To understand, turn the pages!

Looking at the cover of the Bible and saying I don't understand it so I don't bother opening it, is like looking at the front door and saying I am not opening it because I don't understand the world! If we learned to take things a little slower, stopped talking ourselves out of things and take a shot, oh what treasures we could gain!! The Bible is the book of life, and life is our book to the world.

We have to spend time in both, we have to turn the pages to learn! As the saying goes never judge a book by it's cover, as you may miss so much from it's pages! Start in the book of John and read a chapter a day, go slow take it in, and see what a wonderful relationship God wants to have with you, and how intimate a relationship that will be!

I don't care how long you have been saved, or if you have just been, or do not have a relationship with God! This Gospel will take you into a deep walk with Jesus as He touches lives in such a personal and intimate way! Just a chapter a day could make such a wonderful difference in where you are in your life. But you have to be willing to open the book, and allow God to open the book of your life also.

I think that frightens people more than anything, the thought of opening the book of your life. But the Bible tells us nothing is hidden from God anyway, so why not just come clean and get set free?

Luke 12:2-3 (NKJV)
2 For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, nor hidden that will not be known. 3 Therefore whatever you have spoken in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have spoken in the ear in inner rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops.
Jesus just wants you to come to Him and He will do the rest.

Matthew 11:28-30 (NKJV)
28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

I read other books also and learn a great deal, yet what I have found is, those authors are getting their ideas from the same place I can get mine. In God's word! They are writing from their hearts what God has given them from His word, (The Bible). Max Lucado, Chuck Swindoll, Charles Stanley, etc... They all have great books, but their main source is God's word!

I put their names in this writing so you would have a idea of some books to search out, but never leave the Bible out of your reading source! To understand any book and it's writings, you have to turn the pages!

Arguing is one thing hitting another!

Have you ever heard anyone say, we never argue? My response is most always Hmmmmmm!
Did you know people argue in different ways? Loudly, quietly, silently, in different rooms avoidance, short and sweet, all these different ways, but it is still arguing! Silence is no less arguing then if you get loud, it is just a different way! 

Sometimes it takes what it takes to see a different point of view, and a good healthy disagreement helps sometimes, people just need to be honest! Getting physical is not arguing, it is abusing there is a big difference between the two and couples need to learn which one to walk away from quickest! 

Tragically they do not in most cases. A couple of reasons, 1. No place to go. 2. But I love him or her. 3. People will judge. 4. I am in control. 5. I am not leaving my home. 6. He or she only does it once in a while. 7. He or she did not mean to hit. 8. It is always someone else's fault. 8. I or we don't want anyone in our business. 9. I or we do not want the neighbors to find out. 10. Always an excuse for bad behavior. 

These are just a few, I am sure there are tons more reasons people will not take a break for one another. But the important thing here is this, you need to know the difference and when it's time to take a break from each other! Notice I said break from each other? Taking a break gives you both time to breathe and think a bit more clearly. 

And decide the next and best route to follow to work on a potentially dangerous situation if not headed off soon. If admittance is not made that there is anger issues, that is a cause for warning and concern. Abuse will not stop until honesty prevails and help is sought! But if one or both parties involved will not cooperate, get the proper help, do the work involved in healing the problem, it will just worsen! 

There is always help out there, it just takes a humble heart to admit the problem and seek the help! Sometimes it takes time apart to get to this point. Friends and close family may not be the best place to turn. Your Pastor, if you have one may be helpful, yet you may need to turn to agencies outside your circle. 

This is alright and most probably the best thing to do. Never put it off hoping it won't happen again, if it has been more than once, that is one to many you need to seek help! It is fixable if the right help is sought after, and the person involved truly wants to be helped! Always remember this warning, arguing is one thing, getting physical is completely different and a warning sign to a much deeper problem!

Just Words?

There are certain words that should not be used too often, love is one! It is a word said more and acted upon less, than any word we use! Hate is also one of those words, it is said more and acted upon way to often! Racism is one of those words least understood, and used more often than necessary! 

Understanding is a word that should be used more and no ones takes the time to! We use words like, know, but we really don't. The word think, should be thought on more, and the word excuse, thought on less! When Jesus used the word love, He was preparing to die for us, action! John taught on the word hate, he said it kills! 

Though Racism is not mentioned in Scripture, Jesus said we are to love our neighbors as ourselves! When lacking understanding it means we struggle more! I could certainly go on, but most folks truly do not want to hear any word that may challenge them to change, or even desire change! 

Change means, we could be wrong in our perception or understanding of any word. We could be using in the wrong context of it's meaning! We need to research some of the words we so freely throw around to get our point across! 

And if our actions don't speak louder than these words we use, we need to speak these words less and act on them more! Love heals, hate kills, racism divides, understanding sees. John 3:16, 1 John 3:15, Matthew 22:37-40, Ephesians 4:18

What believers miss!

What believers miss when they think they have been there, done that, or heard that already, don't realize what they are really saying is, God you cannot teach me anymore! When I read over the same thing that I have read, and I do try very hard to read through the Bible once a year, plus my normal studies, I learn and find treasures, that I always seem to miss on previous readings.

I say thank you God that I am still teachable! Believer, never get to a point that bible study is boring, and thinking you have arrived. You will find humbling is just around the corner! You can never know it all. Never hear it all! When you feel you have, you stop learning. You get stunted in your growth, and you find less joy and victory in your life!

Oh you may act victorious, but the truth is in how you speak, respond and get involved! Believe me, been there and have done that! I memorized tons of scripture. Knew a lot, of what most all the books of the Bible had to say. I could point you in most any direction in the word, or subject! It sure impressed people, but God was not impressed!

I used that knowledge for the wrong reasons, to impress pump up my ego! Well God took care of that through a humbling experience in my life. I find now scripture does not come as easy, I have to work harder! Memorizing also has become harder. And all the scripture I had memorized seems to have gone! You see I believe that if you have a gift, and you abuse that gift, God may just take it back!

2 Timothy 2:15,  Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. (NKJV)

I don't have the exact Bible for that, I feel it comes when God has to lovingly take you down a peg or two, a humbling! You can never hear, know, or find all the treasure in the word God has for you. Don't settle for I have arrived. I have heard all that! Ask God to quicken your spirit again. Teach you excite you, and show you, the treasures He has hidden for you in His word!

James 4:6,  But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”

Don't be a believer who misses everything because you think you know, have heard and done it all already! If you are then you are not alive. You cannot know what God has if you know more than Him! Ask God to change that thinking to stir your spirit and to wake you up from the spiritual sleep you are in, and live again!

Free or Freely Confined?

I have learned to appreciate being as confined as I am. I have drawn closer to the Lord. Yes, it is hard sometimes not to be as free as I would like, but when I watch those who have freedom, and hear them complain how much they don't have, I just smile and thank God for the lesson of gratitude I am being taught!

If you are free to come and go as you please, and cannot find the time to do the things you should be doing, then you are more confined than I! It always amazes me the complaining I hear about no time, except when it's the things we enjoy! Lose that time, and see how you will not come to appreciate time so much more! What we do with our freedoms also tells God what we will, and will not do for Him.

His work can be confining, yet rewarding. Boring, yet exciting. Tedious, yet fulfilling! Still, we always have an excuse not to serve Him! We find all the reasons we cannot serve in the capacity God would like. Why? Because it is not as fun as we think. It's too much Bible. It's to structured! We have time to make all these excuses!

So what are we telling God about what we have, and do not have regarding freedom? Jesus told us to make disciples. Are we, or do we leave it to someone else because it's something that just isn't our cup of tea? Our free will, could just be our costly confinement! You see, God gives us every opportunity to serve Him or ourselves! How about you?

What is your freedom doing for you? Free or just freely confined?
Jesus said, in John 8:32 "And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." KJV

Leadership is not just telling!

Leadership is not only telling the way, but most importantly it is showing the way! I think even Jesus could have gotten bored doing the same things over again and again. Yet the most important to Him was, for people to get it. He always went over and over things with His disciples, discouraging maybe, necessary absolutely!

The Apostle Paul even wrote in Philippians 3:1, "Finally my brothers rejoice in the Lord. For me to write the same things to you is not tedious, but for you it is safe." We learn from repetition, we need to hear things more than once for them to stick. C. Gene Wilkes, in his book Jesus on leadership said, "leadership is not something you pursue, leadership is something others give to you."

You just do what you are committed to do for Jesus and leadership will come. To many folks out there want that upfront experience without the responsibility that comes with it. We can always tell people how to do anything. But not until we are willing to come along side them, and show them they are important to us. Important enough that we are willing to do it over again, always remembering someone did it for us!

We have to be in God's will and plan not our own. In the book Jesus on leadership, Mr Wilkes puts it like this, "Christ's servants tap into God's power. Otherwise, how could they see the future and have the courage to pioneer their way into it? You see, leadership is not about us who are leaders. Leadership is sacrifice! Leadership doing what you already know and, with excitement, doing it over again so others can come to where you are!

Jesus on leadership, "If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet." John 13:14

Easter Time

As a Pastor I love this time of year. Its springtime! Flowers blooming, birds chirping, trees and flowers budding everything coming to life. The tomb of winter is behind us and now life is bursting fourth again, we are excited for the change, and ready to live again! Just as it was in the time Jesus was crucified, it seemed as though winter had set in, and life had stopped!

It felt as it does for us today, that winter would be there to stay, when would it be spring again, when would they hear and feel life alive? I am sure, as we do, they bundled up and hoped for the best and this bad weather would soon be gone! But Just as they felt winter would not pass, something changed, something happened in the early morning hours on the third day, spring came!

Though they were not quite prepared, spring came, on that early morning walk to the tomb, feeling winter would not pass, life would burst forth! Their lives would not be the same, it was spring, it just came, without warning the weather had changed their hopes and uncertainties would be answered! He is risen just as he said go tell His disciples that Jesus has raised in the spring time, He was alive!

That was the angel’s message of warmth to the women that cool early morning! The death grip of winter had passed, springtime had arrived, life began to abound! They no longer felt the grip of winters grasp, they were warmed with the knowledge it was passed and spring was here! What does Easter mean to you?

Is it just another day to dress up and buy flowers and candy, or hunt eggs with the Easter bunny? 

Jesus died for you and on the third day He rose from the dead, He defeated death and the grave for you! All this He did so you would not have to be trapped in the winter of your life, He offers you spring!

From death of sins winter grip, to life set free to live and hear springs cry, you are alive, He has risen as He said! He paid the price for your sin that you could spring forth and live, you can be unshackled from the grip of sin. 

As spring brings life to everything around us, Jesus brought life to us by His death on the cross and more importantly His defeat of the grave and springing forth from the tomb alive.

Spring is here as well as Easter time. What does it mean for you? There is more to it than just a changing of the weather! It is a life transforming time, as Christians we celebrate a Risen Savoir. 

If your life seems trapped in winters grip, turn to the one who created the springtime and be made alive! Burst forth with singing as the birds of the air, the flowers and the trees as you celebrate new life! 

John 3:16, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." NKJV