PRIORITIES



Matthew 6:33



“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”



In my non-pastor hours of the day I keep an eye on politics. Why I torture myself in this way, I don’t know. What I do know is that what I seem to observe is a great deal of disingenuous speech. While I’m sure there are politicians who are genuine and true, most of them seem – well – like someone I should be leery of buying a used car from. However, lest I am unduly harsh to politicians, I will state that we have an epidemic of unrighteousness in the land.



There are times when I want to scream: “will SOMEONE out there tell me the truth!”



Ah, but before I cast aspersions too far and wide, I need to remember what the Scriptures say: “There are none that are righteous – no not one!”



Truth is: we all fall short, don’t we? When will we lea... more

SPEAKING FROM THE ABUNDANCE OF THE HEART!



Romans 10: 9&10



“If you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.”



“He’s all talk and no action”. Such is the claim about someone who’s a big talker, but who doesn’t have the spine or conviction to follow through on their boastful talk.



Some Christians have the same problem: they talk about believing in God, but then the actions of their life-style say something very different. Christians, of course, aren’t perfect. No, sadly, we’re all far from perfect. However, in truth, the overall tenor of our life should demonstrate that we have faith in Christ, for His presence in us by faith will bring about the character of Christ in us, which in turn will positively affe... more

SO YOU’D LIKE TO BE BLESSED??!



Psalm 1: 1-3



“Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper.”



Don’t misunderstand – this passage is not promising you untold wealth and riches if you do all that it says. No, it doesn’t say you will be the next Bill Gates. However, what it does say is that if the focus of our heart is God, which in turn guides us to stay out of the “counsel of the ungodly”, then blessings from God’s throne of grace shall flow your way! This is a good thing! It is a good thing to have God’s promise to bless you “like a tree planted by a river.”



Now the... more

EVEN IN THE SMALL THINGS…



3 John 2



“Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along as well.”



Sometimes we fall into an unhealthy manner of thinking: we think that God doesn’t really care about the small details of life. No! No! Not true! Tell that to the little child who has just prayed for their puppy to not be sick. God DOES care.



In the verse above the Apostle John (the same writer of the Gospel of John and the Book of Revelation), prays for good health, and that “all may go well” with his reader. You know, the phrase “that all may go well”, covers a lot of ground, does it not? Indeed it does.



Friends, don’t be ashamed or too proud to pray to God about the smallest of things! Jesus said that “not even a sparrow falls to the ground without our heavenly Father’s awareness”. And then He said, “And are not ... more

BRINGING A SMILE TO THE FACE OF GOD!



1 Corinthians 12: 7



“Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.”



I’ve shared before that by nature; I’m very much a loner. And yes, that still surprises people. But the truth of the matter is, God designed us to need each other. So even though I’m a loner, God doesn’t want me to go it alone.



For those who are blessed to have a loving and supportive spouse, he/she is God’s first and best gift; sent by God to benefit and aide you. It is said that a good spouse is intended by God to “complete you.” I believe this to be true. Eve completed Adam and Adam completed Eve.



Beyond our spouses however, God has given us an expanded network of those who can be His hands and feet and voice. This network surely includes friends. It also includes your family of faith.



In this 12th chapter of 1st Corint... more

I DO IT MY OWN SELF!



Luke 11: 13



“If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask.”



Sometimes we human beings can be so darn stubborn we just end up looking foolish. I’ve done that more times that I’d like to recall. Perhaps you have as well. There’s something that needs to be done, and you just know you can do it. Besides, you tell yourself, you can do it ‘better’ than others anyway. And so off you go to do this thing. Then in the midst of it, you discover you could really use some help. But for some unidentifiable reason, you refuse to ask for help. You continue to struggle. You discover you need three hands to really do this thing. But do you call for help? No! You’ve convinced yourself that you can do it yourself! In the end you become frustrated, exhausted, irritable, etc.



And this... more

GOD ON THE MOVE!



Acts 3: 6-8



“Then Peter said, ‘Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.’ Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong. He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God.”



God was on the move! The incident written of above happened during the early years following the Ascension of Jesus back into heaven. Faith was great and vibrant in those days.



Peter and John were headed to the temple for the time of prayer (about 3pm), and were greeted by a beggar seeking some money. What you read above was Peter’s response. Through the leading of the Spirit of God, Peter understood that God was reading and willing to perform this miracle.



Would we be willing to step out in faith li... more

KNOWING WHAT WE KNOW!



2 Peter 3: 18



“But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be glory both now and forever! Amen.



It’s a good thing to know what you know. If you stopped to think about it, you’d likely discover that there may be quite a few things that you think you know – but really don’t. For example, do you really know how a car works? Do you really know how a radio works? And how can I sit next to someone in a car call them on their cell phone, have them answer, and talk to them with only about a ½ second delay - - and in the ½ second my voice somehow goes into the speaker in my phone, the phone then transmits my voice to a cell tower, which in turns sends it to another tower, which sends it to a satellite, and then sends it back down to earth, and finds my friends phone? How is that possible? And even if I don’t have all the links described exactly accurate – answer me this:... more

ARMED WITH TRUTH!



2 Peter 3: 17



“Therefore, dear friends, since you already know this, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of lawless men and fall from your secure position.”



“Fore warned is fore armed.” That particular cliché is well know, often cited, and remains very good advice.



We hate being blind-sided by things don’t we? Hence, we usually feel that if we know what’s coming we can prepare. Peter begins by saying “since you already know this…” What is it that they already know? They know that there are those who twist and misrepresent the truth.



To twist the truth is both pernicious and detestable, and under some circumstances results in the most disastrous of outcomes. I’m quite sure every one who reads these words can recall instances where lies have been told about you that have not only caused you personal injury, but also derailed some very p... more

WE HIT THE JACKPOT!



2 Peter 3: 3



“First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires.”



BINGO! We hit the ‘jackpot’ on that one!



Scoffers?! We’ve no shortage of them! We live in a day and age where we’re not supposed to say anything disagreeable or disparaging about anyone or anything…unless it’s Christianity, and especially, Jesus! Doesn’t it amaze you how even the most ‘politically correct’ people have such freedom to mock and deride Christians and their faith? Yes, ‘tis amazing.



I guess we shouldn’t be surprised, though, after all, in this verse Peter warned us that such days would come. Nor should it come as a surprise that people feel ever so free to follow after their own desires – even creating gods of their own likeness.



Friends, these days in which we live, are not easy for Christians... more