Finishing Well

     As I was applying eye shadow this morning, and then using a q-tip to blur the line, it occurred to me that as Christians we have blurred the lines of sin. We have taken God's commands and tweaked them to suit our cultural demands.      We have made up new names for sins; "hooking up" instead of fornication; "terminating" instead of abortion, "flings" rather than adultery; "alternative lifestyles" in place of any number of ways we decide is right in our own eyes.      Whatever we decide to call sin, we must remember that a Holy God knows the real names and that there are real consequences for the blurs, um, sins.  His Word is the final authority, it matters not what we as a society declare to be right.         God commands, demands, holiness. Are we seeking God's approval or man's approval? We can almost always find a man to approve our behaviors. Are we teaching our children what morality is according to Go...

     Grudge: To dislike or feel angry toward someone for something                    To give, do, or allow something in a reluctant or unwilling way.        How long do we cling to hurts, to wrongs, to past grievances? Past like long, long ago. Is there a formula? Could there be an expiration date, a time limit? Do we HAVE to forgive?      Joseph forgave his brothers for selling him away, and the people who promised to get him out of jail and then forgot. Jesus forgave His crucifiers!!! He forgives me when I repent!      So, why then, do we keep the sad, heavy burden of it? Why is it so very hard to let it go and go on to the next thing? Why do we remain paralyzed by past? Why not choose today to let it go, lay it down, give it up.      How often it is that the person we hold a grudge against has no clue they've even done anything - or it was long a...

     Lots of hate of late. Killings of Christians, bombings in Israel. The sermon on Sunday was about loving our enemies. Is that even possible??  Jesus says it in Matthew 5: "Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you."          As sobering as that commandment is, it is His Truth, same as for today, as yesterday, and the future. Is that why we sit silently? Is the Truth too hard for us to carry out?  Is it possible at all to fathom that Sovereign God sees and knows?      How long do we cry in anguish?  What must we do to put this passage in practice? Can we trust that it will all be for His glory? Trust is a key word. Psalm 70: 14 says "You are the God who does wonders; You have declared Your strength among the peoples."      So, we pray. We plead with this God of wonders......bring peace we cry.......ta...

     The drought is severe. The corn has dried up. The cucumbers are parched. Peas and limas barely hanging on. Tomatoes may be ok for a while longer, but there could be a revival if we get a good rain.      Maybe there's a spiritual drought in your life -  certainly in our country. Dryness. Deadness. Amos 8:11 "Behold, the days are coming," says The Lord God, "that I will send a famine on the land; not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of The Lord."      Revival can be easy for the crops - a good soaking rain or two. For us, it can be just as easy. Fall on our faces. Repent. Listen as God whispers sins we haven't even noticed. Repent for our Nation while we are on the floor. Cry out for mercy. Seek Him while He can be found!      Sometimes our drought is noticed by others before we are aware of it. People may come to us and ask if anything is wrong. Pay attention to the signs: goin...

     In searching for the elusive cucumbers and zucchini, I have discovered that they plot to hide until they are gigantic. So is sin, starts out small, lurks and entices, anticipates our scrutiny and then BAM, too late. Too big. But for God, we can be overtaken and ruined. Thankful that He is a forgiving Savior.  No sin too big! Cucumbers can be!      Seems all the good stuff is near the bottom, and we have to get down to that level to see the fruits. I open the Bible and sometimes get distracted by the simple reading and not getting anything out of that read and have to stop and bend down to the context or stop and observe more closely.      Then there're bees, busy little critters - all those flowers to visit. Busy stuff is a trip up for many of us. Have to be careful to not get tangled up in the vines while diligently seeking. Keep focus!      Oh I forgot the bunnies and squirrels! They are near. They aren't too ...

     Many people don't want to believe in God, or if they do, they don't fully believe in the Bible. There are so many excuses given to not believe. But what if you're wrong?        What if heaven and hell are real places, for eternity? That's a very long time to be wrong. Hell is real and it's not including an eternal party.        I choose to believe. I have hope that my eternity is with God in heaven. His Word gives me assurance of that.      I choose to believe that God is good, even when this life is not. I believe that God loves me and that He loves you too.      I believe God doesn't make mistakes. (Isaiah 46:10) and that everything that comes into my life has been filtered through His fingers of love.      I know that His grace is sufficient for my struggles  (2 Corinthians 12:9)   I trust that He forgives every sin I confess. Suffering will not last forever, u...

     There's been a quote going around that says don't judge me because my sin is different from yours, and believe me I don't judge, because I certainly do sin. And there is a Holy, Righteous God who does the judging.      The thing is, when I sin, I realize that it offends that Holy God, and because I want to please Him, I desire to repent and not commit that sin anymore. That woman in the Bible, when caught in the act of adultery and was brought before Jesus -  was not condemned before Him but admonished to go and sin no more. I want to believe that she did exactly that.      Sin is indeed judged. Sin indeed has consequences. But God has given us the free will to come to Him and say we are sorry and also the power to not continue sinning.  And when we do that, He forgives. Forgives freely and remembers the sin no more.      But today we don't want to call our behavior sin. Trust me, God still does. He declares s...