Of Necessity and Desire – 1 Corinthians 13

The world is full of lost people. There are many people who are dying everyday and going to Hell. So there is a need for us to share the gospel of Christ with them. However, if we do so out of sheer necessity we risk being seen as uncaring and cold. We risk the message of Christ's love being overshadowed by the lack of our love.

When we do things simply out of necessity we tend to become dry and unfeeling. We start to go through the motions; we start doing things with our heads and not our hearts.  Enable for us to be effective we must have a deep desire to do what needs done out of love.

Do not misunderstand me, there is a dire need for us to spread the news of Christ to the world. Without it, there is no hope.  We simply cannot allow the message of God to be silenced in a world that is lost and dying.

If we are to be effective in meeting the need then we must have a deep moving desire to do so.  We must allow God to move in our hearts; to continue to change our perspective.  If we want people to have a relationship with Jesus we must take Him to them. We must show them His love.  We must do so because we are deeply moved with Christ's love for them. He loves those who are dirty, who are mean, and who are fools. Pray that God allows you to see them with His eyes.

Give us your heart Lord!  Then and only then can we change our world.

If I could speak in any language in heaven or on earth but didn't love others, I would only be making meaningless noise like a loud gong or a clanging cymbal.  If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I knew all the mysteries of the future and knew everything about everything, but didn't love others, what good would I be? And if I had the gift of faith so that I could speak to a mountain and make it move, without love I would be no good to anybody. If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn't love others, I would be of no value whatsoever. Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. Love does not demand its own way. Love is not irritable, and it keeps no record of when it has been wronged. It is never glad about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. Love will last forever, but prophecy and speaking in unknown languages and special knowledge will all disappear. Now we know only a little, and even the gift of prophecy reveals little! But when the end comes, these special gifts will all disappear. It's like this:  When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child does. But when I grew up, I put away childish things. Now we see things imperfectly as in a poor mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God knows me now. There are three things that will endure -- faith, hope, and love -- and the greatest of these is love. 1 Corinthians 13 (NLT)

Are you a chicken or a pig? – Romans 12:1

And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice -- the kind he will accept. When you think of what he has done for you, is this too much to ask? Rom. 12:1 (NLT)

When I was in high school I started going to a youth group at my friend’s church.  They were preparing for an Easter play they did every year and I wanted to be involved.  They took me to the director and she said, “great, are you a chicken or pig?”. I was confused, but she began to explain to me that with breakfast it is common to have bacon and eggs. Both the chicken and the pig contribute to meal. The chicken decides to be a part of the breakfast, but the pig is committed.  I understood and assured her I would be committed to practice on my own, be at the rehearsals and at the shows.  It was a great experience.   

As Christians we have to make a decision. Are we going to be chickens or pigs when it comes to living for Christ? Are we interested in only knowing Christ, being saved and being a part of sharing the gospel? Or will we decide to get fully committed to the cause of Christ?   Will we say, “Whatever it is you will Lord, I’m committed to it!”? Or will we go on with our lives, do our own thing and chose to be Sunday, maybe Wednesday followers of Christ?

I’ll warn you, there is a price to pay to be committed; you can’t just do your part and walk away.  To be committed you must be all in, everything you have.  True commitment leaves no room for reservations and loopholes.  To be committed to Jesus is to be like the pig to breakfast; you must leave everything at the table. 

I enjoyed immensely the play that I was in, I can still remember the good times we had, the fellowship we shared as we proclaimed the story of Jesus’ resurrection. It was hard, and it took up my time but it was very rewarding.  Although commitment is hard and it takes everything you have, there is no other way to experience your relationship with God to the fullest then to be totally committed to Him everyday!

You will see things you thought impossible, He will use you in ways that you are not capable of, and He will rock your socks clean off!  

So tell me, are you a chicken or a pig?

The Foolish Gospel – 1 Corinthians 1:21-24

For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.  For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.  1 Cor. 1:21-24 (NKJV)

Jesus was a man who walked the Earth about 2000 years ago.  No intelligent person will refute this fact.  He definitely was here, there is too much evidence, both Christian and secular to make a logical argument otherwise.  You just can’t erase Him from History (or as I like to call it “His”story).   However, many people would have you believe that He was just that, simply a man. Now some would say He was a good man, a great religious leader, a stand up individual.  They just refuse to accept Him for who He is: the one true God.

From the time Jesus’ ministry began men have been trying to stomp it out, but they have always failed.  Many men have sought wholeheartedly with a personal vendetta to disprove this “Jesus” movement.  In their quest they have found overwhelming evidence that Jesus is in fact God and the Bible does in fact give true and accurate accounts of “His”story. Due to there findings they have themselves become believers in Jesus Christ (Josh McDowell “More than a Carpenter”, Lee Strobel “Case for Christ”, and Saul of Tarsus a.k.a. the Apostle Paul; just to Name a few).

Jesus Christ is God. He is savior to all who will accept Him and Lord of all creation whether accepted or not.  He is good, just, and yes even a “jealous God”.  He is the way, the truth and the life.  People can laugh at these facts and convince some they are not true. They can attempt to disprove the facts and even believe that they have done so.  They can go through life denying the deity of Jesus Christ, but they cannot change the truth.

Jesus is God and His words are true.  Let them think me a fool; it doesn’t change a thing!

Say what? – 2 Timothy 4:3-4

For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. 2 Tim. 4:3-4

I keep hearing these off the wall beliefs, this anti-biblical philosophy continuing to churn up. Seems like more and more these days people are deciding to believe what feels good to them and reject what they do not like.  You are probably thinking I know it is crazy with Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism and all those other isms. But I’m not talking about religions, I’m talking about the church; the so-called followers of Jesus Christ.

It amazes me to find out how many people stopped believing in Hell.  It amazes me the amount of “ministers” that are preaching that Jesus is not the sole way to Heaven.  I’m appalled by the amount of “Christians” that justify their sinful lifestyles. Really? So tell me, what does it mean to be a Christian?  Because when I say I am a Christian I mean I am a follower of Christ. I mean that His words are truth, whether it feels all mushy gushy or not.  I mean that I have been redeemed and given life by no one other than the giver of life Himself: Jesus Christ.

You have the right to believe what you want to believe; it is called free will.  God gives you the ability to choose your path; you are more than welcome to be wrong if that is what you like. God loves you and wants you to live forever with Him in sheer awesomeness, but He gives you the choice it is up to you. He paid for your salvation; you can take it or leave it. 

But come on, don’t tell me you are a Christian and shun the words of Christ Himself. You bet there is a Hell, Jesus said it, not me. Oh and if you want to talk about multiple ways to “heaven”, then just leave Jesus out.  See He said that He is “the” way not “a” way, big difference.  Don’t claim to follow Christ, and then have your ears “tickled” by what you want to hear.  You can either take Him or leave Him, but stop pretending like you follow Him if you don’t. 

Well now that is close-minded and arrogant. You think so?  I’m just telling it like it is! 

The deception of struggle- Romans 7:22-25

Society has a tendency to make us believe that people who are strong, those who have it all together, they do not struggle. Sure maybe they have a bad hair day and it makes them flinch a little; but we believe they do not have any major internal turmoil.  We start to think that since we struggle so much that we must be weak.  We must be sub par people, and therefore sub par Christians.

We as Christians (especially us who are leaders) tend to go along with this persona. Mind you, we understand that struggle is a way of life. We know that as Christians we have two natures that struggle internally for control of our actions and our being.  However, we want people to look at us as strong, good Christians.  We want to be thought of as warriors of God, mighty men and women of valor and great courage.  So we put up a front to make people think we do not struggle; we do them a serious injustice.

By not sharing our failures and our struggles we teach the idea of a struggle-free relationship with Christ.  We cause people to believe that when we become Christians we are fully transformed; hard decisions and tasks in life are easy.  This is not the case, as Christians we have deep internal struggle.  Each day we must seek to resist our earthly selfish nature and live for Christ.  A mature Christian should admit that he struggles, like the Apostle Paul did in his letter to the Romans.

For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.  O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?  I thank God--through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin. Rom. 7:22-25 (NKJV)

We all struggle. Hard decisions are not easy. Standing firm and going the extra mile are difficult tasks.  We all struggle!  We may not all struggle with the same thing but we all struggle. You are not alone in your struggles; some others do struggle with the same things (1 Cor. 10:13).  There is not sin in the struggle itself, but the giving in to the struggle.   Even Jesus struggled in His earthly body, though without sin (Matt 26:39, Luke 22:44).

When you struggle seek out God in prayer, read the scriptures, confide and be accountable to other Christians.  We all struggle, but as Christians we are delivered from this “body of death” through Jesus. Oh, sweet Heaven! No more struggle, no more worry, no more sin!  

Hang in there, you are not alone!

Free – John 11:44

And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with grave clothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, "Loose him, and let him go." John 11:44 (NKJV)

Once I was dead; bound in sin. Then Jesus came upon the scene.  He called out to me, urging me to come to Him.  As I started to waddle toward Him bound by sin and justice an amazing thing happened.  He commanded, “Loose him, and let him go.”  My eyes were opened and my soul was released from death; I was alive!

You may think that this is the story of Lazarus, but it is my story too.  I was dead in trespasses and sins, destined for eternal damnation. I was bound hand and foot; my eyes were covered so that I could not see. But then a voice cried out to me in darkness, “Come forth!”.  I came, I accepted the call and Jesus much like He did for Lazarus, gave me life!

Are you alive? Or are you a dead man walking?  Jesus is calling for you to come forth.   Answer Him; accept His invitation and take the first wobbly steps toward Jesus.  He will do the same for you that He has done for many others, He will give you life and set you free!

Plans – Jeremiah 29:11

As you read the following verse I want you to think not about what it says, but what it does not say.

For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11

Have you figured it out yet? It says nothing about our plans! God did not say, “I am going to consider your plans, see if they are good, tweak them a little and then give them the go ahead.”.  Let me put it this way: have you ever seen a three year old draw a house? It is cute don’t get me wrong, but you wouldn’t want to use it as a blueprint for building your home.  Our plans for our life are just like those three year old blueprints; in the hands of the master builder, they just don’t make the cut.  He smiles at our attempts (maybe even laughs sometimes), pats us on the head and then begins to show us His plans for us. 

God doesn’t give us His plans all at once; they wouldn’t make sense to us.  Think about it, have you ever looked at a blueprint? If you are like me it is overwhelming, and you don’t know what half of the stuff means; it is way over my head.  Now take that same blueprint and give it to a three year old. Let them find a crayon and they will “fix” it for you! No, instead you have to tell a three year old what it is going to be like, and reassure them that it will be great when it is finished. You must paint them a picture of the finished product; this is what God has done for us.  He paints a wonderful picture of Heaven and reassures us that He has plans for a magnificent, abundant life; a life full of adventure, protection, and goodness. A life of ups and downs, ins and outs, where in the end good does truly triumph over evil!

So go ahead and show God the plans you have made for your life.  He wants to hear about them.  Just do not be surprised when He says, I have a better idea.  Trust Him, you will like the outcome of His plans a lot better than yours; I guarantee it!

When weakness is strength - 2 Corinthians 12:9

And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 2 Cor 12:9

Have you ever watched "The World's Strongest Man" competition? Those guys are crazy strong! They flip over telephone poles, lift large boulders, carry refrigerators; I feel weak just watching them squat a Volkswagen.  These guys are mentally and physically prepared for these events; so we call them strong.

As Christians we try to be "God's Spiritually Strongest Christian". We pride ourselves in Bible study, prayer and good works; these are all good things. We are walking along doing great, feeling pretty good about ourselves and our walk.  Then something happens, something comes up that is bigger than us.  We can't do it, we can't overcome it.  Then the realization hits us; we are weak.

This realization comes as a hard blow to us; we want to be strong, be lifted up, and be thought powerful.  However, we are weak. We get down and out, we get depressed; then we find ourselves telling God we are weak and asking Him to take away our weakness.  It is then we find strength, not our strength but His.  See He tells us very passionately, "No. I will not take away your weakness, it brings you close to Me, it makes you rely on Me. I will be your strength!".

Take your weakness to God, but do not be surprised when He will not take it away from you.  Allow Him to be truly strong in you; then you will overcome that which cannot be overcome, then will the impossible be made possible and then will the unreachable be reached for Jesus.  Only when the power of Jesus Christ is manifested in you, will God do great things through you!

The problem with “Hakuna Matata”- James 2:16

And one of you says to them, "Depart in peace, be warmed and filled," but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? James 2:16

You may remember the scene in “The Lion King” when Nala finds out that Simba isn’t dead.  She tells him about the devastation at Pride Rock and how Scar has destroyed their way of life. She expects Simba to return as rightful king, overturn Scar and be a great king like his father.  Simba just tells her “Hakuna Matata, no worries”, as if everything will just be better if he doesn’t get involved.  He just didn’t want to think about it.

Many Christians take on a similar mentality. We are quick to say, “I’ll pray for you!”, as long as we don’t have to get physically involved.  It is a nice little gesture, it sounds sweet and we want people to think we care. However, if we do not care enough to put our prayers into action then do we really care? 

Don’t get me wrong, prayer changes things. God hears the cries of His people; heaven and Earth are moved via prayers of righteous individuals (James 5:16).  However if someone has a need and you have the ability to take care of that need, or help with that need, then you should get involved; you shouldn’t sit around and wait for God to fulfill their need.  We often forget that as Christians we are the body of Christ; therefore, when we ask God to meet a need that we are capable of meeting we are being redundant.  Essentially it is like me driving a tow truck down the road, seeing a guy stuck in a ditch and telling him, “Don’t worry, I’ll call a tow truck for you!”.  Imagine his confusion.

We Christians need to step up and start being mindful of peoples needs. Try this: next time someone is hungry, instead of blowing them off with good intentions and an “I’ll pray for you!”, FEED THEM! If an issue is beyond your control pray for God’s help and guidance; if it is something that you can help with pray and thank God for allowing you to be used for His glory!

Hungry = Feed

Thirsty = Give Drink

Naked = Cloth

Homeless = Home

Hurting = Listen

Lost = Direct

Lonely = Befriend

Get the picture. Don’t expect God to do what He has already told you to do! 

2 Samuel 12:1-14 and Psalm 51

Bible reading to reflect on today.

2 Samuel 12:1-14

1 Then the Lord sent Nathan to David. And he came to him, and said to him: "There were two men in one city, one rich and the other poor. 2 The rich man had exceedingly many flocks and herds.3 But the poor man had nothing, except one little ewe lamb which he had bought and nourished; and it grew up together with him and with his children. It ate of his own food and drank from his own cup and lay in his bosom; and it was like a daughter to him. 4 And a traveler came to the rich man, who refused to take from his own flock and from his own herd to prepare one for the wayfaring man who had come to him; but he took the poor man's lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him." 5 So David's anger was greatly aroused against the man, and he said to Nathan, "As the Lord lives, the man who has done this shall surely die! 6 And he shall restore fourfold for the lamb, because he did this thing and because he had no pity." 7 Then Nathan said to David, "You are the man! Thus says the Lord God of Israel: 'I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul. 8 I gave you your master's house and your master's wives into your keeping, and gave you the house of Israel and Judah. And if that had been too little, I also would have given you much more! 9 Why have you despised the commandment of the Lord, to do evil in His sight? You have killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword; you have taken his wife to be your wife, and have killed him with the sword of the people of Ammon. 10 Now therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised Me, and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.' 11 Thus says the Lord: 'Behold, I will raise up adversity against you from your own house; and I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun. 12 For you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel, before the sun.' " 13 So David said to Nathan, "I have sinned against the Lord." And Nathan said to David, "The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die. 14 However, because by this deed you have given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme, the child also who is born to you shall surely die."

Psalm 51 (NKJV)

1 To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David when Nathan the prophet went to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba. Have mercy upon me, O God, According to Your lovingkindness; According to the multitude of Your tender mercies, Blot out my transgressions. 2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, And cleanse me from my sin. 3 For I acknowledge my transgressions, And my sin is always before me. 4 Against You, You only, have I sinned, And done this evil in Your sight-- That You may be found just when You speak, And blameless when You judge. 5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me. 6 Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts, And in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom. 7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. 8 Make me hear joy and gladness, That the bones You have broken may rejoice. 9 Hide Your face from my sins, And blot out all my iniquities. 10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me. 11 Do not cast me away from Your presence, And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. 12 Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, And uphold me by Your generous Spirit. 13 Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, And sinners shall be converted to You. 14 Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God, The God of my salvation, And my tongue shall sing aloud of Your righteousness. 15 O Lord, open my lips, And my mouth shall show forth Your praise. 16 For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it; You do not delight in burnt offering. 17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart-- These, O God, You will not despise. 18 Do good in Your good pleasure to Zion; Build the walls of Jerusalem. 19 Then You shall be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, With burnt offering and whole burnt offering; Then they shall offer bulls on Your altar.

Try the spirits – 1 John 4:1

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 1 John 4:1 (NKJV)

Many of us get confused with notions and feelings inside of us; we sometimes start wondering if what we are feeling is God’s urging, or is it something else.  To help us all distinguish the spirits a little better, let us look at some basic differences between the way God does business and the way Satan does.

When God gives us direction He is specific in His direction and commands. God is straight forward in what He wants us to do, He may not always show us the whole picture, but He will always be clear on the next step we should take.  God will also directly call us out on our sin. God does not make us try to piece the puzzle together of what we are doing wrong; He is very clear and concise in His chastisement and punishment. God desires that we learn from our errors; He wants us to become better, more holy individuals.  God convicts us of sin. God is specific.

Satan on the other hand likes to be very general.  He works with phrases like: “You are a bad person”, “You will never get it right”, and “You are a failure”. Satan unlike God does not like to convict of sin, he wants to condemn us for sin.  He wishes nothing more then for us to fail, be crushed, disqualified and silent.  He will run us around in circles, tell us one thing and run around on the other side and tell us the opposite.  He works through confusion, generalities, and condemnation.

Remember when trying the spirits you should always go and see what the Bible has to say.  Let these facts however serve as red flags in your life; if it is confusing, generalized and condemning it is most likely either of ourselves or satan.  While if it is specific, corrective, and redemptive it is more likely of God.

I hope this helps you stop allowing Satan to run you on rabbit trails.

DANGER: Out of context! – Zechariah 2:6

Did you know that Santa Claus is in the Bible? It is true; it says it as plain as day.

Ho, ho, come forth, and flee from the land of the north, saith the LORD: for I have spread you abroad as the four winds of the heaven, saith the LORD. Zech. 2:6 (KJV)

Well who do you think the Ho Ho from the north is? That’s right: Santa Claus.  So there I just proved it to you, Santa Claus does exist. 

Although this is a humorous illustration the truth behind the matter is very dangerous.  People are bad about taking the Bible out of context; twisting it to say what they want it to say or what they believe it says.  Both of these methods can be very destructive; understanding proper context is very, very important!

On the one hand you have those that live by and preach the “Kangaroo Gospel”; they hop around from verse to verse picking out what they like, to prove their point.  Many people are confused and mislead because they do not stop to read what is before and after the portion of scripture read; they never get the whole picture.  This is like someone pulling a few pieces out of a 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle, having never looked at the box, and trying to guess what the picture is.  They may have many logical guesses based on what they know; however they are often WRONG!  We do not want to live our life based on bits and pieces of God’s word.

On the other hand you have the die hard misinterpreters of scripture.  They read all of the scripture, think they understand what is said and come to strong conclusions.  They live their entire lives based off of their understanding of scripture, yet they never stop to put it all in the context in which it was written; who was it written too? What was it written about? Why was it written in the first place?  This is like you reading “Don’t do drugs!” and interpreting that to mean that you shouldn’t take an aspirin when you have a headache; you missed the point!

It is extremely important that we look at the Bible in the proper context. Sometimes this means we just need to read the whole chapter or book so that we can see what is really being said.  Other times we need to do in depth study on what was going on in a certain area at the time that particular section of scripture was written.  Strive to understand the Gospel for what it is: truth to live by.  Take the time to get it right, I promise you it will change your life!

For those who are burdened- Matthew 11:28

In high school I used to work out with a tortuous device we simply called “the sled”.  It was a metal sled hooked to a harness on which we would place weight plates; we would then run a series of sprints.  The weight of the sled and the weights made simple sprints extremely hard; you could not do very many before you were tuckered out from the heavy load.

Many people are tugging around the weight of sins, failures and disappointments.  We try so hard within ourselves to be good people, to be successful, to have purpose.  We exhaust our efforts and end up going through the motions of life; dreading each day, feeling as if there is no hope.  We become depressed because we cannot fix our problems; we are tired, we are anxious; we are lost in hopelessness and disparity.

Does this describe you? Have you found yourself so weighted down with care, concern and good works so that you are just worn out?  As a Christian you feel like you should be so much farther in life, you should be doing so much more for God, and you should be a better person.  Maybe you feel like you cannot go another step; you are spent.  Perhaps your world feels like it is crashing down and no matter what you do, it seems to get worse. Listen to the words of Jesus.

 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Matt. 11:28 (NKJV)

Will you accept Christ’s generous offer of rest?  Go to Jesus and let Him undo the harness, so you may drop the weights that you have been needlessly carrying.  He does not want you to be overburdened. He wants to give you peace and rest; He said so Himself.  He is waiting for you!

Too Late! – Luke 16:23-24

And in hell, being in great pain, lifting up his eyes he saw Abraham, far away, and Lazarus on his breast.  And he gave a cry and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me and send Lazarus, so that he may put the end of his finger in water and put it on my tongue, for I am cruelly burning in this flame. Luke 16:23-24 (KJV)

If you were driving down a road at full speed toward a sudden deadly drop off, you would want someone to warn you.  Hopefully someone would put up some road signs, maybe some lights, flags, bells and whistles, a barrier, etc.; whatever it would take to keep someone from plummeting to their demise. You certainly would not expect for someone to just let you go that way knowing the danger or worse yet encourage you to go that way.  Some might even go as far as to express to you that there is no way there is a drop off; it just is not logical that there would be one there.  For whatever reason you keep barreling down that road faster and faster; it is not until you have gone over the edge that you realize there is a deadly drop off.  It is too late to turn back.

Hell is a reality.  Some would have you believe that it does not exist; a loving God would not send people to eternal torment.  Well they are partially right; God does not cause anyone to go to hell. On the contrary He has done great things to warn men of Hell and to guarantee they do not have to go there. Men send themselves to hell when they reject God’s free gift of salvation and redemption through Jesus’ death on the cross. God has given us ample warning of the reality of hell, so that we may escape its eternal punishment.  Although God would be just at allowing all men to go to hell, He is not willing that any should perish (1 Peter 3:9); He gives us all opportunity to instead live in paradise forever. He offers us grace.

Hell is eternal punishment for our sins; it is our just dessert.  It is as real and equally as horrible as the holy heaven is glorious.  People who die without Jesus will open their eyes to eternal torment; it will be too late to accept the gift of grace, judgment has passed and the sentence has been rendered.  Hell is a horrible place. Hell is forever. Hell is a reality realized one second too late!

Jesus still tugs at the hearts of men, knocking ever so gently for them to accept Him in.  He loves us; He loves you. I can almost hear the pleading in His voice, “Don’t go to hell, it is an awful place. Turn from your ways and follow me, to life!” God is passionate about you, He wants you to come and rejoice with Him forever. However, He leaves you with the choice; will you choose life or death? Will it be Heaven or Hell?  You must choose.  Choosing not to accept Jesus Christ and allowing His sacrifice to save you is choosing to suffer eternal punishment in hell.  Please, don’t go there!

Pray, Pray, Pray- James 5:16

Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. James 5:16 (NKJV)

I am a talker; I always have something to say. It doesn’t matter what you are talking about, I can find a way into the conversation; I definitely have the gift of gab.  So it goes without saying that I pray a lot, after all prayer is simply put conversation with God. I pray about everything; little things, big things, silly things, etc.  I figure God is my Father and I am going to talk to Him as such. 

Sometimes when I am walking I will notice something interesting or beautiful and I thank Him for it. Sometimes I get frustrated and angry and I yell, fuss and throw a tantrum.  Other times I am deeply hurt or bothered and I cry out to Him in agony.  I go to the Father with everything; I believe He wants me to; after all I am a son. I can go boldly before the throne of grace, just as a child can go without fear to their loving earthly father; I take advantage of that.

So why do I go to Him? Well for several reasons; He loves me and I love Him so I can pour my heart out to Him and He listens well. He is my director and my guide and I often need directions. He is my creator and my savior and He deserves my praise and adoration. He is my strength and my song in times of trouble and times of peace. Furthermore, prayer changes things; prayer moves heaven and earth, prayer unites us with God Himself 

You practice like you play – Luke 16:10

Unless you are faithful in small matters, you won't be faithful in large ones. If you cheat even a little, you won't be honest with greater responsibilities. Luke 16:10 (NLT)

One of my most embarrassing moments as a starting linebacker was during a game my senior year of high school.  I blitzed and somehow found myself behind the quarterback; when I turned around I had a free shot at him.  Instead of sacking him I did what we would do everyday in practice: I ran up to him, put my arms out and I broke down into a two point stance.  He threw the ball and I hung my head in shame.  We were never allowed to tackle the quarterback in practice fore fear of injury; so I did what I had practiced over and over. You have to practice like you play because you will always play like you practice!

We seem to think that we can do whatever we want in our everyday life, then when the times comes that a “bigger” matter arises we will step up and deal with it.  We think we can give in to little temptations; but we would never cheat on our spouse. We think we can tell “little white lies”; but we will still tell the truth when it’s a more important issue.  We think we can live our everyday lives for Christ with mediocrity; but we would never deny Him even if our life depended on it.  We are fooling no one but ourselves. What you do in the small matters you will always reflect in the large matters.

It is important that we seek to model the life of Christ everyday if we truly want to follow Him. If we want to stand and make a difference on the battle field of life; then we must hone our skills, our integrity, and our selflessness daily.  We must be constant in prayer, in study, in good works, in fellowship, etc.  We must practice like we intend to play, if we are to be successful.   

Take time today to think about the little things in your life.  Are you cutting corners and sacrificing quality? Are you just pushing them to the side as unimportant?  Ask God to reveal the little things that you need to work on in your life. It will hurt and you will not like seeing your shortcomings revealed; but if we are to allow Christ to do great things in and through us, then we must let Him start with the little things. The good news is once you are faithful in the little things; you will have no problem being faithful in the big ones.

Nothing left! - 2 Timothy 4:7

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

I learned a valuable lesson playing high school football: leave everything on the field.  Give everything you have to give with every play, and when the last buzzer sounds walk away with your head held high knowing you withheld nothing; you had nothing left to give. 

What if we treated life like the Friday night big game? What if we started following God with everything we have; holding nothing back?  Could we make a difference? Absolutely! If we will be obedient to God and fully surrender all to Him, He will use us in magnificent ways; He will rock our socks off and many will be added to the family of God! 

I hope to have many years left here on Earth; I may have few.  Either way I wish to some day imitate the words of Paul to his protégé Timothy in 2 Tim. 4:7.  I want to fight the good fight, finish the race, keep the faith; I want to hold nothing back and leave everything on the field of life.  I want to have nothing left as I take my last breath. 

Holy Lord, use all of me for I am Yours.  Let every piece of my being, my person, be used for your glory.  Let my light shine so that men would see Your goodness, Your grace, and Your love through me.  Take my life and use it up; I beg You that on my death bed that You would use the last drop of my earthly life up completely for Your glory.  I wish to leave this world having nothing left!  Your great will, above mine, be done. In the name of Your Son, my savior I beseech You, Amen.     

Heal our land! – 2 Chronicles 7:14

I must admit I am guilty of limiting God’s power. I have taken a look many times at the shape of our world and thought it is only going to get worse; Jesus will surely be returning soon. Therefore I have given up hope of great nationwide revivals and true awakening.  I have been foolishly wrong and I fear many have made a similar error. 

Some members of the early church accepted the belief that Jesus was coming back any day.  Because of this belief some decided they just would stop working; after all what is it going to matter if Christ will return soon.  Paul dealt with this issue with wisdom, he told them if they didn’t work, they didn’t eat (2 Thes. 3:10). It is a good thing Paul got them straightened out; we are still waiting on Jesus.

Now, Christ may return any day, or He may delay His coming for another two thousand years; I certainly do not know (Matt. 24:36).  What I do know is that God still moves, He is the same yesterday, today and forever (Heb. 13:8). Maybe our land has not been healed and revival has not erupted, because we have became apathetic and stopped asking for it, stopped believing it can happen, and stopped expecting it to happen. Maybe we don’t see God’s mighty power because we have stopped humbly, fervently praying to and seeking God.

I believe that we as a whole need to have a change of heart and practice a little 2 Chronicles 7:14; I know I do.

If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7:14

Do you want God to heal your land? Do you want revivals that will change the very nations? Then what are we waiting on?  Oh you say it won’t happen.  My God can! He gave us faith so that we could move mountains!  Do you think that God does not do miracles anymore? When did He get out of that business?   He doesn’t work that way? Maybe you should let Him know that; He has never, and will never change.  He can heal our lands; maybe He is just waiting on us!

Can you stop a bird from singing? – Luke 19:39-40

And some of the Pharisees called to Him from the crowd, "Teacher, rebuke Your disciples."  But He answered and said to them, "I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out." Luke 19: 39-40 (NKJV)

Some people I know would have me not talk about Jesus Christ; not discuss “religions” matters when I am around them.  They like me as a person and like being around me; they just want me to drop all the Jesus jazz.  My answer to them is first, my relationship does not leave room for religion; secondly I cannot split my life in Christ from everything else.  Like meat that is marinated, Christ is engrained deeply in every aspect of my life, and we cannot be separated.  

They do not realize that Jesus has changed my life; more so He has given me new life! I was dead in my sins and He revived me. How then can I be silent?  How then can I hide what has been done in me?  I cannot. Furthermore, I will not have the lifeless, soulless rocks, crying out His praises; it is my privilege, my honor: He is my King!

I think Stephen Curtis Chapman was right on with his song “Live Out Loud”…

Live Out Loud

Imagine this
I get a phone call from Regis -
he says "Do you want to be a millionaire?"
They put me on a show and I win
with two lifelines to spare

Picture this
I act like nothing ever happened
and bury all the money in a coffee can
Well, I've been given more than Regis ever gave away
I was a dead man who was called to come out of my grave
I think it's time for makin' some noise

CHORUS:
Wake the neighbors
Get the word out
Come on, crank up the music, climb a mountain and shout
This is life we've been given, made to be lived out
So, la, la, la, la, live out loud

Think about this
Try to keep a bird from singing after
it's soared up in the sky
Give the sun a cloudless day and tell
it not to shine

Think about this
If we really have been given the gift
of life that will never end
And if we have been filled with living
hope, we're gonna overflow
And if God's love is burning in our
hearts, we're gonna glow
There's just no way to keep it in

CHORUS

So, la, la, la, la, live out loud
Live out loud
Everybody
La, la, la...la, la, la...la, la, la, live out loud
I wanna hear everybody
La, la, la...la, la, la...la, la, la, live out loud

Every corner of creation is a living declaration
Come join the song we were made to sing

CHORUS

“Declaration” Album by Stephen Curtis Chapman 

He Loves Us – Eph. 2:4-9

But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. Ephesians 2:4-9

He loves us! When we are unlovable, He loves us. When we are slimy and putrid, He loves us.  When we were lost, swallowed up by sin and darkness, He loved us.  He has given us more than mere salvation; He has adopted us, we are family.  He has and will continue to bestow all the rights, perks and joys of the kingdom upon us. We are His; He feels our pain, feels our loneliness. His hand is on us when we are down and depressed, when we are lost in hopelessness, when we are overcome. He loves us, and oh how great is His love!

I found a few days ago an old notebook a friend bought me to jot down my thoughts in.  I found a rigid poem which I had scribbled down years back. I hope you will find encouragement therin.

Note from God

Dear Child,

I know the plans I have for you.

I know your valleys, your mountains too.

I know when it’s hard, and I know when there’s pain.

I see you when you’re standing out in the rain.

I hear your cries, and I know your voice.

When you sing praises, I do rejoice.

I know how you feel, when the road seems so long.

Remember I once sang a familiar song.

So hold on to me, and trust what I say.

Seek me and find me everyday.

Open the doors you have locked deep inside.

I know where you are, don’t try to hide.

I know that it’s strong, and I know what is true.

Don’t ever forget, my child I love you.

Hold close to me, it will always betide,

The peace that I give you deep down inside.

Love,

Jesus

Are you missing a relationship with Jesus Christ? He wants you to know He loves you. There is no better day to start your relationship with Him than today; you have no promise of tomorrow and without Him no hope of eternal life.  Get to know Jesus; you will be glad you did!

Shackles and Chains – Hebrews 12:1

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily hinders our progress. And let us run with endurance the race that God has set before us. Heb. 12:1

I am reminded of the “Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens; Jacob Marley visited Scrooge, weighed down with shackles, chains and all sorts of weights.  He was heavily burdened by the things he had done in life. He warned Scrooge that Scrooge’s chains were much larger than those that he carried.

Much like Marley we have constructed many shackles and chains through our sins. The debt we have made is great and we are unable to pay.  However, we as Christians know that we have a savior who has paid for our sins, and offers us a great salvation: an eternal annulling of our sin, guilt and shame. 

So if we have accepted this great salvation that is found in Jesus Christ, if God has forgiven us and cleansed us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9), then why is it we continue to burden our selves with the weight of the sin? The sin no longer belongs to us. Jesus paid for your sins, guilt, shame, etc. when he took the punishment for them on the cross.  If someone pays for something, who does it belong to?  Oh yes, the purchaser.  So you do not rightfully own the weight you are carrying, so cast it upon Jesus (1 Peter 5:7); He has already paid the price for it.

I ask that today you would dig deep and identify whatever weight it is that is burdening you and holding you back.  Maybe there are few, maybe there are many.  Once you have identified them, write them down and get them out in the open. You do not have to share with anyone if you do not want, but it may help.  Then take that paper or scribble and bow down in prayer before God.  Give all those burdens to God; ask Him to help you let them all go.  He does not want you to carry them any longer; He saved you to liberty in Him!  Stop trying to pay for the sins that no longer belong to you. 

If I could omit a verse- Matthew 7:14

If there is one verse in the Bible that bothers me to the depths of my heart it is Matthew 7:14. It is a sad verse and a hard verse; nevertheless they are the faithful and true words of Jesus.

Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it. Matt. 7:14 (NKJV)

Few, what an agonizing word to find in the scripture; few of the countless men who have and will walk the Earth will have eternal peace with God. It pricks my soul even now as I write. If I could just omit this verse; if I could only erase the truth behind it, that many men were not dying and going to an everlasting Hell.  I cannot.

I started thinking, why is this verse true?  We know that Christ paid the price for the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:2).  We know that He is not willing that men go to Hell (2 Peter 3:9).  So why are there few that find the way?  Why are the multitudes of people choosing damnation and Hell over salvation and Heaven?  I can think of only two reasons: 1. Men love to sin and regardless of the eternal consequences, choose to live with the temporary destructive pleasures therein (John 3:19); and 2. Men are not being reached with the power of the Gospel of our Savior Jesus Christ.

We cannot save; nor will God force man to be saved.  Man’s eternal situation is based on his own freewill.  However, we can take every opportunity to share with the lost the love that is in Jesus Christ.  We can live our lives joyfully and abundantly so that men see God in us.  We can go with them two when they ask us to go a mile (Matt. 5:41).  We can pray, we can preach, we can teach, we can be the light of the world! Then men will be changed.

Could it be that few find it because we are not faithful to our role as Christians? Are we sounding the alarm? Are we watering down the Gospel and hiding the reality of Hell?  Are we just satisfied that we are saved?  Matthew 7:14 says that few will find it; it does not however say that few of your friends, family, co-workers will find it! In the big picture of men on earth: few will come to a saving relationship with Jesus Christ. I hate that, but I cannot change the fact. 

I can however do everything in my power to share Jesus and His great gift with those around me; maybe then many of them will find it!

Will you?

Learn to Laugh – Psalm 126:2

Then our mouth was filled with laughter, And our tongue with singing. Then they said among the nations, "The Lord has done great things for them." Psalm 126:2 (NKJV)

My daughter loves to laugh; to the point where sometimes she seems to burst out in spontaneous laughter.  Sometimes she will run through the house, fall down, and then look at me and laugh, “boom!” She manages to find the simplest little things humorous and she cackles. Yes she is two, but we could all learn a valuable lesson from her.

We should learn to laugh often. Laughter reduces stress levels and helps us be happier individuals.  We need to learn to laugh at ourselves when we do silly things or make mistakes.  We need to learn to laugh at tough situations and downsize them from critical to inconvenient.  Laughter is a wonderful medicine. Laughter is a gift from God. 

A heart at peace with God should laugh and be joyful.  He has overcome the world, He has saved us; our burdens and daily strife is little compared to the majesty of our God and the glories that He has in store fore us. So laugh! Laugh in the face of adversity, laugh when everything is going rough, laugh when all is going well, just laugh.  True laughter makes the heart light and allows joy to flow in. Laughter is exhilarating and refreshing and it is tons of fun. 

You know God wants you to laugh! He loves you, and after all He did invent laughing. So take time to laugh on a regular basis; you know I bet Jesus did!

If you don’t have a relationship with Jesus, it is no laughing matter; Hell is a horrible reality.  Stop being miserable, God loves you! Fill that gap in your life today; confess your sins and accept Jesus’ invitation for a true relationship with Him.  Come and find out what true joy and laughter is all about!

Sing to the Lord- 1 Chronicles 16:9

Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him; Talk of all His wondrous works! 1 Chronicles 16:9

I love to hear my daughter sing. There is just something about hearing her sweet voice and seeing her eyes beam when she sings a fun little song. I could listen to her sing all day, but it is super special to me when she is singing a song specifically to me; it just makes my heart smile.

God is deserving of our praise and adoration; He is truly great and worthy.  He enjoys when we, His children, spend time with Him.  I am sure that He smiles when we sing His praises.  How much more precious is it when we sing His praises directly to Him?

Will you lift up your voice and sing to the Lord today? You do not have to be a great singer.  You do not even have to do it in front of anyone else. Just lift up your voice and sing praises to your father. He loves you.

Be an Example- 1 Corinthians 11:1

Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ. 1 Cor. 11:1

I have often thought, how can I reach people for Jesus Christ? How can I show people who He really is? How can I make them understand the truth and love found only in Him?  I have come up with many techniques, and thought of many ways to reach out to people for Christ, but it all comes down to this: I must be an example of Christ.

I was blessed to grow up in a Christian home. My parents lived out their faith in Jesus everyday; they were not Sunday Christians, or even Sunday, Wednesday Christians.  They were seven days a week 24 hours a day Christians. Sure they stumbled, made bad choices, dealt with sin and temptation; but it was always clear: they followed Christ.

There is no greater witness to the world of Christ, then His work in our lives.  He still moves, He still heals, and He still changes the stony hearts of men! How do we know? He has done it in us; He has given us a new life, a new breath, a new purpose, a new hope. It is our privilege to live for Him, to emanate that we have been born again, forever changed by Jesus Christ and to share with the world that they too can be changed.

How do I know that Jesus is real?  Well I can take you through in depth discussion; I can show you why I trust the Bible to be true and why I believe Jesus is God based on scripture and history.  We can sit down and talk for hours of proofs and calculated faith.  We can dive into manuscripts, eyewitness testimony, psychological interpretation of the actions of the apostles pre and post Christ’s resurrection, etc.  All these things are good, even important; but I can tell you I know Jesus is real because He lives in me.  He has changed me.  I am reminded of the chorus of an old hymn:

He lives, He lives, Christ Jesus lives today!
He walks with me and He talks with me

Along life's narrow way.
He lives, He lives, salvation to impart!
You ask me how I know He lives:
He lives within my heart.

“He Lives” 1933 by Alfred Henry Ackley (1887-1960)

Pre-Cross Followers- Romans 4:1-3

I have been asked many times how did the people before Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection get to Heaven. We know that Christ’s paid for the sins of everyone when He took the cross; so how did the people before the crucifixion encounter salvation?  Was it a salvation justified by works?  Let us see what the scripture has to say.

What then shall we say that Abraham our father has found according to the flesh?  For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God.  For what does the Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness." Rom. 4:1-3 (NKJV)

Abraham was justified by faith; not by his works.  He could not sacrifice enough animals, or be good enough to atone for his sins. Only by Christ is salvation brought to the world; only through Christ was Abraham saved!  The same thing that saves sinners today saved sinners before Jesus went to the cross: a living faith in the one true God and His sacrifice on the cross of Calvary.

So if salvation was brought by Jesus through the cross, then how did the atonement reach those before?  Well what is a post-dated check?  A post-dated check is a guarantee from the writer that on the date written, the payment stated on the check will be able to be withdrawn; the funds have not been deposited as of yet, but they will be there. Now with man a post-dated check is a dangerous thing, so many things can happen and the check may bounce. However, with God there is no variableness; a guarantee from God is sure.

Those before the cross received a post-dated check for salvation, paid for by the death of Jesus on the Cross. 

The same salvation that has saved for ages continues to save today, spread the word: He loves everybody and offers the same salvation to all!

Silver – Psalm 66:10

I remember reading a story of two older ladies who went on a mission trip to Mexico. As they were walking through the street they happened on a man who was refining silver in an oven. They watched as he put the silver in and then would open the oven and look at the silver from time to time.  Curious of the process one lady asked the man how he knew when the silver was ready to come out of the fire.  His reply was simply: when I can see my reflection in it.

For You, O God, have tested us; You have refined us as silver is refined. Psalm 66:10

As Christians we are being refined as silver by our Heavenly Father. He loves us; therefore we are put in the fire of trials and temptations that we may be ever molded to His image.  The fire hurts as our imperfections are being slowly melted away and we are being reshaped. Just remember it is facings this fire that makes us strong in the Lord and in His power. 

Remember as you face daily trials: God is using them to transform you into the image of perfection, the image of Christ Jesus.

Get Excited – Matthew 19:14

But Jesus said, "Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven." Matt. 19:14 (NKJV)

Take it from a father of two, little children are very easily excited.  A small gift, a discovery of a piece of lint, a hug, etc, it does not take much at all to get their eyes beaming and their arms waving.  As a dad there is nothing like seeing my kids happy and excited; it warms my heart and makes me smile.

Many times as Christians we tend to seem unhappy and burdened with the cares of the world.  Maybe things are not going our way, maybe the road is tough, and we just do not know how things are going to work out.  I have went to church with and ran into many Christians who talk about the joy of Jesus, but seem to have lost it somewhere along the way; they need to rekindle the fire inside and become excited about life, and life eternal in Christ!

If anyone has a reason to be excited it is Christians; we serve God who loves us, died to pay for our sins, redeems us, and promises us an unspeakably joyful, never ending paradise with Him!  We are saved from our sins; we are cleansed from our unrighteousness.  Isn’t it about time we started acting like it?  Not because we “have” to, but because we can!  For goodness sake, we are joint heirs to the kingdom of Heaven!  It really does not get any better then this!

Do we have problems, trials, fears, failures, heartbreaks? Oh yes, but I am reminded of the words of the Apostle Paul in Romans chapter 8.

For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, "Abba, Father." The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs--heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

Romans 8: 14-18 (NKJV)

If that is not reason to be excited, nothing is!  Get into the word, talk to God in prayer, fellowship, witness, and by all means GET EXCITED about your relationship with Jesus! Don’t know how? Spend some time with a little child, they are pros!

Are you reading this and you don’t have a relationship with Jesus?  Let me give you reason to be excited: YOU CAN!  He wants you to share in our joy!  Jesus loves You! Want to know more, you are in luck; the answers are in the Bible. You can also feel free to talk to someone you know who has a relationship with Jesus. You can email me at bradcolemanphotography@gmail.com!

Let’s all get excited!!! 

Go Naked – Matthew 19:14

But Jesus said, "Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven." Matt. 19:14 (NKJV)

If there is one thing that little kids like to do, it is go naked.  I’m convinced if we would let them my kids would never wear cloths.  They are comfortable with who they are and they do not care who knows it.  They are completely genuine.

Now I am not suggesting that we strip off our clothes and run around naked; we need to keep our cloths on. I am suggesting that we throw off all of the layers of deception and pseudo-personalities.  We are not doing anyone any favors when we try and hide our sins, or even who we really are; we need to be authentic with one another and before God.

We do not fool God when we live a fake life, He sees our heart.  We may fool others for a while, but ultimately the only one we are fooling is our self. We become so burdened by our fabricated life that we stop truly living.  We forget that if we are in Christ we are a new creation; we have no need for deceptive living.

Be like little children and go spiritually naked before God. You will find it a great relief!

Love to Learn – Matthew 19:14

But Jesus said, "Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven." Matt. 19:14 (NKJV)

Earlier my daughter was looking at a yellow cartoon dog in a book; she pointed at the dog and said that it was purple.  When we told her that it was yellow she replied, “Yellow, not purple.” She was so eager to learn the correct color that it did not even faze her when she was corrected; as a matter of fact it seemed to excite her, she now knew that the dog was indeed yellow, not purple!

Children are like sponges; they take in everything and they are so eager to learn.  They rejoice in learning something new and are ready to be directed to the truth when their way of thinking is wrong.  Everyday brings new joys through new experiences.  A happy, healthy child is not stagnant, but always ready for a new adventure.

As Christians some of us need to shake off our pride and stagnation; we need to become like children, eager to learn and grow deeper in our relationship with God. We need to graciously accept correction, not as if God is trying to hurt us but knowing that He wants us to grow by learning the truth.

How much joy does it bring God when we learn a deep truth about Him and His character and our eyes light up with joy?  God wants us to know Him in a deeper more intimate relationship!  He also wants us to continue to learn about the world He created for us to enjoy. Truly what a great God He is who has given us a vast universe to explore and an inquisitive and intelligent mind to enjoy it with.

Seek to learn something new today. As you read the scriptures ponder on God’s character; and seek to learn how to follow His perfect example. Then take time to stop and admire a piece of His creation, its natural beauty, its wonderful craftsmanship, its resonating reflection of God’s handiwork!

Keep it Simple – Matthew 19:14

But Jesus said, "Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven." Matt. 19:14 (NKJV)

Anyone who knows me well, knows that I over complicate everything; I over analyze, over think, and over burden myself.  I could learn a lot from my children, they keep things simple.  They do not worry about what others think of their cloths, what people will think if they eat another cookie, how their hair looks, or if anyone will criticize when they sing “Jesus Loves Me” for everyone to hear in public.  Life for a child is simple: they trust mommy and daddy to provide all their needs. Reminds me of Matthew 6:31-33 (NKJV):

31Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?'32For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.33But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

Children do not concern themselves with worry, doubt and anxieties; for them there is no need. They know everything  is already taken care of for them.  Children know only how to be children; they have not been weighted down with the world.  We as Christians should seek to relearn this lesson in simplicity. If we would just listen to the words of scripture, and seek to lay off every burden, giving it up to Christ (1 Peter 5:7); we could live fuller, more joyful lives.  Further more if we would show ourselves as the children of God, acting as such, we would be more pleasant to be around and more apt to freely share the gospel with those who need it most: the lost.

Lay off the weights that you have picked up along the way of life; you are not meant to carry them.  Run and rejoice freely in Jesus Christ! When times get hard, when life gets scary, when the road is tough, and you do not know where to go or how to make it, do what the children do: run to your Father! He will provide you with all you need.