Living in the Light

light in the churchOur church recently began to have two Sunday morning worship services. The early service starts at 9:00am. I had not preached at that time of day before, and it was interesting to notice how brightly the sunlight shines through the huge windows at the early service. I feel like I am under a spot light when the sun is shining brightly.

This past Sunday, my wife came up to me between services and suggested that I change clothes before the second service. In the bright light, she noticed that both my pants and shirt had spots on them that might have previously gone unnoticed. So I went home and changed. I will have to be more careful how I present myself now that the light is better in the church building.

People who live in spiritual darkness are afraid to come into the light because of what it might show about them. John 3:20-21 says, “Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.”

 

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Confession Is Good for the Soul

Word of Life ChurchA bizarre story began to unfold earlier this week when it was reported that two teenage brothers were brutally beaten in church. One of the young men died in the attack, which was an apparent attempt to get the two teenagers to confess their sins. The tragedy occurred in a Sunday night meeting at the Word of Life church, near New Hartford, NY. The brothers’ parents were charged with manslaughter in the incident, while four other adults were charged with assault. One ex-member of the church said that abuse and shaming were regular practices at the congregation.

The Bible does speak of the need to confess our sins. However, true confession can never be coerced. A person must be repentant and have a contrite heart before true confession can ever take place. This is the kind of confession God seeks.

“If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”—1 John 1:8-9.

 

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Now, that’s Different!

pharmacy-clipart-1A respectable looking lady entered a drug store and walked up to the pharmacist. She said to him, “I want to buy some cyanide.”

The pharmacist asked, “Why in the world do you need cyanide?”

“I need it to poison my husband.”

“You can’t be serious!” he replied. “I can’t give you cyanide to kill your husband! That’s against the law! I’d lose my license! They would throw both of us in jail! All kinds of bad things would happen. Absolutely not! I will NOT sell you any cyanide!”

The lady calmly reached into her purse and pulled out a picture of her husband in a compromising position with the pharmacist’s wife. He looked at the picture and said, “Well now, that’s different. You didn’t tell me you had a prescription!”

“Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone.”—Romans 12:17.

 

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Proper Alignment

words-with-friends_13-624x419I play word games with some friends. This morning I played the first word of a new game. At least I tried to do so. The tiles were not properly placed on the board, so the game would not allow me to send my move until I had corrected that mistake. It turned out that I misplaced the first letter, therefore every letter after that was in the wrong place.

This is how it goes with our lives. If we don’t put God in the right place in our lives, everything else is wrong. If nothing in your life is right, you need to start by putting God where he belongs—in first place.

“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”—Matthew 6:33.

 

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Under-Appreciated

AppreciateA minister friend of mine was recently chastised on social media for not going to visit a person’s loved one in the hospital. This highly inappropriate public rebuke was immediately met with responses of people defending the minister. When all the facts came out, it was determined that the minister had indeed gone to see the loved one in the hospital after all, so all the drama was for nothing.

It is ironic that this accusation took place in October, which is Pastor Appreciation Month!

Let’s try to do a good job of showing our appreciation to the paid clergy and the lay leaders in the church who work so hard to take care of our spiritual needs.

“Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to acknowledge those who work hard among you, who care for you in the Lord and who admonish you. Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other.”—1 Thessalonians 5:12-13.

 

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Changing Things Around

possible with GodMy wife and I are building a house in the country. The basement has been poured, the walls are up and the roof is complete. We drove out there the other day to see the progress. I jokingly asked our contractor, “Is it too late to have you angle the house a little bit more toward town?” He replied, “It’s too late for me to do that. It would take a higher power!”

Sometimes we make some mistakes that seem impossible to overcome. We might put our roots down deep in sin, so much so that we can’t turn things around by ourselves.

Never fear! We can’t mess anything up so bad that God can’t set us straight. No matter what you have done wrong, forgiveness is always available through Jesus.

“Jesus replied, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.”—Luke 18:27.

 

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This Is Our Year!

CubsAs the Chicago Cubs prepare for their playoff game against the Pittsburgh Pirates this evening, I can’t help but think about my friends who are Cubs fans. They have remained loyal to their team through one of the longest dry spells in the history of professional team sports. The last time the Cubs won the World Series was when Teddy Roosevelt was president—in 1908. They haven’t even made it to the World Series since 1945.

That’s quite a slump! One of my Cub-loving friends once defended his team by saying, “Any team can have a bad century every now and then!”

Perhaps your church is going through a slump right now. Maybe it seems like a long time since anything significant happened. You could be discouraged about the lack of victories. Keep the faith! God has a plan for you and your church. Be patient and hopeful as you watch that plan unfold.

Be encouraged by the words Jesus used to comfort the church in Philadelphia: “I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.” (Revelation 3:8).

Take heart! Victory comes to all who remain faithful to Jesus!

 

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Price of Alcohol

C.C. Sabathia

C.C. Sabathia

The New York Yankees are heading into the postseason without the services of one of their long-time dependable pitchers, C.C. Sabathia, who has admitted that he has a problem with alcohol. The veteran left-hander is checking into a rehab center and will miss the postseason. This is a shocking setback for the Yankees.

On the one hand, you have to admire Sabathia for seeking the help that he needs. He says that he wants to become a better family man. On the other hand, he certainly has let his teammates down by putting himself in this position. They have worked hard to get where they are, and they had hoped that C.C. would be there to help them achieve success in the postseason.

This is just another example of how alcohol causes a lot of pain in many people’s lives. Keep this in mind as you watch the beer commercials between innings.

“Do not gaze at wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup, when it goes down smoothly! In the end it bites like a snake and poisons like a viper.”—Proverbs 23:31-32.

 

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In Control

fruit-of-the-spirit-tree11A mother was teaching her young daughter the fruit of the Spirit, from Galatians 5:22-23. When she thought she had the list memorized, she recited it for her mother: “Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and remote control!”

Of course, it is not remote control. It is self-control that is on the list of the fruit of the Spirit.

The control that we are to exercise over our lives does not come from some remote place. It comes from within. This is not to say that it is from our own power. It is the power of the Holy Spirit that lives in the follower of Jesus that allows him or her to live a life of self-control.

Are you showing this fruit? Too many people who claim to follow Jesus are living lives that show very little self-control.

Are you allowing God to control your life?

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Something about the Truth

Pope Francis

Pope Francis

I find it interesting the way the recent meeting between Kim Davis and Pope Francis was covered in the media. First, it was reported that Davis’ lawyer claimed that the two had met. It was as if Davis and her lawyer may have made up the whole story and the meeting had never taken place. Later it was reported that someone in the Vatican had confirmed that the pope and Kim Davis had indeed met. This confirmation was necessary for some people to even begin to believe that the meeting had taken place.

Why was there so much suspicion from those who oppose Kim Davis and the Christian beliefs for which she stands? Perhaps it is because worldly people unwittingly acknowledge that they have rejected the truth, and they assume that everyone else bases their lives on lies.

According to Romans 1:31, those on the wrong side of this important moral issue “…have no understanding…” They have no understanding because they have rejected the source of all truth—Jesus Christ (John 14:6).

Jesus says that we can know the truth, and that the truth will set us free (John 8:32). The truth can set you free from a lifestyle that is based on lies. The truth can set you free from being suspicious of people who believe in God. The truth can set you free to live the life that God has planned for you. The truth can set you free to live in heaven forever!

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