Yearly Archives: 2017

The Big Question – VOTD.07.24.17

Last time we brought up a burning question about maintaining and growing in the presence of God in our lives. The answer to the big “Question”… really to all questions regarding spiritual growth is given to us by Jesus in these two words:

“Follow Me.” (Mk 1:17, 2:14)

Today we have a throng of unbelievers who think the whole Christian experience can be summed us in words like: “follow My religion” or “follow My rules” – Worse, even some believers go through their lives thinking that that is the essence of spiritual living.

But as we’ve seen, Jesus said, “Follow Me.” It’s all about Jesus – not Christianity, not Christians, but Christ.

I was at a seminar on evangelism, after I’d written the last few weeks of meditations, and the speaker brought up a parallel thought: The excuses many non-Christians bring up for not accepting the Gospel revolves around the Christians and churches they’ve known.

“Christians are just a bunch of hypocrites”
“All the churches want is money”
“I’ve known some drug dealers who behaved better than some ministers”

Was Jesus a hypocrite? Was Jesus all about money? Did Jesus live His life in anything less than righteousness? (more…)

Continue ReadingThe Big Question – VOTD.07.24.17

Following – VOTD.07.17.17

“Follow Me.” Mark 1:17, 2:14

In the final analysis, walking in the presence of Jesus come down to two simple little words: “Follow Me”. Those of us who want more of the presence of God have to want to be with Him where He is. To be with Him where He is, we must want His will.

There simply isn’t any other way… Jesus must reign. But the legitimate question is raised… What is His will?

Consider those two words from Jesus that answer almost every question regarding what we are supposed to do as Christians. “Follow Me.” It’s Jesus’ personal invitation which He extended to us who would be His disciples. And He continues to extend this invitation to every one of us who want to walk in discipleship.

“Follow Me.”
(more…)

Continue ReadingFollowing – VOTD.07.17.17

Fountain of Life – VOTD.07.11.17

“The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life” (Proverbs 10:11).

Our words will either be a fountain of life or a fountain of poison. Fountains of life are contented, people. Fountains of poison only come from uncontented hearts.

We conclude our brief look at some of the hundreds of verses related to our words as a “tongue-check”.

–Do We Try to Evade Responsibility for Our Words?
     “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks…. And I say unto you that every idle word that men shall speak they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment; for by your words you shall be justified and by your words you shall be condemned” (Matthew 12:34b, 36-37).
     “As a madman who casts firebrands and deadly arrows, so is the man who deceives his neighbor and says, ‘I was only kidding'” (Proverbs 26:18-19). (more…)

Continue ReadingFountain of Life – VOTD.07.11.17

Why did I say that? (pt 4) – VOTD.07.10.17

Prayerful answers come from God-loyal people; the wicked are sewers of abusive words. Proverbs 15:28

The words we speak are a peek hole into our entire being. It’s not so much that some people are better at controlling their words than others. It’s that some people are content with God (“God-loyal”), and some aren’t… and our words show us how much we’ve allowed the Holy Spirit to transform us.

–Do we Talk Too Much?
     “In the multitude of words there is no lack of transgression, ” (Proverbs 10:19).
     “He who goes about as a talebearer reveals secrets, but he who is of a faithful spirit conceals a matter” (Proverbs 11:13).
     “The lips of a Righteous person know the kind thing to say, but the wicked are always saying things that hurt.” (Proverbs 10:32
     “The heart of the righteous studies how to answer” (Proverbs 15:28). Allow others time to answer. Beware of people who want you to give them a quick answer.

–Do We Choose Our Words Cautiously and Fairly?
When we oversimplify, generalize and lump together the righteous and unrighteous we curse them both.
     “He who … condemns the righteous, … is an abomination to the Lord” (Proverbs 17:15).

–Do Our Words Abuse, Brow-beat, Amount to Humiliation or Mockery?
     “With his mouth the godless man destroys his neighbor” (Proverbs 11:9). Note: I have seen Christians destroy their neighbor by their SILENCE when they could have corrected a story they KNEW to be untrue.
     “But if you bite and devour one another, take heed that you not be consumed of one another” (Galatians 5:15). (more…)

Continue ReadingWhy did I say that? (pt 4) – VOTD.07.10.17

Why did I say that? (pt 3) – VOTD.07.04.17

“She opens her mouth in wisdom, and the law of kindness is on her tongue”  Proverbs 31:26

In the proverb describing an excellent wife, her character is summed up in what proceeds from her mouth. How do we open our mouths? With wisdom and kindness or with foolishness and unkindness?

We continue our checklist for our tongues.

–Do We Criticize People Before First Speaking with Them and Seeking Their Restoration?
     “And if your brother sins against you, go, show him his fault between you and him alone ” (Matthew 18:15). Going to anyone else with our criticism before going to the person we are criticizing directly is condemned here.
     “He who gives an answer before he hears, it is folly and shame to him…. The first to present his case seems right, till another comes forward and questions him” (Proverbs 18:13, 17). Believing one who criticizes without going and getting the story from the other side is condemned here.
     “Debate your cause with your neighbor himself, and disclose not the secret of another, lest he who hears it correct thee and your shame will not turn away” (Proverbs 25:8-10). (more…)

Continue ReadingWhy did I say that? (pt 3) – VOTD.07.04.17

Why did I say that? (pt 2) – VOTD.07.03.17

Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer. Psalm 19:14

Our words reveal our hearts. We can often put up a good front in the realm of behavior, but our words will sooner or later give away exactly what is happening in our hearts. That is why we need to invite the Holy Spirit, like the psalmist did. “Create in me a clean heart, O Lord”.

We are looking briefly at some of the hundreds of verses related to our words…asking some tough questions about our hearts, as revealed by our mouths:

–Are We Always Careful to Tell the Truth When We Speak?
     “A man who bears false witness against his neighbor is a maul, and a sword, and a sharp arrow” (Proverbs 25:18).
     “For out of the heart come forth evil thoughts…false witness, railings: these are the things which defile the man” (Matthew 15:19-20).
     “There are six things which the Almighty hates, yes seven which are an abomination to Him: … a lying tongue…a false witness who utters lies” (Proverbs 6:16-19). (more…)

Continue ReadingWhy did I say that? (pt 2) – VOTD.07.03.17

Why did I say that? (pt 1) – VOTD.06.27.17

If anyone is never at fault in what he says, then he is mature, able to control his whole body. James 3:2

Each of us is known by how we behave, and our behavior is based on what is happening in our hearts. One particular aspect of our behavior, that flows from our hearts is our words.

Face it. It is every Christian’s desire to be content. Many believe they don’t deserve to be (because they have problems accepting God’s forgiveness), others believe it is outside the realm of possibility given their circumstances, yet others are too busy to think about it. Yet for all, contentment is desired.

The reason our tongues are so important to our being content is that our words give us a vivid picture of the state of our hearts… and they show us how much we’ve allowed the Holy Spirit to transform us.

If we holler and rant and rave… it’s because there is a heart problem. If we are cynical and sarcastic, it’s because there is a heart problem. If we are gossips and back stabbers, it’s because there’s a heart problem. Augmentative? Abusive? Accusers? Bullies …Heart problem… (more…)

Continue ReadingWhy did I say that? (pt 1) – VOTD.06.27.17

The Heart – VOTD.06.26.17

Out of your heart come evil thoughts, murder, unfaithfulness, offensive deeds, stealing, telling lies, and insulting others. These are what make you unclean. Matthew 15:20

Out of the heart… One of the reasons that Christians have so much difficulty being content is that we focus on behavior management instead of heart surrender. And since we fail to get our behavior where we want it to be, we feel defeated, rather than contented.

We think if we can just get our behavior in line with the Bible, we’ll be holy. But holiness is a matter of the heart and if we want our behavior to exemplify Christ, our hearts must exemplify Christ first and foremost. How often we focus on terms like “integrity” (acting out certain behaviors) and good deeds, instead of purity of heart.

Yet the Holy Spirit has placed the desire in each believer to live a holy life… one that glorifies God and displays His love. Our desire to be content will never be really fulfilled without becoming more like the men and women God wants for us to be. (more…)

Continue ReadingThe Heart – VOTD.06.26.17

The Big Lie – VOTD.07.25.17

And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. 2 Corinthians 9:8

Something one of my sons really got into several years ago is digitally restoring awful photographs. He took pictures that you’d never want to show anyone and made them look like postcard material. God is in that business, too… in dealing with our lives.

All of Satan’s lies are destructive. Keep that in mind. He never lies to us except to destroy us. It is foolish to embrace his lies…but they sneak into our thinking because they are usually subtle—so subtle that we can pick them up, even at church and Christian events … they are that pervasive.

There are two kinds of lies Satan tells us that are probably deadlier than any of the others: The first are the lies He tells us about God (WHO HE IS and what He’s like) and the second are the lies he tells us about WHO WE ARE.

You see Satan works to either diminish who God is or diminish who we are in Jesus. Diminish God’s Holiness or diminish His Grace and who we are because of His grace. And if we lose touch with either of those we will end up in a destructive situation.

To some of us, Satan diminishes the sinfulness of sin. He wants us to think that God is not as godly as He really is and that sin isn’t as contrary to His nature as it really is. This does 2 things: First, it smears God’s character. Second, it gets our focus off the consequences to sin. (Face it, if we came to grips with sin’s consequences, it would be obvious why we wouldn’t want to sin, and why God wouldn’t want us to sin.)

So Satan takes things that are hideous, and makes them appear harmless (even wonderful)—by doing that He makes God appear less holy and more of a killjoy. And he also clouds our ability to see that EVERY sin has negative consequences. (more…)

Continue ReadingThe Big Lie – VOTD.07.25.17