This was the opening video to our first women’s conference. Thought I’d share because it still is as powerful to me today as it was then.
Category: Bible
Doing The Wrong Thing
A woman I know found $10,000 in an envelope. No one saw her find it, it was cash. She called the police and turned it in. Her friends questioned her. Was she dumb? Naive? The money could have changed her life. What struck her was that some who were Christians told her she was crazy for doing it and what if it were God trying to bless her, what if it were drug money? She began to doubt herself, she couldn’t sleep, she went to God and repented for doing what she thought was right. My heart went out to her because what should have been applauded as good character wasn’t. Yet, I believe there is an eternal reward for her good deed.
In the same week a woman came in for a meeting with a ministry team. She was angry. She said that the music of the church wasn’t anointed and in fact was dead, the ministry was dead and if they wanted to bring life to the home church they had started then they needed to sing this music (she then produced music sheets) and they had to bring in this person to lead worship and they had to minister in a certain way and they had to leave their jobs and dedicate themselves solely to growing the house church. She accused them of not hearing from the Holy Spirit, of not putting into leadership the people she had selected, and accused their wives of not being supportive to their ministry because they told her she should prayerfully consider submission and not speak out against her leaders.
Further in the same week I met with a gentleman who was being asked to make a vow at the altar of our church that he didn’t believe in and wasn’t planning to keep. He is an unbeliever and I explained that our faith takes that vow very seriously and I didn’t want him to make a vow that would compromise his values. I told him that I was praying for his salvation and that I would want him not to have to account for that vow on judgment day. He said he didn’t believe in a judgment day so it was no big deal. I asked him as politely as I could to postpone this decision because we took this vow very seriously. He became angry, felt judged and although it wasn’t my intention for him to feel this way, neither was I willing to compromise my belief. It went downhill fast. He went away frustrated and mad, and I went away feeling I didn’t handle it well, feeling that I could not accommodate him and neither could I back up his vow as a witness. Unless two agree they don’t walk together. Fortunately, I don’t make the final decision on the outcome. I just report back.
These things weighed heavily on my heart and Sunday I pretty much cried through the worship service. No wonder the world calls us hypocrites, I thought, as I laid it all bare to the Lord. When we think God doesn’t have the right to make clearly defined lines that we are supposed to keep then what does the world think? When we don’t stay in our place where leadership and ministry is concerned then what does the world think? When we explain our faith and how we believe, an unbeliever doesn’t believe us because he’s seen so much hypocrisy. He thinks I was harsh and picking on him because I didn’t want him to compromise and say things his heart didn’t feel and I didn’t want to compromise Jesus. Neither of us left successful that day.
Paul said: Acts 20:25. “Now I know that none of you among whom I have gone about preaching the kingdom will ever see me again. 26. Therefore, I declare to you today that I am innocent of the blood of all men. 27. For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God.
My prayer this week is that I can say that I am innocent of the blood of all men. We serve a God who IS. Jesus was pretty clear about feeding his sheep, keeping his Father’s commandments and loving one another. Lord, guide me to be a good witness to you. I want to do the will of the Father. Yes, I know that I fall short daily but let me be one who although does sin is not controlled by sin but by Jesus Christ. Help to explain my faith so that I don’t become a stumbling block or set someone back from serving the Kingdom. Lord, I want to be pleasing to you.
He Loved Him
Mark 10:17. As he went out into the street, a man came running up, greeted him with great reverence, and asked, “Good Teacher, what must I do to get eternal life?”
18. Jesus said, “Why are you calling me good? No one is good, only God.
19. You know the commandments: Don’t murder, don’t commit adultery, don’t steal, don’t lie, don’t cheat, honor your father and mother.”
20. He said, “Teacher, I have – from my youth – kept them all!”
21. Jesus looked him hard in the eye – and loved him! He said, “There’s one thing left: Go sell whatever you own and give it to the poor. All your wealth will then be heavenly wealth. And come follow me.”
22. The man’s face clouded over. This was the last thing he expected to hear, and he walked off with a heavy heart. He was holding on tight to a lot of things, and not about to let go.“The Message”
In verse 21 this passage says, Jesus looked him hard in the eye and loved him! Have you ever loved someone enough to tell him the truth even though it meant you may never see them again as they would walk off? Have you ever loved enough that you had to stand for your faith against the crowd and not compromise your belief?
In our faith we believe gathering together at church on Sunday is an important part of our week. However, I know people who confess this with their mouth but who don’t always follow this. The reason is that guests arrive at their home Sunday morning on a regular basis. I wonder if we could love them enough to bring them to church with us? I wonder if we could love them enough to set the example and excuse ourselves to attend service? What do they think of this compromise?
That is simply one example. There are thousands. What is our faith and how is it lived out? Do we love enough? Do people believe that we are one of those who has sold out and taken up a cross?
There are times in our lives where we are called to stand up for our faith and love Jesus enough to love people enough to live out our faith. What will be our response?
Thoughts About Nothing
I read this blog called Thoughts About Nothing, on a regular basis and I loved this post. We are dealing with this in our church on several layers and I believe that we must come to a resolution.
My husband and I prayed recently that we never get stuck in an idea so much so that we miss the harvest. What do you think?
Meditate On This
Let this one sentence Jesus said, soak into your spirit. It’s powerful and relevant to your life.
Matthew 19:26. Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
A Reader Asks
“Please give me the bible reference for keeping your own porch clean before worrying about your neighbor’s dirty porch. Thank you so much.”
The porch reference is a southern saying based on Matthew 7:3-5 and Luke 6:41-42 where we are told take the plank out of our own eye before we point out the sawdust our neighbor has in his own eye. Thanks for reading!
Baby Got Book
Here’s an oldie but a goodie that always makes me laugh out loud. Maybe Jonnysoundsketch, can come up with a rock version of this! Just saying!
Raise The Roof For The Rock!
Psalm 95:1. Come, let’s shout praises to God, raise the roof for the Rock who saved us!
2. Let’s march into his presence singing praises, lifting the rafters with our hymns!
3. And why? Because God is the best, High King over all the gods.
4. In one hand he holds deep caves and caverns, in the other hand grasps the high mountains.
5. He made Ocean – he owns it! His hands sculpted Earth!
6. So come, let us worship: bow before him, on your knees before God, who made us!
7. Oh yes, he’s our God, and we’re the people he pastures, the flock he feeds. Drop everything and listen, listen as he speaks:
8. “Don’t turn a deaf ear as in the Bitter Uprising, As on the day of the Wilderness Test,
9. when your ancestors turned and put me to the test.
10. For forty years they watched me at work among them, as over and over they tried my patience. And I was provoked – oh, was I provoked! ‘Can’t they keep their minds on God for five minutes? Do they simply refuse to walk down my road?’
11. Exasperated, I exploded, ‘They’ll never get where they’re headed, never be able to sit down and rest.'”-“The Message”
Taking The Lord’s Name In Vain
Exodus 20:7 “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.
So the people of God try to follow this mandate by not saying phrases like ‘Oh my God’. Only we need to really look at what this commandment means because it encompasses so much more than that. Attaching God’s name to our opinion is what it means to take the name of the Lord in vain. When we attach his name to a statement we had better be sure we understand his point of view before giving his endorsement.
What we do know is that he has told us not to take his name in vain. In other words we are not to take his name and attach it to our own agendas. We can’t assume to know the mind of God. We have clear direction, as we know what his word says since it’s written in the bible, but we can’t afford to second guess God as the commandment is clear that he will not hold us guiltless.
My kids love to say things to other parents like, “I’m sure my parents wouldn’t have a problem with it.” They say this in instances where they want to do something but they don’t want to check in because they aren’t completely sure we’re really okay with it. So while they say they are sure, we are not always okay with it. We tell them all the time, they need to check with us first before they agree to something in our name. This is what this commandment is saying. God is saying that we are not to add His name to things that are not of Him. Do not add His name to things you think are of Him.
How do we take the Lord’s name in vain? By professing Christianity and not living the lifestyle it takes to profess it. Matthew Henry’s Commentary says it like this:
Those that name the name of Christ, but do not depart from iniquity, as that name binds them to do, name it in vain; their worship is vain (Mt. 15:7-9), their oblations (the act of offering something) are vain (Isa. 1:11, 13), their religion is vain, Jam. 1:26.
Some of the other ways we take the Lord’s name in vain is by vows (I swear to God) that we don’t keep. Or when we lie under oath (So help me God).
Matthew Henry continues that God is jealous for his honor. Of course he would be. We all hate when people put our names on things we don’t approve of. This is why we have to be careful about what we say God is for and what he is against. Human reasoning doesn’t apply to God. In all things there is the heart factor and that is what God judges.
When Christ hung on the cross he said, “Father forgive them for they know not what they do.” In other words there is grace when we don’t know any better. Does this mean that this grace excuses followers of Christ? Well, when we are ignorant of a precept, maybe for a season, but our responsibility as followers of Christ is to get ourselves straightened out in things of God so I believe that after a while there is a time when we begin to take not only the name of God in vain but the grace of God in vain as well.
Get A Bigger Bully
When the bully at school took your lunch money what did you do? Some people had an older sibling they’d go to or they had a friend who had a older sibling. They would go to that older sibling and tell them their problem and the older, bigger sibling would go up to that bully and push back, and often the bully left them alone. Your solution to the bully problem was going and getting a bigger bully. I always envied the kids who had older siblings!
Well what’s changed from those days? Honestly, think about it, you have a bully that picks on
YOU all the time!
His name is Satan and he comes and tries to take your lunch money most days. Only now the situation looks helpless! Calling our older sibling seems silly as what can they really do to help us in these adult situations? So Satan keeps on picking on you and he dares you to call on your friends for backup because he thinks he can take them too.
Only you have the key in your pocket! Maybe you haven’t thought about it but the way you handled it as a kid works!
Jesus is your elder brother.
All you need to do is go tell your older brother that the bully down the street is picking on you. The same way you used to combat the natural bully is how you combat the spiritual bully. Call Jesus into the fight, he belongs to a whole kingdom that has an army on the ready to fight your battles. And let me just tell you a secret,
Satan is scared of Jesus.
So the next time you find yourself being bullied, don’t cry, don’t lose sleep, don’t worry or stress, and certainly don’t give up your lunch money! Just go get a bigger bully!
Pastor Susan 