Look, Wait and Pray

Micah 7:7
Therefore I will look unto the Lord;
I will wait for the God of my salvation:
my God will hear me.

Stop, Drop and Roll was the slogan back in my elementary school days. It was to teach us about fire procedures. If there was any chance of you or your clothing were on fire you Stop! Drop! Roll!  It is something that I have always remembered.  Step one, two and three. Very simple and easy.

This morning our scripture is just as simple and easy to remember. Look, Wait and Pray. To understand it we must understand what was taking place around these scriptures. Micah was speaking of not being able to trust in a friend or a guide. Son's were dishonoring their fathers and daughters were rising up against their mothers. There seemed to be a blazing fire all around Micah.

Then the scriptures break into this plan. Pray! In everything we do we should pray. Look!  Look unto Jesus. Ask Him everyday to help you stay focused upon Him and His perfect will. (This is my biggest struggle...keeping my eyes off of others and on Jesus). Then the grand finale! Wait! What? Oh, this is the hardest. Pray, Look and Wait. I almost had them all down to an art until that last one was placed in there.

God, teach me to pray. Teach me to look. Teach me to wait. Sounds like a simple plan of action. So let's never forget it and actually do it.

Good Manners

Acts 17:2-3
And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures, Opening and alleging, that Christ must needs have suffered, and risen again from the dead; and that this Jesus, whom I preach unto you, is Christ.

Did you love the beginning of this scripture as much as I did? Look at it... "Paul, as his manner was,..." I want you to think about something this morning. Let's think about the testimony of Paul. Hopefully you have read or heard of this man. He used to be called Saul, but now is called Paul.

While He was Saul, what did he do? He grew up understanding about God and the Holy Scriptures. He was well versed in the Old Testament and the keeping of the law. Saul grew up a good man and probably with good manners. I'm almost certain that most people would have said great things about young Saul. The older crowd loved him and influenced him apparently because we find him standing with the crowd that stoned Stephen to death. Saul then took on the role of an upholder of the law and persecutor of the Christian church.

But something happened to Saul one day while traveling to his next persecution. The Lord Jesus met him on the way and saved him. Saul was never the same since that day. Even in his name, Paul was changed. He studied the scriptures more and more. He began to see Jesus Christ in all things. God moved upon Paul and changed his manners. Some would say that Paul was a good mannered boy his whole life, but now he is a great mannered man.

"As his manner was...." He went to the places that needed Christ. He spoke with these Jews for three sabbath days. Most would have given up, but Paul's manner was to reason with them. Look at how he accomplished this... "opening and alleging, that Christ must needs have suffered," He showed them that the Christ (Messiah) in the word of God must have suffered, and that He would rise again from the dead. Then he reasoned with them about the fact that this Christ (Messiah) is Jesus.

Do you have the manners that Paul had? Are you willing to reason with people about Jesus? Tell the world you come in contact with today that "this Jesus" is the Christ.

Do You Recall?

Lamentations 3:21
This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope.

Waves are beating against the ship. You are struggling between fear and fight. Boards are cracking and the sails are torn. Over one wave and through the next! Minute after minute and hour after hour this goes on. A storm of a lifetime is having its way! At that moment it seems as if there is nothing but the fear of death, and even death itself, on your mind. Those around you yell, "We're not gonna make it!"

What do you do in these moments? You knew the storm was coming. You did everything possible to prepare for it. You made sure the ropes were in good condition. Anchors were set and ready. You knew that this storm was forecast to be a bad one. You made sure your prayers were up-to-date and favorite Bible verse was in place at the stern. But you had no idea that it was going to be like this!

All of the sudden a wave tackles the boat and you're rocked across the bow. You think for a moment... "What do I do?" Struggling to get back to the wheel at the stern you see it. There it is. Fastened to the stern. That scripture. No matter what book or verse it is taken from, there it reads as if the light of the Holy Ghost is shining on it. "Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord shall deliver him out of them all..." "The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in Him..." "Let not your heart be troubled..." "I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not..." "giveth peace that passeth all understanding..."

No matter which one you choose we can be like Jeremiah today and say, "This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope." Jeremiah was remembering God's faithfulness. In every storm recall His words and call out to the Savior, Jesus Christ.

MY HOPE IS BUILT ON NOTHING LESS,
THAN JESUS' BLOOD AND RIGHTEOUSNESS!

All We Need Is Love

1 John 4:8

He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.

Years ago, across radio waves, a song came through...

There's nothing you can make that can't be made

No one you can save that can't be saved

Nothing you can do but you can learn how to be you in time

It's easy

All you need is love

All you need is love

All you need is love, love

Love is all you need

The Beatles wrote and sang this song. As you can now guess, love was the central theme to this song. It told us that what the world could use was love and that it was all we really needed. How true!

But this love is not a worldly defined love. The love the world offers must have something in return. There must be some type of return or payment for its love. This is not so with the love of God. When we love as God loved there is "no one you can save that can't be saved". 

Lord, teach me to love the adulterer that was thrown at your feet. Teach me to love the priest that walked by the man beaten half-to-death on the side of the road. Teach me to love the murderer that you swapped places with, realizing it was me the whole time. Teach me to love the religiously proud leader who blindly can't see who you really are. Finally, teach me to love the vilest of sinners and the righteous of saints. 

Looks the Same to Me

Romans 12:2
And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

What would you do if you spent thousands of dollars at the office of a plastic surgeon and someone walked up to you after the surgery and said, "What did you have done?" People get things tucked and lifted in hopes of others noticing, but what if no one could tell the difference?  Think of this also... I know some whose homes have been damaged by weather. Tornadoes and hurricanes can have devastating results sometimes. I also know some homes that no one would know the difference. If the couch had holes in it, the carpet had all the kitchen food on it, and the bedroom set was scattered and unmade it would be hard to tell the difference between damage and just everyday living.

A very, very sad truth in this is the fact that many have professed to be changed by the Gospel. Professed to be different in Christ Jesus. I have to say it, "Looks the same to me." I understand and teach that the scriptures say come as you are. I know that sinners hung out with Jesus and not him hanging with sinners. I also know that when those people were saved from sin they were forever changed. Their desire to disobey God was changed because of the Holy Spirit now living in the believer leads them to victory.

What if you are that professing Christian and those around you said, "Looks the same to me"? The Word of God says to be transformed. This means to be changed, set apart, holy, different. Wouldn't you love for someone to come up to you after the change through Jesus and say, "There's something different about you"?

Desirable

Genesis 3:6
And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.

Sometimes I've wondered at why Eve ate the fruit of this tree. I have thought to myself many times that her and Adam had it made together in that beautiful garden. Why in the world would she have ever eaten that fruit? Why would she have disobeyed the direct commandment of the Lord? We could say that the devil made her do it but even with all of the power he has, he can't make you sin. He will lie to you and lead you toward sin, but he can't make you. He has no power over your free-will to choose.

Eve saw that this tree was good for food. It seemed as all of the other trees in this garden. It was pleasant to the eyes. There were no rotten places or worms on this fruit. Then it tells us the main truth. It was desired to make one wise. It carried the weight of desire in its presentation to Eve. I don't want to stretch the scene, but it's almost as if it was shimmering with desire.

Eve's desire for the fruit overtook her understanding of God's truth. She allowed her desire for food, pleasantness and wisdom to over take her trust in God and His commandment. God had told them of what would happen. He preached unto them of the results of sin, but she couldn't see that. All she saw was what she desired.

If we are not careful we will be fooled by our desires. We could even use God's name on something and call it "God's desire" for our lives and it be not so. God, let my desire be your desire for my life. Lord, let your desire be my desire! Help me to not get the two confused and it lead me into my selfish sin.

Seeing Things God’s Way

Isaiah 55:8-9

For my thoughts are not your thoughts,

neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.

For as the heavens are higher than the earth,

so are my ways higher than your ways,

and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Jacob and I were driving down the road the other day talking about things. Just everyday things. I was listening to him, but I was also seeking God all day about some things in my life and the lives of others. I was also thinking about Josh Frederick for some reason. (A friend, and youth member of our church that is now in a Heaven with Jesus)

Then our conversation shifted onto how we see things sometimes. Sometimes we can't understand things that are happening around us or in our lives. Seems like we just can't see it right. We wondered at why Josh went to Heaven so soon. I wondered why some of my friends right now are going through hard times, from sicknesses and other things. Then all of the sudden I stopped and said, "Jacob Look!"  He said, "What?"  "Look at that sticker on my back window of the truck. Josh's sticker!" I said. (Josh's favorite scripture was Isaiah 40:8 and when he went to Heaven with Jesus, a member of our church made stickers with his scripture on it)

Isaiah 40:8

The grass withereth, the flower fadeth:

but the word of our God shall stand for ever.

When you look from the outside of my truck it reads, "Isaiah 40:8" When you are inside the truck and turn around, it reads, "8:04 haiasI". It's backwards! I then told Jacob to lean over to where I was setting and read it from my rear view mirror. "You can read it the right way again!", he said. 

ALTHOUGH WE STUMBLE SOMETIMES AT HOW GOD DOES THINGS, NEVER SHOULD WE STUMBLE AT WHAT GOD PROMISES!

Our problem is that we don't see things right. We must choose to see things God's Way in order to see it. Sometimes we can’t see it clearly until we are looking in the rear view mirror. We can’t see it until it’s behind us. 

He Knows Me

1 Corinthians 8:3
But if any man love God, the same is known of him.

Oh how I love Jesus! I can't think of anyone who has ever loved me like He has. I can't think of a God who has done so much for someone like me. He left Heaven, was fashioned as a man and died a sinners death for me. Did you hear that? For me! For you!

It is easy for me to love God. If you were to ask anyone around you if they loved God and your answer would most likely be an assured yes. Look at His love for us! Let's look deeper this morning. Our love is because of His love for us. It's easy to love someone who loves you and cares for you.

Our scripture says, if any man love God, the same is known of Him. We know we love God but He also loves and He knows us. I'm glad that God knows me. I'm glad that He loves me. I'm glad that He is my shepherd. I'm glad that I'm saved by Him, kept by Him and sealed through Him!

John 10:14
I am the good shepherd, and know my [sheep], and am known of mine.

2 Timothy 2:19
Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.

Holding the Flashlight

Matthew 5:16
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

Remember being in Vacation Bible School singing, "This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine"? We would come to a part in that song that said we wouldn't hide it under a bushel. Why would we attempt to hide the light of Jesus? No! We need to let it shine now more than ever before. But we need to learn how to shine our lights.

When I was young, I would help my dad work on our cars. We were always repairing something with duct tape, haha. My job was to hold the light. It never failed. I always wanted to get my hands in there and get greasy but dad always handed me a flashlight and said, "Here, hold this." I didn't know that there was a certain way to hold it. My mind often wondered while he was working and I didn't pay attention to where he was at. Dad would say, "Hey, are you holding that light? Well, I can't see anything with you holding it right there!" He wanted me to shine the light onto the spot he was working on. Imagine that, I know right?

The light that shines in us is our salvation. We are not to shine it upon ourselves, but upon our works after salvation. We are to shine them upon where God has fixed us and then always give glory to God. We should be shining our lights upon Christ Jesus for the salvation He has given!

My dad is the one who fixed the vehicles, I just shined the light. My Savior Jesus is the one who fixes the broken-hearted. I'm just shining the light. Holding the flashlight.

Slow But Sure

Nahum 1:3
The Lord is slow to anger, and great in power,
and will not at all acquit the wicked:
the Lord hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm,
and the clouds are the dust of his feet.

How powerful is our God! This scripture today shows the awesome power of our almighty God. Look, it says He is great in power. It says that the Lord has His way in the whirlwind and in the storm. The clouds are the footprints, the dust of His feet. Think about it! How big is our God? To think that the clouds are dust from His feet. God you are powerful! You are great! You are huge!

If God wanted to He could stop this evil with one footstep. He could have judgment upon this world with just His spoken word. God could end everything. Notice the beginning of the scripture... Our Lord is slow to anger. Although our God could put an end to it now, He is gracious and longsuffering.

Don't misunderstand it. He is gracious and merciful but He is not slack. He will judge this world and its wickedness. I'm thankful for His slowness to anger and also thankful for His sureness of judgment.

Who is a God like you? Not only is your power great but your heart, O Lord is great as well. I love you.

I’m Sorry

Psalms 38:18
For I will declare mine iniquity;
I will be sorry for my sin.

One of the most difficult things for people to say is, "I'm sorry." It just will not come out of the mouth the right way. If you have noticed we must be born with this deficiency. Children struggle with this from birth so it must just be something that is difficult for us all. It's something that we must give to Jesus and allow Him to teach us.

Let me ask you an important question... What do you think of when you see or imagine Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary?  If I told you that it was your sin that placed Him there, what would you feel? Sorrow! I would want to cry out and say, "I'm so sorry!"

Did you know that you can do that now? Say it. I'm sorry Lord! I will declare that it was my sin that placed you there. It was my sin that caused you to leave glory and God, I am sorry! I'm sorry that my selfishness in sin caused you the pain and death of Calvary. The nails were because of my sin. The crown thorns was my crown. The beating, mine. The death should have been mine but you stepped in and took it all! I'm sorry!

I love you Lord! Thank you for forgiving me and never, never leaving me. I will be sorry for my sin and I will repent of it. Lastly, I will give you thanks and praise for listening and forgiving.

How Well Do You Know People?

2 Timothy 3:10-11

But thou hast fully known my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, charity, patience, Persecutions, afflictions, which came unto me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra; what persecutions I endured: but out of them all the Lord delivered me.

In God's word today, Paul says that Timothy and his towns people knew all about him and what he stood for. Paul says, "You have FULLY know my doctrine". I love this!  Doctrine does not mean what Paul was teaching, but what Paul believed and lived through action. Very few today have doctrine in their walk with Christ. They say and teach many things, but not walk in the doctrine (belief) of Jesus. Paul was strong enough to say that they have FULLY known his doctrine. In other words, it is absolutely no secret who Paul believed in or served. 

Notice the next thing he speaks of, "manner of life". Speaking of how Paul lived his life. Which describes the next things written down. "Purpose, faith, longsuffering, charity, patience, persecutions, afflictions, and how the Lord delivered him out of trouble. 

Examine your life this morning... Stop to take an inspection for just a moment. Do people know your doctrine. I'm not talking about everything that your against, but do people see your belief in Jesus through your walk?  What is your manner of life?  Are you living out your purpose? Are you sharing the faith of Jesus with everyone? Are you longsuffering, loving and patient? What about when you go through persecutions or afflictions are you still living the same doctrine, purpose and manner of life?

Everyday someone is watching you. They are observing your doctrine. Be Jesus! Another old song that I used to sing comes to my heart again today. It says... 

"You're the only Jesus some will ever see, and you're the only words of life some will ever read. So let them see in you, the One that's true and all they'll ever need, cause you're the only Jesus some will ever see". 

”Usward”

Psalms 40:5
Many, O Lord my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are usward: they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered.

Why? Why would a God, who is far above us in glory, position and power, have such works and thoughts toward us? Think about the beauty of the sunset over the horizon. Think of the sunrise coming up the side of a mountain in the morning. The trees that try and reach the sky, or the birds that sing in them. Think of the body and its ability and agility. Think of the process of birth and how God designed all of these works as a blessing for us. They can't be counted up in order to begin and speak of them all.

Please look at that one portion of our scripture this morning... "and thy thoughts which are usward:" Doesn't that stop you in your tracks? To think about a God so holy, so glorious and so mighty. Knowing that He has thoughts toward us. I must tell you today. There are times in my prayers that I wonder what God thinks of me. I have never wondered if He loved me, but I have wondered at why He would love me. I question why He is so good to me. He often makes me stop in my tracks.

I don't think you understand the depth of this scripture! It tells us that "Many, O Lord my God... are thy thoughts which are usward". Every thing that He has created, He did with us in mind. God, as David said so say I, there are too many to count. I can't even begin to thank you for them all even if I started now and spoke every one until I die or you come back for me.

Thank you for it all! Thank you for your works! Thank you for your words! Thank you for your thoughts toward me! How could I not love you O Lord my God!

Why Can’t You Be Like Your Brother?

Acts 3:4-6
And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, Look on us. And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something of them. Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.

I have to start out this morning by saying that my parents never said that to me. I have an older brother that I was always trying to imitate while growing up, but my parents never told me to do that it just came naturally. Me being the younger sibling, I wanted to do what my brother did. I wanted to go where my brother went. I tried my best to be cool like my brother.

I remember that he started playing around with a bass guitar once. It wasn't long until I had that thing in my hand. I put some sunglasses on and an Elvis song. I came sliding into the living room in my socks and sang some "Hound dog". I thought I was cool (and still do). But I did this because of my brother and his messing around with the bass. Growing up I tried to do a lot of things that my brother did. I played football because he did. I wore Guess jeans because he did (well they were his). I rolled up my pants on the ends because he did. It was just in me as a younger brother to look at him and be like him.

Peter one time told a man to "Look on us." After this man looked upon Peter and John he hopefully could see the big brother Jesus. You see Peter didn't want that man to see Peter. He wanted him to see Jesus. Peter fashioned the rest of his life to look and do things that his brother Jesus would do. He went to the places Jesus went. He shared the same words Jesus spoke. He lived his life trying to be like his brother Jesus.

Would you rather spend your life with everyone looking at you and trying to be you? I spent much of my earlier years wanting people to look at me and be like me but I have finally figured out that I want people to look like my big brother Jesus. How do I get them to be like Jesus? Be like my brother, Jesus.

Talking To Myself

Psalms 62:5
My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him.

One of the funniest things you can see is someone talking to themselves. Most of the time it's a lady walking down the aisle of a grocery store. She has so much on her mind. One child likes Frosted Flakes while the other one loves Lucky Charms. She loves soup and her husband loves chili. So her mind is turning all wheels at the same time and she is now talking herself through the store. Or maybe its a man in the local hardware store. He's building a deck or remodeling his home and trying to remember the material list in his head. Aisle after aisle he speaks to himself. Sometimes loud enough that the person on the other side can hear him.

Why do we do this? People think we are crazy when we talk to ourselves, but we can't help it. We do this to remind ourselves of important tasks. Sometimes we do it to convince ourselves of what we need to do. David is talking to himself this morning in our scripture. He says, "My soul..." Through many of the Psalms David will address the Lord, God, my God, etc... But in this one today he says, "My soul..." He's talking to himself. But look at what he is saying.

He says to himself, "wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him." David is convincing his soul to wait upon the Lord. Why would he have to do something like this? Because our biggest problem is waiting or being patient. So he is convincing himself to wait for the Lord. He is saying, "Now David, don't do anything foolish or quickly, just wait upon the Lord. Now you know that what you need (expectation) will only come from the Lord, so just wait."

It could be that you have been talking to yourself. It's okay, you're not crazy. You are convincing your flesh to wait upon the Lord. You are talking yourself through it. We actually need to talk to ourselves more often. Maybe not in the grocery store or local hardware store. Hahaha

If It Had Not Been the Lord

Psalms 124:1
If it had not been the Lord who was on our side,
now may Israel say;

Humor me this morning by letting me ask you some questions. What would your life be like if there was no God? What if God had not pursued you with His love? Where would you be if you had not trusted in Christ as your Savior? Really take the time to answer these questions this morning.

If God had not pursued me with His love and salvation I don't know where I would be. My mind says that I would be in dead or in prison. Alcohol and pride would be a leader in my life. Lust and fornicarion would be in a strong second. My life would be an endless search for peace and hope in the sins committed.

If it had not been the Lord, my family would not be here. If it had not been the Lord, I wouldn't be here. If it hadn't been the Lord, no pulpit to share God's Word from. If it had not been the Lord, no friends that I can trust and depend on. Wow, just thinking of it all if it had not been for the Lord I would have nothing and be nothing.

God, I want to thank you for your love, grace and mercy. You forgive me like no other can. You show me grace like no other has. You are my God! You are my Love! There is no God like you. If it had not been for you I would be lost.

Will you take the time today to evaluate your life if there had been no Lord?

It’s On Now!!!

Galatians 5:16-17
This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.

When I was growing up I used to love the Rocky movies. It was the American dream story. A poor nobody who grew up in a tough environment that fought his way to the top. When Rocky first beat Apollo in the second movie it was the dream coming true. Then here came another movie, Rocky Part 3. Now Mr. T is in the ring with the Italian Stallion and taking every blow to the face, but he overcomes and wins the bout. Then one of my all-time favorite comes out, Rocky IV. This huge Russian boxer appears on the scene and kills Rocky's best friend in an exhibition fight. Now Rocky is facing his biggest battle ever. He intensifies his training and goes to an old school way of doing it. Of course at the end of the movie he defeats the mighty Russian and calls for his bride once again..."Yo Adrian!"

Think about something with me this morning. Have you ever seen Rocky in the ring punching himself? Just going toe to toe with his own face? No. We would think he's gone crazy. Well look at what God is telling us in the scripture today. There is a fight going on. Maybe you didn't hear the bell ring but you are in a fight. The flesh is lusting against the Spirit. You're battle is not with yourself but within yourself. The flesh is against the Spirit and the Spirit is against the flesh. Blow after Blow, jab after jab these two fight against one another. It's Clubber Lang vs. Rocky Balboa. Yearly, monthly and daily the struggle goes on, round after round.

So what do we do? We Walk in the Spirit. We train (pray, study the Word, attend worship) in order to be ready. Cause let me tell you something this morning. You may not have heard the bell ring, and if so, you may just get your bell rung. Wake up, the fight has started.

1...2...3...4... You’re So Close

Mark 12:34
And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said unto him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God. And no man after that durst ask him any question.

What a morning to see something great from God's Word! Years ago I came across this scripture while studying for the very first revival that I was asked to preach. Seeking God day and night about what to share with the people in this revival, I believe that God had led me here to Mark 12:34. There is something so simple about this scripture. It talks of a man in the previous verses who wanted to know what was the greatest of all commandments. Jesus answered him and then the man proceeds to tell Jesus that he was right. He then added with great wisdom himself. To the point where Jesus sees that this scribe answers discreetly or intelligently.

But look at what Jesus finishes with..."thou art not far from the kingdom of God." This man was so close, but yet so far away. He knew all of the laws, commandments and precepts. He wrote them over and over most of his life being a scribe. He not only knew them but because of his answer we can see that he had an understanding of them. Well why then did Jesus not say something like..."today you will be with me in paradise"? Did you notice that no one else asked him a question after the last statement? I wonder if they were thinking..."If this man is not fully prepared for the kingdom, then what about me?"

You see salvation is not knowing it, it is believing it. It is a surrender of your life to Jesus Christ as your Savior. Then He will teach your empty heart and fill you with His knowledge. So many people know the 1...2...3...4's of salvation but only with their minds and never their hearts. Call on Jesus today and ask Him to be your Savior. It is by His Grace that you can be saved right now.

Lastly, did you notice that our scripture was Mark 12:34? 1...2...3...4. My prayer is that you will remember this forever and share it with others. Tell them that Good Ol' Boys miss the mark and will die and go to Hell unless they receive Jesus by faith in their hearts and not their heads.

W.W.D.

Hebrews 12:2
Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Our eyes can so easily be distracted. It can happen at the most inopportune times right? I often drive down the road while talking to my wife and miss exits or turns. She has gotten now where she just laughs and it's like I come to myself and do the u-turn. I could give you many reasons why I get distracted, or let's just call them excuses.

It could be from the music blaring on the radio. It could be the boys in the backseat cutting up. It could be from a loss of sleep. Oh, it could be any of these things but truthfully it all boils down to not paying attention to my task at hand. I am driving! I'm not in the car to hear the radio, although it's nice music. I'm not in the car to play "eye spy", although that too is fun. I'm definitely not in the car to catch up on the sleep I lost the night before, although that too could sometimes happen. No, I'm in the car to drive to my destination. To get those in the vehicle to the destination.

Way too often we are distracted from worship because of others around us. Maybe it's because of other thoughts in our minds and other places we think about going after we worship at church. Either way, we are not to worship while distracted. It is just not possible. We must look unto Jesus when we worship.

Don't get distracted church at looking for a superman or old faithful. Look unto Jesus! So many look to a Deacon or Pastor, which should show the example of Jesus in the life and walk, but could become disappointed. If you don't want to be charged with a W.W.D (Worship While Distracted) then keep your eyes upon the task at hand. It's called the Gospel plow. Grab ahold and go forth!

First of All...

Romans 1:8
First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world.

I love this scripture! I love how it gets down to business by saying first things first. God points out first of all... thankfulness. Paul says let me begin with how much I am thankful for you all in Jesus Christ our Lord. He was thankful for the people who are the children of God. What brought on this thankfulness?

It was their faith in Christ. It was their faith in their walk in Christ. He was thankful that their faith was being spoken of throughout the whole world. Oh how I pray that Christ would be glorified throughout all the world!

One of the greatest moments as a preacher of the Gospel of Jesus is when I hear of others growing in faith. To hear of believers sharing Jesus with others is absolutely one of the greatest things in the world. To hear a testimony from someone that has gone through a storm or trial and give God the glory for the victory isn't far behind.

This morning I'm thankful to my God, through Jesus Christ my Lord, for you all who follow Christ through faith. I love hearing your testimonies. I love hearing of your victories. I love hearing of your faith throughout the world. Of all the disappointing things that I hear everyday, I want to first of all start my day in thankfulness for those of you that keep the faith.

Don’t Take That Trail

3 John 1:11
Beloved, follow not that which is evil, but that which is good. He that doeth good is of God: but he that doeth evil hath not seen God.

Why? Why do we do it? We are bent toward evil or sin for some reason. Think about it! As soon as we are born we are drawn to disobedience. It's as if those words, "Don't touch that, don't do that" carry a huge burden to actually touch it or do it.

If Eve could testify to us today she would share with you this same story. God said, "Do not eat of this tree" and it seems to be the only tree described in the garden. We read of its pleasantness to the eyes. We read of its possibility to make one wise. We also read of its nutrients and that it was good for food right? Satan made it appear this way unto Eve but in the end she was driven away by her own lusts. She followed evil because of its enticement.

Many, many are following evil today. How would I know that? Because the way to life everlasting is straight and narrow but the way to destruction is broad and beaten down. There are so many who follow after evil because it is appealing and easy. The straight and narrow way is a road less taken.

What are you following? Are you following the flesh and sin? Remember, we are bent toward this way. We must repent and trust upon Jesus Christ as our Savior. Stop following evil and follow Christ who is the only good. You cannot follow evil and good at the same time. It is impossible!

I have decided to follow Jesus,
I have decided to follow Jesus,
I have decided to follow Jesus,
No turning back, no turning back

Skid Row

2 Timothy 3:1-2
This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,...

Wow! Look at the list of these sins. It seems to be all the characteristics of men on skid row or even death row in our prisons. There are things discussed in this scripture about people that you wouldn't want said about you. It's almost like a lineup of the worst sins (which couldn't be true, because all sin is equal. Sin is sin and nothing more or less).

In the last days God says that these times would come. He then begins to explain how the men would act before the coming of the Lord Jesus. He says that they will be lovers of their own selves. Men that would love their bodies and the pleasures of the body more than they would love God who created the body. God says they will be covetous, yep, I understand. They will be boastful about themselves. Remember they already love themselves more than God so why wouldn't they boast about it? They would be proud, yep, I understand that also. Men will be blasphemers. They will reject God as true and depend on themselves even to the point of declaring themselves greater than God.

But look at these others... Disobedient to parents? This made the cut? You mean to tell me that this would be considered among these other sinful characteristics? It's hard to believe. Focus on one of them this morning more than the others. Look at this word... "unthankful". Are you starting to realize something? You've made the list. Could it be that you are unthankful at times?

I find it funny that people can list everything they are thankful for on the day of Thanksgiving but on the next day you can hear them as they complain about cleaning up. They complain about the mess the company made. The shake hands and slap backs on Thanksgiving Day, but the day after...well let's just say that they are thankful that everyone is gone back home.

Let "unthankfullness" not have place in the life of a Christian. In ALL things, give thanks.