Begin with Jesus

The autobiography of G. Stanley Jones is titled A Song of Ascent, and it’s considered to be a spiritual classic. Jones was a great man: a missionary to India, a friend to Gandhi, a tireless world traveler, and a Read more

Weeds

Have you ever been responsible for a task you didn’t particularly enjoy? Perhaps you can relate to one homemaker who developed a unique perspective on some of her less enjoyable household duties. She said: I don't do windows because I Read more

New Each Day

Patrick Henry, whose primary contribution to the history books is the phrase "Give me liberty or give me death," made another memorable statement. He said, "I know of no way of judging the future but by the past." Repeat this before Read more

I Am Second :: Remi Adeleke

"I made it through the Bronx, the streets, became a Navy Seal, and nobody could tell me nothing." Remi Adeleke craved money, the power and respect as his success in life. He found it being a thug, a hustler, a Read more

Baggage

We've all got it and it's really hard to let it go. In this skit, Tommy and Eddie give us a window into a young man's life who seems to be dealt one blow after another and becomes weighed Read more
•••••

The Book of Law: Learning About God Starts at Home

Posted on January 7, 2013 by GODencounters in Articles | Leave a comment

The Israelites are standing on the brink of the land they were promised 40 years ago.  Before entering, Moses reminds them one last time all God has done for them and how best to live a happy and fulfilling life.

Knowing they are about to enter a land filled with people who worshiped all manner of created things (the sun, the moon, the trees, their own sexuality, etc.) Moses reminds his people “The Lord is our God, the Lord alone!” (Deut. 6:4).  This was a very distinct reminder as monotheism, that is the worship of ONE god was unheard of in the ancient world outside of the Hebrew nation.  The Israelites knew that their God was the God, the Lord of the entire earth, the Creator of all.  Like the ancient Hebrews, we also encounter people today who would rather place their trust in different values, belief systems, superstitions, and so on; even inside the church.  And like the Israelites, it is important for us to keep our focus on God because in the end He will be recognized as the ONLY God and He will be King of the entire world (Zech. 14:9).

Moses also gives some parenting advice to the Israelites (Deut. 6:5-9).  We are to love God, keep His commandments in our heart and obey them, and teach our children to do the same.  God put a big emphasis on the importance of the people teaching the scriptures (our Bible) to their children.  God did not say to rely on the priests to do it, and He does not expect us to rely on the church or Christian schools to teach our children about Him.  It has to start at home!  We cannot shirk the responsibility to teach our children about the wonderful God we serve.  There are so many wonderful object lessons in the Bible, and these eternal truths can’t be learned just an hour a week in children’s class!  They are most effectively learned in the loving environment of a God-centered home.

The Jews continue to be very good at making their religion an integral part of their lives.  One of the reasons they are so successful is that what they teach their children is life-oriented, not just a bunch of information, facts, and figures.  They use daily life experiences to teach about God.  If you want your children to follow God, you too must make God a part of your every day experiences.  You must teach your children to see God in every part of their lives as you do, not just those moments you are sitting in church together (because God is not a once-a-week kind of God).

Another reason Moses encouraged the people to teach their children about God daily, in the home, is because he knew they were about to conquer a rich and wonderful land and become very prosperous (Deut. 6:10-19).  This prosperity, more than any amount of poverty the people had encountered, could dull their spiritual lives and cause them to forget about God.  The same is warning holds true for us today.  As we become more successful, it is very easier to become increasingly self-sufficient and our focus shifts from wanting to know more about God to just wanting more.  More HDTV’s, iPhones, sports cars, big houses, more everything…except God.  We may start focusing on our own selfish interests and petty jealousies, which leaves no room to be thankful or give a second thought to God.

Moses suggests that as the people settle down and become prosperous in their land, that they continue to tell their children the stories of their ancestors.  How God parted the Red Sea, lead them through the desert, spoke to them Himself (Deut. 6:21-23).  Not only will this help our children to learn about God and living a God-centered life, but it will help us to keep our focus on God.  And if we keep our focus on Him, He promises to bless us in all that we do (Deut. 6:24-25).

Where is your focus today?

Why Grace is So Hard to Believe

Posted on January 4, 2013 by GODencounters in Articles | 2 Comments

It is really a simple problem in the Seventh-day Adventist Church. I think it’s pretty hard to believe in many other denominations as well, but it may just be a little extra hard with our heritage.

For decades we have held public evangelistic meetings. Members have been encouraged to bring friends to these meetings and some do, but many only have friends who are already part of the denomination which reduces the opportunity to have “friends” to invite. In addition, the community is blanketed with mailers inviting people to attend the series (crusade, effort, lectures, etc.).

Attendees of these meetings are presented a carefully crafted series of messages to present truth in a seemingly irrefutable way. Those who begin buying into the speaker’s worldview and understanding of scripture are subtly, or not so subtly, led to see their new understandings not just as truth, but as a teaching which affords them a superior status in spiritual knowledge.

The novice in prophecy, hermeneutics, and maybe spirituality in general, gets this rush of moving rapidly toward expert as compared with the general population. Finally, agreeing to become part of the “remnant church” of Bible prophecy. the new member senses they are on the inside track and part of a favored group, those who are “right”.

We challenge new believers to leave family, friends, churches, workplaces (when Sabbath is an issue), to step out and be separate – to walk by faith in this new light that has come to them. So it isn’t hard to imagine that, over time, they may be tempted to believe they deserve God’s favor. After all, look at all the things they sacrificed: from alcohol, caffeine, sugar, meat, maybe even cheese, etc. in their diet, to their old wardrobe, jewelry and overly expensive clothes, to friends, family and workmates, to hobbies and Sabbath activities, and of course the burden of knowing all the “right” answers to all the end time events. Not that any of these choices aren’t necessarily “good” but there is a risk.

Having behaved, obeyed, believed, and chosen all of the above and more, there is a damning temptation to which we may succumb. We may block the freedom that God’s grace brings. Why? Because grace, in order to be grace, must be undeserved by the recipient, and when a person is tempted and then begins to believe that they deserve grace, it is no longer grace they receive but rather something they imagine they are owed. And to not receive grace is to not receive life.

Whether you are the worst person, literally the most diabolical person who ever lived, or whether people would wish to confer sainthood on you because you seem so holy, in either case you deserve nothing but death eternal, and you get life eternal only as an act of God’s grace which you do not deserve.

Maybe, just maybe, sometimes we Christians aren’t very gracious dispensers of grace because we have fooled ourselves, with the devil’s assistance, into believing we somehow deserve grace and that there are others around us who do not deserve it, so we don’t deliver it.

Getting grace right is acknowledgement that we don’t deserve it, and giving grace right is to acknowledge that to whomever we extend it, the only qualification for receiving it is not deserving it. That’s what makes it grace. And that’s pretty amazing.

I Believe In God

Posted on December 19, 2012 by GODencounters in Articles | Leave a comment

man-prayingI believe in God. I don’t mean in the sense that I believe he exists. I do, but I’m talking about a different belief.

I believe in God the way I believe in my friends. I believe he’s happy to take my call, that he looks forward to spending time with me. That he is interested in what I have to say. That he’s anxious to listen and eager to help. That if I need to move, he’ll bring the truck.

I believe in God the way that I believe in my employer. I believe that he has a purpose for me and that he supplies me with the means to accomplish that purpose. I believe that he has created a job perfectly suited to my interests and abilities and that he’s there to coach, mentor and expand my abilities, responsibilities, and job satisfaction.

I believe in God the way I believe in my parents. I believe that he sees through all the errors in judgement, mistakes, misdeeds, ignorance, arrogance, rebellion, and nonsense to see the good in me. I believe that, despite failure after failure, he still has confidence in me. That no matter how many times I turn away he’s watching and waiting with open arms, anxiously expecting me to turn to him. I believe that every time I turn to him he receives me as a perfect child despite my extreme imperfection.

I believe in God the way I believe in my country. I believe that God seeks justice and protects the innocent. That he implements laws to protect me, not him. That he places wise and honest authorities over me for the benefit of me and everyone else.

I believe in God the way I believe in my favorite restaurant. I believe that God prepares good things for me and wants me to enjoy my food. I believe that God takes pleasure in serving me, and that he’ll always be there with a wholesome and appetizing meal.

I believe in God the way I believe in my City. I believe that living in community with God protects me from countless problems of which I’ll never be aware. That God likes, builds, and wants a community where people are more inclined to help than to harm. That he wants community identity, purpose and good.

I believe that any time I see any of these good things anywhere or in anyone I’m seeing reflections of God. Whether I’m eating with friends, working on a project, attending a concert, exploring an art show, or helping a drug addict in a homeless shelter, the good that is there is God.

Do I believe that God exists? Certainly, but more importantly I believe IN God.

 

You really need to read the conversation that this article sparked on the original post!

« Previous   1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 ... 35 36   Next »