July 16, 2019

Who Do You Worship?

Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’” – Matthew 4:10

Some think Donald Trump can do no wrong. They are quick to defend his every word and action, regardless of facts. They clamor to attend Trump rallies. They see him as a fine Christian man who is a victim of the heathens determined to undermine God’s Word. Truth gets lost in their idolization.

Pick a major sports figure. Or choose instead your favorite actor or singer. Maybe you hold up a television evangelist or some other powerful figure as being above reproach and worthy of our utmost awe and respect.

Maybe your god of choice is the stock market you monitor closely, the job you devote all your time to, or the golf passion you can’t seem to live without. Maybe you “need” alcohol or drugs. Maybe you live for your children or grandchildren.

Idols are those things we hold dearest to us. We worship where we focus our time and attention. We cannot worship God and everyone and everything else. When we see Trump, or any other popular person, as the one to save us, we have lost focus. When we assume that enough money, power or prestige will carry us, we have lost our direction.

We have one Lord, one Savior, one God. Everything and everyone else come below Him. Be careful. Satan would love to convince you that you’re doing God’s will by following someone or something else.

December 12, 2018

Faith Comes First

“Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. The ax is already at the root of the trees and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”

– Luke 3:8-9

But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.”

Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds.

– James 2:18

They are good. They’re quick to point that out if anyone tries to tell them about Jesus. They don’t want to listen. They aren’t willing to hear.

In their minds, they are good people. “I’ll just take my chances,” is a popular response. It’s not about chances. If you believe in Jesus, believe He came and died for our sins and rose three days later, you are saved. If you don’t, you are headed to hell.

Sometimes we try to cover the truth with platitudes. Maybe if we surround it with nice things, we won’t have to deal with the black and white nature of sin. We don’t want to tell people we like, people who are basically good people, that Jesus is the only way to live.

Some people truly believe their deeds will save them. They just do. It’s not true but it gives them an excuse to continue on without ever really making a decision. They don’t want to turn their lives over to Jesus. They don’t want to hand Him control.

Others know all the answers. They’re saved. They love Jesus. They attend church. They tithe sometimes. But they aren’t quite willing to give up their sins. They’re forgiven so what does it matter? They want the security of Jesus, they want the reassurance that Heaven is in their future, but they also want to live however they choose in the hear and now.

Does any of this sound familiar? Maybe you know someone, or several someones, who fit into one of the other of those categories. Maybe one of those categories describes you.

John the Baptist was preaching about the Messiah. He was baptizing people with water. He was laying the way for what was to come. Some Jews thought they were good. Abraham was their father. They had no need for a Savior.

Yet, they did. God sent His Son and they missed it. They rejected Him and crucified Him. They were so busy with their rules, with knowing everything, that they missed what was truly important.

The same is true for those who claim a faith they don’t live. How is it possible to have true faith without wanting to change your life and please the One who gives us life? It isn’t. Because true faith brings change inside of us.

That’s what James was saying. Some people think being good, doing good, is all they need to be saved. They’ve got it all wrong. It is faith that saves us and, because of that faith, we want to do good to honor Jesus.

Life is hard. Do good. Be kind. But don’t ever forget that none of it matters if Jesus Christ isn’t in your heart.

April 18, 2018

Church Doesn’t Save You

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” – John 14:6

It sounded good. Her voice was adamant, determined. Surely, she was speaking for God. Christians – true Christians – should be willing and able to give one hour each week to attend church and worship God.

Except, maybe, she was missing the point. Something one sweet friend pointed out.

Attending church each week doesn’t make us a Christian. Not even if we add Sunday school to the equation. It’s not about showing up. It’s not even about giving the correct answers. It’s about a Savior and our hearts.

Maybe she thinks that someone without a church home or regular church attendance needs a sermon. Maybe she believes faith will rub off on someone she cares about. Maybe she believes that one hour a week will make us all better people.

But here’s the thing: If all you’ve got for God is one hour each week, then maybe you don’t know Jesus at all. It’s a funny thing about faith. The more you know Jesus, the more you want to know. The more time you spend with Him, the more time you want to spend with Him.

I’m not saying that someone who doesn’t attend church, or someone who only spends time with God once a week, isn’t a Christian. Only God knows our hearts and knows whether we are truly saved or not. What I am saying is that true faith provides evidence of that in how we live our lives.

We all make mistakes. We are all sinners. We all at times do things we know we shouldn’t do. But there should be something in us that sets us apart, a light that shines truth, a heart that sees beyond ourselves.

Church isn’t about a building. It isn’t about style of worship or about showing up and ticking that box off your to-do list. It’s about learning and growing, about fellowship, about choosing to honor and glorify the One who saved us from eternal hell.

She was right about our need for fellowship with other believers. I always encourage people to get involved in a small group. Get to know people who share your faith. Let them hold you accountable and you do the same for them. Participate. Pray. Be there in heart and spirit, as well as in body.

And take your critical, pointing fingers down a notch. Be an encourager rather than a critic. Be part of the solution rather than stirring up discord and problems. Be kind. Be gracious. Let mercy fill your heart. See others through the eyes of Jesus.

Attending church is a wonderful thing. I rarely miss that. It’s the same with Sunday school and Bible study. But I do those things because they feed my heart, they bring me closer to Jesus and surround me with people who love Him too. It’s not about giving God an hour of my time. It’s about showing He is the foundation of my life.

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Reach For Jesus While You Can

Our lives are a fragrance presented by Christ to God. But this fragrance is perceived differently by those being saved and by those perishing. To those who are perishing we are a fearful smell of death and doom. But to those who are being saved we are a life-giving perfume. -- 2 Corinthians 2:15-26a (NLT)

It was a sudden death brought on by years of ignoring the symptoms. A heart attack. No one was surprised but it didn’t stop the sadness or the breaking hearts of those left behind.

The greatest heartbreak is that, unless something happened recently between he and God, he wasn’t a Christian. He refused to let a Savior into his hardened heart. He wouldn’t even entertain the possibility of his need.

So many of us tried to talk with him. Over years we tried. We kept thinking that a moment would come, words would flow, and light would finally open his blind eyes. But he couldn’t see past his pain and grief and anger.

He’d never been a Christian. His wife had been. But she’d died a slow, painful death from an illness that robbed her of her ability to function at all. Many times he would tell others that there was no point in being a Christian because it hadn’t done his wife any good. He couldn’t understand the promise of eternity. He couldn’t see the hope of tomorrow.

He admitted that his wife’s greatest desire was that he give his life to Christ. He just couldn’t do it. We talked about it but he wouldn’t budge. Instead, he grew more unhappy as the years went by.

Those who only knew him in bits and pieces probably thought he was getting on with his life. He got a girlfriend. He left his job. He was who he was. But he would talk about his wife and his eyes would grow distant. She kept him in line, focused, calm.

Without her, he was rudderless. She hadn’t meant to leave him behind but none of us can count our days before we’re gone. It’s what happens when we rely on other people -- even those who love us -- to be what only God can be. Always there. Dependable. Loving. Perfect. Strong.

He bragged about going home from work, cooking and eating a big dinner, then sitting on his front porch and drinking beer. One beer after another, all the while smoking an endless stream of cigarettes.

No one was surprised that he suffered a fatal heart attack. We remembered the good man, the laughter, the intense love he had for his son. And we mourned that he was lost forever. God’s child who refused to admit he needed a Savior until it was too late to make a choice.

Have you given your life to Jesus? Are you resting secure in His love? We don’t always have a moment to cry out. Sometimes it’s just too late.