Adultery / Sex Outside Marriage, Am I on the path?, Discerning / Judging, Envy / Jealousy / Coveting, Forgive Others / Seek Forgiveness, Grace / Forgiveness, Greed, Idols / False Gods, Righteousness / Serving God, Salvation, Thankfulness

Should A Christian Judge Others?

The topic of judging others is one that typically brings out strong emotions amongst Christians today. One can have an argument erupt without ever getting deeper into the discussion behind the word “judge”. It is important to consider context of how we use the word “judge”. It can be used to refer to determining one’s salvation in Christ or also used in regards to determining right actions and motives from wrong ones. These are two very different contexts, even though the external actions are often a reflection of the internal motives. How might we go about considering this topic? How about we pick a good role model and see how they show it should be done?

From the time we are young children we are often taught to look at role models to guide our behavior. The concept is simple… identify someone who is doing something well and that you want to “be like” and then study how they think and act. Repeat their actions and hope to repeat their successful outcome in your own life.

The right role models help us succeed in our endeavors, but the wrong role models can lead us on a path to failure and destruction. The wise take great care in evaluating proper role models to follow, but the foolish decide quickly whom to imitate based on surface evaluation of fame or money or status. What we perceive to be “success” has great influence in whom we choose as a role model. Am I pursuing a football career? or a close personal relationship with God? If both, which is my higher priority?

Pause for a moment and consider who you would use as your role model in evaluating the topic of “judging others”. Now let us consider who Paul points to in Ephesians 5.

Ephesians 5:1-21

Be Imitators of God

      1Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; 2and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.

      3But immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints; 4and there must be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. 5For this you know with certainty, that no immoral or impure person or covetous man, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.

      6Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. 7Therefore do not be partakers with them; 8for you were formerly darkness, but now you are Light in the Lord; walk as children of Light 9(for the fruit of the Light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth), 10trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord. 11Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them; 12for it is disgraceful even to speak of the things which are done by them in secret. 13But all things become visible when they are exposed by the light, for everything that becomes visible is light.

14For this reason it says,
“Awake, sleeper,
And arise from the dead,
And Christ will shine on you.”

      15Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, 16making the most of your time, because the days are evil. 17So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 18And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit, 19speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; 20always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father; 21and be subject to one another in the fear of Christ.

I hear many cling to false doctrine that “I can do anything I want and the grace of God will cover it“… which essentially makes the case that we can intentionally rebel against God, or just ignore Him, instead of submit to Him and He does not mind! That is absurd.  Paul clearly teaches differently as did Jesus and all the prophets. The key message of all of them was to “repent, turn away from wrong behaviors and attitudes, submit to God, and sin no more“.  No Biblical prophet or disciple (and certainly not Jesus) ever taught that it was ok to keep sinning willfully. If you find that scripture… please send it to me. It is not there.

It should be sobering to all of us to read Ephesians 5:5.

Ephesians 5:5  5For this you know with certainty, that no immoral or impure person or covetous man, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.

Yes… our behaviors and attitudes, which are observable by other people, are a reflection of our inner faith and relationship with God. We cannot claim to be righteous and in right relationship with God just because we say so and then keep on sinning!

Romans 6:1-3 1What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? 2May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?

Ephesians 5:6-7 are actually a command for us to avoid the deception of empty words! Far too many are confused and declare no one should “judge” anyone else. We are clearly instructed to discern genuine followers of Christ from liars by their actions and then to keep away from those who are not truly following God!

Ephesians 5:6-7  6Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. 7Therefore do not be partakers with them;

It is equally true that we should test even our own actions to see if they reflect Christ or not. Let us not be complacent in that we say Jesus is Lord, but rather test our actions to see if we are living in such a way that demonstrates we believe Jesus is Lord. This means we obey His commandments, not our own desires and not the value system of the world.

Ephesians 5:11 goes on to instruct us explicitly to not participate in and even to expose the deeds of darkness rather than ignore them for fear of “judging” others who do wrong. We are not called to just go along to avoid offending other people.  We are called to use wisdom and discernment to judge right from wrong!

Ephesians 5:11 11Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them;

If we listen to many role models, even leaders in many churches, we will be told not to “judge” actions of others. But when we choose God as our role model, and the Bible as our primary source of revelation about God… an unchanging source of knowledge about an unchanging God… we see different instruction. We must wisely judge right from wrong so that we can do right and avoid wrong. To do so we must identify by their observable actions who are those that we can trust and who are those we can not. We should even go so far as to challenge ourselves by comparing our observable actions to the words we say when we claim to submit to Jesus.

As an interesting exercise, consider the following. If you were on trial, accused of being a Christian… a true follower of Jesus Christ… could anyone convict you based on actual observable facts?

James 2:18-19

18But someone may well say, “You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” 19You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder. 20But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless?

What changes should you consider to your life that may help build the evidence that you are a genuine Christian?  Keep in mind, of course, that doing works just to do works amounts to nothing. We must start by testing what we really believe in our heart, submit to and follow Jesus wholeheartedly, and you will want to do the works.

Said a different way, if you can not find evidence to convict you as a follower of Christ, do not try to fix the problem by starting with more works, but rather by inspecting your heart and transforming your heart to fully submit to following Jesus. Then simply live your life with a genuine love for Jesus and desire to obey His commands… and the works will just show up.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

All Powerful / King of All, Faith / Trusting God, Persecution / Glorifying God, Promises

Trust Not In The Accomplishments of Man, But Rather In The Plans Of God

It is all too easy and natural for us to focus on the world from our own perspective… looking toward what plans we make and things we believe we can control. While this is important in order to live out our lives in service to God, how much more important is it to seek after the plans of God and to offer our lives to Him to be a part of it. Only the plans of God will matter in the end. No matter how successful the efforts of man, all will fade and be forgotten.

Ecclesiastes 1:14 I have seen all the works which have been done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and striving after wind.

Ecclesiastes 2:16  For there is no lasting remembrance of the wise man as with the fool, inasmuch as in the coming days all will be forgotten. And how the wise man and the fool alike die!

Ecclesiastes 12:13-14   13The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person. 14For God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil.

As an example, consider from even the Egyptian perspective the impact of Joseph as documented in Genesis.  Joseph helped save all of Egypt from starvation and destruction during a seven year famine. He was second only to Pharaoh in power and authority. He brought great wealth also to Pharaoh. One would think that his accomplishments would last for a long time with honor even amongst those who did not know God, but just observed his human accomplishments. Not so. A new Pharaoh arose who did not know Joseph and it was as if Joseph had never even existed. Joseph’s family and people were persecuted harshly without even having done anything wrong toward the new king to cause him concern. The persecution was brutal and relentless.

None the less, the plans of God to prepare His people for the future so they would be able to receive the promised land continued even under harsh persecution. God was blessing and preparing His people even when they could not possibly see it with their own eyes. God’s plans to fulfill His promises to His people could not be stopped by even a powerful and evil king with seeming absolute earthly power over God’s people.

Exodus 1

Israel Multiplies in Egypt

     1Now these are the names of the sons of Israel who came to Egypt with Jacob; they came each one with his household: 2Reuben, Simeon, Levi and Judah; 3Issachar, Zebulun and Benjamin; 4Dan and Naphtali, Gad and Asher. 5All the persons who came from the loins of Jacob were seventy in number, but Joseph was already in Egypt. 6Joseph died, and all his brothers and all that generation. 7But the sons of Israel were fruitful and increased greatly, and multiplied, and became exceedingly mighty, so that the land was filled with them.

      8Now a new king arose over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. 9He said to his people, “Behold, the people of the sons of Israel are more and mightier than we. 10“Come, let us deal wisely with them, or else they will multiply and in the event of war, they will also join themselves to those who hate us, and fight against us and depart from the land.” 11So they appointed taskmasters over them to afflict them with hard labor. And they built for Pharaoh storage cities, Pithom and Raamses. 12But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and the more they spread out, so that they were in dread of the sons of Israel. 13The Egyptians compelled the sons of Israel to labor rigorously; 14and they made their lives bitter with hard labor in mortar and bricks and at all kinds of labor in the field, all their labors which they rigorously imposed on them.

      15Then the king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shiphrah and the other was named Puah; 16and he said, “When you are helping the Hebrew women to give birth and see them upon the birthstool, if it is a son, then you shall put him to death; but if it is a daughter, then she shall live.” 17But the midwives feared God, and did not do as the king of Egypt had commanded them, but let the boys live. 18So the king of Egypt called for the midwives and said to them, “Why have you done this thing, and let the boys live?” 19The midwives said to Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew women are not as the Egyptian women; for they are vigorous and give birth before the midwife can get to them.” 20So God was good to the midwives, and the people multiplied, and became very mighty. 21Because the midwives feared God, He established households for them. 22Then Pharaoh commanded all his people, saying, “Every son who is born you are to cast into the Nile, and every daughter you are to keep alive.”

I have seen examples in my own life where I went through difficult circumstances and felt there was no good reason for it at the time. I look back now and see how God was preparing me for what I was to face in the future. He allowed me to experience hardship and difficulty and I grew in wisdom and faith and increased my perspective away to be less focused on self and more focused on Him. His plans are not defeated when we encounter hardship. He can use that hardship to develop us and prepare us for what is to come… and we can not even imaging at times what that will be until we get there!

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

Jeremiah 29:11 ‘For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.

In what areas in your life can you look back now and see how God was developing and preparing you even as you endured suffering and hardship… even though you could not see Him at work in your life?

In what areas of your life are you experiencing hardship now? How can you use this as a time for personal growth in faith and in your personal walk to obey God’s commands and grow closer to God?

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Am I on the path?, Heaven and Hell, Jesus Christ / Yeshua

What Does God Really Mean By “Believe”?

Often times we find ourselves using words that can have a range of meanings depending on context. When the words are spoken in conversation face to face in our own culture we often have an easier time immediately connecting with the correct meaning. Sometimes we do not even think about it. Other times, we must consider more carefully the context of the word to understand the proper meaning. In most cases, if we don’t get the context exactly right, but we get the general idea, it is sufficient.

One example that is fairly obvious by context is if you request someone to “kill the lights“. Obviously you do not want to kill what is not alive, but rather to “turn them off”. However, at times the distinction of the meaning of the word is of great importance and the context may be more subtle to understand the meaning. We may miss it if we are not careful.

There is one such example in scripture where properly understanding one word is pivotal in getting the understanding correct. The stakes are no less than eternal salvation or damnation… Heaven or Hell.

John 3:16-21

 16“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. 17“For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. 18“He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19“This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. 20“For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. 21“But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.”

Far too many people today misunderstand the meaning of “believe” in the scripture we just read. They take verse 16 and run with it. Then they conclude that simply acknowledging Jesus is God is sufficient for salvation. They need never actually submit to Him or change their behaviors and attitudes to reflect His commands. They “believe“, or so they tell themselves.

A more careful study of context brings greater clarity. In particular as we continue to read through verse 21. It is not a head knowledge of knowing that Jesus is God. Even Satan and the demons know Jesus is God! True belief will be reflected in our actions. If we believe Jesus is God, then how we live will be a reflection of this belief. Believing in Jesus as God is not like believing that Antarctica exists. I can believe Antarctica exists and it really does not affect my life much at all. It would not be observable. But believing in Jesus Christ as God… that changes everything. It is not something I do… it is a way of doing everything! I either come to the Light, or I do not.

Let us look for confirmation both in the Bible and also in the observable behaviors in the world around us.

James 2:14-26

      14What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him? 15If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, 16and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,” and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? 17Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself.

      18But someone may well say, “You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” 19You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder. 20But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless? 21Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar? 22You see that faith was working with his works, and as a result of the works, faith was perfected; 23and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “AND ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS RECKONED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS,” and he was called the friend of God. 24You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone. 25In the same way, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? 26For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.

This scripture we just read in James is difficult for many to accept because they have been taught, and feel very comfortable, to just accept that if you say you believe in Jesus, you are saved. Not so. This is dangerous and misleading and such a careless examination of scripture lays a trap that leads many to Hell through complacency in just assuming the grace of Christ will cover whatever they do because they say they believe in Jesus Christ.

A simple example we should all be able to get our mind around is as follows. If I truly believe in gravity… then my actions will reflect as much. I do not say I believe in gravity and then step off a roof, do I? No! Because I believe in gravity you will see me be very careful in my actions to avoid falling.  I use the handrail when going up the stairs… because I believe in gravity. I do not plan a picnic when I believe it will rain.  My true beliefs affect my observable behaviors.

Did Jesus warn us about this vulnerability for misunderstanding  salvation? Absolutely. In fact, Jesus specifically tells us we are to judge (or discern) false prophets from true followers of Christ by their actions… by their fruit. We are not to judge based on what they say. Words are often lies, but the observable behaviors reveal the truth.

Jesus went on to warn us that some are even deceiving themselves! They will be surprised when the stand in judgment before Christ and He tells them that He did not know them!

Matthew 7:15-23

 15“Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16“You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? 17“So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. 18“A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. 19“Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20“So then, you will know them by their fruits.

      21“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. 22“Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ 23“And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’

It is crucial that we understand “believe” correctly and apply this in our lives as a validation of our relationship with Christ by observing our behaviors, not our intent, to test against what Jesus commands. If we tell ourselves that we put God first… that sounds great. Examine your own actions and priorities for time and money. If you love God first and above all else, why do you spend one hour a week in church (or none at all), but spend every weekend watching 12 hours of football and baseball and basketball! Why is it you know the statistics from all your favorite players and teams but do not know the scriptures? There is nothing wrong with sports in particular. This is just a common example in our society today that demonstrates a point. Observable actions provide true insight into whether or not we really believe Jesus is God and that really matters.

Start by testing yourself the way James suggested, by demonstrating your faith through your works. Track how you spend your time and money for a few weeks or a month. Write it down. At the end, evaluate what things you are doing out of obedience to God because you believe Jesus is Lord. How does that list compare to everything else you are doing. Be careful not to give yourself too much credit based on intent, because Jesus warns us that many of us will fool even ourselves to thinking we believe Jesus is Lord.

Living in true faith that Jesus Christ is Lord is not just revealed in things we accomplish or do. It is also demonstrated in how we do things. Do we control our tongue or lash out and hurt people? Do we give time and money to obey and honor God or to just appear that way to others? Do we respond in anger and lose our temper when things don’t go our way or do we remain cool and calm and work things out? When you make a mistake, do you acknowledge that and seek to repent and ask forgiveness or do you blame someone else and rationalize why you were right all along… even when you were wrong? The most effective way to consider evaluating your “fruit” in this regard is to get a close trusted person who can serve as your accountability partner to point out where you may be struggling.

We must also be vigilant to remember that works will not garner salvation, but is simply an external observable result of true faith. Doing works in order to be good enough to look like you believe in Jesus as Lord leads nowhere. You believe Jesus is Lord and as a result, you obey His commands and your faith is evident in your works and in how you live.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Faith / Trusting God, Heaven and Hell, Promises

God Will Do What He Says… Every Time… In His Timing

Do you find that you sometimes struggle to believe in the promises of God? I know we all want to jump to say “not me”, but truly it can be a challenge at times as we face real life difficulty and trials. Often God’s timing is not our timing. We wish for a microwave solution to fix something or deliver a promise right away, but God may have a different plan in mind. He may be preparing us in a crock pot instead of a microwave… it takes longer, but the end result is much better.

Let us look to Joseph, a righteous man indeed, who trusted God through many difficulties in his life. As Joseph faced death, he was not bitter or angry or afraid. He did not count up his years of life and complain that they were shorter than his brothers, who were not as faithful to God.  He was peaceful and calm. He began to think of others who would remain behind him and how to help them. He believed in God’s promises even when they were not fulfilled in his lifetime and encouraged others to trust in God as well.

Genesis 50:22-26

Death of Joseph

      22Now Joseph stayed in Egypt, he and his father’s household, and Joseph lived one hundred and ten years. 23Joseph saw the third generation of Ephraim’s sons; also the sons of Machir, the son of Manasseh, were born on Joseph’s knees. 24Joseph said to his brothers, “I am about to die, but God will surely take care of you and bring you up from this land to the land which He promised on oath to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob.” 25Then Joseph made the sons of Israel swear, saying, “God will surely take care of you, and you shall carry my bones up from here.” 26So Joseph died at the age of one hundred and ten years; and he was embalmed and placed in a coffin in Egypt.

All of us will face death. Joseph was prepared in his relationship with God for what would come next. We should be asking ourselves much earlier than our death beds if we are prepared as well. The day will come and we know not when. Joseph trusted in God’s promises even when he could not see them fulfilled yet. We should follow his example!

In what areas of your life are you doubting God’s promises revealed in the Bible? Are you having doubts about specific promises you feel He has spoken to you in your life? Study the scriptures, seek God humbly in prayer, submit your life to Him and transform your life to obey His commands… all of them. Trust in Him to fulfill His promises.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Forgive Others / Seek Forgiveness, Grace / Forgiveness

Can You Really Forgive Me? Can I forgive myself?

Many have difficulty forgiving others for what they have done wrong or at times even just what they have done different from expectations… even though it is not wrong. Many of these same people bear a burden of guilt because they can not forgive themselves for their past mistakes either. They do not know how to forgive or accept forgiveness.

They may hold bitterness and unforgiveness in their hearts toward many around them for perceived wrongs or actual wrongs they received. It eats them up inside and suffocates their joy. We see some insight into this area in Genesis 50 whereby Joseph’s brothers, after many years, still can not grasp that Joseph holds no grudge. He has truly forgiven them.

Genesis 50:12-21

Burial at Machpelah

      12Thus his sons did for him as he had charged them; 13for his sons carried him to the land of Canaan and buried him in the cave of the field of Machpelah before Mamre, which Abraham had bought along with the field for a burial site from Ephron the Hittite. 14After he had buried his father, Joseph returned to Egypt, he and his brothers, and all who had gone up with him to bury his father.

      15When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “What if Joseph bears a grudge against us and pays us back in full for all the wrong which we did to him!” 16So they sent a message to Joseph, saying, “Your father charged before he died, saying, 17‘Thus you shall say to Joseph, “Please forgive, I beg you, the transgression of your brothers and their sin, for they did you wrong.”’ And now, please forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father.” And Joseph wept when they spoke to him. 18Then his brothers also came and fell down before him and said, “Behold, we are your servants.” 19But Joseph said to them, “Do not be afraid, for am I in God’s place? 20“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. 21“So therefore, do not be afraid; I will provide for you and your little ones.” So he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.

There were many injustices done to Joseph in his life and they were significant. However, Joseph walked with God. He learned to forgive others through his relationship with God. He did not hold grudges. He set himself apart from the normal expected behavior of others to be ready for God’s use… to be holy.

Are you experiencing difficulty forgiving yourself or forgiving others? Do you carry around a burden of guilt for your past mistakes? Humbly come before Jesus Christ. Admit that you are a sinner and you have done wrong. Do not make excuses or rationalize why you were not really wrong. Ask Jesus to forgive you. Turn from the wrong behaviors and turn your attitude and behaviors toward those of God.

Isaiah 1:18-20

      18“Come now, and let us reason together,”
Says the LORD,
“Though your sins are as scarlet,
They will be as white as snow;
Though they are red like crimson,
They will be like wool.

      19“If you consent and obey,
You will eat the best of the land;

      20“But if you refuse and rebel,
You will be devoured by the sword.”
Truly, the mouth of the LORD has spoken.

 Then accept the forgiveness He offers! But you must submit to Jesus as Lord. It is not enough to know who He is or believe He exists. Even Satan and demons do that! You must obey God in His commands… that is what it means to submit to Him. To say I “believe” in God, but to change nothing in your lifestyle is to reveal empty words. True belief is active and affects our choices… both behaviors and attitudes. Since I believe in gravity, I will not step off a roof. Since I believe in God, I will obey His commands in my life rather than doing things my way… and that requires visible change.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Heaven and Hell, Suffering / Adversity

Allow Yourself (And Others) To Grieve For Those You Love

All of us either have experienced the loss of a loved one or will experience one. Death comes to all of us. Not to make to light of it, but the thing about life is that no one gets out of it alive. My point is simply that death is inevitable for all of us. We should thus prepare ourselves and our families. As we face death, we lean heavily on God to help us face our own or that of someone we love.

Joseph was clearly a man who had a strong relationship and faith in God as demonstrated by how he faced and overcame much suffering and difficulty in his life. Israel, too, had a strong relationship with God. Israel recognized and prepared for his death and to help those who survived him prepare in the chapters preceding Genesis 50. We see in Genesis 50, that Joseph allowed himself quite a bit of time to grieve for the loss of his father. This is not a sign of weakness or lack of faith necessarily, but perhaps of love for the one we have lost. Naturally it is also important to get closure on the grieving process and move on with our lives after a time of mourning.

Genesis 50:1-11

The Death of Israel

      1Then Joseph fell on his father’s face, and wept over him and kissed him. 2Joseph commanded his servants the physicians to embalm his father. So the physicians embalmed Israel. 3Now forty days were required for it, for such is the period required for embalming. And the Egyptians wept for him seventy days.

      4When the days of mourning for him were past, Joseph spoke to the household of Pharaoh, saying, “If now I have found favor in your sight, please speak to Pharaoh, saying, 5‘My father made me swear, saying, “Behold, I am about to die; in my grave which I dug for myself in the land of Canaan, there you shall bury me.” Now therefore, please let me go up and bury my father; then I will return.’” 6Pharaoh said, “Go up and bury your father, as he made you swear.”

      7So Joseph went up to bury his father, and with him went up all the servants of Pharaoh, the elders of his household and all the elders of the land of Egypt, 8and all the household of Joseph and his brothers and his father’s household; they left only their little ones and their flocks and their herds in the land of Goshen. 9There also went up with him both chariots and horsemen; and it was a very great company. 10When they came to the threshing floor of Atad, which is beyond the Jordan, they lamented there with a very great and sorrowful lamentation; and he observed seven days mourning for his father. 11Now when the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, saw the mourning at the threshing floor of Atad, they said, “This is a grievous mourning for the Egyptians.” Therefore it was named Abel-mizraim, which is beyond the Jordan.

We should give ourselves and others much latitude on how they grieve for those they love. Some, strong in faith, will confidently move forward with their lives, relying on God for guidance and support. They may appear not to be grieving or at least not the way many expect. Others may seek a longer time of mourning for their loss as Joseph did. To some it may seem they lack faith in God to spend so much time mourning. Let us mourn with them and support them however they deal with their loss. Let us not try to evaluate how they mourn but rather just mourn with them. Then look for opportunity to help them gain closure and continue with their lives in a positive direction and remain focused on the Lord.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Share the Good News

Prayer Request: Pray With Our Brothers and Sisters In India

2 Comments

Today I am humbly asking each of you as my brothers and sisters in Christ to join together in prayer for Pastor Ezekiel in India, for his ministry, and for the specific event which is scheduled to take place in early June. Please join me in praying for him according to his request below.

Heavenly Father,

You have commanded us to proclaim the gospel to all the nations. You have instructed us that we are all one body in Jesus Christ. Please help prepare pastor Ezekiel and his support for the upcoming event of public gospel meetings at Gotlagattu villate June 8-11. Five thousand are expected to attend. Please help prepare the people to receive the message and turn their lives over to you. Please help in the following specific areas:

1. climate to accommodate the meetings

2.power (electricity)

3.financial needs

4.transportation

5.public address system, stage, lighting

6 announcement to reach the people and lead them to attend

7.publicity (wall posters, handbills )

8.speakers health

9.Gods presence in the meeting

10.healing for the people who attend

11.many of them to submit to Jesus as savior

12.please pray for me and for my health and for my ministry

We pray this in the name of our gracious Lord, Jesus Christ.

Thank you all who prayed alongside us. May the grace and peace of Jesus Christ be with all of you!

To pray with us regarding additional prayer requests or submit a prayer request, please visit our website Prayer Requests section.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, Is the Old Testament Relevant Today?, Study the Word

Study God’s Word Directly At The Source… The Bible

I never cease to be amazed by people who claim the Bible is no longer relevant to our lives today. Quite the opposite, when I study scripture I often feel I can in no way capture and share all that God is revealing in even a short element of scripture. The Bible is truly a wonderful gift from God, so easy that a child can understand it and so deep that an adult can study if for a lifetime without reaching the end of its depths.

I encourage everyone to read and study for themselves. That is what God commands us to do and it is the example He set during His earthly ministry as Jesus Christ.  We must remember to read all of God’s word in context, and be careful not to misrepresent it even to ourselves and we must study the Bible and interpret it in light of itself for consistency.

Let us just explore one small section of scripture that is one of many revealing some truth that have been disregarded by mainstream Christianity. In Acts 13, Paul is on a missionary journey. This occurs after Jesus died, rose again, spent time with His disciples and went up to Heaven.

Acts 13:13-15

    13Now Paul and his companions put out to sea from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphylia; but John left them and returned to Jerusalem. 14But going on from Perga, they arrived at Pisidian Antioch, and on the Sabbath day they went into the synagogue and sat down. 15After the reading of the Law and the Prophets the synagogue officials sent to them, saying, “Brethren, if you have any word of exhortation for the people, say it.”

The first observation that seems obvious and many Christians get this right… we must obey the command of Jesus to go and make disciples of all the nations. Christ did not say… sit and wait for them to come to you. But rather we must go to them. Many brothers and sisters in Christ do a remarkable, inspired job of bringing the gospel to others via mission trips or even evangelizing at school or work. However, we should each challenge ourselves not to get to comfortable just “checking a box” each week sitting in church for an hour. That is a great way to experience fellowship and praise God and other things, but it is not all we are commanded to do. We must study our Bible and apply it further in our lives. We are to bring the good news of Jesus Christ to others.

The second observation is quite simply that Paul continues to observe the Sabbath and the reading of the Law and the Prophets. Paul, like Jesus, reinforces observing Sabbath in the Jewish tradition as God commanded… on the seventh day. This means Sabbath is observed from Friday at sundown to Saturday at sundown. Jesus has already risen from the dead and had counsel with His disciples. Here we see Paul (the other disciples did likewise as revealed in scripture elsewhere) recognizing and observing the importance of the Old Testament (e.g. the Law and the Prophets) and worship and gathering on Sabbath. There is of course a much deeper study available, and I am happy to share it with others… just ask by replying at Contact Us if you are interested. It should be apparent as well if you just read and study the New Testament and observe the behavior of Jesus and the disciples regarding Sabbath and the importance of the Old Testament.  If you ask most Christians, they will explain why it has been changed to Sunday instead of Saturday… but ask them to show you where the scripture indicates that. You can’t find it because it is not there.

Many Christians do not even realize that man, not God, changed the Sabbath to Sunday and that the entire Bible, including the Old Testament, are still completely applicable today.

The more I study the Bible, the more clearly I am able to see what God said and differentiate it from what man has said. I will do things God’s way rather than the way of the traditions of men. I encourage you to boldly do the same!

It is important to study God’s word for yourself direction from the Bible. Yes, you can study with others, but go to the source. Don’t believe me… try a game next time you have a gathering of many people. Sit in a circle, start with a message that is several sentences long, or a short story. Have each person, without writing it down, whisper to the next what they heard. By the time it comes around the circle of 10 or so people, you will typically find the message has changed quite a bit. So too if you ignore the Bible and only ask people what it says or only read books about the Bible.

For more information on what the law means for us today, read Understanding the Law – What Does It Mean For Us Today?

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Marriage, Obeying God

You Want Me To Follow All The Instructions?

Think of the last time you bought an item with the words “some assembly required” on the box. Was it a bicycle? a play kitchen for your kids? maybe a large Lincoln Logs set? Think of one that was complicated to put together. They provided an instruction manual, right? Did you use it? I sure do. I may be able to figure out how to put things together, but it sure goes easier and comes together more quickly and with less damage and rework when I follow the manual. What is more, I follow the full instructions. I do not just pick and choose which instructions to follow and which ones not to and then expect everything to come out just right. I follow all of the instructions for best results.

So why is it that so many people try to pick and choose which parts of the Bible they want to accept and use to guide their actions and attitudes? God provided the Bible to us to be able to have great insight into God and how He relates to His people. It provides great insight into how we should live our lives. It is like the instruction manual that helps us put together that complicated Lego set. Things usually don’t work out right if you only follow part of the directions. (You are not supposed to run out of or have extra pieces.)

God’s revelation through the Bible may also be compared to the map that shows us how to get through a mine field (a field with bombs hidden below the surface that blow up if you step on them). Would you choose to “wing it” through a mine field rather than follow the map? Would you pick and choose which parts of the map you believe? Would you base which parts you use based on your opinion or that of others about where the mines might be or stick to the map provided by the one who already knows where all the mines actually are?

The Bible is not a “pick list” where we choose which parts we “believe” and which we do not. We either submit to God fully or we do not. We either trust Him or we do not.

The similar consideration should be given for studying and applying what God reveals to us about marriage in Ephesians 5.

Ephesians 5

Marriage Like Christ and the Church

      22Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body. 24But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything.

      25Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, 26so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless. 28So husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself; 29for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church, 30because we are members of His body. 31FOR THIS REASON A MAN SHALL LEAVE HIS FATHER AND MOTHER AND SHALL BE JOINED TO HIS WIFE, AND THE TWO SHALL BECOME ONE FLESH. 32This mystery is great; but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church. 33Nevertheless, each individual among you also is to love his own wife even as himself, and the wife must see to it that she respects her husband.

Now… for those of you who are getting upset because you do not like what the scripture says, take a moment to pause and reflect. First, consciously strip away what people have told you about this scripture and have told you about the role of husband and wife and try to come into it as a blank slate, just reading what God reveals rather than what others say He does.

God calls husbands to lead, love, and if necessary die for their wives. So too, they should live for their wives. They are called to rejoice in their wives as if they are truly one in body and spirit. They are to be to their wives as Jesus was to the church. Who would take exception to this?

God calls wives to an equally important role, but a different role. Keep in mind that God designed us and He has that in mind when He guides us on our roles. Wives submit to and respect your husbands. Our culture wants to convince women that submitting to their husband is somehow demeaning. I argue it is not. Both men and women are made in God’s image. Which sports team has two coaches with the same role and responsibility and authority for the team? Which organization has two leaders with the same roles, responsibilities and authority? Which army has such a structure? None. Because it does not work. There must be a chain of command. Even in the U.S. Senate there is a tie breaker set up in case votes fall 50 for and 50 against. So why is it demeaning only when God says it about the roles of husband and wife in marriage but not in every other situation where it is necessary?

Now think of these two roles working together with both doing as they are commanded by God. The husband will dwell with understanding and love for his wife and give her full consideration for her desires and needs. They can engage and discuss. Ultimately, he is to consider her equally as if she is his own body and spirit as they are one. At times, he is called to die to self and give her preference to care for her as Christ died for the church. He is under authority to God and thus stays on the right path to lead the family.

The model God lays out works and works really well! Typically, problems come in not with God’s plan, but with the way people fail to execute it properly.

For those who are married, think about where you and your spouse may fall short of God’s plan for you in His commands for your marriage. Focus first on changing your own behavior and then perhaps engage in further discussion with your spouse. Show your spouse how it works through your actions and how you treat them. When they see the change in you and ask… then you share God’s plan with them from Ephesians.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Blessed, Consequences of Sin, Prophecy, Righteousness / Serving God

Often Our Blessings Are A Reflection Of Our Choices

It is easy to ask God’s blessing to give us everything we want, how we want it, when we want it, and then wonder why we don’t receive it. When we study the blessings of Israel to his sons we see that our blessings are often a reflection of our choices in regards to how we live our lives… in obedience to God or in obedience to self.

Genesis 49:28  28All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father said to them when he blessed them. He blessed them, every one with the blessing appropriate to him.

As Israel prophecied and blessed each of his sons, he revealed a future that was appropriate to each one and how they chose to lead their life and what examples they set for their family. Their blessing was in fact affected by their godliness, or lack of godliness.

Genesis 49

Israel’s Prophecy concerning His Sons

      1Then Jacob summoned his sons and said, “Assemble yourselves that I may tell you what will befall you in the days to come.

      2“Gather together and hear, O sons of Jacob;
And listen to Israel your father.

      3“Reuben, you are my firstborn;
My might and the beginning of my strength,
Preeminent in dignity and preeminent in power.

      4“Uncontrolled as water, you shall not have preeminence,
Because you went up to your father’s bed;
Then you defiled it—he went up to my couch.

      5“Simeon and Levi are brothers;
Their swords are implements of violence.

      6“Let my soul not enter into their council;
Let not my glory be united with their assembly;
Because in their anger they slew men,
And in their self-will they lamed oxen.

      7“Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce;
And their wrath, for it is cruel.
I will disperse them in Jacob,
And scatter them in Israel.

      8“Judah, your brothers shall praise you;
Your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies;
Your father’s sons shall bow down to you.

      9“Judah is a lion’s whelp;
From the prey, my son, you have gone up.
He couches, he lies down as a lion,
And as a lion, who dares rouse him up?

      10“The scepter shall not depart from Judah,
Nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet,
Until Shiloh comes,
And to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.

      11“He ties his foal to the vine,
And his donkey’s colt to the choice vine;
He washes his garments in wine,
And his robes in the blood of grapes.

      12“His eyes are dull from wine,
And his teeth white from milk.

      13“Zebulun will dwell at the seashore;
And he shall be a haven for ships,
And his flank shall be toward Sidon.

      14“Issachar is a strong donkey,
Lying down between the sheepfolds.

      15“When he saw that a resting place was good
And that the land was pleasant,
He bowed his shoulder to bear burdens,
And became a slave at forced labor.

      16“Dan shall judge his people,
As one of the tribes of Israel.

      17“Dan shall be a serpent in the way,
A horned snake in the path,
That bites the horse’s heels,
So that his rider falls backward.

      18“For Your salvation I wait, O LORD.

      19“As for Gad, raiders shall raid him,
But he will raid at their heels.

      20“As for Asher, his food shall be rich,
And he will yield royal dainties.

      21“Naphtali is a doe let loose,
He gives beautiful words.

      22“Joseph is a fruitful bough,
A fruitful bough by a spring;
Its branches run over a wall.

      23“The archers bitterly attacked him,
And shot at him and harassed him;

      24But his bow remained firm,
And his arms were agile,
From the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob
(From there is the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel),

      25From the God of your father who helps you,
And by the Almighty who blesses you
With blessings of heaven above,
Blessings of the deep that lies beneath,
Blessings of the breasts and of the womb.

      26“The blessings of your father
Have surpassed the blessings of my ancestors
Up to the utmost bound of the everlasting hills;
May they be on the head of Joseph,
And on the crown of the head of the one distinguished among his brothers.

      27“Benjamin is a ravenous wolf;
In the morning he devours the prey,
And in the evening he divides the spoil.”

      28All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father said to them when he blessed them. He blessed them, every one with the blessing appropriate to him. 29Then he charged them and said to them, “I am about to be gathered to my people; bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite, 30in the cave that is in the field of Machpelah, which is before Mamre, in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought along with the field from Ephron the Hittite for a burial site. 31“There they buried Abraham and his wife Sarah, there they buried Isaac and his wife Rebekah, and there I buried Leah— 32the field and the cave that is in it, purchased from the sons of Heth.” 33When Jacob finished charging his sons, he drew his feet into the bed and breathed his last, and was gathered to his people.

As we seek to receive God’s blessing for our lives and the lives of our family, let us remember that God has given us many instructions on how to live such that we love God and love our neighbor. When we make these choices to honor God and obey Him in our lives, rather than just with our words, we will see Him provide to us the blessings appropriate to such a choice to be His faithful servant.

Reflect on the sons of Israel. What behaviors did they exhibit that lead some to good and some to hard blessings? What changes does God speak to your heart that you should make as you reflect on how you are living your life?

Personally, I feel that God continues to press upon me the suffering that many experience by allowing themselves to be ruled by their fierce anger. I have had several recent encounters personally and also keep finding that revealed in scripture, such as with Simeon and Levi in today’s scripture reading. Anger is not always released by the sword, but often by the tongue. I have experienced flurries of anger in the past and now see more clearly how ugly that can truly be and how much it can affect someone’s life. Even if you are “right”, anger is not typically the most helpful response. It can steal your joy and sour your blessings.

Make changes where you need to! Do not be so proud as to insist that you are doing everything right. You only fool yourself and steal from your own blessing and future.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Sharing God's word through devotionals and other resources. Helping you study the Bible and apply it to your life. Helping young children to enjoy the Bible at our Kid Zone.