No Cheating

Romans 14:12 (HCSB)

“So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God.”

I hate to admit it but I struggled to make good grades all through high school.  It all started in the seventh grade.  That was a rough year for me.  I cheated on more tests than I can remember.  Whether it was Math, History, or English…if the class required me to study – I cheated.  At the end of the year I passed and moved on to the eighth grade.  But even though I passed, I really failed.  I didn't recover from my cheating until I was in my second year of college.  I was always behind, trying to catch up.  Yes, I passed the seventh grade, but I failed miserably.

Are you cheating in life?  It may appear that you are getting a passing grade. But the truth is, and you know it, you’re not what you appear to be.  When it comes to matters of character, you may cheat but you’ll eventually get caught.  D. L. Moody said “Character is what you are in the dark.”  What am I getting away with?  What am I doing I hope no one finds out about? 

Paul said, “Each of us will give an account to God.” I won’t give an account to my seventh grade teachers.  I won’t give an account to my parents, my wife, or children.  I won’t give an account to friends.  I will give an account to God.  Wow.  It matters what God’s word says…and it matters what I do with what He says.  If I am an unbeliever God will save me from my cheating ways.  If I am a believer, God will cleanse and forgive me – If I will pray, believe, and trust Him to do for me what I can’t do for myself.  Each of us will answer to God.  No Cheatin’!   M    

Enduring Temptation

1 Corinthians 10:13 “There has no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted above that you are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that you may be able to bear it.”

Temptation is common to man…every man is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Each of us will experience temptation is some way.  We’re not all tempted with the same things, but make no mistake about it – we are all tempted. 

But not everyone escapes temptation.  Even though God provides grace and help in times of need and means of escape in times of temptation, not everyone gets out unscathed.  Many will give in to temptation and will bear the scars the rest of their life.  And, the ripple effects of sin can have an effect on those closest to those of us who yield to its power. 

But there’s a wonderful word in this verse…Paul says God provides a way of escape that we may be able to BEAR it.  Other translations say it like this: “So that you can endure it.”  Wow.  The escape that God provides may be a way out of temptation, or it may be a way through temptation. God will help you endure temptation.

You will experience temptation.  You may escape it.  But by God’s grace you can absolutely endure it.  Stay strong.  Keep your eyes on Jesus.  

He Sees Each Sparrow

Matthew 10:29 "Aren't two sparrows sold for a penny?  Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father's consent." (HCSB)  

God sees each sparrow when it falls.  I’ve read that verse my whole life but just recently I’ve seen something in it I’d never thought about.  God sees each sparrow when it falls… He doesn’t stop the sparrows from falling nor does He save them from falling.  He allows the sparrow to fall and He sees it all.  It falls with His permission, with His consent. 

The obvious question is “Why?”  Why doesn’t He stop the sparrow from falling?  Why doesn’t He save the sparrow from its fall?  He could stop it from falling if He chose to.  But sometimes He lets the sparrow fall.  Because, there are times, when falling is the only thing that will cause a sparrow to appreciate flying. 

A fallen sparrow wants to fly.  He was born to fly.  While he is on the mend from his fall he remembers the joy of flying, of feeling the wind beneath his wings, of knowing what its like to rise above it all. 

Maybe you feel like a fallen sparrow.  The good news is God saw when you fell and He sees you now.  And the better news is, by His grace, you can fly again.  There are better days ahead. M

Out Of Control

Psalm 55:22

I remember sliding on the ice in my beautiful 1976 Pontiac Sunbird like it was yesterday.  I was nineteen, driving too fast because I was running late to work, and the roads were icy.  Before I could blink I had spun around about four times and landed in the ditch.  Even though I had a firm grip on the steering wheel and had my foot pressed firmly on the brake…I was out of control. 

Is your life out of control?  Yes, it looks like you’re in control, but you know you’re not.  Maybe you thought it would never happen to you.  Maybe you thought you could handle whatever life threw at you.  Maybe you thought you were young enough, strong enough, old enough, wise enough… But all that doesn’t matter now.  Regardless of what you thought, you're out of control.

How do you get out of the ditch after you’ve lost control?  I did it with the help of my dad and the neighbor’s tractor.  But if your life is out of control, there’s only one hope.  Turn your life over to God.  To borrow a line from the country song, let “Jesus take the wheel…”  Because the truth is you are not young enough, strong enough, old enough or wise enough to do it on your own.  You need help.  You need to turn it over to Jesus.  Cast your cares on Him – He will save you, strengthen you, and sustain you.  

Dudes, Duds, and Dads (part three)

Hebrews 11:7

There are dudes like King David, duds like Abraham’s nephew Lot, and then there are dads…like Noah.  I’m not suggesting he was the perfect father, but he did what God told him to do and it saved his family.  Like every man, Noah had his faults.  But his desire to obey God was his priority even though he occasionally stumbled.

Dads will do the right thing even if it means sacrificing time and money.  Dads are men who put their dreams on hold so their children’s dreams can come true.  These guys do more than father a child, they feel compelled to be a dad.  These men, while they love to fish and golf and hunt, etc… make sure their kids are more important than their drivers, rods and reels, and rifles. 

My dad is the son of share-croppers who never owned a home, but he made sure our family had a home of our own.  My dad quit school in the 8^th grade to work and help the family, but he always encouraged me in college and seminary.  My dad was never wealthy but he taught me the value of a dollar and hard work. 

Courage defines you.  Noah believed God and it was accounted to his as righteousness.(Gen.15:6) Noah’s life counted for God.  He did the ridiculous and it saved his family.

Noah built an ark…we all know that.  But he built something else just as important.  Following the flood, when Noah and his family were able to walk out of the ark onto dry land, he built an altar.  He taught his family to obey God when he built the ark… but he taught his family to worship God when he built the altar. In Genesis 8:21, what Noah did pleased God. 

Men…the temptation will always be there to be a dude or a dud…but be a Dad.  Be a man who not only loves your children but leads them in the way that pleases God.  Be a Noah – Let your children see you obeying God.  Let them see you worshipping God.  Amen