Sometimes You Just Have To Roll With It

 

Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.

James 1:12

Christians are not exempt from life’s ups and downs, but we are guaranteed that God is with us through it all. All we have to do is buckle up and hang on.

My friend, Georgia, was always upbeat.  One time when one thing after another was going wrong, she said, “Sometimes when you get something going; you just have to roll with it.”

Even if we don’t feel victorious, we need to remember God’s promise: if we remain faithful to Him, we will triumph in the end.

Now Is The Day

And working together with Him we also urge you not to receive the grace of God in vain—

For He says, “At the acceptable time I listened to you, and on the day of salvation I helped you”

Behold, now is “The acceptable Time,” behold, now is “The day of salvation.”

2 Corinthians 6:1-2

The question is what are you waiting for?  God loves you and that will not change.  

A radical transformation awaits you.  And, a transformed you, can transform the world.  

 

It Is All About Love

Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another, for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law.

For this, “You shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not covet,” and if there is any other commandment it is summed up in this saying, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

Romans: 13:8-10

There are people who think religions, and especially Christianity, are all about rules prohibiting things, like smoking or drinking alcohol or dancing or card playing or having fun, which are all personal choices.

The unbeliever looks at the Ten Commandments as restrictions on him. The Christian looks at the Ten Commandments as a  guide for good human relations. These are heavy rules, but they are centered in love for one another.

God loves us and cares for us and He wants us to love and care for one another. We cannot cure all the world’s ills but we can try to avoid doing things which make things worse.

Loving our neighbor means we come in kindness and the love, not condemnation.

 

Cool Your Jets

 

A fool always loses his temper,

But a wise man holds it back.

Proverbs 29:11

Everybody does it sometimes. We run our mouths because we are angry. Sometimes our target is the one who made us angry and sometimes it is someone who has nothing to do with it.

It is normal to get angry. But we need to step back and take a look at what is happening before we say anything. I like to say, “I need to take ten.” and, then walk away to cool off. Sometimes it takes more than ten minutes; more like a day.

I am not advocating the silent treatment, I am advocating not talking about what it is we are angry about until we cool off so we can look at the problem rationally, because sometimes what we are angry about is nothing to be angry about. And, if it merits our anger we need to be able to express why we are angry without hurling empty threats and insults against the one we are angry with. We can’t do that if we are running our mouths out of frustration.

So, take ten or twenty or a day or a week and keep it real.

A wise man holds back, be one. 

So, You Think You Are Having A Bad Day?

 

For, I think, God has exhibited us apostles last of all, as men condemned to death; because we have become a spectacle to the world, both to angels and to men.

We are fools for Christ’s sake, but you are prudent in Christ, we are weak, but you are strong; you are distinguished, but we are without honor.

To this present hour we are both hungry and thirsty, and are poorly clothed, and are roughly treated, and are homeless; and we toil, working with our own hands; when we are reviled, we bless; when we are persecuted we endure; when we are slandered, we try to conciliate; we have become as the scum of the world, the dregs of all things, even until now.

1 Corinthians 4:9-13

So, you think you are having a bad day? The Apostle Paul gives us a glimpse of what every day was like for the apostles. Yes, they had their church friends, but they also had a world full of enemies who killed all of them except John the Beloved.

What does this teach us? It teaches us that it is not always easy to be a Christian and to act in a Christ like manner. It teaches us that even when we do what is right, there will be people who will criticize and torment us for doing the right thing.

And, heaven knows, should we do something wrong, there will be people who know nothing of the forgiveness of God, who will yell at us and spread the word of our shortcomings.

All this stuff happens; so what. We know our faith rests in God and that we are called by God to do His work. Therefore, we keep on working for God and sharing the Gospel.

If Paul and the apostles did it, we can, too.

Be Compassionate, Take Action

 

Jesus was going through all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness.

Seeing the people, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd.

Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into this harvest.”

Matthew 9:35-38

Jesus was compassionate.  He felt sorrow for people who were suffering and who were sick, and He took action: He healed them. 

We can take a lesson from this.  Rather than harshly judge people because their lifestyle does not match our standards, we need to work to help them heal.  People can be broken because of poor choices or because of the luck of the roll of the dice.  It is not our place to make a judgement, but rather to do what Jesus did:  Show compassion.   

This means we need to feed and house people in need.  We need to provide medical help for those who are ill.  We need to speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves.  

We need to put ourselves out there to do the work Jesus calls us to do.  

Get busy.   

There Is Power In Prayer

 

Jesus said… “Again I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father in heaven. For where two or three have gathered together in my name, I am there in their midst.”

Matthew 18:19-20

There is power in prayer. We need not be sitting in a great cathedral with a congregation of 1000 people to pray. We can pray wherever we are, alone or with other Christians and God hears and honors our prayers. 

Trust God, He is there for you.

Just Because

 

Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in Him and he in God.

We have come to know and believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.

By this love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in the world.

We love, because He first loved us.

1 John 4:15-17, 19

No matter what happens in life, God loves us. He does not love us because we are good. He loves us because He is good.

God’s love is unconditional and does not vary because of our success or failure. God sees each one of us as belonging to Him and loves us just as we are. When we realize this truth, it shakes us to the core and produces in us an amazing reaction.

We love, because He first loved us.

Be A Wise Guy

 

But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

James 1:5

Did you ever notice that some of the most unlikely people seem to consistently make good decisions? How can that be?

I think this scripture answers that question. We do not have to be rocket scientists to make wise decisions. Wisdom is the ability to understand and evaluate the options and act in accordance with the best one. The best one may not be our favorite one, but the best one will produce good results, and isn’t that what we want in life?

God did not create us to stumble through life. He created us to be victorious and that is why when we ask He will give us wisdom.

With God's help, we can all be wise guys. 

What Evil Lurks In The Hearts Of Men?

 

Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, were listening to all those things and were scoffing at Him. And He said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves in the sight of men, but God knows your hearts; for that which is highly esteemed among men is detestable in the sight of God.” 

Luke 16:14-15

Jesus does not hate wealthy people. Jesus hates sin. When Jesus confronted the Pharisees, He wanted to put them on notice that just because people believed their explanations for their detestable deeds, did not mean that God would do so also.

God does not look at the exterior circumstances, God looks at the hearts of men and women. He knows we all sin and He is more than willing to forgive us, if we don’t cover up but own up to our sins.

All we have to do is to ask Jesus to be our Lord, Master and Savior, and repent of our sin, and we are forgiven.

So, You Want To Loan Me Your Van?

Then Saul clothed David with his garments and put a bronze helmet on his head, and he clothed him with armor.

David girded his sword over his armor and tried to walk, for he had not tested them. So David said to Saul, “I cannot go with these, for I have not tested them.” And David took them off.

He took his stick in his hand and chose for himself five smooth stones from the brook, and put them in the shepherd’s bag, which he had, even in his pouch, and his sling was in his hand and he approached the Philistine.

1 Samuel 17:48-40

Did you ever notice that when you have a job to do and you know what you are going to do, that people try to load you up with a lot of stuff you don’t need?

This sometimes happens when we are trying to do something for God. With God’s direction, we have it all figured out, then people start second guessing what we are doing. Maybe you are planning to drive some kids to church camp and someone says your vehicle isn’t reliable enough and you need to get a rental car. Note, I did not say that the naysayer wants to loan you his van. Or, maybe you decide to donate a sum of money to a missionary cause and someone comments that you should use that money to pay your credit card bill.

When David went out to slay Goliath, Saul tried to help him out by loading him up with a lot of gear. David wisely declined using Saul’s armor and weapons because he had no experience using them. David relied on what he knew how to use – a sling shot.

God honored David’s efforts and David prevailed.

We need to keep this in mind when God calls us to action. So, we do not get bogged down by what other people may say and we act in accordance with God’s plan as He revealed it to us.

 

The God Who Is There

The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.”

Psalms 14:1

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them, for God has made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature have been clearly seen being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.

Romans 1:18-20

King David said it well, only a fool would say there is no God.

We are not left to wonder about God’s existence, we are presented with the evidence of His existence.

Paul in his letter to the Romans explains that God has revealed Himself to all men. God created the universe and all that is in it. If man simply looks at a new baby, he can see that only the hand of a divine God could create something so wonderful.

Only a fool having seen the universe could deny the creator of it all - the strong, powerful, true God.

 

Care For One Another

 

Bear one another’s burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ.

Galatians 6:2

When we have big problems, we help each other along. Our brothers and sisters in Christ are there to pray with us, encourage us and to help us.

We should not be timid about asking for help and we should not be timid about extending help. It is what we do for one another.

No burden is too heavy to bear when others help us carry it.

Walk Boldly

 

Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude.

Colossians 2:6-7

When we walk with Jesus, we consider what we do in life with an eye to doing the best we can to represent the love of God in the world.

Asking the question, "What would Jesus do?" gives us pause to consider that perhaps erring on the side of mercy serves both mankind and our Lord in a way which is beyond that which we might ordinarily do.

Walk boldly with Jesus.    

That Will Show Them

 

But whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him?

1 John 3:17

In his writings John is affectionate toward us and he is also a tough task master. He lets us know that if we say we are Christians, we need to behave in a Christ like manner and do what Jesus commanded us to do – love one another.

One day, my mother sent me to the grocery store to buy a loaf of bread. A head of me in line was Mike. It was summer and he was wearing a dirty undershirt, torn pants and no shoes, and he was paying for a loaf of bread with deposit money from pop bottles he salvaged from an overgrown lot next to the store. Mike was short six cents and the cashier sent him back outside to find three more bottles. Bread was twenty-eight cents a loaf then. Don’t you think someone standing in line could have paid the six cents? Nobody did.

Mike was shown tough love. It could be argued that it did not hurt Mike to dig through the weeds for pop bottles, but if someone would have said, “Let me get that for you,” and paid that last six cents, Mike might have seen God’s love.

Don’t miss an opportunity to show God’s love.

Stop Spending, Start Living

Ho! Every one who thirsts, come to the waters;

And You who have no money come, buy and eat.

Come buy wine and milk

Without money without cost.

Why do you spend money for what is not bread,

And your wages for what does not satisfy?

Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good,

And delight yourself in abundance.

Incline your ear and come to Me.

Listen, that you may live;

And I will make an everlasting covenant with you….

Isaiah 55:1-3

God says we do not need to use brute force to muscle our way through life. There is a better way, His way. Satisfaction does not come from accumulating great piles of things. Satisfaction comes from knowing God, and the free gift of God, His Son – Jesus.

Spending money on things to make us happy is only a temporary fix. Things break, rust, and expire, but the love and mercy of God is forever.

Stop spending. Start Living. Get to know Jesus.

 

God Hears Us

This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.

1 John 5:14

In Christian circles there is a lot of discussion regarding what we should and should not pray for. There are those who say to pray for our own needs is selfish, and there are those who say that since God is intimately acquainted with us and loves us that should not shy away from asking God for what we need and want in life. I vote with the latter group.

We can pray for others and for the world and for ourselves.

God wants us to bring everything to Him. God cares that you are having financial problems and God cares that you need a better car. God cares about where you live, where you go to school, and where you work. God is interested and has an interest in us. God wants us to do well and be well. We are not being selfish when we bring our needs and desires to God; we are being obedient to the scripture.

When we ask, God hears us.

 

The Confession Leading To Salvation

But the righteousness based on faith speaks as follows: “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’ (that is, to bring Christ down), or ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’ (that is to bring Christ up from the dead).”

But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” –that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.

For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed.”

Romans 10:8-11

There is only one confession of any consequence to Christians. That is the confession that Jesus Christ is Lord and that God raised Him from the dead. We believe this and we are saved. Faith alone leads to salvation.

We should not confuse the confessing of our sins with this the true confession. Yes, we may still confess our sins, but the true confession leading to salvation is that of our faith in Jesus Christ.

Take Action

 

He who observes the wind will not sow, and he who regards the clouds will not reap. 

 

Ecclesiastes 11:4

 

When we know we need to do something, we can spend a lot of time finding reasons to wait.  

 

We are paralyzed by inertia.  We are unable to make a decision regarding what to do, even if what the right thing is, is apparent.

 

God wants us to be people of action.  When we know the right thing to do, we need to do it.  

 

Take action.  

Get To Work

 

Do all things without grumbling or disputing; so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life….

Philippians 2:14-16

The Apostle Paul understood that it is human nature to complain, but he also understood that serving God requires that whatever task is set out for us to do that we needed to get it done.

So, let us be quiet and get to work.

Justified By Faith

 

Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God.

Romans 5:1-2

Comfort comes from making Jesus our Lord, Master and Savior. We are no longer left to our own devices in our attempts to make our lives right. Faith in God brings us to a place where we can know that we are not alone, but are loved and cared for by God.

Give It Up

 

Therefore putting aside all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander, like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation, if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord.

1 Peter 2:1-3

If you feel hate or malice, if you have a bent to deceit, or if you recognize hypocrisy in your life, give it up.

God is kind to us, and we should be kind to our fellow human beings. Our goal is to grow in the love of God and in knowledge of His ways and be reinvented as one who not only follows God, but strives to be godly.

Because God is kind to us, we are kind to others.

Amen.

I Am Not Going To Let That Bother Me

 

Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.

Ephesians 4:32

I think this is one of the keys to good human relations – the ability to overlook and forgive those things which rub us the wrong way. It is easy to get mad because we are snubbed or slighted or not invited. What is more difficult is to understand is that we have all done this to someone sometime, either intentionally or unintentionally, and if we allow these things to rule our emotions and relationships, we will be too busy being sorry sacks to do anything else.

Therefore, I propose, if we think we have been slighted or that we have slighted someone, we overlook the former and apologize for the latter, so that we can get on with working together for the Kingdom of God.

Go on now; say something kind.

Again and Again

 

Whoever is wise, let him understand these things;

Whoever is discerning, let him know them.

For the ways of the Lord are right,

And the righteous will walk in them.

Hosea 14:9

Hosea again and again preached doom and gloom to the Israelites. And, the Israelites had it coming because they refused to give up idolatry and return to the one true God.

In all this there is the undercurrent that in spite of the Israelites unfaithfulness, God was ready to welcome them back if they would repent of their sin and come to Him.

This true for us, too.  No matter how far we stray from God, He is still there waiting to welcome us back. God is merciful and all we have to do is ask forgiveness for our sins and accept His mercy. 

Even In Hard Times, God Still Loves Us

 

Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head, and he fell to the ground and worshiped. He said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I shall return there. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.” Through all this Job did not sin nor did he blame God.

Job 2:20-22

Job had more troubles than anyone could ever imagine. He lost his children and all he owned. His wife told him to “Curse God and die.” And, his friends suggested that he must have done something wrong to have so much bad luck. But Job remained faithful to God. He continued to praise God and be comforted by God’s love.

When we face hard times, we can remember Job. Everything we possess on earth is temporary. And no matter what happens, we can take comfort in God’s never ending love for us.

Help People Help Themselves

 

He who steals must steal no longer; but rather he must labor, performing with his own hands what is good, so that he will have something to share with the one who has need.

Ephesians 4:28

Every day the Church faces the dilemma of how best to serve new Christians who have criminal pasts. One way is to help them secure a jobs so they can earn money to live and support their families. This is no easy task, but by forming job clubs and recruiting employers who are willing to give those who want to change their lives an opportunity to do so, the Church can minster to those who are often under-served by the Church.

And, enable those helped to help others who are in need.

Kiss and Make Up

 

Therefore if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering.

Matthew 5:23-24

God desires our full attention. When we are stewing about disagreements with friends, relatives, neighbors or associates, it takes the focus away from worshiping God.

The easiest way to make up with a friend or enemy is to say, “I am sorry.”

It doesn’t matter who is right or wrong because, when we think about it, most of our disagreements are small when we look at the big picture. And, the act of saying, “I am sorry,” clears the air for discussion if it is needed.

Plus, saying “I am sorry,” costs us nothing, except our pride. And, do we want to let our pride get between us and God? I don’t think so.

The Salve Of Mercy

To those who are called, beloved in God the Father, and kept for Jesus Christ: May mercy and peace and love be multiplied to you.

Jude 2-3

If you know someone whose life is in turmoil, these are the perfect words of comfort. We cannot solve their problems, but we can offer the salve of mercy, peace and love.

 

There Is Hope

 

How blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,

Whose hope is in the Lord his God,

Who made heaven and earth,

The seas and all that is in them;

Who keeps faith forever;

Who executes justice for the oppressed;

Who gives food to the hungry.

The Lord sets the prisoners free.

Psalm 146:5-7

God's promises are true.

We can take to heart that God will set the prisoners free, and because of this pray for all people who are unjustly imprisoned around the world.   

We hold fast to God's promises and know that He is working to fulfill His promises. 

Everybody Has Something

 

Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me—to keep me from exalting myself!

Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me. And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.

2 Corinthians 12:7-9

It is hard to believe that these words were written by the Apostle Paul, who was a Rock Star of the Faith. Paul wrote most of the New Testament. He spoke with great authority to Christians regarding the teachings of Jesus and the application of the Word of God to everyday life.

Yet, here he is, Paul the Apostle, confessing that he has an affliction which is so big that it humbles him. Some theologians think Paul may have lost his eyesight, others think that he had a difficult wife, but no one knows for sure what the affliction was. We do know it interfered with his daily life and his ministry.

Paul’s affliction made him feel like less of a Rock Star of the Faith and more like a regular person. It humbled him.

We too may have afflictions which interfere with our Christian ministry to others. We may have a bad marriage or bad kids or a bad financial situation or a physical ailment or limitation. No matter what the circumstance is that humbles us, we still are filled with the power of God.