Face to Face

Galatians 2:11
But when Peter was come to Antioch, I withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed.

Paul was facing a difficult situation in his ministry. He was up against the wall about something and he didn't even put himself there. Another brother in the ministry placed him there. Paul was preaching the grace of Jesus and how all are the same in the eyes of God. But Peter was doing something wrong. He was showing a difference between Gentile and Jew.

Imagine Paul and his dilemma. He was a newly saved Christian that was commissioned by Christ to preach the Gospel. Peter was a long follower of Jesus and an eyewitness to many miracles by the very hands of Christ. He was the one who had the keys to the message of Jesus and was in the wrong about something. First of all we should understand that no one is perfect. No one gets everything right all the time. We all are guilty at times of allowing the flesh to corrupt our walk or even our decisions.

Let's take note of how Paul went about this. Paul was now faced with trying to right the wrong of Peter. When Peter came to Antioch, Paul meet him face to face. Too often we want others to do these things. People so easily find fault with the walk of others but are not willing to meet them face to face about their walk. Paul didn't meet him with pride, because he would have also fallen into the same thing. Paul knew that he wasn't perfect either in saying "not as though I have attained..." Paul was also guilty of letting his flesh get in the way of a few desicions he made in life.

When helping a brother or sister in their walk, please make sure your walk is right. When helping them to come to the understanding of their faults, always remember our faults. When righting the wrong of another, make sure you're right and most of all humble. Last of all, do it face to face and not through another brother or sister.

Anything You Can Do, I Can Do Better

3 John 1:9

I wrote unto the church: but Diotrephes, who loveth to have the preeminence among them, receiveth us not.

John was sharing with us about his writing to the church. He had penned down the inspired words of God to give His church. It seems as if the church was ready to receive these words, but then a man named Diotrephes appears in the scene. 

Never have we heard anything about this man prior to our scripture here. Usually the ones named in our God-given word are people that we need to remember. People that don't easily need to be forgotten. Diotrephes, a man whose name has never appeared in scripture until the Word begins with these people dealing harshly and not accepting people. It tells us that he spake maliciously against the people. He had the "Anything You Can Do, I Can Do Better" attitude. 

At one of my first jobs, I worked along side of a lot of guys with different ideas and characteristics. Some that had many, many ideas, mostly ideas of how to get out of work. Some worked harder at getting out of work than they did just doing the job before them. I will never forget two of these men. The one was always trying to get out of work, and the other was always trying to top everyone. 

One day while digging in a ditch, I was doing all the work... Wanna guess which one of these men I was with at the time?  While he was walking hard at getting out of work, the other one pulled up in a work vehicle. His position was greater than ours. Well when he pulled up, my worker said, "Oh no, he is here to tell us how to do it better". I laughed because I knew he was probably right. And sure enough, he stepped out of the vehicle and told me that I was holding the shovel in the wrong hand and that it could be better if I did it the other way. He smiles real bug and gets back into his vehicle. Then all of the sudden, I heard my worker singing... "Anything you can do, I can do better. I can do anything better than you". 

So funny!  If your heart is like Diotrephes, then you will speak negative and indifferent with all you're around. It's a spirit of Diotrephes. Don't speak malicious to others. And also, if you have those Diotrephes around you, then leave them where they are. Walk away!  

Can I say something?  No one can serve God like you!  No one can do it but you!

I'm Not A Hypocrite!

Job 27:8

For what is the hope of the hypocrite, though he hath gained,

when God taketh away his soul?

A few years ago, my son Jacob was going through a stage of wrapping his ankles and arms up with bandages. We would come home from work or school and he would have his ankle wrapped up with an ace bandage. Some evenings it would be his forearm or elbow. When we would ask him what happened he would say, "Nothing, it's just hurting". I would just laugh and call him my little hypochondriac. 

One evening we came home and he went straight to the room and wrapped his knee. I just smiled at him, his mother looked at me and rolled her eyes, and his brother started laughing out loud. Then Jacob looked at us and said, "I'm not a hypocrite!"  To which I busted out laughing as well as everyone in the house. 

Isn't it funny that we act a certain way and we don't want people to call us out on it?  Although he was young and didn't understand, he showed me a great lesson. We sometimes act certain ways and then hope for some reason our words are louder than our actions. 

 What is the definition of a hypocrite? Hypocrisy is the practice of claiming to have moral standards or beliefs to which ones own behavior does not conform. In simple terms, one who says they follow Christ with their mouths but deny it in their actions. What are the benefits of a hypocrite? Earthly benefits could be many because they change in ever situation like the chameleon. Heavenly benefits are not found at all. What hope is found in hypocrisy? None!  

Maybe you're like Jacob, you spend most of your time telling everyone that you're not a hypocrite. Spending much time trying to convince people that you're not a hypocrite, only to have your actions speak much louder than your words. 

If we are of Christ, let us live as Christ. 

What is Your Desire?

Psalms 27:4
One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to enquire in his temple.

Desire is a strong feeling of wanting something or longing for something to happen. What would happen in your life if your desire for a relationship with God was stronger than your desire for anything else? We all have desires about things in our lives. We have desires for deep and grounded things just as well as things that are small and pleasurable to the flesh. Like right now I have a huge desire to be sitting in a boat with about three crappie rods hanging off the bow. All of them tight-lined with big slab crappie on them.

But above those small, sometimes meaningless things, what if your desire to know God more was greater? David said in this psalm that he desired "one thing". He said that this is what he would "seek after". He wanted to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of his life so that he could behold the beauty of God. David wanted to be with God everyday of his life. He desired that fellowship and guidance of the Lord so much that he didn't want to leave the house of God.

I know people right now that I am completely amazed at their desire to be at the house of God. Just this past week an older member went to the hospital that morning because their heart was out of rhythm and by that evening they were back home and worshiping the Lord. Some people shake their head at Christians like that and say, "Why don't they just stay home? You know they don't feel good." It's because of a desire they have for the beauty of the Lord. They have a insatiable desire to hear more, praise more, seek more, pray more and receive more from the Lord. You must know that it is not to be seen by others or to even hear from others. If it were for those reason then they would have left the house of God years ago. It's about being in the presence of the Lord. It's about the "one thing" they have desired of the Lord and seeking after it.

One of the greatest things in a Christians life is their church. It's their part of the body of Christ. It's where the beauty of the Lord is shown unto them. And let me tell you this... When you have a desire for the Lord you'll do everything to fill it. What is your desire? Your true desire?

Satan Has Already Picked Out The Grave

John 10:10

The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

Since the beginning, satan has been against you. He has never been for you. He hates and despises you!  The word of God tells us that he would love to devour you as a lion does to weak prey. Chew after chew, he tears you limb from limb. He leaves your body lying in ruins and disaster. Blood, guts, pieces and parts all over the ground for others demons to feast on. Then he stands and boasts forever of how he captured and demolished you. He boasts it from the mountaintops and publishes it throughout every city. So that your shame will be remembered forever. 

If this were the image we paint of satan, then all of us would stay as far away from him as possible. But this is not the whole characteristics of satan. The Bible also teaches us that he is a deceiver. He is subtle, sneaky and tricky. The scriptures tell us that he is an angel of light. If he would only show his teeth first, we would know!  But it's not what he does. He quietly speaks to us, making us think he genuinely cares about us...

Just look in the garden of Eden... He didn't announce his presence, he just began speaking. He didn't show his fangs, but he spoke quietly and subtle. He didn't tell a whole lie, just a half truth. Ever since the day God created us and told them not to eat the fruit or they would die, satan had the grave picked out. He knew exactly where he would hide when he heard God give the law concerning the tree. He knew how he would approach Adam and Eve and what he would say. He had the perfect plot for their bodies. The perfect tombstone to be placed over them. He wanted nothing since the day of their creation than to kill them. 

Satan may have you thinking he loves you or that he is concerned. Mostly he does this by making you feel that no one, even God, loves you. He pulls you to a place alone so that you will have no help or guidance. He waits and waits until that right moment. He lures you in... He deceives you into buying his plan... He waits... He looks and sounds concerned... He waits... He offers... He waits... He lies... He waits... and then...when you think it's ok...he rushes in for the kill...and BAM! He's destroyed it all!  Everything is destroyed and scattered in ruins for all to see. Like a dead animal that has been eaten by everything in the forest. 

Remember, he only seeks your destruction. He's already picked out a nice grave for your life. Resist the devil and trust in Jesus. I love you. 

The Same Devil

Matthew 4:1
​Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.

Have you ever read the scriptures speaking about the temptation of Jesus?  Jesus was led by the Spirit of God into the wilderness so that He could be alone and pray. While He was there the Bible says that the tempter came to Him. The tempter is speaking about the devil. How come when we are being led by the Spirit that the devil always comes to ruin things?

If you have time, go and read Matthew 4 this morning. Look at how the devil came unto Jesus. Look at what he tempted Him with. When Jesus was hungry, he tempted Him with a satisfaction of the flesh. Do we know that if Satan was there to tempt Jesus that he will also be there to tempt us? His mission and goal is to get us to fail. He wants us to give in to temptation. Sometimes it is so easy to fall for his temptations.

How did Jesus not cave in to his temptations? Lets look at how He addresses every temptation. You will find the words, "For it is written..." God wrote it down for us to use. Yes the Bible is a learning source but it is also a two edged sword. A defender for our lives. Satan fought with twisted scripture, but Jesus defended with the truth of scripture. Satan came in with self wisdom, but Christ spoke scripture.

How are we to win over Satan? Through the word of God. When Satan speaks his offer of betrayal and lies... You can speak the word of God. When he comes at you over and over, you can speak God's word over and over. And always remember, if he tempted Jesus this way, why wouldn't he choose to do the same unto you? After all, he is the same devil but the Word of God is the same Word!

You Remind Me of Someone

John 17:11
And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are.

People say things like, "You look just like...", or "You favor each other". I've even heard people talking of how much married couples begin to look like each other. (To my wife... Patti you need to pray hard that this never takes place)  Joking aside, there is some truth to this. In married couples, they begin to have similarities about them. They also share same facial expressions and quirky phrases. They begin to blend together. Whenever you see the husband, you find yourself looking for the wife, or vise versa. After a while of being together, people are just accustomed to the both of you. 

The word of God teaches us that this should take place. One of my friends said, "We will become what we love". Meaning that what we love with our hearts will show through in our actions. If we love our wife, it will show. If we love our children, it will show. If we love fishing, it will show. If we love hunting, it will show. If you love shopping, it will show (on your checking statement). And when you love someone or something so much they or it will eventually become part of you. You won't be able to separate the two because they now have become one. 

Please take time today and read John Chapter 17. It will show you what the desire of Jesus is. He wants to be one with you. If you love Him, it will show. Not just sometime, but every time people see you they will immediately look for Jesus. 

You know what... you remind me of somebody!