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David Scudder
DaveBethel at gmail dot com Sr. Pastor of Bethel Chapel Church
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Bethel's Youth Group > Musings from Bethel's young people Kensington Neighorhood House > Our Outreach to Kensington |
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I believe that every human heart longs to be happy. Sadly though, few people really find much happiness. There are several reasons why happiness is very important. Research proves that our health suffers when we experience prolonged times of unhappiness. Our lack of personal happiness also has a ripple effect that affects those around us too. Unhappiness puts a strain on all of our relationships. I think we all understand this. The problem isn’t that we want to be unhappy. Everybody wants to be happy. Most people, though, struggle to experience much of it.
Have you ever wondered if God wants us to be happy? I’ve heard many people say that you have give up being happy if you become a Christian. The truth is that the Bible talks lot about how Christians should be very happy people. For example Jesus said, “I will see you again, and your heart will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you” (John 16:22). Or we could turn to the Old Testament and read: “Splendor and majesty are before [God], strength and joy are in His place” (1 Chronicles 16:27); “In Your [i.e. God’s] presence is fullness of joy; in Your right hand there are pleasures forever. (Psalm 16:11). Since the Bible talks about happiness as if it’s possible, why are so few people really happy? Maybe we’re thinking that happiness is something we have to pursue, rather than a gift that God wants to give to us (as Paul explains in Galatians 5:22). The happiness that we chase after always comes with regrets. Those regrets may come from our guilty conscience, they may be part of the fear that our happiness won’t last, or they may be because the happiness we have still hasn’t met our expectations—we expected it to be even better. The happiness that God gives, on the other hand, is so complete that there are no regrets. God says that, “the mountains may be removed and the hills may shake, but My lovingkindness will not be removed from you, and My covenant of peace will not be shaken” (Isaiah 54:10). The happiness that God gives is so complete that it is a “a joy made full” (John 17:13). Happiness without a hangover—now that’s real happiness! God’s happiness is so full that it continues even when life is hard. When a chronic disease tempts us to think that life is no longer worth living, God’s happiness gives us the strength to keep fighting. When a relationship goes sour and we think that there is no hope, God’s happiness gives us the strength to keep working on that relationship. When it seems like the bills will always be more than our income, God’s happiness will keep from buying what we don’t need and help us look for ways to earn what is needed as we trust God’s promises to provide our needs. Where then can we find happiness? Since happiness comes from God, it makes since that the closer we get to God the happier we will be. David said, “Then I will go to the altar of God, to God my exceeding joy” (Psalm 43:4). “Let all who seek You rejoice and be glad in You” (Psalm 70:4). When you sense emptiness in your life and a need for happiness, seek after God. You can find Him through His Word. When we discover that our selfishness has blocked the flow of God’s joy, we can seek His forgiveness. We can’t help but rejoice in Christ’s sacrifice that paid for our sin and cleared the way so we can be close to Almighty God. “Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, you righteous ones; and shout for joy” (Psalm 32:11).
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What do you know about the last book in the Bible, the book of Revelation? Did you ever read any of the books or watch any of the movies based on the Left Behind series by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins? I have been preaching through the book of Revelation at Bethel Chapel, and we just began looking at the great prophetic section that begins in chapter 6. We are examining the events that lead up to Christ’s return as they are depicted symbolically in the Scripture. They are awesome, and often scary, and figuring out what some of the symbols mean can be a daunting task. Niels Bohr, a physicist, said: “Prediction is a very difficult art, especially when it involves the future.”
All kidding aside however, the Bible is full of prophecy. God frequently predicts the future. Have you ever wondered why there are so many predictions about Christ’s coming in the Bible? One scholar has estimated that there are 1,845 references to Christ’s second coming in the Old Testament alone. Did God include a lot of prophecy in His book to satisfy our curiosity, or are there other reasons? To help open up our understanding of prophecy, let me list a few reasons why prophecy is important. First, when God predicts that something will happen,--and then it happens exactly as He said--it proves how powerful He is. The Bible is filled with hundreds of prophecies that have come true. [See www.reasons.org/resources/apologetics/prophecy.shtml for a list]. When Jesus predicted His own death and resurrection, He said, “When it does occur, you may believe that I am” (John 13:19). The hundreds of prophecies that have come true already about Christ give us good reason to believe that the rest of the prophecies about Christ will also come true. Another reason God gives us prophecy, especially the details in the book of Revelation, is to show us what He thinks about sin. We tend to take sin too casually, but when we see how thoroughly God will judge sin, we get a picture of how horrible it is to a holy God and how much He hates it. Jesus told some religious rulers “You are those who justify yourselves in the sight of men, but God knows your hearts; for that which is highly esteemed among men is detestable in the sight of God” (Luke 16:15). The prophecy in the book of Revelation also puts Jesus on center stage. An angel told John, “… Worship God. For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy” (Revelation 19:10). All of history is about Jesus. Any religion that does not place Jesus Christ in the center of everything and worship Him as God and Lord is not really Christian. “God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world” (Hebrews 1:1-2). Lastly, and perhaps most important of all, prophecy gives us hope. The HOPE it gives Christians is different from how others use that word. When you were a teenager, you may have “hoped” that mom or dad would give you a new car. Unless they had a lot of money, though, you really didn’t expect to get that new car. The HOPE of Christ’s return, on the other hand, is something very different. Followers of Christ can have a confidence that He really is coming back because all of the other predictions in the Bible that have been fulfilled perfectly. This is why learning about Christ’s return brings such great comfort to a Christian. “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words” (1 Thessalonians 4:16-18). Christ is coming back, and it could be soon. Are you sure that He will come back for you?
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The city of Jerusalem was built on its present site about three thousand years ago. The ancient Jebusites built it there for two reasons. First, it’s height made it easy to defend. Second, it had an excellent source of water. The Gihon Spring at the base of the city wall gushed with an ample supply of clean drinking water. Elaborate tunnels were later built to bring the life-giving water inside the walls of the city. The Gihon Spring continues to provide some water even today. There in nothing more refreshing than cool, clean water when the weather is hot and dry.
Water is not the only refreshment we need, though. We also need an inner refreshing that will give us a calm peacefulness, even when circumstances are difficult. Just as life giving water refreshes our bodies, wouldn’t it be great if we had a place to go to get relief from the pressures of everyday life that make us feel as dry as dust? Jesus Christ used the Gihon Spring during the Feast of Tabernacles to show us where to find that kind of soul refreshment. Let me explain the part that water played during the annual Jewish Feast of Tabernacles. Every day during the seven day Feast, a priest would dip his pitcher into the spring water and the people would recited Isaiah 12:3: “Therefore you will joyously draw water from the springs of salvation.” With trumpets blaring the crowd would march back to the Temple through the Water Gate. The priest approached the altar, circled it once, (seven times on the seventh day) and then poured the water out on the altar. On the last day of this feast, perhaps at the exact time the priest was pouring the water on the altar, Jesus stood up and announced loudly,“If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink” (John 7:37). That statement must have caused quite a stir. Everyone, after all, understands what it means to be thirsty – and not just being thirsty for water. For example, we all long (thirst) for joy, meaningful relationships, a sense of purpose, courage, more confidence, forgiveness, and to be loved. There is nothing wrong with having these thirsts. They are universal. The problem is how we satisfy these longings. Author C.S. Lewis points out that we tend to settle for small things with limited satisfaction rather than finding the things that are really important and worthwhile. Lewis says that we focus on, “drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered.” He went on to explain, “We are like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.” Our problem is that sin has contaminated our taste so that we don’t thirst for what we really need the most. John Piper explains it this way, “The hardest thing is not to satisfy thirst, but to make people feel thirst for God. All men thirst. But not all thirst for God. It is not that our desire for pleasure is too strong but too weak! We have settled for a home, a family, a few friends, a job, a television, a microwave oven, an occasional night out, a yearly vacation, and perhaps a new personal computer. We have accustomed ourselves to such meager, short-lived pleasures that our capacity for joy has shriveled.” This is why Jesus startled everyone when He stood before the crowd at the altar and offered Himself as the One who could satisfy our deepest longings. The news gets even better. A satisfying relationship with Christ doesn’t cost us a cent. “Ho! Every one who thirsts, come to the waters; and you who have no money come, buy and eat. Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost” (Isaiah 55:1). The benefits of forgiveness and a satisfying relationship with God are possible because of Christ’s work of salvation. (This was explained in chapters 53 & 54 of Isaiah.) God tells us: “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). God’s salvation is an awesome, free gift! King David said “My soul thirsts for God, for the living God” (Psalm 42:2). David learned that knowing God was more rewarding than all the temporary pleasures that this world can offer. Jesus explained why, “whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life” (John 4:14). God’s joy never runs out and it’s never followed by a hangover. Satisfy your thirst in God and life will never be dry as dust again.
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The presidential elections that are swirling around us have me thinking about the subject of truth. As I listen to a typical political speech, I hear a lot about feelings and grand, general ideas, but I don’t hear very much about truth. Does that matter? Should we make political choices based largely on our feelings? That thinking leads to an even more important question: Should our feelings determine what we believe about God or are the truths about God’s character and nature fixed and unchanging?
Let me share a story from an ancient mythical book called Esdras I. A king chose three men to compete in a nation-wide riddle contest. Here is the riddle: What is the strongest thing in the world? The king promised the winner great riches. When the day of the competition arrived the first man stood and spoke confidently before the king. “Strong wine is the strongest force known to man. Its powers can control and confuse the best of men.” That sounded like a pretty good answer and everyone applauded politely. The second man announced that his answer was much better. “The king,” he said, “is far greater than wine. He alone wields power among the nations. Kingdoms far and wide bow to his authority.” The crowd, wanting to impress the king, applauded enthusiastically. The crowd waited anxiously for the third contestant to speak. How could he possibly outdo the other two men? The general feeling was that nothing could be greater than strong wine or the king. After a slow and dramatic bow before the king, the third man lifted his head and loudly announced to the crowd, “There is one thing that surpasses the influence of wine and the power of our king. It is truth. Truth is stronger than anything. Truth endures and lasts forever, long after the wine dissipates, and long after a king’s rule ends. Truth lives on and prevails forever and ever.” Everyone stood and cheered. This man was right. Do we still understand this today? A few years ago the Barna Research Group released a national survey of adults and teenagers. The survey asked them if they believed there were moral absolutes (i.e., a truth that doesn’t change) or if they felt that moral truth can change according to the circumstances. “By a 3-to-1 margin (64% vs. 22%) adults said truth is always relative to the person and their situation. The perspective was even more lopsided among teenagers, 83% of whom said moral truth depends on the circumstances, and only 6% of whom said moral truth is absolute.” [The entire survey can be found at: www.barna.org/FlexPage.aspx?Page=BarnaUpdate&BarnaUpdateID=106] Those results are shocking. If out nation doesn’t start with God’s unchanging truth, we will wind up far from where we intended to be. Have you ever buttoned up a long overcoat with lots of buttons only to finish at the bottom with an extra button? The problem is that you didn’t start right. This is why we see so much moral decay in our country today. Truth doesn’t matter to most Americans, even among those who consider themselves Christians. This problem explains why so many who claim to follow Christ (according to the Barna Research Group) feel that abortion, gay sex, sexual fantasies, living together, drunkenness and viewing pornography are morally acceptable. Without a firm conviction that God has revealed truth about Himself to us through the Bible, we are left with wrong ideas like, “if it feels good, do it,” or “everyone else is doing it” or “as long as it doesn't hurt anyone else, it's O.K.” or “never regret anything that makes you smile.” God’s revealed truth to us through His written Word will never change no matter what you or I may feel is true. That is why the Bible says that God is, “the God of truth” (Isaiah 65:16). Because God never changes, truth will never change. Thankfully, we can discover what real truth is because Jesus came to earth to reveal that truth to us. Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me” (John 14:6). Life is full of changes. Next year our country will have a new president. We also know that as time moves on our health will change, our friends will change, our income will probably change, and our feelings will change. Nothing will always be the same except truth. That is why I’m so glad that I am following Jesus Christ who is “the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8).
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We all get hungry. I suspect that I’m not the only one who can get a little cranky when supper is late. Why are we like that, anyway? Scientists tell us that real hunger (not the kind of hunger that’s caused by boredom or habit) is triggered by low carbohydrate levels in our liver and muscles. Our body tells us that we need to eat and it won’t be satisfied until it gets some food. Isn’t it a great feeling to dive into your favorite meal when you are really hungry?
Hunger for food, though, is only one kind of hunger. We also have emotional hungers. Sometimes we hunger for comfort or to be appreciated or just to feel that we are genuinely loved. There is nothing wrong with that. God made us that way, but satisfying that hunger is more complicated than just sitting down to a good meal. Here’s the problem. When we depend on other humans to fill our emotional needs for love and acceptance, we will always be disappointed. Why? Because none of us are good at loving others. We all tend to be better at loving ourselves than we are at loving those around us. That’s not my opinion. God tells us, “All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way” (Isaiah 53:6). When we focus on how others are loving us, we are doomed for discouragement. We find that love briefly, then it disappoints. Being loved by others is like only eating a Tasty Cake for dinner. It doesn’t stick with us. Finding positive human affection is a quick fix that lets us down sooner or later. If other people can’t satisfy our deep longings to be loved and accepted, then what’s the answer? The God who created us and gave Himself to save us from the ruin we created for ourselves is the answer. Only when we accept God’s perfect love for us are we free to love others. Let me put it another way, we cannot love others properly if we are trying to have our needs met outside of God. On the other hand, when our need for love and acceptance is being met in Christ we don’t have to depend on others to give us affection. We don’t desperately need the people around us to make us feel good. We are already satisfied with God’s love. That satisfaction frees us to love others unconditionally because our need for love has already been met. It helps us avoid the trap of loving others with an agenda: “I will love you because I need you to love me back.” Without being completely secure in Christ’s love, we tend to “love” others hoping they will meet our own needs. This is not just some fuzzy religious idea. Jesus promised that He is able to completely fill our emotional needs. Notice this awesome promise from Jesus Christ, “I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst” (John 6:35). Jesus invites us to come to Him so that we will never be hungry again. God, and God alone, can completely satisfy our hunger for love and acceptance. In fact, when we focus on how much Christ already loves us we will discover a fountain of joy and security that will never run dry. “Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:35,38-39). I would like to introduce you to the one Person who can love you perfectly and forever: Jesus Christ. He proved His perfect love when He gave Himself to pay God’s penalty for our own selfishness (i.e. sin). “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). Seek the love you need from the only One who loves perfectly. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:16).
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Love is in the air. Aha, yes – St. Valentine’s Day is only a few days away. Sweethearts will buy greeting cards and presents for each. Special Valentine’s cards will be given to many others. What is it all about? How did this tradition get started anyway?
The story began over two thousand years ago in Rome. Valentine was a pastor in the early Christian church during the reign of Emperor Claudius II. According to legend Valentine was imprisoned, beaten and then beheaded on February 14th, about 270 A.D. Doesn’t sound too romantic, does it? How then did his death become a day for flowers, candy and little love poems? Tradition tells us that Valentine opposed a law handed down by Emperor Claudius. Claudius thought that he could increase the number of army recruits by forbidding young men to get married. Valentine ignored the new law and married young couples secretly. His marriage ceremonies were discovered, and he was arrested. Once in prison, Valentine also had a romantic interest of his own. He became friends with the jailer’s daughter and began cutting paper into different shapes and writing notes to her. She received his last note on the morning that he died. It ended with the words “Your Valentine.” In the year 496 A.D., February 14th was declared a holiday in Valentine’s honor. Since Christianity was now legal in the Roman empire, many of the pagan festivities were being replaced with new “Christian” holidays. One of the old pagan celebrations was called Lupercalia. It celebrated love and fertility. Young men would put names of girls in a box and take turns drawing them out and then celebrate by lovemaking. That wicked celebration was replaced with the new St. Valentine’s Day. How much of the St. Valentine legend is true we don’t know for sure. Either way, though, the story is an excellent illustration of what love really is. Valentine evidently risked his life unselfishly for others. An even greater example of unselfish love is Jesus Christ. He voluntarily gave His life for all of us. “By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation [i.e. the satisfaction of God’s wrath] for our sins” (1 John 4:9-10). God didn’t love us because we’re wonderful. We don’t deserve His love. I found a poem this week which makes that point: When I say... "I am a Christian" I'm not shouting "I'm clean livin'" I'm whispering "I was lost, now I'm found and forgiven." When I say... "I am a Christian" I don't speak of this with pride. I'm confessing that I stumble and need Christ to be my guide. When I say... "I am a Christian" I'm not trying to be strong. I'm professing that I'm weak and need His strength to carry on. When I say... "I am a Christian" I'm not bragging of success. I'm admitting I have failed and need God to clean my mess. When I say... "I am a Christian" I'm not claiming to be perfect, My flaws are far too visible but, God believes I am worth it. When I say... "I am a Christian" I still feel the sting of pain.. I have my share of heartaches, so I call upon His name. When I say... "I am a Christian" I'm not holier than thou, I'm just a simple sinner who received God's good grace, somehow! There is no greater joy in all the world than the joy of knowing that you are loved by the Creator of the universe. You can’t force God, or anyone else for that matter, to love you. You can’t demand to be loved. You can only accept or reject love that is given to you. This is especially true about our response to Christ’s love for us. “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). “But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy” (Titus 3:4-5). No matter what your romantic situation, you shouldn’t spend this Valentine’s Day feeling unloved. Spend some time thinking about how much God really loves you. Reading the book of First John in the Bible is a good way to start doing that. If you need a Bible, contact me, and I’ll send you one for free.
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That may sound like a silly question, but our answer to that question will have a huge impact on how we live our lives every day. Knowing the truth about how big God is will change your life forever. This is because only God has the power to really solve whatever problem you are facing right now. “For the LORD your God is the God of gods and the Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God . . .” (Deuteronomy 10:17).
We need a good picture of how big God is before we can experience His power in our lives. How big is God, actually? Jesus told us that “. . . with God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26). Clearly, God has no limits. His power is unlimited. He will never run out of power. His knowledge is also unlimited. The Bible says, “His understanding is infinite” (Psalm 147:5). God has never learned anything, because He already knows everything. God’s existence is also unlimited. He exists apart from time. He has no beginning, and He will never cease to be. That’s why God said, “I AM WHO I AM” (Exodus 3:14). In other words, He is eternally self-existent. God is “. . . the high and exalted One Who lives forever” (Isaiah 57:15). God is not only without limits. He is also totally unique. “For thus says the LORD, who created the heavens . . . ‛I am the LORD, and there is none else’” (Isaiah 45:18). We cannot compare God to anyone else. This is mind boggling! Augustine, a first-century leader in the Christian church, saw an illustration of this truth. He was walking along the seashore one day when he saw a little boy digging a trench in the sand. Augustine asked the boy what he was doing. The little fellow replied, “I’m making a trench.” “Why are you doing that?” asked Augustine. The boy replied, “I am going to empty the sea into my trench.” As Augustine continued walking down the shore he thought to himself: “So he thinks that he is going to empty the sea into the little trench he has made in the sand.” As Augustine reflected about that little boy’s trench he concluded that we are all like that sometimes. We tend to think that we can understand an unlimited God with our limited minds. That is a mistake. God’s awesome greatness even goes even beyond all this. In spite of His great power, He is also gentle toward those who trust Him. “The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble, and He knows those who take refuge in Him” (Nahum 1:7). “But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)” (Ephesians 2:4-5). Anthony Collins was a well-known English skeptic of the seventeenth century. One day he met a poor man on the street. “Where are you going?” asked Collins. “To church, sir.” “What are you going to do there?” “To worship God, sir.” “Is your God a great God or a little God?” asked Collins. “He is both, sir.” “How can He be both?” “He is so great, sir, that the heaven of heavens cannot contain Him; and He is so little that He can dwell in my heart.” Collins admitted later that this simple answer affected him more than all the books he had ever read about God, and all the speeches he had ever heard. God’s amazing power is available to change us when we begin to fully trust in who God is and what He has done for us. I think A.W. Tozer, an American pastor said it best: “How completely satisfying to turn from our limitations to a God who has none. Eternal years lie in His heart. For Him time does not pass, it remains; and those who are in Christ share with Him all the riches of limitless time and endless years. God never hurries. There are no deadlines against which He must work.” How big is God? “His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence” (2 Peter 1:3). You will learn more about God’s power as you read the Bible. If you need a copy I’ll send you one for free.
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How Big is Your God?
That is an important question. What is God like in your life? For example, is your God big enough to provide you with everything you need? Is He big enough to calm your fears and give you peacefulness during times of stress? Is your God big enough to forgive everything you have done against Him? All of these questions matter because there is only one God, and He is the only One who can prepare us for an eternity in heaven. We need Him to do great things for us! Do you have that kind of a God in your life? You might be thinking, "God has never done great things for me." Why would that be true? One pastor answered that question this way: "I wonder if that isn't because we haven't seen the great and mighty God? The god that we know, the ‘god' that we've been sold in North America is a small and pathetic god, a puny little cheap imitation of the real God of the Bible who is a consuming fire – the God who is great and terrible and shakes the nations. He's not just a little ‘Pocket Jesus.' In the church today, we have a ‘Pocket Jesus.' He's our little ‘Pocket Jesus' that we take with us wherever we go because He makes us feel good. Whenever we get into trouble, we pull out our ‘Pocket Jesus.' We say, "Oh, help me ‘Pocket Jesus.' I'm having a really bad day today." [From a sermon by Rev. Chris Jordan.] Maybe you don't have a big God in your life because you don't understand how much you need Him. Let me use a story to explain what I mean. A woman went with her friend to have her picture taken at a photographer's studio. She prepared for the picture by spending most of the day at a beauty parlor. When she arrived to get her picture taken, she took her seat in the studio and fixed her pose. While the photographer was adjusting the lights in, she said to him, "Now be sure to do me justice." The friend who went with her, said, with a twinkle in her eye, "My dear, what you need is not justice, but mercy." We smile, but the story reminds us that we all need mercy. When we see ourselves as we really are, sinful and broken, then we will realize that we need a powerful God who can change us. Is the God in your life the God of the Bible? King David described his experience with God and said, "In my distress I called upon the Lord, Yes, I cried to my God; and from His temple He heard my voice, and my cry for help came into His ears" (2 Samuel 22:7). Moses admitted that, "The Lord is my strength and song, and He has become my salvation; this is my God, and I will praise Him; my father's God, and I will extol Him." (Exodus 15:2) Don't you need that kind of God? Once we realize how much we need God, we can begin pursuing a relationship with Him. "O God, You are my God; I shall seek You earnestly" (Psalm 63:1). When we seek the God of the Bible, and when we find Him, we will have an awesomely big God. One who found Him said, "The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge" (Psalm 18:2). If I can do anything to help you find this God, please let me know. Please click on "Comments" and share any questions or comments you may have.
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Have you ever heard the old saying, "What you don't know can't hurt you?" Have you ever said it to someone? I know I have. Usually I said it with a twinkle in my eye because I wasn't being serious. It is a common saying.
We all know, though, that sometimes things we don't know can hurt us. I was reminded of this as I read a news story about a deadly virus attack. Two years ago there was an outbreak of Marburg fever in Angola that was the world's deadliest attack ever. Out of 213 known cases, 192 died. The World Health Organization tried to help by isolating those who were infected so they would not spread it to others. The problem was that many of those living in Angola didn't understand why the health workers were trying to separate the sick from their families. Families actually hid their sick at home. That caused the virus to spread even faster. In fact, health workers' vehicles were stoned by angry residents. The health workers couldn't give the people the help that they needed so badly. What the Angolans didn't know was – literally – killing them. What we don't know about God can be dangerous, too. Over the years I have talked to a lot of people who really didn't want to know what the Bible says about sin and how to get to heaven. Religion is a subject they didn't want to discuss. Often people tell me that they already have their own beliefs about religion so they don't want to learn anything more about it. Jesus must have heard people say similar things. He knew how important it was that those He was teaching learn THE truth about heaven and hell. He promised them, "You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free" (John 8:32). It's not enough to have your own ideas, even if they are sincerely held. Your eternal destiny has to be rooted in the truth. Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, understood the danger of trusting what seems like the right thing: "There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death" (Proverbs 14:12). The Bible tells us the absolute truth about who God is. I have come to trust Him through what I have learned there. My personal opinion, though, is not very reliable. The Bible, on the other hand, has stood the test of time and has never been proved to be in error. I am so glad that God did not leave us here on earth to blindly grope for the meaning of life and the solution to sin. If you would like a Bible and/or a Bible study guide without any charge, please let me know. Let's be careful that we seek to know the truth as God has revealed it before we just become satisfied with what we don't know. You can click on "Comments" and share your personal quest to know God.
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Once in a while I watch one of those religious TV stations when a preacher is delivering his message. I am amazed at how often they talk about money! Sometimes the whole sermon is about how God wants us to get more money.
One of the most common criticisms of religion is that it is all about money. I can see why some think that. Not all churches focus primarily on money. We don't make money much of a focus in our church. I'll have to admit, though, that is sure looks that way in a lot of American Christianity. The truth is that money does not lead to happiness. A national survey, conducted by scientists at the Alcohol, Drug Abuse, and Mental Health Administration, found that the more money a person makes, the higher the levels of stress. Apparently, education may lead to a higher income, but not necessarily to a better life. The survey proved that those who can most afford to enjoy life, often don't. They miss meals and sleep, they drink more often, and they get less exercise. This reminds me of the story about a successful businessman who took a vacation to a tropical island. One day he noticed a fisherman sitting by his boat playing with his young son. He pointed to the ocean and asked, "Why aren't you out there fishing?" "Because I've caught enough fish for today," was the reply in the musical accent of the island people. "Why don't you catch more fish than you need?" asked the businessman. "What would I do with them?" "You could sell them and earn more money. Then you could buy a bigger boat so you could go out farther and fish deeper and catch more fish. You would be able to buy better nets, catch even more fish, and make even more money. Soon you'd have a fleet of boats and be rich like me." "Then what would I do?" asked the fisherman. "You could sit down and enjoy life." "What do you think I'm doing now?" the fisherman replied. What does the Bible tell us about money? "But godliness actually is a means of great gain when accompanied by contentment" (1 Timothy 6:6). God wants us to be content with what we have, rather than focusing on what we don't have. Material things are only temporary advantages. Paul said, "For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either. If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content. But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs" (1 Timothy 6:7-10). It is dangerous to make money a major focus. We are better off focusing on the One who can provide our every need, rather than focusing on the things that God can provide. This is why Jesus said, "But seek first [God's] kingdom and [God's] righteousness, and all these things will be added to you" (Matthew 6:33). Paul said, "Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth." (Colossians 3:2). Bill Gothard put it this way, "Contentment is realizing that God has already provided everything we need for our present happiness." We tend to long for money because we think that it will bring contentment. The truth is, only God can make us content because we need Him more than we need anything else. "All the paths of the LORD are lovingkindness and truth to those who keep His covenant and His testimonies" (Psalm 25:10). If you have any thoughts about your search for contentment, please share them with us. You can do that by clicking on "Comments."
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If you're like me, there is nothing quite as frustrating as the feeling that you aren't getting anywhere in life. You know what I mean. You get up every day; you work hard; and yet you just don't see any progress. When you sit down to pay your bills, there always seems to be more expenses than income – no matter how hard you try. This is not a new problem. About 2,700 years ago God told the Jews,"You have sown much, but harvest little; you eat, but there is not enough to be satisfied; you drink, but there is not enough to become drunk; you put on clothing, but no one is warm enough; and he who earns, earns wages to put into a purse with holes. . . . You look for much, but behold, it comes to little" (Haggai 1:6,9). Life seems to go just like that sometimes, doesn't it? Our savings accounts seem to have holes in them.
This reminds me of the famous experiment conducted by Jean Henri Fabre, a French scientist. He did the experiment with processional caterpillars. These caterpillars always travel by joining together in a large line nose to end. Mr. Fabre took a handful of them and placed them end to nose on the rim of a flower pot. They went round and round on that flower pot for seven days and seven nights, without stopping. After the seventh day they fell dead of starvation – even though Jean Henri Fabre had placed pine needles, their favorite food, in the center of the flower pot just inches away. They worked very hard, but they never made any progress. Sound familiar? Is there any way for us to stop going in circles and start making meaningful progress in this life? God never talks about a problem without also giving us the solution, and financial frustration is no exception. In the Bible passage I quoted above, God said that their problem was caused by wrong financial priorities (see Haggai 1:9-11). The people were working hard to make their own homes comfortable, but they were ignoring God's house (Haggai 1:4). In other words, their financial goals were entirely selfish. They wanted God to bless them financially, but they didn't have any desire to honor God. Jesus said that our financial needs will be met when we straighten out our priorities: "But seek first [God's] kingdom and [God's] righteousness, and all these things will be added to you" (Matthew 6:33). There is a story about the making of the movie Ben Hur that illustrates what Jesus was talking about. One day when the movie was being filmed, Cecil B. DeMille, the director, came to Charlton Heston – the star of the movie – and talked about the all-important chariot race at the end. He decided that Heston should actually learn how to drive the chariot himself, rather than just using a stunt double. Heston agreed, but learning to drive a chariot with four horses was not easy. After a lot of work and many days of practice, Heston came back to DeMille and said, "I think I can drive the chariot all right, Cecil, but I'm not at all sure I can actually win the race." With a little smile, DeMille said, "Heston, you just stay in the race, and I'll make sure you win." That is what the Lord asks every Christian to do. God want us to stay in the race, to stay focused on honoring Him, and He has promised to take care of us, to provide our needs. Notice that God uses the word "needs," not "wants." We live in a culture that is focused on materialism, always wanting more and more. This, too, is a symptom of wrong priorities. "If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content" (1 Timothy 6:8). When we allow God to be in charge, He will take care of us. I have seen God do that many different times in my life and in the lives of other Christians around me. If you have a story about how God has provided your needs, I would love to hear it. Please click on "comments" and share what God has done for you.
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