Category Archives: Faith

The Letter ‘S’

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I am a big fan of desserts. Chocolate…mint…cream…fruit…donuts! I like just about any thing from the dessert menu. Here is just one tasty looking morsel…

Top 20 No-Bake Desserts | i am baker

If you remove one letter from dessert, you get desert. This picture will not be as appealing,

Desert Precipitation, Plant, and Animal Life

Which one would be more to your liking?

Connection between dessert and desert? You bet there is.

While in church this past week, I had this thought:

Sometimes, you have to go through the desert before you can have the dessert.

Our society and culture is focused on the instant. The now is vastly more important than later.

Ultimately, heaven is the final dessert. For now, we are here on earth living our days.

But this principle of “Now and Not Later” has invaded everything we do. Including, I dare say, our faith.

Food – we use microwaves rather ovens (I am not anti-oven, just so you know)

Money – casinos vs hard work

Sex – instant gratification over building a loving relationship with your spouse

Knowledge – Google search is easier than research or study

Power – strength over temptation without memorizing the Word

Jesus fasted for 40 days before he started his ministry. He was often found praying before the sun came up. He knew the value of going through the “desert”. Now he sits at the right hand of the Father in heaven eating his “dessert”!

God wants our hearts. That takes time. Building an intimate relationship with our Lord can sometimes feel like the desert. Good thing that relationship is based on faith and not feelings!

But God is always worth whatever desert we have to get past to find Him.

There is no shortcut to holiness.

Be encouraged today. God sees where you are. Look to Him.

God bless! See you next week!

Truly This Man…the end.

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Welcome to my blog. This post contains the second half of a short story. Please click here, Truly This Man…the beginning, to read the first half. Thank you!

“And now we have come to the crux of the matter. The source of your unbelief. You don’t believe that I am God. Yer we are speaking face to face and you are blind. What do you make of all this?”

“I don’t know. In the last two minutes, my mind has been doing backflips. You say that I have a purpose?! That you have given me a second chance?! What do I do now?”

“I love you. My world is broken and dark without you. You mean everything to me. This is my message. It is only and specifically, a message of love. Do you believe this?”

“Jesus, I do believe you. Ever since I saw you with the crowds, I sensed that something was different. I just didn’t know how different. I just don’t know if I can commit to you being the Son of God.”

“For God (my father) so loved the world, (that includes you) that he gave his one and only Son, (that would be me) that whoever (you, right now, at this moment) believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. Now, do you understand and believe?”

“YES! Jesus, my lord, I believe in you and commit my life to you. It all is clear now! Although my eyes are dark, the eyes of my heart have seen the light! I do believe!”

“And now you see your purpose, the reason I brought you here, don’t you?”

“Sir, sir! He is already dead. His legs need not be broken.”

Jesus, I see you hanging there on death’s doorstep. You have changed my life. I understand my purpose. And now, as you breathe your last breath, I will praise and glorify you. You are my all in all.

“Truly, this man was the Son of God!”

Thanks again for joining me here. I hope this little story has boosted your faith.

After all, God has given us all second chances.

See you next week.

I do because He did.

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Happy Friday!

giphy

As promised, tonight’s post is another school-inspired idea.

If you read my last post, my kids got to retake a test.

As for me, their teacher, I expect them to work hard now. I explained how the retake is a one-time thing. They are supposed to work hard for the rest of the year.

I will also work hard for them. That is what school is all about. Working hard.

hard-work

Transition to the spiritual. So now I am forgiven. What is the next step?

We get to work for God now. That is the next step.

It is pretty simple.

We work because God has already worked.

I live in a region of the country that is steeped in a “works-based” faith.

Simply put, salvation is earned. You do enough good things to outweigh the bad and heaven is all yours.

Sorry to be blunt but this is absolutely wrong. The bible is clear on this.

Good works should never be used to try and earn something from God.

I strongly believe that our good works should be a response to what God has already done for us.

The writer of Hebrews said it this way;

“1In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, 2but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. 3The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.”  Hebrews 1:1-3

Check out the underlined part. That describes the work God did. He sat. That is what I like to do after I work.

There is nothing you or I can do that will earn God’s acceptance.

So stop trying to work for it!

stop it sign

Instead, let your works point people to God.

That is the purpose of good works.

I do stuff because of God, not for God.

I do because He did.

 

 

 

Monkey and Banana

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YOU have probably heard about a rather interesting method they sometimes use when trying to catch a monkey for the zoo. It seems that trappers take a small cage out into the jungle. Inside the cage they place a bunch of bananas and then they close it, locking the bananas inside. Now a monkey coming along and spotting the bananas, will reach through the narrow rungs of the cage and grab a banana. But he can’t get it out. And no matter how hard he tries – twisting his hand back and forth – he can’t pull his hand through the rungs while hanging on to the banana. And even with the approaching trappers he won’t let go of the banana. For the trappers, it’s simply a matter then, of coming up and grabbing the monkey. Now if you were standing there in the jungle, watching all of this happen, and wanted to save the monkey, you might yell in exasperation, “Drop the Banana!” 

 

 

 

This was taken from an article on Foundations Magazine. Here is the link for the entire article: “Drop the Banana!”

I wanted to start with article because it reminds me of me. I am the monkey.

The banana represents things that I want. It could be anything I desire. And, if I happen to obtain it, I don’t want to let go.

I would suggest that all of us can be like the monkey.

How much of our life is spent in pursuit of the banana? Just for fun, write down how you spend your hours and days. You just might be surprised or even shocked.

If you feel you want to let go of whatever banana is in your hand, good thinking.

If you can’t let go, now is a great time for the Word

I Peter gives some much needed insight.

Here are verses 3-5 in the first chapter:

“3Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, 5who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.”  I Peter 1:3-5

We have a new birth.

We have a living hope.

We have an inheritance.

Why in the world would we want a banana?!?!

As much as I write this for you, the reader, I write it for myself.

If I could sum up the Christian life, it might be something like this:

Keep letting go of the banana and turning back to God.

But why would I want to let go when the banana is so fulfilling?

We have a place that is being prepared for us. That’s why.

It can’t be spoiled, ruined, or removed. There is a guard watching it. The enemy cannot taint it in anyway. It is under God’s protection.

And it is reserved for us.

heaven

I don’t really know what heaven looks like but I don’t need to know.

I just need to let go of the banana and trust God in the rest.

 

 

Don’t Forget to Clean the Lint Trap!

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Have you ever forgotten to clean the lint catcher thingy in your dryer?

clean-the-filter

It’s called a lint trap. It traps the lint into a confined space so it can be easily removed. Hopefully before starting any fires!

It is recommended that the trap be cleaned after every dryer use. Safety first! =-)

The season of Lent is almost here. Ash Wednesday, March 6, marks the beginning of Lent. Over a month later, 40 days later, we arrive at Easter.

Disclaimer: With my background, I have never intentionally observed Lent. It was not something I was taught while growing up. My comments about Lent are based upon my observations and conversations alone. If I get something wrong, I apologize. Please feel free to provide correction in the comments.

Now that I have cleared that up, let me ask a question:

How is a lint trap connected to Lent?

Keep reading and we can make that connection together!

For my purpose here, I will define Lent as I understand it:

Lent: a season of prayer and fasting to grow in relationship with God.

As I stated, Lent is not in my personal history. But I like the idea.

As a follower of Jesus, growing in relationship is my primary goal. God is largely unknown to us, but He wants to reveal Himself to us. The Bible makes this clear that God has provided access to Himself. All we need to do is to accept that gift and press in!

Lent seems like a great way to accomplish this goal!

But there is a trap! No, not a lint trap but a Lent trap! (see the connection?)

Matthew 6 describes people who have fallen into the Lent trap. Here is the first verse:

“Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.”

He, Jesus, goes on to talk about prayer and also fasting. This passage contains the Lord’s Prayer as well.

The summary goes like this: when you pray, fast, give money, serve etc., do it for God, not the approval of man. There is no reward for showing off for people. God honors those whose motive is pure.

It seems that some people can observe Lent but for the wrong reasons. They give up meat on Fridays. Perhaps they forego sweets. But why? Just because the church said so?

I want this post to address the heart of the matter. If you observe Lent or not, you can still fall into the Lent trap.

Why you do something can be just as important as what you do.

In case you are wondering, I am going to observe Lent this year. First time for everything!

I have my list of things that I will do or not do. I am ready.

list making

As we embark on the Lent this year, do it for God. He wants a deep and fulfilling relationship with you. And frankly, that is what we need also!

So in the midst of your prayer, fasting, giving, etc., make God the priority. Do your best to avoid the Lent trap!

One last thing before I sign off. If you are curious or wondering what the 40 day journey of Lent looks like, come follow me on mine.

I will be posting every night during Lent. Let us share in God’s goodness together!

God bless you in your endeavors this year!