As I was thinking about last Sunday’s sermon (Matthew 5:21-26), I started pondering the reality of God knowing our deepest thoughts, inclinations, motives, emotions, etc. If this was real me how could I not be undone? I think we would be more Jesus-like if I cared that God sees and knows EVERYTHING. Read the rest of this entry »

I’m convinced that if left to ourselves, we would order our lives around comfort, routine, and self-sufficiency – this is who we are – this is how we’re wired – this is the “pull” of the world – THIS IS WHO I AM – this is sin. Read the rest of this entry »

It’s very important to know why Christians serve (or should serve) those in need. Some believe we are insincere when we help others because, in the end, we hope to introduce Jesus and not simply give physical help. Read the rest of this entry »

So we do not lose heart. Though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day. For this slight momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. (1 Corinthians 2:16-18 – ESV)

According to this, it seems that God has turned aging, sickness, and the certainty of physical death into a great benefit for us while we’re still here. This struck me as amazing! Even the devastating effects of sin are subdued by God. Read the rest of this entry »

We have all seen people “fall” from positions of power and influence over their inappropriate actions. In 2006 a Minneapolis City Counsel member was convicted of taking a $7,200 bribe that, as a result, will impact the rest of his life. The Bible shows us many, many examples of the devastating consequences of yielding to temptation. Moses, for example, was a man used mightily by God, but missed entering into the land of destiny because he responded to self rather than God.

The interesting thing about temptation… We can easily look at someone else’s sin and be bewildered at their decision. We see the devastating results – families are decimated, hopes are crushed, destruction reigns, the pain is enormous. When temptation comes to you and me, however, it’s very appealing. We see minimal consequences as compared to the anticipated satisfaction.

The lure of self and its destructive results should create a desperate longing for the alternative – Jesus.

There are few things in life that cause us more difficulty than change. From the youngest age we’re moving our agenda toward stability, comfort, and self-sufficiency. Not only do we get comfortable thinking this way, it becomes “wired” into the way we understand life. When change inserts itself (as it always does) we often go into crisis mode.

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