Over the Thanksgiving weekend, I went deer hunting with my brother-in-law on two cold, crisp mornings. I don’t have a hunting license so I was just along for the thrill. On both mornings we saw nothing on our property but when we left our property we saw several deer and one buck in particular. On Sunday morning, I got a text from my sister that said, “Wesley got him!!” It was a trophy buck; in fact, the largest deer the taxidermist had ever seen! Even though I wasn’t directly involved in the kill, I have told that story over and over and I have shown pictures of the deer over and over. It is so exciting.
We all have stories we love to tell. These stories excite us and mean so much to us. We tell them with passion and our faces gleam with joy. But, when was the last time you told someone the story of Jesus. After all, it is the greatest story ever told. It is the story that saves lives. It is the story only story that truly matters. I’m ashamed to say that, for me, it has been a long time. We are so comfortable in our little church pews and we just wait for people to come to us and we are glad to tell about our Savior when we are asked. But, did Jesus not say, “Go”? We have a GRAND story to share with the world. Why is the story of Jesus not our favorite story to share or the story told most often?
“I love to tell the story of unseen things above, of Jesus and His glory, of Jesus and His love. I love to tell the story because I know ‘tis true, it satisfies my longings as nothing else can do.”—A. Katherine Hankey
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Praise God with Gladness
“You cannot worship God and have fun at the same time.” How many times have you heard a statement like this? Maybe it hasn’t been explicitly stated, but has it been the overtone in the room of worship? What a horrible thought! Yet, for years, that seems to have been the mindset of many Christians. I do believe that that thought has been waning in recent years but it still plagues our worship assemblies even today.
Why would a God who loves us and who sees to our every need not want his children to enjoy worshiping Him? Worshiping God should be the most exhilarating thing we do each day! Whose bright idea was it to worship God sitting in a pew with a sullen face? Clearly, the Bible states, “Worship Him with sadness and with a downcast spirit.” WHAT??? You find that in the scriptures and I will find me another god to worship because that is not at all the god that I want to praise and exalt.
“Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.” (Psalm 100 NIV)
Well, I feel better now! Don’t you? David knew God on a personal level and he knew all of the things that the Lord had done for him. David was not a perfect man. He had many flaws but he knew the privilege of worshipping God and he did it with gladness and excitement. David also wrote, “You have turned for me my mourning into dancing.” (Psalm 30:11 ESV) WOW! David knew the joy of praising God!
Praise God with gladness! Have fun worshiping our Master and Savior! “Clap your hands, all peoples! Shout to God with loud songs of joy!” (Psalm 47:1 ESV)
Monday, April 19, 2010
Maintaining Moral Integrity with TV
I love to watch TV. It is a favorite pass time. It is the way that I prefer to unwind. I have a number of shows that I DVR every week. Unfortunately, there are many shows on TV which I enjoy watching but contain content that is not appropriate for a Christian to support. For instance, "Glee" is a great show. I love the music. The show is all about the music. It is the story of high school misfits that find their place in a glee club. They have incredible "choral" arrangements of popular songs. Since I spent several years as a choir director, I really enjoy the show. However, the show promotes homosexuality, teenage sex, infidelity and lying. I was really disappointed when I realized that a show that had such great potential lacked any regard for moral integrity.
As Christians, we have a responsibility to screen the things in which we choose to partake. It may be that nobody is watching. It may be that no one will ever question what you watch on TV or which websites you choose to visit. Of course, there is the standard answer, "God is watching." That is a true statement, but to go even a step further, the media is watching. TV stations know how many people are watching a show at any given time. Internet sites monitor the number of hits on each page of their website. If you want to make a statement about the content that is on your TV, it is important that you do not watch shows that may call your moral integrity into question. You may only be one person, but if all Christians will stand up for our beliefs, we will make a difference in this world. Christ calls us to action. We are expected to live for Him and to conduct ourselves in a manner worthy of the cross. That includes the things in which we choose to allow into our homes through the TV and the internet.
"Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind."--Rom. 12:2
As Christians, we have a responsibility to screen the things in which we choose to partake. It may be that nobody is watching. It may be that no one will ever question what you watch on TV or which websites you choose to visit. Of course, there is the standard answer, "God is watching." That is a true statement, but to go even a step further, the media is watching. TV stations know how many people are watching a show at any given time. Internet sites monitor the number of hits on each page of their website. If you want to make a statement about the content that is on your TV, it is important that you do not watch shows that may call your moral integrity into question. You may only be one person, but if all Christians will stand up for our beliefs, we will make a difference in this world. Christ calls us to action. We are expected to live for Him and to conduct ourselves in a manner worthy of the cross. That includes the things in which we choose to allow into our homes through the TV and the internet.
"Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind."--Rom. 12:2
Monday, March 29, 2010
One of Those Days
Do you ever have one of those days? A day that you have a lot of things that need to be done but a day when you are just feeling blah? A day that you cannot even think of what needs to be done or you just don't know where to begin? I'm having one of those days. Today is most definitely a Monday. I just can't seem to get my act together. I feel like I have piddled all day long. If I were to make a list, I think I have actually been productive today but it just feels like I haven't done anything at all.
So, where does that leave me? I am sitting here at my desk wondering what to write. What comes to mind is simply, "This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." (Psalm 118: 24) It truly is a beautiful day. The sun is shining, the temperature is 74 degrees, and the wind is light. Not only is it a beautiful day but God has given me another day to live on this earth to serve Him and to glorify Him through my walk. May my walk please Him and affect others to want to know why I have joy in my heart.
May you always rejoice in the day because it belongs to God! May you always have a smile on your face because Christ lives in you!
So, where does that leave me? I am sitting here at my desk wondering what to write. What comes to mind is simply, "This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." (Psalm 118: 24) It truly is a beautiful day. The sun is shining, the temperature is 74 degrees, and the wind is light. Not only is it a beautiful day but God has given me another day to live on this earth to serve Him and to glorify Him through my walk. May my walk please Him and affect others to want to know why I have joy in my heart.
May you always rejoice in the day because it belongs to God! May you always have a smile on your face because Christ lives in you!
Monday, March 15, 2010
Lip Service
It's not enough to give lip service to God.
Yesterday, as I sat in the church pew during Communion, I began thinking about the ways in which we think we honor God. We show up to church on Sundays and we sing and we pray and we listen to a sermon. We honor God with our lips--which is certainly admirable--but do our actions really reflect our attitude toward God?
Perhaps our actions (or rather lack thereof) do reflect our attitude toward God. Perhaps our attitude toward God is, at the core, shallow and meaningless. Perhaps we have lost sight of who God is and what he has done for us; the ransomed ones.
"But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8) God did not just tell us that he loves us. Rather, his demonstration of his love included the death of his son. It was not good enough for God that we should live as sinners and be separated from him. Rather, he found a more perfect redemption for us--HIS SON!
Why then, do we say that we are Christians and that we love and honor God while we are sitting on the sidelines instead of fighting for the cause of Christ. We live in a society that has turned from God. We live in a society that mocks God and mocks the godly principles that we, as Christians, know to be right and know to be pleasing to the Father. Even some who profess to be Christians have succumb to Satan's lies that it doesn't matter what you do as long as you say you love God.
Isn't it time that Christians in America and around the world stop giving lip service to God and start honoring him with our actions by shoving Satan and his deceptive ways out of our society?
Yesterday, as I sat in the church pew during Communion, I began thinking about the ways in which we think we honor God. We show up to church on Sundays and we sing and we pray and we listen to a sermon. We honor God with our lips--which is certainly admirable--but do our actions really reflect our attitude toward God?
Perhaps our actions (or rather lack thereof) do reflect our attitude toward God. Perhaps our attitude toward God is, at the core, shallow and meaningless. Perhaps we have lost sight of who God is and what he has done for us; the ransomed ones.
"But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8) God did not just tell us that he loves us. Rather, his demonstration of his love included the death of his son. It was not good enough for God that we should live as sinners and be separated from him. Rather, he found a more perfect redemption for us--HIS SON!
Why then, do we say that we are Christians and that we love and honor God while we are sitting on the sidelines instead of fighting for the cause of Christ. We live in a society that has turned from God. We live in a society that mocks God and mocks the godly principles that we, as Christians, know to be right and know to be pleasing to the Father. Even some who profess to be Christians have succumb to Satan's lies that it doesn't matter what you do as long as you say you love God.
Isn't it time that Christians in America and around the world stop giving lip service to God and start honoring him with our actions by shoving Satan and his deceptive ways out of our society?
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