"What Do You Hear?"

  The streets were filled with people and noise. The horns honking, people talking loudly, multiple cars, tires squealing around. This is a normal day near Times Square, New York. In the midst of the noise, a Native American and his friend were walking in this area when suddenly, the Native American stopped and said, "I heard a cricket!" His friend was astounded saying, "What? You hear a cricket? How can you hear a cricket in the midst of all this noise?" "No, I'm sure of it!", responded the Native American. Listening carefully, they walked across the street to where some shrubs were growing. The Native American looked into the bushes and sure enough, he located the small cricket and his friend was utterly amazed.

  "That's absolutely incredible," said his friend. "You must have super-human ears!" "No," replied the Native American. "My ears are no different than yours!" The man responded, "That can't be! I could never hear a cricket in this noise." The Native American nodded his head yes and said, "Let me show you something." He reached in his pocket and pulled out a few coins, dropping them on the sidewalk. With all the noise of the street still the same, instantly several came over picking up the coins they heard fall on the concrete. The Native American smiled and said, "It all depends on what you train your ears to listen for and what you listen for is what is important to you."

  Jesus warned his disciples: "So take care how you listen; for whoever has, to him more shall be given; and whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has shall be taken away from him." (Luke 8:18) How you listen is vital. Some listen to what they want to hear and they establish their whole thought process on what they want to hear. We need to hear the voice of the Lord through His word and nothing else. Some have trained the ears of their heart to hear only the bad or what they think is bad. No matter what is said, they will turn it to how they have trained themselves to listen. Learning to listen to the word of the Lord and listen with the intent of gain will be the difference between gaining spiritual insight or having spiritual gain taken away. And some wonder why they never seem to advance very far spiritually? 

"Looking Back"

  It was rather incredible. On May 6, 1954 a fellow named  Roger Bannister became the first man in  history to run a mile in less than 4 minutes. Within two months, John Landy eclipsed the record by 1.4 seconds. On Aug. 7, 1954 the two met for a historic race. As they moved into the last lap, Landy held the lead. He was in position to win the race but as he neared the finish he was wondering where Bannister was. As he turned to look back, Bannister passed him quickly on the opposite side he looked. The race was lost by Landy. After the race Landy told a magazine reporter, "If I hadn't looked back, I would have won!"

  As I reflected on this, too many people live their lives in the past. They look at what has happened or how they were raised. Yes, things of our past history can have an affect on us but too many allow those things to make them who they are today. It affects marriages, relationships and even how you raise your own children. 

  Do you recall the day you were baptized into Christ? What was that about? You and Jesus coming together as one (Rom. 6). You being raised with Jesus in the working of God (Col. 2:12). You trustingly put yourself under Him burying your old self that was tied to sin in death. That means your past, all your past was laid to rest and you now belong to Jesus and you have a different Father! Why do many continue to live in their dead past?

  No one had more pain and did more harm to people than the apostle Paul. "Even though I was formerly a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent aggressor. Yet I was shown mercy because I acted ignorantly in unbelief."  (I Tim. 1:13) Because of the mercy of God extended, Paul became Christ's. What he was in his past was dead in his past and he found grace, faith and love in Christ Jesus (I Tim. 1:14). What did he do with his life? He didn't deny his past but he embraced his present with Jesus. "But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead. I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." (Phil. 3:13-14) His life was pressing forward! His goal was with God and Christ Jesus. His past was buried and forgiven.

  One can't grow in faith and love while looking back! Your past was buried with Jesus. Let Him deal with the things that are hurtful and sinful. Your present is to move forward and you can only do that by looking to Jesus and grasping His life knowing your heavenly Father will bring you safely home. Are you dwelling on your past sins or the sins others did to you? If you don't give them up to Jesus, you will die in your sins. Jesus gives us life and life abundantly. Grab hold by faith today!

"A Thorn"

  I once had a friend telling me about his encounter with a dog. The dog snarled at him and had that look of attack. My friend was always attracted to dogs so he decided he would try to pet him but knew in order to do that he had to do something to disable his ability to attack. He drew close as the dog began to bark and show his teeth. Suddenly he grabbed hold of the dog, taking him off his feet while wrapping his arms completely around him. The dog struggled but could not free himself from the grasp. The dog calmed down and upon examination my friend found a thorn lodged in the dogs front paw. It had to be removed. The dog was not going to allow this to be easy and began his struggle and snarling again. The thorn was removed. The dog became calmer and settled down allowing my friend to pet him. 

  As I listened to this it reminded me of what I have seen over and over in the lives of people. It seems when people are involved in sin or guilty of sin, they become this agitated, negative person and will turn on their loved ones in a second! Sin is a thorn which grows and festers and the longer it stays in your life, it begins to consume you. Those caught in sin do not see this. 

  David said long ago: "When I kept silent about my sin, my body wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; my vitality was drained away as with the fever heat of summer." (Psa. 32:3-4) David found himself suffering, wasting away, hard to accomplish daily tasks and was doing a lot of groaning. Why? He refused to acknowledge his sin to the Lord! 

  The longer one stays in their sins, the more this thorn hurts and the more miserable one becomes. When people are trapped in sin, they accuse the innocent of the very things they themselves are practicing. They trust no one because they know themselves as untrustworthy. They are on edge because they live on the edge of being caught or discovered. It has been this way from the beginning. Sin will take one down!

  But there is another way. David spoke the remedy: "I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I did not hide; I said, 'I will confess my transgressions to the Lord'; and You forgave the guilt of my sin. (Psa. 32:5) 

  The longer one walks in their guilt, the worse their state of mind becomes and the agitation of their life continues to grow but when one turns to the Lord, willing to forsake their sin and confess, there one finds forgiveness (I John 1:9)!

 What about you? When is the last time you and the Lord had a heart to heart encounter and you were honest with Him? Until the thorn is removed, there will be no life, no peace and no relief from guilt. Jesus is waiting!

"No Distractions"

  We must beware that we can easily forget our purpose and focus. It's easy to get led into distractions if we aren't careful. We read from the teachings of Jesus about a rich fool that was so focused on his success that he continually focused on himself and forgot about his soul. The words came from God: "You fool! This very night your soul is required of you..." (Luke 12:20) 

  The things of this world come from all different angles. The evil one is at work, trying to get our attention here and there and he works diligently to get us looking at all the different elements surrounding us. In this, we can easily lose our love for God if we are distracted by the things in the world. We do not know that moment the words are spoken: "This very night your soul is required of you!"

 What are we to do? We need to proceed with a commitment in our heart to the Lord. We need to always know that our lives are headed beyond this earthly environment. We know that but believing that to keep our commitment is another story. We need to focus on what Paul's focus was: "Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead. I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." (Phil. 3:13-14) 

  To the Hebrew brethren these words were written: "For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart." (Heb. 12:3) These are for us as well.

   Walk with Jesus each day. Make certain your heart is set on the things above and you keep seeking the things above where Christ is seated. Don't allow this world and the things of this world that the evil one uses to distract you from your purpose. Grow in your love for the Lord. Grow in your faith and trust in the Lord. Seek the goal that Jesus died to get you to. There is nothing on earth that is worth our souls!

"Bitter or Forgiving?"

  Are you a person that is bitter about someone that has done something to you in your past? We know God speaks that bitterness and unforgiving hearts will cost one eternally. Why is it so difficult to let things go? Listen, we don't like anyone wronging us and what is worse is when we have been wronged we don't want them to get off like nothing ever happened! So we take up arms with our attitude toward them thinking we will show them their wrong and pay them for what they have done. That is a faithless response.

  Bitterness and resentments will eat the soul away. It will erode faith to a point that being bitter about someone doing whatever it is you feel like they did, you no longer respond by faith. What do I mean? "Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice." (Eph. 4:31) How many congregations have split over the refusal of this verse? The Lord say put it all away. It will destroy you spiritually, even if you find reason to justify it.

  There is another side to this. Sometimes when we believe something to be the way it is, it might not be that way. "But I investigated it and found it so!" Maybe but maybe not. Sometimes what we do when we dig up things is the individual we are speaking with is bitter and in their bitterness they want you to see only the wrong done in their claim. It comes from a bitter heart rather than a tender heart, a forgiving heart. We come to our conclusion from one trapped in the sin of bitterness. That's not good. That's why we must be careful and guard our hearts. I see it all the time in marriages where one mate will sit and destroy the other by making all sorts of accusations of their past only to find that things were not exactly that way when you get them both together. One is bitter and that bitterness leads into false attacks to make one look as bad as possible. 

  There is something to do be said of witnesses! When one is in sin and will not listen to what is true and right, there needs to be witnesses. The Lord wanted witnesses to confirm matters from the OT to the NT. Witnesses are what keeps things above the board so that when people become bitter and unforgiving, the witnesses can help pull them up to the level of righteousness rather than sink everyone in the sin of bitterness. If there are no witnesses, leave it alone and allow the Lord to work it out. No one will get by Him! Leave it alone!! You cannot afford to sink into the mire with those who are bitter about someone. Leave it to the Lord. That way you will find your faith stable and hopefully get the opportunity to help the one in the state of bitterness. 

  "So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you."  (Col. 3:12-13) Therein is faith in action! 

"Open Our Eyes To Sin"

  Sin wants to rule our lives. That baby who grew into a child so innocent and undefiled one day grew into this dark individual that is no longer innocent. Sin took hold in their heart and began it's rule. The result was separation from God. We have seen it and we have all been through it! Parents are heart-broken over the lives of their children. Marriages are ruined because of sin. Lives are sent down a path of destruction because sin has it's way with us. 

  Sin shows itself in people who verbally destroy others. It shows itself in drug addiction and craving for the next drink. There are sins of the flesh of immoral behavior and passion. But there are sins of the flesh like bitterness, irritability, outbursts of anger and strife. There are the sins of self-righteousness and haughty minds and spirits. The announcement from heaven has been made: "As it is written, 'There is none righteous, not even one.'" (Rom. 3:10) "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."  (Rom. 3:23) I'm in this too just as you. 

  In the New Testament the most common word for sin is one which means "to miss the mark" or "fall short." We have missed the mark! We fall short! Jesus Christ didn't come to pat us on the back and say we are just a bit off but good people at heart as some seem to say. Jesus saw our lives as empty and wasted enveloped in this power called sin (I Pet. 1:18). Jesus watched man as lives were wrapped about trivial things, showing themselves as mighty and religious and fragmenting over nonsense. We see ourselves as nice people who associate with other nice people, singing nice songs in another's nice presence to a nice God who wants us to do nice things! In all this too is wrapped the cloak of sin!! There is none righteous, not even one. 

  We weren't created for sin but for God! That's what Jesus came to mankind for, to redeem us from this awful mess of sin and death. Sin that works so easily in us and the death (separation) it caused between us and our God. We are a very blind people to think that we can strip sin off easily. Our understanding of sin and death is shallow if we think that God saves us from something which can be defeated by a few prayers, church attendance and resolutions. What are we too do? SEEK GOD! King David knew the solution for his sinfulness as found in Psa. 32. Go read it and see what David speaks. Forgiveness must be sought with God or you will live life always in doubt trying to work your way out. Jesus arrives and we have recorded some 60 plus days of His life. That's it! But what is recorded for us is to show us His work for us in dealing with our sins. Those aren't just words, they are life and life giving. Take time and read from the gospels. Start with Luke and look closely at this Lord Jesus Christ and His redeeming work on our behalf. There you will begin to see the fight against sin and the ultimate victory over sin. Then you will sing His praises and realize it is all up to Him, not you! May God open our eyes to sin and His salvation!!! 

"Struggle of Sin"

  Too many treat sin as something trivial. Sometimes there are those who belong to Jesus that just can't understand how sin can so easily take some down. Smugness sets in and we really question the motives and intentions of those who seem to be overwhelmed time and time again by sin. Too much at ease with sin and many stroll along with their hands in their pockets while thinking they have arrived spiritually. To much pouring over sin that it is almost impossible to beat sends people reeling into anxieties and depression.

  We need to realize that sin is a very powerful and deeply rooted force in lives of humans. But can it be overcome? I mean, my sin that seems to take me down, can I overcome it if it is so powerful? Yes indeed. Just look at the cross and see where sin was defeated completely. There is great hope! To give others the impression that sin is an easy 'fix' can send them off into depths of hopelessness. Some really struggle in their battles. They see others looking with scorn at them and it takes its toll. Sin is tough! Sin is a powerful enemy! But sin is not the Master!

  You belong to Jesus and He beat sin and its consequences. There is where your faith is placed. Our salvation, the covenant of the forgiveness of all our sins continues to be an on-going process. When we were united with Jesus in baptism, we changed Masters. Why? Because Master Jesus defeated sin for us. That doesn't mean sin will never try to find its way back into your life. It doesn't mean that sin will no longer try to bring you under its influence and mastery. It means holding to Jesus while growing in Him. We have been saved and we continue to be saved. Peter speaks of growing "in respect to salvation." (I Pet. 2:2) How are we to do that? By longing, like new born babies, the pure milk of the word! It means learning to put off the things that will entangle you and that sin uses to control you. Yes, you will stumble but sin will not master you! Quickly we confess to the Lord and embrace Him and sin is washed clean while strength is given upon our failure. We stand more and more with Jesus humbly submitting. Strength comes from Him, not us. We find ourselves overcoming anger issues, immoral issues and the strength the Lord gives begins to have a greater and greater effect. One day you find yourself that the things in which once caused you such difficulty are now nothing but a faded memory. Praise and thanksgiving are given to the Lord and Savior. Help those in sin! Encourage those struggle with sin that they can overcome! Sin has died and Jesus sees to that. Rejoice in your salvation!