Jan 23

Plans Change; the Return of Jesus Doesn’t

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How many times have you put a lot of time and effort into making plans, only to have those plans change? Perhaps this has happened to you more times than you can count. Just a couple of weekends ago, several teens and I were scheduled to travel to Evangelism University (EU) in Savannah, TN.  However, due to inclement weather, the EU board decided to cancel the event in the interest of everyone’s safety. The teens who were planning to go were extremely disappointed because they enjoy this event so much.

Unfortunately, this experience has proven yet again that sometimes our plans can change. Even though we may be set on going somewhere or doing something, sometimes, due to reasons beyond our control, our plans just don’t work out as we had anticipated.

Our earthly plans do change from time to time, but there is one thing we can count on that will never change: Jesus will return someday. Paul wrote, “And to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels 8 in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus” (2 Thess. 1:7-8).

Despite what people may think or even want, God has appointed a day in which the Lord Jesus will return to judge all the people of the world (Acts 17:30-31). And when this happens, each one of us will give an account of our lives (2 Cor. 5:10; Rom. 14:12). We may not know the day or time (Matt. 24:36), but the return of our Lord is one plan we know will happen.  Will we be ready to meet Him when He comes?

Now that’s Something to Think About!

 

Dec 21

Opportunities For Generous Living

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Photo by Elaine Casap on Unsplash

 

The lights are hung, the trees are decorated, the parties are planned and mostly completed and the last few gifts are being wrapped. This is truly one of the most wonderful times of the year. This season is a special time for all of us for many different reasons, but perhaps one of my favorite reasons is because of people’s generosity. We don’t have to look very far to see generous hearts all around. Turn on the news and see how a “Secret Santa” is paying off thousands of dollars of people’s layaways. Look closely at you and your friend’s behavior. During this holiday season we don’t just give gifts to our family, we give gifts to our friends and even our coworkers. Generosity is all around during Christmas.

However, what about the other eleven months of the year? Are we just as generous in June or July as we are during the month of December? Sadly, I’m afraid we do not live with this same generosity throughout the entire year. Maybe there are many reasons for why this tends to be the case, and perhaps some of these reasons we may even consider to be very good reasons. However, as Christians, we are called to not neglect doing good and sharing what we have (Heb. 13:16).

Paul, speaking to the churches in Galatia, said, “So then, as we have the opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith” (Gal. 6:10). Notice the phrase, “As we have the opportunity.” Every day you and I have several opportunities to be generous and bless the lives of other people by doing good. Sometimes those blessings come in the form of something big, while most of the time they come in the form of something on a much smaller scale. Whether big or small though, we must make the most of these opportunities for generosity.

The holiday season will soon be over, but I pray our generosity toward others will not be over. Let’s be as generous in the next few months as we are during the current holiday season. May you and I model generous lives before others so that our heavenly Father receives all the glory and honor (Matt. 5:13-16).

Now that’s Something to Think About!

Sep 11

Firm Foundation

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Throughout history there have been people who once followed God but somewhere along the way turned back and no longer follow Him. Just take the nation of Israel for example. Israel had been repeatedly warned by both, Moses and Joshua, and yet, after the dead of Joshua, there arose a generation who did not know God (Judges 2:10-13).

One might quickly wonder what went wrong? How did this once proud nation of God’s people, find themselves as a generation “Who did not know God?” It appears the people failed to appreciate the repeated words of God.

Sadly, not a lot is different today. More and more people who were brought up in “Christian” homes are turning their backs on God. Floods of young people are leaving the church and walking away from Jesus. What can be done to stop this exodus?

  1.  RESPECT GOD AND HIS WORD. If we want young people to love God and His Word, we must demonstrate our respect of God’s Word by taking time to read it (Psa. 119:97). If we are honest, few of us probably read the Bible like we should. Instead of treating God’s Word as a letter with purpose, too many of us treat it as an ancient historical document that has no place in our lives. Young people need to see our love and respect for the Bible through our fervent study.
  2. LISTEN AND OBEY GOD’S WORD. It is not enough for us to just read what God says, we must also do what we read. Ultimately, listening and obeying His word means we live differently from the people around us. There will be things the world says yes to that we say no to and vice versa (Gal. 5:19-24). Young people need to see our obedience to God’s Word.
  3. TEACH GOD’S WORD. Church attendance cannot replace biblical instruction in the home. As parents, we must diligently talk of God and teach His ways to our children. The more opportunities we take to teach, the greater our influence will be on our children (2 Tim. 1:5; 3:14-15). Let’s not rely only on what they are hearing in Bible class, let’s be proactive in teaching them ourselves.

Parents, grandparents and concerned members of the church, a lot is riding on whether we are teaching our young people to love God and His word. If we are, that’s great, let’s keep it up. However, if we aren’t, why not? Friends, what’s the soul of a young person worth to you?

Now that’s Something to Think About!

 

 

 

Apr 21

Assuming All Risks

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Photo Credit: Dhammika Heenpella / Images of Sri Lanka Flickr via Compfight cc

 

Have you ever had to take a risk? Most of us can quickly recall a time or two when we were involved in taking a risk. Perhaps it was for our company, for a relationship or maybe even some type of financial risk. Despite the nature of the risk, the decision to take the risk was difficult because we didn’t know how things would work out.

 

If we are Christians, then we should be in the business of taking risks for the sake of the Gospel. Think about it for moment. When is the last time you were willing to take a risk to possibly spread the message of the Gospel? Sadly, for some of us, we might have to think long and hard about the answer to that question.

 

Being a Christian requires us to take risk if we are to fulfill the work of the Lord. Consider the apostle Paul. Paul was repeatedly warned about the dangers that were awaiting him in Jerusalem if he continued to travel that direction (Acts 20:22-23; 21:4, 11-12). Perhaps, this would have been a good time for Paul to hunker down or at least to avoid going to Jerusalem, but that’s not who he was. Paul was not fearful, he was fearless.

 

Instead of backing down and avoiding going to Jerusalem to help the Christians, Paul fully intended to go no matter what he had to face. Paul told the brethren in Caesarea, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be imprisoned but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus” (Acts 21:13).

 

Did you catch what Paul said? He is not only ready to face imprisonment for the sake of Christ, but he’s ready to die for the name of the Lord Jesus. Paul, knowing full well what laid ahead in Jerusalem, continued with his plans, willing to assume all risks.

 

Like Paul, we should be willing to fulfill the mission of our Lord despite any risks we may have to face. Imagine how different our churches and communities might look, if followers of Christ were willing to assume all risks for the sake of spreading the Gospel message. If we did this, we just might have the same type of impact on the world around us that the apostle Paul had!

 

Now that’s Something to Think About!