This video will really make you think about your life in Christ. Hope it touches you as it has me today.

James

Don't Waste Your Life!

Are you living well? Are you living for what matters most? I have seen all kinds of people as a minister of the Gospel and it is a real tragedy is when I encounter someone who is obviously wasting their precious time on earth. What could people say about the way you are spending your time on earth? What kind of legacy will you leave?

Last Thursday we celebrated the life and legacy of Kim's grandfather, Al Anderson, at a memorial service in Plano. Grandpa Al is now enjoying heavenly worship in the presence of Christ! But what a wonderful life he lived while here on earth! The life of faith he lived is a legacy of a life lived well; a life lived for Christ. Al touched the lives of many family and friends as he served His Lord during his 95 spins around the sun on planet earth. He did not waste his life!

One story of Al's legacy begins in 1964 when his wife of 23 years went to be with Christ after battling cancer. Her untimely passing left Al with three children ages 15, 17 and 22. Life in '64 became even more difficult when a few months later he lost the job he had held for many years. Al could have felt sorry for himself, become depressed, bitter and angry, but instead left a testimony of faith and trust in Christ. He believed God was good and had a great future for he and his family. He believed his wife was in the arms of Christ and God would care for both he and his children as they faced an uncertain future together.

How will you be remembered by those who celebrate your legacy? Will there be such stories of faith in the midst of great crisis? How you spend your days will determine your years and eventually the legacy you leave to those who survive your time here on the earth. Don't waste your life!

James

Purpose Driven Living is A Life Lived for Christ

There is an old song by the group "Queen" called "Bohemian Rhapsody" in which they sing the lyrics, "Nothing really matters, anyone can see, nothing really matters, nothing really matters, to me." I wonder how many folks sit in the pew each Sunday secretly harboring the same world view this song represents.

Yesterday, I spoke with a minister who seems to have lost his sense of "matter" and "purpose." Such a loss of meaning should really come as no surprise when one considers that the best selling book in the history of the United States (apart from the Bible) is "The Purpose Driven Life" by Rick Warren. People everywhere are looking for purpose, meaning and something that matters! The million dollar question is, "Does the church still offer something that matters?" If we are centered around ourselves, entertainment or "feel good moments" the answer is no!

Jesus said in John 14:6, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life." In light of these words Jesus should be the One in whom we find purpose, meaning and what matters most! If your life is centered upon anything or anyone other than Christ you will eventually find yourself singing a song much like the one "Queen" did many years ago.

James

"The Great Hailstorm of 1981: God is Faithfully Good"

I grew up in a neighborhood in which almost all of the houses had a wood shingle roof. This amenity was a nice aesthetic touch to the many beautiful homes of the area but these same shingles created something very ugly on the night of May 8th 1981.

Those living in Texas know of the power of the thunderstorm. By the time a young texan reaches age 10 or 11 he or she has seen enough inclement weather to have a healthy respect (or fear of) for the "Severe Thunderstorm Warning." On May 8th, 1981, Grand Prairie, Texas, received such a warning and my family waited for the arrival of heavy wind and rain. When severe warnings were extended to our area, we hoped to only receive strong winds and heavy rains. But on this night we were to receive much more than high winds, heavy rain and thunder.

Severe thunderstorms are an ominous creation, especially when they creep into your life after the sun goes down. In the minutes before a severe storm, the air grows completely still, ushering in an eerie, uneasy feeling which seems to cast a dark "shadow" over everything. When this "shadow" happens at night there is an added dose of anxiety for the children waiting in the path of these storms. On this night my brothers, sister and I were just a hair shy of terrorized as we considered what soon approached.

Some of you living in the Dallas area certainly remember the meteorologist from KXAS, Harold Taft. He was a kind, grandfatherly figure for kids and adults alike when the big storms hit the Dallas area. We knew we could depend upon Mr. Taft to guide and reassure us when the clouds turned black. On this particular night the words of our favorite meteorologist were less than assuring. Harold broke into our favorite shows and told of a ferocious storm which would soon be upon us. We were told to take cover and be ready for much more than the hoped for strong wind and heavy rain. Hail and tornadoes were on the way and everyone needed to seek shelter and safety fast!

As the storm began to "blow in" the wind became fierce and the rain poured. My family went to my mother and father's bedroom to "weather" the storm together. We were scared of what we were enduring and fearful of what might soon come. Then it happened...Hail!

If you have never lived through a hailstorm in Texas let me assure you they can be quite a show. If a hailstorm approaches in the daylight hours, the sky will actually turn green before the icy stones are upon you. Unfortunately, at night there is no such warning and the first indication that we were experiencing a hailstorm was the moment we heard those large, baseball size balls of ice impacting our nice, wood shingle roof!

Baseball size hail on a wood shingle roof is so loud you can hardly hear yourself think much less talk. We all looked at one another in stunned silence as we prayed, held each other and hoped for a quick end to the beating over our heads. But soon the drumbeat on our roof was joined by the "cymbals" of glass breaking as the windows of our house became victims of the huge ice hurling through the sky. It was at that moment my siblings and I were sure the end was near; how can anyone survive such mayhem? In the mind of an eleven year old the sound of hailstones on a wood shingle roof represent just about everything he or she knows of Armageddon. The End was near!

Finally, after what seemed like forever, the hail stopped and our brush with death passed. Relief flooded over us and we felt as though we had been delivered from the gallows. But the damage had been done. Over the course of the next twelve hours our neighborhood (and town) awoke to almost complete destruction. The only thing which might have done more damage to our area would have been an actual tornado - every car was totaled , every roof destroyed, all windows blown out. My little corner of the earth had experienced, yet survived, what came to be known as "The Great Hailstorm." In fact, some marketing genius even had t-shirts printed with the picture of a house under a shower of hail and the words, "I Survived the Great Hailstorm -- May 8th, 1981."

I suppose many of the storms we experience in life have the same kind of timeline as my "Great Hailstorm of 1981." We see the approaching danger, fear the ominous nature of the unknown, seek the counsel of those who might reassure or help us prepare for what is to come, experience the fierceness of the storm as it rages in our life, feel the relief after the storm passes and tell the story of our great survival after the storm has passed. Of course there are times when the storm seems to overwhelm us. In fact, there are times when there is no story of survival on this side of Heaven. But for the believer, a story of victory and survival will always be told. On earth or in Heaven we will always testify of God's great faithfulness in the midst of the storms of life. God is good! God is always faithful to give us a victorious story to tell for His glory.

James

Church: More Than Simple "Go-Go Juice"

I remember as a child heading to the gas station with my mom and pulling into what was called the "full service island." Some of you are too young to remember such a place (and I do feel old saying that) but there once was a place where you could drive your vehicle and have the gas pumped into your car by a helpful attendant! The attendant would wash the windshield, check the oil and accept payment for your gas. It did cost a few extra pennies for this service but I always believed the clean windshield and opportunity to stay in the car while getting a "fill-up" was well worth the extra change my mother paid for what my dad called "go-go juice."

Unfortunately, there are people who attend church for many of the same reasons my family once frequented the full-service island of the gas station. These church goers attend in order to be served and receive their weekly "go-go juice." These misguided individuals seem to believe the church exists solely to serve them! They believe the church exists to meet their needs and take care of their family when crisis or tragedy happens. What a tragic and single minded view of God and His church!

We should see our involvement in church as much more than an opportunity to be served. Our Sunday attendance is an opportunity to worship God and serve others with whom we have the opportunity to worship. Good sermons and inspiring worship do give us a shot of spiritual "go-go juice" but the real motivation for our attendance should be to love God and others. Our real motivation should be to experience God and to live out our calling as the Body of Christ.

Have you ever considered your whether or not your church attendance is rightly motivated? Is your heart in the right place as you walk through the doorway of your church each Sunday? If not I hope you will take some time to pray and seek God for a changed heart. Right motivation will radically change your walk with God and your Sunday worship experience!

James

Praise God for the Cross and Sunday morning worship!

That's My King!

A little encouragement for your weekend...

The "Blessing Jar"

Quick, name 10 blessings in your life! It's not hard to name ten, is it? Yet, how many of us wake up each day and thank God for our blessings? Unfortunately, too many of us, take our blessings for granted. We get carried away with our busy lives and often focus on things we don't have. This "busy-ness" and negative focus often leads us to overlook and fail to appreciate what we do have!

Many Christmases ago, my oldest sister gave everyone in our family something called a "Blessing Jar." The "Jar" is exactly what it sounds like; a jar with the word "Blessing" written on it for keeping pieces of paper upon which you record blessings you receive throughout the year. My parents have been very diligent to record their blessings and have started a tradition on Thanksgiving Day as a result. Each year, before the craziness of the day begins, they fix breakfast, sit down together, and dump the contents of the "Blessing Jar" on the table. Then one by one they take turns reading and reliving the blessings they or a family member experienced the previous year. My mom is great about recording the blessings - and nothing is too small to add to the jar. By the time they read the last blessing they are always overwhelmed at how God has blessed our family!

Sadly, many of us miss or overlook our blessings because we do not take time to stop and recognize them in our lives. Let me encourage you today to stop, take a break and not only acknowledge the blessings in your life but "praise God from whom all BLESSINGS flow!"

Kim

Jesus Knows How You Feel

When I was growing up one of my heroes was Elvis Presley. I loved the music and personality of the man. Elvis could wow a crowd, make the ladies swoon and charm his way out of any trouble. What I didn't know about the King of Rock and Roll was much more important than what I knew and admired. Elvis was a lonely man addicted to drugs and illicit affairs with many different women. The public mask the man wore hid sin and brokenness underneath.

As I grew up and learned more about Elvis and the problems with which he struggled, I began to feel great sympathy for him. So many people are living life everyday just as Elvis did; wearing a happy mask of invincibility while struggling behind the scenes with all forms of brokenness and depravity. Even our kings are mere mortals! We all face our own brand of temptation, struggle and pain. Life can be tough and for many this toughness overwhelms and destroys.

Jesus understands our many struggles and was tempted just as we are everyday. Hebrews 4:15 reads, "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weakness, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin." Our High Priest, Jesus, was tempted to give up, be overwhelmed and sin but chose instead to obey the Father and follow His will. Jesus understands what you feel, how you think and the temptations you face because he has had those same feelings, considered those same thoughts and experienced those same temptations!

Go to Jesus with your weakness, struggles and temptations. Take off your mask and ask others to go to Jesus and pray for you. Elvis did not have to die of a drug overdose at age 42. You do not have to allow your fear, struggle and sin to overwhelm and consume your life either! Jesus understands, loves and offers new life if you will come to Him today!

James

Looking For Something?

Have you ever lost something and searched for it diligently? Last week, I misplaced my bluetooth, the little piece of technology which allows me to talk on my iphone hands free, and panic ensued! I speak of panic jokingly, but Kim and I did search the house diligently to find the little flashing blue piece of technology. You see, on average, I am attached to my phone several hours a day and that little technological wonder has become a significant part of my life! So we searched tables, counters and even both vehicles in search of the hidden jewel. We were determined to find that earpiece! Eventually, we gave up the search only to discover, after picking up clothes from the dry cleaner, I had left my bluetooth in a shirt pocket and taken it to the cleaners. What a relief!

In Hebrews 11:6 God gives a wonderful promise to those who would diligently seek Him; seekers of God will find Him! What does it mean for people of faith (for you must have faith and believe in God's existence to seek Him in the first place) to seek God. How do we actually seek after Him?

The Greek word translated in this passage "seek" can mean to seek out, search for, investigate, scrutinize, beg and crave something or someone. So, in Hebrews 11:6, to "seek" God means to get serious about our desire for a more intimate relationship with Him. More specifically, to seek God means we cry out to Him in prayer while deeply searching the Biblical revelation He has left of Himself. This little word translated "seek" carries with it an idea of passion and zeal thus the reason many English translations put the word "diligent" alongside it. The bottom line...If we become serious about our relationship with God and seek more intimacy with Him He promises to reward us with more of what we seek...Him!

God promises every one of us deep, intimate, personal relationship with Him if we choose to seek Him. Have you met God? If so, have you continued to seek Him? If not, can you think of one reason NOT to start today?

James

God's Grace And Your Faith Are Enough!

"Without faith it is impossible to please God. For anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and rewards those who diligently seek Him."

-- Hebrews 11:6

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith, and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God; not by works, so no man can boast"

--Ephesians 2:8-9

Try as you might you will never be pleasing to God until you have placed faith in His Son's sacrifice for your sins on the Cross. Work and toil if you must but continued acceptance from God after your salvation comes solely on the basis of your faith in Christ too!

We are saved by faith, continue in salvation by faith and someday will experience the complete fullness of salvation by our faith as well!

James

The Power to Get The Job Done!

One more thing on Law and Grace...

Before embarking upon any task it is important to attain the power and resources needed to finish the job. If we are to obey the Law of God we need to attain the power and resources to do so as well! No one wants to begin an important task and run out of necessary resources needed to finish the job!

Thankfully, Jesus helps us keep the moral commands of His Law. Christians have been given God's Holy Spirit who works within us to mold our will and direct our actions so we can be obedient to Him (Phil 2:13). We are empowered, encouraged and enabled to follow God's will for our life! We are not left to depend upon our willpower and moral fortitude for our obedience to God. God loves us too much to ever leave us alone! We see the realization of God's empowerment by our faith in what He has promised to do for us. Believe, trust and realize God's power in your life!

It is important to remember, we do not obey the Law of God in order to find favor with Him. We have found favor in the eyes of God because of His grace and our faith in the sacrifice of His Son for our salvation. BUT, we do obey the Law of God as a result of our relationship with Him and love for Him. What a gracious God who gives us the power to be obedient to Him, and therein, express our love for Him!

James

Lukewarm Christian...An Oxymoron???

I will likely post later than usual tomorrow morning so I thought I would give the "regulars" something to consider in the early am.

A True Makeover

One of my favorite shows is the Biggest Loser. It is an emotional show to watch - especially, the first episode when you see people get on the scale and realize how heavy they have become. When they arrive at the ranch, they all have a huge challenge ahead and it is amazing to watch their physical and personality transformation. I absolutely love the finale and seeing the results of the contestants hard work pay off when they get on the scale for the last time. Their appearance is obviously dramatically changed once they have dropped all that weight. But what amazes me even more than their appearance is the amount of confidence they have gained now that they feel better about themselves. In my opinion, the show's greatest accomplishment is not the weight they lose, but the new excitement about themselves they gain!

When watching that show I can't help to relate it to the change one experiences when they accept Christ as their Savior! A complete life transformation takes place when we invite Jesus to be Lord of our lives! Our priorities, outlook on life and sometimes even our appearance can be completely different. Often times, others will notice the difference in our eyes - it is the joy of the Lord coming through! However, just like the contestants on the Biggest Loser we have to stay disciplined to continue to live our new lifestyle even when the temptations are all around us! It is not an easy thing to do but now you are not doing it alone - once you allowed Christ to be Lord of your life He will never leave you.

Kim

Does What We Do Matter?

Jesus makes very clear in Matthew 5:19 we are to obey the Law and teach others to do the same. Anyone who believes they can place faith in Jesus for their salvation and live a life of disobedience to God has misunderstood grace. Salvation from sin and eternal separation from God comes to us by God's grace through our faith in Jesus alone. Our salvation is in no way related to our good works or obedience to God's moral Law but obedience to God's Law is central to the life of a believer.

The Apostle Paul was often accused of being an antinomian. A what??? An antinomian is someone who teaches Christians are free from the moral Law of God by virtue of the grace God gives us through Jesus. Paul addressed such misunderstandings about his theology in Romans 6 when he wrote, "What shall we say then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?" In fact the entire chapter can be read as a defense against those who believed Paul's theology was antinomian in nature. As followers of Christ we have died to sin and its power over us! We have been resurrected to a new life of obedience in Christ! If anyone teaches otherwise their faith and relationship with Jesus should be questioned.

Grace is God's unmerited favor given to believers; we do absolutely nothing to earn grace! God gives grace simply because He loves us and has chosen to have mercy on us. When we believe and trust Jesus died on the Cross for our sins and give Him our life we enter into a relationship with God; we are saved from the eternal consequences of our sin (separation from God and a destiny which ends in hell). Many Christians understand this part of salvation and have faith in God for forgiveness of their sins and its consequences. But many believers have misunderstood the place of grace in their life for those years between salvation and the end of their life here on earth. Many believers have accepted the forgiveness and promises of Christ for their eternal future but failed to fully realize the promises of Christ for their present life. The result of this failure is many Christians receive salvation by faith in Christ and live the rest of their life in a vain attempt to garner God's favor through obedience to the Law. These poor souls have forgotten the definition of grace! Grace is unmerited favor! We can do nothing to earn God's grace and acceptance for both are given through our faith in Christ alone!

I once heard an old pastor say believers in Christ are not under the Law of God but rather walk in the Law of God. The preacher meant by this statement that we are not under the authority of the Law because our acceptance before God is never based on how well we keep the Law of God. God accepts and saves us on the basis of His grace and our faith in Christ alone! However, as believers we obey God's Law because of the relationship we have with Christ. Jesus said in John 14:23, "If anyone loves me he will obey my teaching." Our love for Christ compels us to obey the Law of God. We do not obey the Law to earn points with God or to be saved. We obey God's Law because of our relationship with Christ and love for Him. This may seem like splitting hairs to some but the difference is HUGE! We do NOT obey God's moral Law in order to be accepted by God but rather BECAUSE we are accepted by God.

Stay tuned for more on Law and grace tomorrow!

James

Meet Law and Need Grace!

Matthew 5:17-20 continued...

In Matthew 5:17-20 Jesus says the Law will never pass away so we know it has a very important function(s) for our world today. Paul helps us understand one of the important eternal functions of the Law in Galatians 3:24, "The Law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith." So let's consider a few things together in light of these words...

When we share our faith with someone we should remember to take the person to the Law of God before leading them to the grace of Christ. A person must be convinced he or she is a sinner in need of grace and forgiveness if they are to ever place faith in Jesus for these blessings. To simply tell someone they will receive love, joy and peace if they place faith in Jesus does not produce right motivation for receiving Christ as Savior. A non-Christian must understand they are an enemy of God in need of forgiveness and reconciliation with Him if they are to truly become a part of God's family and enjoy the love, joy and peace found in that family. A person who does not know Christ must understand sin produces a great wall of separation between themselves and God which must be dealt with if they are to have relationship with Him.

In Romans 3:19 Paul tells us the Law serves to silence the whole world so each of us may be held accountable to God for our life. If we did not have the Law to help us see our life for what it is (sinful apart from Christ no matter how good we try to behave) we would be condemned to believe our good works were enough to earn right relationship with God! Praise God for the Law!

When we share our faith with others it is a wonderful thing to talk about God's great love, grace and forgiveness but we must make sure our friend without Christ has met the Law of God before elaborating on these subjects. Only someone who has met the Law of God can cease defending their life on the basis of their good works and what they consider "right living." Only someone who has ceased defending his or her life can receive God's grace through Jesus Christ.

Jesus tells us in Matthew 5 there will always be a an important place for the Law and the role of schoolmaster is one such place! Only a person who has met God's Law can realize the futility of their attempts to be reconciled to God by anything other than the Cross of Christ.

More on Law and grace tomorrow...

James

Law and Grace...The Journey Begins

Today's devotion will be the first of several on the subject of grace and God's Law. This morning we will begin looking at Christ's words concerning the Law in Matthew 5:17-20. Unfortunately, a lot of Christians live life confused about the relationship between Law and grace. We are saved by God's grace through our faith in Jesus so the "Million Dollar Question" is: What place does the Law have in the life of the believer? In this particular passage Jesus states the Law and the Prophets (The Old Testament) will never pass away or diminish in importance so Law must have some place in our life today. However, if we become confused over the actual place Law has in our life, we will become very miserable followers of Christ!

So what is Law? The Law is that part of the Word of God which gives a written record of what God has determined to be right or perfect behavior. To put it in simple terms, the Law is the "do's and don't's" found in Scripture. In the Old Testament, obedience to the Law was the way a person had right relationship with God. If you obeyed the Law you were accepted by God and one of His people but if you did not obey you were cut off from the people of God and condemned. Disobedience to God's Law could be atoned for through the sacrificial system found in the Old Testament (see Leviticus). So, if you were disobedient you could repent and sacrifice an animal to atone for your sin; upon doing this you would be forgiven of your disobedience, restored to right relationship with God and given another chance to be obedient to God's Law. This circle of futility continued until Jesus entered the world and put an end to Law's grip on mankind by giving us grace through His Cross...but more on that later!

It was evident from the start mankind could never maintain relationship with God through obedience to the Law. We are corrupt because of the sin nature we inherit from Adam and this nature makes us born sinners. Man simply cannot keep from sin and attain the perfection necessary for lasting relationship with God.

If God knew we could never be obedient to the Law and have relationship with Him through it why give us the Law in the first place? The purpose of the Law is to teach us that we cannot become acceptable to God through any action or work of our own doing. Galatians 3:24 tells us, "The Law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith." God gave us the Law so we might realize our helplessness in the face of its requirements and receive salvation by God's grace through faith in Jesus alone!

We will pick up right here tomorrow and continue the discussing the place of the Law of God in the life of the believer. There has to be some place for it right??? It is still wrong to lie, steal and kill...right? Of course! But how we obey God and the motivation behind our behavior are much different than for those living under the Law in the Old Testament.

Stay tuned...

James

Thirsty?

"Jesus answered, "everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become a spring of water welling up to eternal life."" --John 4:13-14

The "water" Jesus speaks of in our passage today is the Holy Spirit and relationship with God which Christ gives to those who have faith in Him for their salvation. Those who drink water to satisfy physical thirst will need additional water to satisfy future thirst but those who drink the spiritual water Christ offers will never again have need of anything to satisfy their spiritual thirst!

We all are born with a "spiritual thirst" for deliverance from sin and relationship with God. Jesus came to satisfy our spiritual thirst through His sacrifice on the Cross. Once we accept Christ as our Savior we have unfettered access to God and His Spirit becomes a "spring of spiritual water" welling up within us giving us life in God.

Many place faith in God's grace and salvation through Jesus for their relationship with God yet fail to enjoy full satisfaction of their spiritual thirst. These unfortunate ones already have all of the "water" they need to satisfy their spiritual thirst but simply fail to put the "cup" to their lips! God is waiting for us to "drink deeply" our relationship with Him! The "cup" I reference here is the means of grace by which we enjoy our relationship with God; our time spent with Him. Are you putting the "cup" to your lips? Are you spending time with God? Are you enjoying the full benefits of your relationship with Him?

Many people are saved through faith in Christ yet spiritually thirsty because they have failed to drink from the spring of water welling up within their own heart! If you find yourself a little spiritually dehydrated today go to the spring and be satisfied in Christ!

James