Wednesday Morning Devotional

False Witness

Thou shalt not bear false witness.  — Exodus 20:16

I try to come up with a different roll call question every time I take attendance in my class.  Today, my question was:  If you could be paid $100 per lie that you tell, and could be paid for up to 10 lies per day, would you become a liar for $365,000 a year?  It was about an even split.  Half said “yes,” and half said “no.”

At first, I was gasping inside my heart.  Then I thought about how as a 7^th grader or an 8^th grader, I lied for free, so of course I would lie for $365,000 a year…I wouldn’t even have to change.  Then, I thought about how even as a Christian I’ve done some pretty dishonest things.  When I have to take classes for re-certification every 5 years, it is so tempting to find other people’s work who have already taken the class, and turn it in as my own…bearing false witness.  Though it is tempting, I like to think I’m at a point now in my life where I’d rather be right with God and fail, than take any kind of “easy way” and not be right with Him.  It really does expose the fact that there really is a broad way that leads to destruction, and a narrow way that leads to life (Matthew 7:13-14).

Now, here is what I learned through asking this question.  I can not change one of the hearts of my students about this matter.  I can tell them it is wrong.  Some of the students said they would not choose the life of a liar because it is “in the Bible” and “God says it is wrong.”  Unfortunately, simply knowing this information does not change the heart of any sinner.  I remember Tonya and I being on one of our Anniversary cruises.  There was a comedian on the ship who had people raise their hands if they were married, raise their hands if they were single, and finally to raise their hands if they were “shacking up” with someone they were not married to.  When several people raised their hands for this last one, he said “look children…sinners!”  Everyone laughed.  I couldn’t help but think that everyone laughed because they knew in their hearts it was wrong…just didn’t really care that it was wrong.  Knowing that it is wrong to “shack up” and knowing that it is wrong to lie does not keep us from going ahead and doing it anyway.  Yet, what many Christians and many churches do is point out sin and make judgments about people who sin instead of praying for hearts to change.  This, in turn, drives sinners further and further away from the things of God because the whole “Christian life” seems impossible.

Here is the bottom line:  God must change each person’s heart, or that heart will remain wicked.  Upon asking Him into your life, I am convinced that the worst thing you can do is try really hard to change.  On your own, you can’t stop lying, stop cheating, stop sleeping around, stop…well, sinning.  The truth is, if you don’t really WANT to stop, you are certainly not going to stop because you HAVE to stop or because some preacher is in a pulpit badgering you with ought to’s and ought not‘s.

The person who has asked Jesus to forgive them has had the stink of sin removed from their lives.   I believe this stink removal is His primary purpose for you and for me.  You go from smelling repugnant to smelling like a rose.  He can now spend time with you.  Not only can He spend time with you, He wants to spend time with you.  In fact, He wants to indwell you.   Because of the atoning blood of Jesus, He literally places His Spirit inside of you.  The only thing that you really have control of is the amount of time you spend cultivating your relationship with Him.  Simply be still and know that He is God on a regular basis. You will not have to change yourself because over time He will change you.  This change is the only way that I know for sure that I have truly been saved.  The ways of my sinful nature have decreased, and the fruits of the Spirit have increased.  In no way does this mean that I have “arrived” and can put it on cruise control until I enter Heaven.  I am just now beginning to realize that this kind of heart change truly comes from God.  I want so bad to want His Presence in and on my life more than I want anything else that this world has to offer.  I don’t want to bear false witness and simply say I’m a Christian as I did for many years after my initial conversion.

I want to really be one.

Lord, help me be one!

Later

Adam

The Gate

Enter his gate with thanksgiving  — Psalm 100:4

I am almost finished reading “The Pilgrim’s Progress.”  I am reading the last few chapters really slowly, I just don’t want it to end.  That book describes the life of every Christian who has ever set out on the journey to really follow the Lord Jesus Christ.  I am most fascinated by the people that Christian (the main character in the first half of the book) encounters that started out on the journey, but did not enter at the Narrow Gate.  It is where all “pilgrims” who desire to reach the “Celestial City” must begin their journey.

I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved.  — John 10:9

I am so thankful that “the gate” is clearly defined in scripture.  Jesus flat out tells us that He is the gate.  Every single person that desires to be saved must go through Him.  If you examine all of the religions, the ticket to “heaven,” or “enlightenment,” or whatever else is promised is found in keeping some set of rules.  Do this, don’t do this, do that, don‘t do that, look like this, don’t look like that…all sorts of rules.  Not so with Christianity.  Even though many denominations try to paint a picture of exactly what a “Christian” looks like, the bottom line is that salvation is a gift given to us by the Lord Jesus Christ.  He is the gate.  The journey to heaven begins with Him.

I know this is a rather simple WMD.  I just want you to examine your heart and make sure that you began your journey at the gate, the cross of Jesus Christ.  Maybe you bypassed the gate and sit in church every Sunday morning, Sunday night, and Wednesday night and think that makes you right with God.  Maybe you just decided to be a better person and did a pretty good job of making yourself over and think that because you changed you are right with God.  Maybe you play the “I’m a good person” card.  The Bible is clear…there is NO ONE good…not even one (Romans 3:10).  We are not good people that occasionally do bad things.  At our core, we are bad people that can occasionally do good things.  The only way we can be saved is if we accept the forgiveness offered at the foot of the cross.  Have you received this forgiveness?

When did your journey begin?  I don’t know my exact date, but I do know it was in the Summer of 1991.  In a car parked in a lake parking lot with my youth pastor, he led me in the prayer of salvation.  I went in through the gate.

What a journey I have been on ever since then!  This pilgrim has made some progress, though I realize there is a lot more progress to be made before I enter Celestial City.  With the help of God, and the guidance of the Holy Spirit…I will make it.

And to think…it all started at this really narrow gate named Jesus.

Later

Adam

The Last Temptation

“All this I will give you, “ he (Satan) said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”  Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan for it is written:  ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’  Then the devil left him.”  — Matthew 3:9-10

In the third and last temptation, Satan offers something for nothing.  He basically says “I’ll stop all my deception, I’ll stop all the work I do to destroy your kingdom, I will just give it all away if you will just take a knee Jesus.”  Jesus says “There is no way that is happening!”

As a math teacher, I get to teach all kinds of different students…smart ones, the opposite of smart ones, and every kind in between.  That is all well and good, I honestly do not care which kind they are.  However, I like to classify them in a different way:  Either they try…or they don’t try.  In my 16 and a half years of teaching, I have seen the number of students that try decrease, and the number of students that don’t try increase.  In fact, they are increasing at a rapid rate.  As if that isn’t bad enough, here is what is really bad:  They want a good grade…they just don’t want to earn it.  I know Mitt Romney got in trouble for his “47%” comment.  I honestly wish he would have embraced what he said and stood by it.  Mainly because the next generation isn’t much better.  If something doesn’t change, we are raising a generation where half are willing to work and contribute, and half don’t want to work, but want to be given the same luxuries as those who do.

In the last temptation of Jesus, Satan tried to convince Jesus that He could save the world without working for it.  Better yet, he tried to say that Jesus could have it without denying Himself, without taking up the cross, and without following His Heavenly Father.  How appealing does that sound to 47% of this country?  You can have Salvation and all of its benefits!  You can keep following the world and its ways!  You don’t have to change anything about your life…no disciplined Bible reading, no self-denial, no praying, no WORK…You really CAN have it BOTH WAYS!

Have you fallen for it?  I did.  I had a season of life where I thought I could live any way I wanted and God still have my back.  It didn’t work out so well.  In fact, there was a single day when all of my sinful ways came crashing down on me.  I am so thankful for forgiveness!  I am so thankful, not for just second chances, but hundred and second chances.  When I realized that I had fallen for the devil’s temptation, I could only put myself at the mercy of the cross.  Once again, Jesus forgave me, but this time it was different.  This time, I actually appreciated it.  This time, I realized I was like the woman in Luke 7:47…I was forgiven much!  When that happened, I began to love and appreciate Jesus as opposed to keep on trying to perform well for Him…I was a terrible performer anyway.

Thank God Jesus didn’t fall for any of these temptations.  If He had, He would not have been our spotless lamb.  The sacrifice made for our sins would have been insufficient.  Keep in mind…HE DID ALL THE WORK!  He did the hard part…He kept all the rules perfectly because He knew absolutely NOBODY else ever could or would.  When you accept Him into your heart, you receive His perfection.  You receive His righteousness.  The only thing you can do for Him is live a life of thankfulness.  Read His Word, understand His Word, live His Word…it is FOR YOU!!!  As you drink in His Word, your love for Him will increase.  You will WANT to live for Him!  You will find out that living for Jesus is simply a better way to live!  Not to mention, it benefits others, because they will want what you have.  Hopefully, you know how to help them receive Him.

There has never been, and never will be, anyone like our Lord Jesus Christ!  There is no one with more grace, with more forgiveness, with more compassion, or with more mercy.  If He is not your Lord…please make Him your Lord today!

Lord, Jesus…I am a sinner in need of a Savior.  I stand before you guilty and condemned.  I believe you died on the cross for my sins.  I believe that you took the punishment that I deserve.  I believe that by your stripes I am healed.  Come into my heart.  Make me brand new.  Help me learn to love you and live for you until I draw my last breath on this Earth.  Thank You!

Later

Adam

It is Written

Matthew 4:4:  Jesus answered, “It is written:”

Matthew 4:7:  Jesus answered, “It is also written:”

Matthew 4:10:  Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan!  For it is written:”

Today, I want to talk about the second temptation that Jesus experienced.  The devil tried to get Jesus to do something stupid.  Check out Matthew 4:5-6:  Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple, “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down.”  Once again, don’t forget the fact that the devil says “IF you are the Son of God,” and he leaves out the fact that God loves Him as he already stated at the very end of Matthew chapter 3.  But, this time the devil quotes a scripture.  As a general warning, don’t believe that everyone who posts scripture on Facebook is a genuine Christian…even the devil can quote scripture!  Let’s examine what it looks like when he quotes scripture.

Satan quoted Psalm 91:11-12.  Here is the real scripture:  “For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways;  they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.”  Now, here is the devil’s version:  “He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.”  all Satan left out were the words “to guard you in all your ways.”  In other words “if you  really are God’s Son, you can do whatever you want and no harm will come to you.  This might have been true of Jesus…however, Jesus knew that the rest of the verse said that he was also to consider his ways.  There was no way that Jesus was going to tempt His Heavenly Father in this manner.

How I wish as a beginning Christian I had considered my ways!  I see now how Satan convinced me I could go places I shouldn’t go, do things I shouldn’t do, and ultimately live like I shouldn’t live…and still have God on my life.  I believe the lesson in this temptation is that we can not live any way we please and expect everything to work out just fine.  However, that is exactly what the devil wants us to believe.

If you are God’s kid…meaning that you have a point in your life where you have asked Jesus into your heart and have surrendered your life to Him, are you considering your ways?  Let’s examine just a few:

How do you treat people?  Especially people you don’t like.  Do you make a conscious effort to love them?  Remember Matthew 5:44 “But I tell you: Love your enemies”  If you are hating anyone, please consider your ways.  You can not have both your hate and God’s presence!

Do you love the things of this world more than you love Him?  I sure did.  I used to love new golf clubs, new televisions, new computers, new girlfriends and new guitars WAY more than I loved Him.  But, consider Matthew 6:20: “But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”  The devil had me convinced I could have BOTH.  Unfortunately, verse 24 says “No one can serve two masters.  Either he will hate one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other.  You can not serve both God and Money.”   I sure tried.  But, it left me miserable.

Do you judge others?  I see Christians all the time posting things about how THEY go to church, about how THEY spend hours upon hours with the Lord.  Some even go as far to look down on others that don’t spend time with Him as much as THEY do.  These people are simply modern day Pharisees.  I may think these things from time to time, but there is no way that those thoughts are coming out of my mouth and they are DEFINITELY not coming out in a post on Facebook.  For one, I want to consider my ways.  For two, I know Matthew 7:1 “Do not judge, or you too will be judged.”  I don’t think that verse means that we should NEVER point out sin…I’m kind of doing that here.  But, here is what we need to consider:  In the same way that I judge others, I will be judged when I stand before the King.  Therefore, I will choose mercy every single time.  I want and need mercy when I stand before Him.  I definitely do not want to rely on my own goodness…it just ain’t that good.

These examples could go on and on and on…I just pointed out a few that I had to deal with and still deal with quite frequently.

This is what the LORD Almighty says:  “Give careful thought to your ways.”  —  Haggai 1:7

And remember, the devil left these words out when he was tempting Jesus.  Could it be that a lot of Christians believe they can live any way they please and still complete God’s assignment for their lives?

It is written, so we had better know it…and know it well!

Later

Adam

Jesus Fasted

After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.  — Matthew 4:2

Why do you reckon the Son of God fasted?  Did He have to?  Couldn’t He have certainly overcome the devil’s temptations without fasting?  I am inclined to believe that He didn’t have to fast and that He certainly could have overcome the devil without doing so.  Then I consider Hebrews 4:15:  For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are–yet was without sin.  I think I often forget that Jesus was fully God and fully man.  I believe Jesus fasted to absolutely bring the “fully man” part of himself to his knees, even the verge of death.  He was literally conquering His flesh and living completely by the Spirit.  Jesus was very aware that He was about to go public with His ministry.  He was about to draw some amazing crowds and some intense scrutiny from the religious leaders.

This brings me back to the question:  Why did Jesus fast?  I think the next verse gives us a clue.  Check out Matthew 4:3:  The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”  Interesting.  Compare this verse with what God Himself proclaimed from Heaven at the end of Matthew 3:  And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”

Notice that God proclaims “This is my Son!”  Notice the devil says “If you are God’s Son.”  Notice that God says “I love Him!”  Notice Satan leaves that part out.  The temptation has begun.  Satan simply wants Jesus to doubt that Jesus is who the Father says He is.

Do you think Satan is still playing these same games with God’s children today?  I certainly know he played them with me.  Within a week of my own salvation, he made me doubt that I was God’s child and made me doubt the Father’s love for me.  Why did Satan’s trick work for me and not for Jesus?

Jesus fasted…He prepared Himself for the attack.  I didn’t.

In no way am I saying that I should have starved myself for 40 days and been as hardcore as Jesus.  I don’t really think any beginning Christian is ready for that.  However, looking back, there are lots of things I could have and should have done.  For one, I should have immediately only hung out with people who were actually walking the walk that I was about to begin.  I should have asked them questions about their struggles at the beginning and inquired about some of the pitfalls.  Secondly, I wish I had filled my mind with as much of the Bible as possible.  I wish I had taken forty days and forsook the television, video games, walkman (for those who remember those), and just got away from all the junk I pumped in my head with and pumped it with God’s Word.

I can’t help but believe that this is the first fast for believers.  Take a period of time and get away from social media, video games, cell phones, simply get away from all the things that suck your time doing absolutely nothing.  Replace that time with God time.  Write your prayers in a journal, talk to Him, read His Word, listen to Praise and Worship, listen to really knowledgeable preachers preach, read books written to help you follow Him more closely, and basically fill your mind with Him.  Why?  I’m glad you asked.

Because when you finish 10 days, 21 days, 40 days….however many days you choose, you will emerge different.  Your friends will say “what is different about you?’  Your face will begin to shine as the face of Moses did when he came down from the mountain (Exodus 34:35).  God’s Presence will be on your life.  You will be so much more grounded in your faith.  Best of all, you will have such confidence, as Jesus did, that what God has said of you is true…

I am born of God, and the evil one can not harm me. — 1 John 5:18

I am alive with Christ… I have been saved by grace!  — Ephesians 2:5

I have received the gift of righteousness. — Romans 5:17

I am a new creature in Christ — 2 Corinthians  5:17

I am forgiven of all my sins and washed in the blood.  — Ephesians 1:7

It is not I who live, but Christ who lives in me. — Galatians 2:20

This could go on all day!

Later

Adam

Fasting in 2013

But when you fast… — Matthew 6:16

It’s hard to believe Christmas has come and gone…again.  I heard a 4^th grader pray over Christmas dinner and say in her prayer “this year has gone by so fast.”  I don’t know about you, but I remember time going by slowly when I was in school.  I felt like I would never get out of there.  The years seemed to take forever.  Not so today…we just celebrated our 6^th Christmas with my little girl, and my 4^th with my little boy.   Time has seemed to hit some sort of warp speed.

I believe there are two types of Christian.  The first type simply wants salvation from Hell.  They fit perfectly into our American society that screams “give me something for doing absolutely nothing.”  Let me say a prayer, get my forgiveness, live life the way I want, and I’ll see you in Heaven.  I know this type well because I was this type for several years.  These are possibly the most harmful people on the planet.  They claim to know Christ, yet people who are not Christians watch them and think “why in the world would I want to be a Christian?  They are no different than me. Christ makes NO DIFFERENCE in a person’s life.  They cuss like me, get mad and fly off the handle like me, get drunk like me, hate other people like me, ditch church like me, don’t give like me, and don’t make an attempt to read the Bible much less live it…like me.”

Then, there are Christians who make a difference.  When I met the first few “real deal” Christians, I immediately wanted the Christianity they had.  It was a whole lot different than the Christianity I had.  They had peace.  They had joy.  They could hit bad golf shots and not cuss or even get angry.  They could have someone cut them off in traffic only to go 10 miles an hour and they didn’t seem the least bit upset.  They could get in a mile long line at Target and make no complaints.  They didn’t have to go to church, they loved going to church.  They knew their Bible.  In fact, they had read it several times and planned on reading it several times more…and liked it.  How in the world could I get what they had?  I wanted it!

The answer is what I like to think of as fasting.  True fasting is going without food, period.  But, most Christians are not ready for that at all.  The words of Jesus are the bread of life, and far too many people who claim to be Christians are going without it.  The reason we behave like the world is that we are constantly feeding ourselves with the same things that the world feeds on.  Once again, we listen to the same music, read the same books, and watch the same TV shows and movies.  If anything in you wants more of God…you need to go on a fast.  I am simply going to throw out a couple of suggestions.  Decide what is right for you, set the time and go for it!

1.  Most of the people in our church do Daniel’s Fast from Daniel 10:2.  No bread, no meats, no sweets, and drink only water for 21 days.  For me, it is difficult…especially the first week.  If you’ve never done it before, don’t get bogged down in specifics, just decide what fruits, vegetables and beans you can tolerate for 3 weeks and go for it.  If 3 weeks sounds too rough, go to 2 weeks or even 1 week.  When I’m doing this I stay hungry and am never satisfied physically.  But that hunger reminds me that I’m doing this for the Lord which in turn keeps my mind constantly on Him.  I am in such good tune with Him.  If you told me “I got saved today” right now I would say “that is GREAT” and I would mean it.  But, if you told me that while I’m fasting, at some point I would probably break down and cry because the goodness of God would just overwhelm me.  It just makes your spirit super-sensitive to Him…a very nice place to be!

2.  If you don’t spend time reading the Bible and praying, you need to start.  Turn the TV off, shut down the computer, hide the iPad, turn the cell phone off, basically get away from media.  When you find yourself gravitating toward it, go to your Bible, go to your knees in prayer, but fill your mind with as much God as possible.  If you are a music junkie, you can still listen to music, but it can only be music that glorifies and honors the Lord.  You might even put some sermons on there and listen to them.  The idea is to fill your mind with as much God as possible.  Set the time period.  I suggest 21 days.

I couldn’t even begin to tell you how God has changed me through this practice of fasting at the beginning of every year.  I know it will change you as well.  Set the dates and go for it.  Get 2013 started off right!

Later

Adam

Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters–one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.”  While he was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!” —  Matthew 17: 4-5

I learn so much from Peter.  When you read about him, he seems to always say the wrong thing at the wrong time.  In this chapter Peter saw Jesus transfigured.  He also saw Moses and Elijah.  Peter made a major mistake by putting Moses and Elijah on the same playing field as Jesus.  God quickly intervened and basically said “it isn’t about Moses, it isn’t about Elijah…it’s all about my son, Jesus!”

Now, Peter made his mistake and got corrected all in a moment.  I realize now that I made the same mistake when I was a beginning Christian.  Unfortunately, mine took about 10 years before I realized it.  Let me explain.

Moses represents the Law…the 10 commandments.  When I first got saved, I thought that the most important thing I needed to do was start keeping them.  No more lying, no more cussing, no more…whatever.  The only problem was, I was a terrible rule keeper.  I found myself right in the middle of sin time and time again.  I always felt like God was dangling me over the fires of Hell.  I always felt like He was mad at me and I always felt like I was letting Him down.  This continued for quite a few years.

Elijah represents the prophets…the preachers of the day.  I remember flipping through the channels and finding a pastor named Jentezen Franklin that immediately hooked me.  He was dynamic, he was incredibly knowledgeable, and I just drank in every word he had to say.  I have two shoe boxes upstairs with over 200 cassette tapes that have his sermons on them.  He was the man…if Jentezen said it, I believed it, and that settled it.  I didn’t realize it, but I had a new problem.  Even though I was growing in knowledge like crazy, I didn’t have a real connection with God myself.  I knew He connected with Jentezen…He just wasn’t connecting with me.  Once again, it took a few years, but I realized that I was living off of another person’s anointing.  I didn’t want that…I wanted the anointing myself.

I sure wish I had read Matthew 17:4-5 years ago and put it all together.  Right there God Himself tells me in plain Salem-ese “Adam, it aint about doing good, it aint about goin’ to church and listenin’ to all the preachers…it’s about my Son, Jesus Christ, who laid His life down for you  All you have to do is listen to Him.”

How freeing is that?  My task is a simple one, though I dare not call it “easy.”  I must search the Holy Scriptures and simply look for Jesus.  He is there…all over the place.  The whole book tells of His great love for us.  Every single time I find Him, I must listen to Him.  I must just hang on His every word and let it sink as deep into my heart as it can possibly go.  I have found that the more I do this, the more I don’t HAVE to do what is right, but the more I WANT to do what is right.

If you think you are a “good person,”  you are not.  Certainly not good enough to go to Heaven.  If you don’t believe me read Psalm 14:3 or Romans 3:23.  Isaiah 64:6 tells us what He thinks of our righteous deeds.  Doing good things to impress God does not and will not save you…ever.

If you are placing your trust in a church or a preacher, their anointing won’t get you to Heaven.  Sure, they can point you in the right direction, can make you feel better and even help you grow in knowledge about God and the Bible…but they don’t save you.  Matthew 7:22-23 gives us a good example of this.  The people were saying “Lord, Lord did WE not…”  I think they were talking about some great things that were going on in their church.  Unfortunately, it is not about WE…it’s about Him and whether or not you have that relationship with Him. In verse 23 he plainly says “I never knew YOU.”

Only the blood of Christ which washes away your sin can save you.  Make absolutely 100% certain that you have asked Him into your heart and to forgive you for your sin.  Then, pursue Him with everything that you have.  Develop a relationship with the Savior of the World.

Who would have even thought that was possible?

“This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!”

Later

Adam