Wild Ride

Do you like roller coasters? They’re quite a thrill. Especially the newer ones.

The Volcano was the last one I rode. First I was buckled in and held in place by a safety bar. My feet dangled in the air. Then the ride gained speed and shot us straight up out of a volcano-like opening. It was quite a thrill but the ride was over in less than a minute.

Lately it’s been a roller coaster ride if you have money in the stock market. Only it isn’t over yet—it’s like a wild ride that won’t stop!

Once I had a boss who had a lot of investments. Every day he studied the stock reports in the newspaper. If the market was up, he was happy. If it was down he was depressed.

That’s the way it is if your greatest hope is in riches. It makes you happy and sad.

“Now hold on just a minute,” you may say. “What’s wrong with having more money?”

Having money isn’t the problem. It’s whether or not your money has you.

Money is not moral or immoral in itself. God doesn’t condemn money but encourages us to use it wisely. Although some think the Bible says that money is the root of evil, that’s not true.

What the Bible says is that “The LOVE of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.”

It’s as if money becomes a counterfeit god demanding our complete devotion. Someone once observed that money is a wonderful servant but it makes a terrible taskmaster. And when you become its slave it ruins your life.

So what should we do? A person would have a difficult time living in this world without money–right?

Part of becoming a follower of Christ is learning to see the world from God’s perspective. One does that through reading the Bible. Not to learn its history but to learn its lessons.

For example, many see their job, their hard work or their investments as the source of wealth. However, in one of the most amazing verses in the Bible it says, “But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth.”

Understanding that simple truth changes everything. A job, hard work and investments are still important. But the most important factor in life is God’s favor. It is he that gives us our mind, our strength and our health to go to work or manage our investments.

People that understand this are grateful. People that don’t become proud.

So God warns us: “Command those that are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds and to be generous and willing to share.”

The hand that grasps its possessions is not open to receive God’s blessings. But the hand that is open and shares freely is also open to be blessed.

Jesus told us not to worry about tomorrow but to let tomorrow worry about itself. That’s why he taught us to pray, “Our Father in heaven…give us this day our daily bread.” “Daily bread” means enough for today. And if you have enough to share, you are double blessed!

Do you like a wild ride? There’s one better than a roller coaster or the stock market. The most exciting ride in the world is to live every day on the edge of your faith, trusting God to supply your needs. When you do, you’ll never be disappointed.

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

Promise Power

How are you at keeping promises? A promise is only as reliable as the person that makes it. And let’s face it–some are more reliable than others.

Children believe if a parent promises them something, they MUST keep it. How often did you say to your parents, “But you PROMISED”? Now, if you’re a parent, your children say it to you.

Smart parents always leave themselves some ‘wiggle room.’ Instead of saying, “We’ll go for ice cream later” they say, “If you behave, we’ll go for ice cream later.”

Eventually we learn that some people break their promises. For instance, politicians will promise anything to get elected. Young men in love will often promise anything to win a girl’s heart. And once they get what they want, many conveniently ‘forget’ their promises.

Other people are known for keeping their promises. Even if it hurts them.

Which of those are you? Are you a promise keeper or a promise breaker?

“Now hold it, just a minute,” you may say. What’s the big deal over promises?”

Just this: The breakdown of keeping promises in a culture is directly related to that culture’s disintegration. According to a study in the Journal of Business Ethics, promise keeping is one of the ten universal moral rules of any society. We are only as good as our word.

Today up to half of all adults that get married and promise, “Till death us do part” don’t really mean it. What they should say is, “Till divorce us do part.”

Now I’m not saying that anyone should stay in an abusive or dangerous relationship. What I am saying is that we should think long and hard before we break a promise.

There was a day, not too long ago, when a handshake and a promise was all that was necessary for a business deal. Today it takes written contracts, lawyers and threats of lawsuits to keep some people honest!

“But,” you may protest, “circumstances I have no control over sometimes change and make it impossible to keep the promise.”

Perhaps. But my guess is that, more often than not, it was more inconvenient than impossible.

Others have good intentions but no follow through. You may have had a loved one or close friend promise, “I’ll never leave you.” Or they said, “I’ll love you forever.” But something happened or they met someone else and broke their word.

As someone once said, “The only think predictable about people is their unpredictability!” But there is one person that will always keep his promise, no matter what. That one is God.

You can take God at his word. He promises his children, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” And you can take that to the bank. Why? Because God not only knows all the circumstances that will come, he is in control of them, as well.

Christians no longer fear death because Jesus promised to prepare a place for them in heaven. Then he said, “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.” And when he rose from the dead, he proved he could do it.

Perhaps you made a promise to God when you were younger. A promise to live for him. To follow Jesus and obey him. But since then you broke your promise. Is all lost?

Not at all. The Bible reminds us that God is patient. He is waiting for you to return to him. God says, “Return to me and I will return to you.” What a powerful promise!

Now it’s your turn. Swallow your pride, ‘Man up’ and return to God. I know you can do it.

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

Debt Solution

What can you do if you owe more than you can pay? That’s the situation facing many today, including some cities, states and the federal government. And there’s no easy solution.

Meanwhile, another monstrous debt crisis has been largely ignored while politicians wrangle over our country’s financial woes. Sadly, every one of us is in debt over our heads. We owe much more than we can ever repay. And I’m not talking about our share of the national debt.

It’s even worse than that!

“Now hold on just a minute,” you may say. “What could be worse than every taxpayer owing more than $130,000 of the $14.5 trillion national debt?”

Good question. And here’s the answer: According to the Bible, every man, woman and child is indebted to God because of sin. It’s a debt so large we can never repay it.

The word ‘sin’ makes many think of breaking one of the Ten Commandments. But it also would include breaking the two ‘Great’ commandments Jesus gave.

Jesus said the two greatest commandments are, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” and “Love your neighbor as yourself.” And he said those two commandments summarize the entire Law of God.

Wow. Which one of us hasn’t failed to keep those commandments? We’re all in trouble. Especially when you consider that it’s not just the act of breaking a commandment that makes us guilty but also the attitude of rebellion against God that says, “Nobody’s telling me what to do!”

Since the Bible warns us “whoever stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it” and “the wages of sin is death,” we are in deep trouble. We’re all lawbreakers deserving death.

Many think that after we die, God will weigh our good deeds against our bad. If the good outweighs the bad then God should let us into heaven. But the Bible paints a bleaker picture.

The Bible says even our good works are filthy rags in God’s sight. No one is good enough.

Someone will say, “Well God loves us so he will just forgive our sin.” But to forgive us requires God to absorb our debt. Just like a lender that forgives a debt must absorb the loss.

For God to absorb our debt of sin, he had to pay the penalty of death himself. That’s why God became the man, Jesus, who died on the cross for our sin. But for it to be effective, Jesus had to be sinless so he could die in our place and not for his own sin. And that’s just what happened.

Do you see the amazing greatness of God’s plan? Through Christ’s death on the cross, God took on himself the payment for our debt of sin. And now he is able to offer forgiveness to all.

The Bible says, “God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross.” So, in Christ, our debt of sin is cancelled.

In the original language of the Bible, ‘written code’ translates a word that means a certificate of indebtedness in the debtor’s own handwriting. That represents the Law of God under which everyone is a debtor to him. This means the IOU each of us owes God for our sin is forgiven!

But to receive the forgiveness God offers we must ask for it by faith. It’s not automatic. You must talk to God in prayer and say, “Father, please accept me. Not for the good works I have done, but because of what Jesus Christ did for me on the cross.”

According to the Bible, when you do that, you become God’s child and your debt of sin is ‘Paid in Full’—forgiven once and for all. It is God’s eternal debt solution. And it’s free to all!

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

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 21^ST 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!

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!

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!

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 fiancé 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!