"Testing Our Faith Pulse"

"Just a quick thought to check your faith pulse. My grandson fell asleep at my house on a Sunday afternoon. He is three years old. We had to awaken him to assemble for worship that evening. When I woke him up and told him it was time to go worship God, he rubbed his little eyes and said, "I not want to go!" I know many a parent/grandparent has been through this with little ones.

Malachi addresses the people of God that God was disgusted with them because they had gotten to a point of no heart in their worship. "My, how tiresome it is!" (Mal. 1:13) Because of their lack of response, God rejected anything they had to offer.

For some, the worship of God with other saints is the highlight of their week. Without it they feel deprived and something is missing. Just ask some of those elderly who are unable to attend. You will hear their words, "I wish I could be back to worship with the brethren!"

The Psalmist in Psa. 84 speaks of their longing to worship God and their heart sings with joy to the living God. Their worship took place at the temple and the Psalmist expresses that "a day in Your courts is better than a thousand outside."

Maybe its time we reexamine our attitude toward worship. Your attitude toward worship is a great revealer of your faith pulse. When there is a true longing for the living God, a desire to praise Him in His presence and gain renewed strength from His word, true happiness becomes ours. How's your faith pulse?

"It's All About Us!"

Have you ever noticed that when we are in pain or troubles hit our lives how we make every thing revolve around us? Think about that for a moment. Our troubled life makes our mind and our actions revolve around us completely! There is little thought about what someone else might need or the help that is offered to another troubled heart. It is all about us! Over the years I have observed people in their difficulties and when they talk to you, they quickly want to leave any small talk or other concerns to talk about what they are going through. I guess that is part of human nature but does it reveal how self centered we really are?

You look at Jesus. His time was at hand and He knew the very night He was going to be arrested. His twelve hand-picked apostles were sitting with Him and not once did they ask about His condition or life. What did Jesus do? Washed their feet and served them. Jesus taught them the reality of the truth and what was being done for their sake. His betrayer was sitting right in front of Him while Jesus washed his feet. Even upon revealing the betrayer and the failure of Peter, not once did they ask how He was doing and what could they do to help. Opportunities were being given all twelve and they didn't even know it.

Jesus takes Peter, James and John with Him in His distress to the Gethsemane (Matt. 26:37-37). All He asked of them was to keep watch and pray. Nothing more as the grief and distress was building in His heart. Jesus prays. His disciples sleep. Jesus encourages them. Jesus prays. His disciples sleep. Jesus encourages them to keep watch and pray so that temptation won't overtake them. Jesus prays. His disciples sleep.

What do we learn? Even in one of the most difficult times of our Savior's life, He still thought about others. The others thought about themselves! We are a selfish people wrapped up in the cloak of "us"! No wonder we are told to not look out just for our personal interests but for the interests of others because that was the attitude of Christ (Phil. 2:4-5). Easy to say but it takes a surrendered heart to follow. Just listen to what you speak to others and it might surprise you how much is about....YOU!

"An Unknown God"

Etiquette says three things must not be discussed in public. Sex, politics and religion. Two of the so called etiquette items have gone by the wayside. Sex is what keeps a lot of the discussion shows going. Politics keeps talk radio going daily. More and more opinions are being expressed about these two issues. When it comes to religion, things take a drastic turn. People don't want to hear about religion unless is has something to do with a strange out of the stream thought. Cults and cultic-like movements can be discussed but it is about the weird things done.

The other day I saw a bumper sticker that said, "Keep your religion to yourself!" That speaks how people feel in our day and time. Go ahead, next time you have a gathering of people, talk about the God of heaven, reveal His truth and see how people react. As long as it is generic, it is tolerated but if we start digging the truth you are treated as a leper! What do we learn? People in all their sophisticated glory do not like to discuss the real, eternal issues in life!!

Paul was in Athens and observed the objects of their worship. There was no offense in the people. It disturbed Paul but not the people (Acts 17). Paul began to teach what they believed in ignorance needed to be revealed in the true and living God. The result, they began to sneer! You see, in 2000 yrs. little has changed. The truth about God is not what people want but give them religion that does not confront you with sin and sinful ways and people will gladly discuss anything!

Today many want a God they can feel or experience but not really know. People want a 'higher power', whatever they make that to be in their own mind but let's not talk about the truth! Let's not confuse us with the truth. Words flow for us to be more open-minded. Some are so open-minded their brains have fallen out. The Athenians claimed to be wise but were blindly ignorant.

As long as God is unknown, people can think, follow and act whatever they wish. A fad comes along and everyone jumps on board. A book hits the market and people fall all over themselves to get a copy and read. Put the truth of the word in front of people and they do everything they can to run you down or simply ignore you. It was Jesus who came to explain God (John 1:18). It was Jesus who revealed the grace of God and truth (John 1:17). It was Jesus who the religious world crucified!

"Betrayal"

Betrayal is difficult to take. It leaves one hurting, numbed from head to toe! I can't think of anything more painful and destructive to one than being betrayed by a loved one. To sit across from a husband and wife and hear them speak of their mates unfaithfulness to them. To watch the faces, to hear the trembling voice and the tears flow freely. Parents sit speaking of their child they love so deeply and tell of their behavior that is destructive. The pain is so intense. When I see these situations, I can almost see God looking at us at times and saying, "You now understand some of My pain!"

We look at people like Uriah, a mighty soldier and leader of David's army. He was faithful, honest and obedient to his king. He was a trustworthy leader. I've often wondered what went through his mind when he found himself in the fiercest of battles, on the front line and suddenly watching his own men withdraw from him leaving him to be slaughtered. Betrayed by David, his own king. (II Sam. 11)

Betrayal is so hard to take. Her husband was convicted of a crime that he didn't commit. What they needed was a good lawyer but the cost was great. She took any small job she could find in the day, cleaned office buildings at night and if she had any spare days she would baby sit children. It took her three pain-staking years but she saved enough money to hire a good lawyer and got her husbands conviction overturned. The three difficult years had worn her down and the process took it's toll on her outer beauty. Six months later, her husband left her for another woman. She lay down, broken and betrayed!

God created us to have a relationship with Him, to love and cherish that relationship. It is a relationship to be blessed. God's whole creation was "very good." What did He get in return? BETRAYAL! God endured generation after generation trying to win us back and all He got was betrayal in return. Finally, He sent His heart in His own Son into our world of betrayal and He was murdered. Today, many make fun of God's pain, take His Son lightly and sneer at His mercy and grace. Oh how it must hurt to be betrayed by those who are loved so deeply. "For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone who dies." (Ezek. 18:32) BETRAYAL! What a sad commentary on our lives.

"Godly Sorrow vs. Worldly Sorrow"

We are told in II Cor. 7:10, "For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation; but the sorrow of the world produces death." What is the difference between worldly and godly sorrow?

Godly sorrow is the grief and remorse that grows out of a realization that one has offended God. Worldly sorrow is the pain and regret over what has been afflicted on oneself and others. People feel sorrow and grieve over their past conduct. Some are very ashamed. In their sorrow, they are pained because of their sin is against God and broken fellowship with God. They go to God seeking His pardon and release finding His peace. That's the sorrow that leads to salvation! Their godly sorrow has a sincere desire to be right with God seeking release from their guilt through the blood of Jesus.

Unfortunately, many do not take this road. They don't turn to God for release and peace. They turn only in form but not in heart. When people fail by doing something sinful, in their sorrows they turn to other means to get themselves out of their difficulty. They try to rid their sorrows by finding acceptance from people and in that desire for acceptance, they pour out their failures and shortcomings. Worldly sorrow produces death spiritually.

Godly sorrow is not a mere regret that soon passes away in its effects but it produces permanent and abiding changes in ones life. It leads to a repentance that is not regretted and results in salvation. In other words, godly sorrow puts one on the road to improving without props!!

Grief, regrets and remorse that does not lead one to God will ultimately lead one away from God. It will be a matter of time. Relief from the pains of guilt come only from God. The human spirit cannot abide continuously in guilt and shame. Refuge and release is either in God or: (1) seeking the approval and acceptance of another, (2) hardening the heart toward what needs to be done, (3) becoming critical of those doing right while attempting to discredit them, (4) attempting to transfer the blame to others, or (5) showing contempt and resentment toward the one who inflicted the sorrow.

"Major In the Minor"

It seems too many a majoring in things that don't matter. We spend time in Bible studies and our own personal lives looking and talking about things that have no bearing on our faith and love for the Lord. For instance, we discover in Ezra 2:67 that 435 camels went with the people of Israel that returned. It's a true fact but one that does not cause me to change my life. What some find as true and interesting facts do not make us see God or help us develop a heart of character and love for the Lord. Too many major in things that build nothing within us. In our Bible studies, people wander off talking about things and discussing things that cannot bring us to faith in the Lord or an understanding of His purpose in us.

Ezekiel 18:23 God explains that He has no pleasure in the death of the wicked but would rather have those wicked turn to Him and live. What a profound teaching from God. God wants people, all people saved. If we would look carefully at teachings such as this, it would develop within us a heart of outreach. Peter tells us in II Pet. 2:9 that the Lord wants none to perish but is being patient to see if anyone on earth really wants to be saved. Scriptures like these and a host of others express the truth about God and His desire for man, even the most of wicked.

Too many are majoring in the minor, things that don't matter. Too much teaching about numbers and 'what if's' and all sorts of things that distract us from the beauty of what God is trying to get into our hearts. There is a lot of intellect in our approach to God and not enough faith. We need faith and faith in God's truth. That's a faith that confronts us with God, seeing His Divine nature and helping us change our hearts into the conformity of His Son.

"Failure"

Just some brief words of encouragement today for those who struggle with their weaknesses and sins. It is wonderful to be forgiven and a blessed state. Those words came from the mouth of David in Psa. 32. But what about people who struggle over and over with sin? We claim they aren't trying or not sincere by going back under the same sin over and over. But is that really true? In some cases it probably is as some never take sin seriously but what about the one who tries only to fail?

Years back I can recall getting myself involved in sin. I would ask for God's help, only to return again to failure. I remember looking to the Lord and as sin had taken me down again and again, my mind came to a conclusion that God wouldn't want anything to do with me again. As I recall it to my mind, I didn't hate the sin as much as I hated myself for going back into sin. It became a self pity while allowing sin to have its way with me. As I tired of it all, I was about ready to quit! Just quit God and be done. The love of God wasn't for me. It was for those who were better than I and had not sinned as I had sinned.

That's just it! God is for the sinful. I had a difficult time believing that. Sin takes one into the state of hopelessness and will eventually take one into unbelief. That's the power of sin. Yet here is God, who calls us to Himself through Jesus speaking that it is not the well that need a physician but the sick. I was sick to my soul and as I started looking intently at the cross, knowing it was for the sin sick soul, I heard God (not literally) speak, please don't quit! My Son is still for you. Too many have turned from Christ believing that He does not want them which is exactly the lie the devil would want you to believe! Micah preached that the Lord God delights in lovingkindness and forgiveness (Micah 7:18). There is no sin too great, no failures too high and sin too strong! God delights in forgiving...that's should grip all our hearts!