I hope

 I hope I get a new bike.

I hope people like me

I hope she likes me

I hope I get married

I hope I get the promotion

I hope...

I hope...

I hope....

Our lives are filled by our hopes.

Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life. Proverbs 13:12

Our lives travel between heart-sickness and fulfillment. Consider this: there was once a hopeless people and God spoke to them through the prophet Isaiah. Isaiah prophesied that God would send a Messiah who would meet the needs of Israel. Isiah 9:6 But it was 700 years later for the promise to be fulfilled. Luke 2:12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” God makes a promise but doesn't give a timeline.

Much of our anxiety comes from our inability to be patient. We mistake "not yet" for "never." To hope in God is to be patient with God. It's believing all the facts are not in yet. Our lives are mapped by our hopes. The map is long but it leads somewhere.

This holiday season look towards the future promised to you by looking at this child, finally arrived. What do you see? Just a baby in a cradle? Or a wooden manger holding Life itself?

Yeah! Right!

 

Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.” Luke 5:4

The background to this story is Jesus has been teaching a vast crowd and turned to Simon Peter (a fisherman by trade) and told him to farther out where it was deep, giving Jesus more room to teach. Nothing annoys a fisherman more than someone giving them advise on how to fish. "Why don't you try this lure?" I think you need to fish deeper." "Try fishing along the river bank." I am sure Peter was more than annoyed that Jesus , a carpenter by trade, was giving him advise on fishing.

Simon was a bit doubtful because his crew worked all night and didn't catch anything. (I've been there and done that) He knew fishing was best done at night not daytime, so it was highly unlikely he would catch fish now.

Doubt is not some we came up with in our lifetime. The very first sin (Garden of Eden) was based on the doubt that God was holding back on the first couple Genesis 3:5-6. We know the disciples doubted. Peter and Thomas certainly did. Yet, God did not hold that against them.

The good news about our doubts - they do not define the rest of our lives. Just because we have doubted in the past does not mean we will doubt it the future. We may struggle with our own failure but God does not. He loves us deeply and continues to call us to trust Him.

Often, you get asked the question, where do you live. The person asking the question, is referring to what state, city or physical address you live at. Even homeless people live somewhere. 

As a Christ follower, I believe that all of life should be centered around a relationship with Jesus Christ. For He is our life.

Allow me to ask you that question. Where do you live? I am not asking for a physical location but we all live in one of three places.

There are three approaches to life with God: All In; All Out; and, in the middle, between those, a third approach. This third approach is actually a range—it encompasses every approach between the two extremes. Many of us take the third approach. I mean, we do believe life is better with God—but, our belief is more theoretical than not.

Jesus calls takers of the third approach “lukewarm,” and is particularly frustrated by us: “because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth” (Revelation 3:16). 

We third-approachers  mistakenly presume we’re doing okay faith-wise—not as well as we could maybe, but okay nonetheless. Therefore, Jesus’ words are startling and challenging—and force us to consider All In.

So, what does All In require? The world tells us, too much. But, that’s wrong. It doesn’t require more than we can give. It requires total surrender and obedience. But our Creator, designed us with the capacity and ability to be all in.

He understands our lives. He knows what he’s asking. All In doesn’t require we be perfect; we couldn’t.

God Does Not Send Anyone To Hell

[I have posted 463 posts over the years trying to help and encourage Christ-followers (and seekers) in their Christian Journey. But THIS post is my most crucial post. Please read with on open heart and mind.]

Many times when you speak to someone about spiritual things; you may hear, "I don't believe that God would send someone to hell for _____________. Often, they are referring to some act or deed they are committing and want to assure themselves they will not be held accountable for the actions.

Now, please listen carefully. I don't want you to misunderstand and brand me a heretic! God does not send ANYONE to hell. The acts, deeds or "sins" we commit will not send us to hell. As a young Christ-follower, I heard countless sermons that if I did this or that, wore that, went there, felt this way, etc. I was sinning and would go to hell for it. But though "acts" of sin are wrong and ARE sinful, but they in of themselves, will not cause God to send you to hell!
ALLOW ME TO EXPLAIN:

1. God never intended to send anyone to hell. Hell was not created for mankind but for the devil and his angels. Mt. 25:41 God does not desire anyone to go to hell or be lost "...not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:9 (Emphasis added)
2. ALL mankind were born in sin Romans 3:23 ALL sin must be punished "The one who sins is the one who will die..." Ezekiel 18:20

But God in His mercy and love, sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die for ALL mankind. John 3:16 clearly teaches that Jesus came to deliver us from the penalty of sin, death, and hell.

THE ONLY REASON THAT ANYONE GOES TO HELL IS REFUSING TO ACCEPT JESUS CHRIST'S AS THEIR SAVIOR.

ALL "acts" of sin are just evidence/indications that the person has not trusted/accepted Christ's death on the Cross for the forgiveness of sin. Lying, stealing, murder, immorality will not send you to hell but refusing Christ will!
This is the ONLY SIN that people will go to hell for.

So, God does not send anyone to hell. We send ourselves by rejecting Christ. The Word of God is crystal clear that Jesus Christ is the ONLY WAY to heaven. "Jesus answered, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. The only way to the Father is through me." John 14:6 ERV God does have a Plan B or any other option. Jesus is the way.

I want to be clear; I do NOT condone any 'acts' of sin!!! We should not allow/commit sin in our lives. But the greatest of sin is refusing Christ.

Let me hear your thoughts

I Got Your Six!

 

Many will say they are loyal friends, but who can find one who is truly reliable?

Proverbs 20:6 NLT

We are living in a day with many acquaintances but few real friends. Someone once said that a man knows six men that can carry him out of a church but few men know someone they can phone at 3:00 am and share their broken heart. If you have such a friend, consider yourself fortunate.

Most men enjoy war movies. I especially enjoy movies about combat pilots. They are portrayed as having very strong camaraderie. You will hear them say "I got your six!" Which means "I've got your back."  The saying originated with World War I fighter pilots referencing a pilot's rear as the six o'clock position. It is now a term in the military that highlights the loyalty and cooperation found in military culture.  In the movie Top Gun, the term 'wingman' is used to describe a combat pilot in a plane that flies just outside and behind the leading aircraft in a flight formation, in order to provide protection from enemy aircraft.

Unfortunately most men do not have a "wing man" in their lives. In Proverbs 27:6 we read, "Wounds made by a friend are intended to help..." This implies two things:

1. You have someone that has the courage to speak into your life when they see your are going astray or possible danger. Truth is not always welcomed but needed. If I have a terminal illness, I want my doctor to tell me the truth not shield my feelings.
2. You need to give someone permission to point out areas of your life that need your attention and then be receptive to their advice. Men need to be accountable to another man (or men) for areas they struggle with in their lives. 

John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, formed a Holy Club (1727) where he met several times weekly with three other men to hold each other accountable in their lifestyle. This was the impetus for the Methodist Church. 

If you do not  have a a "wing man", who has "your six",  in your Christian life; you need to pray that God would lead someone into your life. 

 

The Blessing Pipe

The Blessing Pipe

According to scriptures, the key relationship in the Bible is forgiveness. It is God’s will that all people be forgiven. 2 Peter 3:9…"not wishing that any should perish but all come to repentance."

In Matthew 6:15, we have a very interesting passage. "But if you do not forgive men their sins, neither will your father forgive your sins." There are several interpretations of this passage but the general gist is unforgiveness blocks God's blessing in our life.

If you have unforgiveness in your life, God cannot bless you. It is like a pipe that is blocked. God wants to pour out His manifold blessings on you but you're unforgiveness blocks the pipe of blessing.

Sometimes confessing resentment, grudges, and hatred will not only restore your relationship with God (and others) but can restore your physical body. 

A famous quote fits so well here, "Unforgiveness is like drinking poison and hoping the other dies."

Only YOU can remove the blockage in your blessing pipe! 

Do You Need To Forgive God?

 

Let's be honest, some of us need to forgiven God. When something bad has happened in our lives or something did not happen the way we expected, it's easy to ask, "How could God let this happen?

But God is not your enemy. His actions toward you are always good. God is only good and His mercy endures forever. Psalm 118:29 The devil wants you to believe that "bad stuff" is God's fault or that He allowed it. The devil knows that if you are mad at God, he's got you separated from your help.

I amazed that many times, Christ-followers will quit going to church when they go through difficult times. This is no time to let go of God!!! Corrie Ten Boom once said, " When a train goes through a tunnel and it gets dark, you don't throw away the ticket and jump off. You sit still and trust the engineer."

There is an easy way to tell if something came from God or the devil. In John 10:10 Jesus says, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

That’s pretty plain, isn’t it? If there is stealing, killing, or destroying happening, it is the devil’s doing, not God’s.