Wednesday Morning Devotional

My Lord and My God “ ____________ said to Him “my Lord and my God!”  — John 20:28 I left that blank on purpose.  If you look it up in the Bible, it is Thomas, someone we have somehow unfairly labeled a “doubter,” that goes in the blank.  I left it blank because I want you to read it and put in your own name.  Have you ever called Jesus your Lord and your God?  I’m trying to remember when He became both to me. The best I can recollect, God was simply “God” from ages 0 to 16.  Because I grew up in church, I can’t think of a time where I didn’t believe that God existed.  However, that knowledge alone didn’t save me.  Plenty of people believe in God.  Unfortunately, that knowledge alone does not save them.  It doesn’t save Satan, so it doesn’t save us.  In the book of James, he sounds almost sarcastic about it:  “You believe that there is one God.  Good!  Even the demons believe that…and shudder.”  (2:19) In June of 1991, Jesus became “my God.”  I actually said the prayer…”Lord, will you forgive me of my sins?  Will you come into my heart and live in me?  I know you died for me.  I also know you rose again.  Help me live for you.”  This should have absolutely transformed my life.  Unfortunately, I didn’t let it.  This was right before my Junior and Senior year of high school.  Jesus would remain “my God” until I finished college.  When I look back, Jesus tried to spare me a lot of hurt during those years.  He became “my God” at what should have been just the right time.  I had never had sex, I had never cussed, and I had never hung out with the wrong crowd.  I would do them all over the next 5 to 10 years following my “salvation. “ Why?  I went to church!  I said the prayer!  What went wrong? I wish I could remember the date…I don’t even remember the year.  I’ve even probably tried to put a date on it and wrote it in one of my past WMDs.  I just remember that there was a period of time where everything, absolutely everything pointed toward making Jesus MY Lord.  I do remember how it all got started.  I had been ignoring “my God” for quite some time.  I used to wake up with my alarm clock radio tuned to 93.3 the Planet…the local hard rock station.  Somehow, it got knocked back to 89.3 “His Radio.”  So my alarm clock goes off and I wake up to the words “You have got to get yourself in the Word! You must drink in the Word of God!”  That might not have been the exact words…but I still remember the gist after all these years.  Later that day I purposefully turned to His Radio and heard a song that said Jesus was the best thing in life.  Over the next few weeks, stuff like this happened over and over.  A random flyer came in the mail inviting me to go to a revival at church I had never heard of before.  I “happened” to mention it to one of my buddies and he said that was where his mom and dad were going to church.  We attended the revival and I was convicted like crazy.  I went home…I was all alone.  I knelt by my bed and told Jesus I was sorry for the way I had treated Him.  I asked Him to help me not just believe this stuff…but actually do it.  He had finally become…”My Lord.” Satan doesn’t mind if you believe in God.  He doesn’t even mind if you call Him “my God.”  He doesn’t care if you have “Christian” listed under “Religious views” on Facebook.  What he does not want is for Jesus to be Lord of your life.  If Jesus is Lord, you actually make an attempt to live for Him.  I can’t even tell you how the fury of Hell comes at you when you truly make Jesus Lord.  If you don’t believe me, go tell your friends that you are thinking that you don’t want to have sex again (or at all) until you get married.  Tell them you aren’t going to look at pornography anymore because Jesus says it is Adultery.  Tell your friends you want to start phasing out the junk you listen to and only listen to stuff that lifts up and honors the name of the Lord.  When gossip is being started and people are encouraging you to fight…tell them you want to be a peacemaker like Jesus talks about in Matthew chapter 5.  The point is…you will get grilled!!! You will be laughed at and it will be ridiculously hard to make those commitments and keep that kind of stand.  Why?  Because Satan knows that a true follower of Christ is the only person that can truly make an eternal difference. Who is Jesus to you?  Is He just “God” who exists out there somewhere?  Is He “your God?”  If He is your God you probably go to church, read your Bible every once in a while, listen to Christian radio every once in a while…even have the fish on your car.  Or…is He the Lord of your life?  He calls the shots…no matter what it costs you. You are going to live by faith in Him and His Word knowing…KNOWING that He only has your best interest in mind. If He isn’t your Lord…please make Him your Lord today! Later Adam

The Lord

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.  — Psalm 23:1

I don’t know how many times I’ve read or quoted this verse.  I hate to admit this, but I think up until very recently I have always focused on the last part…I shall not want.  I remember the first time I read it probably 15 years ago.  I thought “why would you not want the Lord?”  I honestly thought it was the Lord that the writer didn’t want.  Of course, eventually I read the rest of the Psalm and I began to understand that it meant that the Lord would provide for my every need and I will never be found wanting for anything as long as I allow Him to lead me as my shepherd.  He always has my best interest in mind.  Now that I think about this, it is interesting that there are basically two groups of people in the world.  There are those who allow the Lord to be their shepherd, these people generally see themselves as more than blessed and are content.  Then there are those who wander off and are constantly searching for better…something more.  I’ve been in both groups…I like the Lord being my Shepherd!

I’m writing this particular devotional because I always do with Psalm 23:1 exactly what I did in the first paragraph.  I always talk about the end of it…I shall not want.  I talk about how I was discontent, now I’m content.  I talk about how life is a million times better for ME.  The part of the verse I should be focused on is “The Lord.”  Who is the Lord?  Well, He is God the Father in the Old Testament.  He is God the Son in the 4 gospels written by Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.  He is God the Holy Spirit from Acts through Titus.  He is King of Kings and Lord of Lord in the book of the Revelation given to John.  He is the one who loves me so much that He gave His life for me.  My default destination was Hell.  I didn’t have to do anything to be placed on that road…I was already condemned.  He loved me so much that He took away my condemnation and gave me righteousness.  I didn’t have to try to do right and earn it…my Lord went ahead and gave it to me.  Yes, the LORD…He is my shepherd!

I read a little bit about good shepherds and bad shepherds.  Bad shepherds really shouldn’t even be shepherds.  They don’t really care about the sheep.  The sheep are simply their source of income and are treated accordingly.  If one gets sick, they would just as soon kill it immediately to keep the others from getting sick.  They don’t watch out to make sure that they only eat from green pastures.  Instead, they let them stay in one place and destroy the ground and eat until they destroy the roots and they get sick from worms in the ground.  They let them drink from whatever water source is available, not the still waters that good shepherds lead them to.  They are very harsh and very mean to the sheep.  It is obvious that the sheep are not loved.  Isn’t this the picture of Satan?  It’s pretty easy to tell who he is leading.  People by the millions in America are drinking from the fountains of sex and drugs. Many get sexually transmitted diseases, and drugs cause so many to deteriorate extremely fast.  Many land in our prison systems…and their shepherd doesn’t even care.  I watch kids every day throw their education away simply because their shepherd says “do what you want.“  Their shepherd could not care less about their future.  Satan, the bad shepherd, never has the best interest of his flock in mind.

On the other hand, good shepherds keep watch over the flock.  They are constantly looking ahead.  They are consistently checking for disease, fighting off enemies, making sure the sheep are never in fear and making sure that they are healthy.  He wants them to lie down in green pastures.  There is none of this making SOME grass available, the good Shepherd wants to lead you to the BEST pasture.  There is none of this drinking from nasty water that will make you sick…only the still water that truly satisfies.  There is none of this wandering off and letting the enemies that want to devour the sheep have their way.  The good Shepherd will go and find that sheep, and if he happens to see the enemy…He destroys that enemy.  The happiest, most content and most caring people that I know proudly say “The Lord…He is my Shepherd.”

There are two roads.  One of these roads leads to destruction.  If you have never made a decision to make Jesus, the good Shepherd, Lord of your life…you are already on that road.  All you have to do to walk the path to Hell…is nothing.  It is very easy because there is one rule and one rule only… “do what you want.”  The other road, the narrow one, has restrictions.  If you really think about the restrictions, they are designed to keep you healthy and content.  The restrictions are not so the good Shepherd can boast how big and bad He is, though He is, but because He truly loves His flock and wants to lead them in the path of righteousness.

For every person that truly puts their trust in Him, verse 6 is coming.  Not only can this life be free of disease.  Not only can you be wholly and completely cared for.  Not only can you have a friend that sticks closer than a brother.  Not only can you be content with what you have and love God with all your heart…soon and very soon verse 6 is coming!

I will dwell in the house of the Lord…forever!

Which shepherd are you following?

Later

Adam

Every Other Religion is Wrong

I am the way the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father except through me.  — John 14:6

Doesn’t that title just sound bad?  I mean, there are a lot of religions out there.  There is Hinduism, Islaam, Buddhism, Judaism, Atheism, Satanism, and a whole lot of other isms.  Each and every one attempt to “elevate” you to a higher status in the next world or life.  Well, except for atheism…it claims there is nothing to live for beyond this life and you are simply responsible for yourself.  Other than that one, they all have specific rules that if kept well enough gets you “in.”  So here I am sitting at my computer telling you that according to my religion…all of those other religions are wrong.  So, what makes Christianity so different?  I’m glad you asked.

All other religions (and “religion” in general) place the emphasis on YOU and what YOU do.  Christianity places its emphasis on Jesus Christ and what HE did.  Don’t get me wrong, we try very hard with all of our denominations to make it a religion.  Let’s face it, here in the south, if you smoke cigarettes, drink beer, or even buy lottery tickets…there is no way you are saved and on you are on your way to the fiery flames of Hell.  Heaven help you if you choose to go to a non-Christian concert.  I think hardcore Christians call them “secular.“  Even if you do go to a “Christian” concert and the band doesn’t specifically say the word “Jesus” in the lyrics of one of their songs, they are “worldly” and you just participated in heresy.  Yes, we try very hard to make it very hard to get to Heaven.  But, the Bible doesn’t say it’s hard…it says that it is narrow (Matthew 7:14).

Honestly, I’m glad that it is narrow.  I’m glad that the directions to Heaven are very specific.  I mean, if I were telling you how to get to my house, wouldn’t you want specific directions?  But, if you say “I believe all roads lead to your house.  Therefore, I’m not going North on Highway 11 like you asked me to, I’m going to go South.”  Well, that is your choice, but here is one thing I do know…you will not make it to my house unless you turn around.  The claim of Christianity is the same way.  If you place your complete trust in the Lord Jesus Christ…you will make it to Heaven.

Now, my last and favorite reason for believing Christianity is that it is the only one where the main “God” invites you to be crazy in love with Him.  There are two main rules…neither of which are “don’t cuss” or “don’t smoke.”  The two main rules are:  Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind,” and “Love your neighbor as yourself.”  We are simply invited to love Him and love others.  I have only one reason for believing this is correct:  Ever since I started doing these two things…I have joy in my heart, I feel God several times a week, I am unafraid of death, and I am content.  These two simple things have changed my heart, mind, and life!

Every person that takes the time to read this must decide who they are going to serve.  Will you serve the gods and religions of this world?  Or, will you serve the Lord Jesus Christ?  These are really the only two choices.   When you make a statement like I’ve made in the title of this WMD, it unleashes a lot of fury.  It is immediately labeled “intolerant.”  Honestly…it is!  But, the argument is not yours or mine to defend.  I didn’t say that Jesus was the only way to Heaven…Jesus Himself did! I have just chosen to believe Him and follow Him.  I am betting my entire life that what He said is true.

Are you?

Later

Adam

Grace, Grace…God’s Grace

But Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ — 2 Peter 2:3

This one word had divided a lot of churches.  I realize now that I was really blessed to experience just about every denomination out there.  When I really got hungry for more of the Lord, I used to just drive to random churches and see what their services were like.  Even though many of them never taught on the subject of grace, I know now how they defined it and what it meant to them.  I can have a conversation with another Christian now and know exactly what grace means to them…let me explain.

The first church I regularly attended treated God’s grace as if it were just something that existed.  You could tell that God was revered as Holy.  Unfortunately, there was just never any real emphasis on knowing Him.  There was never any real dependence on Him in everyday life.  It was like they were only depending on Jesus for salvation to make it to Heaven.  As long as you showed up, believed in Him, and regularly took the elements of communion, His grace was sufficient.  God was going to be graceful to me and I was going to make it to Heaven.  The only problem that I have with that now is the fact that there was never any GROWING in grace.

After about 10 years of that I went to another church.  Grace was defined as “God’s Riches at Christ’s Expense.”  Basically, I was taught that I get all of the good stuff God offers because of what Christ did for me.  I heard time after time about this grace…and I liked it.  God had me no matter what.  I never heard anything about “denying myself,” or “in this world, I will have trouble,”  but I was saved and that was that.  Looking back, this type of teaching gave me a license to sin.  I was like the kid asking for a $20, spending it quickly, then asking for another.  I would sin, then casually ask for forgiveness, then sin again.  It was like I had found the “loophole” that as long as I asked for forgiveness, God was obligated to forgive me.

Then came the Mack truck.  The third church made it impossible to be a Christian.  I was a backslidden sinner on my way to Hell.  If God in my mind used to be a permissive parent…He was now someone who didn’t mind giving you a “whoopin” and certainly didn’t mind holding you by one leg and threatening to drop you into the fiery flames of Hell.  Let me tell you…this made me up my game.  I tried so much harder to be a Christian.  The only problem was that I was trying to be this particular denomination’s brand of Christian.  There was grace, but it was conditional grace.  I had to earn it by my righteous living.  Lord knows I tried, but I just felt like I came up short every time.

So, when I thought that grace was so freely given, I sinned freely.  When I thought that grace was earned through perfection, I found out that I couldn’t live up to it.  Before you think that I’m bashing particular denominations, I’m not.  I’m only trying to tell you how my childhood and teenaged mind comprehended what was going on.  I understand grace now.  But, I got my understanding by reading the gospels for myself and seeing how Jesus Christ treated people.  He didn’t stone the woman “caught in the act” of adultery.  He gave her a chance.  He didn’t give me what I deserved in my late teens to early twenties…He gave me grace.  Best of all, He allowed me to grow in grace.

I ended up adding a lot of things to the GRACE acronym.  It also became God’s Righteousness At Christ’s Expense.  It became God’s Redemption At Christ’s Expense.  It became so much more.  As I have grown in grace over the years, I have gone through quite a transition.  At first, grace allowed me to “control” and maintain my sinful life.  Then, I tried to earn grace through righteous living…I just couldn’t earn it no matter how hard I tried or how bad I wanted to.  But, there was the problem…I was HAVING to live it.  No wonder God allowed me to be so frustrated…He didn’t want me HAVING to live it, He wanted me WANTING to live it.

Therein lies the difference.  People who really understand grace and have grown in it WANT to live right.  John 14:15 says “if you love me you will obey my commands.”  I understand now that this means that people who really love Him WANT to obey Him…not have to.  Why do so many flip that verse around and attempt to obey His commands to get God to love them?

If you really look at all of the world religions.  They all say “DO THIS” and it will ultimately work out well for you.  Christianity is the only one that breaks this trend.  Christianity says “DONE FOR YOU!”  Yes, while we were yet sinners, Jesus Christ did all of the work to make it possible for us to be free from sin and live with Him forever.

That…is Grace!

Later

Adam

Subgroups

“By this everyone will know you are my disciples, if you love one another.”  John 13:35

Just about every group has a subgroup.  In math, take the group of numbers {1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10}.  Within that group there is a group of primes {2, 3, 5, 7}.  Within that group there is very special number {2} which is the only number that can be classified as an even prime number.  In America, there are Americans.  Then there are the subgroups;  white Americans, African-Americans, Asian Americans, Mexican Americans…I could probably do this for quite a while.  Within those groups, there are Atheists, Christians, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus…and once again…no way I could list all the different beliefs.

Today, since I am a Christian, I want to talk about a subgroup of Christians.  “Christian” is a very useless term.  All it really means is that you in some form or another affiliate yourself with Christ.  Judas was a “Christian.”  Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5 were “Christians.”  In John 6:66 a whole bunch of “Christians” quit on Jesus.

One of the main reasons the term is useless is because it isn’t defined in the Bible.  In fact, if it is used, it is used as a derogatory term.  Acts 11:26 says “disciples were first called “Christians” at Antioch.    People just saw this subgroup of people that were willing to give all their “extra” away.  If they had 3 coats, they would find the poor and give two of them away.  In many cases, they would even go without a coat if it meant helping someone in need.  This subgroup of people was selling everything they had and giving it away.  They were taking in the lame and the blind into their own homes and getting them off the street.  They were taking “defective” babies that had been left for dead at the trash dump and bringing them into their own homes and caring for them.  The rest of the population had never seen anything like that before.  Therefore, there was no term that could be used that really described them…therefore, they came up with the derogatory term “Christian.”  It would be very much like calling a smart person a “nerd.”  Or, a computer person a “geek.”  “Geek” used to be a derogatory term…now Best Buy has made it okay.  That is kind of what happened to the word Christian, it was meant to hurt at first, but now it has become so acceptable that nearly EVERYONE puts it on the “Religious Views” of their Facebook page.

Now, within the extremely large group of people that say they are “Christians,” there are subgroups.  I know this sounds awful, but there is a subgroup of “Christians” that is going to Hell when they die.  How do I know?  Read Matthew 7:21-23.  Jesus flat out says it doesn’t matter what you call yourself, it doesn’t matter what you say…it matters what you do.  He told a group of people who would have most assuredly called themselves “Christians” that they were evildoers and it was time to depart from His presence.  Maybe this is why Ephesians 5:15 says “be very careful how you live — not as unwise but as wise.”

If you took 100 random self-professed Christians, I would guess that 90 of them would look and behave exactly like the world.  I certainly was in that group for a lot of years.  I was “saved,” and became a “Christian” at 16 years old.  Yet, I still drank alcohol underage…just like the people who didn’t claim to be a Christian.  I still had sex outside of marriage…just like the people who didn’t claim to be a Christian.  I didn’t read the Bible…just like the people who didn’t claim to be a Christian.  I cussed, I went to parties, I gossiped about other people, I was unforgiving towards others…yep…just like the people who didn’t claim to be a Christian.

I had to learn for myself that there was a subgroup of these “Christians” that really took this stuff seriously.  There was a group in which Jesus actually made a difference in their lives on Monday through Saturday.  This subgroup of Christians has a name…they are called Disciples.  The word disciple comes from the word discipline…a word which 99 percent of Americans hate.  But, it means that there exists a group of Christians that have systematically disciplined themselves with God’s help to cut out all of the “acts of the flesh” listed in Galatians 5.  They don’t have sex outside of marriage, they don’t go into fits of rage, they don’t hate, they aren’t selfish, and they don’t participate in drunkenness…just to name a few.  Just so you know, I singled those out, because they were all stuff that I did as a self-professed “Christian.”

I have seen this subgroup in action.  There are actually students, a very small subgroup, who go into the classroom for one reason…to honor the Lord.  This means they are going to follow every school rule down to the last detail.  They are going to do their work “as unto the Lord.”  Do they like the work any more than the non-Christian…NO!  But, they are doing it for a different purpose.

There are Christian couples who refuse to move in together before they get married.  They even refuse to be sexually active before they get married.  Does it mean they don’t want to?  Of course not.  They just want to SHOW honor to the Lord and His commandments.

There are Christians who ask for forgiveness when they do wrong.  There is none of this “I’m sorry for ______, BUT YOU SHOULDN’T HAVE ______________.”  They simply say they are sorry for their part and leave the rest to the Lord.  They do it right.

I don’t know where you land in all of this.  Like I’ve said many times, I’m still a work in progress. But, with all my heart, I want to love and honor my Lord and Savior.  I want people, if they had access to every bit of every minute of my life, to know…not that I’m a “Christian,” but that I’m a disciple.

All who are reading this, let’s do better than settle for being “Christian.”  Let’s not be mere hearers of the Word…

Let’s be disciples!

Later

Adam

The God Who Wasn’t There

We know we have come to know him if we obey his commands.  The man who says “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him.  But if anyone obeys his word, God’s love is truly made complete in him.  This is how we know we are in him.  — 1 John 2:3-5

I recently watched this documentary called “The God Who Wasn’t There.”  In no way do I suggest that you watch this…it is highly NOT recommended.  Great…I just made you want to watch it.  Anyway, it is about this dude who grew up in a Christian home and attended a Christian school.  He “accepted” the Lord at that school.  For whatever reason, he decided that God wasn’t there, and Christianity is simply another form of many other ancient religions and should be treated no differently.  He spends about 45 minutes trying to convince the viewer that he or she is absolutely foolish to believe in Jesus.  He implies that all Christians are “blood thirsty” because it seems that our preference of Jesus is of Him bloody, beaten and crucified.  Apparently, since he thinks that is weird, the whole world should think that is weird.  He, of course, gets a whole bunch of his “smart” buddies to side with him and bash all of us “small minded,” “unthinking” Christians.

He concludes the documentary by filming the little chapel and showing the seat where he got “saved.”  He moves the camera further back on the pews and talks about how he moved back the more he became “backslidden.”  He mentioned he had been “saved” at least four or five times in that little chapel.  He talked of Matthew 12:31 where it says “blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven.”  He turns the camera on himself and whispers “I deny you Holy Spirit!”  Then the words “I am not afraid” comes on the screen and it goes off.

Now, here’s why I tell you this.  Watching this actually poisoned my mind for a bit.  There were times that doubt struck me big time…this guy was no dummy, he had done a lot of work and research to make his points look good.  I went to the Lord in prayer and I went to my Bible to repair all the damage I did by watching the hour long documentary.  God showed me a couple of things.

First, the guy never talked about what he was living for now.  If he was going to walk away from Christianity, what did he replace it with?  Apparently, he chooses to replace it with a whole lot of  time and effort trying to convince people that it isn’t true.  Unfortunately for him, 1 Peter 1:25 says “the word of the Lord stands forever.”  I felt sorry for the guy for the first time.  In a hundred years he will be long forgotten, but there will be a Bible in most people’s homes.  Yes, the word of the Lord stands forever!

Lastly, God asked me “Adam, if you left…where would you go?”  I thought of how Jesus asked his disciples “do you want to quit, too?” in John 6:67.  Peter said in the next verse “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.   We believe and know that you are the holy one of God.”

To answer that question, I only needed to look at what I’ve lived for in the past.  At one time, I lived for sex, drugs, and rock and roll…well, minus the drugs except for alcohol (I was pretty afraid when they brought out hardcore stuff).  I found that stuff to always leave me “bored” when there was no party, no girlfriend, or no place to play music.  I found that I was always wanting more…someplace else, someplace better.  Then, I remember how I sunk my heart into stuff.  I loved golf stuff, guitar stuff, entertainment stuff…just stuff.  Every time I accumulated a new piece of equipment, I was so happy for a little bit.  Then, I would see the ad for something shinier and better.  If I walked away from my Lord today, is this the junk that I would go back to?  I found absolutely no real satisfaction in that stuff.

The truth is, I like serving the Lord.  It took a while.  It took a whole lot of self denial.  It took a whole lot of obeying His commands even though I didn’t understand (or want to) at the time.  It took a whole lot of failure.  It took a whole lot of me not thinking I was good enough and Him picking me up and saying “try again.”  I am still quite a work in progress.  But, I KNOW Him!  What a cool thing to be able to say!   I can say that because I obey His commands.  Do I fail sometimes?  Yep.  Do I get it right all the time?  Nope.  But, here is the difference.  As a beginning Christian, I HAD to follow His commands.  I thought God was fierce, mean, and oppressive…much like documentary dude did.  I thought He was waiting for me to mess up so He could strike me with lightning, or cancer, or something else really bad…mainly God was just looking for a reason to dangle me over the fires of Hell.  But, now that I’ve been in this thing whole heartedly for several years…I WANT to serve Him.  I WANT to keep His commands.  Everything I have ever given up for Him has only been returned with 10 times a greater blessing for me.  He has been so good to me!

I guess I say all that to say this:  If you aren’t serving God, who, or what are you serving?  You can serve yourself, you can serve vengeance, you can serve sex, you can serve stuff, you can serve money…you can serve all kinds of temporary stuff that will leave you fulfilled for a very short time.  But even if you had all of that stuff in unlimited supply…would it really satisfy you?  Now that he has forsaken the Lord, is documentary dude really satisfied?  It is obvious that he is still searching…BIG time!  But as for me….

As for me and my house…oh yeah…we will serve Lord!

Later

Adam

What’s so Good about Good Friday?

(Suggested Reading for the rest of Holy Week)

Wednesday:  Matthew 26, 27, and 28

Thursday:  Mark 14, 15, and 16

Friday:  Luke 22, 23, and 24

Saturday:  John 17, 18, 19, 20, and 21

Sunday:  Go find you an Easter service.

A couple thousand years ago really early on the inaugural Good Friday morning, we find Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane praying.  He’s praying intensely for His “cup” to be taken from Him.  He’s so stressed He is literally sweating blood.  He realizes that there is no other way to be reunited with mankind.  He fully submits His will to His Father’s will.  The matter is settled, and it’s time.  For years and years, I thought He was stressed about the beating He was about to take and the six hours He was about to spend on that cross…I was wrong!

He is taken to “court” and “tried.”   I put those in quotations because it was not a legal court session and the trial was far from fair.  He is being accused of blasphemy because He has claimed to be God.  Despite all of the evidence that He is who He says He is, He is “convicted.”  He is sent to Pilate, the Roman Governor.  The Jewish priests cannot legally carry out an execution so they must appeal to the Roman government.  Pilate quickly realizes they are just jealous and Jesus hasn’t done a thing wrong.  Upon telling the crowd this, they begin to yell “crucify Him!”  Afraid of losing His position (the higher -ups didn’t like dissention among the people), Pilate gets a bright idea that could keep his political position secure AND save the life of Jesus.  He decides to have Jesus flogged.

In that day and age, a prisoner got flogged OR crucified…never both.  Pilate thought he could make the crowd feel sorry for Jesus by having Him beaten to near death.  There was no pity.  The crowd still wanted Him crucified.  Pilate washes his hands in front of the people and says “I am free from His blood, let His blood be on you.”  They actually say “let His blood be on US and OUR CHILDREN.”

Around 8:00 A.M, He is made to carry His cross to Golgotha.  He can’t make it.  None of the other prisoners took a Roman scourging that morning…Jesus did.  The cross was too much to bear so they allowed a man named Simon to do it.  What a special privilege that man had to help save the soul of you and me!

At exactly 9:00, He was nailed to the cross and was lifted up.  Three hours pass by.

At exactly 12:00 it got really dark.  For the first time EVER we hear our Lord and Savior question His Father.  He says “Why have you forsaken me?”  For the first time EVER Jesus did not feel the presence of His Father.  The Father had ALWAYS been with Him, but at this moment He was no longer present.  THIS was the moment that Jesus had dreaded back in the garden.  NOT the beating, NOT the cross, but THIS moment.  His “cup” that had always been filled with the Holy Spirit was now emptied, and being filled with YOUR SIN and MY SIN!  For three solid hours all He did was have sin poured out on Him.  For three solid hours blood dripped off His hands and feet and covered every single one of those sins.  No wonder the Father couldn’t look upon Him, He was full of Sin…Not His own, yours and mine!  We can never know just how bad our sin hurt Him.  But in comparison, He didn‘t complain about the cat o nine tails ripping his flesh off.  He didn’t complain about the crown of thorns being thrust into his skull.  He didn‘t complain about being spit upon and mocked.  He didn’t even complain about the nails that held him to the cross.  But the sin hurt.  It hurt Him so bad that he let us know…“now THIS…hurts!!!”  Even now when we choose to sin, that single act of disobedience transcends time and hurts him even more.  He took it all.  Everything you have done…everything you will do!  He paid it all.  For YOU, and for ME!

At 3:00 He said the three words that every single one of us better be so thankful for…“It is finished!” The only perfect man that ever lived died.  Therefore, the perfect sacrifice was made.  Sin was conquered.  Anyone who asked from that day forward could now receive forgiveness and be reconciled to God our Father!

What’s so good about Good Friday?  He gave His life that I might live.  He gave His life just to give each and every one of us the CHANCE at abundant life.  What have you done with that chance?

Today is the day of salvation!  If you have never asked for your sins to be placed on Jesus during those three hours that Good Friday afternoon…do it today!  You have a choice.  You can pay for your own sin which will result in eternal separation from God, or you can place your sin on Him and have it already paid!

If you never have, give your heart and life to Him today. Put your trust in Him by doing these three things:

1.  Admit to Him that you are a sinner

2.  Ask Him to forgive you for your sins and come into your life.

3.  Grow in Him by spending time with Him every day.  Start your relationship with Him today!

Happy Easter!

Adam

Stooping Down

…but Jesus stooped down and started to write with his finger.  — John 8:6

Could you imagine having your worst sins paraded out there for everyone to see?  The Pharisees in this story “caught” a woman in the act of adultery.  Somehow they managed to nab the woman but not the guy.  Anyway, put yourself in her position.  Imagine being dragged out into the open…completely naked and completely embarrassed.  I would be willing to bet that she would have welcomed the rocks.  If shame didn’t kill her, maybe the rocks would.

Today, there are millions in her position.  Teenagers are having sex at record levels.  By the age of 19, 7 out of every 10 teenagers have had sex.  A sexually active teenaged girl that uses no forms of birth control has a 90% chance of becoming pregnant in one year.  At the small school that I teach, at least one baby has been born to a teenager every single year.  I recently had a conversation with a coach at another school, he said that out of the 400 girls at his school, 40 became pregnant during the previous school year.

It is interesting to see the reactions from different people towards women who become pregnant out of wedlock.  I would say that most people today accept them completely…it is just no big deal that they got pregnant.  However, the only people who seem to pick up those rocks are church people, the very same people who picked them up in the Bible story.  They are so quick to call them names and condemn.  Today, if I sinned and the sin was brought out in public, I would much rather be placed in the hands of a worldly person than be placed in the hands of most Christians.  I don’t think I’ve ever met a mean atheist, but I’ve met a whole bunch of mean people who claim to be Christians.

Here is what we forget…all of us were sinners at one time in need of a savior.  If not for the grace of God, not a single person reading this WMD would be righteous.  The only reason we became righteous is because God was merciful and GAVE us righteousness.  Paul even had to remind the Corinthian church in chapter 6 verse 9:  “Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders  nor thieves nor greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.”  Now, check out the next part…”And that is what some of you WERE!”  I know I used to fit into a few of these categories!  Did you?

Here is the thing…Jesus Christ showed us how to handle these people.  He stooped down.  He literally left Heaven to come down to our level.  I must be willing to do the same.  Therefore, I do my best to never condemn a person.  I have to give them chance after chance and sometimes stoop down to their level.  That’s what He did for me!   I have to let them know that I have been where they are.  I have to let them know that even though many church members would have picked up rocks to launch at me, Jesus offered forgiveness.  He was the only one that could have thrown a rock at me because He had no sin, but He chose to show me mercy.

It is interesting that among the Christian community that homosexuality seems to be the greatest sin.  I once asked a group of teenagers a question.  Their youth pastor had been busted with some magazines that contained gay pornography.  The boys were launching the verbal rocks at him.  I asked them “if the pornography had been of straight men and women would that have been okay?”  Almost in unison…they said “yes.”

Do you know what is even crazier?  I would say that the majority of “Christians” are not homosexual, but are homoSECTual.  If you do not look and act like their denominational brand, their SECT of people, you are not worth their time…even within the “Christian” community.   I have heard of church food banks not giving to people in need because they weren’t “associated with the members of our church.”  I have heard of pastors asking people to leave because they didn’t have the right look about them.  I have watched church members get up and leave because a guitar was about to be played…it was one of those “piano and hymnbook only” churches.  I have heard the contemporary church condemn the traditional church, and I‘ve heard the traditional condemn the contemporary.  Yes, we can be very much homosectual!

Jesus demonstrated for us how we should be!  He did not allow the guilty to condemn the guilty two thousand years ago, and He isn’t about to start now.  If you call yourself a Christian, you were saved by His grace and His grace only!  We all needed Him to stoop down to our level.  At the very least, can we not stoop down to the level of others who believe just a little bit different than us?  Can we not just band together and say “I may not agree with you, but we were saved by the same blood!”

Let’s stoop down, set our differences aside, drop our rocks on the ground and show the world who Jesus really is!

Later

Adam

Seeing Him

We know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he really is. — 1 John 3:2

I often wonder if it would make a difference in our lives if we could see God. Probably the biggest obstacle (or excuse) for most people who do not believe in Him is the fact that He cannot be seen. I often wonder if God just flat out revealed Himself to them…would they really turn to Him? Even while following Jesus, Phillip (one of the disciples) struggled. In John 14:8 he just blurts out “show us the Father and that will be enough for us.” Jesus simply replies “If you’ve seen me, you’ve seen the Father.”

We are all a lot like Phillip…at least I am. I sometimes wish God would just open the windows of Heaven for a little bit and let me see. I have words on a page to tell me what it’s like, but I want to see. At the same time…I don’t. Thomas, who has been unfairly labeled a doubter, told the other disciples “unless I see with my own eyes, I will not believe.” Jesus revealed himself to Thomas and said “you believe because you have seen, blessed are those who believe and have not seen.” (John 20:29)

So there it is. As much as I would like to see, I also want to be blessed. Therefore, I want to believe without having to see. When I read my Bible, I really don’t think seeing him would make that big of a difference. The Old Testament Israelites got to see some ridiculously cool stuff. Yet, when the disappointments of regular life happened, they complained and murmured against Him and the leaders that He appointed. Even now, I can put my finger on ridiculously awesome things that I know only God could have done for me, yet doubt and fear can grab a hold of me in an instant.

There are two ways that humans can see God. The first is the most difficult because it must be done with “spiritual eyes.“ God came down from Heaven in the form of Jesus Christ. Can you see Him? I can. I know quite a few men and women who can too. He is the one who gave his life for us. He left all that Glory in Heaven to come down here and give sinful men a chance. He showed us how life is to be lived. He demonstrated his love for us in this, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8) That is really all we need to know. He loves us! Now, we must begin to love Him in return. We have this lifetime to start and maintain a relationship with him that will extend forever. It is only by faith in Him that this relationship can begin.

Take a few moments to close your eyes and see Him on the cross. Don’t forget what Jesus told Peter: “If I wanted to, I could call on 12 legions of angels.” (Matthew 26:53) In other words, “if I wanted to…I could destroy all of these people harming me.” In light of that…see Him on the cross. See Him pierced for your transgressions. See Him bruised for your iniquity. He does not have to be there…He wants to be there. See Him!

In some way or another, Jesus looked nearly 2,000 years into the future and said “Adam Hopkins is going to need me. He is going to live a life of sin…it is going to leave Him empty and miserable. When Adam comes to his senses, he is going to cry out to me. I have to punish his sins. I don’t want to punish him…therefore I will take his punishment upon myself so he will be free to love me and have fellowship with me. Adam Hopkins is worth it!”

Read that paragraph again and put in your own name. Don’t you want to love Him? Don’t you want with all your heart to figure out how to love him back? I can’t wait for the day that I see Him as He really is. This is the second way that we will see Him…and it will be easy. “Eyes have not seen, ears have not heard, neither has it entered into the heart of man the things that the Father has prepared for those that love him.” (1 Corinthians 2:9) Yes, one day these eyes will see! One day these ears will hear!

And it will be awesome!

Later

Adam

Are You the One?

Luke 7:19 (John the Baptist) sent them to the Lord to ask, “Are you the one who was to come, or should we look for another?”

Have you ever wondered why God would choose to do something for one person, then refuse to do that same thing for another? Has He ever done something for someone, then NOT done that same thing for you? It makes one believe (or at least makes me believe) that God is not fair. In fact, I would go on to say that God Himself says He isn’t fair. Matthew 25:15 says He gave 5 talents to one person, 2 to another, and 1 to another. Certainly not equal amounts to everyone. Then, to make matters seemingly worse, by the end, the dude that had 5 to begin with now has 11. He had his 5 doubled, then got the talent of the guy who had 1 because that guy was “wicked and lazy.”

There is a day that is coming for every single one of us. The day where the huge prayer does NOT get answered. John the Baptist had done everything right. He served God with his whole heart. Jesus even said that there was no prophet greater than John the Baptist. Yet, there John was rotting in a prison cell. If anybody actually deserved to have God come and set them free…it was John. It bothered John so badly that he sent his disciples to ask Jesus “Are you the one? Or, should we look for another?” All Jesus said in reply was “miracles are being done like crazy…and John will be blessed if he doesn’t get offended with me.” Jesus cut right to the chase. He basically said “I am the one, and I know you are disappointed John…but don’t be offended with me and what you think is my lack of discernment.”

The thing is, there is a day coming like that for us. Eventually, the miracles run out in this life. All of those people Jesus healed physically are now dead. I wonder how many of them had family members while they were on their second death bed praying and saying “You healed them one time God…why don’t you do it again?” Eventually…time runs out for us all!

God has certainly done more than His share of miracles for me. The best thing He did for me is change my heart, mind, and attitude. I can now live each day with joy in my heart, working with all my heart, and knowing that He only has my best interest in mind…no matter what happens. But, the question remains…What if I need a miracle and don’t get it? What if someone else doing much less than me actually does get the miracle? How will I react towards my Lord?

I will never forget the second miscarriage my wife and I had. We had no children and were really excited that we were about to go see our second chance baby on ultrasound. When the doctor told us that the baby was dead…I was devastated to say the least. I unleashed on God…”You give babies to un-wed teenagers who will have to be raised by their grandparents! You give babies to druggies that will burn them in a meth-lab fire! You give babies to people who don’t WANT them! You give babies to people who will have them MURDERED!” “Are you really the one? Or, should I look for another?”

Over and over I had decisions to make and questions to answer: Will I be offended with the Lord, my God? What do I do when He doesn’t do things the way I think He should do them? Do I leave the God I love? Do I leave the God I know loves me?

Probably the biggest God moment of my life happened during this period of my life. After months and months of hurt and despair and trying to act like things were cool…Tonya and I had our hardest discussion and said our hardest prayer. We wrapped our arms around each other and said “Lord, if you never give us children…we will serve you until we draw our last breaths.” We chose not to be offended. He’s still Lord! Life and death are in His hands. He can do what He wants…even with my life.

Of course, now you know the rest of the story. He gave us our two children, now 5 and 3 years old. I can only thank Him and praise Him for these two gifts. He didn’t have to give them to me. He owed me and still owes me nothing.

Through all of this, I have learned that a day is coming when I will need healing. Maybe my wife will need healing. Maybe one of my children will need healing. What if I hear of all of these wonderful stories of God healing everyone else’s exact same sickness? What if He chooses to NOT meet my need? What if He chooses NOT to answer my prayer?

No matter what…I will not be offended! I will not fall away on account of Him!

Will you?

Later

Adam