James 1:26 ESV
If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person's religion is worthless.
When I first got the chance to see a horse up close and personal, prior to a horseback riding trip with my grandfather in the Sawtooth mountains of Idaho, I was freaked out by the bridle in the horse's mouth. I couldn't' imagine having something like that would be comfortable. So, I asked my grandpa if it hurt the horse. My grandpa's reply, with a smile, was, "not if it's going the right way."
When James talks about our faith, and more so the outward actions that accompany our faith, he talks about the tongue being the guide. It is the primary indicator of what is inside. Putting a bridle on our speech may seem like an impossible task but, just like the horse, it's not about having to be pulled around. It only hurts when you are going in the wrong direction. If the horse knows the path then the master barely even has to touch the reigns. If the horse is rebellious and wants to go its own way then the bridle may hurt.
The scary part of this verse for me is the final line. Based upon what I am saying and the words I am using on a consistent basis, is my "religion" worthless? Am I just playing a game and my heart is being revealed as deceived through my mouth? There are a lot of people who claim Christianity. But, how many of them are just going through the motions of a worthless religion because they have not adopted the truth as their lifesaving, life-changing, gift? How's your tongue today?
Wednesday, June 8, 2016
Tuesday, June 7, 2016
08Jun16
Proverbs 17:22 ESV
A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.
What if I could cure cancer with a smile? Wouldn't that be a nice world to live in? People would be walking around saying that frowns are what causes cancer instead of everything else I eat, sleep in, and breath into my body. It seems like a far stretch but, it is absolutely true that your attitude, mindset, and spirit have an impact on the way that you physically feel. I think this is why my wife can suffer through the worst flu and still get everything done around the house and yet, when I get a cold the world is over and I'm going to die. Your choice of attitude has a compounding effect on your physical being.
This principle works inversely as well. If you neglect your body, refuse to work out, and choose to eat junk all day then your spirit will suffer. The body is the temple of the spirit on this earth and yet a lot of people, myself included, tend to forget that a finely tuned body allows the spirit to be utilized to its fullest potential right now. How can you reach the world if you are robbed of precious years by a heart attack, diabetes, or just plain slothfulness? Don't feel like reading your Bible and praying... go workout first and then give it a shot. Don't feel like working out... try reading the Bible and praying first and then try it. These disciplines allow God to utilize us to our maximum effectiveness in this world. Don't let one of them take you out of the fight.
A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.
What if I could cure cancer with a smile? Wouldn't that be a nice world to live in? People would be walking around saying that frowns are what causes cancer instead of everything else I eat, sleep in, and breath into my body. It seems like a far stretch but, it is absolutely true that your attitude, mindset, and spirit have an impact on the way that you physically feel. I think this is why my wife can suffer through the worst flu and still get everything done around the house and yet, when I get a cold the world is over and I'm going to die. Your choice of attitude has a compounding effect on your physical being.
This principle works inversely as well. If you neglect your body, refuse to work out, and choose to eat junk all day then your spirit will suffer. The body is the temple of the spirit on this earth and yet a lot of people, myself included, tend to forget that a finely tuned body allows the spirit to be utilized to its fullest potential right now. How can you reach the world if you are robbed of precious years by a heart attack, diabetes, or just plain slothfulness? Don't feel like reading your Bible and praying... go workout first and then give it a shot. Don't feel like working out... try reading the Bible and praying first and then try it. These disciplines allow God to utilize us to our maximum effectiveness in this world. Don't let one of them take you out of the fight.
Monday, June 6, 2016
07Jun16
John 14:1-2
"Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. 2 In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?"
72 years ago today, on the fateful morning of the D-Day invasion, Chaplain (LTC) George Russell Barber, went over the side of his ship on a rope ladder into a flat-bottomed landing craft that held 30 soldiers.
"When we hit the shore they let down the ramp I stood in front and led my men off," Chaplain Barber recalled. "They were shooting at us all around."
To the right, Barber witnessed a horrible sight. "Just before we landed I saw a landing ship hit a mine," he said. "It blew up and killed all 30 men. They were floating in the water and on the beach."
Without hesitation, Barber rushed to the sides of the wounded. "I talked to as many as I could and prayed with them. I said, 'Trust in God.'" As men died in his arms he recited John 14: "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions..."
If they survived the barrage of hostile fire, the next challenge for Barber and his men was to climb over steep cliffs just beyond the shore. "I couldn't get over the 100 foot cliff so I had to dig my own foxhole that night on the beach," he noted. "I prayed as if everything depended on the Lord, and I dug as if everything depended on me."
"The Lord and me got that foxhole pretty deep."
"Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. 2 In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?"
72 years ago today, on the fateful morning of the D-Day invasion, Chaplain (LTC) George Russell Barber, went over the side of his ship on a rope ladder into a flat-bottomed landing craft that held 30 soldiers.
"When we hit the shore they let down the ramp I stood in front and led my men off," Chaplain Barber recalled. "They were shooting at us all around."
To the right, Barber witnessed a horrible sight. "Just before we landed I saw a landing ship hit a mine," he said. "It blew up and killed all 30 men. They were floating in the water and on the beach."
Without hesitation, Barber rushed to the sides of the wounded. "I talked to as many as I could and prayed with them. I said, 'Trust in God.'" As men died in his arms he recited John 14: "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions..."
If they survived the barrage of hostile fire, the next challenge for Barber and his men was to climb over steep cliffs just beyond the shore. "I couldn't get over the 100 foot cliff so I had to dig my own foxhole that night on the beach," he noted. "I prayed as if everything depended on the Lord, and I dug as if everything depended on me."
"The Lord and me got that foxhole pretty deep."
Sunday, June 5, 2016
06Jun16
Galatians 5:16-18
But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
Take an apple. Cut it in half. Put one half in a bowl of water. Put the other half in a bowl of battery acid. Now let them sit for an hour. Which one are you going to eat? Last night I got the chance to preach a sermon about the new creation that Christ has created in us. Part of that sermon talked about the war between the flash and the spirit inside of us. Make no mistake that the flesh is selfish at its core. By nature it wants what it wants without paying heed to others or God's will for us. We have a choice, in fact we have a lot of choices every day, to feed the flesh or feed the spirit. But, it also has a huge impact on who we are and who we become.
When you soak your brain in the preserving, fresh, water of the spirit of God then you retain health. When you soak yourself in the perverse and decaying aspects of the world is it any question as to why you are falling apart on the inside? Why is my marriage falling apart? Why are my finances falling apart? Why are my friendships falling apart? Why is my happiness falling apart? Could it be because you are soaking yourself in acid instead of water? What are you soaking in today?
But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
Take an apple. Cut it in half. Put one half in a bowl of water. Put the other half in a bowl of battery acid. Now let them sit for an hour. Which one are you going to eat? Last night I got the chance to preach a sermon about the new creation that Christ has created in us. Part of that sermon talked about the war between the flash and the spirit inside of us. Make no mistake that the flesh is selfish at its core. By nature it wants what it wants without paying heed to others or God's will for us. We have a choice, in fact we have a lot of choices every day, to feed the flesh or feed the spirit. But, it also has a huge impact on who we are and who we become.
When you soak your brain in the preserving, fresh, water of the spirit of God then you retain health. When you soak yourself in the perverse and decaying aspects of the world is it any question as to why you are falling apart on the inside? Why is my marriage falling apart? Why are my finances falling apart? Why are my friendships falling apart? Why is my happiness falling apart? Could it be because you are soaking yourself in acid instead of water? What are you soaking in today?
Friday, June 3, 2016
04Jun16
Psalms 91:1,2
He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the LORD, "My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust."
Yesterday a tragedy occurred on Fort Hood. Five Soldiers died, Three are wounded, and Four are still missing after a roll-over accident at a low-water crossing point. As I reflect on these Soldiers, their lives, and the impact this has, and will have, on their families, it reminds me of how intrinsically dangerous our jobs as Soldiers are. Even in training we do things that flirt with death every day. We minimize the risk in our heads and, in a way, become normalized to the danger that it presents to us so that we can do the job that we signed up to do. But, the risk is there. Those five, possibly nine, Soldiers didn't wake up that morning thinking that would be the last day of their lives they just thought they were going out to another field problem. Are you prepared for that?
God is a rock and fortress. He is our comfort in times like these and He alone brings us the assurance that we do not mourn those who go before us in vain. Without that shelter, that refuge, that trust, how do you reconcile the loss? We wrestle with these deep questions and find that God is the answer. Without faith in moments like these people turn to self-medication, medication, and depression or anxiety. That is not what God has designed for you. He wants you to utilize each day he has given to the fullest of your potential. Do not waste them! He holds those Soldiers in His hand and, God willing, they are in His shelter now. But, what are you doing with this day? Are you ready right now?
He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the LORD, "My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust."
Yesterday a tragedy occurred on Fort Hood. Five Soldiers died, Three are wounded, and Four are still missing after a roll-over accident at a low-water crossing point. As I reflect on these Soldiers, their lives, and the impact this has, and will have, on their families, it reminds me of how intrinsically dangerous our jobs as Soldiers are. Even in training we do things that flirt with death every day. We minimize the risk in our heads and, in a way, become normalized to the danger that it presents to us so that we can do the job that we signed up to do. But, the risk is there. Those five, possibly nine, Soldiers didn't wake up that morning thinking that would be the last day of their lives they just thought they were going out to another field problem. Are you prepared for that?
God is a rock and fortress. He is our comfort in times like these and He alone brings us the assurance that we do not mourn those who go before us in vain. Without that shelter, that refuge, that trust, how do you reconcile the loss? We wrestle with these deep questions and find that God is the answer. Without faith in moments like these people turn to self-medication, medication, and depression or anxiety. That is not what God has designed for you. He wants you to utilize each day he has given to the fullest of your potential. Do not waste them! He holds those Soldiers in His hand and, God willing, they are in His shelter now. But, what are you doing with this day? Are you ready right now?
Thursday, June 2, 2016
03Jun16
James 4:2-3
"You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions."
Why hasn't God answered my prayers? I get this question a lot. We want what we want. We ask God for direction and then say we don't hear Him when we don't like the answer He's given. Sometimes, a lot of times, we don't even bother to ask. We just figure God couldn't be bothered. But, nothing is further from the truth. God does care. He cares a lot. But, He cares enough that He's not going to just give you everything your wicked heart desires. That's the point of this verse. God says, "You don't have it because you don't ask... and you ask in the wrong way." We don't ask for what we know God wants for our lives. We ask for what we want for our lives. We ask out of fear and anxiety instead of faith and security. Are you ready for what God really wants to do in your life? Try praying this prayer...
God, thank you for always giving me what I need. I know that I want things that are not good for me and will chase after them. Please help me to focus my eyes, heart, and thoughts on you. Show me the things you want for me. I want to chase those things regardless of the cost. Show me your will in the small decisions I make every day and I will obey so that I may show myself worthy of the path you have chosen for me. Amen.
"You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions."
Why hasn't God answered my prayers? I get this question a lot. We want what we want. We ask God for direction and then say we don't hear Him when we don't like the answer He's given. Sometimes, a lot of times, we don't even bother to ask. We just figure God couldn't be bothered. But, nothing is further from the truth. God does care. He cares a lot. But, He cares enough that He's not going to just give you everything your wicked heart desires. That's the point of this verse. God says, "You don't have it because you don't ask... and you ask in the wrong way." We don't ask for what we know God wants for our lives. We ask for what we want for our lives. We ask out of fear and anxiety instead of faith and security. Are you ready for what God really wants to do in your life? Try praying this prayer...
God, thank you for always giving me what I need. I know that I want things that are not good for me and will chase after them. Please help me to focus my eyes, heart, and thoughts on you. Show me the things you want for me. I want to chase those things regardless of the cost. Show me your will in the small decisions I make every day and I will obey so that I may show myself worthy of the path you have chosen for me. Amen.
Wednesday, June 1, 2016
02Jun16
Psalm 8:3-4
When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?
This morning my 10 year old son sent me a message to tell me that I needed to "check out the new Skillet song, Stars." First off, I want to say how proud I am of my boy that he is looking for Christian music to listen to and filling his heart with praise for our LORD. Secondly, his choice is on point. If you have Spotify or some streaming ability you should listen to this song this morning... two or three times. It is a great reminder of who God is and what He can be to you today.
The God, the creator of the universe, calls you by name. He knows the number of hairs on your head, the teeth in your head, and the freckles on your butt. The God who created the stars, the majestic heavenly bodies that we admire in the night sky, cares for you this morning. He's never too far away from you to save. He reaches to you, not from the heavens, but from right next to you. He knows you better than anyone and loves you more than you can possibly imagine. Take a moment and embrace Him this morning. Admire His creation but, know that it is meant for you. He cares for nothing more than you.
You can listen to the song here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qrIoH3RqYw
When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?
This morning my 10 year old son sent me a message to tell me that I needed to "check out the new Skillet song, Stars." First off, I want to say how proud I am of my boy that he is looking for Christian music to listen to and filling his heart with praise for our LORD. Secondly, his choice is on point. If you have Spotify or some streaming ability you should listen to this song this morning... two or three times. It is a great reminder of who God is and what He can be to you today.
The God, the creator of the universe, calls you by name. He knows the number of hairs on your head, the teeth in your head, and the freckles on your butt. The God who created the stars, the majestic heavenly bodies that we admire in the night sky, cares for you this morning. He's never too far away from you to save. He reaches to you, not from the heavens, but from right next to you. He knows you better than anyone and loves you more than you can possibly imagine. Take a moment and embrace Him this morning. Admire His creation but, know that it is meant for you. He cares for nothing more than you.
You can listen to the song here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qrIoH3RqYw
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