God Demonstrates His Love For Us

Romans 5:8 (NKJV)

8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

That word, "sinners," literally means "devoted to sin." As humans we sin by nature. But what Paul is saying here is that while we were still devoted to a life of sin, God still loved us. He still loves us. He is crazy about us. If God had a refridgerator, our pictures and drawings would be all over it. If He had a wallet, the picture holder would be endless.

Check out this song called, "Beloved." It's by a group called Tenth Avenue North.

Come to the Well

Here is a song by the group Casting Crowns. I hope it touches you as it has me and countless others. 

Count It ALL Joy

James 1:1-4 NKJV says this: "My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing."

Count it all joy. Count it ALL joy. James is very specific here. In layman's terms he is saying, "Be joyous when you encounter trials." Trials come in a variety of shapes and sizes. A trial for one may be not having enough money to pay the bills. A trial for another may be losing a job. But God says to "count it all joy."

Look at it as an opportunity to praise God. Praise God for the chance to glorify Him. Praise God for allowing you to go through something that will bring you closer to Him. Because when it's all said and done, it's all about Him anyway. He provides for your every need. If He takes care of the sparrows and the lilies of the fields, He will take care of you. He said so in Matthew 10:29-31. (NKJV). 

This word trial, also means temptations. Praise God when you are faced with a temptation. Psalm 22:3 says in the KJV that God inhabits our praise. When you praise God during a trial or temptation, He gives you the strength to resist. James 4:7 (NKJV) says, "Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you."

When you follow God and stand for His statutes and precepts, you will encounter persecution as well. Check out the blog on the end times. But Jesus said in John 16:33, (NKJV), "These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

So trust in Jesus. He has overcome the world. He allows us to go through trials so that we can glorify Him and become ever closer to Him. I will leave you with a couple of quotes from a book by E.G. White entitled, Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing. 

"Jesus does not present to His followers the hope of attaining earthly glory and riches, and of having a life free from trial, but He presents to them the privilege of walking with their Master in the paths of self-denial and reproach, because the world knows them not.

He who came to redeem the lost world was opposed by the united forces of the adversaries of God and man. In an unpitying confederacy, evil men and evil angels arrayed themselves against the Prince of Peace. Though His every word and act breathed of divine compassion, His unlikeness to the world provoked the bitterest hostility. Because He would give no license for the exercise of the evil passions of our nature, He aroused the fiercest opposition and enmity. So it is with all who will live godly in Christ Jesus. Between righteousness and sin, love and hatred, truth and falsehood, there is an irrepressible conflict. When one presents the love of Christ and the beauty of holiness, he is drawing away the subjects of Satan's kingdom, and the prince of evil is aroused to resist it. Persecution and reproach await all who are imbued with the Spirit of Christ. The character of the persecution changes with the times, but the principle--the spirit that underlies it--is the same that has slain the chosen of the Lord ever since the days of Abel.

As men seek to come into harmony with God, they will find that the offense of the cross has not ceased. Principalities and powers and wicked spirits in high places are arrayed against all who yield obedience to the law of heaven. Therefore, so far from causing grief, persecution should bring joy to the disciples of Christ, for it is an evidence that they are following in the steps of their Master.

While the Lord has not promised His people exemption from trials, He has promised that which is far better. He has said, "As thy days, so shall thy strength be." "My grace is sufficient for thee: for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Deuteronomy 33:25; 2 Corinthians 12:9. If you are called to go through the fiery furnace for His sake, Jesus will be by your side even as He was with the faithful three in Babylon. Those who love their Redeemer will rejoice at every opportunity of sharing with Him humiliation and reproach. The love they bear their Lord makes suffering for His sake sweet.

In all ages Satan has persecuted the people of God. He has tortured them and put them to death, but in dying they became conquerors. They revealed in their steadfast faith a mightier One than Satan. Satan could torture and kill the body, but he could not touch the life that was hid with Christ in God. He could incarcerate in prison walls, but he could not bind the spirit. They could look beyond the gloom to the glory, saying, "I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us." "Our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory." Romans 8:18; 2 Corinthians 4:17."  -- Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing, pg. 29, 30.

"In every age God's chosen messengers have been reviled and persecuted, yet through their affliction the knowledge of God has been spread abroad. Every disciple of Christ is to step into the ranks and carry forward the same work, knowing that its foes can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth. God means that truth shall be brought to the front and become the subject of examination and discussion, even through the contempt placed upon it. The minds of the people must be agitated; every controversy, every reproach, every effort to restrict liberty of conscience, is God's means of awakening minds that otherwise might slumber." Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing, pg. 33.

The End Times

The end times is a topic that is not discussed often enough. We are in the last days of earth's history. Jesus talked about the end times in Matthew 24. In verse 3 to 14 (NKJV) says this:

³ Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?”
⁴ And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you. ⁵ For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. ⁶ And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. ⁷ For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences,  and earthquakes in various places. ⁸ All these are the beginning of sorrows.
⁹ “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. ¹⁰ And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. ¹¹ Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. ¹² And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. ¹³ But he who endures to the end shall be saved. ¹⁴ And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.

Jesus had just prophesied the destruction of the temple in the verses prior to this, verses 1 & 2. His disciples came to Him and wanted to know when it would happen and when the "end of the age" would come. Read the passage from Matthew again.

The first thing Jesus replied with was, "Take heed that no one deceives you." He warned them that many false teachers and false prophets would come in His name, claiming to be Christ Himself. And indeed, many have done so over the years. And unfortunately, many have been deceived. This is why it is extremely important for us to know the Bible backward and forward. But more importantly, this is why it is extremely important for us to know the Author of the Bible better than we know anything else. Jesus said in John 6:37, NKJV, "All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out." Come to Jesus. He will not turn you away.

Check out the "wars and rumors of wars." How many wars have we had in our history as a planet? How many wars have we had in our histories as individual countries. As the beloved hymn, Lift Up The Trumpet says, "Nations are angry, by this we do know, Jesus is coming again!" The United States of America has been at war with Iraq and various terrorists for going on ten years now. Things are heating up in the Middle East region. And things are about to heat up to the explosion point very soon.

Famines are everywhere. Droughts are everywhere, too. Earthquakes are occurring now where they didn't used to occur, and they are happening much more frequently in places where they did happen often. Some people blame this on oil drilling, which, to a certain extent, may not be helping things. But think about it. Texas is getting earth quakes. Oklahoma is getting earthquakes. These are regions that hardly every got them. How many have we had this year in just these two states? I've lost count.

People are also being persecuted for their faith in Jesus and their refusal to give up that faith. In a previous blog post I told you about a Pastor in Iran that was sentenced to death for being a Christian or for converting to Christianity. This is considered apostasy by the Islam faith. As of October 1, 2011, he is still alive.

There are countless other Christians in the world who face persecution and threats of death if they don't repent. Jesus said in John 16:33, NKJV, "These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

Jesus has overcome the world. Take heart. It will get rough in these last days. It certainly won't be easy. But Jesus promised that those who endure to the end will be saved. Take the hand of Jesus and be saved.

Click on the highlighted link to read this piece by Ellen G White called, Perils of This Time. It's about the end times.

Christmas Time

I found a couple of stories that I wanted to share. Some of it is my own input but for the most part, these are stories I found. Here are the websites I found them from:

http://www.skywriting.net/inspirational/stories/the_bird_cage.html

http://everydaychristian.com/blogs/post/9201/

Matthew 1:18-23 NKJV: “Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. ¹⁹ Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly. ²⁰ But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. ²¹ And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins.” ²² So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: ²³ “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.”

The Man and the Birds by Paul Harvey

The man to whom I’m going to introduce you was not a scrooge, he was a kind decent, mostly good man. Generous to his family, upright in his dealings with other men. But he just didn’t believe all that incarnation stuff which the churches proclaim at Christmas Time. It just didn’t make sense and he was too honest to pretend otherwise. He just couldn’t swallow the Jesus Story, about God coming to Earth as a man.

“I’m truly sorry to distress you,” he told his wife, “but I’m not going with you to church this Christmas Eve.” He said he’d feel like a hypocrite. That he’d much rather just stay at home, but that he would wait up for them. And so he stayed and they went to the midnight service.

Shortly after the family drove away in the car, snow began to fall. He went to the window to watch the flurries getting heavier and heavier and then went back to his fireside chair and began to read his newspaper. Minutes later he was startled by a thudding sound…Then another, and then another. Sort of a thump or a thud…At first he thought someone must be throwing snowballs against his living room window. But when he went to the front door to investigate he found a flock of birds huddled miserably in the snow. They’d been caught in the storm and, in a desperate search for shelter, had tried to fly through his large landscape window.

Well, he couldn’t let the poor creatures lie there and freeze, so he remembered the barn where his children stabled their pony. That would provide a warm shelter, if he could direct the birds to it.

Quickly he put on a coat, galoshes, tramped through the deepening snow to the barn. He opened the doors wide and turned on a light, but the birds did not come in. He figured food would entice them in. So he hurried back to the house, fetched bread crumbs, sprinkled them on the snow, making a trail to the yellow-lighted wide open doorway of the stable. But to his dismay, the birds ignored the bread crumbs, and continued to flap around helplessly in the snow. He tried catching them…He tried shooing them into the barn by walking around them waving his arms…Instead, they scattered in every direction, except into the warm, lighted barn.

And then, he realized that they were afraid of him. To them, he reasoned, I am a strange and terrifying creature. If only I could think of some way to let them know that they can trust me…That I am not trying to hurt them, but to help them. But how? Because any move he made tended to frighten them, confuse them. They just would not follow. They would not be led or shooed because they feared him.

“If only I could be a bird,” he thought to himself, “and mingle with them and speak their language. Then I could tell them not to be afraid. Then I could show them the way to safe, warm…to the safe warm barn. But I would have to be one of them, wouldn’t I, so they could see, and hear and understand.”

At that moment the church bells began to ring. The sound reached his ears above the sounds of the wind. And he stood there listening to the bells – Adeste Fidelis – listening to the bells pealing the glad tidings of Christmas.

And he sank to his knees in the snow.

Immanuel. God with us. The prophet Isaiah prophesied that the Messiah would one day come and be called Immanuel. He loved them, the humans. He created them after all. He called out people throughout history to be His chosen people through whom He would bless all those who would receive Him. He called Abraham, through whom He made a whole nation. But this nation had gotten to the point where they forgot about their Creator. As the apostle John put it in John 1:11, NKJV, “He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.”

You see? God loves us so much that He sent His one and only Son to pay the ransom for our salvation. Even if it was just one person on earth. Even if there was a chance that one person would have rejected Him. He loves us too much not to give us the chance to turn to Him and take hold of His loving hands.

The Bird Cage

There once was a man named George Thomas, a pastor in a small New England town. One Easter Church service he came to the Church carrying a rusty, bent, old bird cage, and set it by the pulpit. Several eyebrows were raised and, as if in response, Pastor Thomas began to speak.

"I was walking through town yesterday when I saw a young boy coming toward me, swinging this bird cage. On the bottom of the cage were three little wild birds, shivering with cold and fright. I stopped the lad and asked, "What you got there son?"

"Just some old birds," came the reply.

"What are you gonna do with them?" I asked.

"Take 'em home and have fun with 'em. I'm gonna tease 'em and pull out their feathers to make 'em fight. I'm gonna have a real good time."

"But you'll get tired of those birds sooner or later. What will you do then?"

"Oh, I got some cats. They like birds. I'll take 'em to them."

The pastor was silent for a moment. "How much do you want for those birds, son?"

"Huh??!!! Why, you don't want them birds, mister. They're just plain old field birds. They don't sing - they ain't even pretty!"

"How much?"

The boy sized up the pastor as if he were crazy and said, "$10?"

The pastor reached in his pocket and took out a ten dollar bill. He placed it in the boy's hand. In a flash, the boy was gone.

The pastor picked up the cage and gently carried it to the end of the alley where there was a tree and a grassy spot. Setting the cage down, he opened the door, and by softly tapping the bars persuaded the birds out, setting them free.

Well, that explained the empty bird cage on the pulpit, and then the pastor began to tell this story.

One day Satan and Jesus were having a conversation. Satan had just come from the Garden of Eden, and he was gloating and boasting.

"Yes, sir, I just caught the world full of people down there. Set me a trap, used bait I knew they couldn't resist. Got 'em all!"

"What are you going to do with them?" Jesus asked.

"Oh, I'm gonna have fun! I'm gonna teach them how to marry and divorce each other. How to hate and abuse each other. How to drink and smoke and curse. How to invent guns and bombs and kill each other. I'm really gonna have fun!"

"And what will you do when you get done with them?", Jesus asked.

"Oh, I'll kill 'em."

"How much do you want for them?"

"Oh, you don't want those people. They ain't no good. Why, you take them and they'll just hate you. They'll spit on you, curse you and kill you!! You don't want those people!!"

"How much?"

Satan looked at Jesus and sneered, "All your tears, and all your blood." Jesus paid the price!

The pastor picked up the cage, he opened the door, and he walked from the pulpit.

He paid for you with the precious lifeblood
of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God.

1 Peter 1:18-19 (NKJV)

 "knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot."

Homosexuality: A New Testament Perspective

So last time we talked about homosexuality, it was from an Old Testament perspective. In this blog post, we’ll be going over the New Testament perspective. This is my view of what the New Testament says on homosexuality. As you know from the last post, I believe homosexuality is a sin. Having said that, I believe in living how Jesus lived, in loving the sinner and hating the sin. I know that phrase may be offensive to some, likely because they don’t see being homosexual a sin. And as I said in the OT Perspective blog, if you do not believe in the Bible, this may not be very convincing to you. Let’s dig into the New Testament perspective.

The first scripture is from Romans 1:26-27 NKJV:

²⁶ For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. ²⁷ Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due.

This word, “use” means the natural use of sex. The context here is that people turned against God, so He gave them over to their sinful desires. God created us a certain way, as this scripture states. Women were going against how God created them to be sexually. So were the men. Men “burned in their lust for one another.” Lust is a perverted sexual desire. Men and women lusted toward their own genders. I’ve heard the argument that some scriptures only denounce forced homosexual sex. However, this scripture here says otherwise. This scripture is referring to consensual homosexual sex.

Another scripture is 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 NKJV:

⁹ Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals nor sodomites, ¹⁰ nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.

            The word for in this verse for “homosexual” is μαλακός. This can mean effeminate. It can also mean a boy that was kept for homosexual sex for an adult man. Some have used this scripture to say that it only refers to this, thereby trying to excuse their lifestyle choice or that of a friend/family member. However, this word also means a man that does unnatural sexual acts with his body willingly.

            1 Timothy 1:9-10 NKJV says this:

⁹ knowing this: that the law is not made for a righteous person, but for the lawless and insubordinate, for the ungodly and for sinners, for the unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, ¹⁰ for fornicators, for sodomites, for kidnappers, for liars, for perjurers, and if there is any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine,

            One thing I’ve noticed is that when Paul states who will not be in heaven, he always is referring to people who refuse to give up their sins. It’s one thing to sin unintentionally. The Bible refers to this as trying to hit the target, but not quite making it. However, it’s another thing to live in complete contradiction to God’s laws. That said, Paul also writes a list of multiple kinds of sins. He didn’t focus on just one in these previous scriptures.

So what’s the point in the last couple of scriptures? It doesn’t matter what the sexual sin is or any other sin. If we refuse to give it up, it will keep us out of Heaven. A man cheating on his wife (or vice versa) is just as much a sin in God’s eyes as is homosexuality. Looking at pornography is just as bad a sin as two people of the same gender engaging in sexual acts with each other. Stealing will keep us out of Heaven just the same way any kind of sexual sin will if we refuse to give it up.

            Jude 1:7 has this to say KJV:

as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around them in a similar manner to these, having given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.

            Jude is simply saying here that Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed because of “going after strange flesh” and partaking in sexual immorality. As we’ve already discussed, sexual immorality includes homosexuality, adultery, and other acts of sex outside of God’s original intention for sexual relations.

Some folks use Matthew 8:5-13 as proof that Jesus condoned homosexuality. It tells the story of when Jesus healed the servant of a Roman centurion. The claim is that in some cases, these servants were actually male sex servants. However, this is negated by their own defense of another passage. As we discussed in 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, the word for homosexual in this passage could mean a boy that was kept as a homosexual sex servant for an adult man. So we see that this defense is defenseless. Homosexuality is a sin.

Also, many times before Jesus would heal a person, He would say, “Your sins are forgiven.” He would also tell them to go and sin no more. As I have stated in previous posts, Jesus loves everyone. But He loves us all too much to leave us the way we are. He wants to transform us into His image.

Jesus created marriage as a holy union between a man and a woman. But let me go one step further. Marriage is meant to have Jesus as the head, and the man and wife second. Any husband and wife that love Jesus more than each other is what God intended. He created marriage to mirror how deep intimacy should go between us and Him, individually. I leave you with a few scriptures. I will write another post in this series. It will be along the lines of how we should treat those who live in sinful opposition to God, whether that sin is sexual immorality or lying.

Matthew 19:4-5 (NIV)

⁴ “Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’ ⁵ and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’?

Genesis 1:27-28 (NIV)

²⁷ So God created mankind in his own image,
   in the image of God he created them;
   male and female he created them.

²⁸ God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”

John 3:16 (NKJV)

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

Homosexuality: An Old Testament Perspective

Homosexuality. Few things are as controversial as this topic. Many believe there’s nothing wrong with it. Many believe it is wrong. I will be honest in my opinion on it. I do believe that homosexuality is wrong and will keep a person out of Heaven. “Now hang on,” you say. “What proof do you have for this? What makes you think it’s so wrong?” This blog on the topic is my attempt to explain my views on the subject and why I hold those views.

However, let me say that I hold the view of “love the sinner, hate the sin.” To go up to someone out of the blue and say, “You’re going to lose your salvation if you don’t change! Repent,” is not how I think it should be done. While I do agree with the essence of this statement, I don’t think it should be done in a condemning way. Jesus associated with many types of people. Many of whom were scorned by the society of His time on Earth. But He loved them and gave them every chance to change. Jesus loved the sinner and hated their sin. He still does.

Having said all this, this blog is written from a Biblical point of view. If you don’t hold the Bible as the sole scriptural authority, this probably won’t be very convincing to you. If you do, it might be convincing to you. It is my prayer that those who study the Bible on this topic (and any topic) will come to know what God desires of them and their behavior. I will be using mostly Biblical references both in scripture passages and the original languages behind them.

A lot of these verses that I’m using here are considered “clobber” verses. However, it is not my intention to clobber folks into obedience to God’s word. God doesn’t force people to obey Him and neither will I. I do feel, though, that it is the duty of every Christian to not shy away from what the Bible says on something simply because of a fear of people’s reactions. That’s why I started this blog. I feel called to write on Biblical topics. Now then, if you’re still with me, let’s dig in.

In Genesis 19 we find the story of angels visiting with Lot and his family. As you may recall, Lot was a relative of Abraham. At the time, Mr. and Mrs. Lot and their daughters lived in Sodom. God had told Abraham that He was going to destroy both Sodom and Gamorrah because of the amount of wickedness in both cities. Abraham prayed several questions to the affect of if 50 people, then less and less until he got down to 10 righteous people being in Sodom, that God would spare the city. God said yes but even 10 righteous people could not be found in Sodom.

When the angels got there, Lot insisted on inviting them in, even though they said they would stay in the town square. However, it says this in verse 4 of Genesis 19: “Before they had gone to bed, all the men from every part of the city of Sodom—both young and old—surrounded the house.” Every man in the city surrounded the place. But that’s not the worst part. Here is verse 5 in a few different versions:

“They called to Lot, ‘Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so that we can have sex with them.’ ” NIV

“ ‘And they called unto Lot, and said unto him, Where are the men which came in to thee this night? Bring them out unto us, that we may know them.’ ” KJV

“And they called to Lot and said to him, ‘Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us that we may know them carnally.’ ” NKJV

The NKJV probably captures the original Hebrew best. The word here is יָדַע or yada`. The word itself can translate several ways. But in the sense of intimacy, it was one of the words used to have the meaning of knowing someone carnally. In other words, it was a word used for wanting to have sex with someone. Let’s put it together as the verse said. All the men of the city surrounded the city because they wanted to have sex with Lots visitors. Instead, the angels struck them with blindness.

“Hang on,” I hear someone say. “You’re saying angels. It was angels they wanted to have sex with. Not men.” However, they men of the city didn’t know this. Often times angels in the Old Testament appeared as men so sometimes even the visited didn’t know they were angels. Even the author of Hebrews said this in chapter 13:2, “Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it.” The men of the city didn’t know the visitors were angels. They thought they were other men and the townsmen wanted to engage in sexual behavior with them.

Lot tried to convince the townsmen otherwise. He even offered his virgin daughters to them as an alternative. He knew that the desires of these men were wrong. But they didn’t want to listen. They kept pressing forward yelling threats. The angels then pulled Lot back in and the men outside were then struck with blindness. Lot and family were given a warning by the angels in verse 12 and 13.

The two men said to Lot, “Do you have anyone else here—sons-in-law, sons or daughters, or anyone else in the city who belongs to you? Get them out of here, ¹³ because we are going to destroy this place. The outcry to the LORD against its people is so great that he has sent us to destroy it.”NIV

So Lot and his family left and fled to another city. Then the angels carried out God’s command to destroy the city.

Here’s a couple passages in Leviticus.

Leviticus 18:22 says, “Do not have sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman; that is detestable.”NIV

Leviticus 20:13 says, “If a man has sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They are to be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads. “ NIV

The word here for sexual relations is the same in both verses. שָׁכַב or shakab. This word has a stronger meaning of sexual behavior. The passages are pretty straight forward. These were given to the Israelites shortly after the Exodus from Egypt. Israel had spent four centuries as slaves to the Egyptians. As such they needed to be reminded of several things. Don’t sleep with members of the same sex or face death and their blood will be on their own heads. In other words, it’s their own fault.

I know some folks reading this may be thinking that this is just referring to men. And even the Hebrew word here can mean man as in a male. אִישׁ or ‘iysh. However, it can also mean human kind, whosever, or even each. Here are a few examples with the corresponding words made to stand out:

Genesis 23:6 says, “Sir, listen to us. You are a mighty prince among us. Bury your dead in the choicest of our tombs. None of us will refuse you his tomb for burying your dead.” NIV

Genesis 38:2 says, “And Judah saw there a daughter of a certain Canaanite whose name was Shua, and he married her and went in to her.” NKJV

Exodus 12:22 says, “Take a bunch of hyssop, dip it into the blood in the basin and put some of the blood on the top and on both sides of the doorframe. None of you shall go out of the door of your house until morning.” NIV

Those are the major passages from the Old Testament that speak on the subject of homosexuality. Now enters the excuse that the Old Testament laws no longer matter; that they were nailed to the cross when Jesus died for us. Some might say that it’s just the ceremonial laws that don’t matter anymore. These were not from ceremonial laws. Nor are the Old Testament laws invalid. Jesus said in Matthew 5:18:

“For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.”

The jot refers to the smallest Hebrew letter, “yod.” The word tittle refers to the smallest stroke of this letter. So Jesus said that not even the smallest piece of the smallest letter will ever disappear from the law. So these laws that God gave to the Israelites still stand. Not the ceremonial laws, mind you. But that’s another blog for another time.

In Judges 19:14-29 we find a story similar to that of Lot. A man, with his concubine and servant, were traveling trying to reach an Israelite city to spend the night in. They reached Gibeah and parked in the town square. An old man came in from work and asked them if they would spend the night with him instead of where they were. While they were in the old man’s house, some wicked men surrounded the house. They demanded that they be given the man who entered the house so that they could have sex with him.

However, the owner of the house pleaded with them not to do such an evil thing. He offered to them his daughter and the guest’s concubine. The men wouldn’t listen so he sent the concubine out anyway. They raped her all night and she was dead by morning. Now I’m not saying it was right for the men of the city to do what they did to the woman. In the next chapter we find out what happened to the men of Gibeah for their evilness; because rape is every bit as bad and evil as homosexuality.

So what is God’s plan for marriage? Let’s take a look at a few more Old Testament passages to find out.

Genesis 1:27, 28 says, So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. ²⁸ Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

Genesis 2:18-25 says, And the LORD God said, “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.” ¹⁹ Out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them. And whatever Adam called each living creature, that was its name. ²⁰ So Adam gave names to all cattle, to the birds of the air, and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper comparable to him.
²¹ And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place. ²² Then the rib which the LORD God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man.
²³ And Adam said:
      “This is now bone of my bones
      And flesh of my flesh;
      She shall be called Woman,
      Because she was taken out of Man.”

²⁴ Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.
²⁵ And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.

So we see here that God’s intention for marriage is one man with one woman. Not a man with a man or a woman with a woman. But even in the man and woman relationship there are principles we are to live by. But again, that’s another blog for another time.

This is what I believe about homosexuality from an Old Testament perspective. Stay tuned for a New Testament perspective on this subject. I know not everyone will agree with me. I know people will both vehemently disagree and agree to disagree with me. This is what I believe the Old Testament teaches on the subject and we will soon cover what the New Testament speaks about it. I pray you stay with me as we study this subject. And I pray you fall ever deeper in love with God, no matter what subject we study.

Moses and Samson: Lessons in Humility

Dictionary.com defines humility as “modest opinion or estimate of one’s own importance…” Some of its synonyms are modesty, lowliness, meekness, etc. These attributes are portrayed all throughout the Bible in the lives of many Biblical figures as well as direct references. Perhaps the most famous references are found in the Beatitudes in Matthew, and also in Micah 6:8. Moses was one of the most devout followers of God. While he had his rough times, he remains one of the great examples of this characteristic that is vitally needed in the world today. Samson is a good example of the consequences of the lack of humility. His pride, most times, got in his own way.


Moses was born in the days when the Pharaoh of Egypt was becoming afraid of the growing population of the Hebrew slaves. He feared that they were becoming so numerous that they would someday start an uprising. As a result, he issued an order mandating that all Hebrew male babies were to be killed. Moses’ mother hid him and made a basket to put him in and sent him down the river. Pharaoh’s daughter found him and hired his mother to care for him.

Moses basically had it all from this point till he fled Egypt. He grew up as a prince and was educated with the best education of the time. However, in due time, he realized his true heritage. One day, when he saw an Egyptian abusing a Hebrew, he lost his temper and killed the Egyptian. Afterward he fled Egypt and spent several decades as a shepherd for a Midian named Jethro. This time probably helped him learn several lessons in the way of humility. He went from being a wealthy prince, to being a shepherd.

However, God was not content to leave Moses where he was. Having humbled Moses, He now wanted to call him to what would become his life’s calling. Moses tried to make excuses but ultimately obeyed God and went back to Egypt. He was afraid of going back to the land he fled. He didn’t want to be killed by the Egyptians. He wasn’t sure the Israelites would even listen. But he still went. He let go of his fears and pride and completely abandoned his own desires which enabled him to follow God’s plan. He ran into several road blocks—most notably Pharaoh himself. Pharaoh constantly stood in the way of letting them go and when he finally did, he chased after them and eventually lost his life when the parted Red Sea collapsed over him and his soldiers.

Moses’ humility allowed him to be submissive to God to the point where he prayed seemingly regularly for God to avert pouring His wrath over the Israelites. He still made sure they were punished but I believe this is a testament to the love Moses had for his people. However, even the greats of the Bible still had rough patches. In Numbers 20, God told Moses to speak to the rock and it would bring forth water. However, Moses struck the rock twice instead. Water still came out but it was for this action that Moses was not allowed to lead Israel into the Promised Land.

While Samson is one of my favorite Biblical characters, his humility was almost non-existent. His parents were told never to let a razor touch his head. He was to be the judge over Israel. As Samson grew and realized what he was called to do and the great strength God displayed through him, he became proud. He was still used by God in many occasions to defeat the Philistines, but most times he followed his own way.

For example, he went to a Philistine village and saw a beautiful woman. He then told his parents he wanted her as his wife. Although they tried to convince him to take an Israelite wife, he would not listen. The wedding eventually happened but things got out of hand and his wife was given to someone else. He got revenge by letting 300 foxes lose in a field, tied by the tail in pairs with torches in the knot. Of course, the Philistines countered by killing his wife and her father and Samson responded with killing probably hundreds of Philistines.

Probably the most famous story of Samson is his relationship with the woman, Delilah. Delilah was bribed by the Philistines to figure out what the secret of Samson’s strength was. She nagged him constantly and failed 3 times to find out the secret. He became so tired of it that he finally told her everything. When she realized this, she called for the Philistines. They shaved his head, put out his eyes, and made him a slave grinding grain in prison.

Perhaps the most important verse of Judges 15 is verse 22. It states, “But the hair on his head began to grow again after it had been shaved.” The author E. G. White says this: “In suffering and humiliation, a sport for the Philistines, Samson learned more of his own weakness than he had ever known before; and his afflictions led him to repentance. As his hair grew, his power gradually returned; but his enemies, regarding him as a fettered and helpless prisoner, felt no apprehensions.” (Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets, pg 266).

Samson took the wrong way and made the wrong choices for most of his adult life. As a result, God let him suffer the consequences. It was this defeat that led Samson to humility and repentance. God allowed him one final act of service to Him. Samson rested his arms on two pillars. Samson prayed one final prayer to God and pushed with all his might. He was given the strength to bring down two supporting pillars which in turn brought down the whole building and killed thousands of Philistines.
Moses and Samson are polar opposites in character and humility. But both were servants of God and both are mentioned in Hebrews 11, also known as the Hall of Faith. Great lessons can be learned from both men. One practiced humility throughout his life, while it took the other a grave defeat to bring him to humility.

While I'm Waiting.

There is a song called, While I'm Waiting. The message is a powerful one. While we are waiting for God, we should serve Him. However painful the situation may be, serving and praising our Heavenly Father is the only way to make it through. Here's the video for the song. It's from the movie Fireproof. It's a powerful song in a powerful movie.

Praise Through the Hard Times

Have you ever fallen on hard times? Whatever the case may be. The wife of Jacob had a problem. Leah could see that Jacob favored his other wife, Rachel over her. Rachel, after all, was who Jacob wanted to begin with. But because of the custom of the day, Leah had to get married first, being the older of the two sisters.

In Genesis 29 we find the story of Leah beginning to have sons by Jacob. She has one son. She named him Reuben. And she says, in verse 32, "It is because the LORD has seen my misery. Surely my husband will love me now." But Jacob still didn't show her the affection she wanted.

She has another son. This time she named him Simeon. She said, in verse 33, "Because the LORD heard that I am not loved, he gave me this one too." But again, Jacob isn't showing her the affection she wants from him.

She has a third son. She names this one Levi. In verse 33, she says, "Now at last my husband will become attached to me, because I have borne him three sons." Except he didn't.

She has a fourth son. She named him Judah. But something different happened this time. She stopped feeling sorry for herself. She realized her worth didn't lie in her husband. She realized her worth was in God. God helped her to understand that praising Him is what it's all about. She said in verse 35, "This time I will praise the LORD."

And you know the cool part about this? When she finally decided to praise God instead of throwing a pity party, God blessed the lineage of that son. It was Judah that the promised Messiah would one day come to rescue Israel and the world.

You see? When we praise God, He does great things. Yes, it may take a while to see them. But this is a hard learned lesson sometimes. Trust me. I've had to learn this the hard way.

I've had such troubles over the years with finding a job. But I began to realize that praising God is step one. Focusing on my relationship with Him is the priority. And when I realized this, God began to bless me in ways that still dumbfound me.

And yes, I'm still learning this lesson. It's an every day, often multiple times a day, battle. The devil isn't going make things easy for me. But as long as I keep my eyes on God, the world around me can fall apart. But my God will supply all my needs, according to His glorious riches.

So when you're tempted to feel sorry for yourself, do yourself a favor, and don't. It only hurts you. Trust me. I know from experience. God is all that really matters. Rise, take up your cross, and follow Him.

A New Experience

OK, folks. I just have to share this. And more importantly, I have to praise God for this.
I recieved a phone call from the substitute phone system. I do not recall ever getting a phone call on a Sunday for a substitute position. I was surprised, for sure. But the longest assignment I’ve had has been for a day and a half. This one goes from tomorrow all the way to the end of the semester. I’m excited. I look forward to working with kids for longer than a day. I look forward to getting to know them and it’s my prayer that I make a positive impact.
This experience has made me realize that God does things in His time, not mine. Just yesterday I was having a moment of frustration with my other blog and what to do as far as my calling in life. Then I heard a song. We Got The Light by Ryan Stevenson. And the lyrics made me just stop and remember that God has it all under control.
So when you doubt, remember that God will take care of you. It’s been a hard lesson for me to learn. And I’m still learning it. But I look forward to and I am very very excited about this position. I pray that I do the best I can and I ask for your prayers. Praise the Lord!

Pastor Yousef Nadarkhani

Pastor Yousef is being convicted of to Christianity and faces the death penalty. Go to http://e-activist.com/ea-action/action?ea.client.id=88&ea.campaign.id=12209 to send a letter to the Iranian Government requesting that he be spared and allowed to practice his faith.

Life Really is a Highway

You know the song. The one by Rascal Flatts. It was in a movie. Life is a highway. Interestingly enough, the Bible refers to Christianity as a journey. In Acts 9, we find Saul of Tarsus. He’s a zealous persecuter of Christians. In fact, in verse 2 it says: “and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. “

The Way. Interesting that it would say it like that. The word, transliterated, is hodos. Literally translated, it means a traveled road or a travelers journey. It can also mean, “a course of conduct.” Did you get as excited as I did? Christianity isn’t a one day trip. It’s not a drive down the street 5 minutes to the nearest Wal-Mart. It’s a life long journey of how we conduct ourselves. It’s a forever trip down the highway with the greatest driver in the universe.

You know, the hardest part for me is letting God drive. When I take the spiritual wheel, it would be like letting a 5 year old behind the wheel of an 18-wheeler. Yea. I cringe at the thought, too. But what we don’t realize is that we won’t make it far if we don’t let God drive. Let Him drive so you can enjoy the scenery.

I had this idea to make this blog self hosted. I wanted to design the website and make it go to a full blown ministry. There’s one problem. I can’t afford to pay for the website. I noticed the ones I was looking at want you to pay all at once in order to get a cheap monthly price. Confused yet? They want you to pay all at once and when you do the math it works out to a low price when you think of it by month. You just can’t pay it monthly. Cue the sigh.

*sigh*

So what next? I don’t really know. But you know the strange part? It’s ok. I’m not worried. Not really. I know God is in control and will lead me where He wants me. Sure, it’s a bit of a scary concept. Not knowing where I’m being lead. But I’m being lead by the all might, all powerful, all knowing God of love and compassion.
Until next time, my friends. Stay blessed!

I Surrender All

I Surrender All

I surrender all.
All of the pain.
All of the sorrow.
All that this world has to offer.

I surrender my life.
All of my wants.
All of my desires.
All that I thought I was.

I surrender my plans.
All that I have done.
All that I am doing.
All that I will do.

I lay it at your feet, my God.
All that You are.
All that You want for me.
All that you want for my family.

I take up my cross,
To follow You.
To learn from You.
To love like you.

By: Gabriel Taylor
On: September 25th, 2011.

Man Up - Part 1

This one goes out to the men. I've been thinking about this topic for a while. I'm just now getting around to writing about it. I know as a man I've got a lot of work to do. I fill a lot of roles. I'm a husband, a father, a brother, an uncle, a friend, and most important, a child of God. Specifically I want to write about the role of husbands in this post.

Husbands, we've got work to do. Yea, I know. I said that already. But it bears repeating. We've got work to do. Ephesians 5:22-33 talks about the role between husbands and wives. Now too many men read the part about wives submitting to their husbands and stop there. If there's one thing you need to know, it's never to take a scripture out of context. Especially one like this. Or you may be sleeping on the couch for a very long time.

Read further. Verse 25 says, "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her..." As husbands, it's our duty to love our wives in such a way that they will want to love us back. Not so much because they made a vow to do so. Vows can be broken. Love your wife as Christ loves the Church. How does Christ love the Church?

He died for us. He served us. He gave us the example of being a servant leader. Gentlemen, here's the answer. Be the servant leader of your family. Lead in a way that you are serving them. By doing this, you will be an example to the rest of your family, perhaps most importantly for your kids. But we'll get to that in the next post.

Love your wife as Christ loves the Church. Christ did not oppress the Church. He does not force His love on us. He does not make us do things because He said so. He never tells us to do something and not give us the help necessary to accomplish it.

The story is told of a man and wife who went to a seminar on this very subject. However, the speaker preached very heavily on the wife submitting part and hardly at all on the husbands loving their wives part. The more he talked the more upset the wife became and the happier the husband became. So on the way home the wife was in the passenger seat fuming.

The husband finally broke the silence and said, "So what did you think?" No answer from his wife. They kept driving. Till he asked again.

"Well, what'd you think? I thought it was great." His wife sat silent staring angrily ahead. Finally they arrived at home. He decided to put his foot down, so to speak.

"Listen here woman! The Bible says you're supposed to submit to me! From now on I'm the captain and you have to listen to me and do what I say! Is that clear?!"

He didn't see his wife for about two weeks. Finally, after two weeks, one eye opened up just enough so he could see his wife a little bit.

My fellow men, let's love our wives in a way that they love us back as much if not more than we love them. Let's help them clean the house. Let's help them take care of the kids. Let's take them out every so often. Let's buy them flowers. Let's love them.

Forgiveness

What do you do when old feelings of resentment and anger resurface? When you thought you had forgiven someone of something a long time ago but something you saw happened to reignite the fire of anger?

From 4 years old till almost 11 years old, I was in a 3 child, single mother home. Mom worked hard to bring home the necessities. During those years, when mom had to work, I stayed other family. One particular family member would call me by my middle name and was the only one I would answer to when called by that name.

I loved him and thought the world of him. And then I found out some things. Things that I won't post on this blog, or likely anywhere. My respect for him dropped like a hot rock. I no longer wanted to have much to do with him. And once a certain event happened, he didn't really want to have much to do with us either.

For years I've kept the memory of being called by my middle name buried. I've almost resented my middle name for years. But this is where the power of choice comes in. I have to choose to let go of the past and forgive. I have to let go of the bad memories and attachments that have accompanied my middle name.

Forgiveness doesn't always happen immediately when practiced between sinful humans. In fact, we can't do it without God's help. It's a theme all throughout the Bible. When we genuinely repent, God forgives us and throws the memory away. It's as if we never did it in His mind. And having received this gift, shouldn't we pass it along to others?

Matthew 18:21-35 is the parable of the unforgiving servant. The lesson of this story is that we must pass on the gift that God has so graciously given us. If we don't forgive, God can't bless us. If we don't forgive, it WILL have a physical effect on our physical person. People have been known to have ulcers from holding on to anger. Some may even have a heart attack.

We have to let it go for our own sake as much as for the offender's sake. If Jesus, who did not deserve punishment in any way, died on the cross and forgave a criminal who justly deserved his sentence, then we have no right to refuse that gift to others.

I know it may take a while to forgive and not think about it again. And God will help me to get there. "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength." Philippians 4:13. Meanwhile, let's all give the gift of Jesus love and forgiveness to those who need it. Sure, it may take some time. But ultimately, we will be better for it and most importantly, closer to Jesus.

Letting Go of the Pain

Pain. No one likes it. No one likes to see a loved one experience it, however great or small. Just like right now. I hate to see how my daughter is not feeling well. She's teething. Teething can sometimes bring with it a fever. And those are no fun.

It pains me to see her hurting. As a father, I want nothing more than to take her pain away. I want to protect her from this pain and I would take the experience upon myself if I could. If you're a parent or guardian, you know exactly what I'm talking about. Nothing pains you more than to see your child in pain.

Our Heavenly Father is the same way. Nothing pains Him more than to see His children in pain. And the crazy thing is, all too often we choose to hang on to our pain. God wants to take it from us. He wants us to lay our burdens down at His feet. Life will be rough at times. But God promised to be there for us. He promised to take care of us.

You see? It's a choice to let go of the pain. A hard choice, mind you, but still a choice. We were never promised that we'd never go through trials. And trials bring pain. But our choice is this: will we praise God through the pain? Or will we mumble and grumble and complain?

"My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing." James 1:2-4 NKJV.

Fear Not

This is a picture of a magnet on a friend’s fridge. It’s one of my favorite quotes by E.G. White. And it’s a integral part of any Christian’s life. God has said countless times in the Bible that we have no need to be afraid if we are following Him. Let me give you an example.

In Numbers 13 & 14 the story is told of the 12 spies being sent to scout the Promised Land. They all came back. But only 2 had a good report to give. 10 of them said, “It’s great. It does flow with milk and honey. But there’s a problem. The people are powerful and huge! Let’s just skip out and find somewhere else to settle.”

Nevermind the fact the God had told them He’d be with them and protect them. They saw how big the residents were and forgot how big God is. Ever heard this quote? “Don't tell God how big your storm is, tell the storm how big your God is.” Yea. They forgot that. They even tried to pick a leader and go back to a life of slavery in Egypt.

Contrast them with the 2 spies, Joshua and Caleb. They scouted out the land along with the other 10. But they were the only two to remember how God had led them in the past. They were the only to that seemed to remember the promise from God that He would give them the Promised land if they followed Him.

This is what Caleb and Joshua had to say to the Israelites: “And they spake unto all the company of the children of Israel, saying, The land, which we passed through to search it, is an exceeding good land. ⁸ If the Lord delight in us, then he will bring us into this land, and give it us; a land which floweth with milk and honey. ⁹Only rebel not ye against the Lord, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their defence is departed from them, and the Lord is with us: fear them not.”

Did you see it? “The Lord is with us.” This takes away our excuse to be afraid. It takes away our excuse to “be of little faith.” So be strong, y’all. God is with you! Follow His word, claim HIs promises, and you will someday enter into His eternal Promised Land. You will have trials still. He never promised you wouldn’t. But He promises that He will be with you every step of the way.
Here’s a few promises of God’s protection:

Psalm 34:7 (KJV)
"The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them."

Isaiah 43:1-3 (KJV)
^“1But now thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.
² When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.
³ For I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour: I gave Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for thee."

Psalm 27:1 (KJV)
“The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?"

But I don't want to be still...

I'm currently looking for a job. I'm signed up to substitute teach but it being the beginning of the school year, I haven't had any assignments. I love to teach.

Then there's the temp agency I signed up with. That was earlier this week. Still nothing.

And the job fair this morning. One company seemed to like me. We'll see what happens.

I really need work. But it brings to mind a scripture. "Be still, and know that I am God." Psalm 46:10.

Be still. The hardest thing to do is to be still. My nature is to want to keep on keeping on. But God says to be still. Now I'm not saying to sit back and do nothing. But I know that God wants me to let Him lead. He wants me to see things His way. He wants me to sit back and watch Him bless me. I know He has something for me. But the whole waiting thing...is going to take practice, and prayer.

So here we go. Y'all pray for me. And I'll pray for you.

Baggage

We all carry around past hurts and regrets. Often times someone will steer clear of someone else because they have "baggage." But doesn't everyone? Heaven knows I do. I grew up with a bit of a rough childhood.

My biological father left when I was 4. I've had people come and go all throughout my life. I've learned things about people that left me appalled. The baggage list could go on but I won't get in to detail, at least not right now. I may write my biography later on but this post is not the time or place.

If there's one thing I've learned from people coming and going all throughout my life it is this: that Jesus is the one constant. He is the one that has never left me and never will. He said so in Matthew 28:20 and in countless other promises throughout the Bible. It's hard to accept but once you do, it frees you. Knowing that Jesus is always there to catch you when you fall. Knowing that when all others fall away, He remains.

Follow the jump to a video skit by The Skit Guys on this very subject. You will be touched. Your life may very well be changed. This is their skit on Baggage.

Philippians 2:1-11

In this passage of Scripture, Paul writes to the Philippians about imitating the humility of Christ. He says that if anyone finds blessings of various sorts in being united with Christ, to then be united with their fellow Christians. If there is one lesson that Christians in today’s world must learn and put into practice, it is that we must be united in pursuing those who are lost. We must be united in all things or we will not be able to accomplish anything for the Kingdom of Heaven.

In putting this passage into practice in the context of youth ministry, the applications are numerous. One such lesson to be learned here is that when ministering to the youth, we must act in humility. We cannot give off the appearance of being “holier than thou.” If the youth sense anything close to this, they will run the other direction. Jesus acted in humility constantly and therefore was able to reach far more than had He not practiced this.

We must also be united in our goals and desires for the youth. We must spread the joy we found in Christ in such a way that it is infectious to the youth. One of the best ways to lead is by example. If the youth see us genuinely following Jesus and the joy we have because of Him, they will be much more inclined to follow Him as well. Jesus was constantly in tune with the Father. This came across in ways that allowed Him to reach people that otherwise would not have responded. If we follow this example, we will be able to reach youth that may not otherwise make a decision for Christ.

The key to practicing these, as well as the other lessons in this scripture, is to do it in incarnational ministry. In other words, we must surround ourselves with those we want to reach, in this case youth, and practice these lessons genuinely. The youth can tell when an adult is not being real and thus will trust them even less. But as they see us being real, both with Jesus subsequently with them, they will open up more and begin to let us in and show them the example of Jesus.

Perserverance

Vision is limited on this cold, dark path.
Still, I press on toward the prize.
Hoping, praying that this time,
I won't fail.
Lighting and thunder,
my only companions.
In this canyon of misery,
yet again, I trip-I fall.
A fear of trusting,
the only one who can save me.
A fear of losing control,
of being lost in the dark forever.
I trip and I fall,
Time after time.
I'm not sure I'll ever learn,
The lesson you have for me.
I'm begging, and pleading,
For rescue from this harsh land.
But the fear that grips me still,
Is the fear of being a lost cause.
I kneel and I pray,
But what do I feel?
A weakened desire,
And a resolve almost gone.
Again I try to kneel and to pray.
A memory of faith fulfilled,
And a memory of friends and angels,
Give me strength to stand once more.
The path goes on.
And what will come along its way,
Does not matter to the one,
Whose heart is stayed on you.
Gabriel Taylor
May 28th, 2010

The Year 2010: Repost

2010 was an interesting year.  It was a wild ride.  But once you have kids, nothing is ever not a wild ride.  My wife and I welcomed our baby girl into the world on January 24th.  Coincidentally, it is also the birthday of one of our best church friends.
After over 2 days of labor, she was born by c-section, at 10 lbs 9 oz.  I love to see the reaction of people when we tell them this little tidbit of information.  Their eyes always bug out of their sockets.  She has completely changed our lives.  She is our first child, the 20th grandchild of my parents.  All you men out there, if you don't have a daughter yet, brace for impact.  As soon as your girls are born, you start thinking about what kind of weaponry to get to instill the fear of God into her future boyfriends.
We've had several adventures since we've become parents.  Probably the most interesting one was driving to Las Vegas for a convention this past July.  I tell you what, driving 24 hours straight in a car with a 6 month old baby is quite the adventure.
The next big thing in 2010 after the birth of my child, was when my sister and her husband were offered the chance to become missionary's overseas.  The way it happened was definitely a God thing.  On August 25th, we saw them off at the airport.  There was much hugging, many tears, and lots of prayers.  We miss them a lot but we know that they are doing God's will over there.  They've been huge role models for me personally, and I pray for them and wish them the best.  We cannot wait to see them again.
2010 was a good year.  2011 will be even better.  How do I know this?  Because it's a conscious decision if you want to be happy or not.  But more importantly, God is definitely leading and I look forward to what He has in store for my little part of the family.

Your Love

I don’t feel like I deserve
The love you give to me.
I don’t feel like I’ve earned
The grace that sets us free.
But you died for me anyway.
You gave your life on calvary.
Your blood is what sets me free.
I lift my hands in praise to you.
To run from you
Is my first instinct.
But your love never gives up
And always brings me back.
Because freedom is found in your scars.
And grace is found in your blood.
Love is found in your arms.
And forgiveness is found in your voice.
Make me into your servant
That I may reach those around me.
Make my actions speak of your love
That everyone may see you in me.
And when the time comes,
May I hear the words,
“Well done, good and faithful servant.
Come and share in your Master’s happiness.”

Remember the Sabbath

Remember the Sabbath. That's what the Fourth Commandment says in Exodus 20:8-11. The Bible reminds us constantly throughout its contents of this. Now, I personally believe in the seventh day Sabbath. That is to say, sundown Friday to sundown Saturday. We could get into why this is. But we'll save that for a later time. 


God made the Sabbath for our rejuvenation. We were made as creatures with the need to worship. He gave us six days to work. All He asks is one day for us to sit down, slow down, and worship Him who made us. He loves us with an everlasting love. The Sabbath is a reminder to worship Him, and this in turn helps us to rejuvenate, being ready for another week. 

Exodus 20:8-11 (NKJV)

⁸ “ Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. ⁹ Six days you shall labor and do all your work, ¹⁰ but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. ¹¹ For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.