Are You Having A Financial Crisis?

The news is filled with talk about the U. S. having a major financial crisis. It seems that no one wants to take the blame for the mess we are in and everyone want to take the credit for fixing it. Maybe there is something in the last statement that indicates what the problem really is - credit! We have gotten into this mode of buying now and paying later. Then, to top it all off, there are commercials running that say if you get far enough in debt, the lending organizations have to excuse some of that indebtedness. In other words, if you get far enough in the red, you don't have to pay it back. Before I move on to the real message this morning, let me simply say, whether or not you have a legal obligation to pay, you still have a moral obligation. Okay, back to the point at hand. So, is there a better way than what we are experiencing? Of course there is. First of all, we do not put our trust in man - whether that be ourselves or someone else. We trust in God. Prov 3:5 says "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not unto thine own understanding". The way that we do that is to abide by His commands and rely on His promises. We need to realize that all that we have comes from God and that we are nothing more that stewards, not owners. (I Cor 4:1-2) As stewards, we get advice from the owner concerning distribution of goods. Secondly, we understand that the more faithful we are with what we have, the more God will trust us with more. As a citizen of the U. S. I understand that our economy is in danger. But, as a citizen of the Kingdom of God, I also understand that His economy is as solid as ever. I think I'll rely on Him. How about you?

"Come On Down"

That little phrase has been associated with a day time game show for many, many years as the announcer would call someone to the front to guess the right price on "The Price Is Right". More recently, it has become a prayerful part of a beautiful song as the writer desires for Jesus to "Come On Down". In Revelation 22:20 we find John recording the following "He which testifieth these things saith surely I come quickly, Amen. Even so come Lord Jesus". The Bible is filled with facts about the promise of Jesus coming the first time as well as proof that He did come. It then gives us hope by telling us that He is coming again. We often talk about this being the latter days and that His coming could be at any moment. But, how much do we really believe that? Do we honestly think that today, this very day, could be the day of His marvelous return? Or is it just something that sounds good in conversation. Peter tells us in II Peter 3:8-10 that God will keep His promise to return and judge this earth. As a result of believing that promise, our lives should be changed. If God were to align the clouds to spell out the message that He would be coming tomorrow at high noon, what would we do differently than we have been doing? We know that He isn't going to do that, but He still could come back tomorrow at high noon - or even today. So, if we echo the sentiments of John and desire for Jesus to come back soon, maybe we should begin to get ready for His return.

There's No Fool Like An Old Fool

If I were to call you an old fool, I am pretty certain you would be angry with me and rightly so. But, what if God were to say that? What would your response be? Some of you would say that it couldn't refer to you because you aren't old. Well, how about well seasoned or experienced? The Psalmist makes a bold statement in Psa 14:1 where he says "The fool hath said in his heart, there is no God...". If you notice, the words (there is) are in italic, which means they were added by the translator to add continuation of thought. I think we would all agree that it is a rather foolish statement to say that God does not exist. We see evidence of His presence all around us in His marvelous creation. But, that isn't what is really being said there. If you remove the words "there is" then you see that the fool is the person who says no to God. In Matt 7:24-27, Jesus is teaching a valuable lesson in the sermon on the Mount. There He uses the example of 2 men who build houses. One on the sand and one on the rock. He likens the man who built on the sand as one who hears His Word and does not obey it and as a result of building on the sand, the house fell when the storms came. On the other hand, He likened the man who built on the rock to one who hears His Word and obeys it and that house stood the full effects of the storm and stood firm. In other word, the fool is the person who knows what God is saying to him and says "no God, I am not going to do it". Okay, where does the old part come in? Well, unfortunately, that kind of activity is not a rare occurrence in life and we become well experienced in saying no to God. On this April 1st, don't be an old fool. Hear what God has to say and obey.

Are We Being Judgemental?

Matt 7:1 gives us this admonition, "Judge not that ye be not judged". Last Summer we once again enjoyed watching the Olympic Games as countries from around the world came together to compete. And, as usual they were not without their share of controversy. For instance, there was some discussion on the eligibility of the participants and complaints about the judging of the events among other things. It kind of reminds me of the world in which we live today and it's association to Christianity. Part of the problem with the eligibility issue was that some of the people didn't look like they were eligible. Maybe that is part of the problem with our testimony today as Christians - we don't look like what the world thinks a Christian should look like. Now, before you begin to criticize the world and say that they don't know what a Christian should look like. let me just say that their standards for us are usually higher that our standards for ourselves. I know that we are not to live our lives to please man, but if the world doesn't see a difference in us then there may not be any. Now, concerning the matter of judging. It seems like the world is often accusing the Christian world of being harsh and critical simply because they do not believe as we believe. Just like the Olympic judges have a set of rules that they are to go by, so do we - it is God's Holy Bible. It is not up to us to condemn anyone to a devil's hell because the world is born heading there on their own. It is up to us to show them how to escape that horrible condemnation and show them it is not our methods but God's one and only way. I think there is one thing that will help alleviate both of these problems. It is Love. If the world sees that we love them for who they are, with no strings attached, that is certainly different from them. If we are able to show them God's criteria for eternal life then they cannot argue with us because it is God's Word and not ours. So, are we being judgemental? No, that is for God to do and He will do it quite well.

Where Did That Come From?

As I was reading in Prov 27:1 where Solomon said "Boast not thyself of tomorrow, for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth." I got a very good understanding of the message while I was sitting in my office reading and heard sleet hitting the window. We are in the later days of March. Spring has already arrived. And, the forecast for the weekend is up to 8" of SNOW. Where did that come from? It didn't come from my desire to see the beauty of white covered trees, that's for sure. But, it did come from God, Who always knows best. I guess that is the way it is with all of the events in life. They happen for a reason. Whether good or bad, there is something that God wants to accomplish by allowing them to take place. Sometimes we blame God for the bad in life, when in reality, it is just a natural result of our sin. God wants us to remember that "we reap what we sow". Then sometimes God brings these situations that allow us the privilege to trust Him and see just how He wants to reveal Himself to us, that we may glorify Him. The Psalmist reminds us that every day is a day that the Lord hath made and we are to rejoice and be glad in it, whether we like it or not. When we have all of these plans and all of a sudden something out of the blue happens, we can rest assured that it came from God. It came from His hands and it came from His heart. Just relax and let Him accomplish His purpose. You will be glad that you did.