Christ Redirects Us Through Life Changes

"Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him on high, because he has known My name. He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him, And show him My salvation." (Psalm 91:14-16)

Things in my life had been proceeding smoothly - busy and hectic, but smoothly nonetheless. It is usually during these times, that 1 Cor 10:12 typically comes into my mind - "Be careful if you think you stand, lest you fall."

Recently, my boss let me know of a situation with the Company which may or may not necessitate cuts, transfers or large wholesale changes during the next two years. Unlike most people who are suffering from "job insecurity" or unemployment, this situation is more of a slow moving event than and a quick cut. That is a blessing in itself because I have time to prepare.

However, I was running a bit on cruise control in my life and I was enjoying my job, the company culture and everything that went along with it. My wife is 6 months pregnant and we had recently purchased a home. A common scenario here in the USA. So, the first few days or so were filled with many moments of thought about the future.

The overriding theme of my thoughts was just a sense and a coming back to the fact that our lives are really set up by the Lord in ways that we do not and cannot imagine. It is our unfortunate tendency to think that we have a lot of control to plan our lives and we make those plans and expectations in our mind. We think, "First I'm going to do this, then this and then finally this will happen and I'll be happy."

This is not to say that goal setting is unworthy - it is obviously proven to be a key in progressing in any endeavor we do. However, my point is simply that we are not the ultimate arbiters of what will transpire in our lives.

Job loss, Sickness, Accidents, Theft - are just some of the things that can pop up in our lives which will send us spiraling away from the path that we have carefully chosen for ourselves.

The saving grace for those of us who call on Jesus is what He has promised to His followers and believers. We are not bereft of protection in the most dire of circumstances. If a large change in our life occurs, He can not only help us to overcome, but He will help us to use it to help others to move us to a more beneficial place.

We can call on Him in trouble and He will answer. He answers because we know each other and we have a deep abiding relationship that comes many conversations, trials and prayers. Too easily I forget all that He has already done for me in my life and I am glad that He still remembers all those moments and helps me to recall that He has never failed me, and that He never will.

Lord Jesus, you are the ultimate planner and user of my life. Please use me as You will and not as I will. You have never failed me before and never will fail me as You have promised this to those who love You. So, use this event to move my life in the direction that it needs to go. When we called You "Lord", we also gave over control of where and how we are serving. In Your blessed name we pray. AMEN.

I Learned My Lesson - Tithe, Tithe, Tithe

¹⁰ Bring all the tithes into the storehouse,
That there may be food in My house,
And try Me now in this,”
Says the LORD of hosts,

“ If I will not open for you the windows of heaven
And pour out for you such blessing
That there will not be room enough to receive it.
¹¹ “ And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes,
So that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground,
Nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field,”
Says the LORD of host
(Malachi 3:10-11)

This is one of the classic scriptures on tithing - one that is quoted virtually everytime when the concept of tithing is taught.

I have tithed since I became a Christian, a real Christian - one who finally decided to dedicate his life to Christ - back in 1998. At first I didn't know if it was a tithe on the gross or net. There can be fierce debate on this subject, and I used to tithe on the gross (I was told - "do you want God to bless you gross or net?"), but now am at peace to tithe on the net.

In this recession, things for my family have gotten tighter and our budget is pretty challenging, but I also realized that my family had piled on too much debt. In an effort to get it under control, I started reading Dave Ramsey (DR) and he's changed my perspectives about debt and budgeting, so we began to get our act together and thankfully did it before our debts piled too high.

What bugged me though was that I was tithing, but it was part of my monthly credit card bill, so we weren't actually paying it off until a month or two later. It seemed like a joke that I was tithing by adding to my debt rather than tithing out of my savings. The more responsible thing seemed to stop the tithe in order address our debt.

Now, I don't know how I came to rationalize and reason this out. DR even specifically advises that we should tithe 10% of our net paycheck. I suppose a lot of it has to do with the pressures and responsibilities of being a husband and a father. I'm the sole breadwinner and there is a huge responsibility in that. It was a hard, hard decision, however. My wife objected to this from the start, but decided to follow my lead and I charged ahead.

I can't tell you how restless my soul felt - I wouldn't call it guilt because it wasn't like that - it was just a gnawing in my spirit (or a wrestling with the Holy Spirit inside me). I had many conversations with God on my commute to work where I was trying to reason with Him about my choice and decision, but I never came to any kind of definitive peace or conclusion that what I was doing in foregoing the tithe was right.

My paycheck would come in and I would sit there, wanting to tithe, but yet I stuck to my "plan" of trying to pay down my debt.

But as much as I wanted to reserve the money that was to be tithed and pay off debt, more bills would flood in. DR calls them "visits from Murphy". And to be honest, Murphy did visit us before, but not that frequently.

Both of our cars required service - $600 - and the service performed was done, but at the same time I did not receive as good a quality of service as I have experienced in the past. Medical bills came in as I required an ultrasound and MRI which turned out, was my responsibility as it was under my deductible - another $500. Then, as I was backing out at Walmart, a woman decided to do the same on the other end of the aisle at the last minute and we have a fender bender. It was a rental and she has insurance so her rental car company wanted to pin the blame on me. WHAT WAS GOING ON HERE!

Then, I realized. And as I was commiserating under the cumulative stress of this with my wife, I asked her, "Is it because we haven't tithed?" She replied with a non-committal, "hmm...maybe," but had a knowing look in her eye. We agreed to pray about it together using our usual technique for important decisions (more on that at a later time). But, I sat at the dinner table by myself and really had a moment with God. In my soul, I knew that because I stepped outside of God's promises, I had opened myself up to the world's risks. By not tithing and being obedient, I had declared that I wanted to do for myself and by myself - so I limited God's ability to protect in my life. Willfully, I was disobeying part of what God told us to do.

I went online and tithed again a few moments later. The release of that moment is hard to describe. There was such a lifting on my soul and I felt such a deep sense of gladness and joy. Again, it wasn't out of guilt, but it was a sense that I was aligned again with the Lord. Something I had taken from granted.

God's promise in Malachi is not necessarily about blessings where we see increases in our salary left and right as we tithe. It is also about holding back the devourer from eating our fruits. By preventing the regular occurrences of life from coming in and nipping at our savings through even small random, unplanned expenses, he is allowing us to stabilize our lives, save and grow our wealth over time.

As a Pentacostal, I also believe in the works of the Spirit...That there is a tug of war in how we engage our Spirit. Some acts weaken the self and hence Satan's hold on our lives, because when you think about it, sins come from a desire to self gratify (disobedience to God, idolatry, coveting, envy, greed, murder, stealing, fornication). Fasting for instance was cited as something which weakens the demons which are attacking a certain problem (whatever you're fasting for) and thereby enhances prayer. While selfish acts where we seek to simply satiate our desires will take us outside of God's covering if we sin.

In Matt 6:21, Jesus said, "Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Tithing is the ultimate heart check for a Christian. Can we trust that God will provide by giving up 10% even though we know that we could use that for something that seems necessary? The sacrifice of that for us is purposeful for God because He knows that our Spirits need to be divorced from the reliance on money.

After my experiment in not tithing, I see clearly how much the Lord has done for me via the tithe. Unbeknownst to me, so much over the past 13 years has been held back from entering my life from the Lord's blessing. I got a glimpse of just how that works, and I don't ever want to open myself up to the devourer again.

By the way...am I out of debt yet? As a Dave Ramsey listener would say..."everything except the house." And I know tithing is going to help keep it that way.

The Foolishness of God Saved My Life

"For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, God was well-pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe" (1 Cor 1:18)

Paul is pointing out in this verse that there is a stark difference between the world's wisdom and God's wisdom. What God calls wisdom is seen as foolishness by the world. I can remember moments where I scoffed at church and Christians as a kid, in high school, and even in college. Those memories are shameful to me now, but exhibits the kind of scorn that I had during my developmental years.

I learned all about science in school and the theory of evolution. I went to the best schools from primary through college. No where was I taught spiritual disciplines and truth, but at the same time no one could say that I'm not fully trained in the wisdom of the world.

But what kind of behaviors did my scorn of Godly ways develop? I turned into an unhappy and lonely young adult who didn't feel like I had a sliver of hope or meaning in my life. I was empty.

It was not until I resolved to let God run my life fully and completely that I knew that I had a purpose. I wasn't just a number amongst the seas of evolved accidents, but I was fearfully and wonderfully made, knit together in my mother's womb. I also knew how to conduct myself more and more as I read the scripture and learned that God's wisdom was unchanged from the beginning of time. What I had once believed as foolish, gave me the greatest wisdom in the world.

My life changed, and even more importantly, the Holy Spirit had come into my life. I no longer walked alone. Frequent moments of loneliness that I used to have were completely gone. I knew that even when I sat by myself, the Lord was with me. It was an amazing thing - a miracle by itself.

When I hear of suicides or similar acts of desperation, I always despair that that person obviously tried to handle all their problems and issues alone. The weight of the world wasn't meant to be handled by our own strength. As created beings, we were meant to walk with our Creator. I always think, "What if they had only called out to Jesus - not just for a miracle, but to resolve to do everything God's ways?" I know they would have discovered the strength to change, and the way to a life deeper and more fulfilling than they could have ever imagined.

Lord Jesus, thank You for the way out of the downward spiral of my life. Thank You for loving me so much that you continued to pursue me even when I mocked You. If there is a way for me to help others know You, let me do so. In Jesus' name, AMEN.

Respecting Our Work - Building Value

"He also who is slack in his work is brother to him who destroys" (Prov 18:9)

As a manager, I recently had a series of staff workers in the same job over the course of the year. The first hated her job, barely performed her duties and rarely turned in a solid 6 hours day...let alone an 8 hour day. We tried to counsel her and found out that she really didn't want to work with us. However, she wanted to be fired to collect unemployment. So we let her go.

The second person was talented, but was slightly overqualified on paper. However, she needed a job so she took the staff position we offered. She started out all right, properly motivated to work, but after 4 months she lost interest and started hinting at needing a promotion (which she hadn't yet earned). After 6 months, she started coming in late and her work product suffered to the point where we had to have a series of chats on issues that we were having. There was some improvement in performance, but the economy improved and she left to a better position after 9 months.

Where this has left us is back at square one. Instead of having a trained person to take on the duties we have allocated to this staff person, we now have to train up another person from scratch. In each case, the two staff persons so resented their job, one because she didn't like the work and the other because she felt like she was better than the work (hence didn't like it), that they had begun to slip in their performance.

While the second person was better than the first person, the end result was the similar - bad attitude resulted in tardiness and shortened work days. The lack of professionalism ended up being disappointing and at the same time, for our company, very little was built that added value to our company.

Slacking off is a phenomenon that I think is more prevalent in recent times. I know it well because I have slacked off many times in my younger days. Analyzing myself, I can see that the root came from an inner weakness and a sense of self entitlement. I wanted respect in my profession without properly earning it. I wanted my work to be constantly interesting, but couldn't realize and see that unless I master the basics, the more interesting things - the artistry of a profession would never be realized. There is no substitute for experience and knowledge gained over time through experience.

There was also a moral failure in myself. I either didn't know God, or I was immature in the Lord at the time. The Bible tells us to "work as unto the Lord" (Col 3:23-24). Regardless of what role we are thrust into, do I work as unto the Lord? Do I appreciate the work granted to me enough to be earnest at it and excel at it?

I still need to ask myself these questions today. Being part of Generation X, I know that I am part of a lazy and self-entitled generation, so my propensity is towards sinfulness and slack. And slack once it goes on over time, so weakens that duties that we are assigned to steward that we end up destroying what we are supposed to keep watch over.

Lord, in the example of my two recent staff, I also see a lot of myself in them. But understanding their reasons for slack doesn't justify it. You have helped me to improve over my past sins of slack, but I know that I still need to be vigilant. Please help me to keep dedicated to my work and to respect that place that you have put me for this season. Thank you for all the opportunities that you've provided to me and the place I am honored to serve in. May I represent You most of all. In the matchless name of Jesus, AMEN.

Laying My Life Down Daily

Reading the June 16 entry from Oswald Chambers "My Utmost For His Highest" was pretty thought provoking for me.

It is easy to be like Peter and in a moment or phase of being "on fire" for the Lord we sacrifice our life for His cause. Most, if not all religions have examples where they have called on followers to die in the name of their religion. In today's world, the suicide bombers of radical Islam are the strongest example of that kind of thinking. If that person has a moment of courage to kill themselves while killing other innocents, they believe they will go to paradise.

How much more difficult is it to instead live in this fallen world and daily live in the way that Jesus has called us to live? The "Yes" that we give to Jesus is a challenge for our sin wracked souls to do - to lay aside our pridefulness and acknowledge the wretchedness within us. I can only speak for myself, but I ran from God for a long time because I didn't want to give up my sins and change my life. It wasn't until I took stock of my life and realized that it was headed to meaninglessness that I finally gave my life over to God.

Yet, how much more difficult is it to live our lives as a follower of God day in and day out? Everything and I mean ever-y-thing around us, even in the United States, is drenched in sin and distraction. While we may not have the animism of tribal Philippines or advanced Japan, we certainly have a pervasive materialism that has invaded our daily lives. With that materialism comes all types of sins as men sacrifice their lives in pursuit of obtaining worldly wealth.

And that is my personal challenge. Lord Jesus, help me to lay aside myself on a daily basis. Am I serving You in the things that I pursue? Have I cleared off my personal schedule enough to see the little ways that I can serve the people around me? Although it scares my flesh in the ways that You might redirect my life with this prayer, I pray for Your strength to do whatever You would have me do. In Jesus' name, AMEN.

God Proves Himself Through Trials

"we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us." (Romans 5:3-5)

It has been a pretty tough week. Not that there was any one thing or one event that has been an issue, but just a cumulative series of small things that have drained me bit by bit. I am reminded of this verse - to glory in tribulations.

Tribulations will definitely span a great range - for most people, such as myself at this time, it will be fairly mundane things that will be a trial, and for others there will be a difficult event that will take a good amount of time to overcome.

But, I really do believe in the cycle that Paul describes in Romans. We are shaped through our trials far more than through our blessings. I know that I spent a good deal of time praying and asking God for strength this week than I have for a while. It is the new things, the new trials that cause us to go to our knees.

What we find however, is that God can successfully bring us through the trials. He really is faithful. Faithful, not in the sense that we won't have difficulties or tragedies happen to us, but faithful to give us the strength to overcome them. And the result of that is we see more and more that God is good to us, and the truth that He will never leave us nor forsake us.

It is through this body of work, that is our personal journey of life through which God proves His faithfulness and His reality. And when each trial has been overcome, we have a track record on which to place our hopes for eternal life. God really is, and He is with us.

Perhaps there is something behind the curse of Adam given to us men during the Fall:

"Cursed is the ground for your sake; in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, and you shall eat the herb of the field. In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for dust you are, and to dust you shall return." (Genesis 3:17-19)

Adam and Eve had just disobeyed God in the midst of a life of ease in the Garden of Eden. If a life of ease did not produce obedience, loyalty and character in them, perhaps God wanted to develop that character through trials instead.

As I think about those who will share the Kingdom with the Lord in the end, they will all have been tested through a life of trial and tragedy. Each will know what evil is, and in contrast, the goodness of God.

Lord Jesus, thank You for being strong in my life. That there are times when I need to lean upon You for strength and simply dwell in Your presence. Thank You for being faithful in my times of need and that You are always true and good. As a family, help us to navigate these waters that will be a challenge. Help us to stay near to You and always have Your character on us even through the darkest days. In Jesus' name, AMEN.

Be Content In Marriage And Money

⁴Marriage is to be held in honor among all, and the marriage bed is to be undefiled; for fornicators and adulterers God will judge. ⁵Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, "I WILL NEVER DESERT YOU, NOR WILL I EVER FORSAKE YOU," ⁶so that we confidently say,
"THE LORD IS MY HELPER, I WILL NOT BE AFRAID.
WHAT WILL MAN DO TO ME?"

(Hebrews 13:4-6)

As I read this passage, I noticed that the Lord is asking us to live with a sense of gratefulness and appreciation for what we have. Along with that spirit of thankfulness, we need to also practice delayed gratification as well.

We live in a fast food, instant gratification world. It is such a luxury that we can jump into our cars and purchase anything under the sun whenever we like with only a piece of plastic instead of carrying around cash. If we want to be entertained, our movies are fed straight to our big screen TVs over high definition (or our everywhere internet connected smartphones). It's an awesome thing - luxuries no one could have even imagined just 20-30 years ago.

As great as these things are, that attitude of instant gratification cannot carry into our married life or our finances. Perhaps more than anywhere else in our lives, God needs to reign in us when it comes to those two things.

I am so glad for my wife. We are such different people and that can lead to great complementary aids, or great disagreements. But through everything, she is a loving support for me through tough times. Marriage has also been the toughest test for me in my entire life. The concept of "two becoming one" seems romantic when you're single, but when actually doing the process in real life, it can also be like surgery. For others, there might also be times when it can seem mundane because you see a person everyday. Either way, staying the course in marriage isn't necessarily easy.

It can seem attractive to bail out and to find someone new in order to rekindle excitement or somehow feel validated or "manly". But, we are called to be pure and loyal in our marriages. It is a sanctioned contract under and before God, where we swear to live our whole lives serving our spouses.

The reward for us is the supernatural miracle of two persons truly functioning as one unit. Each supporting the other in different ways and creating a solid foundation and shelter from which to raise the next generation for Christ. There is deep joy in being able to share one's life with another and to lean on them in times of need. We were made to live in marriage (other than those who are called to be single to serve God fully), and when we are able to live out the journey of life through the journey of marriage, we are fulfilled to the depths of our souls.

Money on the other hand is a trap for us. Money's threat is to replace our sense of security in the Lord with the security of a full bank account. In addition, it feeds our greed to obtain and collect things - focusing on material acquisition rather than the fruits of the Spirit.

Making purchases feels empowering. We are drawn to possession and it makes us feel validated. We judge a person's social status and rank by the type of things they have, where they live, the car they drive, and the clothes they wear. God doesn't judge on any of those things. Not a single one.

It is not wrong to be rich. God desires for us to be successful. But, we cannot worship things and compromise ourselves in order to obtain things. We cannot compromise our faith, or our relationship and assignment from the Lord in order to drive a nice car or live in a nice house. Instead, we know that it is God that is our ultimate provider - not our bank accounts. We need to worship the giver and not the gifts.

Be content with what you have, says the Lord. God knows our characters and when we give our lives over to Him, we are submitting to His provision and His timing. He knows us better than ourselves and knows whether we have the characters to live with more or less. Since money is not a factor in God's success, the level of money in our lives has nothing to do with whether or not God believes in us or loves us. He simply has called us to live with a certain amount of funds.

The world is littered with lives that have been destroyed by the love of money. Relationships, one of the greatest treasures that we can have, are severed by jealousy, envy or greed all rooted in the love of money. While it is necessary to live and function, it is meaningless to God's Kingdom.

Lord Jesus, thank You for reminding me about the power and gift of a pure marriage, and warning me about the dangers of the love of money. One is possibly the greatest treasure during our lives here on Earth, and the other is completely worthless in the whole scheme of things. Thank You for being the provider for our family, helping and encouraging us to grow little by little. At the same time, please protect our marriage and help us to grow more and more into the one unit that lives for You alone. In Jesus' name, AMEN.

Sin = Enslavement; Jesus Breaks Sins and Gives Life

"Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. for the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts." (Romans 6:8-12)

In Christianity, we hear of the free gift of Christ very often. Here in Romans 6, Paul details to us what exactly Christ has done for us. Christ sacrificed Himself for the death that we should have died because of our sins, and being God His death has the power to cover all our sins. In addition, only the death of a perfect man under the law could serve as that sacrifice as a sinful man would already deserve death on his own faults. Christ's resurrection of Himself on the third day evidences that death's power has been overcome by Christ's sacrifice. If we believe in Him AND become His follower, then His death is extended to us because we die to our old selves, and are renewed in Christ. We are no longer slaves to sin - but are now slaves to righteousness.

This message isn't a simple one - and although I've been a Christian for a few years now, I also had to struggle with the above paragraph to try to break it down to something simple for me to write...and I only think that I half succeeded.

The part of Romans 6 that has really struck me though is the concept of Lordship. We are either slaves to sin or slaves to righteousness.

Sin attracts us because we want to be free to do whatever we want to do. Our society tends to live by the motto: "If it feels good, do it". Well, sin always feels good at first. There is a rush of doing something that even our souls know is illicit. We are going against God and rebelling feels good.

But as we do our sin more and more, something terrible happens. The enjoyment level falls but the craving to keep doing it increases. Soon we are slowly consumed by the need to sin more and more, while the only enjoyment comes from thinking and doing more perverse ways of sinning. We fall into a deeper and deeper cycle and addiction. Sin, which seemed so attractive and free, has ensnared us.

As we become enslaved to sin, the enjoyment of life decreases. It is difficult to live because we need to sin. We are not free any longer and we have given over our souls to sin.

But Christ is the light that saves us because He alone can break the power of sin. Yes, by accepting Him, we become His followers and His children. But, being our Creator, He knows the optimum ways in which we need to live. He has given us guidelines through His Word to direct us in the ways that will be beneficial to us - ways to maximize our enjoyment and our freedom. But one of the first things that He does for us when we become Christians is that He breaks the shackles of sin, and provides us with a way out of those sins. For some people it is a dramatic turnaround. For others like myself, it is a gradual working and changing of my life more and more towards His ways.

It is such a paradox that although Christ gives us commandments which seem to be so constrictive, our true freedom, peace and happiness is derived from those boundaries. It is like a rule that we can't eat a poison berry. Yes, the berry may taste sweet and delicious, but the poison will ultimately kill us. While eating the berry may seem like freedom, the death that it leads to is the anti-thesis.

Lord Jesus, today You have allowed me to think once again about all that You've done for me in my life. I know that I need to renew my understanding from time to time in order to keep strong in my faith - especially because I have such a short term memory and we are bombarded with messages to sin and live with the world on a daily basis. But, when I recall Your power to break sins, I have to sit and marvel at all the changes You've made in my life. While I am not perfect, You have given me new life, and I am so grateful for it all. I am free in ways I have never known and I have peace and joy deeper than I ever could have imagined. Thank You Jesus. In Your name I pray, AMEN.

Tithing - An Act of Faith

"He (Abraham) did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform." (Romans 4:20-21)

Why do we waver in faith? Why do we fail to uphold all of our beliefs at all times no matter the circumstance?

As I was reading this passage today, I tried to measure myself up against Abraham - who wasn't necessarily without his faults. However, Abraham's faith to leave his home in pursuit of God serves as the ultimate testament of faith.

I believe the perceived security of the place that we are at this moment is a big reason why we don't follow God fully or completely. When we are told to do a certain action or to leave our current comfortable situation and go elsewhere, it is a difficult thing for us to do. Currently, I'm in arrears on my tithes and I can certainly think of so many ways I can apply the funds to projects or charges that are coming up for our family.

But is that really trust? Is it really trust to not do the things that God has given us to do in faith? Malachi 3:10 is a promise from God that we will be rewarded when we bring our tithes to the storehouse. It is a promise that if we trust Him, He will bring even more into our lives.

What can God do with a person that doesn't trust Him? If God were to ask us to do this or that thing, and we never do it because we don't want to leave our comfort zones...what would we accomplish for God? Nothing really.

It isn't about works, but it really is about faith. I'm not trying to justify myself through the tithe - but I'm evidencing the level of my faith.

Matthew 6:21 says, "Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

If I can't give from my bank account in faith, then my heart is only for myself and not for God. I know it and feel the truth of that. And I don't want to be a man who is no longer able to follow God because I'm worried in the flesh about my security. Then I will not only be of no use to God, I would never be able to evidence my faith to my wife and children. And that would be the greatest tragedy of all. I would be failing in my primary dream to pass along my relationship with the Lord to my family.

The unique thing about my feeling today - and something that surprises me even at this moment - is that I don't feel any sense of guilt...and I think that is a very good thing. God doesn't lay guilt trips because He knows that following His ways is for my best interest...He doesn't need me to do anything, but He gives us the opportunity to partner with Him for the good of our souls. I know that in today's reading and meditation, I am really hearing from Him and it isn't from some misguided desire to prove something, or justify myself by works.

Lord Jesus, I'm really blessed by our time today. I needed a reminder about the meaning of the tithe and meaning of faith. I know that to trust in my bank account or my paycheck is a giant folly, but when we live in the flesh everyday, we can fear the future and not entrust ourselves fully to You. The tithe is really the ultimate symbol of our faith in You. You don't need our funds, but You want our hearts to be free from the slavery to money and things. In return, we can be responsible with any further blessings we may be given. I want to be more and more like You, not more and more like the world. Thank You for spending time with me today to remind me of that. In Your loving and holy name, AMEN.

We Measure Up Only In Christ

"Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin." (Romans 3:19-20)

"for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus." (Romans 3:23-26)

In reading Romans 3 today, Paul reminds me that it is not enough to be good. If we were to judge ourselves strictly by the law of God, and all the commandments, we would fail because we are prone to evil and sin. Similarly, to boast and measure ourselves by the level of our perceived righteousness is prideful and futile at the same time. We will never fully measure up to every letter of the law. However, the law exposes us to the weaknesses of ourselves and shows us our sins.

It is that this point that many people will give up on God. There is an overwhelming guilt because of our sins, and we don't know if we can ever become the type of person that can please God.

However, there is Jesus. Yes, Paul reminds us of our sinful natures, but at the same time, He also reminds us that when Jesus came, He shed His blood in lieu of us. Although by our sins we deserved to die, Jesus died for us and absorbed our sins. There is no effort needed on our part except to have faith in Jesus.

There are challenges to that as well, of course. We are not only called to believe in Jesus, for even the demons believe in Christ but they willfully reject and despise Him. Instead, we are called to follow Him wherever He asks us to go and do whatever the Holy Spirit is asking us to do. That is not an easy task. But, our goal is not to be comfortable, but instead we must desire and choose to become more like Him daily.

Lord Jesus, I know that I can do better, and I know that I am not a perfect person who does not sin on occasion. It isn't my desire, it isn't my want, but instead it is my weakness. I am so glad for Your Holy Spirit, that You came and not only died for my sins, but gave me a helper to overcome so many bad habits and sins that had plagued me for so many years. I am changed because of You, but I am hardly perfect. That's okay, because I know that You did the hard work and served as a replacement for my punishment. Thank You Lord. I am blessed beyond words. May I always be willing to lay aside my current life and embrace whatever plans You have for me in the next steps. In Jesus' name, AMEN.

Remembering God's Grace To Overcome Temptation

"For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead so that they are without excuse, because although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools..." (Rom 1:20-22)

"And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; who knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them." (Romans 1:28-32)

How do we know God? Paul tells us that we know Him intrinsically in our hearts via the power of our own creation as well as the creation that is all around us. The sheer wonderment of the world is our proof and evidence of the invisible attributes of the God we are to worship and obey.

The penalty of the rejection of God - foolish because we are already given ample evidence of His existence - is to be left to a debased mind...wallowing in a list of miserable sins. The picture that Paul provides is of a person who is a selfish sociopath, uncaring of others, narcissistic, and one who enjoy scheming, inventing and doing evil.

It is a stark reminder for me of my life before I gave my life to Christ. Outwardly, I was a normal guy, with a good group of friends and a budding career, but inside I felt so empty. Charity and charitable acts seemed like a waste of time and resources, and I was a bit of a sociopath too.

I knew of God, being blessed to have been forced to attend Sunday School as a kid, but I wanted to live the life that was glamorized on TV. I thought the TV life was the type of life that I should have, and as reality never measured up to the media, I was deeply unhappy.

I remember the day that I decided that my way of living life wasn't working. I remember giving my life over to the Lord. It was the most informal prayer I've ever done. I simply said, "Lord, I am tired of trying to do things my way and failing. I'm going to try it Your way from now on." There were no tears, no fanfare.

And the Lord has been faithful to gently show me that He loved me, that He was real, and gave my heart joy, fullness and the capacity to love.

I know that it can seem like the ways of God seem harsh and restricting. It seems like the freedom to sin is the greatest thing in the world - and like an illicit narcotic, it is fun to sin at first. Everyone is laughing and egging you on. It feels good to be accepted, especially when everyone is participating in the same stuff. But, because the fun is so short-lived and empty, it soon becomes a drag...an addiction that needs to be fed over and over again to feel alive.

The reason I write this today is for myself. I needed to remember my old life and to remember the deep emptiness that came out of that life. I needed to remember how far God has removed me from all that over the past 12 years or so. I am deeply contented today, and I cannot count the blessing that have come my way, in good times and bad.

I needed to remember because life has been hectic recently, and there are times in weak moments that I am tempted by my flesh and wicked heart to remember sinful thoughts. It is easy to see the fun in sin, but difficult to remember the depths of destruction and emptiness it can bring.

I would not trade my life for any other, and I have to remember to be vigilant by recalling how destructive and empty my life was before the Lord...knowing that I never want to go there ever again.

Lord Jesus, You have been so good to me. I cannot conceive of a life that is lived without You. Truly, you have saved me from myself and the life that I lived before. Truly, you have done wonders in my life that I could never repay. Thank You for loving me, Your creation, the way that You do. May I live every moment and second in worship for what You are and all that You have done. In Jesus' name, AMEN.