Chicken-hearted Lambs

“Go your ways; behold, I send you out as lambs in the midst of wolves” Luke 10:3

Last night, we stopped at a gas station to buy a bottle of juice. As we went to the counter to pay, we found ourselves waiting behind a fellow who was trying to buy a lottery ticket. In fact, he bought several lottery tickets. I was thinking about how he wanted to win millions when it struck me that I should give him a million dollar bill. So, I pulled one out of my wallet and as he started to walk away, I tapped him on the arm and held out the million dollar bill to him. When he saw it, he laughed and started to hand it back to me. I told him that he could keep it and that it was a Gospel tract. We paid for our juice and, as we walked to our car, I saw that the fellow was sitting in his car reading the tract. He looked up and I waved. Then he called out and asked me if I had another of those tracts. I gave him another one and we went on our way praying that God would speak to his heart and water the seed.

We have wonderfully good news. Jesus has paid our penalty to save us from what we deserve. But, the good news can not be genuinely appreciated unless we first comprehend the bad news that, in our inmost being, we are basically sinners and rebels against God. And, as such, we are under judgment and are destined for hell. That's bad news! The good news is that God wants to rescue us from that awful fate. We only need to turn from our rebellious, “I’ll serve myself” attitude, trust that Jesus paid our penalty, and be reborn through the Holy Spirit. When we are baptized, we are declaring that the old man of sin has died and that we are being raised as new men having our sins forgiven and with new natures that desire to seek, serve and obey our God – the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. That's GOOD NEWS!!

Here is the last sentence on the tract, “Then read your Bible daily and obey it.” This is the key to growth, maturity, right thinking and right doctrine. A person who says they are a Christian but has not read his Bible in days or weeks is either not an actual Christian or has a significant problem in their relationship with the Father. Just as our physical body will get sickly and crippled if we don’t feed it right, so will our spirit. When did you last read your Bible?

I’ve always been chicken-hearted about handing out tracts and witnessing. And, in fact, we are like lambs going out among wolves. I’m still learning to overcome my fears. If you are interested in overcoming similar fears, contact me. Perhaps we can encourage each other or set up a class based on “The Way of The Master” basic training course. Even chicken-hearted lambs can experience God's strength if they learn to depend on Him.

Here’s what the tract says:
The million-dollar question: Will you go to Heaven? Here’s a quick test. Have you ever told a lie, stolen anything, or used God’s name in vain? Jesus said, “Whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” Have you looked with lust? Will you be guilty on Judgment Day? If you have done those things, God sees you as a lying, thieving, blasphemous, adulterer-at-heart. The Bible warns that if you are guilty you will end up in Hell. That’s not God’s will. He sent His Son to suffer and die on the cross for you. Jesus took your punishment upon Himself: “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” Then He rose from the dead and defeated death. Please, repent (turn from sin) today and trust in Jesus.. Then read your Bible daily and obey it.

I wish I had watched more TV.

"The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.” – Jesus

Recently, I paid one of our sons to do some plumbing related work that will result in savings of around twenty dollars per month. He proposed that he would do the work for free if we would put the savings into getting Direct-TV. He suggested this since we do not have a connection to the world of TV networks, cable channels or satellite reception and he especially misses the ability to easily tune into sporting events. But, we turned him down.

A recent study showed that couples who have a television in their bedroom had a reduced sexual relationship. This demonstrates one of television’s major effects – diminished health of relationships. Instead of looking at each other and talking to one another, we look at the TV and our brief conversations are shaped and guided by its images and messages. One of the most significant hidden costs of TV is its negative effect on relationships. A newly married couple would be wise to avoid it. A family or couple who desires healthy relationships would be wise to avoid it.

We don’t totally avoid television, but it is very inconvenient for us to watch it. Recently, we went to a friend’s house to share in watching the NBA finals. The advertisement for some TV show had a quick image of a woman showing off her body and underwear. If a stranger came to your door and did this, you would call the police. But, on TV, this is considered good, clean fun. The advertised TV show no doubt delivers a message on morality that would have fit well in Sodom and Gomorrah. If you desire holiness, you would be wise to avoid it.

Who can estimate how much of our time is absorbed by the entertainment and interesting information constantly flowing from our TV? In addition, we now have the Internet soaking up our time. There is certainly some benefit but at what cost? How many goals have been missed, plans derailed, and dreams destroyed because of the magnetic and addictive power of TV to absorb our valuable and irreplaceable time? If you have dreams and goals for the future, you would be wise to avoid it.

There is a plentiful harvest but the workers are few. Where are the workers? Their love and compassion may have been drained off, their time absorbed and their spirits damaged by the copious information, demands and false messages of TV. If you want to be a worker for Jesus, you would be wise to avoid it.

How many people on their deathbed will say, "I wish I had watched more TV."

Far More Wonderful

Q: My husband thinks I am too clingy. He thinks that my moods are too dependent on his actions, opinions and feelings. It drives me crazy that nothing seems to frustrate him. I sometimes feel that he doesn't need me as much as I need him. I find myself reacting to him all the time. I thought marriage was about give and take. "You meet my needs, and I'll meet yours." Am I expecting too much out of my mate?

A: It may surprise you to hear that God did not design marriage as a place where we can get all our needs met. In fact, nowhere does he tell us that happiness, a soul mate, companionship, sex, or even love is the purpose of marriage. He created it with something far more wonderful in mind. [click here to learn more]

After you read the article, please comment on it by clicking on the comments section of this post.

What is Truth?

What is Truth? (John 18:38)

One of the problems we have in our society is a constant flow of deception regarding lifestyle. We are all undoubtedly aware of the lies concerning sex, Jesus, and the goals of life in general. Among all the misinformation, there is also a stream of advertising for foods, supplements and drugs which completely distorts the truth about a healthy lifestyle. Drugs have become the answer to every problem and if that doesn't work then cut or burn it out. Whatever power drugs have is negative. They can, at best, only destroy. There is no life or life source in them and healing ultimately depends on the healing power that God has designed into our incredible bodies. Our lifestyles either build up or dissipate the God given strength of our bodies.

Christians sometimes wonder why they get sick. Certainly God does use our physical infirmities to build us up spiritually and to form the character of Christ in us. But, we can also hurt ourselves by violating physical laws such as gravity. If I step off my roof, I will not escape the effect of the law of gravity. Our bodies operate according to physical laws similar to gravity. If we break a physical law like gravity, we will inevitably see the effect. We live in a world of cause and effect. Every single effect has a cause.

The good news is that God gives us grace and power to get out of the negative cause and effect cycle and to begin to plant seeds that will just as inevitably produce a harvest of right, peace, good and health. As in the spiritual realm, this change in results in the physical realm, first of all, depends on knowing, believing and conforming to the Truth. Jesus said that it was better to lose an eye or a limb than to continue in sin and end up in hell. So, Godliness is definitely more important than physical health. But, there is much value in knowing that gravity or other physical laws not only bring blessing but also present the possibility of negative effects and life threatening danger.

I'm babbling away about things of which you are well aware. Yet, I personally find it easy to forget truths in the distractions of life. In addition, some truths have been buried under mountains of misinformation. Unfortunately, many doctors have been buried under mountains of questionable information about the poison it, burn it and cut it culture of our current medical culture. At the same time, they have often had less training in nutrition than veterinarians. As a result, it is necessary for individuals to go beyond putting faith in their doctors and to become diligent seekers of truth about their physical bodies. This bears some resemblance to God's desire for us to each individually be diligent seekers of Him rather than basing our beliefs solely on the word of a priest or a special preacher. "But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that comes to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him."

Pilate was a ruler and a judge. Yet, he admitted that he did not know Truth. Searching is better than being like Pilate and blindly getting the consequences of ignorance. Some came to Jesus seeking answers. Others already thought they knew the answers. And, some saw their need for answers but did not seek. Blindly standing before the embodiment of Truth what does Pilate say? He does not say "Help me." Instead, he lazily embraces his ignorance, "What is Truth?" - Pilate

If you were blind, you should have no sin: but now you say, We see; therefore your sin remains. (John 9:41)