Have Mercy

There is a book out there that I think every Christian should read. It is called 'The Holiness of God' by R.C. Sproul.

This book moved me to a deeper appreciation of God's mercy.

Dr. Sproul sited three major examples of God's justice. These three examples may cause people to consider how harsh God seems and to say that His actions aren't 'fair'. But if we pay attention to scripture, then the very last thing we want is for God to be 'fair'.

He is the Creator of all things. He is the Giver of life. He will have mercy on whom He has mercy (Romans 9:15-16).

The three examples were:
1) (Leviticus 10:1-2) The sons of Aaron when they submitted an unauthorized offering. In the book of Leviticus, God is very specific about how He wanted the priests to go about their work.

2) Uzza the Kohathite (1 Chronicles 13:6-10). Uzza was from the tribe of Levi, and a son of Kohath. The Kohathites were NEVER to touch the holy things.
(Numbers 4:4-15)

3) Ananias and Sapphira. You can read about them in Acts 5:1-10.

As Christians, we are to have a deep reverence for God. He is Holy. He's not your buddy. He's not 'The Big Guy' or 'The Man upstairs'. He is the Most High God.

In his letter to the Philippians, Paul said to "...work out your own salvation with fear and trembling." (Philippians 2:12-13)

He wasn't saying that we have to work for our salvation, he was saying that we need to live in reverence for God, and be obedient. We need to abide in Christ.

For a true believer, salvation is not at stake. Rewards, however, are a different story. If we do not live in obedience and reverence, and hold God as holy, we may miss out on some things in Heaven.

Moses missed out on a big thing because of his disobedience. He didn't get to enter the land that God had promised Israel. All those years leading Israel. All those years living in obedience. Just that one time Moses did not act in reverence, but out of arrogance and anger. He lost that giant reward.

Of course, we know Moses didn't lose his 'salvation'. We know he went to heaven. He was there on the mountain with Jesus and Elijah (Matthew 17:2-3).

God is a Holy God. He is a just God. And praise His Holy Name! He is a merciful God.

I want His mercy. I don't want His justice. He owes mercy to no one. He chooses mercy for us.

There are those who would stand and shake an angry fist at God, demanding He give them what He owes them. I fear for them, because they will recieve it.

God is AWESOME!

Partners in Crime

It's so good to have friends. We all have that one friend. The one we love dearly, above the other friends. The one we know that we can trust with anything.

In my case, there are several men of great integrity who I would feel comfortable confiding in. Who I feel very encouraged by.(Proverbs 27:17)

I feel honored when someone thinks enough of me to trust me with something. When someone comes to me and tells me something in confidence. They trust me.

It seems to me, that as followers of Christ Jesus, we should be able to trust each other with our burdens. We're supposed to, anyway(Galatians 6:1-2). There is no one who is better than anyone else(Romans 3:23). We all struggle with sin (Genesis 4:7; Romans 7:19). I suppose that is why the writer of Hebrews urges us not to forget to assemble ourselves together(Hebrews 10:23-25).

It is important to know that there are others who are enduring the same kinds of struggles that you are. It's encouraging to know that there is someone who understands what you are going through.

We're not supposed to go to church just to sit there once a week and coldly mouth the words of God. Our gathering together is supposed to be meaningful. It is for fellowship and for encouragement.

In finding community with others who struggle just as much as we do with sin and have endured the same difficulties in life, we lighten our load and are encouraged to keep going. We are able to move forward in a much more meaningful worship of our God. He is the One who established this system of community in the body.

In our fellowship, God reveals more of Himself and gives us a deeper understanding of who He is.

God is AWESOME!

Kingdom Work

In Matthew 6:31-33, Jesus teaches that seeking after His kingdom should be highest on our priority list.

So how do we seek the Kingdom of Heaven?
Do we go to bible college and seminary? Do we move to third world countries and minister to the poor? Should we stand on street corners and preach the gospel?

There are some who are called to do those things. We need to be faithful and pray for them.

There is another calling, a more common calling, I think. In I Timothy 2:1-4, the Apostle Paul teaches that we are to pray for others so that we can live quiet, peaceful lives. Of course, we share our faith with others and be faithful witnesses as we travel down life's road.

Prayer is a powerful thing. God instituted it as a form of communication between Him and His children. In Revelation 5:8, our prayers are described as incense.

Kingdom work can be done from a kneeling position. The gospels tell us of how Jesus would rise early in the morning and pray. John 17 gives us an inside look at one of Jesus' prayers.

One of the Apostle Paul's friends, a man named Epaphras, is described as someone who 'wrestles' in prayer for others. That is how I want to be. I have friends in ministries all over this country and around the world. I should be faithful and wrestle in prayer for them that they will be safe and affective and strengthened and refreshed daily. That they grow strong in their faith and are sensitive to the leadership of the Holy Spirit. I should wrestle in prayer for those around me who are lost and groping in the darkness. That their eyes will be opened and their hearts softened. That I will be able hold up the Light of Truth and hold out the hope that Jesus offers. I should wrestle in prayer for my brothers and sisters in the local church, that they will be strengthened and refreshed daily so that they too will be able to wrestle in prayer and wield the Sword of Truth.

One of my favorite examples of how prayer helps is found in Acts 12:1-17. Christian brothers and sisters are earnestly praying for Peter, who is in prison. God hears them, and sends an angel to bust him out. It's kind of a funny story.

Prayer. It's important for Kingdom work.

Empty Smiles

I was looking at a picture of some movie stars today. They looked so happy with great big smiles on their faces. But there was something about their eyes. They just looked so....empty.

Of course, I don't know anything about them personally. They may be quite happy. This is not about them. This is about people whose lives are empty. People who don't know the Joy of the Lord.

More and more, Hollywood types and those in academia are presenting God and Jesus and the bible as mythology. 'The world' in general seems to have taken on a more atheistic point of view. Deep down, this must make life seem rather pointless. Empty.

In Psalm 1, we read that the believer is like a tree planted by streams of water and that unbelievers are like chaff that the wind drives away. They are...empty.

In Psalm 3, we see that we can sleep and not be afraid, even though there is trouble everywhere around us. Our Great God sustains us. Not so for the unbelievers. Their peace is fragile at best. Empty.

In Psalm 4, we see how God has set us apart for Himself and how, in Him, we dwell in peace and safety. The unbelievers make fun of us for clinging to our 'myth'. They love vain words and seek after lies. They are so easily deceived in their desperate search for acceptance and happiness because their hearts are so....empty.

If you are reading this, and you are one of the unbelievers, remember what I'm about to say. If you are reading this and you are a believer, then be encouraged by the words of Jude:

God is strong. He is able to keep you from falling, and can bring you into the presence of His glory with no wrong in you, and give you great joy!

Thank you, Father for giving me the gift of salvation and the great joy that comes with it. For making my heart and life so...full.

Born To Be Alive

I heard a song on the radio today while I was doing my work. It was a Queen song. One of the lyrics caught my attention for some reason. It started the wheels in my little head turning.

The lyric was '...sometimes I wish I had never been born...'

I'm glad I was born. I'm very thankful that I was born. I have experienced so many things in my time here that I wouldn't trade for anything. Experiences that have shaped me into who I am today. I'm thankful for even the worst of my experiences.

God took the time to create me. He put in me a mind and a spirit. He gave me a memory and the ability to learn. He made me an individual, a special child of His. He gave me a way to have a relationship with Him that not even the angels have.
(1Peter 1:12)

If I had never been born, I would have never experienced the love of family and friends. I would have never had the special love of someone who is put above all others...a wife. I would have never experienced heart break and the things learned from it.

If I had never been born, I would never have experienced the adventures I had in the military. I would never have experienced the absolute awe of the beauty of His creation as seen from the top of a mountain.

If I had never been born, I would have never experienced the salvation of our Great God.

Thank You, Father, for creating me. Thank You for the experiences. Thank You for giving me Your Son, and for giving me to Him. Thank You for the bad things and what You taught me through them. Thank You for the good things. Thank you for allowing me to marry the one that was made for me. Thank You for putting people in my path that You taught me through. Thank You for using me to teach others. Thank You for forgiving me when I disappoint You. Thank You for being my wise and loving Father who will never forsake me.

Nerd Alert!

In Genesis 11:1-9, we read the account of the construction of the first sky scraper.

The city would end up being called Babel, because of something God did there.

We see in this passage that there was a common language and a united group of people.
So united, in fact, that they could accomplish anything they wanted to.(Genesis 11:6)

It is in this verse of scripture where my nerdy imagination bounds out of control. In the previous verse, we see that the tower had already been built. It must have really been something to see, for even the Lord came down to see it.

What else had man accomplished in this time period? Had they developed more advanced technology than we know about? Could that civilization have advanced at a much more rapid pace than ours? We live in a world of diverse and conflicting views and different political and religious ideologies. Building projects sometimes stay in the planning stages for years before a single design can be agreed upon. But the society in Genesis 11 was united in purpose and ideology.

Is it possible that they could have developed technologies beyond what we have today? Could they have been further along in their understanding of science and mathematics than we are now? With such a Utopian society and such singularity in purpose, I suppose it is possible. It's kind of fun to think about, anyway.

The only problem is that what they were united in and what they were building a monument to was themselves. (Genesis 11:4) A whole city and a wondrous tower dedicated to the worship of man kind.

This was just a couple of generations past the sons of Noah. It was starting again already. (Genesis 6:5-6)

God could have gone ahead and scrapped everything and started over. But He chose mercy. What He did at Babel was an act of pure grace. He confused the languages. He took away their unity and dispersed them throughout the earth.

This jolt was needed for them to remember their dependence on God, not themselves. For them to return to Him. To remind them.

Job said it best. "I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted." (Job 42:2)

God is AWESOME!

Happy New Year

Well, another year is gone. They seem to be going by a little faster now.

I no longer make New Year's Resolutions. I rarely kept them when I did.

There is one resolution that I am going to make. It is not a yearly one, but a daily one. I want to purpose in my heart to be a follower of Christ Jesus. To be a 'doer' of His word and not a 'hearer' only.

I want to be resolved in my heart to be a more focused Christian (Hebrews 12:1-2).

Life doesn't last long. I'm starting to see that more clearly as the years begin to pass more quickly. I don't want to continue wasting the time that I have been allotted. What comes after this is a vast and unmeasurable eternity. I would like for my brief time here to be more than just a blip on the radar screen.

I want for people to know the love of God in Christ Jesus because of how I obeyed. Not just a fond memory of a funny fat guy.


As a father shows compassion to his children, so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear him.

For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust.

As for man, his days are like grass; he flourishes like a flower of the field;

for the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place knows it no more.

But the steadfast love of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him, and his righteousness to children's children,

to those who keep his covenant and remember to do his commandments.

Psalm 103:13-18