Which Road Will You Choose

Jesus spoke of a choice man has to make in Matthew 7:13-14. He said, “Enter in by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few that find it.” It is plain. There are two roads in life we can take. One leads to destruction, the other to life.

Using your imagination, picture yourselves in your car at an intersection of two roads. One road is well-paved in smooth black asphalt. It would be easy to navigate. It's relatively straight with few hills to climb and has several lanes for driving. The other road is a two-lane road with potholes, no shoulders, curvy and very hilly. Your ability to see at a distance is limited but it doesn't look like something you want to tackle. Which road would you choose? We know most people are going to take the first road I listed because of the ease of navigation. Why would one willingly go down the second road with all of its difficulties and pitfalls? In reality, we face the same two choices in the spiritual roadway of life. It is easy to engage in the things of this world by following along with the crowd and going down the “easy road.” We will meet little or no resistance if we go along with what everyone else is doing, right? Not only that but if everyone else is doing it, it can't be wrong, right? Choosing this road you can set the cruise control, lean back, crank up the air conditioner, tune the stereo onto your favorite radio station, and sail along with nothing running through your mind to disturb you or get in your way. There is no such thing as “peer pressure” on this road, because whatever carnal activities society dictates, the individual who takes this road will likely engage in them as well (1 Corinthians 3:3-4).


The other choice in the spiritual roadway, however, is not as easy. It is a difficult road (or way.) It is the “way of righteousness” and following the teaching of God’s Word which people often cringe at (Proverbs 12:28; Psalm 1:1-2). There is no compromising on this road. It is indeed “the road less traveled,” and there are “few who find it” according to Matthew 7:14. For the most part, people do not wish to be different from the rest of the world. People want to fit in. It’s a difficult thing to “go against the grain” and be one of those “peculiar” people who try to live a life pleasing to God (1 Peter 2:9 KJV). Millions of people interpret the straight, narrow road as a restrictive, boring, and prudish way to travel through life. When one chooses to take the road less traveled, those of the world think the people who choose the road less traveled to be “strange” because of the stand it requires (1 Peter 4:4). The disciplined life of those traveling the more difficult narrow road seems foolish to those on the broad roadway: 1 Corinthians 1:18 "For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness, but unto us which are saved it is the power of God." To the worldly folks on the broad easy road, everything regarding the Bible is ridiculous, foolish, idiotic and unreasonable. But for the Christians on the more difficult path that have given their lives to doing the will of God- even though their road can be difficult at times- have a sense of inner peace and assurance that the other easy road could never give them.

Mind you, these two roads also have crossovers. There is tremendous pressure on those believers who take the difficult road/way to then leave and cross over to the easier, broad roadway where millions red traveling. The road less traveled can become too difficult for them, or perhaps like Demas, they “love this present world” (2 Timothy 4:10) and so they take a detour to the easier road. They fall away. Why would they do that? Because they see that it is much easier to blend in with the flow of traffic on the easier road and choose to take it. But it works the other way sometimes too! A person can go from the easy road to the difficult road by obedience to God’s will and committing to live a life faithful to Him (Matthew 7:21; Revelation 2:10). Many have done it. I did!
The most important thing is we must consider the end of these two roads. The less-traveled road, though it is unpopular in this life leads to the right destination – eternal life in heaven (Matthew 7:14). Whereas the well-traveled road where everyone is heading leads to a dead-end – a destination of destruction according to Matthew 7:13. Which road will you choose? The “easy” wide road, or the more difficult narrow road?
Until next time,
-Pat

You Are The Hunted

I viewed several videos on YouTube this past week in an effort to learn more about hawks, specifically, the "COOPERS HAWK." These particular hawks frequent my neighborhood park looking for "lunch" and in the process wreak havoc on the green heron whom I love to photograph. As I was scrolling through different videos, one video led to another, then another, until I found myself learning about trained falcons. There used to be an ancient sport of falconry where trained hawks or falcons were used in the pursuit of wild game. When the “educated predator” was allowed to fly, it often rose too high for human eyes to see. So a hunter would carry a small caged bird called a shrike. By watching the antics of the little bird, the man could always tell where his hawk was, for the shrike instinctively feared the predator and cocked its head to keep it in view.

I was thinking that as Christians we desperately need an alert perception similar to that of the shrike to detect our spiritual enemy whom we cannot see; Satan. Our adversary, “walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8). YOU are the hunted. According to the apostle Paul, we are to be sober-minded and vigilant (1 Corinthians 15:34; 1 Peter 4:7) because we are the hunted. In other words, we are to always be on the alert at all times. Jesus also used the word, "watch." There is a wide range of implications of that word and our survival and salvation could depend on that understanding and action. When the New Testament commands us to “watch,” it is usually the translation of one of two Greek words I found in my concordance, gregoreuo and agrupneo, which have similar meanings—to “stay awake” and to “be sleepless.” They are usually meant in the metaphorical and spiritual sense—to be vigilant and on guard, fully awake, aware, alert and intently focused—again, with several applications and implications. In Matthew 26: 37-40 the meaning of “watch” is primarily physical. Jesus was reprimanding the disciples for not remaining awake during the hour preceding His arrest. But what Jesus said to Peter next had a deeper, spiritual meaning: “Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing (intentions are good) but the flesh (mere human willpower) is weak" (Matthew 26:41). Simply, without "watching" and remaining "alert" Satan's schemes will cause you to give in to all sorts of temptations.


It is "spiritual watching" along with prayer that gives us the strength to survive temptations and not to give in to sin. “Awake to righteousness, and do not sin” states 1 Corinthians 15:34. Being awake is equated with righteousness and not sinning. Paul was writing to the church at Corinth, which shows that even true Christians can be spiritually asleep to varying degrees and today, many are. This is why I address my blogs mostly to Christians. Paul also wrote: “And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed” (Romans 13:11). In other words, the closer we draw to the second coming of Christ, the more urgent it is that we awake out of spiritual sleep! We have entered the fearful end-time years that are the grand climax of human civilization. If ever there was a time to pay attention and get prepared, it is now! Furthermore, none of us knows when he or she will die as I wrote in my previous blog. Being spiritually prepared for the end of life should be our top priority. God gave us marvelous minds to use —to study, learn, observe, analyze, judge and think. Many people are mentally lazy—wasting a tragic amount of time on the trivial and temporal, mundane and materialistic. Many squander countless hours vegetating in front of their TV or computer seeking only to be entertained. Committed readers are becoming rare. You see, God wants His people to zealously read and study, to think and meditate. He wants us to be well-informed regarding the major geopolitical, cultural and spiritual issues and events of our time. God deplores ignorance, indifference and being “dull of hearing” (Hebrews 5:11).


This is where the Bible is so essential. It provides an essential framework for a godly world view. The Bible is God’s divine revelation of absolute truth, which is just as relevant today as it ever was. Because of this, the Bible should be the prism, lens, and filter by which we can accurately perceive and judge all other information. It enables us to develop a godly world view—the framework and foundation by which we can accurately interpret all that is going on in the world including Satan's schemes. We can then understand our confusing world scene with amazing clarity, sense, and logic! God reveals His plan when we are interested in and dedicate ourselves to knowing Him. We are not only waiting and watching for the Lord's return, but we are also alert and wise to Satan who wants nothing more than to devour our souls before the return of Christ. Make no mistake, Satan is powerful, vicious, and deceptive. How can we win our battle against such a daunting enemy? God has not left us defenseless. His Word educates us about Satan’s methods, and “we are not ignorant of his designs” (2 Corinthians 2:11). When we understand Satan’s tactics, we are better able to keep our senses and remain watchful.


Wouldn't it be nice if God had a personal shrike for each of us to warn us of an attack by Satan? But He doesn’t operate that way. Instead, we must “examine” the Bible daily (Acts 17:11), meditate on its truths (Psalm 1:2), and maintain a prayerful attitude throughout the day (1 Thessalonians 5:17). Does that seem too much to ask? Are you not interested? Are you too lazy to pick up your Bible? Only when we commit to these things will we be sensitive to an imminent assault by the devil and be armed by grace to meet it (Ephesians 6:10-18). As I close, keep in mind that Satan roams through the earth, "going to and fro in the earth and walking up and down in it" (Job 1:7). So the Bible testifies Satan is real (2 Thessalonians 2:9-10; Revelation 12:9), he is a predator (John 10:10), and his target is you (1 Peter 5:8). Your only weapon against him is the Sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God (Ephesians 6:17).
Until next time,
-Pat-

Don't Put Off

I'm not your typical bill-payer. Anyone who knows me well can tell you no grass grows under my feet when it comes to paying bills. The very day any bill arrives I'm quickly filling out a check and mailing it before the day ends. And even though my mother was a frugal woman and a great example of a responsible steward when it came to money, she never instructed me to pay bills the moment they arrive. I don't know why I'm like that but I am. However, there are some people in the world who prefer to live in the state of "tomorrow." By that, I mean those who put off tomorrow what they should AND COULD have done today. I was thinking about this very thing when a scripture popped into my head that "tomorrow" is not promised (James 4:13-15). None of us know what tomorrow will bring. In fact, I've lost people in my life unexpectedly, young people who were too young to die. "Here today, gone tomorrow" as the saying goes.

People are procrastinators. It's just a fact. I remember one Christmas season when I stood in a long line at the post office. I was waiting for my turn to approach the counter as were about thirty-five other anxious patrons. The line was moving at a snail's pace. The post office employees seemed to be purposely going slow as if to aggravate us even further. Most everyone in the lobby was precariously balancing at least five packages in their arms and one lady had so many she brought hers in on one of those collapsible, trolley-type utility carts. People were becoming very impatient. As I looked around eyeing all the different wrapping paper and size of packages I remember thinking to myself, "Why do people wait to the last minute to mail packages? Couldn't they get here a week or two earlier? Sheesh!" Of course, there I was standing right alongside them guilty of the same infraction! Why is it that people unnecessarily wait until the last minute in order to get something accomplished? Let me suggest three reasons:

1) Poor (or no) planning on their part (read Matthew 25: 1-13).
2) Involved in doing too many insignificant things and forgetting the most important thing (take Martha, for instance - Luke 10: 38-42).
3) Some people just like that drama of rushing. They procrastinate to the very last minute as a means to spur them on to complete a project.
When it comes to spiritual matters you should never put off what you can do today but oh how people do. The Bible tells us "now" (today) is the acceptable time, behold, Now (today) is the day of salvation (2 Corinthians 6:2). Tomorrow may be too late. It has been too late for 3 people I knew. Do you recall the 1997 movie co-produced by James Cameron called TITANIC? I've literally seen it 13 times! The Titanic's captain did not believe the ship was sinking until the water was ankle-deep in the mailroom. At that point, he realized that the 'unsinkable ship' was sinking. Ships that could have helped rescue the people on board were not asked to help early enough and did not arrive in time! In the same way, many people gamble that they will get saved at the eleventh hour. What they do not realize is, it may come so fast they do not know it is the eleventh hour!

God has told the sinful world, in no uncertain terms, to repent (Mark 6:12; Luke 24:47; Acts 3:19; 17:30). To repent means to change your mind from embrace of sin and rejection of Christ to rejection of sin and embrace of Christ. “Today, if only you would hear his voice, Do not harden your hearts” (Psalm 95:7–8). Another problem with delaying repentance is that no one knows the day he will die. And after death comes judgment (Hebrews 9:27). The rich fool in Jesus’ parable (Luke 12:16–20) thought he had plenty of time to enjoy life, but God had news for him: “You fool, this night your soul will be required of you" (verse 20). We have today and we have the present moment but we should use it wisely. Another reason to not delay repentance is that every time we refuse to repent, we continue to sin and our hearts get harder (see Hebrews 3:7–8). Every time a person says “no” to what’s right, it becomes a little easier to say “no” the next time, too. Can anyone relate to that? There’s a gradual hardening of the heart as 1 Timothy 4:2 describes as "searing of the conscience" which can numb an unsaved person to the point of being past feeling. This is a dangerous spiritual condition to be in. Please do not put off what you can do today in this "acceptable time." There are people right now (metaphorically) 'standing ankle-deep in water' who will literally not be here tomorrow and who never took God's plea to repent seriously. Is that you? Please give your life, your heart, and your ways to the Lord Jesus Christ while it is still DAY. Hebrews 3:15 has the perfect message, "If you hear God's voice today, do not be stubborn, as your ancestors were when they rebelled against God."

Witnessing. What Is It?

We hear a lot today about "witnessing" for Christ. It was earlier last week that I submitted a blog and "witnessed" several miracles that have taken place in my life. Hearing about other peoples experiences is invigorating and inspiring no doubt. But what does the word witnessing really mean? More and more I hear people speaking about "witnessing" and less frequently do I hear about Christians speaking about teaching or sharing the GOSPEL of Jesus Christ. While the term "witness" is certainly biblical, and while many people speak of "witnessing" within a variety of denominations, perhaps we should wonder if the way the Bible uses the term and the way churches use the term actually coincide. I have to ask, are we wanting to hear more personal stories about miraculous healings that send goosebumps down our spines or the gospel itself?

As I look at all the different ways in which the word 'witness' is used in the scriptures, I've searched but cannot find a single solitary instance in which it is used in the same way that most religious people use the word today! The apostles were eyewitnesses of the resurrection and so was Paul according to Acts 1:22; 4:33; 22:15). The Holy Spirit was a witness to the Jews that the Gentiles were to receive the gospel message (Acts 15:8). God gave witness to the apostles and prophets through miraculous signs and wonders that what they said and taught was true (Hebrews 2:4). John wrote that the record God gave His Son, Jesus, is the witness that is IN US if we believe that record (1 John 5:9-10). However, we never read of an apostle, prophet, or inspired teacher within the New Testament telling Christians to go out and "witness" for Christ. Now before your eyebrows raise or you feel like getting defensive, hear me out. Though the New Testament doesn't tell Christians to go out and "witness" for Christ, it does tell us to "Preach the gospel" Preach yes. "Witness" no. Where does this concept come from?

Whenever I have heard or seen a church member stand up and "witness" it's always about the "great things" God has done for them in their life. Perhaps they speak about how God saved them from drugs, a pornography addiction, a financial crisis, an unlawful sexual relationship, or how God turned them around to show them the value in loving their spouse and children. The witnessing is always "how God personally helped me." The focus of these testimonies is about the individual's personal experience. There's nothing wrong in God helping and changing a life or telling someone that He has, but unfortunately it is from this type of "witnessing" that those who are listening are supposed to conclude that God will work some kind of personal experience for them as well and that they are supposed to come to believe in God BASED ON THIS "TESTIMONY." But that isn't correct. What I want you to notice is that the faith that is generated by personal "testimonies" does not come from GOD'S WORD, but from someone's personal, subjective experience. Why am I concerned enough to even mention this in a blog? Because there is a danger ... the Bible says, "FAITH comes BY HEARING and hearing by THE WORD OF GOD" Romans 10:17--- (emphasis mine) not by personal stories. No one seems to want to hear God's Word or even read it for that matter! I don't think those who stand up and give endless personal "testimonies" or "witness" for God are doing the lost any favors. They are not preaching the Word of God, they are preaching their own subjective, emotional experiences that draw people to the miracles and not to God's Word. They are causing people to believe something other than the Word of God, and that is NOT biblical faith because we have to HEAR the Word to obtain faith. We must be grounded in the Word, not in emotional highs.

Perhaps someone might say, “Well, the Holy Spirit is really the one who is witnessing.” No doubt, this is what many believe today who participate in this kind of thing. How is the Holy Spirit going to say that "faith comes by hearing the Word" at one point in time and then turn around and say that faith comes by doing something OTHER than hearing the Word at another point in time? The Holy Spirit is not the author of confusion according to 1 Corinthians 14:33. Either faith comes by hearing the word of God or it does not. So many Christians are getting caught up in this. Do they no longer believe that faith comes by hearing the word of God? Do they believe that their simple personal stories are more important than the story of the cross? Do they believe that God’s saving power lies within their own personal experience as opposed to the resurrection of the Son of God? As Christians, we must be careful that we don’t brag and glorify ourselves, which is what some people both purposely and unknowingly do (IE: I used to sell cocaine; I was the best there ever was at home invasions; I was a stud and slept with at least a dozen women every week, etc.) Instead of talking about Jesus they use their testimony as an opportunity to talk about themselves, which is no testimony at all. I’m pretty sure you have heard people even bragging about their past life before they accepted Christ as if it were cool. We need to examine our motives. Your "witnessing" should not be totally about personal life experiences! True witnessing is all about Jesus, The Word, and His glory so don’t make it about yourself. Share the gospel and build one another up because it can have a huge impact on someone’s life.

Barnes commentary explained it this way:
{People sought Jesus because they had seen His miracles and were convinced by them that He was the Messiah. But to follow Jesus then (or even today) simply because their wants were supplied was mere selfishness of a gross kind. Yet, many seek religion from no better motive than this. They suppose that it will add to their earthly happiness, or they seek only to escape from suffering or from the convictions of conscience, or they seek for heaven only as a place of enjoyment and regard religion as valuable only for this. All this is mere selfishness. Though religion does not forbid our regarding our own happiness, or seeking it in any proper way; yet when this is the only or the prevailing motive, it is evident that we have never yet sought God aright. We are aiming at the miracles, and not at the honor of God and the good of His kingdom; and if this is the only or the main motive of our entering the Church, we cannot be Christians}
Let’s believe what the Bible has to say about how faith comes and let us resolve to preach, teach, or share God’s word instead of exalting our own personal experience above the power of the gospel (Romans 1:16). Let's decide not to know anything save Jesus Christ and Him crucified (1 Corinthians 2:2). Let’s resolve to speak as the oracles of God (1 Peter 4:11). Let us witness the Word because God's Word is far more important than constant personal testimonies. You know you have matured spiritually when you do not ask what God can do for you, rather, what you can do for God.
Until next time,
-Pat-

Do You Believe In Miracles?

I wonder how many people reading this blog believe in miracles. Not just any miracle as: I got the job, we're finally pregnant, or he was found not guilty. No, I'm speaking specifically about the type of miracles humans have no power in making come about. The kind of miracles Jesus performed like:
1. Changing water into wine (John 2:1-11)
2. Healing the son of a Royal (John 4:46-54)
3. Healing a paralyzed man (John 5:1-15)
4. Feeding 5,000 people w/a few fish (John 6:5-14
5. Walking on water (John 6:16-24)
6. Healing a man- blind from birth (John 9:1-7)
7. Raising the dead to life (John 11: 1-45)
Who believes THOSE kinds of miracles take place today? Miracles that WE can perform. Jesus said, Verily, verily I tell you, whoever believes in Me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these because I am going to the Father. And whatever you ask in My name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son, you shall have" (John 14:12-14). Jesus Himself said this. It was His promise not only for the disciples in His day but it applies to us as well because He said, "WHOEVER believes in Me." In this blog, I want to talk about 2 types of miracles. The kinds mentioned above and the "greater things than these" Jesus said we could do. Now, you might be thinking, 'how in the world could we do miracles beyond those that Jesus did? There's no way we could do better than raising the dead or opening the eyes of the blind.' Well, I'm here to say yes you can! But before I begin, there is one important thing you must do for it to work. You must have faith. And faith is only developed when you read the Word of God, "Faith comes IN HEARING, and hearing by the Word of God" says Romans 10:17. Faith to believe God's Word is the very essence of receiving the promises that He said we can have! We must have both Faith and The Word for miracles to take place. Look at Hebrews 4:2, "For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them NOT BEING MIXED WITH FAITH in them that heard it" (emphasis mine). I can speak to you all I want about the Bible (the Word), but if you don't read it for yourself to see that it is true and thereby building your faith, it won't profit you a thing and you certainly won't have the faith to produce 'greater things.'

Personally, I have been a recipient of over a dozen miracles in my 40+ years of being a Christian. Here are 3 quick examples: After a prayer meeting one night and driving for about 20 minutes down a dark, unfamiliar, hilly road in southern Missouri, I glanced down at the gas gauge and realized I was driving on fumes. The indicator needle was passed the "E". I prompted other passengers in my car to begin praying using our faith to believe we could get home safely even though we were well over 20 miles away. It was an impossibility of course but we put our faith to work and reminded God of His promises to supply our needs and to never forsake us in a time of trouble. As we ended our prayer the gas gauge still rested below the E. I shouted to my passengers, "Let's sing and praise God." We did and within just a minute or so I saw my cars' gas tank needle go from reading empty to close to 1/4 of a tank! I even shouted to those riding with me that the needle was moving! Needless to say, we made it back home. Another miracle was the day I was visiting a mother who had 4 children. This woman was receiving welfare from the government along with a few staples. Scanning the kitchen I could see that the cupboards were empty and her government check wasn't due for another 4 days. On the kitchen table was a glass bottle that only had a half-cup of milk left in it, certainly not enough to fill four hungry children. I asked the mom and all the children to hold hands with me while I prayed for a miracle. After praying AND BELIEVING that God would feed these children, I asked one of them to bring 4 glasses. The glasses were set down on the table. I picked up the glass bottle and began pouring filling one glass, two glasses, three glasses, four! The milk kept flowing until all four children we satisfied. True story! I was a hero to the children that day but I knew who the real miracle worker was. I just exercised my faith and believed God would help in a seemingly impossible situation.
I returned later that evening and delivered enough groceries to last a week. And finally, just a few months ago I prayed for a lady with a kidney stone the doctors said was too large to pass naturally and that she would require lithotripsy. I'll make this short. I laid my hands over her kidneys believing all things are possible with God and quoted scriptures related to healing. By combining the Word of God with my faith I told her she was healed. The next x-ray could not detect a stone! However, the doctors scared her into believing that the stone had to be somewhere in her body, that it only must have shifted and it would be wise for her to proceed with the lithotripsy. I refused to believe it and stood firm on my faith. However, her faith wasn't as strong so she went in for the procedure a week later. After getting prepped and going through a partial procedure, the urologist told her he could not see nor find the stone. They told her "it must have dissolved on its own." No, JESUS DISSOLVED IT! She was released and cautioned if she had the slightest indication of pain or discomfort to return to the ER. Guess what? She never had to return. So those are my personal examples of miracles still bring performed by God today through prayer, faith, and the Word.

There is no doubt in my mind God still performs miracles today for people of faith and those "WHOEVER believes in Me.". Jesus made the lame to walk, the mute to speak, the blind to see, the leper to be cleansed, and the dead raised to life again. He also filled a gas tank, filled a bottle with milk, and healed a kidney stone. But what about the "greater things than these shall you do" mentioned in John 14:12 ?? What is the greatest thing that any believer could do? Physical miracles or saving a soul from hell? I believe it is to share the gospel with someone so that they might be saved. Naturally, God does the saving, but it is our responsibility to share the good news with lost people in the hopes that God grants them repentance (2 Tim 2:25). If God uses us to heal someone by praying for them, that’s great…all glory to God, but to have someone healed while still rejecting the gospel means they’ll only live a healthier life on their way to hell. What is greater than rescuing a person who would otherwise perish apart from Christ? Does healing sickness or disease equal eternal life in Christ? No way! That’s greater than any physical healing, isn’t it? Even self-proclaimed faith healers die…but Jesus said, “Whoever believes in me, though he dies, yet shall he live” (John 11:25). You can be healed by a miracle and still die in your sins, but when a person puts their trust in Christ, they can endure in this life, even if they’re never healed. They know that not even death can separate them from God (Rom 8:38-39). They also understand that God uses suffering for His glory and our best. We are refined by being passed through the flames, yet not tossed into the fire.

Finally, for those who are running around the world claiming to do greater works than Jesus, I would ask, “Do you really believe that you have exceeded what Jesus did here on earth?” If Jesus only meant that they would do greater miracles than Him, I think it does injustice to the context of His words. Jesus was commissioning them to make disciples of all people. The scope of Jesus’ earthly ministry was basically centered near Jerusalem, but the apostles would spread out far and wide, and leave behind the Word of God (in the gospels and letters). Bartholomew would go to Asia, Matthew to Ethiopia, and Thomas to India. All but John would die a martyr’s death. The gospels would go on to be published and spread worldwide, so they are actually still doing great things, and together, as they spread out, they reached further through the Internet than Jesus’ earthly ministry ever could being limited by space, time, and distance The apostles are still doing “greater things” by reaching all nations with the Word of God because much of the New Testament comes from the original apostle’s writings, but today we’re able to reach even greater audiences than they could because we have greater technology. I would rather have my blogs reach people around the world and draw them to Christ than to see the healing of kidney stones or a thousand glasses filled with milk. Saving souls is the greater miracle.
Until next time,
-Pat-

The Commandments No Longer Pertain To Me

The commandments no longer pertain to me because I am saved, I'm not under the law. REALLY?? Have you ever heard a fellow Christian say this? Sadly, I have. There are those in the religious world and even among misguided Christians who ridicule the idea of keeping God's commandments. They claim that keeping God’s commandments has nothing to do with their salvation. Are you of this same mindset? In other words, the thought process is that we're saved regardless if we continue to sin and disobey what The Word teaches? That, somehow as Christians we have been given a free pass to live any way we desire after being saved by God's grace? That isn't what Paul claimed in Romans 6:1. He stated, "Well then, should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of His wonderful grace?" We can slip from time to time as we learn and grow spiritually, but to say we don't have to obey God's law just because we are now saved by grace?? Jesus Himself said, "If you love me, keep my commandments." That's pretty clear!
If an outspoken Christian, including myself, objects and says that we are supposed to keep God’s commandments even though we are saved from sin, the charge of legalism is leveled against him or her. Is it true that keeping God’s commandments has nothing to do with salvation? Hmm? Are we legalists because we say that those who follow Christ must keep His commandments? I want to examine these questions in light of the New Testament scriptures.

Often, Jesus Himself is cited as one who criticized the Pharisees for being commandment keepers. However, such was not the case. We should note that Jesus never condemned anyone for keeping God’s commandments. Jesus, however, did condemn the Pharisees for placing their own commandments above God’s! This is an entirely different situation. Matthew 15:1-9 is one such instance. Jesus confronted the Pharisees in regard to transgressing God’s command to keep their own tradition (Matthew 15:3). He said that they had made God’s commandment of none effect by their tradition (15:6). Then He says that they, in fact, have taught for doctrine their own commandments, the commandments of men (Matthew 15:9). Keeping such commandments should not be placed into the same category as keeping God’s commandments. Are we guilty as well? Do we take God's commandments and make them into what we want them to mean and thereby make our own commandments and rules? Do we take God's command from the Bible to, "Love one another" and pervert it to mean a homosexual relationship is acceptable because God said we are to love one another? Believe it or not, I have heard this from people who use it to validate their sinful lifestyles. Have we not made our own LAWS pertaining to the acceptance of homosexuality? Yes, we have! People will take scriptures and twist them to fit their own beliefs and write their own "laws" to make those laws fit what they want. Yet, they will ignore scriptures from the same Bible that plainly point out how wrong they are. Where do these biblical words fall in light of today's diverse and ever-changing society : "And men, leaving the NATURAL use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly (improper, crass, shameful, ill-advised) and receiving in themselves that recompense (payment for) of their error which was meet" (appropriate, fitting, fair) NOW WATCH THIS: "And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate (degenerate) mind, to do those things which are not convenient" (fitting, suitable)- Romans 1:27-29. I think those biblical words nullify our newly written man-made laws regarding today's acceptable views of homosexuality. This is plain. People who know better, who were taught by parents or pastors, who have been to church and heard, who refuse - as Romans 1 says - "to retain God in their knowledge" claim those who keep the commandments and believe all Christians should, are labeled as too strict, too religious, too legalistic!

To equate the desire to keep God’s commandments with the desire to keep man’s commandments in place of God’s commandments is to pervert the words of Jesus and entirely miss the point. Jesus expected others to keep God’s commandments. Because the Pharisees had set aside God’s commandments, Jesus’ anger was kindled against them. In contrast to ridiculing commandment-keeping, Jesus Himself preached it! In John 14:15 Jesus said to the apostles, “If you love me, keep my commandments.” Loving Jesus is dependent upon keeping His commandments. To say that we love Jesus, yet fail to keep his commandments is hypocrisy at best and outright lying at worst! Jesus reiterates in John 15:10 “If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.” Note two things about this scripture. First, Jesus equates keeping commandments with abiding in His love. When you note John 14:15 (that you can’t love without keeping the commandments) along with John 15:10 (that you can’t keep the commandments without abiding in love), one gains a very firm conclusion: we can love Jesus if and only if we keep his commandments. But second, what is even more remarkable about John 15:10 is that Jesus himself is a commandment keeper! He abides in the love of the Father through keeping the Father’s commandments. Here is a one-two knockout for those who claim that commandment-keeping has nothing to do with salvation.


The apostle John explains further in his first epistle just exactly what the relationship between commandment-keeping and salvation is. In 1 John 2:3, 4 we read, “And hereby we do know that we know Him if we keep His commandments. He that says, I know Him and doesn't keep his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.” The simple conclusion is that one cannot come to know God without keeping the commandments. If you don’t know God, you can’t be saved (2 Thess. 1:8). The apostle John comments further in 1 John 5:2, 3 “By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments: and His commandments are not grievous.” We cannot even love God without keeping God’s commandments. In fact, John defines love for God in exactly these terms. He said, “This is the love of God.” Don't forget, love for God is the first and greatest commandment! Loving our neighbor is like this commandment, but ultimately comes second (Matthew 22:37-39). My relationship with God always takes precedence over my relationship with other people. This means that I must be concerned about keeping God’s commandments.


The bottom line is this. Those who ridicule commandment-keeping, ridicule Jesus himself, for He was a commandment keeper (John 15:10). Those who ridicule commandment keepers, ridicule the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit was only promised to those who kept Jesus commandments (John 14:15-17). And those who ridicule commandment keepers, ridicule God the Father because we can neither know Him or love Him without doing such (1 John 2:3; 5:2). Such has nothing to do with being a legalist; and has everything to do with our being saved. What would have been the purpose of Jesus dying for you, removing all sin, giving you new life just so you could purposely ignore God's commandments and return to your old ways of sin as a dog returns to its vomit or a sow to her wallowing in the mire? The bottom line is, Peter wrote that those who persist in continual sin embody the wisdom of Proverbs 26:11, "the fool returns to his folly just as a dog returns to eat his own vomit." Similarly, they are like a pig who can be scrubbed clean but soon returns to wallow in the muck & mire again. This is a particularly cutting analogy as pigs and dogs were two of the most despised and unclean animals in Jewish thinking. In other words, Peter was referring to people who were never truly changed in their nature. Dogs and pigs do what dogs and pigs do. Those truly in Christ don't return to a former sinful life, habit, or vice. Through faith and by God's power, true believers are changed in their very nature, becoming more and more like Jesus over time through the power of God at work in them. This does not mean perfection, but it does mean a changed life and a desire to adhere to God's law. Those who show evidence that they were never changed, it stands to reason, are still exactly what they used to be. Jesus could not have said it more simply, "If you love me, KEEP MY COMMANDMENTS."
Until next time,
-Pat-

Life Isn't Fair Is It?

Have you ever done something really nice for someone and it backfired? Life is difficult. In the book of Ecclesiastes, the author, Solomon, saw that life is a messed up, tangled mess as well. Even though Solomon was the most affluent and well-educated man of his time, even though he was the most powerful man, he also understood how painful, unfair, and topsy-turvy life can be. Ecclesiastes 7:15 says, " In my vain life I have seen everything. There is a righteous man who perishes in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man who prolongs his life in his evildoing. Be not overly righteous, and do not make yourself too wise. Why should you destroy yourself?" That’s a strange sounding passage. He’s not saying the righteous, the just, or good person perishes because they are righteous. And he’s not saying be wicked so that you can prolong your life. Instead, he’s reminding us that is not always fair. He’s telling us sometimes the wicked person seems to win, while the righteous person, the good person comes out on the short end of the stick and seems to lose. That’s not how it should be, but that’s how it is sometimes, isn’t it? The righteous die young and the wicked live a long time. It’s the old saying, ‘the good die young, while terrible dictators and abusive people seem to live to ripe old ages. I have even seen men and women in their 80's and 90's that walk better than me still having use of their legs! "Be not overly righteous, and do not make yourself too wise. Why should you destroy yourself?" Again, that sounds really strange! Don’t be overly righteous? Don’t be too wise? Solomon is really stating a proverb for us. He’s not advocating moral laxity and using poor judgment. He’s warning against the obsession of always needing to be right. Solomon is telling us to insist you’re always right, ultimately is self- destructive. People who have to win every argument eventually alienate everyone around them.

We want life to be fair but it’s not; we want everything to work out but sometimes it doesn’t; we want to live happily ever after but things go wrong because life is a tangled up mess. We want people to treat us fairly, we want them to treat our children fairly. We expect friends, teachers, coaches, other Christians to treat one another the right way. We expect people to talk to us and not ignore us. We expect people to be fair and impartial. I don’t think that is too much to ask for. Especially from other Christ followers. Yet, the Bible tells us the reason it’s a tangled up mess is because we live in a fallen sinful world and we’re all fallen creatures and that affects everything! It impacts our health, the other people around us, and sometimes our own attitudes. At the end of chapter 7, Solomon wrote, "See, this alone I found, that God made man upright, but they have sought out many schemes." We’re like that because we’ve all wandered from God. Do you hear that? God made us upright, we were created GOOD! But we come up with a scheme and plan to get things to go our way. Paul gives us a clear indication of who we are in Romans 3, " None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one. For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."

On our own, we are not righteous. Only through Jesus can we become righteous in God’s sight. On our own, we mess up. We take action on our own terms, without a thought about what it can do to others. We try to control and manage life but that plan doesn’t align itself with God’s plan. As a result, the world is a tangled up mess. Not only is life a tangled mess. Sometimes it just doesn’t make sense. It’s mysterious. The unexpected happens or what is supposed to happen doesn’t and none of it seems to make any sense. Not only is life a tangled mess, the unexpected happens or what is supposed to happen doesn’t and none of it seems to make any sense. Solomon, "Again I saw that under the sun the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to the intelligent, nor favor to those with knowledge, but time and chance happen to them all." Solomon isn’t talking about the kinds of mysteries we read about when we’re standing in line at the grocery store that say Elvis was seen working at Pizza Hut in Canada, or some woman in England gave birth to a 28lb child with the head of an alien. He’s referring to the strange things that happen that can’t be explained because they appear to be out of natural order of cause and effect. The fastest runner doesn’t always win. The greatest army doesn’t always get the victory. Health and wealth don’t always come to the smartest or the most gifted. Solomon says that sometimes, life is like that. Even more mysterious and disturbing is the fact that suffering can come so quickly as if out of nowhere.

In the next verse, he wrote, "For man does not know his time. Like fish that are taken in an evil net, and like birds that are caught in a snare, so the children of man are snared at an evil time when it suddenly falls upon them." We see the same types of things that Solomon saw. We see hurricanes and tornadoes. We see sudden accidents. We know people who are healthy and suddenly get sick and die. We see the good suffering, the wicked prospering and we wonder how? Why? God, what are you up to? Life is mysterious and it’s all tangled up, and that’s not easy for us to face up to or deal with so we look for help. When we look for help, our world is all too eager to show us how to manage the mysteries of life. One way our world helps us deal with the mysteries and unfairness of life is to live in a fantasy world. We grab onto alcohol and drugs. We escape into porn. We escape into gambling. You don’t have to go to Vegas or Atlantic City for this. You can even gamble on your fantasy football team. It’s all available 24/7. I’ll admit I enjoy watching television. I watch before going to sleep. Yet, I’ll flip through all 5,000 channels or however many we have. And most of the time I end up watching a movie I’ve seen 300 times before. Because there’s really nothing on, at least nothing worth anything. We can watch television and play video games to escape as well. Fantasy is one strategy for dealing with our messed up – mysterious life. For those of us who are part of the church crowd and don’t want to admit that we cave into fantasy, we’ve adopted another one. We try to manipulate reality with formulas. We have the privilege of living in the most scientifically advanced and technologically developed civilization the world has ever seen. Huge advances are being made every day and those have subtly taught us that we can circumvent the mysteries of life and manipulate it for our advantage.

Yet we try to force God into doing what we want Him to do because we think we have all of the answers. We buy books and videos, some of which are helpful, most are just confusing. If Jesus had a formula for fixing life and making it work, He would have given it to us rather than suffering and dying on a Cross for our sins. Oh, and by the way, that is the formula. Follow Christ! So when life doesn’t make sense, Jesus will and He will be there for you. He will be the One who can help you through the tangled and messed up mysteries of life. In chapter 8, Solomon wrote, "Then I saw the wicked buried. They used to go in and out of the holy place and were praised in the city where they had done such things. This also is vanity." Because the sentence against an evil deed is not executed speedily, the heart of the children of man is fully set to do evil. Though a sinner does evil a hundred times and prolongs his life, yet I know that it will be well with those who fear God, because they fear before Him. We see the wicked being praised. Somehow it makes perfect sense to the world. They ignore or don’t see the wickedness and we struggle. Why have they not been punished? They’re living it up and we are struggling. It’s not fair! And we rail against God and against one another. If things don’t work out the way we want, we make a scene. But God says “WOAH! STOP!

And Solomon reminds us it will be well with those who fear God. Those who revere God. When you can admit you need God, when you can stop and admit your sinfulness and turn yourself over to God and give God the control you desperately crave, then in the end, did you hear me? In the end, it will be well with you! It may not be perfect in this world, but we know there is a better place coming, but until we arrive there, can we look past the imperfections of one another? Can we look past the unfairness, the tangled up mess of a world we live in? Can we look past all of this and look to the Lord of Hosts? Can we look to the God of the heavenly armies who died for us and who is fighting for us? Can we look to Him? Yup, life is not fair. Life is difficult. We will help someone and something bad will happen to us, and they won’t even say thank you! Solomon is right; we don’t know the future; we can’t predict what will happen to us, or as he says, we don’t know whether love or hate awaits us. But the more important truth, the bigger truth, the foundational truth is that we are in the hands of the sovereign God who loves us more than we can fathom. Even when bad things happen to good people! God still loves us! So, as we walk through life we’re all going to face tangles, messiness, unfairness, and some mysteries. That’s the reality. But we don’t want to use formulas and we don’t want to escape into fantasy land, because they lead to nowhere. Instead, we must seek God’s wisdom and put our total trust in Him because He is crazy in love with us and He wants the best for us.
Until next time,
-Pat-