Not Just Paper.

“Abraham named the place Yahweh Yireh (which means ‘the Lord will provide’). To this day, people still use that name as a proverb: ‘on the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.” [Gen. 22:14 (NLT)]

Now I’m not sure if I’ve ever heard that phrase before, but in the New King James Version it says “In the Mount of the LORD it shall be provided,” which I’ve probably heard in a hymn or something. Even so, there many Bible passages that we still quote today. Some of my favorites are: John 3:16-17, 1 Cor. 13:13, and 1 Cor. 15:10 (my life verse). I use these because to me, they have a lot of weight. It’s kind of like the dollar compared to a piece of paper. I use paper. I like paper. But if I lose a piece of paper, I am typically indifferent unless it has some valuable writing on it. Now if I lose a dollar bill, I care a little more. The higher the little number in the corner, the more I am likely to care.

You see the why we care more about the dollar (even though it is also just a piece of paper) is because it is backed by the treasury, and it is worth something to us. Not only do we like having that paper, but also we NEED it in order to have anything in this country.

So how do make God’s word, which to some is just writing a many sheets of paper, like the dollar to us? As a matter of fact, it needs to be worth more! We should not only enjoy the Word of God, we should have a NEED for it. We should know that no amount of riches could exceed the joy that comes with living by God’s word!

With the dollar, we have tangible evidence of its value. We can buy stuff with it. A lot of people think God’s word is invaluable, and that any power behind it is imaginative. Is there tangible evidence when it comes to the value of God’s word? Yes, more so than money. How? Just look at its source.

Just before Abraham named the place “Yahweh Yireh”, he had been spared the burden of sacrificing his son to God. He had been tried and proved faithful, he had his son, God’s blessing, and a great lesson in how the Lord provides. This is just one of his many stories.

“Jesus, I’m not sure if you’re real or not but… I’ve never given my heart to anything before, and I want to give it to you now.” This was the prayer I prayed in my church basement, it was that pivotal moment in which my heart was taken captive by the Spirit and I gave my heart to God. This is one of my many stories, and to me it is worth more than any amount of money. THAT IS THE WORTH OF THE WORD! THAT IS WHAT WE EXCHANGE IT FOR! Salvation.

God’s word, like our money, comes from a source, which is him, is backed by something valuable, which is him, and is exchangeable for something valuable, which is him in our lives, our salvation! How does it outweigh money? Simple! Just look at the ratio of happy millionaires as compared to happy Christians, millionaires pale in comparison. Money can be taken away before your very eyes in an instant and leave you without it. The only way to lose god is to walk away, and you can’t just “have a little of” God, you have all or none. God is backed with an eternal warrantee!

When people see money they don’t see paper, they see something of value that they both want and need. When I see the Bible, I don’t see paper, I see the word of God that I need and would be lost without, like I was before I prayed that prayer.

So let’s not treat His word like paper, but like riches. Let’s use it in exchange for salvation. Let’s frequently visit the source, which is God, in order to have our fill. And let’s share His word with the spiritually poor, and show them to value the Bible paper more, and the green paper less.

Dying Heart?

Mortality.

Consider the word. By definition, it means “the state or condition of being subject to death; mortal character, nature, or existence.” Humans are mortals; we die. There are also things out there that can speed up the process of life. Things like: earthquakes hurricanes, car accidents, war, drugs, and suicide. Life is so fragile and just about anything can take it away. So very little in this world is in our control. We can make choices, take precaution, but it can all be swept away from us. Nobody is safe from the unexpected. Most of us realize this, and accept it as a fact of nature.

I, as an individual, can accept this. I know that I am currently safe from harm, and should the unfortunate happen, God has a home waiting for me. I fear not for my health, nor my mind, strength, soul, or any part belonging to me. But what about my heart?

Whenever one of my friends, or family, or -generally speaking- someone I love gets closer to the lines of mortality so does a piece of my heart. When they poison themselves with drugs or alcohol, a piece of my heart is getting poisoned. When they let the world overwhelm and feel like they have to cut themselves, a piece of my heart bleeds too. When they let themselves be abused in any way, shape, or form, then a piece of my heart takes that blow with them.

I know I’m not the only one that feels like this. I’m sure everybody who has someone they love in the hospital, at war, or at risk from their own behaviors has a piece of their heart hurting for them. And it hurts badly. It hurts badly because it’s not something we can control. As much as we’d like to we cannot simply take their suffering from them, and replace it with wholeness, safety, and the embrace of God.

Imagine how Abraham felt when his only son, Isaac, who surely had a big piece of his father’s heart, was whom God told him to kill as a sacrifice to him. I am not a parent. But I can see that the love between a parent and their child can be one of the greatest of all. I could not see myself having to kill my own child to prove my love to the Lord. A child surely takes up a huge piece of their parent’s heart. So having to kill that piece seems too hard to try to live without. Yet Abraham did as he was told.

“And Abraham picked up the knife to kill his son as a sacrifice. At that moment the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven,

‘Abraham! Abraham!’

‘Yes,’ Abraham replied. ‘Here I am!’

‘Don’t lay a hand on that boy!’ the angel said. ‘Don’t hurt him in any way, for now I know that you truly fear God. You have not withheld from me even your son, your only son.’” [Gen. 22: 10-12 (NLT)]

Did you honestly think God would hurt something so precious to his chosen one? God was testing him, but not torturing him. Sometimes we feel tortured by the circumstances in our lives and what people put us through. But what so many of us fail to realize is that GOD IS THERE TO HELP US AND THE ONES WE LOVE. We cannot WITHOLD them from him. Now I’m not saying sacrifice your loved ones. Do the thing that replaced sacrifices in the New Testament, PRAY!

Jesus and Generousity.

“About this time, Abimelech came with Phicol, his army commander, to visit Abraham. ‘God is obviously with you, helping you in everything you do,’ Abimelech said. ‘Swear to me in God’s name that you will never deceive me, my children, or any of my descendants. I have been loyal to you, so now swear now that you will be loyal to me and to this country where you are living as a foreigner.’

Abraham replied, ‘Yes, I swear to it!’” [Gen. 21:22-24 (NLT)]

Now think about everything that Abimelech was asking of Abraham. It was certainly no small favor! It was an ETERNAL VOW OF LOYALTY, to both him and his descendants. What is an eternal promise? It is a promise that you keep FOREVER and NO MATTER WHAT. What is more amazing? Abraham hears this and says, “Yes!” without hesitation! I don’t know about you but giving ANYONE an eternal vow is pretty generous to me!

Now just to follow that example takes a lot doesn’t it? But I challenge you to take it a step further than that. I know said this before, and I will say it until my mouth can no longer form the syllables (then I’ll just mumble it): IN ORDER TO FOLLOW JESUS, WE NEED TO BE LIKE JESUS!!! We need to be pure like Jesus was. We need to love like Jesus did. And we need to be GENEROUS, as he was generous.

As far as giving the way Jesus does, it is impossible. No matter who we are, we cannot give anyone salvation, I don’t care if you are the pope. It is impossible. A popular piece of scripture says, “ask and you shall receive”. Jesus can give us anything; we can only give so much. It is a lot easier to be like Abraham.

“Why are you asking me to do the impossible?”

I’m not; I did not challenge you to be Jesus, just to be like him. So why did I bring up that Abraham is easier? Pay attention.

“If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that.” [Mat. 5:47 (NLT)]

Notice hoe Abimelech told Abraham, “I have always been loyal to you”. So they were friends. Christians, we NEED to take it a step further than this. Jesus KNOWS that you and I have not always been loyal to him, but does he still love us? More than we know. No matter who you are or what you’ve done, HIS LOVE IS AT YOUR DISPOSAL! ASK AND YOU SHALL RECEIVE! His love for you isn’t based on anything you do; it’s just there.

This is how you must be; I know it’s hard. But it’s nothing compared to the cross. LIVE LIKE JESUS! GIVE LIKE JESUS!

Eyes Open To Arms Open.

Starting at Genesis 21:8 we read about some trouble going on in the house of Abraham. It starts of when Sarah (Abraham’s wife) notices Ishmael (Abraham’s first son) and Hagar (Ishmael’s mother) making fun of Isaac (the son of Abraham and Sarah). Sarah becomes very angry and demands that both Ishmael and Hagar be sent away. Abraham is at first very upset by this, but God tells him to go through with it and that everything will be all right. So Abraham gives Hagar some food and a container of water and sends them off.

“When the water was gone, she put the boy in the shade of a bush. Then she went and sat down by herself about a hundred yards away. ‘I don’t want to watch the boy die,’ she said, as she burst into tears.” [Gen. 21:15-16 (NLT)]

Thousands people, if not millions, know how this feels. For some parents, it is this exact situation. Too many parents had to watch their children waste away. Then again for some, it is their dreams that they had to watch waste to nothing. Or perhaps it was money. Whatever the case, broken dreams are a part of reality. I’m certain at least three quarters of all people who read this can remember a time they had no hope. And the only thing they felt they could do was just take the dream, let it die, and start the mourning process early.

“But God heard the boy crying, and the angel of God called Hagar from heaven, ‘Hagar, what’s wrong? Do not be afraid! God had heard the boy crying as he lies there. Go to him and comfort him, for I will make a great nation from his descendants.’

Then God opened Hagar’s eyes, and she saw a well full of water. She quickly filled her water container and gave the boy a drink.” [Gen. 21: 17-19 (NLT)]

Recently, I got new eyeglasses. I had been walking around for months squinting to see everything better. I truly think the bats felt sorry for me. So when I first put on my glasses, it was a shock! I could see things! And it seems all I did for the next few days was look around. I would go through my routine noticing thing I hadn’t before. And I loved it! Good sight makes life so much easier.

In comparison to God, all humans are pretty near sighted. Like me before I got glasses, we don’t always pick up on things right in front of us. And we often find ourselves squinting and looking around for options. Sometimes we are so blind spiritually that we can’t read the HUGE signs that say “Hey you! God has the answer for this!” And so we ignore them, and try to get through life by our own strength. As Hagar, and the three quarters of you reading this can testify, it doesn’t always work out too well.

Luckily, God had something for you sight hat works better than any pair of glasses or contacts could ever dream of! God can OPEN YOUR EYES TO HIS OPEN ARMS! You see God has REALLY GOOD vision, and can see every thing. He crafted you and knows every thing you can do. If you ask God to show you the Way, you’ll never have to squint! No matter how dreary it looked before. And the life that used to be too hard to do anything with will be easy. For you can more then you used to, and you can see God is there.

So to the three quarters of you, don’t squint any more. Let God open your eyes, and see life how you were meant to see it. With HOPE.

A Laughing Matter

“The Lord kept his word and did for Sarah exactly as he had promised. She became pregnant, and she gave birth to a son for Abraham in his old age. This happened at just the time God said it would. And Abraham named their son Isaac.”

[Gen. 21:1-3 (NLT)]

I can’t explain it, but whenever God answers my prayers, I feel sincerely happy, but kind of silly at the same time. I think of how hard life is before I FINALLY convince myself I should pray about it, then he answers my prayer and I think “of course, silly, THAT’S WHAT GOD DOES!”

“And Sarah declared, ‘God has brought me laughter. All who hear about this will laugh with me. Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse a baby? Yet I have given Abraham a son in his old age!” [Gen. 21:6-7 (NLT)]

It reminds me of the time my parents were forcing me to go to church, I was then an atheist and found religion to be more of an “evil in disguise” than anything else. But they wouldn’t hear of it, I simply had no choice, I was going to church. I was absolutely APPALLED that parents would force religion on to their children. I was appalled that my parents were making me “bow down” to their “fake god” just because they did. So I simply looked at my stepmother hatefully and said, “Do you have any idea what this is going to do to me?”

The truth is, neither of us had ANY idea what it would do to me. And I am SO grateful for all that it did FOR (and not to) me. I used to be a cynical, miserable atheist who lived life feeling like a LOSER. Today, I am the complete opposite. Like Sarah’s laughing: I went from sarcasm to sincerity in a year.

You see, Christians, sometimes we forget (or never learn in the first place) exactly who God is. GOD IS NOT JUST A GOOD IDEA, HE IS NOT JUST THE BOSS MAN, HE NEVER HAS JUST GOOD INTENTION. God is THE REAL GOOD, and he backs every promise with follow through. And when he shows us that, it makes us want to laugh, sincerely! And it’s a great feeling!

Now here’s the challenge, FREEZE THAT FEELING. When God answers our prayers, we feel like the world is working for us. But there always comes a time when we feel like the world has chewed us up and spit us out. But just hold on to the feeling, the one that says God is watching over you, even when that is ALL you can hold on to. Because that feeling is SO MUCH MORE than all those other negative feelings combined.

In the sun shine,

God loves how your face glows.

But when the rain comes,

Just look at a rainbow.

Another challenge, notice how Sarah said, “All who hear about this will laugh with me.” What good is laughter when only you can hear it? You see there are plenty of people in this world who are not laughing. The kind of people who only smile just to make others think they’re happy. God can change that, and you can help. Christians, the light inside of you, the joy God puts in you, is too bright to keep for only yourself. Share it with others. Everybody has a story, and you never know how a story could impact somebody’s life. I mean, why do we read the Bible?

Hey Kids!

“Then Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech, his wife, and his female servants, so they could have children. For the Lord had caused all the women to be infertile because of what happened with Abraham’s wife, Sarah.”

[Gen. 20: 17-18 (NLT)]

According to at least the New Living Translation bible, the first time and word that has to do with “prayer” is in Gen 20:17. It was the first time anybody really asked God for a favor. Why so late? If you ask me, I’d say humanity wasn’t old enough to be able to speak to God in such a way. Back then, humanity was like an infant, and God carried it around, fulfilling its needs as they arose. With prayer, and God’s response to it, mankind then became what God would forever have it be, a walking, talking, young child.

If you are or were a parent of a young child, or if you’ve ever watched one. You’ll notice tat they are the most DEPENDENT walking things on the planet! Right through ages 2-6 a child will not try to find anything, cross a street, stay at home, cut up their food, pour a drink, or (most unfortunately) use a public bathroom without the help of an older person. They are always asking for stuff. And the majority of us, not being able to stand the sight of a little kid crossing the street alone or walk around with his/her shoes untied, fell obligated to help them.

God gave us this behavior, because paternal/maternal instinct comes from him, HE IS IT. We may not need God to tie our shoes for us, but can go through everyday without prayer? Are we “old enough” to be able to get everything we may want and need in this life ON OUR OWN? Can anybody be old enough?

“I tell you the truth, anyone who doesn’t receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.” [Luke 17:18 (NLT)]

Christians, we are all little children as far as God is concerned. It doesn’t matter if you are a preacher, teacher, or otherwise. Any good parent wouldn’t let their little one cross the street alone now matter how much their kid reassured them. They are simply too little to do it alone, the cars won’t see them; it’s not worth the risk.

Christians, even though this is hard to accept, you are TOO LITTLE to get by without God’s assistance in your life. If so you are like a little kid trying to cross the street alone. And those disasters in life that you can’t control are like the cars. THEY WON’T SEE YOU WHEN THEY HIT, and you’re bound to get hurt.

That is why we MUST PRAY, because there are things on the shelf of life that we are not big enough to get for ourselves. And we need to ask God to get it for us. And we have to trust in our Father to decide for us whether or not that thing will be a Band-Aid to help us heal, a healthy snack to keep us going in the right direction, or a cookie to spoil our appetites.

May the Lord’s guidance be with you all.

Now Think About This.

“Then Abimelch called for Abraham. ‘What have you done to us?’ he demanded. ‘What crime have I committed that deserves treatment like this, making me and my kingdom guilty of this great sin? No one should ever do what you have done! Whatever possessed you to do such a thing?”

Abraham replied, ‘ I thought,’ This is a godless place. They will want my wife and kill me to get her.” [Gen. 20: 9-11 (NLT)]

In my last writing, I told you the dangers of not being assertive. Today, I want to share with you the dangers of assumption.

How many times have you heard in a conversation, “He/she won’t EVER change”? Have you ever been to a church, school or workplace where someone has actually come up to you and told you every disgusting rumor about a specific person, and then told you not to go near that person because there was “something wrong” with him/her. Is there some one you know who you believe and/or has it often said about them that they will NEVER follow God! Take a minute and think of one right now. Keep that person in mind.

Abimelech turned out to not be such a godless man after all. Neither did Paul the Apostle, Mary Magdalene, or any of the HUNDREDS, if not thousands, of stories of the supposedly “godless” people giving their lives to Christ. I’m talking drug-dealers, killers, and gang leaders, the worst of the worst! Now think about your person.

Assuming that we know who will and will not ever reach out to God is one of the most IGNORANT things a Christian can do. Can you summarize a book that you’ve never seen nor read? Every high school student that ever flunked on a book report will confirm that you cannot. So how ignorant of us is it, Christians, when we have never seen or read the Book of Life (that has the names of every person that will get into heaven) to say, “I don’t know where this Book of Life is, but I certainly know who’s NOT going to be in it!” You do whenever you say someone will never change. ASSUMPTION IS CONDEMNATION. Now think about your person.

The pastor of my church once told me “The sick go the hospital to get better. The uneducated go to school to become educated. And they poor in spirit should come to church to be made new.” The hospital is not for the healthy to keep away from the sick. The school is not for the scholars to keep away from the uneducated. The church SHOULD NEVER be just for the “good Christians” to keep away from the lost. Now think about your person.

“God sent his son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.” [John. 3:17 (NLT)]

If the purest, most righteous man to ever walk the earth could not judge, or condemn, us, then who are we to say we can? Who are we to even SUGGEST that a person may or may not find God? I AM ASHAMED AND I AM TIRED of all these Christians and churches that exclude those who live outside of God’s way. Do you know the heart and mind of God? Now don’t just think about your person, PRAY FOR THEM.

May the Lord’s guidance be with you all,

Time to Draw the Line

“Abraham introduced his wife, Sarah, by saying, ‘She is my sister.’ So king Abimelech of Gerar sent for Sarah and had her brought to him at his palace.

But that night God came to Abimelech in a dream and told him, ‘You are a dead man, for that woman you have taken is already married!’

But Abimelech has not slept with her yet, so he said, ‘Lord, will you destroy an innocent nation? Didn’t Abraham tell me, ‘She is my sister’? And she herself said, ‘Yes, he is my brother’. I acted in complete innocence! My hands are clean.’

In the dream God responded, ‘Yes, I know you are innocent. That’s why I kept you from inning against me, and why I did not let you touch her.” [Gen. 20: 2-6 (NLT)]

Why do mishaps like these happen with so many Christians? Why does so many of us let those who are blind to God continue to walk in the dark while we stay silent in order to protect ourselves? Don’t we realize that WE are the first impression of Jesus?

It seems that the majority of today’s Christians are either too aggressive, in which the only thing they’ll ever say to a non-believer is “you crossed the line”. Too passive, in which they’ll just smile and chat and act like there is no line to cross. Or simply passive-aggressive, in which they’ll first act like there is no line, then wait to say, “You crossed it”.

Abraham was being passive in this passive in this passage. He went through town saying, “She is my sister”, instead of,“she is my wife”. Taking a man’s unmarried sister is not a sin, but a natural occurrence. Taking a man’s wife however, most certainly is a sin.

Passive Christians do this all the time; they disguise sin in order to protect their reputations. When they don’t flat out say it’s not a sin (by using terms like “human nature” and “God made us this way”), they shrug it off with terms like “frowned upon” and “a good suggestion”. I call this the “it’s ok” approach; it’s simply refusing to call a sin a sin.

Now Abraham had a good reputation, and he was known as a man of God. So why wouldn’t Abimelech believe a man of God when he calls a woman his sister? Abimelech did not have the knowledge of God like Abraham did. You can always trust in the Lord, shouldn’t you also be able to trust in HIS SERVANTS?

Christians, IT IS A SIN to bear false witness, it is a sin to lie. But how much greater of a sin is it when we lie about God’s word in order to protect our reputations? How much greater of a sin is it when we cause someone to stumble further because they took our word for it? Rather heavy if you ask me.

Practically ever non-believer MEETS A CHRISTIAN before they meet Christ. So will they get a glimpse of THE TRUE JESUS when they see us? Let’s pray so. You see, Jesus DID NOT come down to this earth with any intention of having a good reputation. He wanted people to know THE TRUTH.

Christians, we believe in a Savior that we can always trust, and we are the hands and feet of that Savior. So how should anyone find that ever trustworthy Savoir when his people constantly steer them wrong? It’s time BE ASSERTIVE, Christians; let’s draw the line.

May the Lord’s guidance be with you all,

Sodom and Revelation (No, Jude IS NOT the Last Book)

The account of the destroying of Sodom and Gomorrah has always been seen as a mini-Revelation, and it sort of is. I believe the end times were even compared to the destroying of Sodom and Gomorrah somewhere in the book of Jude.

“Meanwhile, the angels questioned Lot, ‘Do you have any other relatives here in the city?’ they asked. ‘Get them out of this place- your sons-in-law, sons, daughters, or anyone else. For we are about to destroy this city completely. The outcry against this place is so great it has reached the Lord, and he has sent us to destroy it.”

[Gen. 19:12:13(NLT)]

Have you ever attached a paper clip to a magnet, and then attached another paper clip to the first one? You’ll notice that the second paper clip sticks even though it is not touching the magnet? It is because the molecules in the first paper clip, when coming into contact with the magnet, become arranged so that it too is magnetic. The second paper clip can now move with the magnet without touching it.

This reminds me of Jesus. God is the magnet, and Jesus is that first paper clip. Jesus knows we cannot be as close to God as he is, and we will never be quite like him. So we, the second paper clip in this illustration, cannot touch the magnet. We cannot connect with God by ourselves. But by connecting ourselves with Jesus, WE CAN CONNECT with God.

In this passage, Lot was told to take on the “first paper clip” role. He was told to “Get them out of this place”. In Genesis, “this place” is Sodom. In Revelation and beyond, “This Place” is the entire world. Christians, have you noticed yet that everything in “this place” has an expiration date, including your body? Did it ever occur to you that everything in this earth, including you is either dying or fading away, if it has not done so already? The truth is, everything not connected to Jesus will die. But fortunately, the price of salvation is free. All you have to do is GET CONNECTED.

“So Lot rushed out to tell his daughters fiancés, ‘ Quick, get out of the city! The Lord is about to destroy it!’ but the young men thought he was only joking.”

I’ve seen a few shows on television that tried to discredit the book of Revelation. Saying that John was either crazy or drunk, and was having one heck of a trip instead of a vision from God. Revelation is scary. You’d have to be crazy not to think so! Revelation is a book that many preachers like to stay mum about because it is SO BOLD, and can easily scare (and/or offend) the audience speechless. But WE CANNOT DENY THIS! God had told us what to prepare for. If the weatherman tells you to prepare for rain, should you not get that old raincoat or umbrella from out of the closet? So when Christ told us to prepare for him because hell is going to be a REAL SCORCHER, should we not try our best to get right with God?

Listen to the first five words of this next piece of scripture.

“At dawn the next morning the angels became insistent. ‘Hurry’, they said to Lot.

‘Take your wife and your two daughters who are here. Get out right now, or you will be swept away in the destruction of the city!” [Gen. 19:15 (NLT)]

“At dawn the next morning”

You see, Christians, we are right now the previous night. They say the night is darkest just before the dawn. The world seems to be getting darker now than in the last few decades. We’ll never know when this “dawn” will be, until it is here. So what can we do? Attach our selves to Jesus; make him hat “fist paper clip” in our lives. Jesus is the only one we can attach ourselves to that comes by an Authority great enough that can PREVENT DEATH.

My intention with this was not to scare you into believing in God, or even to scare you into repentance. But to assert that Jesus is THE ONLY PATH to eternal life, and that anything else we attach ourselves to in order to get by is DYING WITH US, and someday it will be no more. Fashions die. Nobody likes the sound of death. So run for you lives, Christians, run to Jesus.

May the Lord’s guidance be with you all,

The Holy Q&A

“Should I hide my plan from Abraham?’ the Lord said. ‘For Abraham will certainly become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth will be blessed through him. I have singled him out so that he will direct his sons and their families to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just. Then I will do for Abraham all that I have promised.” [Gen. 18:17-19 (NLT)]

At this time, the Lord was planning on destroying the city of Sodom. He sent men (or angles?) to see how wicked the city was. In this passage, you’ll notice that God actually QUESTIONS whether or not he should tell Abraham of this plan. This news would certainly upset Abraham, seeing as his nephew, Lot, was living in or around Sodom at that time. So why does God end up telling him? Well if you ask me, God wanted Abraham to know something. (Well, Duh.) Something other than just his plan, something about him.

“Abraham approached him and said, ‘Will you sweep away both the righteous and the wicked? Suppose you find fifty righteous people living there in the city-will you sweep it away and not spare it for their sakes? Surely you wouldn’t do such a thing, destroying the righteous along with the wicked. Why you would be treating the righteous and the wicked exactly the same! Surely you wouldn’t do that! Should not the Judge of all earth do what is right?’

And the Lord replied, ‘If I find fifty righteous people in Sodom, I will spare the entire city for their sake.” [Gen. 18:23-26 (NLT)]

Abraham keeps apologizing for questioning God, then he keeps asking more “what if” questions with smaller numbers of supposed righteous people every time. Until… “Finally, Abraham said, ‘Lord, please don’t be angry with me if I speak one more time. Suppose only ten are found there?’

And the Lord replied, ‘Then I will not destroy it for the sake of ten.”

[Gen. 18:32 (NLT)]

God said earlier in this piece of scripture that Abraham was the one whom he chose to bless, and use his descendants for his plan; he said that Abraham would be the one to “direct”, or teach his sons about God and his righteousness. So it only makes sense that God would use the destroying of Sodom as an example for how God will not punish the righteous with the wicked.

If you ask me, Christians, I think God wants us to know EVERYTHING about him, even if he doesn’t want us to know it just now. He wants us to feel him out, to see what he’s like, and to seek him. I think God didn’t just go ahead and destroy Sodom without telling Abraham because he didn’t want Abraham to be confused about him. So he ALLOWS THE QUESTIONING.

Christians, how many times do we say we are “lost” when God does something we do not agree with? How many times do we say we are “lost” when we want something from God that he just won’t give us? The truth is, we shouldn’t be lost. God had already given us the answer that he did not give Abraham. Don’t believe me? Where was Abraham’s Bible? Where was his preacher?

Christians, did you ever think of how EASY God has made living for him, I’m not saying it isn’t hard at times. But think about it. Not only has God made it easy with his infinite mercy and forgiveness, but also over thousands of years he had people WRITE DOWN the events, happenings, and teachings of God, just so it could be put into a book to be used by us at our disposal.

The bible, I can guarantee covers EVERY question we may have; God has made this even easier. God has called people to be TEACHERS OF THE GOSPEL in case you may find it hard to find the answers for yourself. So when in doubt, ASK A PREACHER!

And in the end, Christians, it all comes down to us. If you are to truly live in Christ, do not seek the answers you WANT to find. Instead seek the answers HE'S GIVEN YOU, even if it’s not what you would have to hear.

May the Lord’s guidance be with you all,

No Laughing Matter

“Then one of them said, I will return to you about this time next year, and your wife, Sarah, will have a son!’

Sarah was listening to this conversation from the tent. Abraham and Sarah were both very old by this time, and Sarah was long past the age of having children. So she laughed silently to herself and said, ‘How could a worn out woman like me enjoy such a pleasure, especially when my master-my husband-is so old?” [Gen 18:10-12 (NLT)]

Now isn’t this just the metaphor? So many of us Christians (or perhaps non-believers) have been in a situation like Sarah. Where the people of God (often referred to as “bible thumpers”) come up to us and tell us we can change. They put a picture in our head of us without any sorrow or sickness. They tell us we can be free from all of our troubles. They tell us we can dance, sing, and be merry. All we have to do is (and this is the downer for most people) LIVE FOR GOD.

Usually, after their speeches, what do we do? Like Sarah, we laugh, we shake our heads, and say one of two things; “No, I’m too old”, or, “No, I’m too far gone.”

We are a society of excuses, especially when it comes to why we won’t change our sinful ways. If they’re to old, the excuse is, “I’m too old to change.” If they’re younger it’s, “I can’t change right now, maybe I’ll change WHEN I’M OLDER.”

So why the excuses? Why not just change? Wouldn’t we all like to live how Mister or Misses Bible Thumper said we could? We all want to be free, but WE’RE SCARED. We are too afraid to find out WE ARE NOT STRONG ENOUGH to succeed, that we just tell everyone, including ourselves, that we cannot change, or that we DON’T WANT TO change.

Take a minute right now, or as long as you need. Think about your life. Think about something in your life, something that hurts. Whether it’s an addiction, a bad habit, a sinful longing, a wrong decision, a number of wrong decisions, your lifestyle, or a sorrow. Be honest with yourself; think of the REAL REASON why it’s still with you. Now think of how life would feel without it.

“ Then the Lord said to Abraham, ‘Why did Sarah laugh? Why did she say, ‘Can an old woman like me have a baby?’ is anything too hard for the Lord? I will return about this time next year, and Sarah will have a son.” [Gen. 18:13-14 (NLT)]

Christians, the reality is, WE ARE NOT STRONG ENOUGH TO CHANGE ON OUR OWN. But God is more than strong enough to CHANGE US. We just have to give those “things that hurt” in our lives to him. It’s scary, but IT DOES WORK! Sarah laughed when she thought about having a son in her old age. But I’m sure a year later, when she held that baby boy in her arms for the first time, it was enough to make her shed a tear.

Christians, God has not changed what he wants for us. God has it SET IN STONE what he wants us to do. His will is permanent. It will not change. But God has not SET YOU IN STONE. No matter how it feels, you are not STUCK as you are. I know you’ve heard this before, but YOU CAN BE CHANGED, just ask God for it.

May the Lord’s guidance be with you all,

Did Somebody Say Impossible?

“When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, ‘ I am El-Shaddai, ‘God Almighty.’ Serve me faithfully and live a blameless life. I will make a covenant with you, by which I will guarantee to give you countless descendants.’

At this, Abram fell face down on the ground. Then God said to him, ‘This is my covenant with you: I will make you father of a multitude of nations! What’s more, I am changing your name. It will no longer be Abram. Instead, you will be called Abraham, for you will be the father of many nations. I will make you extremely fruitful. You descendants will become many nations, and kings will be among them!

[Gen. 17:1-6 (NLT)]

Have you ever looked in one of those books that tell you the meanings of names? A few years ago, I did. As it turned out, my name had two meanings, "outgoing" and “sweet”. My family and I found this to be hysterical. For back then I was the most timid person you could come across, with a stone cold heart. Of course, I did not know my God back then. I’m sure if I ever were to run into any of my old school teachers, they would think it was only a coincidence that the outgoing, accepting person I am today would have the same name as the shy loner kid that once sat in the back of their classroom.

While I’m not sure what the name “Abram” means, I know that Abraham (according to the New Living Translation bible) means “exalted father”. Which is craziness considering Abraham was about 40-50 years too old to father a child, and his wife was also well past her prime. And people just don’t have babies when they’re almost one hundred years of age. And yet, Abram fathered Isaac, who fathered Jacob, who fathered the nation of Israel. This is one of the many miracles that happen in the bible. Also, this is one of the MANY, MANY miracles that happen through God.

So how does and old man become a father? How do people not get burned in fire? What can make the sun stay in the sky longer than it usually does? How can the mute talk? How can the lame walk? How can the dead rise? How can a VIRGIN GIVE BITRTH? Who can move a mountain?

“ Jesus looked at them intently and said, ‘ Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God, everything is possible.” [Mat. 19:26 (NLT)]

Christians, when we find God, and let our souls come into contact with the Holy Spirit, WE CHANGE. Finding God is not just finding the pathway to heaven. It is also finding that through him we can have PEACE ON EARTH.

ONLY GOD has the power to take our flawed, broken lives, and change them into one’s worth loving to live.

May the Lord’s guidance be with you all,

Hagar's Faith

In Genesis sixteen, Sarah (at that time Sarai) told Abraham (at that time Abram) that she could not get pregnant. So Sarah suggested that he try to have a child through Hagar, a servant in their household. So Abraham followed through with this plan, and Hagar became pregnant. Upon learning of her pregnancy, Hagar began to treat Sarah contemptuously. Later, Sarah returned her cruelty and caused Hagar to run away…

“ The angel of the Lord said to her, ‘ Return to your mistress, and submit to her authority.’ Then he added, ‘I will give you more descendants than you can count.’

And the angel also said, ‘ You are now pregnant and will give birth to a son. You are to name him Ishmael (which means ‘God hears’), for the Lord has heard your cry of distress. This son of yours will be a wild man, as untamed as a wild donkey! He will raise his fist against everyone, and everyone will be against him. Yes, he will live in open hostility against all his relatives.” [Gen. 16:9-12 (NLT)]

Notice the promise the Lord made to Hagar. Back then; it was a blessing to have many descendants, but a curse to have a bad family name, and the Lord promised her that her child will bring her both of these. So he gave her a blessing, but also a curse. Could it seem rather worthless? That her would make her a mother just so she can grieve over a wild son? Hagar could have thought this way about God’s promise to her, but instead this happened…

“Thereafter, Hagar used another name to refer to the Lord, who had spoken to her. She said, ‘You are the God who sees me.’ She also said, ‘Have I truly seen the One who sees me?” [Gen. 16:13 (NLT)]

Sometimes, I like to sit on a chair in the porch in my backyard, and just stare into space. I look at the grass, the trees, the sky, and the little animals. I think, “How awesome is the One who made all this?” Then I realize, I am only seeing an extraordinarily SMALL FRACTION of God’s creation. Even if I could see all of the world at once, what is that compared to the universe? Or the mystery that lies in the heavens?

Was this what Hagar was getting at? How what seems like sour deed done unto her was a good deed done for mankind? After all, through Isaac, the world was blessed. And Ishmael was said to father some nations himself. But I think what Hagar realized was, IT WAS NOT ABOUT HER. That the Lords lukewarm blessing on her was STILL out of love even though it was not as great as she could have hoped. And that even though she couldn’t see his work taking place, she knew he was still working towards something. And that she could not judge whom God was by the situation at hand. Just like I could not name all of God’s creation by the view from my back porch.

Christians, so many of us judge whom God is just by the material, just by what he gives us. So many of us lose our faith in God when the chips are down. How can we ever expect to UNDERSTAND HIM when our perception of God is circumstantial? We have to look around, Christians. We have to see God’s love in MORE than just the material blessings. See his love in your talents, your health, your family, and most importantly your KNOWLEDGE OF HIM AND HIS PROMISE. And never let you faith be swayed by the misfortunes at hand, for ALL OF THAT IS ONLY TEMPORARY.

And when you feel like you have nothing. Just remember, you have God. And by having God YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW how much you have.

May the Lord’s guidance be with you all,

God Vision

“Some time later, the Lord spoke to Abram in a vision and said to him, ‘Do not be afraid, Abram, for I will protect you and your reward will be great.” [Gen. 15:1 (NLT)]

Isn’t it wonderful how God provides us with unfailing love and protection? How he comes right down to us and tells us not to fear. This is a perfect illustration of why he is such a loving God! But he shows something even greater here, for God isn’t just saying this to Abraham (at that time Abram), God is COMFORTING Abraham, for he knows that he is worried.

“But Abraham didn’t say he was worried.” Not yet. But that’s the beauty of it! God is ALREADY telling Abraham it will be ok, even before Abraham states the problem.

“ But Abraham replied, ‘ O Sovereign Lord, what good are all your blessings when I don’t even have a son? Since you’ve given me no children, Eliezer of Damascus, a servant in my household, will inherit all my wealth.” [Gen 15:2 (NLT)]

So there is the problem! You see, just because God understood doesn’t mean Abraham did, Abraham didn’t see how God could bless him with “descendants as numerous as the dust on the earth”, but Abraham didn’t have God’s eyes.

“ Then the Lord said to him, ‘No, your servant will not be your heir, for you will have a son of your own who will be your heir.’ Then the Lord took Abraham outside and said to him, ‘Look up into the sky and count the stars if you can. That’s how many descendants you will have!” [Gen. 15:4-5 (NLT)]

This can change the way we think of God. God first CAME TO Abraham, then he COMFORTED Abraham, and when Abraham told the Lord of his problems, the Lord did not insult or rebuke him for saying what he already knew. Instead God REASSURED HIM that he would follow through. God had a great plan for Abraham, and God still took the time to reassure him in his doubt.

Christians, GOD KNOWS EVERYTHING about you. He knows your worries, your fears, your desires, everything! And when you have no hope that life will turn out good for you, REMEMBER GOD IS YOUR HOPE. He is NEVER too busy to hear the cry of the broken, the hopeless, the righteous, the evil. NO MATTER WHO YOU ARE, God is just an arms length away.

He sees you, and he’s waiting.

May the Lord’s guidance be with you all,

Gifts from the Wicked.

“The king of Sodom said to Abram, ‘ Give back my people who were captured. But you may keep for yourself the goods you have recovered.’

Abram replied to the king of Sodom ‘ I solemnly swear to the Lord God Most High, creator of heaven and earth, that I will not take so much as a single thread or sandal thong from what belongs to you. Otherwise you might say ‘ I am the one who made Abram rich.” [Gen. 15:21-23 (NLT)]

When Abraham (at that time Abram) used his 318 men to redeem Lot and all his possessions, he had also captured some of the king of Sodom’s people and possessions.

Notice the deal the king made with Abraham, he could keep all the goods. There was nothing wrong with these goods. Yet Abraham denied these goods as though they were mere trash. Why did he do this? I mean a gift is a gift, right? How could it hurt?

Suppose a man was to become a drug dealer, and make a million dollars off selling drugs, and then he finds God. Suppose he realizes his sin and stops dealing the drugs, but keeps all the money. By no longer sinning, but still living off the profit, which he earned by sinning, is this man still living in sin? The answer is YES. For LIVING OFF SIN is still LIVING IN SIN.

This is why Abraham rejected the king’s gifts. Abraham realized that the king was a wicked man, who earned his riches by wicked ways. If Abraham were to accept ANYTHING from that man, he too, would be involved in the king’s wickedness

Christians, if we strive to prosper in sin, by way of business or bribery, then we too are living in it. When we have a tangible reminder of the sin from our past or present, then it holds us in bondage. We cannot be free of sin until we are free of EVERYTHING THAT GOES ALONG WITH IT. Be it money, friends, material items ect. It must go! For you cannot be truly free if you let yourself be established in what is wrong.

Christians, we cannot strive to prosper in sin, for it COUNTS AGAINST US in heaven. Instead we must store up riches there.

Remember, the blessings from God are eternal. Gifts from the wicked ALWAYS turn sour in the end.

May the Lord’s guidance be with you all,

As We Forgive Our Debtors

“ The victorious invaders then plundered Sodom and Gomorrah and headed for home, taking with them all the spoils of war and the food supplies. They also captured Lot- Abram’s nephew who lived in Sodom- and carried off everything he owned.

But one of Lot’s men escaped and reported everything to Abram the Hebrew, who was living near the oak grove belonging to Mamre the Amorite. Mamre and his relatives, Eshcol and Aner, were Abram’s allies. When Abram heard that his nephew Lot had been captured, he mobilized the 318 men who had been born into his household. Then he pursued Kedorlaomer’s army until he caught up with them at Dan.”

[Gen 14:11-14 (NLT)]

In the beginning of Genesis fourteen, it talks about a war of kings. While it doesn’t really mention the reasons for the war or the alliances between kings (assuming there are any), it does say there was a battle fought in the valley of the Dead Sea. The armies of the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah (who were on the same side) fled. Leaving their land open for plundering, this was how Lot was captured.

Now Abraham (at that time Abram) had already given so much to Lot before then. He let Lot have the fertile land of the Jordan valley without any protest. When it was Abraham whom the Lord called in the first place. That land could have been his! And he still WITHOUT HESITATION tries to bail out his nephew?

“Abram recovered all the goods that had been taken, and he brought back his nephew Lot with all his possessions and all the women and other captives.”

[Gen. 14:16 (NLT)]

Not only did Abraham hold no resentment toward his nephew, he also REDEEMED him and his possessions when he was captured. Who else does this sound like?

“ When they came to a place called The Skull, they nailed him to the cross. And the criminals were also crucified- one on his right and one on his left.

Jesus said ‘ Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.’ And the soldiers gambled for his clothes by throwing dice.” [Luke 23:33-34 (NLT)]

Even though we mocked him, even though we denied him, even though we KILLED HIM, Jesus has always been a REDEEMER for mankind. For he knew, even at the cross, why he came here. He knew that the day had come when HE WOULD PAY THE PRICE for both the living and the unborn.

Christians, Jesus died so that NO MATTER WHAT WE DO, the blood that he willingly let be spilled from him could be the same blood to wash away our sins. All we have to do is ask.

We all have people like the Roman officers; people who have mocked us, stolen from us, lied to us, taken advantage of us, HURT US. But we are the body of Christ. And that same blood that forgives so freely should be the same blood in which we live by. And even though you may feel you should HATE those who hurt you, you should LOVE THEM as Abraham loved Lot, like a close relative. You should love them the way JESUS LOVES YOU!

If we are to truly live in Christ, we cannot hate others. But instead we have to LOVE, FORGIVE, AND HELP HEAL.

May the Lord’s guidance be with you all,

The Last Place Prize

“Finally, Abram said to Lot, “Let’s not allow this conflict to come between us and our herdsmen. After all, we are close relatives! Take your choice of any section of the land you want, and we will separate. If you want the land to the left, then I’ll take the land on the right. If you prefer the land on the right, then I will go to the left.”

[Gen. 13:8-9 (NLT)]

At this time, Abraham (at that time Abram) and Lot were traveling the land together. When they got to Negev, they found that the land could not hold both of them and all their riches, there was not enough room. So to solve this conflict, Abraham made the proposal above.

What a truly awesome thing for Abraham to do! He just let Lot pick whatever land he wanted without trying to persuade him to take the lesser land.

The next time you go to a church dinner, take notice of the people in the very front and very back of the buffet line. You may notice that both of them are eager to be there. The one in front, to get the first pick of the food. And the one in back, who let’s everyone go before him/her, usually saying “Please go ahead of me sir/ma’am; I am in no hurry.”

Both people are rewarded in this situation. The person in front gets just the reward he/she sought after. While the person in back who lets everyone go before him/her not only gets more respect from other people, but God also sees his/her good deed, and HE REMEMBERS IT.

Which reward do you think is greater? Taking the first pick, which only lasts as long as you can make it. Or taking the last pick, which lasts much longer.

“But many who are the greatest now will be the least important then, and those who seem the least important now will be the greatest then.” [Mat. 19:30 (NLT)]

Christians, if you always PUT YOURSELF BEFORE EVERYONE ELSE, you are only LOWERING yourself in the eyes of God. But if you remember to put OTHERS BEFORE YOURSELF, then God will reward you for it, and he gives the best gifts.

So be flexible, let others go before you. Be patient when you feel someone’s wasting your time. Follow the Golden Rule and go the extra mile. FOR SOON IT WILL BE YOUR TURN TO SHINE!

May the Lord’s guidance be with you all

Remember Who He IS. Remember Who You Are.

“As he was approaching the border of Egypt, Abram said to his wife Sarai ‘Look, you are a very beautiful woman. When the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘this is his wife, let’s kill him; so we can have her.’ So please tell the you are my sister then they will spare my life and treat me well because of their interest in you.” [Gen. 12:10-14 (NLT)]

This was back when Abraham and Sarah (at that time Abram and Sarai) were forced down into Egypt because of the severe famines in Canaan. After Abraham and Sarah arrived as “brother and sister”, the Pharaoh took Sarah to be his wife and gave Abram many gifts.

But on that same night, God cursed Pharaoh and his kingdom, he learned the truth about Abraham and Sarah, and they were both put out of Egypt.

Abraham lied about his relationship with Sarah for two reasons. One, to make sure his life was safe. Did he really have to lie? God had already told Abraham “I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt...” [Gen. 12:3 (NLT)]

Safety is also a reason we lie about, or DENY, our relationship with God. Now if Abraham had just remembered what God had promised him, he would have no reason to fear. Nowhere in God’s promise to Abraham did it say, “Assuming you don’t get killed by Pharaoh.”

You are assured safety too, Christians, from at least several places in scripture! One of them (and I like this one) would be, “But even if you suffer for doing what is right, God will reward you for it. So don’t be afraid of their threats.” [1 Pet. 3:14 (NLT)]

The other reason Abraham lied about his relationship with Sarah was “They will treat me well because of their interest in you.” So Abraham expected to make friends did he?

People pleasing is another reason we DENY our relationship with God.

I DESPISE the very idea of SERVING PEOPLE BEFORE GOD. Much to my chagrin, I AM ALSO GUILTLY OF IT. We all want people to like us. We all want to be “cool”. BEING POPULAR IS NOT A SIN. But when we ENSLAVE OURSELVES to it, put it BEFORE GOD, then it becomes one. You should never live a lie, for any reason, because YOU ARE BETTER THAN THAT.

Remember that being “cool” in itself has no reward other than that. If you are cool and in Christ, God bless you! But if you are cool and have to LIVE IN SIN to stay that way, IT’S NOT WORTH IT.

God is your safety. He is your provider. Never be afraid to say it.

May the Lord’s guidance be with you all,

If You Don't Try, You Don't Win.

“The Lord had said to Abram ‘Leave your native country, you relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you. I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others. I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on the earth will be blessed through you. ‘So Abram departed as the Lord had instructed, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he left Haran.”

[Gen. 12:1-4 (NLT)]

What an example! Could you imagine living in a place for seventy-five years, and just pick up and leave when the Lord calls you to? Think you could do it? Although we all would like to think we could, most of us would have to second-guess leaving our homes.

In my elementary school gym classes, it seemed like every other day we played dodgeball. Back in those days, I had very little athletic ability, and even less faith in my athletic ability. So my game strategy was to stand out of the way and hope my team would win.

But often enough we didn’t win. All the good players would be gone, and I would be that last one standing. It would be my turn to take action, but I never did. I had so little faith in myself that I DIDN’T EVEN TRY. Surely enough, I would be taken out.

Christians, even though it’s hard to understand, THIS WORLD IS NOT OUR HOME. This world is more a playing field than anything else. Only WE ARE OUR OWN TEAM. We cannot take nor be a “plus one” into the kingdom of heaven. If you have so little FAITH in yourself or in God that you will not TRY to follow him, do not expect any reward. Just like the man who hid his talents, you cannot stand out of the way and hope for the best.

Luckily, we have a lifeline. God is always on our side. We can always ask God what to do, and we can always be willing to do it. And God will always call upon those who are willing.

Nothing here last forever, so do not try to belong in this earth. Instead work for God, and work with God. You won’t be sorry you did. I’m sure Abraham wasn’t!

May the Lord’s guidance be with you all

Father Knows Best (Put Thy Will Before My Will)

“Then they said ‘Come, let’s build a great city for ourselves with a tower that reaches to the sky. This will make us famous and keep us from being scattered all over the world.’

But the Lord came down to look at the city and the tower they were building,’ Look!’ he said, ‘ the people are united, and they all speak the same language. After this, nothing the set out to do will be impossible for them! Come, let’s go go down and confuse the people with different languages. Then they won’t be able to understand each other.” [Gen. 11:4-7 (NLT)]

Some of us may recognize this as the story of “the Tower of Babel.” Which, at that time, there was only one language.

This was another story that confused me for a long time. God wants us to succeed right? So why did he stop the people from accomplishing their goal? Especially when they could have been famous! All I can say is I’m glad I no longer think this way.

How many celebrities are there that have fame and abundant earthly riches, but they are in GRAVE danger of HAVING NOTHING in the next world? More than a few, right?

I was flipping through the channels one afternoon, when I caught a glimpse of the “Dr. Phil” show. In the hot seat was a man whose life was being ruined by major debt from constant try-and-fail attempts at get-rich-quick schemes. The man said he was very religious, and that he always prayed for his next attempt at business to be successful.

“ You’ve tried over thirty times and never succeeded.” said Dr. Phil. “Don’t you think he’s trying to tell you something?”

Christians, how many times when we ask “Thy will be done” do we really mean “MY will be done”? Have you ever felt that God REALLY wasn’t rewarding you for following him faithfully… or was it just not in the way you wanted him to?

“ In that way, the Lord scattered them all over the world, and they stopped building the city.” [Gen. 11:8 (NLT)]

Christians, God’s TRULY WONDERFUL plan for the world didn’t involve a tower. Maybe God’s TRULY WONDERFUL PLAN FOR YOU doesn’t always involve what you think it should either.

“ Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.”

[Prov. 3:5-6 (NLT)]

May the Lord’s guidance be with you all,

Lessons From Grandfather, Part 2

“When everything was ready, the Lord said to Noah,” Go into the boat with all of your family, for among all the people of the earth, I can see that you alone are righteous.”[Gen. 7:1 (NLT)]

In my last writing, I spoke of how Noah was saved because he was righteous. But now what I’m telling you is not only was he saved for his righteousness, but his righteousness SAVED THE WORLD.

Because Noah walked with God, he was saved. But as the body of Christ, being saved is only HALF of what God intends to do with us.

In the book of Genesis, chapter nine, verses one through seven. The Lord gives Noah and family his covenant. But not yet to his promises, what they must do on their part, the laws they must live by.

A covenant in bible terms basically means, “The conditional promises made to humanity by God, as revealed in Scripture.” (Dictionary.com). Conditional meaning God will bless us if we do what he tells us to.

Though the laws have been changed around since the crucifixion of Jesus, this part of the covenant made after the flood is still in place today. “I hereby confirm my covenant with you and you descendants.” Remember what the definition of covenant was? When God gave his covenant to his DECENDANTS as well. God bestowed another task on Noah and his family; they would have to TEACH the next generations about it.

We must teach as well, Christians. For Jesus him self said, “…Go into the world and preach the good news.” [Mark 16:15 (NLT)] After a while, Christians it’s not enough to be saved. God did not intend for us to just be good students, but to be TEACHERS as well.

“But I’m no preacher!” you don’t have to be. You don’t have to be a preacher, a Sunday school teacher, a writer; you don’t have to even work in a church to teach people about Christ. But everyone NO MATTER WHO THEY ARE can teach their children, and can teach others by SETTING AN EXAMPLE. They can lead by how they follow. In simple terms, they can live right and give the glory to God. Give them a visual of how a follower of Christ would live.

Let’s take another lesson from our grandfather. Do not just be someone in this world who is saved. Be someone to help SAVE THE WORLD

May the Lord’s guidance be with you all,

Works Cited: Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

Lessons From Grandfather

“How do I know God is listening? How do I know he cares? How do I know he sees my good deeds? How do I know he loves me? Why should I follow him when it seems no one else does?”

Can you hear yourself asking these questions? Can you hear someone you know? Most of us can say yes.

In today’s political climate and popular culture, it seems as though not only is God no longer priority number one, but he isn’t a priority at all. There is so much PRESSURE to live the “cool” way instead of live the RIGHT way. How can we be helped? We can take a lesson from our grandfather.

“The Lord observed the extent of human wickedness on the earth, and he saw that everything they thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil. So the Lord was sorry he had ever made them and put them on earth. It broke his heart. And the Lord said, ‘I will wipe the human race I have crafted from the face of the earth. Yes, and I will destroy everything- all the people, the large animals, the small animals that scurry along the ground, and even the birds of they sky. I am sorry I ever made them.’ But Noah found favor with the Lord.” [Gen. 6:5-8 (NLT)]

What if Noah gave in to peer pressure? We probably wouldn’t be here right now, would we? And yet Noah was the ONLY righteous man on THE WHOLE PLANET. Tell me that isn’t peer pressure! And yet he could walk with God BEFORE there was a mosaic law, BEFORE there was a cross and resurrection. He was THE ONLY ONE, and yet he was rewarded.

“Look! I am about to cover the earth with a flood that will destroy every living thing that breaths. Everything on earth will die. But I will confirm my covenant with you…” [Gen. 6:17-18 (NLT)]

Christians, God HAS ALWAYS loved his people. Even when it was only ONE person. God still loves us today. God WILL NOT close up heaven from lack of interest. Just GRAB ON to him and he won’t let you go.

May the Lord’s guidance be with you all,