As I stood in my bedroom getting dressed, I could hear our little boys playing outside of the door. They knew I was there as well and soon one of them poked his foot under the door and said, “Daddy, tickle my feet.” I did not go over right away so he repeated his request. After he had asked about three times, I finally went over and tickled his feet. Soon two of his brothers also had the tips of their feet under the door. As I tickled their feet, they squealed with delight.
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In their position on the other side of the door, they could not see Daddy, but they knew I was there. They could hear me in our room, and then they could feel my presence as I touched their feet.
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As I enjoyed that special time with my sons, I also thought about my time with God. Though I can not see Him with my eyes, I know He is there. No, God does not tickle my feet as I pray to Him, but He is concerned about my feet. Notice what Jesus did when He was here on earth. “After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded.” (John 13:5 NKJV)
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Though God is no longer here on earth in human form so that we can see Him and have Him wash our feet, He has not forgotten about us. He still cares about us and He is still showing us His very real presence.
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One of the most obvious ways that God reveals Himself is through His creation. “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse” (Romans 1:20 NKJV) The very presence of the world and the things around us are a testimony to the reality of God. Even though we cannot see Him, we can see what He has done and is doing. Psalm 19:1 has a similar message, “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.”
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It is one thing for God to reveal His existence, it is another thing for Him to actually show that He cares about us and wants to interact with us. For example, my boys knew I was in the room, but I could have just ignored them when they stuck their toes under the door. Our God does not ignore us. Not only has He given us the Bible to tell us about Himself, He also sent His only begotten son into the world to die for our sins so that whoever believes in Him might have eternal life. Let us not forget that even before He went to the cross He showed His love by washing feet. We really do have a wonderful God who really does care for us.
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My boys called out to me to ask me to tickle their toes. God wants us to call out to Him. We are told to pray without ceasing. In other words, we should be talking to God all the time. Though we cannot see Him, He is there and He wants to interact with us.
Friday, August 23, 2013
Monday, July 29, 2013
God, The Perfect Father
I used to hate getting a Charlie horse in my leg. I did not realize that there was anything I could do about it until a friend told me to grab the end of my toes and stretch the muscle in order to bring relief. I was amazed at how quickly it worked.
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Our little boys sometimes get Charlie horses in their legs as well. I realized this when our first child woke up during the night crying. We tried feeding him and changing his diaper but nothing seemed to help. He had no fever or symptoms of teething, so we figured he was just being fussy for no good reason. I must admit that I was running out of sympathy for the little guy because I wanted to go back to bed. Then I saw him pointing at his foot. Suddenly I had an idea- maybe he has a Charlie horse. I carefully pushed on the end of his foot and he pushed back with his little leg and then instantly calmed down.
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We were recently driving home late in the evening. The boys had been playing hard all day and quickly fell asleep. Suddenly our 3 year old woke up crying. We asked him what was wrong and in his sleepy voice he said that he wanted to play. Usually he sits in his car seat without complaint so we thought this was strange- especially considering how tired he was. Crystal tried calming him down, but he continued to fuss. It was almost one of those “Daddy is going to pull the car over” moments, when we figured out that he had a Charlie horse. As soon as she pushed on his foot he settled down and went back to sleep. I figure that he wanted to get out and play so that he could stretch is leg.
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Children should be expected to behave. In fact, Ephesians 6:1 says, “Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.” At the same time parents also have a responsibility toward their children. Just a few verses later we read, “And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.” (Ephesians 6:4 NKJV)
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If I had pulled over and disciplined my 3 year old for fussing over a Charlie horse, I would have been provoking him to wrath instead of helping him.
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Imagine if my treatment of my son had ended up shaping his view of God. Imagine if I had disciplined him when he actually needed my help. He might end up thinking that God was like that and that He only wanted to hurt him when he was in trouble instead of helping him.
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I, as a father, do not always know or understand my children’s needs. Before they are able to talk, I do not always know where they hurt or why, but our God knows everything. He, like a good father, disciplines us and holds us accountable for our actions, but He also understands our true needs and loves us so much that He sent His only begotten son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16).
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God is not like the dad who just lets his kids get by with anything, but He is not the cruel father who beats his kids or yells at them for every little thing either. He is a God who lovingly holds us accountable and also lovingly cares for us. Further He is a God who forgives us even when we do wrong, mercifully allowing us back into fellowship with Him as we trust Christ’s payment for our sins.
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I realize that I will never be the perfect father, but God is.
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Our little boys sometimes get Charlie horses in their legs as well. I realized this when our first child woke up during the night crying. We tried feeding him and changing his diaper but nothing seemed to help. He had no fever or symptoms of teething, so we figured he was just being fussy for no good reason. I must admit that I was running out of sympathy for the little guy because I wanted to go back to bed. Then I saw him pointing at his foot. Suddenly I had an idea- maybe he has a Charlie horse. I carefully pushed on the end of his foot and he pushed back with his little leg and then instantly calmed down.
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We were recently driving home late in the evening. The boys had been playing hard all day and quickly fell asleep. Suddenly our 3 year old woke up crying. We asked him what was wrong and in his sleepy voice he said that he wanted to play. Usually he sits in his car seat without complaint so we thought this was strange- especially considering how tired he was. Crystal tried calming him down, but he continued to fuss. It was almost one of those “Daddy is going to pull the car over” moments, when we figured out that he had a Charlie horse. As soon as she pushed on his foot he settled down and went back to sleep. I figure that he wanted to get out and play so that he could stretch is leg.
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Children should be expected to behave. In fact, Ephesians 6:1 says, “Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.” At the same time parents also have a responsibility toward their children. Just a few verses later we read, “And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.” (Ephesians 6:4 NKJV)
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If I had pulled over and disciplined my 3 year old for fussing over a Charlie horse, I would have been provoking him to wrath instead of helping him.
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Imagine if my treatment of my son had ended up shaping his view of God. Imagine if I had disciplined him when he actually needed my help. He might end up thinking that God was like that and that He only wanted to hurt him when he was in trouble instead of helping him.
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I, as a father, do not always know or understand my children’s needs. Before they are able to talk, I do not always know where they hurt or why, but our God knows everything. He, like a good father, disciplines us and holds us accountable for our actions, but He also understands our true needs and loves us so much that He sent His only begotten son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16).
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God is not like the dad who just lets his kids get by with anything, but He is not the cruel father who beats his kids or yells at them for every little thing either. He is a God who lovingly holds us accountable and also lovingly cares for us. Further He is a God who forgives us even when we do wrong, mercifully allowing us back into fellowship with Him as we trust Christ’s payment for our sins.
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I realize that I will never be the perfect father, but God is.
Sunday, July 14, 2013
John Deere & Jesus Christ
My lawnmower quit working. It was not a total surprise, since it was about 35 years old and I knew the engine was getting weak. The fact that it lasted that long is a testimony that John Deere has made some decent mowers through the years. Still, I was discouraged that my day was messed up and the grass was getting longer.
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It is not unusual for us to face such challenges in life. Maybe the car won’t start or you have a flat tire. Perhaps the problem is more serious, such as a job loss or an illness. Learning to trust God with the little things like a broken lawn mower can help us to face the bigger challenges in life.
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Romans 5:1-4 says, “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope“ (NKJV).
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If my trust were in John Deere rather than Jesus Christ, my whole world would have fallen apart when the lawn mower would not run. Because I have peace with God through Jesus Christ, I realize that His grace is sufficient for the trials of life.
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In fact, as Romans 5:3 says, I can actually glory in tribulations. In other words I can boast as I rejoice about the problems I face. I am not talking about being a masochist. I do not look forward to problems- instead I realize that when they do come, I can trust God and even allow Him to use them in my life.
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As I look at Romans 5:3-4, I understand that God used these trials to help me persevere so that I have the sort of enduring patience that will allow me to better face the larger challenges in life. “And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope“ (Romans 5:3-4 NKJV).
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Not only are patience and character built up through the trials in life, but as we come through them, we realize that there is hope. When I could not get the lawn mower running, I decided to go to Craigslist and find one that would get me by until I could get the other one fixed. I thought I had found one, but that led to another trial because when we showed up to look at it, it would not start. Suddenly, the seller was facing an even greater trial than I was as he shared his embarrassment.
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I did not buy that lawnmower from him, but I found something even better- the stranger trying to sell his lawn mower became my friend. Friends are far better than lawnmowers. This is a great reminder that even in trials there is hope.
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The story gets even better. When I called my brother and told him of my problems, he told me that he had an extra mower that wasn’t in the best of shape but it would probably work for a while. I went to pick it up, but stopped at a Snapper dealer on the way and found a really nice used mower at an excellent price- such a good price that it was not worth fixing up my old mower. Not all our trials work out as good as this one did, but it is a reminder that we can trust God and have hope even when things are not going so well.
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It is not unusual for us to face such challenges in life. Maybe the car won’t start or you have a flat tire. Perhaps the problem is more serious, such as a job loss or an illness. Learning to trust God with the little things like a broken lawn mower can help us to face the bigger challenges in life.
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Romans 5:1-4 says, “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope“ (NKJV).
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If my trust were in John Deere rather than Jesus Christ, my whole world would have fallen apart when the lawn mower would not run. Because I have peace with God through Jesus Christ, I realize that His grace is sufficient for the trials of life.
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In fact, as Romans 5:3 says, I can actually glory in tribulations. In other words I can boast as I rejoice about the problems I face. I am not talking about being a masochist. I do not look forward to problems- instead I realize that when they do come, I can trust God and even allow Him to use them in my life.
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As I look at Romans 5:3-4, I understand that God used these trials to help me persevere so that I have the sort of enduring patience that will allow me to better face the larger challenges in life. “And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope“ (Romans 5:3-4 NKJV).
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Not only are patience and character built up through the trials in life, but as we come through them, we realize that there is hope. When I could not get the lawn mower running, I decided to go to Craigslist and find one that would get me by until I could get the other one fixed. I thought I had found one, but that led to another trial because when we showed up to look at it, it would not start. Suddenly, the seller was facing an even greater trial than I was as he shared his embarrassment.
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I did not buy that lawnmower from him, but I found something even better- the stranger trying to sell his lawn mower became my friend. Friends are far better than lawnmowers. This is a great reminder that even in trials there is hope.
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The story gets even better. When I called my brother and told him of my problems, he told me that he had an extra mower that wasn’t in the best of shape but it would probably work for a while. I went to pick it up, but stopped at a Snapper dealer on the way and found a really nice used mower at an excellent price- such a good price that it was not worth fixing up my old mower. Not all our trials work out as good as this one did, but it is a reminder that we can trust God and have hope even when things are not going so well.
Friday, June 28, 2013
Knowing the Rules of the Game
We only live a few blocks from the recreation complex in Worthing. It has a picnic shelter, playground equipment, volleyball net, and softball field. The boys love to go there to play. The other day as I was driving home, I noticed a lot of cars there and realized that there was a little league softball game going on.
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I told our three oldest boys about it when I got home, and they were excited to go and watch. They call any shirt that has numbers on it a “ballgame shirt” and any pants with stripes running up the side of the leg “ballgame pants.”
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The oldest is five, so their knowledge of ballgames is quite limited. They saw the catcher and they were wondering why she was wearing all that stuff. I then began to try to explain the most basic rules of the game, understanding that they did not even know what I was talking about when I said “safe” or “out.”
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Most of us take the basics of playing softball for granted, but for my little boys, this is all new to them. It may be easy to take the basics of the Bible for granted as well. We should not be surprised that if someone has not been taught anything about the Bible, that they will not understand it.
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Further, some have been taught the wrong things, so they have come to the wrong conclusions. Imagine if our boys had watched 9 base kickball, and thought that there could be multiple runners on each base and then tried to play softball. Imagine if they tried to use a bat when playing kickball.
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Often people have the same frustration with the things of God. They know about as much about God as my boys knew about softball, but how many adults would have the courage to go to a softball game and ask why sometimes the batter is out after not hitting the ball and sometimes they get to walk to first base. Further, how many people would have the courage to ask why some people get to live with God after they die and others don’t.
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John 3:36 gives the most basic answer, “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.” That verse taken along with John 3:16 shows us that belief- putting our full confidence in- Jesus Christ is what makes the difference. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life“ (John 3:16).
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Knowing enough truth to get to heaven is one thing, but we should want to learn more. As we walk the Christian walk, we will strike out from time to time, but our walk will be much more effective if we know the rules of the game. That is why we should study the Bible- God’s rule book. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 says, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.”
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God’s rules do not have to be a mystery to us. My desire is to teach people God’s word without assuming that they already understand it. I do not care if they know who Moses is as long as they want to learn. Before they know it, they will be running around the bases of Bible history and Bible application.
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I told our three oldest boys about it when I got home, and they were excited to go and watch. They call any shirt that has numbers on it a “ballgame shirt” and any pants with stripes running up the side of the leg “ballgame pants.”
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The oldest is five, so their knowledge of ballgames is quite limited. They saw the catcher and they were wondering why she was wearing all that stuff. I then began to try to explain the most basic rules of the game, understanding that they did not even know what I was talking about when I said “safe” or “out.”
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Most of us take the basics of playing softball for granted, but for my little boys, this is all new to them. It may be easy to take the basics of the Bible for granted as well. We should not be surprised that if someone has not been taught anything about the Bible, that they will not understand it.
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Further, some have been taught the wrong things, so they have come to the wrong conclusions. Imagine if our boys had watched 9 base kickball, and thought that there could be multiple runners on each base and then tried to play softball. Imagine if they tried to use a bat when playing kickball.
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Often people have the same frustration with the things of God. They know about as much about God as my boys knew about softball, but how many adults would have the courage to go to a softball game and ask why sometimes the batter is out after not hitting the ball and sometimes they get to walk to first base. Further, how many people would have the courage to ask why some people get to live with God after they die and others don’t.
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John 3:36 gives the most basic answer, “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.” That verse taken along with John 3:16 shows us that belief- putting our full confidence in- Jesus Christ is what makes the difference. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life“ (John 3:16).
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Knowing enough truth to get to heaven is one thing, but we should want to learn more. As we walk the Christian walk, we will strike out from time to time, but our walk will be much more effective if we know the rules of the game. That is why we should study the Bible- God’s rule book. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 says, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.”
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God’s rules do not have to be a mystery to us. My desire is to teach people God’s word without assuming that they already understand it. I do not care if they know who Moses is as long as they want to learn. Before they know it, they will be running around the bases of Bible history and Bible application.
Saturday, June 8, 2013
Stay Out of the Mud
We have a mud hole in our back yard. Our little boys love to play in it. The other day our four year old rode his tricycle into the puddle and got stuck. His five year old brother found a light log chain, hooked it onto the trike and was trying to pull him out. Earlier the three year old wore his mom’s cowboy boots into that same hole and got them all dirty. Of course she was not happy about that.
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Not only did Crystal have to wash her boots, she also had to wash our boys. We finally had to put limits on playing in the mud puddle. We told them to just stay away from it because they were making too much of a mess.
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The problem is that little boys really like mud holes. Still, their love for mud holes does not make their disobedience okay. The three year old especially has trouble staying away. His lack of maturity is reflected in his disobedience.
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As a father, I get discouraged when my children disobey, but then I am reminded of my heavenly father and my own disobedience. As Christians we are saved by grace, not our works, yet God still expects us to obey Him. Romans 6:1-2 says, “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?”
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I Corinthians 6:9-10 gives a list of sinful activities that would keep us out of heaven if it were not for God‘s forgiveness, but then look at what verse 11 says, “And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.”
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Just as the boys get all dirty in the mud hole, our lives are dirty with sin. “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one” (Romans 3:10). “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). The dirtiness of sin has consequences-death. Still, because of God’s grace, we have the gift of life. “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 6:23)
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We are all dirty with sin and need to be washed by believing in Jesus Christ as our savior. Once we are washed we should not continue to sin just so we can get grace, yet that grace is still available to us when we do sin. Like our little three year old, we should be growing in maturity so that we sin less. “Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby” (I Peter 2:1-2).
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Sadly, too many people return to the mud hole of sin. “But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.” (II Peter 2:22)
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As believers, we should not go back to the mud hole of sin, instead we should recognize that we are washed through the blood of Christ and then stay clean because we love Him and want to obey Him. “And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.”
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Not only did Crystal have to wash her boots, she also had to wash our boys. We finally had to put limits on playing in the mud puddle. We told them to just stay away from it because they were making too much of a mess.
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The problem is that little boys really like mud holes. Still, their love for mud holes does not make their disobedience okay. The three year old especially has trouble staying away. His lack of maturity is reflected in his disobedience.
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As a father, I get discouraged when my children disobey, but then I am reminded of my heavenly father and my own disobedience. As Christians we are saved by grace, not our works, yet God still expects us to obey Him. Romans 6:1-2 says, “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?”
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I Corinthians 6:9-10 gives a list of sinful activities that would keep us out of heaven if it were not for God‘s forgiveness, but then look at what verse 11 says, “And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.”
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Just as the boys get all dirty in the mud hole, our lives are dirty with sin. “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one” (Romans 3:10). “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). The dirtiness of sin has consequences-death. Still, because of God’s grace, we have the gift of life. “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 6:23)
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We are all dirty with sin and need to be washed by believing in Jesus Christ as our savior. Once we are washed we should not continue to sin just so we can get grace, yet that grace is still available to us when we do sin. Like our little three year old, we should be growing in maturity so that we sin less. “Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby” (I Peter 2:1-2).
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Sadly, too many people return to the mud hole of sin. “But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.” (II Peter 2:22)
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As believers, we should not go back to the mud hole of sin, instead we should recognize that we are washed through the blood of Christ and then stay clean because we love Him and want to obey Him. “And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.”
Thursday, May 30, 2013
Fear God’s Restraining Power
Our youngest son is finally walking. Not only is he walking, but he is already trying to keep up with his bigger brothers. As I write this he giggles as he tries to wrestle with our oldest son. He has no chance at this point to defeat his big brother, but he keeps going back for more. His big brother wrestles back but without using his full strength so that he does not hurt the little guy.
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I remember doing the same thing with my little brothers. They had little fear of me, because as we wrestled I was careful not to hurt them, but because I was so much bigger, they did not worry so much about hurting me. I finally quit wrestling with them when they became big enough that I could no longer pin them without hurting them.
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As I watch my boys I think of Jacob wrestling with God (I believe Jacob wrestled with Jesus Christ taking on human form in Old Testament times). “And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day. And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him.” (Genesis 32:24-25)
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As we think of Jacob wrestling with God, realize that God could have used His power at any time to subdue him, but that God chose to let the wrestling continue. Also realize that God never has to worry about a little brother growing up and becoming stronger than Him someday.
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Our one year old son has no idea how much power his wrestling opponents have, and as he wrestles with his brothers, he has no fear of them. I sometimes wonder how many people approach God in a similar manner. If my one year old wrestles with me, I have the strength to take his life, but love him enough to protect him rather than harm him.
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God loves us so much that He sent His son to die for us, but He also has the power to take our lives. Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
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Though we should never forget about God’s love, we must also remember both His strength and His justice. If I were to wrestle with my sons and one of them continued to kick me as hard as he could, then he would find himself on the receiving end of justice so that he understood that he was not allowed to carelessly hurt others.
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As we remember God’s strength and justice, we must not forget to have a reverent fear of Him as we realize the justice that He can bring to bear. “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.” (John 3:36) “And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.” (Hebrews 12:5-6)
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God does love us, and has shown us mercy by holding back the full power of His wrath from us, but we should view Him with awe (fear) as we realize the power He has and the justice we deserve.
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I remember doing the same thing with my little brothers. They had little fear of me, because as we wrestled I was careful not to hurt them, but because I was so much bigger, they did not worry so much about hurting me. I finally quit wrestling with them when they became big enough that I could no longer pin them without hurting them.
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As I watch my boys I think of Jacob wrestling with God (I believe Jacob wrestled with Jesus Christ taking on human form in Old Testament times). “And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day. And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him.” (Genesis 32:24-25)
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As we think of Jacob wrestling with God, realize that God could have used His power at any time to subdue him, but that God chose to let the wrestling continue. Also realize that God never has to worry about a little brother growing up and becoming stronger than Him someday.
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Our one year old son has no idea how much power his wrestling opponents have, and as he wrestles with his brothers, he has no fear of them. I sometimes wonder how many people approach God in a similar manner. If my one year old wrestles with me, I have the strength to take his life, but love him enough to protect him rather than harm him.
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God loves us so much that He sent His son to die for us, but He also has the power to take our lives. Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
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Though we should never forget about God’s love, we must also remember both His strength and His justice. If I were to wrestle with my sons and one of them continued to kick me as hard as he could, then he would find himself on the receiving end of justice so that he understood that he was not allowed to carelessly hurt others.
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As we remember God’s strength and justice, we must not forget to have a reverent fear of Him as we realize the justice that He can bring to bear. “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.” (John 3:36) “And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.” (Hebrews 12:5-6)
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God does love us, and has shown us mercy by holding back the full power of His wrath from us, but we should view Him with awe (fear) as we realize the power He has and the justice we deserve.
Friday, May 17, 2013
Biblical Standards and Love
Because we are sinners living in a sin cursed world, all of us have experienced some measure of heartache in our lives because of sin. Perhaps someone was rude to you or you were rude to someone else. It may be tempting to just decide that this is the way things are and there is nothing we can do about it. We may not be able to change other people, but we should be concerned about our own behavior.
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As Christians, we understand that the greatest command is to love God and the second is to love our neighbor. With that in mind it should not surprise us that our love should be growing more and more. Philippians 1:9-11 says, “And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment; That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ; Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.”
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As our love abounds more and more, the result should be a life that understands what is excellent according to God’s standards, and then that should translate into a life that is lived in a righteous way.
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As we study scripture we find a number of things that should not characterize the Christian life and we also find things that we as Christians should be doing. All of scripture taken together and applied appropriately should show us how to apply our love for God in a way that conforms to His standards.
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Still, we understand that none of us will measure up to those standards. “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Still that should not be an excuse to ignore His standards. “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?” (Romans 6:1).
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Because of our love of God, we should not make excuses for those who reject God’s standards, but what happens when someone accuses us of rejecting God’s standards as we are trying to apply them? This can sometimes happen among those who have a zeal for serving God.
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For example we have some friends who have a concern for dressing in a modest way as not to offend God or cause others to stumble. We share that same concern. The problem is that our application differs drastically. They believe that for a woman to be dressed modestly she must not wear pants. Though I disagree with their conclusion, I admire their desire to do what they think is right, however, when they invited us to go roller skating with them, I insisted that my wife wear pants. I did this for the same reason that the women in their family wore dresses- modesty. My wife had not skated in years and I figured that if she fell down and her legs went up that it would be much more modest for her to be in pants than in a dress.
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You see, both families were concerned about high standards, but our conclusions were quite different. This is a reminder that we need to be careful about not being judgmental toward those who apply a principle a bit differently than we do. It is also a reminder to let our love for God and our love for others abound more and more as we take care to apply God‘s standards appropriately.
-
As Christians, we understand that the greatest command is to love God and the second is to love our neighbor. With that in mind it should not surprise us that our love should be growing more and more. Philippians 1:9-11 says, “And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment; That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ; Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.”
-
As our love abounds more and more, the result should be a life that understands what is excellent according to God’s standards, and then that should translate into a life that is lived in a righteous way.
-
As we study scripture we find a number of things that should not characterize the Christian life and we also find things that we as Christians should be doing. All of scripture taken together and applied appropriately should show us how to apply our love for God in a way that conforms to His standards.
-
Still, we understand that none of us will measure up to those standards. “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Still that should not be an excuse to ignore His standards. “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?” (Romans 6:1).
-
Because of our love of God, we should not make excuses for those who reject God’s standards, but what happens when someone accuses us of rejecting God’s standards as we are trying to apply them? This can sometimes happen among those who have a zeal for serving God.
-
For example we have some friends who have a concern for dressing in a modest way as not to offend God or cause others to stumble. We share that same concern. The problem is that our application differs drastically. They believe that for a woman to be dressed modestly she must not wear pants. Though I disagree with their conclusion, I admire their desire to do what they think is right, however, when they invited us to go roller skating with them, I insisted that my wife wear pants. I did this for the same reason that the women in their family wore dresses- modesty. My wife had not skated in years and I figured that if she fell down and her legs went up that it would be much more modest for her to be in pants than in a dress.
-
You see, both families were concerned about high standards, but our conclusions were quite different. This is a reminder that we need to be careful about not being judgmental toward those who apply a principle a bit differently than we do. It is also a reminder to let our love for God and our love for others abound more and more as we take care to apply God‘s standards appropriately.
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