Monday, July 25, 2011

Family Blessings

Last year we were blessed to have our four children and six grandchildren in town at the same time for a week. That may not sound like something worth celebrating to you but it was for us!

With one daughter’s family in the Midwest and another daughter’s family in Hawaii, it’s a rare treat for us to spend time together with them. But that’s family life in the 21ST Century!

It’s surprising to me how many families I’ve spoken to that now use video conferencing to keep in touch with their children and grandchildren. Technology can be a real blessing.

In ancient times, to live long enough to see one’s grandchildren was considered a great blessing. But with today’s longer life spans it’s something most modern parents will experience.

Someone once said, “Grandchildren are the reward you get for not strangling your teenagers when you felt like it!” And what a grand reward grandchildren are.

I have a friend who said that the two most wonderful sights in the world are the headlights of the car arriving with his grandchildren and the taillights of the car leaving with them a few days later! Individually they are a delight, but get them all together and they can wear you out!

Soon our family expects to welcome the special blessing of an eighth grandchild!

But there’s someone who will never have grandchildren, even though he has children: God. God never has and never will have grandchildren. He only has children.

Well, hold on just a minute! Someone might say, “My parents (or grandparents) were Christians and took me to church. Doesn’t that make me a Christian, a (grand) child of God?”

No, it does not. The Bible only speaks of “children of God,” not “grandchildren of God.”

The Bible says, “Yet to all who received him [Jesus Christ], to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God--children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.”

Jesus said that to enter the Kingdom of God a person must be “born again.” He described it as a spiritual birth, different from the physical birth we all experience. It comes by faith in Christ.

Later the Apostle Paul used the word “saved” to describe the change of heart Jesus talked about. He said, “If you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

The power to forgive your sin and change your heart, to give you eternal life and make you a child in God’s forever family is not in the words you say but in the God who hears them. He is able to do all that and more.

And, yes, it’s that simple to become a child of God. It’s not a matter of who your parents or grandparents were. It’s not a matter of which church or religion you’re a member. It’s not even a matter of who you are. It’s just a matter of WHOSE you are.

The Bible says that if your faith is in God, through his son, Jesus Christ, then you are his child. But you must individually tell God you want to be his child. That you want Jesus to be in charge of your life as Lord. You must ask Jesus Christ to be your Savior. It’s not automatic.

While I enjoy my children and grandchildren, God’s delight is in each of his children. The Bible says heaven celebrates every time someone is born into God’s family. Jesus said, “I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

Just as we look forward to our new grandchild’s birth in the next few weeks, so God looks forward to your new birth into his family. Come to Christ and trust in him today.

Listen to the Bible; it’s great for your soul!

Monday, July 18, 2011

Eternal Optimist

“Does God give up on some people? Is anyone too bad for God to forgive?” Good questions.

Those are some of the concerns a reader of this column shared with me in a letter recently. How would you answer those questions? What hope could you offer him or her?

Thankfully God is the eternal optimist. He won’t give up on you until you give up on him. And even then he will wait for you to come to him until the day you die. As the Bible says, “He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish but everyone to come to repentance.”

“Now hold on just a minute,” you may say. “The Bible? Why refer to an old book like that?”

Because it is the only book with answers to questions like this--answers that work every time they’re tried. The God of the Bible cares about us too much to play games with our souls.

What if you’ve prayed and asked for forgiveness but don’t feel forgiven?

Feelings of guilt are appropriate when we know we’ve done wrong. But when we come to Christ for forgiveness, the Bible says we are forgiven and our sins have been removed from us as far as the east is from the west. If we still feel guilty it’s because we trust our feelings and don’t yet believe God’s Word when it says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”

The reader also wondered if God really forgives sinners, no matter what they’ve done.

The Bible says we’ve all sinned and broken God’s Law. And the penalty for ‘little sins’ is the same as for big ones. So if God didn’t forgive sinners, then no one could be forgiven. The good news is that forgiveness is offered to all, regardless of what’s been done. Salvation is a free gift.

Since no one meets God’s standard of perfection, God offers forgiveness based on Jesus’ perfect life. So when we trust in him, his righteousness is credited to us. He lived the life we should live. And when he died on the cross, he received the punishment we deserve for our sins.

Reading the Bible can clear up many other questions that people have, as well.

For instance, one person thought Jesus said, “It is harder for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a thief to go to heaven.” But what Jesus actually said is that “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”

This shocked Jesus listeners because they thought riches could get you into heaven. But Jesus said the journey begins with humility and a willingness to trust in God and not in money.

In fact the only sin that will keep you out of the Kingdom of God is continuing unbelief. And even that can be forgiven if you will humble yourself and come to God through Jesus Christ.

It is not the church that saves you or forgives you. It is God who forgives and so he sets the conditions. The Bible says, “If you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

Notice that it doesn’t say, “You MIGHT be saved.” It says, “You WILL be saved.” And the Bible adds, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame.” God will do what he says.

No one is too bad to be saved and no one is good enough to be saved. Since forgiveness from sin and eternal life are gifts from God, both the bad person and the good person are saved from sin the same way: By faith in God’s Word and in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

So the next time you feel like God doesn’t love you—stop and remind yourself that God is the eternal optimist. He is patiently waiting for you to come to him through faith in Jesus Christ. He welcomed the thief on the cross and, dear reader, he will welcome and pardon you.

Listen to the Bible; it’s great for your soul!

Monday, July 11, 2011

Better than Harry

This week Harry Potter is in the spotlight again. On July 15 the final movie opens in U.S. theaters. And while his exploits fascinate many, the greatest story ever told isn’t about Harry.

Now hold on just a minute. I like a good story as much as anyone and, if she’s anything, author J.K. Rowling is a good storyteller. But while Harry’s adventures make good stories--and amazing profits for Rowling--there’s more to life than amusement and money.

If all you want is a feel-good adventure with a disturbing morality, then Harry is your guy. But, as the Romans used to say, “Caveat emptor”--let the buyer beware.

As a fan--or the parent of one, you need to be aware that Harry’s adventures are not based on a Biblical World View. The God of the Bible is strangely absent in Harry’s world. But the devil sure gets his due! As the “god of this world” he’s the power source behind magic and witchcraft.

To listen to the media you might think this Friday is the day Harry Potter saves the summer for theaters. Or that he’s the answer to children’s lack of interest in reading. And maybe he is. But if you need hope for the future or help with a wounded heart, he’s not your guy.

Harry Potter (or J.K. Rowling for that matter) cannot save your soul. And he certainly cannot mend a broken heart, a broken marriage or a broken life. But Jesus can.

The Greatest Story Every Told is about Jesus Christ. In the past 2,000 years, millions of people have discovered he is the real Savior of the world. And his story is not fiction.

Jesus is more than a figment of some author’s vivid imagination. For anyone who cares to investigate, the evidence points to the fact that Jesus is the Son of God. It’s an historical fact that he lived and died as the Bible records and that he said what it reports he said.

Although the Potter phenomena and the number of books it has sold mesmerize the media, the Bible remains the best selling book of all time. Why? One reason is because its message can change lives. Learning to trust in Christ makes an eternal difference for you and your family.

If you’re in business to make a profit, it makes sense to write a successful story and turn it into a cash cow. But if you care about eternity and people’s souls, it makes more sense to point readers toward a book containing the words of life. And that’s my purpose.

There is much more to life than money, power or fame. Jesus once asked, “What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?” That’s worth pondering.

I’m amazed at the adults who are Potter fans. When do they have time to read it? Kids think they have all the time in the world. Adults know they don’t. Why read a book that won’t matter a hundred years from now and not read something that matters for eternity?

Have you read Jesus’ story? Do you know he lived and died to be your personal Savior and friend? Do you understand he came to save you from the sin that will destroy your world? Have your heard he wants to give you a fulfilling life beyond what you can imagine?

If you want an exciting story that’s life changing and WILL matter 100 years from now, pick up a Bible. Turn to the New Testament and read the Gospel of John. Then keep reading.

It’s a story that changed my life and the lives of millions around the world. Many have discovered that Jesus Christ is the only answer to the problems of life and eternity.

Do you need wisdom to deal with life? I do. The Bible says that in Jesus “are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”

The secret to a fulfilling life is not Harry Potter. It’s been Jesus all along. Come to him today.

Listen to the Bible; it’s great for your soul!

Monday, July 4, 2011

God Bless America

Americans enjoy singing “God Bless America.” Politicians like to say it to end speeches. But do you really want God to bless you? Wait--don’t answer until you know what you’re asking for.

I know what you’re probably thinking. “He’s crazy! Of course I want God to bless me!”

Well, hold on just a minute. What if your idea and God’s idea of blessing aren’t the same?

Our idea of “blessings” is usually things. Stuff. You know—money, cars, gadgets, games, houses and vacations in exotic places. But that’s not completely accurate.

Some preachers will even say that God wants to give you things like that. And God may. But he may not. God’s plan is not the same for everyone.

To find out how God may bless you, check your Bible. One reason it records the life stories of so many people is so we can learn from their examples.

Take Mary the mother of Jesus, for instance. Speaking of her the Bible says, “Blessed are you among women.” We would say, “That’s right! She was the mother of Jesus. What a joy!”

Yes, but stop and think for a minute. What did it mean for Mary to be “blessed”?

Mary lived in a small town. Did you ever think about what the gossip was like once she started to show? Most people today have heard of the “virgin birth,” but what would Mary say? How could she explain THAT to her friends? Who would understand or believe her?

Instead she would have been shunned. Her family and friends wouldn’t have understood.

And the talking! The whispering behind her back. The “looks.” On top of that, in her culture the punishment for pregnancy outside of marriage could be quite severe.

In fact the Bible says that her fiancĂ© thought to “divorce her quietly” to avoid public disgrace. And he would have if God hadn’t explained to him in a dream what was happening.

Then Mary was told that her son would “cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against…. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.”

When Jesus began his ministry, Mary no doubt found his words and actions confusing and troubling. She didn’t know what he had come to do. Then he was arrested. And she had to watch him die a horrible death without being able to do a thing to help her son! Imagine her grief.

Yet all of that was a part of God’s blessing in her life. Because through her joy, her pain and her loss, God provided a Savior—not only for her but also for the whole world.

Jesus himself pointed out the unusual nature of God’s blessing. He said, “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven.”

So being blessed by God is not what we expect. That’s because God sees the “big picture.” The Bible says God is able to work all things together “for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

When life doesn’t make sense we have this assurance: If you seek God, love him and obey him then he will bless you. It may not be what you expect. Or it may be better than you expect!

Jesus said, “Everyone who has left houses or brother or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.”

So the next time you hear “God bless America,” think about it. Sacrifice and suffering are sometimes part of the blessing. But God promises to guide, provide for and never leave his children alone. All of that and Heaven, too! Now that’s being blessed.

Listen to the Bible; it’s great for your soul!

Lake Side Church of the Brethren

http://www.lakesidecob.org/

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