Iron and Shine the Front

John 21:24
This is the disciple which testifieth of these things, and wrote these things: and we know that his testimony is true.

Oh, what a testimony that our Savior Jesus has! The Son of God who humbled himself to become sin for us that we might have the forgiveness of sin. He who lived, died, rose and lives again! What if His testimony wasn't true? What hope would we have if we found out that the testimony of the only one who ever truly loved us enough to die for us was false or tainted? It would have a devastating effect on our whole world. It seems to me that a man's testimony must be pretty important. Our testimony as a Christian should testify of Jesus and not ourselves. It should bring glory and honor to the very one who saved us.

A few years ago I met a man who was a fantastic preacher. His preaching of the Gospel of Jesus and what Christ had done in his life was beyond amazing. I loved to hear him every opportunity I had. Once in a message I heard him say that he and his wife were arguing about his clothing and laziness. As she watched him get prepared for a meeting one time, she noticed that he only ironed the front of his shirt. She said, "Ain't you gonna iron the back of that shirt?" "No ma'am, people only see the front. I'll never take my jacket off." was his reply. Then she noticed that he only shined the front portion of his dress shoes. "You ain't gonna shine the whole shoe?" she asked. "No, what's the big deal?" he said. Then he told us this next phrase and I'll never forget it. "People will only see me coming at them and not walking away, so what is the sense in shinning the back? No one will notice... I only want to shine coming at them."

What if we treated our testimony this way? Half-hearted and lazy! We live only to impress those listening to us and not give our best unto the Holy Lamb of God? We want only a microphone to be heard and not a life that will be an example. Needless to say, this very well-known preacher and leader of seminary finally reaped what he had sown. I'm sad to say that because of his half-committed ironing and shinning some people researched his testimony because stories in his messages started crossing each other. He came forward and confessed that he dressed up his testimony in a time period so that it brought him more preaching engagements. Ironed and shined the front and thought no one would care, or that no one would notice. People did and now his ministry suffers from it. His testimony is tainted because it had things in it that weren't true but exaggerated and fabricated. Not only his testimony but now his preaching of the Gospel is listened to with questioning ears. (He is forgiven and can still be used by God, but now it is with difficulties)

What more could you add to your testimony of Jesus and the Gospel that could enhance its story? Isn't the fact that Jesus died for a sinner such as yourself sufficient? My testimony would be that Christ saved me from my lost and hell-bound condition! He took an old torn and battered shirt, cleaned it and ironed the whole thing. He took the old beat up version of dress shoes that I had played in the miry pits of sin with and washed them clean and gave them the best shine in the world! The whole shoe too! PEOPLE ARE WATCHING YOU, MAKE SURE YOUR TESTIMONY IS TRUE!

The Cost of Living is Going Up

1 Thessalonians 4:17
Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

From gas prices to the price of a cantaloupe, it's getting harder and harder to pay for it all. Our cost of living has skyrocketed over the years. Don't you just love listening to people talk about when gas was .15 a gallon? It makes me think of Gomer standing at the gas station telling them that its a nickel for every ding. "We sell gas for a nickel a ding, but water and air are free" he would say. Well if he were working today he would have to tell you a different cost. Gas is definitely not a nickel and air is $1.00 at some gas stations. Let's not even talk about bottling water and selling it at a higher cost than soda or tea.

It's undeniably true that the cost of living is going up, up, up. But let me share something great with you this morning. The cost of living is going up, but some day so am I! If you as a Christian can't get excited about that then maybe you truly haven't been saved. Yes this old world will grow more sinful and grotesque by the minutes, but we are headed to a land that is better.

I love the lyrics to this old song...

1. There’s a land beyond the river,
   That we call the sweet forever,
   And we only reach that shore by faith’s decree;
   One by one we’ll gain the portals,
   There to dwell with the immortals,
   When they ring the golden bells for you and me.
2. 
   
3. Don’t you hear the bells now ringing?
4. Don’t you hear the angels singing?
5. ’Tis the glory hallelujah Jubilee.
6. In that far-off sweet forever,
7. Just beyond the shining river,
8. When they ring the golden bells for you and me.

As the Cost of Living continues to rise always remember Christian, someday we will rise far above it all!

Did You Lose Your Wallet?

2 Thessalonians 2:15
Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle.

I can remember getting my driver's licence when I turned sixteen. I had never carried a wallet around very much until this day. Oh, I had wallets in my time, but I always lost them. I could never seem to keep up with them because I was not used to having a wallet in my pocket. Most of the time I would put my money and licence in my front pocket because I knew that there was a potential losing my wallet.

You know it could have been because I never really had anything in those wallets as a kid. Mom would always put a dollar in there, but if there was ever any money in my wallet it didn't take me long to spend it. (right now my wife and parents are somewhere reading this shaking their heads yes) But when I received my driver's licence things seemed to change. Then as I grew older I got a checking account and a debit card was inserted into my wallet. More reason to not lose it. After I graduated high school I began to carry around my social security card. These were all valuable things placed in my wallet, but the ones that took priority in those days to be most prized possessions was my fishing licence and a picture of my girlfriend. If I lost my wallet I would lose all the valuable things that was inside. I had slowly placed things of importance into this wallet to where it became a valued possession to me.

God tells us this morning to "stand fast, and hold" onto the truths that we have been taught. When so many today are turning back on what the truth is, or what they have held so long as the truth, it's almost like we have lost or wallets with all of its contents. We can't drive because we have no licence. We can't vote because we have no identification. One of the biggest problems, we can't fish because we lost our licence in our wallets. Another great tragedy is that we can't prove that we have a girlfriend because we lost the picture of her and the love comments that were written on the back.

Can I encourage you today to stand fast! Hold on the the Word of God that you have been taught. Slowly over the years God has placed important doctrine and foundational truths into you through the Bible. No matter if anyone wants to hear it, believe it, or people decide not to stand fast in it... You hold on to your Bible as if it was your wallet because the truths in it are much more valuable than any old fishing licence.

Only You Can Prevent Forest Fires

Proverbs 29:22
An angry man stirreth up strife,
and a furious man aboundeth in transgression.

At first it seems necessary and common, but then it can't get out of control and do much damage. All you need is a spark and a little wind. You could have a multi-billion dollar catastrophe on your hands. Some of the worst fires started as someone who threw a small cigarette or match out of the car window.

Anger can consume you like a fire and not just any fire, one that will destroy homes and lives if possible. Anger in our lives is a continual stirring. Stir, stir, stir... The whole time we grit our teeth and finally become a wild raging fire of anger. Eventually it becomes so hot and overwhelming that we move from a one alarm fire to a three alarm fire. The flames of anger are raging in our hearts.

Then we become the furious man that scripture speaks of. It says we then begin to abound in transgression. It is just moments away after the spark. More and more it will grow, hotter and hotter, higher and higher!

What can we do about it? I can't help it when I get mad Steve! You're right. I can't either. There are things that happen to me daily that get my blood to boiling or my fires sparked. How do we handle it? We responded instead of reacting. We pray instead of pouncing. I remember one slogan in my life... It came from a big bear. He said, "Only you can prevent forest fires."  He taught us to soak it with water, then to stir it with a stick and then soak it again. What if you were to saturate your anger with the Holy Spirit? What if you stirred it with the Word of God? Then lastly soaked and bathed it in prayer? It's up to you... Cause only you can prevent anger fires.

A Bad Connection

1 Peter 3:7
Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.

Don't you hate it when you are trying to talk on the cell phone and you are fully into a story when all of the sudden...click? Or worse than that, what about when you are listening and it sounds like the person who is talking is underwater? A bad connection or bad cell signal is the problem. It could be the mountains that are blocking the signal or just the fact that there aren't any cell towers near by. It really could be a host of things that are causing you not to carry on with your gossip, sorry I mean conversation.

The scriptures tell us this morning that in that same manner our prayers can be hindered. First of all the number one thing that will hinder our prayers is sin. The Bible tells us in other areas that if we hold sin in our heart that the Lord will not hear us. It also says that blessed is the man who confesses his sins and not covers them. If we aren't willing to seek and ask for forgiveness in our prayers to God then why would there be any need for continuing in prayer?

But look at what the scripture this morning points out. If we aren't right with our spouse our prayers will be hindered. What? You mean that our prayers are not getting through to God if we are at division with our spouses? Yep! Just as well as with your brother or sister also. Jesus once told them about a man who brought his gift (prayers, offering) unto the Lord and had ought or division with his brother. What did Jesus say? Leave your gift, go and reconcile with your brother and then come back and offer your gift.

Could it be that your prayers have been reduced to "moments of silence" in more ways than you know? How can we pray and talk to God who we have never seen and be at war with our brother, sister, or spouse that we have and do see? It could be that you have a bad connection. Seek every way possible today to get the line fixed. It starts with confession and always leads to forgiveness.

"Not Even God Himself Can Sink This Ship"

Obadiah 1:3
The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee, thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, whose habitation is high; that saith in his heart, Who shall bring me down to the ground?

On the night that the Titanic was to make its voyage a woman named Mrs. Albert Caldwell overheard a worker on the ship say to a passenger, "Not even God himself can sink this ship". Wow, what a bold and pride-filled statement!

Pride makes someone think that they stand on their own. It is the sin of all sins. It is the very sin that brought Satan to Hell as well as many others who have chosen to follow its guide. Pride is believing that you are the answer within instead of seeking an answer of truth without. Look at what God says about pride. He tells them, through the prophet Obadiah, that the pride of their heart has deceived them. The people of Edom were filled with evil pride. They thought that because of their location, numbers and long running history that they would never fall victim to defeat. Their pride was flowing through every person living among them. "No one can defeat us!" is their chant. "Who shall bring me down to the ground?" were their claims.

The people of Edom were descendants of Esau. They lived among the desert caves in Petra. The people of Edom carved out homes and temples in the sandstone mountains and dwelt high above the valley. They thought much of their position and claimed that they would never be destroyed or brought to the valley low. The Medes, Persians and Greeks had all came and gone, but they were still here. No one could sink us! But God told Obadiah to let them know that humility was coming their way. He said make sure they understand that the pride of their heart is deceiving them.

The claim of the Titanic worker was literally drowned out by the cries of those in the water freezing to death. I'm concerned that America has gotten to this point as well. Our claims of victory and stance as a Nation are filled with pride. Not the pride in being honorable or working with pride in your work, but claiming to stand without the Grace of Our God. Not remembering that we are blessed because we serve the only God. Lord help us to remember today that we stand as a Nation because you hung on a cross.

Are You Prepared?

Ezra 7:10
For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the Lord, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and judgments.

Do you have some of those friends that are prepared for everything? I do. Once my friend went fishing with me and my dad. Evidently he saw the weather report that we didn't. We knew that it was going to be cold. Not just your average cold, it was 27 degrees that day. One thing we didn't know was that there was a chance of rain.

We all met together at my house and planned on leaving from there. When my friend pulled up I remember him carrying this huge bag with him. I never asked what was in it, but I knew he always pretty much carried everything with him. Just in case an earthquake, chemical warfare or any end of the world scenario. We pulled up to the boat launch and began to put the boat in the water and I noticed my friend gearing up. He put on a Gortex rainsuit. He was covered from top to bottom. I thought at the time that it was a bit of overkill. I mean, I had my raincoat on cause it was sprinkling but I didn't have the full suit.

As we headed north to our crappie hole the bottom fell out of the sky. I mean it was raining hard! I looked over as we were riding and saw two things. First I saw my dad who was only wearing a raincoat and his blue jeans which were becoming darker and darker. Then I looked at my friend in his armored suit with a smile of "what's wrong guys?" on his face.

What about Ezra this morning? The scripture says he prepared his heart to seek the law of the Lord. He was prepared in his walk with God. Way too many Christians are ill-equipped today. We know that the rain is coming but we seem to not think enough of it to be prepared. Look at how Ezra was prepared. He sought after God's Word. He not only sought it out, but he did it! What if my friend would have just carried his bag with him and never put on his rainsuit? He would have been soaked to the bone like my dad. Then last of all, he taught the Word of God to others.

No joke, my dad almost froze that day. Remember it was 27 degrees for the high and he was soaked. He still fished that day and we caught a lot of crappie, but it was miserable for him. You're life doesn't have to be miserable as a Christian. Are you prepared for this day?  God's Word - Read it, Live it and Share it!