Author Archives: Justin

Dec 24

A Gift Worth Giving

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It’s only a few hours until Christmas! Most of you will probably be up bright and early in the morning with your children gathered around a Christmas tree. Your purpose: unwrapping all those presents. Christmas is such an exciting time. I can still remember the excitement I had as a child when it came time to open the presents. Going back and watching the home videos is rather embarrassing now. I would get super excited over everything, including clothes. Yes, I loved opening gifts regardless of the contents inside.

Although the excitement is still there when I unwrap a present that was picked especially for me, I get more joy out of giving presents now and watching the excitement on other’s faces. It is always a great joy to watch as those I love open the gifts I chose just for them. If you have children, you no doubt understand this. Watching them open their presents is probably one of your favorite parts of Christmas.

Christmas is an exciting and wonderful time; one I enjoy thoroughly. However, this year, I have been thinking about the types of gifts we give the ones we love.  Consider this: “Why do we enjoy giving physical gifts to those we love, but we neglect to share the greatest gift of all, that which is spiritual?”

The greatest gift anyone could ever receive is salvation. For without it, we would be hopelessly lost. God loved mankind enough to give something so dear and precious to Him, His one and only son. He did this so that we could be saved from the pits of torment. He is the greatest gift of all, and yet, sometimes we are reluctant to share Him with others. One of the final requests Jesus made to His disciples was, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matt. 28:19-20). If I’m willing to go all out and spend lots of money on gifts that are perishable, why not take time to share with those I love about an imperishable gift that is absolutely free?

This Christmas, I hope you will be reminded to share the greatest gift of all, Jesus Christ and the salvation He offers. I challenge you to make it a point to take time to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with your loved ones. After all friends, this is one gift worth giving.

Now that’s Something to Think About!

Dec 20

That One Gift

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It’s that time of year again. Christmas is only a few days away. If you have kids, they probably already have given you a long list of the things they hope to receive come Christmas morning. With most kids though, there is always one gift they desire more than any other. As long as they find that one gift under the tree on Christmas morning, they are happy.

If you are honest, you may have to admit that you were the same away when you were their age. We probably all pestered our parents at some point about that one gift that we just had to have. I remember various conversations around this time of year that went something like this; “But dad, I just have to have it. I don’t know if I will be able to live without it. It’s all I really want for Christmas; nothing else matters but this one gift. Please!”

As you go about doing your last minute Christmas shopping looking for that one gift your child thinks he or she can’t live without, I hope you will remember the greatest gift available to us all. We truly must have this one gift. None of us can ever live without it. This gift is the gift of salvation, and God offers this gift to us.

God sent His son into this world in order for Him (Jesus) to “Save His (God’s) people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). Do you realize God desires one thing above all others?  He wants all people to repent of their sins and come to know Him (2 Peter 3:9). This is the very reason why God sent His son to die upon Calvary’s cross (John 3:16). Friends, this Christmas unwrap the one gift that can last for all eternity: salvation. This is truly THAT one GIFT mankind must have!

Now that’s Something to Think About!

 

 

 

Dec 13

“Oh, No!”

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We have probably all done it at one time or another. You know, something we were told not to do. As a child I can remember doing this on a few occasions. I knew as soon as I committed the forbidden action, I was going to be in trouble. Immediately I would have one of those, “Oh, no!” moments. You know, the moment you realize you did something you were not suppose to do and cry out, “Oh, no!” At that moment I would begin to contemplate the consequences of my actions. I knew I was in trouble for my disobedience.

Imagine how Adam and Eve must have felt. They were living the good life in the Garden of Eden until one day Satan appeared in the form of a serpent and helped change that. After giving in and breaking the one command God had given them, the Bible says, “They heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden” (Gen. 3:8). I imagine Adam and Eve hid themselves because they had one of those “Oh, no!” moments. They knew they had disobeyed God.

Adam and Eve found out very quickly the consequences for their BIG mistake. Consider if you will, what they had to endure.

  1. They lost their innocence. The Bible says, “The eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked” (Gen. 3:7).
  2. For Eve and her descendants, childbirth would be painful (Gen. 3:16). If you have ever been pregnant or have ever spent time around a woman who is, you understand the pain that comes from everything involved in pregnancy (morning sickness, weight of carrying the baby around, actual birth, etc.).
  3. Eve would now be in subjection to her husband, as he is the head of the home (Gen. 3:16).
  4. For Adam, making a living for his family would now be hard work. Moses records, “By the sweat of your face you will eat bread” (Gen. 3:19).
  5. They would now suffer both spiritual and physical death (Gen. 3:19, 24). The spiritual death was their separation from God and communing with Him in the garden. The physical death was that for the first time ever, something God created would die.
  6. They lost the garden. By this point Adam and Eve must have realized they made a BIG mistake because the Bible records, “Therefore the Lord God sent him out from the garden of Eden” (Gen. 3:23).

Satan tricked man on this occasion in the garden, and he continues to trick Christians today. Just like Eve, Satan deceives Christians into believing that sin will bring them great joy and pleasure. He deceives Christians into believing there is nothing wrong with a little sin. His desire is for Christians to see only the fun that comes with sin. Unfortunately, just like with Adam and Eve, sin always results in consequences.

Friends, remember…sin is not all it’s cracked up to be. Sure it looks good, feels good, tastes good and appears to be the unanimous choice of most people in our society today. However, with sin comes consequences, and many times those consequences have a far higher price than we would be willing to pay if we knew about them upfront, before we partook in the sin. Let’s fight to keep from being deceived by sin. We don’t want to have one of those “Oh, no…that was a BIG mistake” kind of moments when we are trying to serve God.

Now that’s Something to Think About!

 

Dec 06

Tim Tebow is…

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I’m a Tennessee Vols fan, always have been and always will be (even during seasons like 2011). As a Tennessee fan there are certain teams that I am not a fan of. For instance, I’m not a South Carolina or Georgia fan. I want the Vols to beat them every year. However, there are two teams Tennessee plays every year that I like even less than the two mentioned above. Those teams are Florida and Alabama. Being a Vols fan, means strongly disliking these two schools since they are probably our two biggest rivals. Tennessee may not win 9-10 games a season, but if they can beat Florida and Alabama that season is a success.

Recently, I have found myself cheering for Florida. Well, not for Florida exactly, but one of Florida’s former players. Tim Tebow may be the greatest player to have ever worn a Florida uniform. During his time at Florida let’s just say I wasn’t his biggest fan. After all, he and his team beat my Vols all 4 years he played there. However, now that he’s not beating my team every year (although Florida still is), I see Tim Tebow differently. I see him as someone I respect.

Tim Tebow is one of my favorite players in the NFL. It’s not because he is a winner on the field (although the Denver Broncos are 6-1 with him as their starting quarterback), but because of the manner in which this young man conducts himself. He is not arrogant, he is not flashy, he is not a dirty player, he is not obsessed with himself, he is not someone with a foul mouth, he is not someone who parties, he is not someone who experiments with substance abuse, he is not someone who gets in trouble for his off the field issues and he is not someone who is going to make excuses. Tim Tebow is none of these things.

Tim Tebow is a team player, he is a leader, he is an encourager, he is a motivator, he is hard working, he is determined, he is tough and he is a light. I am a fan of Tim Tebow, not because of what he does on the field every week, but because of what he stands for, both on and off the field each week. Although, I do not agree with him on some doctrinal issues, I admire and respect Tim Tebow because he is willing to stand up for his belief in God and face the scrutiny that comes with it. Every week more and more people speak out against Tim and the way he openly professes his faith. Yet, each week, he continues to let his light shine to those around him. I wished more of us who professed to be Christians were willing to stand up and stand out the same way he does. Tim Tebow is not afraid of what others think. He seems only to be concerned with being a light for the Lord he loves.

Jesus said, “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:13-16).

Friends, you and I can learn a little something from Tim Tebow. Why not heed the words of Jesus and be a bright shinning light for him?

Now that’s Something to Think About!

 

Nov 30

The Best Deal In Town

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Another Black Friday has come and gone and the only thing left are empty pockets. According to a recent poll, Black Friday spending was up significantly from  the previous two years. A lot of this probably had to do with the sales that many companies were promoting. Everything from fabrics and clothes to toys and electronics were on sale over the Thanksgiving weekend. Many shoppers were willing to go all out and to line up outside their favorite stores in the early evening on Thanksgiving Day, hoping to be one of the first to find the best deals and save big.

I like great deals just as much as the next person, just not enough to endure the craziness of Black Friday. In fact, the best deal in town is not found on Black Friday anyway. Instead, the best deal in town can be found all day, every day, 365 days out of the year without all the madness. The best deal in town is the deal that God offers us. He offers us everlasting life, endless bliss, joy over heartache and pain. God offers us salvation, and there is no better deal than that! Nothing we could ever buy on Black Friday is a better offer than the offer God has made us.

My question to you is very simple, “Are you willing to go all out and do whatever you have to for the offer God has made you?”  It’s the offer of a lifetime! Why not take hold of that offer today? Why not tell your friends about the great deal that God is offering? We all know everyone is looking to score the best deal in town and in the end, the person who accepts God’s offer will save big!

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

Now That’s Something to Think About!