Victimless Sins

In God’s world, “victimless sins” is an oxymoron. Even if you are the only one who knows about it, sin causes self harm at the very least.  God wants to talk with you about why you want to sin. He doesn’t accuse you. Ask God to show you how to have a clear conscience and he will.

Isaiah 1:18 (NLT) 18 Come, let’s talk this over, says the Lord; no matter how deep the stain of your sins, I can take it out and make you as clean as freshly fallen snow. Even if you are stained as red as crimson, I can make you white as wool!

3/15/2020

A Life of Crime

The more you study the Bible, the more you see it is a contemporary book. Gangs and prisons are full of those who did not heed this advice in Proverbs 1.  Even a bird avoids a trap being set for it. Humans who pursue a life of crime lay a booby trap for their own lives. 

Proverbs 1:10-18 (TLB)  10 If young toughs tell you, “Come and join us”—turn your back on them! 11 “We’ll hide and rob and kill,” they say. 12 “Good or bad, we’ll treat them all alike. 13 And the loot we’ll get! All kinds of stuff! 14 Come on, throw in your lot with us; we’ll split with you in equal shares.”15 Don’t do it, son! Stay far from men like that, 16 for crime is their way of life, and murder is their specialty. 17 When a bird sees a trap being set, it stays away, 18 but not these men; they trap themselves! They lay a booby trap for their own lives.

3/8/2020

The Lion's Den

After Daniel’s release from the den of lions, Darius ordered the people to worship “the living God, world without end.” Daniel had a deep, serious prayer life. It's out of this relationship that the power greater than a den of lions brought Daniel safely out of danger.

Daniel 6:26-27 (MSG) 25-27 King Darius published this proclamation to every race, color, and creed on earth: Peace to you! Abundant peace! I decree that Daniel’s God shall be worshiped and feared in all parts of my kingdom. He is the living God, world without end. His kingdom never falls. His rule continues eternally. He is a savior and rescuer. He performs astonishing miracles in heaven and on earth. He saved Daniel from the power of the lions.

3/1/2020

John the Baptizer

John the Baptist represents that space in time when you are frustrated and joyless in your limited understanding of God and his righteousness. Until you are pained with this distance, you aren’t ready for Christ. You must be ready to let go of your own understanding to accept his.

Mark 1:4-5 (AMP): 4 John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins [that is, requiring a change of one’s old way of thinking, turning away from sin and seeking God and His righteousness]. 5 And all the country of Judea and all the people of Jerusalem were continually going out to him; and they were being baptized by him in the Jordan River, as they confessed their sins.

2/26/2020

How You Say it

How you say something impacts more than what you say. If you have issues in your communications, ask another how they might word it. Many are geniuses in this way. It is a simple way to make your words instruments of love, beginning with yourself.

Proverbs 12:18 (NLT)  18 Some people make cutting remarks, but the words of the wise bring healing.

2/23/2020

Forgiveness

Jesus said to forgive not seven times, but seventy-seven times. That may seem exaggerated but even one incident can cause resentment that many times, years or generations!  Each time the breach comes to mind, ask God to free you of its power.  

Matthew 18:21-22 (NIV) 21 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times? ”22 Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times. 

2/16/2020

Violating Spiritual Law

If you wrong another or do something that violates sacred law there is an effect on your mind and body. All are born with this internal code but most aren’t even aware of it. Until you face it, by the laws of nature and God’s law, you are compromised in health, thought, deed and relationship. 

Psalm 32:3-5 (MSG) 3  When I kept it all inside, my bones turned to powder, my words became daylong groans. 4 The pressure never let up; all the juices of my life dried up. 5 Then I let it all out; I said, “I’ll make a clean breast of my failures to God.” Suddenly the pressure was gone— my guilt dissolved, my sin disappeared.

2/12/2020

Belief and Unbelief

In Mark 9:22-24 the father says to Jesus “help us, if you can.” The human dilemma is one of going back and forth between faith and little faith, belief and unbelief.  When this happens to you, do as this father did: Ask the Lord to keep you firmly in belief and faith.  

Mark 9:22-24 (NLT) 22.Have mercy on us and help us, if you can. 23 “What do you mean, ‘If I can?’” Jesus asked.  “Anything is possible if a person believes. 24 The father instantly cried out, “I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!”

2/9/2020

Mustard Seed

Jesus likened faith to tiny potent matter, like mustard seeds and yeast. Nurture your faith and your best potential will unfold. Pray and talk to God like you do your best friend. Others will find shelter when they are around you and you will develop to your satisfaction.

Matthew 13:31-32 (TLB) 31-32 Here is another of his illustrations: “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a tiny mustard seed planted in a field. It is the smallest of all seeds but becomes the largest of plants, and grows into a tree where birds can come and find shelter.”

1/19/2020

Marriage

Marriage relationships are more difficult for some than others. Being respected in your own home matters.  God knows which couples belong together. He sees what humans do not. It’s never too early or too late to pray to receive an understanding wife or pray to be one. 

Proverbs 19:14 (TLB) 14 A father can give his sons homes and riches, but only the Lord can give them understanding wives. 

2/2/2020

Take Up Your Cross

Jesus said to be his follower you must deny yourself and take up your cross and follow him. This means you begin to see life from God’s point of view, not a human point of view. Until you do that, you impede God’s work in yourself and others. 

Matthew 16:23-24 (TLB) 23 Jesus turned on Peter and said, “Get away from me, you Satan! You are a dangerous trap to me. You are thinking merely from a human point of view, and not from God’s.” 24 Then Jesus said to the disciples, “If anyone wants to be a follower of mine, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.

1/26/2020

Paying the Laborers

How is it fair to pay the same wages for one hour of work as 8?  Parables are all about the Kingdom of Heaven, not earthly fairness. This shows God’s generosity. Jesus said the instant you ask to enter the Kingdom of God, you receive all the blessings associated with it.

Matthew 20:1-16 (TLB) 20: 1 Here is another illustration of the Kingdom of Heaven. “The owner of an estate went out early one morning to hire workers for his harvest field. 2 He agreed to pay them $20 a day, literally, “a denarius,” the payment for a day’s labor; equivalent to $20 in modern times, or £7. and sent them out to work. 3 “A couple of hours later he was passing a hiring hall and saw some men standing around waiting for jobs, 4 so he sent them also into his fields, telling them he would pay them whatever was right at the end of the day. 5 At noon and again around three o’clock in the afternoon he did the same thing. 6 “At five o’clock that evening he was in town again and saw some more men standing around and asked them, ‘Why haven’t you been working today?’ 7 “‘Because no one hired us,’ they replied. “‘Then go on out and join the others in my fields,’ he told them. 8 “That evening he told the paymaster to call the men in and pay them, beginning with the last men first. 9 When the men hired at five o’clock were paid, each received $20. 10 So when the men hired earlier came to get theirs, they assumed they would receive much more. But they, too, were paid $20. 11-12 “They protested, ‘Those fellows worked only one hour, and yet you’ve paid them just as much as those of us who worked all day in the scorching heat.’ 13 “‘Friend,’ he answered one of them, ‘I did you no wrong! Didn’t you agree to work all day for $20? 14 Take it and go. It is my desire to pay all the same; 15 is it against the law to give away my money if I want to? Should you be angry because I am kind?’ 16 And so it is that the last shall be first, and the first, last.”

1/22/2020

Right Use of Mind

God and humans love and respect the creative use of the mind to overcome adversity. Lore, movies and books abound with it, but living by your wits wears you down.  God’s real blessings are given when you use your mind for what is right so that you will live, really live….

Luke 16: 8-9 (MSG) 8-9 “Now here’s a surprise: The master praised the crooked manager! And why? Because he knew how to look after himself. Streetwise people are smarter in this regard than law-abiding citizens. They are on constant alert, looking for angles, surviving by their wits. I want you to be smart in the same way—but for what is right—using every adversity to stimulate you to creative survival, to concentrate your attention on the bare essentials, so you’ll live, really live, and not complacently just get by on good behavior.”

1/15/2020

My Yoke is Easy

Unbelievers are told of the peace of Christ. Common responses are that the Christian life is not relevant to them or that Christians are the worst hypocrites of any faith. Jesus gives a different view: Learn from me... I will give you rest...my yoke is easy...my burden is light.

Matthew 11:28-30 (NIV) 28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” 

1/12/2020

Governing and Political Entities

Prayer for governing entities is necessary but God alone knows specific outcomes. Ask God to guide you in political matters, but more importantly let the Holy Spirit work in you so the freedom of the Lord - the greatest freedom of all - is extended to the ends of the earth.

Acts 1: 6-8 (TLB) 6 And another time when he appeared to them, they asked him, “Lord, are you going to free Israel from Rome now and restore us as an independent nation?” 7 “The Father sets those dates,” he replied, “and they are not for you to know. 8 But when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, you will receive power to testify about me with great effect, to the people in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth, about my death and resurrection.”

1/5/2020

Dealing with Angry People

Dealing with angry people and their drama is the same as dealing with addiction issues.  Proverbs 19:19 says to let angry people face the consequences of their actions. If you intercede to smooth things over it won’t solve the problem, it will only prolong it. 

Proverbs 19:19 (MSG) 19 Let angry people endure the backlash of their own anger; if you try to make it better, you’ll only make it worse. 

12/29/2019

Be Alert and of Sober Mind

Getting high or drunk is a common way to wind down but with this comes lowered judgment and risk. You cannot be alert and of sober mind if you habitually get buzzed or drink a lot to relax. Ask God if this applies to you. Let him direct you in this very important matter. 

1 Peter 5:8-9 (NIV) 8 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.

12/22/2019

The Lineage of Jesus

Rahab, a prostitute, said God’s miracle of power and deliverance of the Jews from Egypt was so respected in her world that she was inspired to take the side of God against her own people. Holding God in awe, she became a part of the lineage of Jesus. 

Joshua 2:8-11 (NIV) 8 Before the spies lay down for the night, she went up on the roof 9 and said to them, “I know that the Lord has given you this land and that a great fear of you has fallen on us, so that all who live in this country are melting in fear because of you. 10 We have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to Sihon and Og, the two kings of the Amorites east of the Jordan, whom you completely destroyed. 11 When we heard of it, our hearts melted in fear and everyone’s courage failed because of you, for the Lord your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below.

12/18/2019

The Good Samaritan

Being a decent human being is rooted in the story of the Good Samaritan, as is the Golden Rule. Enmity and disputes will exist as long as there are humans but the divine effect of being respectful to others, regardless of affiliation and social status, will exist longer. 

Luke 10:33-37 (TLB) 33 “But a despised Samaritan came along, and when he saw him, he felt deep pity. 34 Kneeling beside him the Samaritan soothed his wounds with medicine and bandaged them. Then he put the man on his donkey and walked along beside him till they came to an inn, where he nursed him through the night 35 The next day he handed the innkeeper two twenty-dollar bills and told him to take care of the man. ‘If his bill runs higher than that,’ he said, ‘I’ll pay the difference the next time I am here.’ 36 “Now which of these three would you say was a neighbor to the bandits’ victim?” 37 The man replied, “The one who showed him some pity.” Then Jesus said, “Yes, now go and do the same.” 

12/15/2019

Choosing Your Friends

God told the Israelites not to live with or adopt the cultural ideals of other nations. This wasn’t xenophobia . He knew they would be seduced by their idols and choose those idols over him, and they did. Be careful who you live with and who you look up to for the same reason. 

Exodus 23:33 (NIV) 33 Do not let them live in your land or they will cause you to sin against me, because the worship of their gods will certainly be a snare to you.”

12/11/2019

Man-made or God-made

Some churches have traditions - rules developed over time - to help them worship and honor God more fully. Ask God for right interpretation of his word to avoid man-made, Pharisee-like legalism or anything else that complicates living out your direct relationship with God.

Mark 7:10-13 (MSG) ….You get rid of God’s command so you won’t be inconvenienced in following the religious fashions! Moses said, ‘Respect your father and mother,’ and, ‘Anyone denouncing father or mother should be killed.’ But you weasel out of that by saying that it’s perfectly acceptable to say to father or mother, ‘Gift! What I owed you I’ve given as a gift to God,’ thus relieving yourselves of obligation to father or mother. You scratch out God’s Word and scrawl a whim in its place. You do a lot of things like this.”

12/8/2019

Avoiding Conflict

Avoidance and running from conflict is a lazy habit. Make it your desire to meet adversity and the hard issues of life calmly and with God. You move forward when you face difficulties with God. Being able to handle the pressure of adversity is a holy and valuable skill.  

Proverbs 24:10 (TLB) 10 You are a poor specimen if you can’t stand the pressure of adversity. 

12/1/2019

The Here and Now

Ecclesiastes is a somber view of life on earth and “the human lot.”  Solomon’s bottom line conclusion was that you should take care of yourself, have a good time, do good work and delight in the bounty and capacity to enjoy what God gives you in the here and now.    

Ecclesiastes 5:18-20 (MSG) 18-20 After looking at the way things are on this earth, here’s what I’ve decided is the best way to live: Take care of yourself, have a good time, and make the most of whatever job you have for as long as God gives you life. And that’s about it. That’s the human lot. Yes, we should make the most of what God gives, both the bounty and the capacity to enjoy it, accepting what’s given and delighting in the work. It’s God’s gift! God deals out joy in the present, the now. It’s useless to brood over how long we might live.

11/24/2019