The lies we tell our kids.

Being a father is a great job that I love, but when I examine myself and compare my words with reality I find flaws. There are times when the words I tell my kids to encourage them are only full of hot-air and empty encouragements. I don't believe I am alone in this. How many times have we told ourselves or others things like, "Just do your best and that will be good enough", or "You can do anything you put your mind to". The fact is, your best is not always good enough, and you can't do everything no matter how hard you try at anything.

Please don't miss understand me, I am not saying that we should then tell our kids the opposite; "Just give it your worst and call it good" or "You may as well give up because you will never get it." No, instead be encouraging but don't forget the grace that says, "I have loved you with an everlasting love." Kids will rarely rise above any expectations placed upon them on their own. they need that encouragement and prodding to go the extra mile and give the extra effort. God does this same thing with us.

God actually used hyperbole's too; he spoke in exaggerations and he used them to convey his expectations of us. He, in his way, told us "You can do anything you put your mind to". I Peter 1.16 says "Be holy as I am holy." Really, can we ever achieve the holiness of God? No, but we should do it or die trying. It is because we can never achieve this holiness that God sent his son to pay the debt of our lack of holiness; but still he instructs us to be holy to the same level that he is. This is no excuse then to give up on our holiness because we can never reach that level, or because we are already holy through by the grace of God, but it is a challenge to still give it our all and not give up on what is righteous.

God has set responsibilities for the true believers and they are of high expectations. This is his way of saying, "You can do anything you put your mind to." Philippians 4.13 says, "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength" as a testimony of Paul who believe that he could do anything he put his mind to by faith in Jesus Christ. Jesus himself said, "You will do greater things that I have done" as an encouragement that we shouldn't give up, but rather press on. We are facing a high bar, and through Jesus Christ we have the hope that we can live up to our expectations of the Father, not unto salvation, but unto the rewards offered in the Kingdom (I Corinthians 3.10-12).

Last summer I was determined my then 3 year old son was able to ride a two wheeler with not training wheels. Yes, I said 3 years old. He is quite smart and coordinated and I was certain that he could do it. We went to the thrift store and picked up a bike his size, found his helmet and headed to the parking lot of a local school. For the next 20 minutes my patience we put to the test and my back was throbbing as I ran along beside a very nervously excited little boy. All attempts seemed to fail and I started to see the fact that he was just simply to young and was not ready to ride with no training wheels, but what did I tell him, "You can do it. You can do it." I repeated that over and over while the seeming reality was that he could not do it. I told him, "Just keep telling yourself that you can do it" and "Give it your best." At times be would become discouraged and want to give up but I would encourage him that he could do it. Finally we went home, he had not done it. All we had done was discouraged a little boy and given myself a headache and back ache. No matter how much I fed him that "he could do it" he didn't, but he did know something, that I expected him to do it, and that I would personally help him learn how to ride his bike. We repeated this routine for next 2 days and he did indeed learn to ride the bike. What seemed to be an impossibility became possible through the care and encouragement of his Father. We to are watched and encouraged by the Heavenly Father and should strive to reach the responsibilities he has set before us.

God of Death?

People can only offer what they have. If someone offers you something they do not have, it is not theirs to offer in the first place. If someone offers you something they don't have but hope to acquire soon, it is a scam. If someone offers you someone else's belongings, they are a thief. So what about Jesus?

Jesus offered us life; "I have come that you might have life," "I am the way the truth and the life." These are powerful claims. But does Jesus really possess this gift to be able to give it? Jesus' claims could be a scam or a thief; but how can we know if it is this or the real thing. How can someone know if they are being part of a spiritual scheme or if Jesus really possess life in order to give it away? The answer: the resurrection.

Matthew chapter 28 tells the account of some of Jesus closest friends coming to visit his tomb. These ladies had come bearing oils and spices to place upon the deceased to help cover the smell of decay. When arriving at the grave, the tomb was open and the tomb was empty. Their curiosity was eased by an angel that was sent to explain what they were seeing. The angel told them that this was not crime scene, rather it was the scene of fulfilled prophecy; "[Jesus] had risen, just as he said."

Jesus is the only person who has died and brought himself back to life by his own power. How could this be done? Because he is God in the flesh, the God of life. If he were the God of death he could not have done this; but since he is the God of life he could honestly say, "I lay it [his life]down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again" (John 10.18). But this still is no declaration that we can have life just because Jesus did this. Well, John 18.18 may not declare it, but John 11.25-26 sure does, "I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believes in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever lives and believes in me shall never die." You can't get more plainly spoken then that.

The bottom line is that Jesus is God's Son, God in the flesh, and has come to give us life. If we do not accept this life we are accepting death. If we do not claim His blessings upon this life we are only accepting life when we could have abundant life (John 10.10). If you are not living a holy life, then you are being content with life stopping with you and not interesting or concerned is spreading life to others.

Romans 6.23 says that "the gift of God is eternal life through [by means of] Jesus Christ our Lord. Jesus, God in the flesh, possesses all power of life and will share it with anyone who asks. Don't live a life of death, when God laid down his life so you could have yours.

Tears=Joy

Does God grade on a curve? No. Is God's love love for us based upon a "How much I love Him" meter? No. Are God's blessings bestowed to me based up my dedication and devotion to Him. Yes.
Although it is true that a person can live a life of a carnal Christian and still receive blessings from God, we are still instructed to "Be Holy as I am Holy." There are still responsibilities for the believer. Some try to deny that a God of Grace could ever be partial to some and neglect others. The fact is that God is a just God, and that means he will keep his word. As you look through scripture is repeats over and over the idea that God will bless his own, and the obedient more so than the lukewarm. This is not a bias God, this is a fair God.
God, being a fair God, wants to see us excel in all we do. God nurtures our needs in all realms; spiritual, physical, mental, and emotional, and in all areas we are to submit to him. When we do this, there is reward. Blessings to believer should not be our driving force of dedication to God, but it is certainly a bonus.
Last week a revelation came to be based off Psalm 126.5 "Those who sow in tears, shall reap in joy." Think of this verse; what does it mean to "Sow in tears" and what does it mean in relation to our service to God? Yes, there are certainly times we literally invest sweat, blood, and tears into our life's passion, but was characterizes those times? If we are passionaite about something or someone so much that we are "sowing in tears", it is not an easy task, trial, or temptation that we are going through; we might want to give up. Through out the Psalms David continually whines to God about the unjust people living a life of luxury while he is enduring the day in misery... he was having to "sow in tears".
You too will face mountains in life where you can't do anything but "sow in tears". You won't be able to do more than endure for the moment and have faith that God will take care of it. It will seem easier to give up on people, God, and issues in our life than to press through, but what is the reward in that? God did not intend for us to be quiters or failures. If we were made in the image of God, we were made in the image of the greatest "overcomer" this world has ever known. There are times you will have to invest sweat, blood, and tears into your life, but there is just reward also.
The last half of the verse states the blessing given to people who are faithful through troubles and temptations. "...Shall reap in joy." This is the principle of "Sowing and reaping" found all through scripture. You get what you give. If you put forth a half-baked effort in life, don't expect much out of it. If you put forth a limp-wristed handshake in your relationship to God, don't look for the greatness of the utmost joy. Our salvation is not achieved by anything more than the faith we have through God's grace (Eph. 2.8-9), but our blessing is. Ephesians 5 lists off the fruit of the Spirit, and in them is Joy; how do you get it? By letting Spirit have control and produce it... having faith, sowing in tears because we know God is in control, and from it we "shall reap in joy."
Yesterday I spoke with a friend who is currently incarcerated and shared this verse. This man is justly in jail and he knows it. The fact is that he will face the temptation that put him there for the rest of his life, and in order for him to continue overcoming those temptation he will have to work at it and continually submit this area to Christ. It will not be easy; he will have to "sow in tears" to retain victory, and the reward from God (reaping in joy) will be far greater that the pleasure he would receive from his past substance abuse.
When life seems to be producing little joy, examine it again and see if you have been sowing in tears. What has your effort level been in handing it over to God and pressing through, claiming the power of God. Joy is not conditional upon circumstance and it does not mean you won't bad days, weeks, or years in life, but it does make it easier to sow in tears, when you know that God's blessing of joy awaits.

Race Day.

At my house one of the best days of the year is when we participate in a local Grand Prix Derby. It is the same thing as the Pinewood Derby in Cub Scouts. It is held at a local church and other churches are invited. The race is help in the early spring/late winter and has about 35-40 cars that race. According to some I get a little carried away with this whole event.

To avoid the cold of winter I begin for the next years race just after the previous race and start planning for next years car. Over and over again I mentally shape and prepare to make the first cuts to the plain block of wood. Plans were put on paper and the building process began.

Over the next few weeks the block of wood began to take shape and an image of a car came out. After the wood was cut and sanded it came time to paint, the put the final workings into making it resemble what I had wanted it to be. In the midst of all of this I began to gain a basic divine truth that is sometimes forgotten.

We are just like that block of wood in the hands of God. In the beginning of all time he looked down, picked up a block of wood and mentally planned each move and mark to place in our life. After His vision of us was complete and began to mold, cut, carve, and sand us into what he had planned. At the end he picked up the rattle can and sprayed us down to bare a resemblance to his image and his likeness. Then, as an act of love that only a parent can give, He placed us on the track and gave us free-will.

No matter how much someone prepares to make the car fast or aerodynamic, once it is on the track it is out of the control of the designer. When God gave us life he was taking his prize creation and setting it in motion. Now, he is along side the track seeing us execute freewill in life. He had a vision and a plan for us and we must now focus on Him to see a plan that was made for us from the beginning.

Recognizing Satan

Satan is real. Demons are real. Hell is real. Too often we walk around with the great misconception that God is real and all of His angels and all of the good things in life are real at puppies and cute cuddley kittens... but anything that is evil must never be talked about or recognized as reality.

Last Sunday I had opportunity to sit with a man broken and warn from the pressures that alcohol had placed upon him as he was enslaved to it for decades. It had cost him is family, his wife, and nearly his entire life. At the end of his rope he had found help through a local support group but knew it was time go beyond a support group and come face to face with God almighty. He didn't know where to start. After all, how could the God of the universe love someone who was so evil and irresponsible. The largest hurdle standing between this man and a true relationship with the Father was a relationship with Jesus Christ, but how could he be forgiven?

We all of a tendancy of putting God into a closet until we have the rest of the house cleaned up. Yes, we may even let him in unto salvation but quickly wisp Him away so not to reveal the mess we have occumulated over the years. This is an easy trap to fall into but also a deadly one.

While counseling this man he came to realize that we aren't to get our life in order and then come to God; we must go to God and let him get our life in order. I Corinthians 3.6 says "For I have planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase." What is to be learned here? We can't do anything on our own. God is the one who does the real work, we must let Him.

That man ended up giving his broken life to Jesus and with tears in his eyes he rose from that prayer a man who had a clean rap sheet in life. No matter was man could throw at him or Satan temp him with, he was free.

We all picture Satan to be an evil man who dresses in red and carries a pointy pitchfork, but the reality is, Satan is alive and active in trying to tell us things like, "You aren't good enough to go to God yet", "That isn't a big enough issue for God", or "Your wasting His time." Recognize Satan and cast him far away from you in the name of Jesus Christ.

Mentors being Mentored

One of my passions in the ministry is training up a new generation to continue the cycle of godliness in the midst of darkness. At the current time I am the Sr. Pastor doubling as the Youth Pastor also which makes thing very busy but also has its rewards.

Last week end I was the adult male sponsor for a winter retreat at Lake Ann Camp called Freeze Out. Going into the trip there were some concerns about some of our youth spiritually. Everything from Salvation to sanctification was consuming my prayers for the weekend. Thankfully we have an amazing God that hears our prayers and likes to see people get closer to him as well.

The theme of the weekend was building a Faith of Virtue. All were encouraged to look past your salvation, and make a life and lifestyle commitment to godliness. On saturday night the focus was on salvation, but also taking a stand. Two areas which are fimiliar to teens were highlighted: Teens from divorced homes, and teens who are the only one who go to church in their homes. The youth workers of each church were asked to pray over all the teens fitting that description within our group. We had 9 kids in our group, and 7 of them fit in that group along with one sponsor. Looking around the chapel some churches were in blank stares because no one in their group were in those situations, but we were and that time was there just for us. It was through that that we saw a girl get saved, and several opened up emotionally and let God take over their bittnerness and anger that had been bottled up for years. Following the service we all met in the dining hall to challenge us to be accountable to each other, not just God, because we are part of a body and have encourage our brothers and sister to stay true to God and stand up for what is right.

Freeze Out is a weekend that is designed for teenagers, but it hit me where I needed it. No, I didn't come from a split home, nor was I the only person in the family that went to church, but it taught me a valuable lesson. Many time we take the areas in life that we feel lost in our out of control in, and since we don't know how to handle them we put them in our pockets and think they will go away. They don't. We must take these things out of our pocket and lay them on the alter before God. If something is out of our control it is in God's. It is not our fault, it is our opportunity to be blessed and be a blessing.

For the first time in nearly 3 years knowing some of these teens I saw them praying for each others and helping each other through difficulties by the Word God, and communication with God.

Some of the teens went just expecting to have fun. They did, but God had more instore for them. You and I might we doing things just becasue they are fun, and if they aren't we hide them in our pockets. I Peter 5.7 says we are to cast our cares upon him... why? because he is madly in love with you and cares for you. Don't forget that. You are never too old, too rich, too wealth, too health or too see the grace of God... but you might make yourself too stupid. Don't. Open your eyes and bask in the light of God's grace.

From the Skeletons to the Defensive Line

Last week I was sitting on the couch watching the new game show called, "To tell the truth" and began to think of all the parts within me that I don't want anyone to know. The skeletons in my closet that I would never want to be brought to life; not because I am a Pastor, but because I am ashamed to admit the failures I have. In a book I recently read it told of how each person, especially men in positions of leadership have a fear in common, the fear of being exposed for all of what goes on in our hearts and in our minds. The fact is that God already knows what these things are and to him they are not skeletons, they are an army of defense blocking us from the true presence of the Father.

This week was also the Super Bowl where the best football players in the world gather to show who is boss. Within the game stand a brick wall of players all weighing twice my weigh and able to bench press three times as much. As I watched it accured to me that those living skeletons I have kept hidden so long were not skin and bones before the Father, they were like the defensive line of the the worlds best football teams.

All of this can seem overwhelming when we consider that this brick wall of garage we've hidden in our lives is keeping us from the life of abundance Jesus died to give us. One will begin to feel on of two things when this reality strikes. 1. I am hopeless. 2. What is the use, I'll never be perfect, and just continue with the defensive line in full force. What is one to do?

Back to the game show. If the contestant want to defeat the game they have to do only one thing... be honest. It sounds easy, but the people they love the most are present, and those are the people we try to hide these skeletons from the most. What can we do?

Just like in "To tell the Truth" we must simply be honest. Honest before God. Honest before ourselves. Honest before others. Stop living in the fantasy world that if we ignore something no one will, know, care, or be hurt.

What we see as an impossible obstacle is a mere illusion of perspective. God has the power and the desire to wipe out that entire defensive line in one easy blow but it will require that we come clean with him in all areas.

That settles being honest with God. What about being honest with ourselves and others. That is not as easy and may be a process, but it is acheivable.