"You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin; and you have forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons, 'MY SON, DO NOT REGARD LIGHTLY THE DISCIPLINE OF THE LORD, NOR FAINT WHEN YOU ARE REPROVED BY HIM; FOR THOSE WHOM THE LORD LOVES HE DISCIPLINES, AND HE SCOURGES EVERY SON WHOM HE RECEIVES.'Effective parents don’t chasten before they instruct, nor do they punish before an infraction. Expectations are communicated first, then behavior is monitored for compliance.
"It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons.
"Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness. All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness."Hebrews 12:4-11
If the results are unacceptable, they explain the transgression and attempt to correct the child’s understanding and behavior; reinforcing the desired results until comprehension is achieved. Periodic evaluation follows.
God is no different … all committed believers have learned from God in this way. “When much is given, much is expected.”
Showing posts with label Discipleship. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Discipleship. Show all posts
Friday, January 25, 2008
DISCIPLINE: If indeed I am your child!
DISCIPLESHIP: A tight grip on our leashes!
We live in an area where we’re not allowed to walk our dogs. In order to give my little critter some exercise, I must walk outside our immediate area about one hundred yards. Of course, I don’t need the exercise, being a virtual clone of Arnold (Tom Arnold, that is).
On an evening a few nights ago we were walking along as free as can be when my hound made a sudden and surprising turn. As quick as you can say, “Spitz Spah,” he grabbed something with his mouth.
Now, I’m a dog owner from way back and I know you can’t allow your animals to pick up just anything they want. Not if you want to keep them healthy, let alone alive.
“Drop that!” I yelled, accompanying the command with a sharp jerk on the leash. Being a very obedient dog, in fear for his life and of his all powerful master, the object was ejected and my dog was dejected.
I’ve prided myself on having excellent relationships with my animals. And voice commands are one reason why. This time I was doubly glad. The object he was about to consume was a bloated animal stomach; a leftover from some local carnivore’s recent meal. These are notorious sources of parasites and poisons … not at all good for the animal, no matter what his instincts tell him.
Christians are a lot like this and God finds it necessary to keep a tight grip on our leashes.
Too often our instincts tell something smells good, feels good, looks good or sounds good but God (being a human owner from way back) says, “Drop that!” Like my dog, we’re dejected when we hear the command because we don’t want to upset God. But too many times the object of our affection is not ejected!
That’s usually when we feel the sharp jerk on our leash, the choker chain tightens and we’re compelled to consider the will of our Almighty God. But, sadly, even then, Christians are unlike my dog; many persist in holding on to horrible vessels of spiritual parasites and poisons.
God is not like me, however; where I would forcibly remove the dangerous object from my pet’s mouth, God rarely intervenes at that level. Rather, He allows us choice as well as consequence; but far too many believers are making bad choices and suffering painful consequences.
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
EVANGELISM: The greatest danger to the Bride is her health!
We once lived in a mobile home park. Now you must understand, a mobile home park is a place where most everyone has enough time on their hands to be sure you're doing all you should be doing and "watch" you doing it.
One of the things that are evidently important to “seasoned-citizens” is your yard; you are regularly visited by people you don’t know, whose only interest is what you have or haven’t done to your yard.
At first, this seems picayune and a slightly irritating; but, as the Lord is fond of doing, this can provide you with an opportunity to reach out to these wonderfully nosy people. Not only that, but it can teach you something else: don't plant and ignore.
Plants need constant care. They must be constantly fed, watered (strangely they get very thirsty), nourished, protected, and pruned. But no matter how hard we work, some plants just don’t respond to what we do for them. We have to get beyond them.
The Lord never had it in mind that His disciples should be planted, then forgotten.
He challenged Peter to care for and protect His sheep [John 21:15]. The writer of the book of Hebrews says the mature disciple eats solid food [5:14].
Jesus said, “It is written, ‘MAN SHALL NOT LIVE ON BREAD ONLY, BUT ON EVERY WORD WHICH PROCEEDS FROM THE MOUTH OF GOD’” [Matthew 4:4]. Jesus said to the woman at the well,“Everyone who drinks of this water shall thirst again; but whoever drinks of the water which I shall give to him shall never thirst; but the water which I shall give him shall become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.”Jesus taught that His Father would prune fruit-bearing disciples, but that who were fruitless would be taken up and thrown out [John 15:2].John 4:13-14
My experiences with plants have taught me well … I‘m now watering, feeding, protecting, nourishing, and pruning all my nosy neighbors for the glory of God.
SELF: Burying The Old Nature!
"Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry."I love to scour old cemeteries; the history and the intrigue manifested in grave markers is fascinating. While in Boston about 17 years ago I made it a point to visit the old cemetery above the harbor near North Church. What a treat.Colossians 3:5
D. Gene Strother tells of a visit to Evergreen Cemetery in Paris, Texas. He describes all the monuments that fascinated him … the shrines, the crypts, the old-west styles … one had a statue of Jesus in a pair of cowboy boots.
A common sight was the family plot, where there is a central monument, with the family name on all four sides, and family members spread out from the center.
On one drive through Evergreen, Strother said he noticed one tombstone of particular note … not for its beauty but rather for its simplicity … the occupant was identified simply as SELF. Every family, every home in the world, needs a family plot with a grave marker like this … a place to put SELF.
God knows unbelievers won’t do it on their own; He expects, however, the believer to do so. Every believer, every soul, that trusts in the Lord Jesus Christ should have a place for self in his or her home!
[Adapted from a message by D. Gene Strother, Pulpit Helps, September 1995, p.1]
Sunday, January 20, 2008
COOPERATION: Synergy for Jesus!
"Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary. So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith."One of our sons works evenings for United Parcel Service (UPS), one of the world’s largest, express package handlers. UPS has a unique assistance program called the Athlete Training Assistance Program (ATAP). ATAP helps American athletes, in training for national and international competitions, by providing them a job balanced against their demanding training and competition schedules.Galatians 6:7-10
Eugene Swift (110m high hurdles), a Human Resources supervisor in Oakland, California, and Tongula Givens (triple jump), a part-time, smalls sorter in UPS’s East Carolina District, are both examples of employees who benefit from ATAP; both have their sights set on the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney.
UPS recognizes the tremendous public relations benefit that accumulates from ATAP’s goodwill and novelty.
[Adapted from “Newsmakers,” InsideUPS, Sarah Zimmerman Ed., December 1999, 12,13.]
Large churches and parachurch ministries ought to take a look at UPS’s ATAP. Many God-gifted athletes [as well as those from other fields] go begging in order to find the right combination of employment, training, and competition. Many are also raising families, or would like to. Why does it appear that only secular institutions take advantage of such unique and wonderful outreach (public relations) tools?
Why couldn’t one of the many full-time, paid employees of a large mission organization (say the Southern Baptist’s International Missions Board) or a large church (say Willow Creek or the Crystal Cathedral) be a committed Christian athlete? Why shouldn’t God be glorified in such a novel way? Why shouldn’t athletes from other nations be struck with the multifaceted outreach of the Christian community in this affluent United States of America?
Seems to me the hero of the movie Chariots of Fire was an athlete; and, if I remember correctly, The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association used to distribute a movie about a well-known Christian runner. What great testimonies these and others have provided to us. But I must ask, where was the church when they were testifying?
Maybe I’m just dreaming.
PARABLE: One bucket per person!
"Then his brothers also came and fell down before him and said, 'Behold, we are your servants.' But Joseph said to them, 'Do not be afraid, for am I in God's place? As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive.'"I had been told my work would end, just as the others’ would end, when the canyon was emptied … or when I died, whichever comes first. Ages ago, during an extremely violent natural disaster, the canyon had been filled with rubbish and debris. The owner had a special place in his heart for this canyon and wanted it cleared.Genesis 50:18-20
One bucket of refuse was removed by each of the owner’s servants each day. When the canyon was empty all our labors would end. In the early days, my bucket was not too difficult to carry, it didn’t seem so much to take just one bucket of trash out of the canyon each day.
After months of load bearing, I noticed the canyon wasn’t emptying very quickly; it was then my bucket began to grow heavier each day. And it was then I began to grumble, reflecting often on my initial, though foolish, optimism.
I now began to wonder if the others, those who carried their loads out before and after me, were just slackers, pretending to carry a bucket of waste each day. Or perhaps they found a way to get out of doing the work altogether. Maybe, I thought, the owner has favorites, or shows favoritism.
One day I complained loud and long until one of the owner’s assistants arrived to see what all the commotion was about. After listening patiently and carefully, the assistant agreed to take the issue up with the owner.
The next day the assistant returned just as I was about to go out for my daily bucket of litter. “Follow me, we’ll get you another bucket.” He said. Soon we entered an equipment yard where buckets of every kind, large and small, were scattered about.
In the middle of the yard was one tremendous bucket. “Whose is that?” I inquired.
“Oh, that one belongs to the owner,” the assistant said. “Every day he carries one bucket of trash just like the rest of you.”
“What about those other buckets? The really big ones?” I asked. “Those belong to the owner’s special assistants. The largest red one is mine.” He responded.
It was then I saw a small bucket, over in a corner. My mind instantly grasped the significance of this small bucket. If I had the smallest, I would never have to worry about others carrying less junk than me. “I’ll take that one! It’s perfect.” I exclaimed.
“That’s interesting,” the assistant said. “Why?” I asked curiously. “Because that’s the the one you came in with!” The assistant said softly.
So you think your burdens are too heavy? The Lord’s is heavier! You think others are slackers? Perhaps their burden is enormous compared to yours! You think you’re asked to do too much? Perhaps you’re not asked to do enough! Perhaps you think you’re one of God’s special agents! Perhaps you’re not so special at all! Perhaps you’re load is right where it ought to be!
Thursday, January 17, 2008
CALL: Run If You Want!
Southern California is earning a well-deserved reputation as the “freeway-chase capitol” of the world … and rightly so. At least once or twice a week now, the evening news reports on another semi-brain dead simpleton who apparently believes he can outrun the police.
Recently, however, one chase was especially interesting. The suspect speed off like all the other car-chase celebrities but then added an extra component … running out of gas, he jumped from his vehicle and fled on foot; then, jumping a guardrail, he inadvertently leaped over the edge of a 400 foot embankment … the final section of which was a vertical, 75 foot drop to the canyon floor.
The suspect broke his pelvis, both shoulders, and suffered multiple head and body lacerations and scrapes. He was arrested in the hospital after being treated for his injuries. Local authorities expect a lawsuit to follow.
I recall another man who tried to run from a higher authority: the prophet Jonah. He tried to flee from God when called upon to preach to Nineveh. In the case of the prophet his leap was aided by fellow travelers and ended in the gut of a great fish.
In the end his injuries were more emotional than physical … and of course the cliff-jumper will end up in prison, while the prophet ended up in the gospels, being cited by the Lord Jesus Christ as the only sign this adulterous generation will ever receive. But the lesson is the same: run, but don’t expect to hide when God is calling!
Sunday, January 06, 2008
DOCTRINE: The Bible's Paddle of Discipline!
THE MOST IMPORTANT DOCTRINE IN THE BIBLE
Recently I listened to Stan Buckley (First Baptist Church of Jackson, FL) as he related an anecdote concerning a question put to him when he was a young minister; a mentor ask him, "What is the most important doctrine in the Bible?"
He immediately saw an opportunity to impress his elder-peer with a quick response; he said "Salvation." His friend said, "No, that is not it!" Several others followed and each time he was told, "No, that is not it!"
Finally, in frustration, he pleaded, "Well, what then?" To which his companion said, "The doctrine of sin is the most important doctrine in the Bible!"
As entertaining as this anecdote is, I would strongly disagree. I believe "the doctrine of the fear of God" is the most important doctrine in the bible (see Proverbs 1:7 and Romans 3:18).
This doctrine involves both the doctrine of salvation and the doctrine of sin; it is that which leads to a knowledge of our absolute depravity and God's absolute holiness, as-well-as, our need for forgiveness and salvation ... rebirth cannot occur without it (in my opinion).
Monday, December 24, 2007
LIFE: What are we doing to one another!
OF PLANTS AND OTHER LIVING THINGS: 1 John 1:5-7
Just because a thing is assigned a particular name doesn't mean it will absolutely function according to that name. For example, calling a thing a "house" plant doesn't mean it will thrive, or even survive, in every house; especially flowering houseplants.
All plants, at least all flowering plants, require certain essential things in order to thrive and survive: sunlight, carbon-dioxide, moisture, nutrition.
All over the world, there are places where houseplants will not thrive or survive, their environment is hostile to them, especially the outdoors. If there is a lack of life-supporting essentials, this too will stifle and thwart the well-being of a plant. We now know the absence of an unseen intangible (tenderness perhaps, some might say love; I'd say support and encouragement) will also affect a plant's quality of life.Simple calling a person (or yourself) a Christian won't in and of itself insure thriving or even surviving under all conditions; a houseplant left outside will die; a houseplant deprived of nourishment and care will also die, even though inside the house.
On the one hand, we tend to project an unattainable standard upon those called "Christian," sort of recreating them in our own image, insisting they meet our expectations just because they are called Christian.
On the other hand, we tend to knowingly place ourselves in environments hostile to our well-being. This ought not be!
Like houseplants, Christians need a particular kind of light and moisture, a special diet, supporting encouragement and fellowship (prayer and koinonia), as well as a manageable environment. Struggle (sometimes stunting or even death) comes from the absence of these growth essentials. We all need to mindful of our own needs and the needs of others if we expect growth in ourselves or them.
Tuesday, January 10, 2006
ILLUMINATION (Progressive) - A wonderful work of the Holy Spirit!
BOUNDING HOMEWARD! [2 Timothy 2:15, 1 Corinthians 2:12, 13]
In the movie Homeward Bound, “Shadow,” (a dog; Golden Retriever) leads “Sassy” (a cat; Persian Bi-Color) and “Chance” (a dog; American Staffordshire Bull Terrier) up a mountain to find their way home (they thought they’d been abandoned by their owners).
In the movie Homeward Bound, “Shadow,” (a dog; Golden Retriever) leads “Sassy” (a cat; Persian Bi-Color) and “Chance” (a dog; American Staffordshire Bull Terrier) up a mountain to find their way home (they thought they’d been abandoned by their owners).
Shadow, the older dog, truly believes the mountain is the only thing in between them and home. When they reach the top they discover several more mountains ahead.
That’s how I feel as I study the things of God: no sooner do I mount one peak than I discover so much more remains to be learned. Unlike Shadow and his friends, I’m not disappointed or overwhelmed … I count it a blessing and a delightful challenge.
Saturday, June 25, 2005
IMPRESSION - At least make an impression!
TOO MANY WATERBED SAINTS! [Ephesians 1:18-21]
Ever notice the difference between a water bed and a pillow top bed? On the former, no matter how much it’s slept on no impression is left; on the latter, the more its slept on, the greater the impression.
People’s lives are like that. Some lives are lived and leave no impression; like a finger pulled from a glass of water, when the finger leaves the water closes in behind and no one would know the finger had ever been there.
Other lives are lived and the impression left behind requires decades, even centuries, to erase. A very few are never erased because of the depth of their impression on this world (Socrates; Plato; Michelangelo, Da Vinci; Mother Theresa, Stalin, Hitler, Pasteur, Edison, Noble, Carver, Gandhi, Confucius, to name a few).
Only one man has left an eternal impression, our Lord. When all is over and the ash is blown away, only one name will be above all names, the name of the man Jesus Christ.
Thursday, June 16, 2005
OBEDIENCE - It is not negotiable!
THE CHIEF’S COMMAND! [Various Scripture; Church, Discipleship, Sanctification, Service]
During WWII the North African Campaign was in a mess and General Montgomery was sent to clean it up. I’m told his first order was as follows: “The orders of the Commander-in-Chief will no longer be open to interpretation ... just action.”
God will not bully or threaten those He has chosen. No gun will be put to anyone's head; no one will be dragged, kicking and screaming into heaven.We may choose to obey or disobey. Yet there are those who insist they’re obedient, but clearly are not! Such is the problem of the twentieth century.Were I chosen to write the epitaph for the church of this century, I would write: CLAIMED GREAT PROCLAMATION; PROCLAMATION LEFT UNPROCLAIMED.
[Editor's note: apologies to whomever I acquired this from; I’ve long forgotten its source]
Saturday, March 05, 2005
SANCTIFICATION - Our hand in His hand!
AIMING FOR THE CENTER OF HIS WILL! [Matthew 7:13,14; other topics - Walk, Way (The), Will (of God)]
In order to keep my car in the middle of the lane, I was taught (by a farmer) to “aim” the vehicle down the road.The Christian walk is like that: God doesn’t want us veering to the right or the left; He wants us on the straight and narrow. Paul says we should focus on things above and in so doing we’ll keep right in the middle of His Way. For me the narrow gate figuratively represents “things above.”
Praise His holy name. (added 2/15/2006)
AIR SPEED! [James 4:4-10]
All winged aircraft have one thing in common, they must maintain air speed or they will go into a stall and nose-over. From time to time, our walk seems to nose-over, our forward progress being insufficient to sustain the "lift" needed. We must
1. be prepared for His presence
2. respond to his presence, and
3. experience His presence!
HEAVEN ON EARTH! [Various; Life (True), Heaven]Heaven may be compared to the dining hall of a great king. Where, for now, we’re all outside his castle waiting to be let into the Great Hall. Everyone has received an invitation to come to the royal table and join in consuming his royal feast, only not all will accept his invitation. [Mark D. Roberts, After I Believe (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2002), 19]
The interesting aspect is the Christian life this side of eternity future; its like the “Heavenly Cook [letting] us stick our fingers into the batter of heaven while it’s being prepared. The Christian Life happens not just in the future but right now.” (added 2/15/2006)
HUMAN BOOKCASES! [James 1:22-25; other topics - Knowledge; Word; Works]
When I was in elementary school I recall the big deal my mom and dad made over money, how tight it was. But then they bought a set of Collier’s Encyclopedias on an installment plan because they thought my sisters and I could use the knowledge.
The buyer received a complete set of books at the time of purchase, with updates coming every year. You also received a small doubled-shelved, wooden bookcase. It was designed specifically for the books.
I was about 22-years old when those books went for $10.00 at a yard sale. I don’t ever remember opening any of them; I don’t ever remember my sisters opening any of those books.
In fact, I don’t ever remember my mom or dad opening any of those books ... except the first couple of nights, to show us how they were full of facts and knowledge and other useless stuff.
Sadly, many Christians are like that little bookcase. They’re crammed full of information, facts and knowledge ... but it never gets applied.
Christianity is intended to be applied. Like those books filled with all that powerful knowledge, Christians whose heads are full of knowledge are useless, unless some of that learning seeps down into the heart, where knowledge gets applied.MASTER BUILDER! [Romans 6:19]
A master shipbuilder steps out into his yard and looks around him. There are vast skeletons of ships in the process of completion; there are others nearing completion. But there is nothing in the scene to satisfy, nothing is as he envisions. The big hulls are at present good for nothing. A thousand hammers pounding a thousand rivets into place like a thousand woodpeckers from hell. The yard is strewn with scrap and jigs.
And a short distance is the public harbor, with its fancy and not so fancy boats, of every size and shape; and near it is the grave yard ... decaying, rotting, half-sunk craft ... abandoned and doomed to one day be taken away to a fiery pit.
Yet the owner stands content amid the imperfection. He never thinks of doubting the process he commands. In his mind he knows the ideal, the perfect ship, and he justifies these imperfect vessels by imputing to them that ideal.
God is like that master shipbuilder. The ideal servant exists in His mind. He has the Blueprint; man is jut the image of what is to be. When God looks at him He does not despair, because He knows what the Perfect Man is like and smiles at the thought of His Son.
Attribution: e-Sword Ministries' (2000+ Illustrations)
PARADOX OF CHRISTIAN GROWTH! [John 3:30; Discipleship, growth, humility]Someone once said they knew when a believer was growing because:
SPIRITUAL NAVIGATION SYSTEMS! [Romans 1:18-20; other topics - Attributes (of God), creation, discipleship, nature, revelation, witnessing]
“Get ready! You’re going to have fewer excuses for getting lost on the road.” This sure sounds like it might be from a tract on the Roman Road, doesn’t it?
No, it isn’t! Actually it’s ad copy from an Internet advertisement for “on-board navigation systems” from the automobile industry. These “NAVS,” as they are called, use GPS (Global Positioning Satellite technology) to locate a position precisely; the same technology used recently by scientists to determine the exact height of the Washington Monument.
As model years pass, more new cars are being offered with onboard navigation systems, which help you map your route to important meetings, or to that favorite vacation spot near grandma’s, or to a restaurant whose address you’ve forgotten. NAVS can even help direct you to a local automated teller machine (ATM) or nearest hospital or your next job interview.
Now there’s no real excuse for getting lost, even if you’re one of those guys who refuses to ask for directions.
God has been far ahead of modern technology. In Romans 1:19 Paul says,For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.God’s plan has always been to provide man with a spiritual navigation system. In fact, Paul clearly says just that. God has given mankind all they need to know to know where they are in relationship to Him: general and special revelation - not to mention the conscience, which the Holy Spirit uses to convict us and guide us.
THE LORD’S LEASH! [Luke 15:17a; Discipleship, discipline, obedience, submission (surrender)]
Recently, I took my dog for a walk just as I do every morning. When I leave the entrance of our housing development, I always look both ways to see who else is out walking their dog. A few are pests: both owners and dogs.
Up the block, I saw the man with the golf cart and his little grey poodle; both are regulars. I noticed his dog was off the leash again, so I crossed the street and walked the other way. When I reached Foothill Boulevard, two blocks away, I crossed to the other side and headed home.
That’s when I heard an anxious voice calling a dog. I looked up and saw this vicious, bloodthirsty, 9½ lb. grey speck burning rubber in my direction, a block away, his owner in hot pursuit. I tried to scare the little speck away but he made an end-run, stood up, danced over, put his paws on my dog’s face, and bit him on the forehead. Well, my dog, Buck, doesn’t like to be bit, but he likes boy dogs even less.
I was able to pull the little dog from Buck’s mouth before he swallowed but not before the little fur ball twisted and tore the back of my hand up. As bad as my hand was, what the poodle got for his efforts was much worse.
The moral: don’t covet being off the Lord’s leash or even at the end of his leash (Parents, pay special attention: don’t let your kids off their leash until you’re certain they have the spirit God wants for them.).
Moving farther away from your Master than your Master gives you leash is not wise at all: not only might you get hurt, or killed, but you’ll certainly bring pain and suffering to others. This latter point is worthy of emphasis.
Too often, we are lulled into seeing the Leash of the Lord as “for our benefit alone,” we rarely give thought to the benefits others reap from our being tethered. Consider that my dog was on a leash and we were both minding our own business, yet we were both bitten and I’m out over $100.
Also, consider the consequences to the owner of that little beast; he’s out over $600. And my dog? He’s real upset that I interrupted his meal. And Shadow (that’s the perpetrator’s name)? Well, he is just now able to face the great outdoors.
Look back, beloved, at all the time off the Lord’s Leash and witness the devastation of that time.
THE JOY OF THE JOURNEY! [Romans 6:19-22]
George, let’s call him George, was a very busy and very successful younger man. In fact, he had done so well that he decided to surprise his wife with a trip to Tahiti over the upcoming Thanksgiving weekend. On his lunch hour, he hurried to his agent’s office and picked up the tickets.
In early December George stopped at the dry cleaners on his way home to pick up his suits and was surprised when the manager handed him an envelop with two unused tickets to Tahiti. After he had purchased the tickets he had put them in his jacket pocket and immediately went back to his normal routine … he forgot the entire event.
Many people are just like George. They pray to God for forgiveness and promise to do better but immediately, they forget what they’ve done and return to their normal routine. Even some genuine believers accept a ticket to eternity, put it away, and never seem to experience the marvelous journey laid out before them.
The salvation event ought to be like the ideal marriage event, where two distinct and independent individuals agree to unite and journey through life together. Instead, far too many salvation experiences are like far too many marriages: the uniting occurs but the couple never experiences the journey’s joy, and often end in separation.
It is true that all we must do is “call upon the name of the Lord” [Romans 10:13], but God never intended the journey to end there, just as a marriage is not supposed to stop on the trip home from the honeymoon.
VOLCANO STEW!
On the isle of São Miguel, in the Azores, a powerful and popular dish, cozido, is prepared in an interesting way: mix beef, chicken, pork, sausages, and vegetables together in an aluminum-cooking utensil, place this in a cloth bag, bury it all in the ground near Lake Furnas, and let it steam naturally for approximately six hours.
The volcano Furnas created Lake Furnas when it erupted thousands of years ago; soil surrounding the lake can reach a temperature of 208 degrees Fahrenheit, providing villagers with an unique natural oven. [Adapted from National Geographic; cited in Reader’s Digest, “Notes From All Over, p.204, nd.]
God could have chosen another way to deal with rebirth, perhaps taking us up to glory immediately. For reasons He and He alone knows He decided to leave us where we were to prepare us according to His receipe and His time. Perfect in the end!TAGS: Bible, Christianity, Illustrations, Sanctification, Sermons, Religion
Friday, March 04, 2005
DEVOTION - What our sinful carnal nature abhors!
GUARANTEED FOR LIFE! Romans 12:1; other topics - Behavior (as in carnal), Commitment, Knowledge (of God)]
We’ve all seen those late night commercials which say: “BUY NOW … ONLY $19.95 … LIFETIME GUARANTEE, NO COMMITMENT – NOW OR EVER!”
According to survey results from the Barna Group, and others, many in the church think the gospel is like that … “NO COMMITMENT – NOW OR EVER!” They fail to grasp these two eternal truths: (1) the Father created us so, as the potter owns the pot, He owns us; (2) the Son gave His life as ransom for our redemption while we were yet sinners, He deserves our devotion and surrender.
Commitment or devotion to another comes through in-depth knowledge of that other. Many who go by the name of Christ know little if anything of the Lord they claim to serve. How then, one must ask, can they behave in any other way than as they do?TAGS: Apostasy, Barna, Christ, Christian, Commitment, Devotion,
Discipleship, Gospel, Lordship, SanctificationWHAT’S THE PROBLEM! [Deuteronomy 6:4-7; other topics - Love, Spiritual gifts]A few years ago a man gave his wife a new Cadillac Catera for her birthday. For weeks she babied and pampered that car; washing and waxing it every couple of days … cleaning it inside and out, everyday … the windows looked like crystal … she sprayed it with “new car” fragrance to keep it smelling new.So, what’s the problem?Well, the one who gave it to her is feeling neglected; after all, it was out of love that she received the gift.Are we so intent on the gifts of God that we’re neglecting the Giver of Gifts?
Friday, January 21, 2005
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The Tile Layer [Romans 8:29-30; other topics - Perfection; Sanctification; Likeness; Reflection]
People are often impatient to see their new ceramic tile laid; they’re reluctant to endure the required prep work.
It is true you may lay ceramic tile over the top of almost anything (plywood, old tile, hardboard, drywall, etc.), but it’s just as true that professionals lay tile over a concrete type board ... sort of a “super” board.
The reason is simple: many materials are unstable when it comes to such things as moisture, heat, and age; whereas concrete-impregnated fibre-board is stable under even the harshest of conditions. Those grout lines in your tile are just like fault lines in the earth’s crust; under the right conditions, stress will cause those lines to fracture ... some stresses will even cause the tiles themselves to crack.
A good tile job will be laid on a solid foundation; a inferior tile job will reveal itself soon enough.
God is never finished with His disciples (at least this side of eternity future); we often require a great deal of prep work before any final material is laid on.
Many times old materials must be removed, other times the old material just needs repair or resecuring. This not only protects the finished product, but ensures a good testimony for the Tile Layer.
Since we’re the very reflection of Christ in us, this is an important part of the job. Good discipling gives evidence of a solid foundation; impatient discipling reveals itself soon enough.
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