I'm percolating a thought... dangerous

Why are we so willing to excuse the past while being unwilling to deviate from it?
The religious leaders complained that the disciples were "working" by rubbing heads of wheat in their hands and eating it while walking through a wheat field. Jesus reminds them that King David actually went into the "house of God" and took the consecrated bread from the alter and ate it! So, the religious leaders had excused the acts of David while still enforcing the law of not working on the sabbath. They excused one act of lawlessness while upholding another law.

So I'm pondering and percolating this strange thing. Are there areas where we have excused the behaviors of certain people in the past, while at the same time holding others as law breakers in the present?

Not sure where this is going, maybe nowhere... help me out if you have a thought. Just seems strange to me. I think there might be a principle or an application here somewhere just not sure what it is, beyond the one plainly stated by Jesus - the law exists for people not people for the law...

behind the obvious, veiled perhaps...

Spirtual Espionage...

Reading Mark 1 today and I see something I've never noticed in all the times I have read it. And since I love a good action adventure flick... this intrigued me!

Jesus' ministry is just beginning, hasn't even called all the disciples to follow Him yet but He goes to the Synagogue in Capernaum (where they've been staying) and begins to teach the people. While Jesus is teaching and reading from the scrolls no doubt, a guy stands up in the crowd and shouts at Jesus, "Why are you interfering with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are - the Holy One of God!"

Pretty strange to have a dude stand up in church and begin to shout at you (though it has happened to me before!) but what makes this story so interesting is that in verse 23 the man is identified as, "a man... who was possessed by an evil spirit". Imagine! Having church and a guy stands up, demon possessed and begins to shout!

But here's where it gets really interesting to me! Didn't the people there know the guy? Wasn't he someones father, or brother, or husband? Wasn't he uncle Ben's best friends cousin? How did a demon possessed man get into church that day?!

And then I started thinking... if a demon possessed guy could waltz into church with Jesus, what's to keep them from coming into any church service? Who's to say that we don't have covert agents working for Satan infiltrating our services all around the world? Which begs the question, Why? Why would Satan care what goes on in church? And before you say something like, "the demon possessed couldn't possibly get through the doors of my church because (add whatever super theological argument you've got here)." Think for a minute. Satan is the master mind behind every evil, sinful, wrong thing that is done...correct? And you're gonna tell me that everyone in your church always and forever does the right thing all the time? You've had no affairs, divorces, offenses, etc. in your church? Come one now... it is Satan that can "look" like an angel of light.

Perhaps the same thing that is true about the angels in 1 Peter 1 is true about all spiritual beings, "they long to understand prophecy and the Word." Maybe there is spiritual espionage going on because Satan wants to know where to hit the church (where the weak links are) and find out if we know something spiritual that he hasn't figured out yet...

Maybe there are double agents, and war rooms, covert operations and black ops happening all time!

Perhaps this is why the disciples warned us to, watch ourselves, our doctrine, our friends, our lives, our relationship with our Savior, watch yourself or you may also be tempted...

Direction Motivation

Matthew 28:19-20 gives the marching order for the church from her captain, Jesus Christ. Jesus laid out the battle plan for the church to make a beachhead for inroads into the communities in which it exists.

Jesus said the job of the church was to:
1. Make Disciples. The word disciple means "learner" the 12 disciples were learners of Jesus, they were His students. Judas was one of those, though he didn't learn very well. We are to help people want to learn more about Jesus.
2. Baptize. Once a person becomes a learner they should learn about baptism and, if true learners, they will want to be baptized in obedience to Jesus. A learner wants to follow and obey his teacher.
3. Teach the new disciples the commands of Jesus. Baptism is not the graduation ceremony for the disciple (learner) it is the initiation into a new way of life. A new life that must be taught and caught. The church is to teach, those who follow, the whole counsel of God.

At Real Life we do a good job of creating an atmosphere and environment for making disciples and most of those respond in obedience to immersion. But I think we have failed in the "teach the new disciples God's commands" department. So I will talking and thinking about a way to remedy that situation.

I think it will begin with a greater push for Life Groups. That means we'll need people willing to host and lead these small home groups where we can facilitate the third part of our directive. I'm open to ideas and dialogue on this issue so if you've got a thought, please share it!

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The pebble problem.

Have you ever heard it said of someone that they were, "too big for their britches"? I'd like to put a new spin on that from the life of the Apostle Peter.

In Matthew 16:16-18 Jesus is talking with the disciples about who other's thought Jesus really was. Everybody had a different idea about but Jesus asks Peter directly, "who do you believe I am?" And Peter responds, "you are the Christ (means chosen one of God), the Son of the Living God." This was obvious the right answer because Jesus tells Peter that he should consider himself blessed, since "this was revealed not by men, but by my Father in heaven." In other words, God revealed this to you Peter, you ought to be happy about that.

Here's where the problem starts. Peter gets an "atta-boy" from Jesus. You're catching on Peter! You're growing up Peter! In fact, this is where Peter gets his new name. The name he was born with was Simon, but Jesus changed it to Peter right here after this key truth is revealed, Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of the Living God! Way to go, Simon, your name is now going to be Peter - which most language people believe means, "stone" or "pebble".

So let's recap. Peter makes a great spiritual statement about who Jesus was - the Son of The God. Peter gets a pat on the back and a new name (Peter). Then something happens...

Jesus goes on to tell the rest of the disciples, who were all standing right there, that on the truth of Peter's statement Jesus would build His church. And that's just what happened! The church today is built on the foundational belief that the historical Jesus IS, WAS and ALWAYS WILL BE the Son of the LIVING God and the Savior o fall who believe in Him! Which is pretty cool. But right after that Jesus starts talking about Him impending death on the cross. At which point Peter (the pebble) takes Jesus aside and scolds Him, (like a child) saying (in his best big man voice), "this will never happen Lord," you're talking crazy! Why, I'd die before I'd let anyone harm you, after all, I'm a boulder - the guy who came up with the truth on which your church will be founded! (okay, okay, I know I took some liberties there with the text, but you get what I'm saying, right?!)

Did you see how Peter is given a truth from God, claims responsibility for it and in just a few moments goes from a little pebble to scolding Jesus like he was a big boulder? I think a lot of us do that still in our lives. We are given a few pats on the back. A few Atta-boys. And pretty soon we've gone from a little pebble who just wanted to serve and be involved and help however we could... to a boulder that is telling others what to do and bossing them around, etc. I see it all the time. The problem for many leaders with giving people pebble responsibilities is that they soon start acting like boulders, immovable, planted, sturdy.

I always try to look for leaders who have no problem being pebbles. Those are the ones who can roll with the flow. Who will help build the wall, knowing they can't do it themselves, instead of standing on the sidelines telling everyone else how it should be done.

If you read the rest of the story after Peter reprimands Jesus (I still can't believe he did that!) Jesus says, "get behind me Satan!" Wow! Peter goes from a pebble, to a boulder (in his own mind) to a grain of sand as he is called down by Christ.

When you get too big for your britches, the fall is often long and hard. Believe me, I know.

Are you stuck IN a trial or ON a trial?

I wonder how many opportunities I've missed in my life because I was too focused on the trial I was going through to see anything else. You may not know this but we (almost all of us) base decisions on what HAS been instead of what COULD be. What I mean is this. If you've been hurt in a relationship you are less likely to jump into another one because you will expect to be hurt again. So you're past experience may keep you from a future opportunity. I think we do that even "in the moment."

Matthew quotes Jesus as saying to the disciples, "you WILL stand trial...BECAUSE you are my followers, BUT this will be your OPPORTUNITY to tell...unbelievers about me." Jesus knew that His disciples would be punished and face trials for no other reason then their faith in Him. But, He also knew that the trials they faced would provide OPPORTUNITIES they might not otherwise have to share their faith.

You and I don't face judge and jury trials like the kind Jesus is talking about, but we do face hardships and temptations (we call them trials). In every trial we face there is opportunity. But these are so opposite from each other that we tend only focus on one or the other at a time. Like when Jesus said, "you can't serve two masters..." here, we tend to not see two sides.
Trials are difficult, opportunities exciting. Trials exhaust us, opportunities infuse us with energy. Trials take from us what we have, opportunities give us more. But when we focus on the trial we tend to forget about the opportunity! But don't lose hope! When we intentionally learn to focus on the opportunities, the trials begin to fade into the background.

I want to be more opportunity focused and less trial conscious. Let's face it, we could all benefit from that. I feel like we at Real Life are going through a "season of trials" - but I'm also beginning to see the many opportunities that exist, solely because of the trials! Let's take advantage of the OPPORTUNITIES for the glory of God and let Him worry about the trials!

character flaw...

I have this flaw in my character. If I decide to do something, let's say, exercise and lose some weight, and tell other people about it I am less likely to actually do it. But, if I don't say anything to anybody I am more likely to begin such a program. It's almost like just have the conversation gets me out of actually doing the thing I'm talking about! Stinks.

Jesus healed a man with leprosy in Matthew 8:1-3 but tells the man NOT to tell anyone. Instead he is to go show himself to the priest and offer the required sacrifice for being cleansed of leprosy (perhaps a thank or wave offering) and this action will be a public testimony that he had been cleansed.

Perhaps Jesus knew this guy had the same character flaw I do! Look at what might have happened. He is cleansed and runs through town telling everyone Jesus healed him. But, since he didn't go to the priest, he has no proof that he had leprosy and had been healed. And, he may have told a few people, been all excited and then went back to work, forgetting about it. By going to the priest he gets a record of his healing (because the priest would have had a record that he had leprosy and needed to be sent out of the community according to the law), he has the opportunity to offer a "thank you" sacrifice to God (according to the law) and everyone in the Temple would have seen it - a public testimony!

So, I'm exercising and trying not to talk about it too much. The public testimony comes when others notice the physical change in me and ask me what's up or tell me I look better. Then I can tell them what I am doing.

Maybe spiritually we ought to make those lifestyle changes first (instead of just talking about it) and then let people "see" it in our lives and ask, "what is different?" Then we can tell them, I've been cleansed. You've seen the proof.

God may have other plans... are you ready?

Every big thing in our lives certainly takes center stage in our thoughts and dreams. Marriage, the birth of your children, first job, etc. We've got it all worked out don't we.

I read a line in Matthew 1:18 the other day that got me thinking. Here's how it goes, "Mary was engaged, but before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin..."

One little sentence packed full of so many dreams and ambitions and interruptions and then a complete turn around...

Mary was engaged... Statement of fact. Her and Joseph were gonna get hitched. Surely she was dreaming about the wedding, their life, the children that would come. Joseph was a strong young man. Perhaps handsome. Maybe she considered herself lucky to have such a man. Well, one with a career any way. Everything was going great and moving, just as she dreamed it toward her ultimate marriage...

But before the marriage took place... something interrupted her dreams. Before she could get to that thing that had monopolized her thoughts for weeks, months, maybe even years, it all came crashing down. Surely you know what that's like. You've had unfulfilled dreams. Maybe it was while you were preparing to walk down the aisle when he or she bailed and left you standing there stunned. You found out your unborn child had a disability of some kind. Before you could really get your life going, something happened. You can relate to Mary.

While she was still a virgin... believe it or not this is my favorite part of this sentence! There is so much hope and faith and wonder tied up in this lost statement! Listen, if she was still a virgin then nothing that happened next should have happened! A virgin can't be pregnant. There was not way! How could the Savior of the universe be born to a virgin?! The only answer is God.

What is your obstacle to God birthing something wonderful in you? If a virgin girl can become the mother of His Son I can't see anything standing in His way! And while you go about making your life plans, completely incapable of accomplishing His will on your own, He is at work to bring about something incredible in your life! Something you can't possibly imagine!

So make your plans, but be ready, because God just may interrupt your life when you least expect and birth something incredible in you too.

Wait for the numbers.

Just a quick one today, but more to come! Lots of good stuff in Matthew 1 and 2!

Sometimes it is really hard to see how God could possibly be working in our lives (surely it's not just me). One thing after another happens and we seem to have no control and nothing is working right and we think God could not possibly be involved in our chaos.

While reading about all that happened to Joseph and Mary prior to and immediately after the birth of Jesus I am sure that they simply could not see the picture God had created for their lives. Just a bunch of random dots on one of God's activity pages. Then in Matthew 2:18 you read a prophecy from Jer 31:15 about death and mourning and weeping and Matthew says it was a prophecy about Herod killing all the baby boys while searching for Jesus.

Who would have thought or could have predicted that Jeremiah was talking about this event!? The readers in Jeremiah's day probably didn't even recognize that as a prophecy, but Matthew, through the Spirit saw it.

Here's my conclusion and then I've got to run; It's easier to connect the dots once they've been numbered. When you look at what God is doing all you may see is a random bunch of dots on a smudged piece of paper... wait for the numbers, then be amazed at how God has orchestrated the events of your life to reveal a beautiful picture you can not now see.

The POINT of prophecy.

I've been a little "off" lately in my blogging - no comments allowed.
Church life and ministry are often a blessing and often, nearly more than I think I can handle. The last few weeks have been some of the worst in my 15 years of ministry. Satan is certainly at work in the lives of people, relationships, marriages, etc. And we, by giving into our "desires" allow Satan to have victories that decay our spirit and tear down the Kingdom.

That being said, my Bible reading has been in the last book of the Bible and the most difficult to understand, Revelation. (if you comment and say you've got it figured out and it's easy to understand I just might call you a liar.)

But there have been some incredible passages in this letter that twists and turns and repeats and crosses stories. One of them I cam across today in Revelation 19.

John is in the midst of a bunch of symbolism here with animals and people representing a bunch of different things. It seems like there is prophecy within prophecy here - kind of a Matrix moment when your in the story your in... like when you look in a mirror that's reflected in another mirror and your image goes on and on. But in the midst of all this stuff the angel says something incredible to John.

It comes in verse 10 of chapter 19 and the angel says, "For the essence of prophecy is to give a clear witness for Jesus." wow.

In the middle of the most prophetic book in the Bible with stuff happening all over the place the angel cuts right to the heart of it all! The point! The reason! The effort all finds it's purpose in focusing every one's attention on Jesus.

There are lots of people who claim to be prophetic or prophets today. Some of them may be legitimate but I fear most are phonies. How do you know? If they add anything to the ultimate prophecy found in the Words of the Bible they are fakes. There is no new prophecy. It begins and ends with Jesus.

But the point today is as strong as it was for John and as clear as it was to the angel. It's all about Jesus. There is no point in prophecy unless it points clearly to Christ.

So, I want to be more clear in my preaching so that people see Jesus. I want to be more honest in my life so that people see Jesus. I want to be more careful with my words so that people hear Jesus. I want to preach Jesus with laser accuracy so there is no doubt. No question. No mistaking who is the One who takes away sin and gives life. He is the only One that brings life change. Let's cut through the junk and be clear.

Does the Church need another CSI moment with Jesus?

I began my reading today in the book of revelation. Difficult read. So many things that quite frankly, without the benefit of "being there" we have a real disadvantage in understanding. Now, there will be those who tell you they have it figured out. Anyone who says that I pretty much walk away from. You could read 100 commentaries and each author will say "this is what it means" and no two commentaries will be the same. So, who's right?

But in reading the first 3 chapters this am I'm wondering if the Church again is in need of a CSI moment with Jesus. CSI stands for Crime Scene Investigator and you can totally see Jesus playing that role in his letters to the 7 churches. He's investigated them. He knows them. He's uncovered every stone and looked around every corner.

In most of the churches He's found the good and bad. Where's He's found bad He rebukes and calls to repentance and where He's found good He encourages. Some of the churches have nothing good going on but only the church in Smyrna seems to be doing everything right. Perhaps because they are being persecuted and even killed for their faith.

What would happen in your church, in my church, if we had a CSI moment? If we really looked at our church as Christ might to see the good and the bad. What do you think our letter would look like? Would it resemble Smyrna or maybe (and more likely) Laodicea.

What's love got to do with it?

Reading through 1,2 and 3 John today. One over-riding thought; love. Here's how I would break down these letters.

1. If you've got love, you've got Jesus.
2. If you've got Jesus, you've got the Father, God.
3. If you've got God, you will obey His commands.
4. His commands are that you love

Rinse and repeat steps 1-4.

In contrast:

1. If you don't have love, you ain't got Jesus.
2. If you don't have Jesus, you ain't got God.
3. If you don't have God, you ain't got a prayer.

Those who love others are obeying God's command and have the Son and the Spirit. Those who teach false doctrines (specifically that Jesus did not come in a human body) do not have love, or God or the Son or the Spirit. Don't listen to them. Don't support them. Don't encourage them.

But, love all believers. Your love proves you have the Father, Son and Spirit just like your deeds prove your faith (see James).

I want to prove my connection with God so I want to obey Him so I choose to love. Help me Father to love.

Finding a sandbar.

My family and I recently got back home and back to work after a quick vacation down to the Gulf Coast. Namely, Padre Island. We got about 4 hours of solid swimming in the warm ocean waters (no oil) and a good seaweed bath.

It was so cool to be out in the water and I had this crazy idea of getting out as far as I could and then letting the waves carry me back to shore. I even got Trevor (my oldest son) to go with me. I thought we could swim out and then get on the tube and just float back to the beach. If you've never swam in the ocean you aren't aware that once you get out so far the water actually carries you farther from shore, not closer! After a few moments of panic we got it figured out and made it back in.

After a few minutes of recovery we headed back out. This time were were just going out to neck deep to jump over and swim through the waves as they came in. But this time we found a sandbar that jutted out from the coast line another 20 or 30 feet so we got a quite a distance from the shore but were still standing up at about neck deep. It was really fun! Until we found one of the sides of the sandbar and started to slip down. On either side of this sandbar the water was well above our heads. After the swim out to sea and back we were pretty tired but still wanted to play. After all, Trevor had never swam in the ocean and I had only done it in the cold waters off Oregon.

Having that sandbar to stand on allowed us to feel like we were way out in the ocean waters but still have the comfort of a relatively sure foundation. As long as we stayed on that sand we were okay. 1 Peter 5:10 says this, After you have suffered a little while, the Lord will restore, support and strengthen you and He will place you on a firm foundation." In the ocean as in life there are lots of times when we get in over our heads. Maybe it's the job, relationships or just a mixture of all that life can throw at you. We call it stress and it can be overwhelming and exhausting. But our God knows what is going on in our lives. He is aware when we can't take it anymore and need to rest.

He provides the firm foundation. You can't get out of the ocean of your life, but you can find a place to rest. A place to stand. A place to keep your head above the water. A place to regain your strength. Find some balance. And have your faith restored.

Thank You God for allowing us to enjoy the excitement of life, even with it's troubles and struggles. And for placing the sandbars right where we need them.

Remember, God may not take you out of your situation but He can deliver you through it.

Can I have some more suffering please?

I have yet to meet a believer in Jesus who actually wakes up in the morning and says, "today is going to be a great day! I get to suffer for Jesus!" Nope, never heard it. But I have heard lots of these prayers, "God, keep me healthy and happy today, keep me from suffering and help me to have a good day." That's the prayer of the average believer, including me all too often.

We Christians tend to think that if we are suffering something must be wrong in our relationship with God. If I'm suffering I must need to pray more. Go to more church services or read my Bible longer. If things are going well for me then God must be happy with me. If they are going poorly He must be angry.

It's silly really (that rhymed and I didn't even try!). Over and over in God's Word He promises suffering. Do everything right as a believer and you WILL suffer. Maybe you lose your job. Your marriage falls apart. Your car breaks down. Your body breaks down. These don't mean that God is mad at you or that you aren't living like you should be in Christ. They are simply personal illustrations of sin's work in the world we live in. They prove Satan is active and on the prowl.

But let's be honest. We don't like to suffer. I want everything in my life to be perfect. Peter makes a great point in 1 Peter 4:15. He is talking about suffering for the sake of Christ and then in 15 says, "if you suffer it should NOT be because you did something wrong" (murder, stealing, making trouble or prying into other's lives). Peter knows us doesn't he! He knows that we complain and whine even when we suffer for doing wrong! How many of you whine and fuss when you're given a ticket for speeding? You did something wrong and were punished for it. That's called a consequence NOT suffering!

If you (or I) screw up and have to suffer (the consequence) that is not a reason to find any joy - we are getting what we deserve. But if I suffer because I'm a Christian that is a completely different story. I have been called names because of my faith. I have been left out. I have suffered financially (though light and momentary troubles all).

Don't ever think that just because you believe in Jesus that nothing bad will ever happen to you. If that's the case there is one of two things happening. 1. you are so "bad" as a christian that Satan doesn't need to mess with you, or 2. you're in heaven.

Suffering is part of the Christian life. Quit trying to run from suffering and pray your way out of it. God isn't going to deliver you from the very things that will ultimately strengthen and grow your faith and trust in Him. Live. Fight. Struggle through it with all His strength that so powerfully works in you. Suffer knowing that your faith will find increase and you will not be disappointed.

Let it grow...

I am not a patient person. Prayed for it. Somewhat desire it. Don't have it. I'm the J.G. Wentworth poster child... I want it NOW! Whether it is personal or church related I don't like to wait.

The book of James tells us that our reward for a life lived for Christ doesn't come until "the end." Hard truth for the patiently challenged.

Another area I struggle with is plants. I love plants. But you have to be patient with plants, just like faith and exercise or lots of other things (I learned the hard way that cooking something at a higher temp for a shorter period of time does NOT yeild the desired results!). I have a tendency to think that if I over do it with the water and care and sun then I'll get the results I want sooner. But that's not true. I end up killing it with care! When what I should do is just let it grow. But I don't like to wait! (Did I say that already?)

That is certainly true of pain and struggle in my life. I want it over quick! Okay God, teach me the lesson and let's move on. Let's get it over with. No need to dwell on it any longer... (I'm impatiently writing this right now!) It's my human nature to want to get this over with and move on to the next thing. But, my plants need to develop deep roots so they can get to water when I inevitably forget to water them, or when these 100 degree days hit in Kansas. They need some sun, but too much is a bad thing as well. In my spiritual life I need the same things. I need to have deep roots of faith to withstand the dry spells. I need to be able to hold up in the heat of temptations.

In order to do this I must learn the spiritual discipline of, "letting it grow." That's what James 1:4 says. Let it Grow. When pain and trouble and struggles come don't seek to get it over with quickly and get to better times. See God working in those difficulties and let it grow. These times in your life develop spiritual endurance and faith to meet all of life's challenges. So, let it grow. Let your faith grow, deep and strong.

Give yourself time to learn the lesson. To make it a habit. To get to the next level and stay there. Let it grow.

Relational God.

In Hebrews 8:10-12 I read something that is just amazing.

Have you ever thought about the implications of God's statement, "I will be your God and you will be my people"? Or how about "Everyone will know me from the least to the greatest"? or this one, "I will forgive their wickedness and never again remember this sins"?

Powerful. Life changing. Encouraging.

God could have stopped with, "I will be your God." As God, He could demand worship and tribute and obedience. But that's not what He chose. He simply wants to be our exclusive God. It's where the, "no other gods before me" comes in. He wants to be OUR God, even though He could force His ownership over us He desires us to choose Him as our only God.

And it doesn't matter if you're somebody or nobody. President or Pee-on. Everybody can know Him and be equal. There are no positions or titles with God. The manager of a QT doesn't brag about it while sitting in the oval office! There is God and then everyone else. No matter what your background, baggage, battles, bumps or bruises everyone is equal under God.

And if that wasn't enough, He wants US to be His people! Not just to worship Him as God but He wants to recognize us as His own! And part of that is His promise to "forgive our wickedness" and "never remember our sins"!

God wants us. Not just our service. Or money. Or time. Not our excuses. Just us. You and me. He wants to be our God and He wants us to be His people. He wants relationship.

Jesus is all right with me.

Reading in Hebrews 4,5 and 6 this am. Struck by Jesus life and faithfulness.

I don't recall the statistics but the majority of children who inherit wealth squander it away. They didn't have to earn it so it doesn't mean as much to them (that's what I hear anyway). But those parents who force their children to be responsible with money and teach them to work hard and earn their own way before they get inheritance dollars do much better with it.

It seems to me that God could have just had Jesus appear on earth as a human (He is God after all) in his 20's or something. Live a few months or so in the lap of luxury, since His Dad literally owns everything, and then die a quick and pain free death. He would have not sinned so He would be the "perfect" sacrifice the law required. And He would be human and shed His blood. Law fulfilled.

But that's not the way God does things. Jesus experienced everything that we experience in our lives. From birth to death He was completely human. He experienced loss, temptation, anger, frustration, fear, ridicule, slander, out-right-lies and finally the pain of a long and agonizing death. And even through all that He never sinned.

Jesus was not only the perfect sacrifice but He becomes our perfect example. Had Jesus not lived and died as He did we could complain to God that He doesn't know what we're going through down here (which is stupid because, once again, He's God - He knows it all!) and so we should be exempted from some of our sins. And Satan could complain that He had it too easy and would have failed it He experienced life as it really is.

Instead God, in His perfect wisdom and understanding, allowed His Son to suffer so that we and Satan are without excuse. There is nothing we can point to as a loop hole or way out. Jesus went through all this so that He would rule well, judge justly and win the battle handily.

Thanks Jesus, you're all right with me.

Healthy Reminder

I have never heard of someone who did something wrong say they intended for it to happen. You know, husband or wife has an affair and they all say, "I never meant for this to happen!" Or a teenager goes to far and gets pregnant and they say, "I didn't mean for it to go this far!" You hurt someone and say, "I didn't MEAN to hurt you, that was not my intention."

Things happen. You may not have "thought" it would go that far or end up like it did but you certainly allowed it to. I don't get into the office on Monday morning and say, "I think I'd like to really do a poor job on my message this Sunday." But sometimes I allow other things to take my focus and I end up doing less than my best (thanks to God for using me even then!).

The writer of Hebrews gives us some sound advice to avoid these types of situations in our spiritual lives. He (or she) says, "make sure that your own hearts are not evil and unbelieving, turning you away from the living God."

Now, you are probably saying something like, "but I believe! My heart's not evil! I will never turn away!" We've heard that before. I think Peter said the same thing. You may not now think you would ever turn away. That's why you could say, "I didn't mean for this to happen." Right now you say you believe, but later you may say, "I never meant for it to go this far."

What's the answer? The writer starts out verse 12 saying, "be careful" and then it says, "Make sure." I recall Paul telling Timothy to, "watch your life and conduct." No one intends on moving away from God, but it happens all the time.

So be careful and make sure you evaluate yourself to see that you are not on a slippery slope. Are you spending time with other believers? Are you regular in church attendance? Are you serving and giving regularly at the church? How long has it been since you read your bible or prayed? Be careful. Make sure your own heart is not evil and unbelieving turning you away from the Living God.

Making Christianity Attractive

As a child my Mom had a million phrases she would stick around the house or throw out at times she deemed "appropriate." Your mom probably had them too. Above the sink in the kitchen she had this little bit of wisdom, "if you're not happy with what you have, how could you be happier with more?" and more than once I heard this, all to familiar, quip, "you catch more flies with honey."

It seems to me that maybe over the years the church lost sight of that last one. In fact, I think the church as a whole may have gone the opposite direction entirely. Making the church difficult to get into and belong to made being a member a rite-of-passage. You knew those who were members had "earned" their membership. I would even say that some churches went so far as to consciously make their fellowships unattractive to outsiders so that only those who, truly wanted to be saved, would dare join them.

Then, we were able to look at those on the outside and ridicule their faithless lives and talk about how upright and holy we were because we were a part of this thing called church. We not only made church unattractive we often made Christ unattractive as well. We acted like Christ on Sunday or at Bible study, etc. but in the bank on Friday or at the cafe on Wednesday we could be found cursing about the work week or telling off-color jokes to those around us.

Paul's instruction in Titus 2 paints a different picture of church. He is talking about slaves/servants who have become believers in Jesus Christ and how they ought to live. He says they must "not talk back or steal, but must show themselves to be entirely trustworthy and good. Then they will make the teaching about God attractive in every way."

I think Paul's instruction could be directed at us too. We, as believers in Jesus should live so that we are proved "trustworthy." We shouldn't act like those who are not believers, but instead live differently so that we might "make the teaching about God attractive in every way."

It seems to me that our goal should be to minimize the obstacles to faith - not increase them! Our lives should make our God and Savior Jesus Christ attractive and our churches should be places of welcome and comfort for road weary travelers. If God's goal is that everyone be saved and come to a knowledge of His Son Jesus Christ (and it is see 1 Tim 2:4) then we should use more honey.

Has Christianity become a wast of time?

Okay, recognize that I'm being a little sarcastic here, but it's for good reason. I hear a lot of sermons and preachers and others talk about a lot of stuff and sometimes I wonder... is this really necessary? In the confines of worship, are there some things that become a waste of time?

Paul tells Timothy not to let people, "waste time in endless discussion of myths and {spiritual pedigrees}... which don't help people live a life of faith in God." I like that 'cause that's what we're about at Real Life. Everyday living for Jesus. How are we as Christ followers supposed to act? Think? Serve? Love? Worship? Pray? Study?

We want to help people live a life of faith in God. That's it. Doesn't matter who you are or what you've done or how much money you have (or don't) what counts is that your are living your life based on faith in God. Acting out that faith in everyday life - work, school, home, church, grocery store, lake. You and I ought to be Christians first, wherever we go. That takes understanding how to live a life of faith.

I don't want to know how many verses you can quote or times you go to church during the week or even how much you've given or done for the church. What does the rest of your life look like? If you serve and love and give at church and hate and curse and act immorally everywhere else you've failed.

Show me how you live a life of faith in God.