Posts

MARCH 29 "UNBELIEVABLE STORIES"

   WHEN we think of unbelievable stories of the bible, we think of Jonah in the belly of a whale for 3 days, we think of Joshua praying that the sun would stand in place or Elijah praying that it would not rain for 3 years, but I think this story is equally unbelievable and stands just as strong (in the category of "unbelievable") as the previous stories mentioned. It is hard to believe how cold and indifferent the heart of a human being can be towards another human being. It is hard to believe how mankind would be more concerned about his livelihood than the welfare of another human being, but regardless of whether it is hard to believe, it is TRUE. The unfortunate incident here is that these men lost their herd of swine (what were Jews doing with a herd of swine anyway?), but yet a life has been restored, a man that was bound by demons has been set free, free to go home and be a son to his father again, free to go home and be a father to his sons, free to go home and li...
Post a Comment
Read more

MARCH 28 "I SURE WISH GOD WOULD SPEAK TO ME"

    One of the most common complaints, apparently for Christians, is that God does speak to us audibly, if only He would just speak to us. Having Pastored for 10 years I have learned to bite my tongue, more often than not. If I spoke my mind every time someone slipped a bit from the straight & narrow, well.......and that's me, imagine if God spoke audibly to us, imagine if God didn't bite his tongue (so to speak). In our text we read today God speaks and it's all about "house cleaning". I believe they mindset of the Israelites, whom God did often speak to was the opposite of ours. Their mindset was more, "if God isn't speaking, that's a good thing". We may look different than the Israelites, but as humans we are not much different. We fill our lives with junk, idols, compromises & false gods. We think if God was to speak it would be marvelous and loving; and I'm sure at times it would be, but other times it would be "a shake down...
Post a Comment
Read more

MARCH 27 "INGREDIENTS OF OUR OWN DEMISE"

    "But that is the time to be careful! Beware that in your plenty you do not forget The Lord your God" This is ridiculous! Who would forget someone who has done so much for them? I thought it was the opposite, I thought we had to worry about people in the Church that are not doing well, that are not prospering. Now you're  telling me that we also have to worry about those that God is prospering? I could see how someone could leave the Church who felt like God let them down or wasn't doing enough for them (as spiritually immature as that might be), but I don't think that, as our scripture says, we need "to be careful" that those that are prospering, by the hand of God.....would actually stray from God. And if that be true (which obviously it is if God has said it) then I can't help wonder....Does Christianity contain in itself; it's own ingredients for its demise? In other words; if the tendency is for Christians to prosper in their ways, can th...
Post a Comment
Read more

MARCH 26 "WEAR THEM ON YOUR FOREHEADS"

    I will rarely be the one to say that, "God made a mistake", but I have to say, God made a mistake here when He instructed them to "wear them on their foreheads".  What was He thinking? Did God not think that one day, as hard as it is to believe that they might actually make boxes and put them on their foreheads? Or maybe God knew how religious they would become some day and He wanted them to look like fools, walking around with a box on their foreheads.  Fact is, all religious people look like fools to those outside the church.  They see us with all our dogmas, all our rules and regulations but then they see us, when push comes to shove, act like heathens, hateful, prejudiced, unforgiving, cheap, mean, bitter, and the list goes on.  God promised the day when His laws and precepts would be written upon our hearts. A few thousand years later, Jesus came, died and rose from the dead, with that promise now available to all (his laws written upon o...
Post a Comment
Read more

MARCH 25 "CAN ADULTS ACCEPT CORRECTION?"

    How do you respond to correction.  Is it true that Adults, are just kids in grown up bodies?  Moses says, " But the Lord was very angry with me, because of you. he vowed that I would never cross the Jordan River into the good land the Lord your God is giving you as your special possession". If only the leaders we corrected were still willing to carry out their duties and responsibilities with dignity and honor, as Moses did in our text.  Our reaction to such a stern correction would be, "fine, I've given the past 40 years to getting these people into the Promised Land and now you're telling me I'm not going in because I lost my temper or disobeyed you one time? Well then you lead them, you tell them what they need to do or, better yet, have Joshua do it, since you see perfectly fit to have him go into the Promised Land! After all, where was Joshua when I was confronting Pharaoh, where was Joshua when I was leading these people through the dese...
Post a Comment
Read more

MARCH 24 "THE MOST DEPRESSING STORY EVER"

         Maybe I'm just in a somber mood this morning, but I was just overwhelmed with how depressing this scenario is and maybe that 's good.  I don't know how they did it? I can just imagine how many could not take this aimless wandering and left the group, went off on their own into the desert and probably died out in the wilderness.  Imagine knowing, you have no purpose but to wander in circles until you die.  They were going absolutely "nowhere", there was no final destination, no purpose, but to wander around aimlessly and die.  That's depressing!!!  This is still the curse of the unbeliever (for it was their unbelief that angered God and drove them out into the desert), whether inside the church or outside.  The curse of the "unbeliever" is still aimless wandering, purposeless living; without an end destination. If we are going to know God, we must seek God for the greatest benefit (on earth) of ...
Post a Comment
Read more

MARCH 23 "BE CAREFUL WHO'S IDEAS YOU LISTEN TO"

   VERSE 22, "Then ALL OF YOU (that was a red flag right there) came to me and said, "let us send men ahead to spy out the land for us and bring back a report about the route we are to take and the towns we will come to". I'm not so sure this sneak preview was so much about "scouting for a route", this scouting venture is purposely phrased to Moses, not to let out a hint of negativity, it's all positive.  They make sure to say to Moses the "right words", they make sure not to allude in any way that this spying out the land is really to see if the rumors they have heard are true (giants in the land) and if they are, there's no way....but none of that is mentioned to Moses. I believe Moses was manipulated here. Why would God allow Moses to be manipulated? Notice Moses doesn't tell the people, "I'll seek God get back to you on this" as he usually did. Moses now is trying to be nice, he's believing the best in people, tru...
Post a Comment
Read more