The need for everyone to hear the Gospel

For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.

— Romans 1:20

 

As you think about the great need of our world and the responsibility you and I have to spread the message of Christ, have you ever wondered what happens to a person who has never heard the Gospel? Have you ever considered what is the real spiritual condition of a person who has not heard about Jesus Christ?

On university campuses all over the world, students take classes on comparative religions. And many times it is taught that all religions have the same goal and the same destination. And, therefore, they mistakenly conclude that if anyone is sincere in his religious pursuit, whatever it is, then that person will ultimately go to heaven.

But the Scriptures couldn’t be clearer on the issue. Today’s passage says that all men—Muslims, Hindus, atheists, Christians, and those of any other belief—are without excuse when it comes to their sinfulness before God. Because of that, the only way to know God and spend eternity in heaven is to place your faith in Christ.

This shouldn’t discourage you and me. In fact, it should motivate us to proclaim the Gospel until the whole world hears. So make it your life’s mission to introduce as many people as possible to Christ!

THERE IS NO SALVATION APART FROM FAITH IN CHRIST. SO MAKE IT YOUR LIFE’S MISSION TO SHARE HIM WITH AS MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE.

Pick Up Your Cross

Jeremiah 1:4-5  (NKJV)

Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying:

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you;

Before you were born I sanctified you;

I ordained you a prophet to the nations.”

 

 

Pick Up Your Cross

Do you trust God enough to surrender your desires and follow His will? Do you trust that He knows you that well?

As a saved man, you have placed your trust in Christ for your immortal soul. How much easier should it be to place your trust in Him for your mortal life? The results are exciting, but the cost can be dear.

It is clear from Luke 14:25-30 that Christ is not looking for half-hearted followers. He is looking for disciples who are committed personally to Him, beyond anyone and everything else. Reading this verse you can see that He wants you to know that you will have to commit every ounce of your being to Him. Those who are unable to bear their cross or who fail to understand the depth of commitment required will fall away from their mission.

This does not mean that He is looking for those who are strong enough to bear their cross. Take a closer look and you will see that He asks that you bear your cross and come after Him. If you have the will to follow Christ, He has the way and will provide to you the strength, as you fix your eyes upon Him.

 

Pray

Open your heart to the Lord and ask Him to show you where you have not yet surrendered. Thank Him that He knows you so well and ask Him to provide you the strength to follow Him wholeheartedly.

 

Ask Yourself

Do you trust God to provide you enough strength to bear your cross or do you look for Him to prove Himself before you lift your cross and follow?

Think about the word trust as it relates to God. Where do you fail and succeed in trusting God? What is the difference between trusting Him with your soul as opposed to trusting Him with your earthly life?

 

Take Action

Make a leap of faith and follow Him in a new way. Witness or serve in a way that you have felt led, but perhaps have put off previously. Pray daily for the strength to follow Him with all your heart, soul, mind and strength.

Why making a living shouldn’t steal your life

“For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?”

— Mark 8:36

 

The famous philosopher Eric Hoffer once wrote, “We are warned not to waste time, but we are brought up to waste our lives.” You know, the tragedy of many people is that, for the first half of their lives, they spend their health looking for wealth. And in the last half, they spend their wealth looking for health!

For so many, the demands of making a living often keep them from making a life. And when it comes to having a relationship with God, they make excuses and say, “Some other time, Lord. I’ll take a rain check.”

So these people rush through life from the today show to the tonight show to the tomorrow show, and instead of running their lives, their lives begin to run them. And let me tell you, there’s nothing as empty and as unrewarding as success apart from God.

Perhaps the demands of making a living are keeping you from making a life. As a pastor, I’ve never once prayed with anyone in his final hours of life who’s asked to see his money one more time. So remember that while material things will pass away, your relationships with God and with people are what matter and will truly last!

DON’T LET THE BUSYNESS AND WORRIES OF LIFE MAKE YOU MISS OUT ON THE JOY FOUND IN YOUR RELATIONSHIPS WITH GOD AND WITH PEOPLE.

You can know God’s will

Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

— Ephesians 5:17

 

Do you know the number one question Americans are asking today? I’ll tell you. People are asking, “What is the purpose of my life here on earth? How can I know God’s will?”

My friend Rick Warren wrote a book a few years ago on this very subject called, The Purpose Driven Life. Not surprisingly, it sold over 22 million copies. And it’s all because it addressed one of the driving questions of our lives: How do we discover God’s will for our lives?

God wants you to know his will. In fact, as human beings, you and I are hardwired to believe in and to pursue the transcendent, that is, something beyond us.

You see, when God created man, he breathed life into him, and the man became a living soul. And that life extended into the conscience and gave man a moral compass by which to live. As a result, we humans are created to be above the animals.

We’re not the product of an evolutionary scale, but we are created in the very image of God! We are made for more than just passion and plumbing. We are made to make a difference in the world!

If you desire to know God, rejoice! God himself placed that desire within you. Pursue him, and you’ll discover his will and purpose for your life.

WE ARE MADE TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THE WORLD!

Persevere!!!!

Do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded.
You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. – Hebrews 10:35-36

Are you persevering through trials to pursue the will of God? If not, what stands in your way?

per·se·ver·ance

ˌpərsəˈvi(ə)rəns/

noun

noun: perseverance

1.

steadfastness in doing something despite difficulty or delay in achieving success.

“his perseverance with the technique illustrates his single-mindedness”

synonyms:

persistence, tenacity, determination, staying power, indefatigability, steadfastness, purposefulness; patience, endurance, application, diligence, dedication, commitment, doggedness, assiduity, tirelessness, stamina; intransigence, obstinacy; informalstick-to-it-iveness; formalpertinacity “in a competitive environment, perseverance is an invaluable asset”

Peter asked Jesus a question…

Peter asked Jesus a question about the number of times we should forgive others. He may have thought it was generous to forgive someone seven times, but Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times” (Matthew 18:22).

Coming Clean With Each Other

Romans 8:1–17

Those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again. / Romans8:14–15

When Sheryl and Gary got engaged, they sat down and had some pretty frank conversations with one another. They discussed their families and their past relationships, trying to identify the ways their childhoods and dating histories might impinge on their present and future together.

What they didn’t discuss—at least not adequately—was their financial history.In particular, Gary didn’t tell his fiancee that, six years before, he had gotten into massive credit card debt. Gary figured he had dealt with the problem so it was behind him. Why bring up something that wasn’t an issue anymore?

Of course, any time we find ourselves thinking along those lines, something more is going on. If the incident in question was truly in the past, we would feel OK sharing it. Failing to bring up credit card debt, porn use or an affair means the shame of it hasn’t really left us but is still choking us as we try to keep it secret. Over time we become captive to our fears of being found out.

Gary managed to keep his financial past hidden from Sheryl for a few years,though he now says that, in hindsight, he can see that his inability to talk about money with Sheryl caused him to dodge conversations that were important for their financial future. Eventually, Gary had to talk about money and ’fess up to his past money mistakes and his deception when he and Sheryl tried to buy a house and were turned down for a loan because of Gary’s bad credit rating.

It was hard, of course, to have those conversations. “It was much harder than if I’d told Sheryl about my credit card debt years before,” Gary said. “Then we could have strategized together. And then I wouldn’t have had to deal with both Sheryl’s distress that we were having a hard time getting a mortgage and her even greater distress that I had, in effect, lied to her by not telling her the whole truth.”

It can be hard—even terrifying—to reveal a long-buried secret to your spouse.You worry he’ll be furious, that he’ll judge you, that he’ll be hurt. Indeed,your spouse might be hurt. She might be angry. She might be stunned. But put yourself in your spouse’s shoes; if he was keeping something from you, you would want him to come clean, not only so that you could be in the know, but so that he could be freed from the chains of shame and secrecy.

Romans 8:14–15 tells us that we are no longer slaves to fear. As children of God, we live in the light of full disclosure, sure of forgiveness, pardon and restoration—in our relationship with God and with each other. / Lauren Winner

Let’s Talk============Is there a not-so-big issue one of us is keeping from the other? What is preventing full disclosure?

Does envisioning God as truly present in our conversations make it easier to imagine starting a hard conversation with each other about that secret?

Look back to the hard conversations we’ve had with each other. What have been the fruits of those discussions?

Moving beyond the mountaintop

And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them….

— Mark 9:2

 

Have you ever had a spiritual mountaintop experience with Christ? I hope you have. We need glimpses of Christ in all his glory to fill us with faith and boldness. And yet, as wonderful as mountaintop experiences are, you and I are called to more! Let me explain.

In today’s Scripture verse Jesus has taken disciples Peter, James, and John up on what we call the Mount of Transfiguration, because it was there that they saw Jesus transfigured in all of his resplendent glory.

The disciples could see everything that Christ was on the inside demonstrated on the outside. For that dazzling moment his inherent, intrinsic, incarnate glory was revealed.

Now having seen Christ’s glory, Peter wanted to stay right there on the mountain. Jesus had been talking about dying for the sins of mankind. So Peter said, “Lord, let’s just stay here. Let’s build a church and we’ll stay here and worship.”

Well, Peter is like many believers today, but that’s not what God had in mind. We must translate our faith from the mountaintop to the valley! God doesn’t intend for us just to buy ascension robes and wait on a roof somewhere for Jesus to return.

You are called to a mission! Not just to bask in his glory on the mountaintop, but to share his message with a lost and dying world.

WE MUST TRANSLATE OUR FAITH FROM THE MOUNTAINTOP TO THE VALLEY!

Trusting in God’s perfect timing

And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” and they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.” And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus.

— Matthew 14:25-29

I was so excited several years ago when the Lord called us to move back home to Texas from Florida. But I have to admit that there are times I really miss living by the ocean. I just love the majesty and the immensity of the waves as they crash on the beach. And because God created the ocean, then that’s just a small glimpse of his enormous power.

But living by the ocean has given me a better appreciation for what it must have been like that stormy night on the Sea of Galilee. What a sight that must have been amidst the chaos to see a man walking toward them on that tumultuous water!

You know, Jesus came to his friends in just the right moment—right in the middle of that storm during the fourth watch between 3 a.m. and 6 a.m. He did that because that’s when he likes to come through, when things are darkest and look the most hopeless.

Today’s passage teaches that even when things seem darkest, God’s timing for coming through is always perfect. So whatever situation you find yourself in today, he’s going to come through in his timing. He’s never early and he’s never late. His timing is perfect!

WHEN THE STORMS OF LIFE HIT, TRUST THAT GOD IS GOING TO COME THROUGH EVEN WHEN THINGS ARE DARKEST, BECAUSE HIS TIMING IS PERFECT.

How should children be disciplined?

Proverbs 19:18

Proverbs begins with the assumption that children are born in need of correction. They enter the world with a bent toward doing the wrong things.Fathers and mothers are expected to lovingly but firmly train children in the ways of wisdom, responsibility and righteousness. The direction children receive at home sets the course for their entire lives—“Start children off on the way they should go and even when they are old they will not turn from it”(Pr 22:6). This isn’t a blanket promise that godly parents won’t have wayward children, but it does underscore the general principle that good parenting can have a life-long impact.

Parents who fail in their duty to discipline their children bear a heavy responsibility. The writer sees them as a willing party to their child’s death(see Pr 19:18). In ancient Israel the penalty for several crimes was capital punishment, so failing to properly control a child could indirectly lead to his death. Parents who ignore their children or fail to give them the discipline they need consign them to a bleak and dismal future.

There is disagreement today over disciplinary methods. Proverbs appears to favor the stronger forms of discipline—“Whoever spares the rod hates their children, but the one who loves their children is careful to discipline them”(Pr 13:24). Taken to an extreme, of course, such punishment could become abuse, which the Bible never encourages. The other side of the coin, of course, is that children who never learn that their actions carry consequences will eventually come to even more grief.