These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.
- Acts 17:11

Monday, May 31, 2010

Wretched

O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death? -Romans 7:24 KJV

Amazing Grace

At a young age, he was a merchant sailor with whose reputation was so bad that it made other sailors blush. Before long, he became British slave trader. So wretched was he, that even his crew was disgusted. Once in a drunken stupor he fell overboard. To rescue him, crewmembers threw a harpoon through his leg so they could pull him back on board.

On another of his voyages, his ship nearly sank in a fierce storm. They lost most of the food, their ability to navigate, and were literally within days of cannibalism. By the time they reached land, John Newton finally recognized God's hand on his life. Newton left his ungodly ways, stopped slave trading, and became a pastor committed to ending slavery.

Saved by grace

John Newton was not being humble when he wrote "that saved a wretch like me." Slave traders are pretty low on the "sinners" list. The apostle Paul tells us in 1st Timothy 1:10, that enslavers rate down there with those who kill their parents.

Wretch is a pretty strong term; To be wretched is to be hopeless, Despicable; hatefully vile and contemptible.

Q What goes through your head when you sing "a wretch like me"? Do you have an honest recognition of your state? Do you think, "That's me – Hopeless and despicable, in desperate need of God's grace." Or do you think, "That's putting it a little harsh." We should replace "wretch like me" with "wretch like Charles." If we're honest with ourselves, most of think we stack up pretty well in the grand scheme of things.

To those who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable:

"Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted." – Luke 18:9-14 KJV

We cannot receive God's saving grace until we repent of our sins. I've had a chance to witness to a young man who has trouble understanding this fact. He freely admits that he has made a mess of many things in his life, but he thinks that he can make up for them by doing good deeds. In his case he plans to enter the military. Perhaps the military is where God wants to use him, but he cannot work off his sins in the military. He, just like all of us, must honestly and humbly admit his wretched state to God.

Grace alone can save a wretch like me. (Repeat that with me, but insert your own name.)

Not getting what we deserve

What exactly is grace? We use the word in so many ways: we say grace before meals, credit cards have a grace period, and people have been named Grace.

The grace Newton wrote about is God's saving grace. Grace is to not receive the punishment we deserve for our wretchedness.

Example 1:

Let say you got pulled over for doing 70 down Hospital Drive; not only that, but your tags are expired, your license is revoked, there's no insurance on the car, you're not wearing a seat belt, and to top it off, you swear at the officer and ask him why he isn't guarding Dunkin Donuts.

If he lets you off with a stern warning, you could call that grace.

Getting better than we deserve

But grace is even more. Grace is the application of Christ's righteousness to the sinner (GRACE = Gods riches at Christ's Expense). An undeserved blessing freely bestowed on man by God. It is this incredible kindness that He shows us, in ways both great and small.

Example 2:

Now say you're a server at IHOP and you're having a horrible day; you're late for work (which is why you were speeding earlier), you mess some guy's order, spill water and then pour coffee on him, and swear at him again (Again because your customer is the same officer who pulled you over earlier).

Now imagine he gives you a $200 tip – that's grace. Grace is getting better than we deserve.

Depths of grace

Now back to John Newton: I love stories of dramatic conversions, those 180ยบ changes. We've had some come through our church with such stories. I love them, but I can't fully relate. Most of us have a "three steps forward, two steps back" walk with the Lord. We often mean well, but our actions don't quite match our intentions.

When I told you about Newton's conversion, I left a key piece of information: From the time from when he became a Christian until when he gave up slave trading was six years. And it took 25 more years for him to speak out against slavery.

Perhaps what makes grace so amazing is its depth. God is amazingly patient with frail and failing people, like John Newton, like you and like me.

  • Q Do you know someone who has been "saved," but never changed?
  • Q Are you that someone?

God's patience is often mistaken for permission to sin. Paul addressed this in Romans:

What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid. Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? - Romans 6:15-16 KJV

When we, as genuine believers, take grace as permission to continue sinning, it shows we don't understand sin. Sin is a fatal disease, something to get away from, not something to get away with.

Sin is what destroys us, destroys others, and destroys our relationship with God – that's why God wants us to be free from it.

It is the sanctifying power of the Holy Spirit that leads us to holiness, and away from sin, is a gift of grace, not burden.

Grace is freedom from sin, not freedom to sin.

As John Newton reached the end of his life and thought back on those six years he spent as a "Christian" slave trader, did he think, "Look what I got away with!"? Or, did he more likely think "Through many dangers, toils and snares, You, Lord, have lead me home; dangers I put myself in, toils and pain I inflicted on myself and others, snares that nearly snagged my soul."?

When it is our turn to stand before God, and we clearly seeing how much damage our sins did, will we say "Wow, look at all I got away with," or will we say, "Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me."

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Anything before God?

Here is another question that was asked by a 9 year old visitor to my old website:

Ok first I know that GOD was here before anything, but how? I mean it's just so confusing.

     For a thousand years in thy sight [are but] as yesterday when it is past, and [as] a watch in the night.
          -Psalm 90:4 (KJV)

     But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day [is] with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
          -2nd Peter 3:8 (KJV)

Time was created by God. Because God is eternal and outside of time, to him, one day is the same as a thousand years. The Study Bible I use (The Evidence Bible by Ray Comfort) has a very good explanation for this:

    The question of who made God can be answered by simply looking at space and asking, “Does space have an end?” Obviously, it doesn’t. If there is a brick wall with “The End” written on it, the question arises, “What is behind the brick wall?” Strain the mind though it may, we have to believe (have faith) that space has no beginning and no end. The same applies with God. He has no beginning and no end. He is eternal.
    The Bible also informs us that time is a dimension that God created, into which man was subjected. It even tells us that one day time will no longer exist. That will be called “eternity.” God Himself dwells outside of the dimension He created (2 Timothy 1:9, Titus 1:2). He dwells in eternity and is not subject to time. God spoke history before it came into being. He can move through time as a man flips through a history book. Because we live in the dimension of time, logic and reason demand that everything must have a beginning and an end. We can understand the concept of God’s eternal nature the same way we understand the concept of space having no beginning and end—by faith. We simply have to believe they are so, even though such thoughts put a strain on our distinctly insufficient cerebrum.

    -"The Evidence Bible" (Bridge-Logos Publishers), Page 769

It is natural for us to think that everything has to have a beginning (and an end) as we are born into the dimension of time. But God, who created time, exists outside of time, and is not subject to it.

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

How man came to Earth

Several years ago I ran a website called "Reflections". I accepted Christ as my savior many years ago, but in many cases I was a "Christian" in name only. It wasn't until around 10-12 years ago that I really started seeking what being a Christian meant. At that time, I started doing a lot of research, and I created the Reflection website to share what I had learned. At that time I was blessed to be asked an assortment of questions by several of the visitors to my website.

Reflections has been off-line for several years now, but I came across a copy of the site I had stashed away. As I looked over the information, some of the information was definitely written from a Christian "newbie" perspective, others were pretty well researched. I thought I would share some of those here. I figure that these might help someone who is new in their faith, who are asking the same questions I had.

While running Reflections, I was asked several questions by a 9 year old and her family. I thought I would share one of her questions and my answer to her.

Do you watch scientific shows? Well I do with my dad. If you do than maybe or maybe not you've wondered which story is true about how mankind came to earth. Well that was my question.

I love Science and Science Fiction shows, but often both attempt to come up with their own ideas as to where we came from. The two most common look for ungodly reasons as to why we are on Earth:

A) Aliens – The common idea in this is that we were either planted on earth by an alien race, or that we are an experiment by aliens, or that we are somehow descended from Aliens who came to earth. Of course this doesn't answer the original question. If any of these three were true, then where did the original Aliens come from? Something (God) would have had to have created the Aliens.

B) Muck/slime/ooze – This idea suggests that we came about by random chance, that somehow after millions or billions of years nothing, some form of life randomly appeared. Then, after yet another million or billions of years pass, somehow that randomly created life managed to randomly mutate into a Professor with a PhD. Without intelligent, creative input, lifeless chemicals cannot form themselves into living things. This theory, known as spontaneous generation, was disproved by the great creationist founder of microbiology, Louis Pasteur.

The True Story of How Man came to Earth can be found in Genesis:

And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his [own] image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
    -Genesis 1:26-27 (KJV)

On day six of creation, God made man. We were created on the same day as all the land based animals (yes, this includes dinosaurs!).

I hope that this is helpful information. If your parents allow you to access the internet, I recommend the following web sites that can help with further studies:

ChristianAnswers.Net - http://christiananswers.net

Answers in Genesis - http://www.answersingenesis.org/

The Institute for Creation Research - http://www.icr.org/

The Christian Apologetic Research Ministry - http://www.carm.org/

Creation Super Library - http://christiananswers.net/creation/

Archaeology and the Bible - http://christiananswers.net/archaeology/

As always, the first place to look is in God's word itself (the Bible).  I am honored that you have asked me these things. Please feel free to ask any other questions you may have.

"The more I study Nature, the more I stand amazed at the work of the Creator"
    -Louis Pasteur, "The Evidence Bible" (Bridge-Logos Publishers), page 1454

Friday, May 7, 2010

Guilty until proven innocent….

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized. (Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution)

Often we hear the phrase "innocent until proven guilty", especially in various legal movies and television shows. Unfortunately, with the recent explosion of Police License scanners, Red-light cams and the assortment of more and more surveillance cameras that are starting to pop up, it seems that those with the power are taking the position of "We know you're guilty, we just need to catch you".

Don't get me wrong. I fully support banks and businesses that put these devices in place. But these are not places that have anything to gain. A bank monitors to protect its customers. A restaurant that puts such up in their parking lot again is protecting its customers. And should I decide that I don't like one of these places using such devices, I can always take my business elsewhere.

The problem is when government gets involved. Many of these Red-light cams are being used to generate revenue, and if revenue is down, what stops a corrupt government from misusing these devices for their own purposes? There are only so many alternate routes one can take if they are against these red-light cameras, and those routes are becoming fewer and fewer. Please don't get me wrong, I do not map my route to avoid these cameras, I am just using this as an example.

This is just a minor infringement. I have always had these same concerns with regard to the Patriot Act put into place by the president George Bush. I had disagreements with some of the things he did, but overall, I had trust in our president. I never thought of him as one to be against his own country. But I have concerns for our current government. Daily my respect for our elected officials diminishes. As Peter Parkers uncle in the movie "Spider Man" says, "With great power comes great responsibility" (oddly reminiscent of Luke 12:48). I do not see our current government coming close to acting worthy of the responsibility it has been given.

In the eyes of God, we are definitely guilty, and God is everywhere, so God sees every transgression we make. But that is God's right, not government.

Monday, May 3, 2010

Trust….

I enjoy listening to Politics. I also obviously enjoy discussing religious topics. One of my favorites personalities to listen to is Glenn Beck. I believe that he is spot-on with the issues facing our country. And I can disagree with him on the religious issues (He is a professed/practicing Mormon), yet can stand next to him in defense of our country.

Lately Glenn has been quoting a lot of scripture. On one hand, I applaud him, as too many these days won't take a stand for their faith. And to his credit, he has not started quoting the book of Mormon (sticking to the bible, and being pretty good with keeping things in the correct context). But I have one word of warning for both him and those who have the same political stand. Glenn has pointed out how the founding fathers felt that government was a necessary evil, and that we shouldn't put out trust in Government to solve our problems, but in the American people. Many times he has referenced the following:

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. (Ephesians 6:12, KJV)

He is correct in this, but I also wish to point out the following:

It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man. It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in princes. (Psalm 118:8-9, KJV)

This passage in Psalms reinforces not over-trusting leaders, but it also warns us that we should not refocus our trust in man either. It is God whom we need to turn to. It is God where we need to be placing our trust. Our country has gone out of it's way to remove God from the minds of men, thus if we can't trust government, most will put their faith in their fellow man. Many men may have good intentions, but often the wickedness in their hearts will deceive them (Jeremiah 17:9 KJV).

Glenn, keep up the good work, but remember to not over emphasize man, and make sure you are putting your faith in the correct God.

Sunday, April 25, 2010

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Lent Conclusion and Resurrection Sunday


I came across the information below that I thought was an appropriate way to make my final look back at my Lent fast. According to a Rasmussen Reports 4/4/10, the following information is something to consider:
 
Of Americans in General:

78% of Americans believe that Christ arose from the dead 
10% of Americans do not believe Christ arose from the grave 
11% are not sure

85% of Americans believe that Christ actually walked the earth 2000 years ago
6% Do not believe Christ walked the earth 2000 years ago
8% are not sure

81% believe that Christ is the son of God
10% Do not believe Christ is the son of God
9% are not sure

51% of Americans believe that Easter is one of our nation's most important holidays
 
I bolded what I thought was most important: ONLY 10% of Americans do not believe that Christ rose from the grave. If this is true, then as Glenn Beck would say, "We surround them!" If this is true, why do we allow non-Christian religions and Atheists to push us around? Why have we allowed our courts and leaders to take us down this road where Christians feel like they are a minatory?
 
One would think the above to be encouraging, but remember this:
 
Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. -James 2:19 (KJV)
 
A lot of Americans say that they believe that there is a God. Many say that they believe in Christ, but so do the demons! How many who are professing these things will yet end up in hell? Belief is not enough. Trusting in Jesus Christ for salvation is what they need to do! Anything less results in their damnation!
 
More from this poll:
 
Amongst professing Christians:

99% Evangelical Christians believe Christ is the son of God
92% of Catholics Believe Christ is the son of God
88% other Protestants believe Christ is the son of God

97% Evangelical Christians believe that Christ rose from the dead 
87% of Catholics believe that Christ rose from the dead 
86% of other Protestants believe that Christ rose from the dead

76% Evangelical Christians rate Easter as one of our most important holidays 
56% of Protestants rate Easter as one of our most important holidays
48% Catholics rate Easter as one of our most important holidays

95% of those who attend church at least once a week believe all of those things to be true.

Again you would think that this would be encouraging news, but the first thing that comes to my mind is this:
 
Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares? He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn. - Matthew 13:24-30 (KJV)

Our churches are filled with many who profess Christ, but how many of them are tares? Weeds growing amongst the wheat? How many do we see each week in church that we will not see in heaven? That is the whole meaning of this parable? Many who profess Christ are not waved. 
 
Finally, the poll shares this:
 
Among those who rarely or never attend church:

46% believe Jesus rose from the dead
52% think he was the son of God
67% say he walked the Earth

This to me is the most encouraging information from this poll. Why is this? There are those who have no real understanding of the gospel, but would be open to the gospel if only they were approached. These people are not going to think you are some religious "nut" for professing Christ.
 
Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work. Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest. And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together. And herein is that saying true, One soweth, and another reapeth. I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labour: other men laboured, and ye are entered into their labours. - John 4:34-38 (KJV)
 
This 67% who believe Jesus walked the earth are the field ready to be harvested! This 52% is where we can sow and reap! This 46% is the work that has been left for us to finish! The fields are ripe for the harvest, yet how many will never go into the field? Let us go so we may hear "well done, good and faithful servant!"
 


Just a few thoughts regarding my Lent fast. I will not say that I was perfect in keeping the fast, nor did I do as well as I would have hoped in regards to bible study. At the same time, I did complete more devotions than I would have had I not done this. And in regardsds to the actual fast, I must have done something right. I have lost over 22 pounds (started at 270.3 and ended at 248), and when I was finally able to eat as I would like and again drink soda, I have found that my addictions to food and soda are much weaker. I have no real desire to drink soda, and not near as much food is needed for me to feel full. With the Lord grace and guidance, I will hopefully continue to lost more weight.

Saturday, March 27, 2010

Lent – Day 39


It has been a while since I last posted. As to Lent, for the most part I have been successful. Can I say I've been perfect? No, but I can say that the success I have had is only through the grace of God, and the failings I have encountered have only been due to my own sinfil nature coming through.

The study with Setting Captives Free has been focusing on the last words of Christ. This has caused me to think much. One of the biggest lessons I've learned is that no matter how much you may have "head" knowledge of salvation, too often I allow worldly ideas to creep into my way of thinking. Today's lesson really made me think on this.

When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, "It is finished," and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. (John 19:30 KJV)

The Last action of Christ on the cross was to bowing His head and giving up his spirit. This is God, who is in control of everything! This is Jesus, who spoke everything into existence! This is the Lord of Lords who could have called legions of angels to his defense! This is He who could heal the sick and make the blind see, yet would not heal himself or step down from the cross. All this, Jesus did for me. But this is the thing that stands out today: Even after all that Jesus had done in his earthly ministry, when the time came, He did not call out to God the Father and remind Him of all that he had done in His earthly ministry. Jesus bowed His head, and trusted in God the Father to accept his spirit.

How often do I sit around and make "deals" with God, trying to bargain? How often do I reflect back upon my actions and think "have I done enough to warrant Gods favor?" The answer is that there is no amount of good I could do to earn favor with God. I need to have the same trust in the atonement of Christ alone, and at night, bow my head and just trust in Him.

Movies:

I am going to write about two movies today that I have watched since last time. This First is the Passion of the Christ. When watching this movie on a smaller screen (compared to the theater), something is lost in grandeur. None the less, it is an incredible movie. There are a lot of Catholic over-tones in the film that do not reflect scripture. And Mel Gibson does add other features that are also not in scripture, but over-all, these additions only add to the demonic influences that were in effect. And as brutal as this movie is, it is yet mild. Scripture tells us that Jesus was so disfigured that he did not even appear to be a man (Isaiah 52:14).

Another movie I saw (and recommend) is called Never back Down. This is not a Christian Movie by any means. It is your typical Fight-club style movie. But it does have a lesson that I find important for today's world. The hero of this movie learns that it is easy to blame others for the situation we are in, but the reality is that we are ultimately responsible for how we respond to the situations we find ourselves in.

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Lent – Day 15


Just an update on some if what I have been during over Lent.

First I continue to stay on the fast. I have been sticking to liquids only with the exception of last Friday, which had been planned in advance (the marriage counseling retreat that I mentioned in the previous update). There have been a couple of days where I felt moved by the spirit to really cut back even on the juices (drinking mostly water on those days). I can feel the Lord working in me. How? First, I couldn't on my own maintain a fast like this on my own. In the past I have been able to fast for short periods, and have done a juice fast before, but I am now going longer than I ever have in the past. If God was not in this with me, I couldn't make it this long, nor could expect to make it the entire time of Lent on the dietary schedule I am currently on. It must be God who is making this possible. And when Lent is over, it will be God who gets the glory for this.

Another thing I have noticed is that I am thinking more about things around me. I have been getting onto my son for his language, and have become aware of more of the things in my life that I have either allowed in my life that God wouldn't approve of, or taking note of the things I have done in the past (habitual things) that I never thought about and if those things are pleasing to God.

Another "odd" thing I have started doing this week is watching a different Christian movie each night and then considering what I have learned (if anything) from these movies. I will share briefly what I have seen so far and my thoughts on these.

The Nativity Story – This is a story about the events leading up to the birth of Christ. As a Christmas story, it is great. It have everything that you would expect. While not 100% percent accurate to scripture (example, the 3 Wisemen did not show up until possibly 2 years after the birth of Christ), it gives a lot of insight about Joseph and Mary. They portray Joseph as a man who sought after virtue, and while he was not perfect, was a man that lived his walk. Mary was the prime example of one who was willing to be a servant. The movie brings out the stigma of being pregnant and unmarried at that time. She was looked down upon the people she had grown up with, and Joseph joined into that once he declared that he would not turn his back to Mary. Both of them were willing to submit to God, accepting the ridicule that wispers about them. They were willing to submit to God and do what God told them to do.

The Book of Eli – I don't want to give away any plot twists for those who haven't seen this film, but it does show a man who is nowhere near perfect, but one who yet strives to do as God calls. One of the things that stands out most to me in this movie comes at the very end, when Eli is praying. He is dying, but has complete the task that had been set before him. His prayer is simple and can be summed up as follows: Thanks for giving me the strength to do what you needed me to do, thanks for the good things you allowed me to do and forgive me where I have fallen short.

Time Changer – The basic premise is that we cannot teach the things of God without and remove his from those teachings. For example, in one scene the main character catches a little girl who has stolen his hotdog. He asks the child if she knows that stealing is wrong. Her answer: "Says Who?" If we take god out of his teachings, then whatever we consider right or wrong is open to individual interpretation and debate. We can't take the teachings of the bible and treat them as just "good ideas". We need to remember that it is God who declares these things, and that He never changes. God is our authority behind these things, not us.

There are some more movies I plan to watch yet this week, as follows: Gospel of John, Passion of the Christ, and Left Behind.

I will write more later on how Lent is going, and my thoughts on the other movies.

Saturday, February 27, 2010

Lent – Day 11


Our church has been having a marriage counseling retreat the last couple of days. I wanted to share a little on what was taught last night.

There is a hierarchy of priorities that we must always remember:

  1. God – We are to keep God first and foremost.
  2. Family – Family is second. Before the church was ever started, God created the family. A Father cannot expect his family to be right with God if he is not being the spiritual head of the household, being an example to his family.
  3. Church – We are to be in a bible teaching/believing church, learning the word and supporting our church (tithes, offerings, helping where needed)
  4. Others – This is a broad area, but it includes work (being a good workman, living a godly live as an example to others, helping and witnessing, etc.)
  5. Self – We should be servants. We should be last on the list, but When we have the above four things in order, we will be right with God and we will be taken care of.
That's just a brief sampling, but one I wanted to post, not only to share with others, but to be a reminder to myself.

As to Lent, For the most part, things continue well. I have been fighting some weakness in the flesh by wanting to eat more, but have mostly fought that off. Not perfect, but when I make a mistake, I must remember to confess, seek God, and get back on the band wagon.

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Lent – Day 9


Just a few thoughts from the fast so far:

In regards to building my relationship with the Lord, on the plus side, I have been doing the bible studies as originally planned at http://www.settingcaptivesfree.com/. This study I have been taking is an in-depth look at the Cross, and examples from the old testament that point to the meaning of the sacrifice made at the Calvary. While some has been review, there has also been a lot of good stuff presented. When I finish this study, I will write about some of the things that stood out to me. At the same time, my time in prayer has not improved. I know the reason for this… I have a high degree of pride. Not such that I am boastful around people, but in that I have been raised that you only ask for help when it is something beyond your ability to fix. God wants me to come to him in all things, yet I want to try and take care of these things, even the minor ones, on my own. I need to swallow my pride and truly turn to the Lord in all things.

In regards to the fast, I have had a couple of minor slips (I had a coke slushy at the movie the other day without really thinking about it before hand), but for the most part I have been doing well. On Sunday (when I could eat), after not eating for 4 days, food had a incredibly good taste. And so far I have lost 9.9 pounds.

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Lent – Day 1


Well, with yesterday being Fat Tuesday, I tried to make it a point to enjoy those things that I was going to be giving up during this time. I really enjoy both Coke and Mt. Dew, so I made it a point to have a couple of these. I also ate some of my favorite foods. I had hoped to have a steak dinner last night, but my son was sick, so I had to settle for a BBQ Chicken pizza from Papa Johns.
I have thought more about what I plan to do during this period of Lent, and will list these now:
  1. Soda – No Soda (none, zero, zip until Easter. My son has been telling me how bad soda is, so hopefully I will lose my desire for soda by Easter, and not return to is (or at least drastically cut back on my intake).
  2. Drinks allowed Monday – Saturday: Fruit juices, some milk, occasional Hot Chocolate, water, tea.
  3. Foods allowed Monday – Saturday: Almost none, but I will allow limited fruits (banana's, apples, grapes, etc), vegetables (I hate most vegetables, so I will have to be very hungry to partake of these). I will also allow soups (plain soups such as tomato, no soups with meats or noodles, etc).
  4. Sundays: Will allow for intake of any food and drink (no soda). I must remember to east responsibly (no pigging out, but enjoy the food I do eat, and no snacks or junk food).
  5. Bible Study – I will at a minimum do a daily bible study (The Cross at http://www.settingcaptivesfree.com/) . I have taken courses at this site before. The average time to complete one study will range between 35-45 minutes. I also have a Reese Chronological Bible. I plan to start reading the New Testament in this bible (this bible put the events of the bible in chronological order).
  6. Prayer – Make a point of spending more time in prayer.
  7. Internet access – As a computer tech, I essential need to access the internet for work. Outside of work, the only time I will access the internet is to complete my studies at http://www.settingsaptivesfree.com/, Update the church website (I run the website for the church I attend) and for occasional needs such as looking up movie times (for family events and so forth). There is to be no internet access for simple "browsing" or wasting time.

  8. Television – I will continue to allow myself television in the morning (I check the weather and local events to make sure there are no road closings or school cancellations). In the evening, I will only allow myself to watch television when:
    1. My Bible studies are complete
    2. Someone is watching with me (thus as a family event)
    3. No one is home (thus Television is not taking me away from my family)
  9. Listen to the Holy Spirit – As this time progresses, I need to make sure that I am listening to the Holy Spirit, and adjusting my life as directed by the Holy Spirit during this time (and work to make sure that I continue to listen to the Holy Spirit in the future).
I will share that I have taken part in Fasts before. I have done water only fasts (up to three days) and I did 18 days once with Juices only. I plan to approach the Lent days (Monday – Saturday) with the same mindset as when I did the juice fasts in the past. I hope that I am able to avoid all solid food during these days.
I must remember that the whole purpose in the is to place Christ front and center in my life. I have for too long done things my way. And my way doesn't work. The following are the goals I hope to achieve during this time:

  1. Greater relationship with Christ: My son and I often have disagreements. Many times I have told him that if he was living his life the way scripture told him to live, then he would not have any problems with his family. I need to follow that same advice. I hope to get my relationship with Christ in order, so that I am living as He wants me to live. If I do so, then I believe that the following will take place:
    1. Peace of mind knowing that I am truly living as Christ would want me to live.
    2. By living as Christ would want me to live, I can be a better example to my family
    3. Growth in relationship with my family.

  2. Control of eating/weight loss: My weight issues cause the following:
    1. Lack of self control (gluttony) hinders my witnessing, by being a bad example to others, and affecting my self confidence to witness.
    2. Lack of energy prevents me from being all I can be for my family.
  3. Gaining time: By getting away from my television and internet "addictions", I will gain time, Time for the family, time to do other things I know need to be done, and more time for prayer and study.

  4. Restoration:
    1. Restoring my relationship with God
    2. Restoring my relationship with my family
Anyone who reads this, please keep my in prayer during this time.

Monday, February 15, 2010

Lent

What is Lent? Well, according to Websters 1828 Dictionary, lent is:


The quadragesimal fast, or fast of forty days observed by the christian church before Easter, the festival of our Savior's resurrection. It begins at Ash Wednesday, and continues till Easter.

Okay, I guess that's right, but while normally Websters can make things clear to me, I am still in the dark. I am not Catholic, but I married into a Catholic family. Of course I am not aware of any of them actually doing anything for Lent, so I I'm not sure I can get a good answer from them either. Thus I did as I so often do, and turned to the internet. After doing a few Google searches, I came across a website (http://www.wilstar.com/holidays/lent.htm) that gave me some good, quick and clear answers. I will give a brief summery from what I have gathered:

The highlight of the year for Christians is Easter, the day when our Lord rose from the dead. Lent is a forty-day season of preparation for Easter. Lent always begins on a Wednesday, called Ash Wednesday.

Why 40 days? Because, Jesus fasted and was tempted in the wilderness for 40 days. Lent, then, is our time of fasting, prayer, temptation and repentance. Lent is not required anywhere in scriptures, but it has been a custom, which Christians have practiced for most of the last two thousand years.

In many languages, the word "Lent" actually means "fast." This is where the custom of giving up something for Lent originated.

However, just to confuse things, Lent is actually 46 days rather than 40 days. Why? Because the 40 days of Lent are supposed to be days of fasting, which means days of discipline and self-restraint. But Sunday, the Lord's Day, should never be a day of fasting, but a day of celebration! So each Sunday we suspend our Lenten disciplines and celebrate. Lent is 40 "fasting" days spread out over a total of 46 days beginning on Ash Wednesday.

The focus of Lent was always threefold:

  1. It was a time to prepare new converts for baptism through intensive classes and instruction.
  2. It was a time for long-standing Christians to review their lives and renew their commitment to Jesus Christ.
  3. It was a time for backsliders to be restored to the faith.

In every case, it is a time for serious, disciplined self-examination, a time spent in intensive prayer and repentance before the cross of Calvary.

To represent the dark and serious business of Lent, one custom has been to strip the sanctuary of all flowers, candles, and colors during Lent. This custom helps us to turn inward and examine ourselves, even as it reminds us of the dark and colorless Sabbath day when Jesus lay dead in the tomb.

Put simply, Lent is a time to examine ourselves carefully. Here are some questions upon which you might pray and meditate during Lent:

  • Am I sharing gladly what I have with others, especially the stranger and the poor?
  • Do I have a gracious and patient attitude with others, especially those who irritate me?
  • Do I feel the power of connection to God and the church in corporate worship?
  • How is my devotional and prayer life progressing? Am I listening to God more and complaining less? Is it time for a change or a growth in my Bible study and prayer life?
  • What are the lurking sin problems, which still plague me?
  • Am I as thoughtful and forgiving of family as others, or do I take my frustrations out on them?
  • Do I speak up for the maligned and oppressed, or do I remain silent in order to remain popular?

So what does all this mean to me? Well, it gives me a guideline, a starting point for something that I have needed to do for a long time now. You see, I hold to the view of "Once saved, Always saved", so I don't question my salvation, but I do question how healthy my relationship with the Lord is. There was a time when I wanted to go into the ministry, but the Lord has shown me that I am not ready for this. Paul writes to Timothy regarding the Qualifications of being a minister. One of these is that a minister must have his household in order, as how can a minister expect to lead a congregation when he can't lead his own home. There are many problems taking place at home. No, there are no plans of divorce or anything like that, but there are nonetheless many issues that show me I am not yet ready for ministry (on a side note though, this last Sunday, due to bad weather, I was given the chance to fill in and teach Sunday school class at church, which tells me that the Lord does still have plans for me). As such, I plan to take the spirit of Lent as described above and apply it to my life, starting on Wednesday (02/17/10) thru Easter (4/04/10).

What do I hope to gain from this? I have quite a list, which I will share with anyone reading this.

  • Rebuild my relationship with God.
  • Get back into a routine of Bible study. One way that I am going to do this is by going to Setting Captives Free (http://www.settingcaptivesfree.com/) and doing their online study titled "the Cross". This is a Bible study course designed to help you get focused on Christ. This is a 60 day course, so it will be going on after Lent actually ends, but hopefully by the end to Lent, I will be in the habit of setting aside time to have personal bible study.
  • Overcome personal sins. There are those "besetting sins" that I constantly battle with. One example is weight. There have been many times when my weight has prevented me from doing all I could, either for God (as when I have been on missions trips). There are also times when my weight has kept me from being my best with my family (either I'm too tired or in a bad mood because of my weight). These "besetting sins" need to be put under control so they no longer come between me and my relationship with God or my family. As such, I plan to follow my understanding of fasting during Lent. I will primarily consume juices and soups, but will also allow myself some fruits and vegetables Monday – Saturday. Sundays I will eat normal meals (but eat "wisely, not as a glutton).
  • Other areas I need to restrict is cutting back on television viewing and internet browsing. Way too much time is wasted in these activities (and all too often one can get drawn into areas they should avoid anyway), focusing this time gained into doing things with my family or in prayer and meditation with God.
  • Read my Bible more!!!

During this time of Lent, I will be using this blog as a journal of my experiences and thoughts during Lent. I pray that this will lead me to where I need to be, and will be a help to others.

Friday, January 8, 2010

We the People - Ray Stevens





Music that matches my views!!!


Diet Update:
Starting weight: 270
Current Weight: 267
Total loss: 3 pounds

Sunday, January 3, 2010

Turning to God from idols

For they themselves shew of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God; (1 Thessalonians 1:9 KJV)

In various other books written by the Apostle Paul, Paul writes in order to correct actions or to answer questions those churches had. In 1st Thessalonians Chapter 1, Paul writes to praise theThessalonian people. They are overcoming. They are growing in their walk with the Lord, and in verse 9 he shows us how this is being done: the people have turned to God from their idols. Notice it is not the other way around: The people did not turn from their idols, but rather they turned to God.

Idolatry is a sin, and it is easy to turn from sin. WHAT? Did I really say that? Yes. The problem is that we often turn from one sin to another sin. How often do we hear about one who has stopped drinking, but takes up smoking? Or stops smoking but gains weight because they are now over eating? All too often, when we turn from one sin, we sink into another darker sin. For instance, if you read about King David in 2nd Samuel Chapter 11, we find that David should have been off to war. Instead, David sends Joab and the troops, while David himself "tarries" in Jerusalem. I'm sure that David thought he had valid reason to lag behind. He was the king. He could have thought that he deserved some time off from battle. Perhaps, by resting, he felt he would be refreshed, being a better leader in the times to come. But scripture doesn't tell us how David felt. Scripture cuts to the chase – David tarried. Tarried means that David chose to delay, to wait behind, to procrastinate. How many of us have not done this before. And while we may not want to call that a sin, we often don't see things the way God sees things.

David procrastinates. By doing so David sees Bathsheba, This leads to David falling prey to lust in his mind for Bathsheba. That lust turns into adultery, which next leads to the planning and finally murder of Bathsheba's husband Uriah. At any point had David turned to God, this downward spiral would have been broken. Instead, David turns from one sin to another, sinking deeper and deeper.

The Thessalonians were turning to God. Turning to God first will automatically keep you from other sins.

In a previous post (The Vomit of your sins…), I address this topic, and at that time I mentioned that we often fall back into our sins (Psalms 26:11). The only way we can stop the cycle, to stop either turning form one sin to a deeper, darker sin, or returning to the same "pet" sins that we favor, is to turn to God.

Normally Christmas time is one of my favorite times of the year, but this year was not, at least not in regards to how I felt things should have been at home. But that is when I remembered IT. IT happened again. It took problems with my family to remind me that it was not about what I wanted Christmas to be like (a quiet day at home with the family, opening gifts, watching videos and such), but that I needed to be keeping HIM first in my sights.

I need to remember that I need to keep Jesus first. Jesus can fix all my problems, but Jesus is not some little genie that I can pull out and command to fix my problems. Only when I am walking with Him will things be right. Jesus is going to make things right for me, but this takes place only when I am in perfect fellowship with Him, doing as He commands, following His directions, being in God's will. When I am in harmony with his plans for me, in the proper fellowship with Him, all other troubles with either work out, not seem so large, or I will have the understanding to know that what I believe is a problem is not truly an issue.

I need to turn to God. I need to do this first for my family, but also for my health and testimony. Whenever I get depressed, instead of turning to God, I often turn to food. I had originally hoped to maintain my weight over the holidays, and then start a diet. Instead, when problems arose, I turned to food, and as of this morning I weight 270. No more. I must put God first. I must turn to him rather than to food for comfort from my other cares and concerns.


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