The root of foul language.

Luke 6:45  A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasure of an evil heart.  What you say flows from what is in your heart.

Over the past few weeks it has been brought to my attention that one of my children has been using profanity at school.  The excuse that was give to me was that no where in the Bible does it say the we shouldn't "cuss".  So the other night my wife and I sat down with my child and discussed in great length where in the Bible it talks about using foul language.  I then had the child write down the verses and have now posted them all around the house for my whole family to learn and ponder.  This verse is the one that is posted on our computer. 

This verse also reminds me that no matter how bad the day gets, or how bad I disagree with someone, I can always have something good to say if I have good stored in my heart.  My prayer is that I continue to fill my heart with good and not evil.  I only want to be a light to those around me. 

A Repentant heart

Psalm 51:17 The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit.  You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God.

I remember, when I was a child, I would get into trouble.  When that would happen I would try to do whatever I could to get back into my parent's good graces.  I would make my parent's bed, or wash the dishes, or vacuum the living room, all in hopes that my mother or dad would not be mad at me anymore.  All they really wanted was for me to be genuinely repentant for what I had done.

This is the way it is with God as well.  God doesn't want our sacrifices.  He doesn't want us to do a bunch of works in hopes that we will be accepted by Him.  He wants us to have broken heart.  God wants us to be TRULY repentant.  Repentance is not just a figure of speech.  It means to turn from our sin.  That is what God wants.  He wants us to turn from our sin and to never go back to it.  Choose today to confess your sin, repent and turn from it.

God is still on the Throne

Psalm 45:6-7  Your throne, O God endures forever and ever.  You rule with a scepter of justice.  You love justice and hate evil.  Therefore God, your God has anointed you, pouring out the oil of joy on you more than on anyone else.

Sometimes I wonder how much longer God will allow the depravity of this world to continue.  I wonder if He is aware of what is going on.  We see children being disobedient to their parents.  We see parents disobeying the laws of the land.  We see Governments changing laws to appease the few.  We see infidelity, homosexuality, sex before marriage, lying, stealing, murdering, and every other depravity known to man.  It just makes me wonder how much longer God's patience will continue. 

Then I am reminded of this verse.  God's reign will continue.  He is still on the throne.  No matter how we feel, God knows the final outcome.  If we go to the end of the Bible, in Revelation, we see that He wins.  Sin may be winning the battles right now, but God will win the war. 

Take Heart, God is Still on the Throne!

Directions

Proverbs 20:24 The Lord directs our steps, so why try to understand everything along the way.

Have you ever put in an address in your GPS and it tells you to go a different way than you thought you should go?  I have a GPS that is a little bit older and the maps haven't been updated in forever.  So when I plug in an address, I will get the general direction that I am supposed to be going, however, I feel that I know what is best and will not always obey the directions that the GPS is telling me to go.  There have been several times that I have done this when I end up having to turn around because I have gotten lost.

So it is in life.  God knows the direction that he wants us to go.  He knows the final destination and may at times reveal that destination to us.  The issue is that we as humans try to plan our route to get to that destination.  When we do that, rather than allowing God to direct our steps we can become confused and lost and then we turn to God to get us out of the mess that we got into. 

A perfect example of this is where my wife and I are right now.  We are feeling led to go into the mission field to serve God.  We are looking at partnering with Saturation Church Planting Internation (SCPI).  We are having to be very careful to allow God to take us to the next step and to not get in front of his direction.  Daily I am having to remind myself that I need to allow God to be in the Driver's Seat and I can sit in the rear passenger seat.  Too often I am trying to tell him where I need to go and how fast he should be going to get me there.  Only God ultimately knows the direction for my life and how fast he wants me to get there.


NOTE:
I would ask you to pray for my God Parent's today and over the next couple of weeks.  Their names are David and Susan Ott and tomorrow they will bury their son David Jr.  David was 22 years old and was a senior in college.  Please lift his whole family up in prayer during this time of sorrow.

The Details.

Leviticus 12:1 The Lord said to Moses, "Give the following instructions to the people of Israel."

It has been years since I read all of the law that God gave to the Israelites.  I am amazed at the detail that God goes into to ensure that the Israelites understood exactly what was wrong.  At times it almost seemed repetitive, however, God wanted to ensure the Israelites understood exactly what would make them unclean.  The interesting thing about this is that there was no way that the Israelites (or any man) could ever keep all the commands that God required. 

God is a Holy God.  He is without sin.  If man sins then they are unclean and are unable to have a relationship with God.  Once man is unclean, they must present a blood sacrifice to God to cover their sin.  God knew that even the blood sacrifice of animals would not cover the sin forever.  So he came down in the form of a man, Christ Jesus, to be the ultimate sacrifice for all mankind.  Because Christ was sacrificed and died for the sins of all mankind, those who repent and believe on him will have everlasting life.

Who is God to you?

Psalm 36:5  Your unfailing love, O Lord, is as vast as the heavens;  your faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds. 

It is a beautiful crisp morning here in Middle Tennessee.  I am sitting in my kitchen facing the back yard.  As I look up I see wispy clouds floating by and the beauty of the sun shining through.  I am reminded just how awesome God is.  God knows every need that we have and also every want that we desire.  He knows the little things that cause us worry and pain.  He knows when we sin and fall short of his glory.  No matter what, God still loves us through it all.  He is the Alpha and Omega.  The beginning and the end.  He is there to see us through it all because he loves us. 

When you read this verse, just as it is, it seems that David is just worshipping God.  If you read it in context, you see that David is pleading with God.  First in verses 1-4 David is speaking about how the sinful devise evil plots and make no attempts to turn away from their ways.  Then in 5-9 David gives glory to God.  He sings praises to his name.  In 10-12 David makes his personal request that God administer justice to those who were oppressing David.  What an example of prayer for us. 

So many times we go to God with our wants and desires immediately.  That is not how we should be praying to Him.  We should be focusing on who he is more than what our needs are.  When we do that we begin to see God for who he is...GOD.  He is not just a Mr Fix It.  Instead he is the Creator of the Universe.  He is the Everlasting.  He is Love. 

What is he to you?

God's Forgiveness

Psalm 32:1-2  Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight!  Yes what joy for those whose record the Lord has cleared of guilt, whose lives are lived in complete honesty.

It is very encouraging to know that the Lord forgives us.  There are many times that I have to approach His throne in complete humility and repent from my sins.  When I come before Him, I must be completely honest with him and tell him what I have done.  When I do that, He forgives me and puts my sin where it is never seen again. 

So many times when we sin and God has forgiven us, Satan will bring our sin back up to our remembrance.  He will try to make us feel guilty again for something that God has already forgiven us for.  This is when we need to remind him what the scriptures say here.  God has already forgiven me and he no longer remembers it anymore.  If God has forgiven me, then I don't need to continue to beat myself up for that sin any longer.

Not only does Satan want to cause me to continue to feel guilty, he is also trying to take my eyes off of my Heavenly Father.  If I am focusing on how bad I am and how bad my sin was, then I am not focusing on how wonderful God is.  I am losing focus on the saving nature of God.  I am losing focus on how merciful He is.  God would rather us come to his throne and ask forgiveness and leave our sin forever so that we can truly worship Him for who he is. It is a joy when I can  focus on the loving nature of God rather than the sinful nature of me.

The Task

Exodus 36:1  "The Lord has gifted Bezalel, Ohiliab, and the other skilled craftsmen with wisdom and ability to perform any task involved in building the sanctuary.  Let them construct and furnish the Tabernacle, just as the Lord has commanded."

Yesterday, in my quiet time, I read this verse in Exodus.  I was reading chapters 36, 37 and 38 of Exodus.  These chapters talk about how these men fashioned the different items for the Tabernacle.  Each item was crafted especially the way that God had directed.  What amazes me is that this is the verse that has been going through my mind for the past day.  The Lord gifted these men with wisdom and abilities to perform the task that he had for them.  I imagine that when the men heard what had to be done, they were probably a little overwhelmed.  The awesome thing about scripture though is that it then described how each task was accomplished.  These men took the large task that they had and broke it down into small tasks.  This allowed them to see progress and they were then able to finish the enormous task that the Lord had set them apart for.

What task is weighing you down?  Do you know that God has set you apart and gifted you for that task?  It can be very overwhelming, but if you look at it in small sub tasks, then before you know it the task will be accomplished and God will be glorified in it. 

Trusting God

Psalm 28:7 The Lord is my strength and shield.  I trust him with all my heart.  He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy.  I burst out in songs of thanksgiving.

How I wish that I could be like David when he sings about how he trusts God with all of his heart.  It is such a struggle most times to trust God with everything.  Sure I am able to trust him with the little things, but when it comes to things like funding a mission trip, or dealing with family problems it seems like it is so much harder.  I get so frustrated and then I start to rely on my own understanding rather than falling at the feet of the Lord and asking for help.  God wants to help.  He wants to prove just how big he really is.  So many times I don't allow Him to show me because I step in and try to take control of it.  Then I really mess it all up.  I wonder when I will be willing to really trust God with all of my heart. 

Memories

1 Corinthians 1:31 Therefore, as the Scriptures say, "If you want to boast, boast only about the Lord."

Yesterday was a hard day for me.  I got to make a trip down memory lane and go back to my last unit, for probably the last time, to receive my end of tour award.  I took my family with me and recounted some of the memories that I had from my travels back and forth to Fort Campbell.  For those of you who didn't know, I drove an hour and 45 minutes one way to work every day for almost a year and a half.  With that being said, let me boast about how good our Lord truly is.

When I purchased my Smart Car, it had 25,000 miles on it.  In a year and a half, I put 60,000 miles on it.  For the first year of my travels I drove by myself everyday back and forth.  Then God allowed me to meet another Soldier who lived two minutes from me and who commuted back and forth to Fort Campbell.  We then started carpooling together for the last 8 months. During my times on the road, I saw where there had been many accidents, however, God in his grace and mercy protected me from getting in any accidents.  In June of this year I paid to get new tires put on my car.  When I did, I got a lifetime warranty on the tires.  In October, I hit a piece of wood and made it all the way to work before my tires went flat.  Thankfully, when I got the tires replaced it only cost $37.00.  God's timing is perfect. 

 When I got to Fort Campbell yesterday, a flood of emotions hit me.  I saw myself still in uniform.  I saw familiar faces and new faces.  The thing that hit me the most was just the emotion of knowing that these were my brothers and sisters in arms that were preparing to go back into harms way.  The 101st Airborne Division is always preparing for the next conflict or peacekeeping mission.  They call it their "Next Rendezvous with Destiny."  When I was giving my farewell speech, I got choked up thinking of them leaving without me.  I have to remember though, that I have a "Rendezvous"  with a plan that God has laid for my life.  He has been training me for this day for a long time and soon the time will come when my wife and I will be moving forward towards that "Rendezvous."  Until that time, I will continue to train and prepare as any good Soldier must do. 

Mentors

Psalm 16:3 The godly people in the land are my true heroes! I take pleasure in them!

Over the past 20 years I have spent a lot of time trying to surround myself with heroes.  These heroes were Godly men and women who spent their life living what they believed.  I spent lots of time at church trying to glean all that I could from them .  The one thing that I felt that I lacked though was a mentor.  Now I have had other mentors in my past.  There are those who mentored me while I was in the military.  There are those who mentored me when I was much younger.  I remember specifically someone who I truly respect and love even to this day.  His name is Johnny Lawler.  He was the hero who helped lead me to the cross of Calvary.

As I proceed down this path that I call life, I have seen that I want and need someone who has been where I stand.  I need someone that is further along in his journey.  I am thankful to have hopefully found that man.  He is a missionary and has been one for over 35 years.  He is a very Godly man and has the ultimate calling to reach every man, woman, and child with the Gospel of Christ.  I am very thankful that I have been blessed to call Gary Bowman my mentor and friend. 

I write all of this, not to specifically talk about my mentor, but to encourage you to find someone who you can trust and who is further along in their journey to be mentored by.  They can help give you advise when you need it or they can help pray for you in times of need.  Either way, find a godly man (if you are a man) or woman (if you are a woman) and allow them to influence your life for the cause of Christ.

Who is your God?

Exodus 20:3 "You must not have any other god but me."

Many of us learned the Ten Commandments when we were children.  I remember having it posted in our house for a while for us to learn and try to understand.  Our country was founded on the principles founded in the Ten Commandments.  Most courts have the Ten Commandments displayed somewhere prominently because the American Judicial System was based on the Ten Commandments. As the years have progressed, it seems that the Ten Commandments have been put by the wayside.  In our country today people don't want to acknowledge that there is a God.  Instead they look to themselves to be their god.  Everything that is said and done ultimately has a an underlying result of how it will affect them. 

When I look at the Ten Commandments, I have to look at the first verse.  Everything else in the commandments is derived from the first verse.  If we place God first in our life and honor him with everything that we do, then all of the other rules will be followed without any problem.  It is when we place something higher than God that our lives end up in turmoil. 

I was speaking to my son the other day regarding him working out.  He is so energized by being able to be physically fit. He keeps telling me that his goal is to get a six pack.    He wants to look good.  We discussed that it was okay to want to look good, however, he needed to be careful to not go to the extreme.  When he begins to focus on his body and how he looks more than he focuses on God and what God wants then that becomes an issue.  I encouraged him to focus on his physical appearance, but to focus more on his spiritual walk with his heavenly father.

What do you have that is above God?  Is it your work?  What about your family?  How about yourself?  We must be careful to not place our self higher than God. 

Lord, Keep me humble so that I may always know that you are God and I am not.

Praise from the Grave

Psalms 6:4-5  Return, O Lord, and rescue me.  Save me because of your unfailing love.  For the dead do not remember you.  Who can praise you from the grave?

The Psalmist David has such a way with words.  In the 6th chapter of Psalms, David is praying for mercy.  He sees himself as a sinner and because of that God's anger is upon him.  In verse 4 we see David pleading for God to return and rescue him.  Not only does David ask God to rescue him, but he appeals to God because of God's love.  All of this leads up to verse five.  In verse five, David makes it real.  He tells God, "The dead don't remember who you are...they won't praise you from the grave."  In other words, If there is no way for redemption and forgiveness, then all maen will not have a way to worship past the grave. 

We worship an awesome God.  He does love us very much.  He cannot stand it when we sin though.  That sin automatically signs our death warrant.  But because God loved us, he made a way for us to have a relationship with him.  He came down in the form of a man and paid the ultimate price for my sins.  He died to rescue me and you. The climax to that event though was not the death of Christ Jesus (God in Man)  but it was the resurrection of Christ.  It proved that God has power over death.  Those who repent and believe in the death and resurrection of Jesus will be set free from the bondage of death.   Therefore God has made a way for us to continue to live once our earthly bodies are put in the grave.