My Best Possession

Proverbs 16:8

Better is a little with righteousness

than great revenues without right.

A movie called "Far and Away" had a line in it that says, "Without land a man is nothing". When I heard that phrase it really sums up the way many American people feel.  The thought of possessions making people who they are is very present in society. The theory is... You must have houses, cars and an image to be something. This is why people live in shacks but drive a Mercedes. Some can't afford the power bill but have a satellite receiver on the side of the house. Priorities are so messed up nowadays. 

While the "position of possessions" is at an all time high, the priority for holiness is at it's all time low. While we want the latest and greatest thing, we daily sacrifice our respect for God and His Word. While we uphold our image to society we trash our testimony of Christ regularly. 

The scripture this morning teaches us that it is better to have little with righteousness than to have it all in sin. Years ago I bought an old soulful gospel tape. It had a group on there called, "Mighty Clouds of Joy". They sang a song called, "I Got One Thing You Can't Take Away". Oh my goodness!  When I heard this song I began to shout. The words of this song lead to a recitation. In it he told a story of a woman being evicted from her home. While they were placing her things outside the home she was holding on to a picture of Jesus. She was saying, "I got Jesus and you can't take Him away". 

Do you think you are who you are because you have things?  Do you think you are a man because of land? Or because you have cars, boats or possessions? The Word of God says, "No". It's better to have Christ than possessions. When you have Christ you will realize that all those other things are of no glory. Thank you Lord for showing us this morning what's better.

Listen if you would like... http://youtu.be/ddCJUpOs_0w

Where Is That Stinking Light Switch?

1 John 2:9-11
He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now. He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him. But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes.

The other night I was preparing for bed. You know the drill... Praying together as a family, going through the house turning off the lights, getting that last drink of water and that's when I saw it. I had left the flood lights on the corner of my house on. So I had to go outside on the porch and turn them off. Instead of turning on the kitchen light I convinced myself to just go and do it. I had been on the back porch a million times and I often go through the house in the dark at night. So I stepped onto the back porch, bare foot and all. One thing that I had forgotten about was that earlier in the day we cleaned up a little and moved some things around a bit. One of those things was a weight bench. Maybe we moved it two or three inches at the most. But no matter how much it was it was definitely enough to cause damage. I came around to find that light switch and BAM! My three littlest toes on my right foot felt like they fell off and were rolling around on the porch.

I didn't give this lesson much thought until this scripture came up in my studies. The Bible tells us that when we hate or build a wall of hatred toward another person that it is like stumbling in the darkness. We think we know the way, we think we know best, but the truth is that pain is just one more step away. Think about this...countless times I have been on that back porch in the dark. Making my way with ease through the obstacles that were on it. But this one time proved that I needed the kitchen light.

You may have lived with anger, bitterness or even hatred and have been able to stumble your way through the darkness. Eventually it will bring pain. This scripture tells us that we can't say we hate our brother and be in the light. But if we love others then "there is none occasion of stumbling in him." Isn't it funny that when we are in the dark we try to open our eyes wider thinking that this will help us see? Why not just turn on the light?

Untie That Donkey!

Luke 19:30-31
Saying, Go ye into the village over against you; in the which at your entering ye shall find a colt tied, whereon yet never man sat: loose him, and bring him hither. And if any man ask you, Why do ye loose him? thus shall ye say unto him, Because the Lord hath need of him.

No man had ever sat on this donkey. There is no telling what it would do right?  But Jesus needed it. Look at what He told those disciples again. He told them that they would find a colt tied up that no man ever sat on. Here is my favorite part... "Loose him". Jesus said when you see him tied up, untie him. I know you're thinking that it's just a donkey, but I see so much more. I see myself (no jokes needed here). I see a man bound up in his sins that no one had ever loosed before.

Did you know that we all were bound up in our sins? Just like Lazarus bound up in grave clothes, we were bound up with sins. The stench of death and rottenness was always in the air. The noose around our neck like the one holding the donkey in its place. Satan never wanting us to go anywhere. Never wanting us to be free. But Jesus! Jesus told them to untie him. Why?

Look at the last part... "And if any man ask you, Why do ye loose him? thus shall ye say unto him, BECAUSE THE LORD HATH NEED OF HIM." Come on now that should call for some kind of shout! I know that God doesn't need me in order to be God. He doesn't need me to add anything unto Him or His mission of love. Some of you would be sad to find out that God doesn't actually need you, but you would miss the whole message. Jesus could have walked into town that day without this donkey. He could have left it tied up never to be saddled with clothes of the disciples. But because of His love and His desire for its use, He sent the disciples to get it.

Because of God's love and His desire for your usefulness, He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die for you. He untied the chains of sin that were holding you down. He clothed you with His righteousness and uses you for His work. Not because He has to, but because He WANTS TO! Hallelujah! Untie that donkey!

Rub Some Dirt On It

Ephesians 6:10
Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.

"Get up and rub some dirt on it... Come on, toughen up". Have you ever heard some of those phrases before? Don't get me wrong today there are times in our lives that we need to toughen up. Don't you just love going to the doctor and they say, "This may sting a little"? Yeah right, it feels like your trying to push the thickest molasses through that syringe into my body. But we grit our teeth and toughen up.

Well this morning you may have something difficult that is before you. You are trying to be so strong and tough enough to get through it. You put on the smile. You lace up your shoes and tie them tight. Take that deep breath... and then fall to pieces. You keep telling yourself, "Don't cry, be tough, people need me to be strong". Who is going to be strong for you?

Sometimes, and in some things, we can't rely on our own strength alone. We need the strength of the Lord. The scripture today says, "Finally, my brethren, be strong IN THE LORD, and in the power of HIS might." Being strong in the Lord could mean that you are at your weakest in yourself. God's Word says that His strength is made perfect in weakness. Don't pretend that you have it all together today. Before you leave the house find the time to tell the Lord that you need His strength. Share with Him your heart and talk to Him as if He were your counselor, because He is.

Looking at the Stars

Philippians 2:14-15

Do all things without murmurings and disputings: That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;

Have you ever laid on your back during a summer night and looked at all the stars in the sky?  It seems so peaceful doesn't it?  Once while my wife and I were looking up at the stars I said, "I would love to see a shooting star". Then all of the sudden a streak, that seemed like it was close enough to touch, came shooting across the sky. It was so close and bright that it scared my wife. She thought it was lightening or a plane falling from the sky. It lit up the whole yard. 

I know that not very many people are morning risers but I am. I love getting up early to go on a fishing trip before the sun ever rises. I also enjoy getting up and running on a summer morning before the sun rises. Yesterday I finished a run and was walking it down when I looked up and saw those bright stars. I found a place to sit and talk to The Lord for a moment. Looking up at the handiwork of God while talking to Him is one of the greatest privilege we have. He has given us access to His presence through prayer and painted a beautiful picture of His ability in the sky. At about 5:30 you could look across the horizon and just see the yellow light coming up. The light from the rising sun was slowly becoming brighter and brighter.

This really stirred in my heart. God tells us that we are bright lights of His Gospel. We are reflectors of His love. So we should live in such a way that would honor Him and be blameless before all men. In the midst of a crooked and darkened world, we are lights. It reminded me of those stars on a blanket of darkness. Although it is dark, you can really see the stars shine out. But then they began to disappear because of the rising sun. You see, someday all of the brightness that I can show in a dark world will be nothing compared to the coming of the Son. Just like all those stars disappearing because the brightness of the sun, we are to shine until the Son rises in their hearts. When he comes in, they will see Him!  When He comes back they will see Him! 

Lord help me today and everyday to be the brightest I may be for the Gospel. While this world is dark, let me be your light. Keep shining until the Son appears!

Be Careful What You Ask For

James 4:3
Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.

Have you ever thought that you could be praying the wrong way? It could be that you are praying for the wrong thing or really don't know what you're asking for.  Just the other day I was in a school bus class and someone asked a question about technology. Their question seemed to be a great idea and had good intentions. The question was addressing the overbooking of the classes and if the trainer thought that it would ever just go to being an online class that we could do from home. No one in that room thought it to be a bad idea until the instructor made his case.

He said, "Be careful what you ask for. Sometimes we want a quick technological fix but often forget that it will take away from jobs. We don't realize that if all things go to the internet then instructors loose their jobs. Then it's only a matter of time before our school systems can go to this same system. Which means a need for only a handful of teachers, and no more bus drivers." This man's question had the potential of being his loss of job and retirement.

What our instructor was saying was that we need to be very careful what we ask for. It has the potential of being our own destruction. When our prayer life is consumed with our flesh, and the lusts thereof, then we have nothing. We ask amiss, we ask for the wrong reasons. Be careful what you ask for, it may not be what you really want.

Striking Another Match

2 Corinthians 3:3

Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.

I'll never forget when I first learned to drive. My dad beat the floor with his foot so hard that people probably thought we had 15" woofers in the car. One day he stopped me by pulling the emergency brake up and began to tell me that I was definitely going to run into someone or something backwards someday. He opened his Bible to the front cover, you know the blank page on the inside of the Bible?  He then proceeded to write, in his best phonetical English... "Steve will run into something backin' up". (If I'm not mistaken he still has the Bible)  I'll never forget the final words as he pointed to the writing, "You can bank on it, I wrote it down". 

Things written on paper have a tendency to fade or wither away but not things in stone. A friend of mine, Evangelist Junior Hill, once told a story of a woman who's husband died. She went to purchase a tombstone and was asked what to place on it. She asked him to make it read, "The light of my life has now gone out."  Well months later she returned to the salesman and asked if it could be changed. The salesman said, "No ma'am. That's written in stone. You can't change things written in stone."  So she replied, "Where it says, "The light of my life has gone out... Change the period into a comma and add these words... But I have struck another match."  

Looking at today's scripture we see that what God has given unto us, He has wrote upon our hearts. Thank you Lord that your Word never changes. Thank you that your Word needs no additions or revisions. Thank you Lord that you have spoken to our hearts. When we think of the Holy Word of God being applied to the fleshly hearts it sure does make a lot of sense to hide it in our hearts so that we may not sin against God. 

Maybe you would like to add commas or phrases to what God has already told you in His word. You would be wrong in doing this. The Light of God's Word is sufficient and accurate. You don't need a PHD to understand it, only the Holy Spirit of God. Allow His Word to flood your heart today. 

Ooooohhhhh, and I may back up into something today, but so far... Still good.