that God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. They would know this if they were full of the Holy Spirit. Those who think they are close to God but are actually far away often can't see the distance. Those who are full of the Spirit are grieved over the distance that exists between them and God. The non-Christian despises the self-righteous.

There should be such a difference between our interaction with the Holy Spirit that the non-Christian would immediately know that there is a difference. Then, maybe they would say, "I am not spiritual like you." Then, we could have an honest conversation to tell them how they could be.

Romans 8:9 (ESV)

⁹ You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.

A Need for the Need

 October 10, 2024

Thursday

In a church I served, one of my congregation went to jail. His wife came to me franticly saying that we needed to get him out as soon as possible. He promised that he would never engage in the things that put him in jail again. I called some people and raised the bail he needed to get out. He was back at what put him in jail within four hours. Sometimes you need to stop for a minute when someone has a dire need. Maybe they need that need.

God doesn't always answer prayers the way we pray them. He may appear that He is silent but in reality He will bring about that which is necessary when it brings Him glory. Sometimes we need to remain in our need. Those who rush to remove the need may not be acting for God.

Paul had a thorn in the flesh. God allowed him to keep it because Paul was made strong by that thorn in the flesh. Some would have rushed to get treatment for Paul. They would have worked against what God had planned.

Jesus remained on the other side of the Jordan when He heard that Lazarus was sick. The fact was that it would have made no difference if He had taken off for Bethany immediately so He stayed two more days on the other side of the Jordan. Jesus was two days away from Bethany. The men who came to get Him to return with them had taken two days to reach Jesus. Doing a little math, since Lazarus was dead for four days when Jesus arrived, Lazarus had died at the time the men coming to Jesus arrived. If Jesus immediately left for Bethany, Lazarus would have been in the grave for two days. That's not the way it would have looked to Mary and Martha. They would have known silence for the four days of their brother's death. They would have known that Jesus waited two days before coming to them. They knew He loved them but they could hardly understand His absence.

When Jesus said that Lazarus' sickness would not end in death, His disciples probably thought that Lazarus was going to get better. They wouldn't have thought they needed to leave immediately either. Thus, when Jesus said that He was going to Judea the disciples were reluctant because they thought that it was dangerous for Jesus to return to Judea. When He told them that Lazarus was asleep, them must have been under the assumption that he was still alive. Sleep would help him get better. They certainly didn't understand Jesus saying that He needed to wake him up.

But look at the results for the waiting. Some came to know Jesus. But also, the wheels were truly set in motion for Jesus' crucifixion. 

Our prayers seem to rush to relieve the need. That isn't always what should be done. We should pray what God wants us to pray. We need to join God in what He is doing rather than tell God what to do. Taking someone out of their pain may be the thing that causes even greater misery. It may give them a powerless testimony. It may keep them from maturing in the faith.

So, answer me this: Would you rather give your prayer requests to someone who will always pray that you get out of the pain you are in or someone who will pray that God gives you relief as soon as the pain has accomplished what God wants for you? Think about it.

John 11:6 (ESV)

⁶ So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was.

Fighting the Good Fight

 October 9, 2024

Wednesday

In an offhand remark this past Sunday I said, "People want me to read that their dad fought the good fight, finished the course and kept the faith when they never entered the fight, never ran and certainly had little to show for their faith." Last night someone said I didn't repeat that in both services. It was an offhand remark. I didn't plan to say it in the first place. I didn't think of saying it in the second place. But after I was reminded that I didn't repeat it in the second service, I thought about it.

I had never realized that those who ask me to read that about their dads (I can't remember anyone asking for anyone else.) do not realize what Paul is talking about. They apparently think that Paul is talking about life in general. Thus, life is a fight; it is a course and the faith is the strength to get through it. They cannot understand this statement because they are too far outside its meaning.

When you fly, flight attendants often pass through the cabin giving drinks to the passengers. I believe that it gives the passengers something to do. It isn't enough to really satisfy any hunger. If anyone really thought of it, they would realize they were over 30,000 feet above the ground in a long metal tube in a thin atmosphere with the temperature hovering around 50 degrees below zero just a few feet from them. The thought of that is too far outside what the passengers are thinking for most of them to think of it. I guess snacking on a half of a can of a soft drink and munching on the smallest possible bag of chips helps.

Interpretation comes from things that are known. There must be a connection between the things known and the things interpreted. When someone lives completely outside of spiritual understanding, scripture is interpreted by the secular world. The Holy Spirit interprets God's word for those who are spiritual. The world does it for those who are not.

The Apostle Paul gave his life to Christ and lived it for God's glory. He went where God led him and did what God called and led him to do. He did so when things were good and when they would have broken most people. He lived his life so that there would be nothing left at the end. Thus, he fought the good fight, finished the course and kept the faith. The faith of Paul was more than a cliche'. It was a reality.

I want to say to people who read this verse, "Tell me about the fight that you are in to obey the Lord; the course you are taking and the faith you are espousing." Yes, tell me how you have suffered for it. Then, maybe you can say what Paul said. Otherwise, you may have lived your life for what you thought was right but it wasn't for the Lord.

2 Timothy 4:7 (ESV) ⁷  I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.