Jun 2010
A Little Truth in a Cookie
27/06/10 16:27
Every now
and then Robin tricks me into a little Chinese; she
loves the food, I do not. So, when she asked me where
I would like to go to eat for Father’s Day, I
suggested… Chinese. I can’t resist that
look I get from her that says, “You’re
the man!” Yes, I
sacrificed the opportunity to delight my own little
‘buds so that I could get that one little
look; Yeah
Jim, you’re the man!”
I enjoy watching Robin enjoy the food. I am usually up at the buffet longer than everyone else. It’s not because I am savoring the delectable treats, I’m picking the lesser of evils. The problem with Chinese food for me is two-fold; do you get my drift? I think its just wrong that I should eat something that makes me pay for it twice! There’s no justice. Then, to top it all off, at the end of the meal, the waitress brings the check along with two cookies, fortune cookies.
I never read them. I refuse to even look at them. I don’t read the horoscope in the paper either. In fact, I don’t think any Christian should read the horoscope, it just “opens doors” that shouldn’t be opened. Some may say that it’s all just innocent fun; I believe that God calls it an abomination. Besides, why would I want the stars to predict my future? Those same stars are going to be cast from the heavens one day!
So, back to the fortune cookie. I break my cookie open, throw the paper down and gobble that baby up. I love that part of the fortune cookie. In fact, that is the best part of the whole Chinese restaurant experience. No, I take that back; I thoroughly enjoy the hostesses; they’re always smiling and making sure that I know that they are happy to see me! I love the way they pronounce Pepsi! It’s like they forget the second ‘p’.
So, while I’m munching on my cookie Robin reads the little paper and says, “Ah, boy, there’s some truth.” She convinced me to read it and my response was the same. This is what it says: “The fact that others are bad, does not imply that you are good.” Boom! Now, there is a little truth that we can all use, hey?
I am reminded of the parable Jesus told about the Pharisee who stood praying at the Temple. “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men –robbers, evildoers, adulterers –or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’ But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’ I tell you this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” Luke 18:11-14
And isn’t that what we do when we look at someone else and say, “I’m nothing like that.” We might admit we have a few minor faults, certainly excusable, but for these other fellows… Why do we do that? We try to point out other’s mistakes and sins so that we can look good in our own eyes. That is what Jesus called, exalting oneself.
You see, we don’t have to put others down in front of other people, we can do it in our own minds. And it’s just like the cookie said, Just because others are bad, that doesn’t imply that we are good. Jesus told us that there was only One that was good and in comparison, we are as filthy rags, all of us! So, here’s a news flash. If you’re feeling pretty down and out, try lifting someone up, helping someone out, lending a hand without desiring anything in return and the next thing you know, you’re out of the ‘molly-grubs’ and God is exalting you in your inner man.
There is no need to tear someone else down, just to feel good about yourself. As a matter of fact, you’ll feel worse. And a steady diet of the stuff only leads to a miserable lonely life. So, let’s not fall into the devils trap, let’s lift one another up in the love of our Lord Jesus Christ!
Think about it,
Pastor Jim
I enjoy watching Robin enjoy the food. I am usually up at the buffet longer than everyone else. It’s not because I am savoring the delectable treats, I’m picking the lesser of evils. The problem with Chinese food for me is two-fold; do you get my drift? I think its just wrong that I should eat something that makes me pay for it twice! There’s no justice. Then, to top it all off, at the end of the meal, the waitress brings the check along with two cookies, fortune cookies.
I never read them. I refuse to even look at them. I don’t read the horoscope in the paper either. In fact, I don’t think any Christian should read the horoscope, it just “opens doors” that shouldn’t be opened. Some may say that it’s all just innocent fun; I believe that God calls it an abomination. Besides, why would I want the stars to predict my future? Those same stars are going to be cast from the heavens one day!
So, back to the fortune cookie. I break my cookie open, throw the paper down and gobble that baby up. I love that part of the fortune cookie. In fact, that is the best part of the whole Chinese restaurant experience. No, I take that back; I thoroughly enjoy the hostesses; they’re always smiling and making sure that I know that they are happy to see me! I love the way they pronounce Pepsi! It’s like they forget the second ‘p’.
So, while I’m munching on my cookie Robin reads the little paper and says, “Ah, boy, there’s some truth.” She convinced me to read it and my response was the same. This is what it says: “The fact that others are bad, does not imply that you are good.” Boom! Now, there is a little truth that we can all use, hey?
I am reminded of the parable Jesus told about the Pharisee who stood praying at the Temple. “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men –robbers, evildoers, adulterers –or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’ But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’ I tell you this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” Luke 18:11-14
And isn’t that what we do when we look at someone else and say, “I’m nothing like that.” We might admit we have a few minor faults, certainly excusable, but for these other fellows… Why do we do that? We try to point out other’s mistakes and sins so that we can look good in our own eyes. That is what Jesus called, exalting oneself.
You see, we don’t have to put others down in front of other people, we can do it in our own minds. And it’s just like the cookie said, Just because others are bad, that doesn’t imply that we are good. Jesus told us that there was only One that was good and in comparison, we are as filthy rags, all of us! So, here’s a news flash. If you’re feeling pretty down and out, try lifting someone up, helping someone out, lending a hand without desiring anything in return and the next thing you know, you’re out of the ‘molly-grubs’ and God is exalting you in your inner man.
There is no need to tear someone else down, just to feel good about yourself. As a matter of fact, you’ll feel worse. And a steady diet of the stuff only leads to a miserable lonely life. So, let’s not fall into the devils trap, let’s lift one another up in the love of our Lord Jesus Christ!
Think about it,
Pastor Jim
|
Happy Father's Day
20/06/10 17:43
Leigh Eric Schmidt said, "Father's Day was comical in
part because fathers seemed s out of place or
uncomfortable in this holiday world of sentimental
gifts and domestic flattery. 'The little
remembrances' of flowers, cards, and novelties became
funny when showered on Father; they opened up a line
of humor that played on gender incongruities of
holiday gift giving. As one editorial writer on the
holiday put the matter in 1925, fathers have 'no
talent for the fribbles and frabbles and furbelows
with which Mother signalizes well-being.'" Schmidt
notes that the founder of Mother's Day, Anne Jarvis,
saw Father's Day as a "poorly disguised plot of some
necktie, tobacco, or whiskey and lottery promoters."
Schmidt further commented, "The snide perception that
the holiday was an inane hoax and the merchants were
responsible for putting it over on people found ample
expression. Father's Day, more than any other
celebration up to that time, demonstrated the
corrosive cynicism that had come to hedge in modern
rituals in a world of advertising and promotion."
Cynical it may be, but the bell of truth has a little ring to it doesn't it? It seems that we are forever turning around and buying a card for this person or that person. I think the Mafia would have faired better if they had gotten their hands in on Hallmark or American Greetings. Even with the introduction of E-Cards, these little pieces of folded paper have made millions of dollars for their owners, all in the name of sentimentality and/or obligation. Oops, some of my own cynicism is starting to show.
For Pete's sake, has it come to be that we honor our fathers because they deserve it, or is it because it's Father's Day? I realize, of course, that children want to honor their fathers, even as the Lord commanded, "Honor thy father and mother." But sometimes it's hard to do that, given the situations that we hear on the news now-a-days.
I don't have any problem honoring my father. My biological father passed when I was four years old and I didn't have a father for about five years. My father married my mom when she had five kids and the man worked himself silly, going to school after working forty, sometimes fifty hours a week.
He bettered himself because he went instantly from being a bachelor to being a husband and father of five. He did a good job, we never wanted for anything and we lived in a nice, safe home in 'suburbia' America. I always enjoyed when he did the grocery shopping - we got more stuff!
He was fair. He was smart and wise. He knew when to discipline and he knew when to ignore. The only time I really saw him mad was when I (as a tenn aged brat) and after many times of bringing hardship to the family, smarted off to my mother (his wife)! I deserved his wrath; and just when I thought he was going to deliver it, he withheld.
I have no problem sending him a card! I have no problem thanking him for being the dad he was. And truth be told: I would have had him change only one thing about himself. Oh, I wish I could see his love for Jesus a little more. I wish I had the assurance that he has totally surrendered himself to Jesus' Lordship. I guess I want this for selfish reasons - I wouldn't mind spending eternity with a man like him.
Happy Father's Day,
Pastor Jim
Cynical it may be, but the bell of truth has a little ring to it doesn't it? It seems that we are forever turning around and buying a card for this person or that person. I think the Mafia would have faired better if they had gotten their hands in on Hallmark or American Greetings. Even with the introduction of E-Cards, these little pieces of folded paper have made millions of dollars for their owners, all in the name of sentimentality and/or obligation. Oops, some of my own cynicism is starting to show.
For Pete's sake, has it come to be that we honor our fathers because they deserve it, or is it because it's Father's Day? I realize, of course, that children want to honor their fathers, even as the Lord commanded, "Honor thy father and mother." But sometimes it's hard to do that, given the situations that we hear on the news now-a-days.
I don't have any problem honoring my father. My biological father passed when I was four years old and I didn't have a father for about five years. My father married my mom when she had five kids and the man worked himself silly, going to school after working forty, sometimes fifty hours a week.
He bettered himself because he went instantly from being a bachelor to being a husband and father of five. He did a good job, we never wanted for anything and we lived in a nice, safe home in 'suburbia' America. I always enjoyed when he did the grocery shopping - we got more stuff!
He was fair. He was smart and wise. He knew when to discipline and he knew when to ignore. The only time I really saw him mad was when I (as a tenn aged brat) and after many times of bringing hardship to the family, smarted off to my mother (his wife)! I deserved his wrath; and just when I thought he was going to deliver it, he withheld.
I have no problem sending him a card! I have no problem thanking him for being the dad he was. And truth be told: I would have had him change only one thing about himself. Oh, I wish I could see his love for Jesus a little more. I wish I had the assurance that he has totally surrendered himself to Jesus' Lordship. I guess I want this for selfish reasons - I wouldn't mind spending eternity with a man like him.
Happy Father's Day,
Pastor Jim
Unspeakable Things!
13/06/10 13:14
We are
all aware that Jesus Christ is coming back very soon
to establish His kingdom here on earth. At that time,
the earth will go through a great transformation with
the desert blooming and wild animals living in peace.
The wolf and the lamb will lie down together and a
child will lead the calves and lions. Isaiah says
that they will neither harm nor destroy on
God’s holy mountain and the earth shall be
filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters
cover the sea. And what shall become of man? What
shall his end be?
Well, for the righteous, their resting place will be glorious! God will speak to the sheep on His right saying, “Enter now into thy rest; enter now into the joys of the Lord!” What a day that will be, glorious beyond expression. A day when all of our light and momentary troubles, that we are experiencing right now, will achieve for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. Paul tells us in Romans that our present sufferings are not even worth comparing to the glory that will be revealed in us then!
And he should know; God caught him up into the third heaven and Paul saw things that were unlawful for him to speak to us today. He heard inexpressible things; things that man is not permitted to tell. Heaven is real my friends and Heaven is God’s home for us. Jesus said that He was going there to prepare a place for us. He is creating right now a resting place for all believers.
What will it be like? What sort of place is Heaven, where sin and temptation is no more; where we will know a joy unspeakable and full of glory? What will life be like when pain will be unheard of and death a mere memory? No one will know hunger. No one will deal with sadness.
What did Paul mean when he said that we long to be clothed in our heavenly dwelling, that spiritual body that will be able to stand in the Presence of the Most High? Think about God’s promise that we will be co-heirs with Christ Jesus! John tells us that on that day we will be like Him! I think that on that day the Scripture that says, “Now let us make man in our image and in our likeness…” will have much more meaning to us than it does right now.
Today we see but through a foggy glass. Sin has nearly stolen all the glory that man was given in Paradise and has blinded our eyes to the truth that man was made in the image of God. Have you ever wondered what God will enable man to do once he is made complete?
Think about what man can do now, even though he is fallen. Jesus told us to remember the height from which we had fallen. Remember also that Jesus has redeemed us! Though we must suffer now, persevere through many trials, fight the good fight and run the race, let us throw off everything that would so easily hinder us. Let us remove the sin that would beset us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus and set our treasure in Heaven where there is now, inexpressible things that await us.
Beloved, hear the words of the Alpha and Omega, “To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life. He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son. But to the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murders, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars –their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur.”
As we see the Day of the Lord approaching, the heavens and earth will be shaken, yea, all created things shall be shaken and removed. But we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken. Therefore let us be thankful and worship God acceptably, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire
Think about it,
Pastor Jim
Well, for the righteous, their resting place will be glorious! God will speak to the sheep on His right saying, “Enter now into thy rest; enter now into the joys of the Lord!” What a day that will be, glorious beyond expression. A day when all of our light and momentary troubles, that we are experiencing right now, will achieve for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. Paul tells us in Romans that our present sufferings are not even worth comparing to the glory that will be revealed in us then!
And he should know; God caught him up into the third heaven and Paul saw things that were unlawful for him to speak to us today. He heard inexpressible things; things that man is not permitted to tell. Heaven is real my friends and Heaven is God’s home for us. Jesus said that He was going there to prepare a place for us. He is creating right now a resting place for all believers.
What will it be like? What sort of place is Heaven, where sin and temptation is no more; where we will know a joy unspeakable and full of glory? What will life be like when pain will be unheard of and death a mere memory? No one will know hunger. No one will deal with sadness.
What did Paul mean when he said that we long to be clothed in our heavenly dwelling, that spiritual body that will be able to stand in the Presence of the Most High? Think about God’s promise that we will be co-heirs with Christ Jesus! John tells us that on that day we will be like Him! I think that on that day the Scripture that says, “Now let us make man in our image and in our likeness…” will have much more meaning to us than it does right now.
Today we see but through a foggy glass. Sin has nearly stolen all the glory that man was given in Paradise and has blinded our eyes to the truth that man was made in the image of God. Have you ever wondered what God will enable man to do once he is made complete?
Think about what man can do now, even though he is fallen. Jesus told us to remember the height from which we had fallen. Remember also that Jesus has redeemed us! Though we must suffer now, persevere through many trials, fight the good fight and run the race, let us throw off everything that would so easily hinder us. Let us remove the sin that would beset us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus and set our treasure in Heaven where there is now, inexpressible things that await us.
Beloved, hear the words of the Alpha and Omega, “To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life. He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son. But to the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murders, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars –their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur.”
As we see the Day of the Lord approaching, the heavens and earth will be shaken, yea, all created things shall be shaken and removed. But we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken. Therefore let us be thankful and worship God acceptably, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire
Think about it,
Pastor Jim
What Would Jesus Do?
06/06/10 11:34
A few
years back it was trendy to ask, “What would
Jesus do?” There were necklaces and bracelets,
bookmarkers and plaques, all inscribed with the
acronym –WWJD. It was an attempt to keep
forefront in the Christian’s mind the desired
social action and attitude for them to govern their
lives. The hope was that if everyone lived by this
little axiom, then all our social ills would be
solved.
One problem though - the person who would ask, “What would Jesus do?” must know who Jesus is, in order to know, what He would do. The truly born-again Christian knows what I am saying is true. Those who have only a veneer of knowledge about God cannot possibly know what Jesus would do. Have you ever heard those folks who refer to God as the “Man upstairs”? These folks wouldn’t have a clue who Jesus is, or what He would do.
Jesus told us that, “No one knows the Son except the Father and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him.”
When Peter made his confession that he knew that Jesus was the Christ, Jesus told him that flesh and blood did not reveal that to him but that it was revealed to him by the Father. In this day and age of information highways, knowledge can come verily easy. The mistake most often made by those who receive religious knowledge is that when someone receives a bit of knowledge, they conform it to fit their presuppositions.
In other words, the God that they think they know is in reality a god of their own making. God cannot be known merely through the intellect. He must reveal Himself to the spirit of man as the Word declares Him to be – the mind just agrees and says, “Amen.”
This is why Paul exhorts us not to be conformed any longer to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of our minds. Romans 12:2 Again, Paul teaches us that, “The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man’s spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.”1Cor.2:10,11
He goes on to teach us that the man without the Spirit of God cannot know God. God’s ways are foolish to him and he cannot understand them. So, isn’t it apparent that asking, “What would Jesus do?” is just cliché?
If you have the Spirit of God, the Spirit of God will lead you! We have an obligation and it is not to the sinful nature. Our obligation is to follow after the Spirit of God that is leading us.
For as many who are led by the Spirit; they are the sons of God. Romans 8:14 Those who are born-again have died to self. They realize that their lives are not their own – they’ve been bought with a Price! The Spirit that is in them is the Spirit of Christ, and the Spirit of Christ says, “I have not come to do my own will but the will of Him who sent me.”
If every Christian would just do that, then there would be no need to ask, “What would Jesus do?” If you think that I am just playing on words, then ask yourselves this one question: “Do I live for God, or do I want God to live for me?” You see, sometimes it’s all on how you look at something.
One more thing: will you ever make mistakes and not follow the leading of the Spirit? Yes, but those mistakes will never nullify your adoptin as a child of God. He is our Father and His love is more than what we can know!
Think about it,
Pastor Jim
One problem though - the person who would ask, “What would Jesus do?” must know who Jesus is, in order to know, what He would do. The truly born-again Christian knows what I am saying is true. Those who have only a veneer of knowledge about God cannot possibly know what Jesus would do. Have you ever heard those folks who refer to God as the “Man upstairs”? These folks wouldn’t have a clue who Jesus is, or what He would do.
Jesus told us that, “No one knows the Son except the Father and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him.”
When Peter made his confession that he knew that Jesus was the Christ, Jesus told him that flesh and blood did not reveal that to him but that it was revealed to him by the Father. In this day and age of information highways, knowledge can come verily easy. The mistake most often made by those who receive religious knowledge is that when someone receives a bit of knowledge, they conform it to fit their presuppositions.
In other words, the God that they think they know is in reality a god of their own making. God cannot be known merely through the intellect. He must reveal Himself to the spirit of man as the Word declares Him to be – the mind just agrees and says, “Amen.”
This is why Paul exhorts us not to be conformed any longer to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of our minds. Romans 12:2 Again, Paul teaches us that, “The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man’s spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.”1Cor.2:10,11
He goes on to teach us that the man without the Spirit of God cannot know God. God’s ways are foolish to him and he cannot understand them. So, isn’t it apparent that asking, “What would Jesus do?” is just cliché?
If you have the Spirit of God, the Spirit of God will lead you! We have an obligation and it is not to the sinful nature. Our obligation is to follow after the Spirit of God that is leading us.
For as many who are led by the Spirit; they are the sons of God. Romans 8:14 Those who are born-again have died to self. They realize that their lives are not their own – they’ve been bought with a Price! The Spirit that is in them is the Spirit of Christ, and the Spirit of Christ says, “I have not come to do my own will but the will of Him who sent me.”
If every Christian would just do that, then there would be no need to ask, “What would Jesus do?” If you think that I am just playing on words, then ask yourselves this one question: “Do I live for God, or do I want God to live for me?” You see, sometimes it’s all on how you look at something.
One more thing: will you ever make mistakes and not follow the leading of the Spirit? Yes, but those mistakes will never nullify your adoptin as a child of God. He is our Father and His love is more than what we can know!
Think about it,
Pastor Jim