I was in a situation recently where a Christian brother was being unfairly attacked by a group of people who despise Christianity and everything about it.  Not physically attacked but they were mocking this person and doing all they could to twist the words of this man to make him appear to be a giant hypocrite when nothing was said or done by that man which was hypocrisy.  It was clear this person was being attacked for no reason than they were a Christian who dared to be real and admit they weren't perfect.

The interesting part of the situation wasn't the persecution that was going on nor was it the Christian who was at the subject of the persecution.  It was the responses of people who call themselves believers.  You would think at a time like this a Christian should come to the need of their Christian brother and stand up against the assault by those controlled by the enemy, right?  Well, a few Christians did stand up against it.  A few others made a few flippant comments like "well, you know they don't like him" or "you know why they're doing it" but never took the stand against the persecution.  Still others just stayed silent while their Christian brother was under attack.

I want to be very clear on something...if you see a Christian brother or sister undergoing persecution and you have the ability to say or do something to stop it and you don't then you are willfully sinning. 

Don't believe me?

"17So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin." - James 4:17 (ESV)

It's God's word. 

If you are a believer in Christ and profess His word then you cannot sit there and let abuse of a fellow believer go on without committing a sin.  It doesn't matter where you see it happening...work, school, church, on the street, at a restaurant, on a message board or at your home.  If you are in a position to speak up or to step in where a brother or sister is being persecuted and you don't then you are committing a sin.

Now, I'm sure some of you are going to say "well, it's just a sin.  We all sin every day."  That's very true.  However, are we to seek out sin?  Are we to delibrately sin because we know God will forgive us as imperfect beings that needed His son to come and die for us so we could be with him forever?  Of course not.

"1What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? 2By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? 3Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life." - Romans 6:1-4 (ESV)

and

" 12Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal bodies, to make you obey their passions. 13Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness." - Romans 6:12-13 (ESV)

Usually what happens when a Christian brother or sister is being verbally assaulted or being slandered or smeared it's the response of most Christians to make an excuse why they shouldn't be involved.  They'll blame the Christian being attacked for doing something to prove the attack even if they did nothing wrong.  They'll try to avoid the situation because they don't want to be attacked.  Perhaps they are friends with the person making the attack and they want to stay friends.  There might be a business relationship or they're in the same bowling league so they don't want to build tension with anyone.

NONE of these are good excuses to stand by when you can step in for a brother or sister who is being persecuted in any way.  Even if you don't like that Christian personally (because we don't all like each other) it's a case where you step in because they are a brother or sister.  When someone's running down your brother who overcame alcoholism you need to step in.  When someone is running down the single mom because she had a baby out of wedlock you need to step in.  When someone is trying to make the kid from your church's youth group do something they don't want to do then you need to step in.  There's no excuse.

I know some of you are thinking "man, he's being hardcore today."  Yes, I am.  I'm tired of seeing people who proclaim they have the love of Christ in their life making up excuses for delibrately avoiding what Christ tells them to do.  Note, I'm not saying not doing it...we call mess up every day.  I'm talking about delibrately avoiding doing the right thing because of their own personal gain.  That's a sin and there's no way to spin it otherwise.

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I really debated whether or not I should write a blog regarding marriage since I'm not married.  It's one of those situations where some people say you can't really give advice or help someone if you're not walking in the same footsteps.  So if you're one of those who thinks unless a writer is married they can't understand marriage I have something to say...and I mean this...get over it. 

Let's talk marriage!

One of the biggest problems I think marriages can face is the inability of one or the other members of the marriage to leave their family and create a new family as instructed by God.  That's why I think we have a lot of divorces...people go into a marriage with outs already in place and you set yourself up for failure.

"Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh." - Ephesians 5:31 (ESV)

When you get married you have to take and place your spouse ahead of all the other members of your family.  They are more important than your brothers or sisters.  They are more important than grandma and grandpa.  They're more important than the people who likely have been the most important in your life to that point...your own mother and father.

It seems today's generation doesn't even think about this part of it.  It's you and them and that's it.  You need to build that friendship and relationship between you and go into it for life.  There's no backdoor, no escape clause...you're into it for life.  You have to break the bonds that have been the basis for your life to that point and join with your spouse.

Even though the Word I quoted only says a man, it's in the same passage of scripture as this:

"22Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. 24Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands." - Ephesians 5:22-24 (ESV)

So if the wife is to submit to her husband...as to the Lord...then there's no way she can have anyone else in front of her husband because we are not to have anyone else in front of our Lord.  So basically this passage along with verse 31 give a rock solid command from God for the husband and wife to cleave to each other as one.

I know this runs counter to today's culture but then the life of a Christian has always run counter to the whims of the world!  Marriage isn't some disposable commodity that you use for a while and toss aside when you're "not happy."  It's an obligation, it's a promise before God and you need to take it seriously.  In a sense, you're flaunting your will in front of God when you put your mother ahead of your husband or wife. 

If you're in a marriage where you're suffering from problems because you haven't "left anf cleft" it's not time to panic.  There's still time to work together to get the marriage where it needs to be.  You might have to take some uncomfortable steps such as saying "no" to mom and dad or getting a sitter for the kids and putting the marriage and relationship into a place where it gets serious focus.  Don't be afraid to find a good Christian marriage counselor.  Don't forget to pray!

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I received a friend request over the weekend from the Pastor of a church that if I lived in Colorado I'd likely attend on a regular basis.  This Pastor and his church is dedicated to doing what Christ called us to do without worry about the man made box that most Christians tend to put Jesus in called religion.  It's about Jesus and not about what the denomination's headquarters tells you.  It's about feeding the hungry, clothing the naked and most of all showing the love of Jesus.

As I checked out the links on their site, my red flag started to work it's way up the flagpole.  The red flag was the red flag of accountability...a flag that many churches who profess they "show the love of Jesus" like to keep in a closet in the basement with a large sign on the door that says "Beward of the Leopard."

I will be one of the first people to stand up and say we need to show the love of Jesus to everyone regardless of their past or current situations.  A human being is not their sin and you MUST as a Christian separate the two.  Unfortunately, because so many Christians don't separate the two we've gotten to the point that many churches who claim to love God turn a blind eye to sin in someone's life and never confront them on it because they want to "get along" and have them continue to come to their church.

It's important to realize that churches who do not speak to their members about sin and turning away from what God calls sin is in fact denying the word of God.  We are specifically told by the Lord that when we see anyone who is wandering away from the truth of God we're to turn them back.

"19My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, 20let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins." - James 5:19-20 (ESV)

When a church says they're "open minded" and they don't "judge" they're basically saying they don't believe in sin and they don't believe in the instructions in James that we are to bring someone back to the truth of Jesus Christ.  They take the responsibility God's given them to be not only accountable to Him but also to each other and throw it back in God's face. 

Now, I'm not saying that you need to be the kind of person to run up and start telling people their sins.  Jesus didn't do that.  Jesus built a relationship with people exactly where they were and after the relationship was established...when they knew Him and knew that He loved them...He then spoke to them about their sin and encouraged them to turn away from it. 

But notice the last part of that paragraph...He still spoke to them about their sin!

I was happy to discover that this church who contacted me over the weekend does believe in James 5:19-20 and they do make it a part of their church's belief system.  These are people who I think are doing it right...show the love of Christ and at the same time don't deny who He was and ALL that he stood for and taught to us.  Unfortunately, there's a lot of churches who put off the aura of this church without the substance of this church.

Do not be afraid to stand for the word of God if it means you'll be unpopular with someone you've met or are trying to invite to church.  It's more important that you don't deny Christ's words than it is to get someone into church.  You may not be the person God's decided to use to bring someone to Him.  You could be a tool of Satan if you deny God's word to a skeptic and that person calls you on it.   (You're also sinning in my opinion if you manipulate a situation where you essentially force a non-believer you see "sinning" into confronting you on what the Bible says...backing them into a corner and bashing them from the beginning accomplish the same thing which is bad feelings toward the church.)

Show them love in all cases.  Stand on the truth when someone asks you about it.  Be as Christ like as possible.  It's easily said, hard to do and what we're ordered by God.

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Usually in these threads I try to give you something unique without copying another's work.  I see a lot of blogs involving religion that are cut and paste of things read from works of famous pastors or other spiritual leaders and I try my best to keep from doing that.  However, I was sent this story and it really reached me.  I don't know who the original author is but I hope to find out.

The story goes like this:

One day a farmer's donkey fell down into a well. The animal cried piteously for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do. Finally, he decided the animal was old, and the well needed to be covered up anyway-it just wasn't worth it to retrieve the donkey.

He invited all of his neighbors to come over and help him. They all grabbed a shovel and began to shovel dirt into the well. At first, the donkey realized what was happening and cried horribly. Then, to everyone's amazement, he quieted down.

A few shovel loads later, the farmer finally looked down the well. He was astonished at what he saw. With each shovel of dirt that hit his back, the donkey was doing something amazing. He would shake it off and take a step up.

As the farmer's neighbors continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal, he would shake it off and take a step up. Pretty soon, everyone was amazed as the donkey stepped up over the edge of the well and happily trotted off!

My first reaction when I was reading was an immense amount of sympathy for that donkey.  How would you feel if you fell down a hole then realized the person you trust most is going to kill you instead of save you?  It ticked me off a little bit as well and I wanted to have the story end by having the ground collapse below the farmer so he joined the donkey! 

Then I reached the end with the obvious moral of shaking off the dirt life pours down on you and going forward with things.  I can relate to this in entirely too many ways as I'm sure you can as well.  It's the trials of life that can seem unending and never seem to reach a place where you can go forward.  However, I also know that trials can produce great things.

It's like James (or as I call him, Jimmy) said in Chapter 1 Verses 2 & 3 (ESV):

" 2Count it all joy, my brothers,when you meet trials of various kinds, 3for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness."

It's a shame you don't grow very much when you're happy and content because it's much more enjoyable to learn that way.  However, just like the donkey, the trial can become a place to either give up and get buried or realize there's a way out of it.  In the Christian walk, it's turning to God who can do all things.  He's the one who will whisper in that quiet voice to step up on the dirt. 

So, if you're a donkey like I am, take some effort and step on that dirt that's falling all around you.  Just like in our story it might take a long time before you're close enough to get out of the well you're inside but eventually you will get there.

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Do you have enemies? 

It doesn't matter who we are and how good we are we will always have enemies.  These will be people who might never actively try to take action against you but they'll harbor ill feelings and perhaps capitialize on the opportunity to skip helping you in a time of need or quietly advocating something that would do discomfort or harm to you.  Now and then you'll even have a few people so filled with hate toward you that they openly taunt you and try to do all they can to bait you into problems!

It would be great if everyone was able to get along but we know that's not going to happen in this world.  Satan, the ruler of this world, has control of entirely too many people for peace and calm to become the standard situation for society.  You will always have people who will openly lie about others.  You'll get folks who look for ways to make others look bad to make themselves look good.  You'll get people are completely obesssed with this kind of action and it reflects poorly on them as a person.

The question then becomes what do you do when you're dealing with people of this nature.  If it's in a situation where there is someone in a position of authority...such as a preschool classroom...then you go to the teacher or keeper of the rules and ask them to enforce them.  If that doesn't happen or the authority refuses to help you or there is no authority there's nothing you can do but grin and bear it. 

Or is there?

I would suggest this is a time where Proverbs 25:21-22 (ESV) can fit:

"If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat, and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink, for you will heap burning coals on his head, and the LORD will reward you."

Now I'm sure you're saying "wait...this doesn't say anything about someone speaking badly or lying about me."  I'd have you look a little deeper into the verse.  What is really being said here?  It's telling you to show love to your enemy and to give them comfort and concern.

If you respond to them in kind by insulting them are you showing them comfort?   If you turn toward them and proceed to rip them apart in the manner they're doing to you is it showing them the love of Christ? 

It's hard to be nice to the kinds of people we've discussed and especially so if they're in a place where their behavior is going to continue without fear of consequences for their actions.  However, keeping the anger within you or dealing with the guilt should you last out doesn't help your walk with God and it hampers your witness.

Sometimes you can't even bear to interact with those people because they're completely unrepentant about their sin.  I'm not telling you to run up to them for a great big hug.  However, you could pray for them.  Ask God to work in their lives and perhaps take away some of the problems or pain that makes them be a mocker and hater.  If you truly pray and turn it over to God then He will take care of it.  Maybe some day you'll be friends with this person who's so filled with hate and rage!

It's not going to be easy and I won't pretend it is.  However, turn it over to God and just show love to each other.  You'll be surprised how much better you life will be and you'll also be surprised the way God can use you.

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(Note:  this blog is in a few places including MySpace where it first began.  There are references in today's blog to "the song on my profile" which is referring to the MySpace profile.  If you wish to hear this song, the MySpace link is http://www.myspace.com/thebibleblogger ).

I don't know how many you click through to the blog through my profile but if you go straight to the blog I want to invite you to listen to the song on my profile.  It's "Leaving Lonely" by Paul Alan from his 2001 CD "Falling Awake."  Paul is a grizzled veteran of the Christian music scene having been a part of the band Nouveaux (which was head of it's time so of course they didn't get support from the industry) and then as a solo act for a number of years.

The first time I heard this song I sat in a chair amazed at the lyrics.  There is such truth...such power...coming through every lyric and it still strikes me every time I hear it as it did that first time.  Paul paints the picture of a girl who's leaving what you assume to be her hometown or a town filled with the hurts of life where she's told she's not good enough or not worth it.  She's leaving there for a brand new life.  The parallel between that description of leaving in real life and leaving behind the past for new life in Christ is striking.  After all...

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." - 2 Corinthians 5:17 (ESV)

Look at some of the lyrics from the song.  I'll admit here I don't have his permission to use them so if he has issue with it you'll see a blank space below reading "Paul didn't want his lyrics used here."

"She's gotta catch a train and the one thing that she knows-
She's never coming back again
She's gotta run away- the past is a war she's never gonna win
And she smiles as she waves
'cause someone painted "Jesus saves" off highway 109 on an old street sign
She's a believer now… She's leaving lonely behind"

The lyric about the past being a war she's never going to win just resonates so loudly with me every time I hear Paul's voice sing it.  It's such a stark reminder that we can't win.  The only way we can overcome the past, its hurts, its defeats, its loneliness and its problems is to turn it all over to Jesus Christ who can wipe the slate clean and allow us to start a new life in him.  It's all thrown behind us and it's not coming back.  We're never going to be alone because of God there to help us.

We're literally leaving lonely behind us. 

Another part of the song that rings so true with me is the bridge of the song:

" no one's going to treat her like a failure anymore
'cause where is the freedom in this?
Where is the mercy in this? where's the love and respect?
Unspeakable bliss, Where's forgive and forget?
Where is the freedom in this?
Yeah this is one place she's never going to miss…"

As you've seen from other blogs, I often say the church today doesn't show the love to people the way we should be doing it.  We have that tendency to treat someone as a failure first and as a child of God in need second.  Instead of showing love and helping the person get to their feet before we talk to them about a mistake or sin they may have done that lead to the situation we just jump right into the condemnation. 

However, it was much much worse when we were the world's and lived in the world's scheme of things.  Look at those lyrics...the world and the king of this world Satan want you to feel like you're a failure and not worthy of mercy.  Satan and the world never forgive and never forget.  Once you come to God and know the real power of mercy, love and forgiveness you'll never want to go back to the world and it's way of doing things. 

If you haven't been to my main profile page to listen to the song please take the time to do so even if it's not your usual brand of music.  Listen to Paul's honesty in the vocals and the passion that radiates through every note.  See if it doesn't impact you like it impacts me.

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A lot of Christians I know don't even like to talk about Satan much yet give him any credit for anything.   They spew the stock Christian response that God allows everything to happen and Satan's just doing what he does because God wants it happening that way.  They refuse to acknowledge that Satan is real, that he's a being and that he has the ability to think and impliment schemes and attacks.

I can understand their desire not to give Satan credit because you certainly don't want to hold him up as some kind of leader you wish to follow.  Still, he has his minions and they follow him with the devotion that you only see matched by the angels following the Lord.  Even we as Christians don't follow our leader (Christ) as completely as the demons follow Satan.  It's an army, it's organized, it's creative and they will stop at nothing to destroy that which is God's.

Consider these passages (emphasis added by me):

"Do not deprive one another, except perhaps by agreement for a limited time, that you may devote yourselves to prayer; but then come together again, so that Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of self-control." - 1 Corinthians 7:5 (ESV)

"10Anyone whom you forgive, I also forgive. What I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, has been for your sake in the presence of Christ, 11so that we would not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs." - 2 Corinthians 2:10-11 (ESV)

"18because we wanted to come to you--I, Paul, again and again--but Satan hindered us."- 1 Thessalonians 2:18 (ESV)

Look at the ways the word of God itself gives credit to Satan for his ability to draw believers away from the faith and to keep those who do not believe in their ignorance of the truth of Jesus Christ.  Satan is smart and powerful (although not as smart or powerful as God.)  He knows our weaknesses like a lack of self-control and he is likely smarter than many of us and could outwit us very easily if we aren't relying on our Lord.

Look at how even Paul...the great Paul...was hindered by Satan.  Here is someone who is one of the greatest leaders in the history of Christianity and he still would fall prey to the schemes of Satan.  Now...Satan never beat him...but that doesn't mean he didn't delay or cause alterations in plans.  I'm sure Paul didn't want to die when he died because there were many more people to reach with the gospel but Paul also knew when the time came that Satan lined up enough of his followers to kill Paul that his death would be Christ's gain. 

My friends PLEASE do not underestimate Satan and his followers.  Do not sit around thinking that he's not going to come after you or he's not going to put someone or something in your way that's going to cause you to stumble or stray from God's will.

Let me give you a few examples of how subtle the attacks can be upon you.

Let's say you're someone who's doing all you can to lose weight and to get into shape.  After all, your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit and we should take care of it via exercise and eating right.  Sure, the occassional chocolate bar or Quarter Pounder isn't going to kill you but if you live on it you'll end overweight with serious health problems. 

Satan would come at you by keeping you too busy to eat good and regular meals.  He would get your life so hectic with work and school and kids and even church that you never have time to relax and make a nice salad and eat it slowly.  It'll always be drive-thru on the way to the next event.  Suddenly you're twenty pounds heavier and you can't see to break the habits of eating out.  That temptation has pulled you astray.

Perhaps you're someone who's very lonely because you haven't found the person God has for you.  You've prayed for God to bring them to you and you watch and wait for them to come into your life and give you the happiness and fulfillment that can come from a solid, loving, Christ-centered marriage.  You've been vigiliant and you haven't given in an inch so far but the days turn into months and then into years.

Suddenly you find yourself in a situation where a Godly man or woman is right in front of you.  They're great people.  They love the Lord and they have things in common with you.  Not a lot but some.  You don't feel the "spark" and you don't really feel like they are "the one" for you but you're lonely.  It sure would be nice to have a boyfriend/girlfriend/husband/wife.  Then you wouldn't be the fifth wheel when you're out with friends and family members who are married. 

So you give in and you start settling for someone who you know isn't "the one" God has planned for you.  In the end, you may even have a good relationship or a good marriage but it still won't be what you were hoping it would end up to be.  Satan put just enough of a temptation in front of you that you stopped trusting God and waiting on Him and did it yourself.

So beware my brothers and sisters.  Satan's good at what he does and it's a mistake not to give him his due for the ability he has in the area of tempting us into sin and away from our Lord.

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When you go through times of financial struggle it's a natural tendency to want to pull within yourself and your family.  You give your tithe but when it comes to giving up anything else your money says in your wallet to take care of your family's needs.  You want to give and you want to help but the funds just aren't there to do it.

I can relate to that situation because it seems sometimes my bank account doesn't match my heart.  I want to be able to help pay for the repairs to the car of a single mom in our church but I barely cover my bills as is.   I help when I can and give where I can but sometimes it's just not in the bank.

Then one night about a year ago I read this verse from James it opened up to me in a whole new way.

"If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, be warmed and filled," without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead." - James 2:15-17 (ESV)

I realized that the focus on money when it comes to giving really isn't the picture we need to keep in mind as believers.  Sure, there are times where money is the only real way to help, but that shouldn't be the only focus we have when it comes to giving our life to God.  Stop for a minute and think of all the ways you could give to God without actually taking cash out of your pocket and I think you'll be surprised.

Here's an example.  The verse talks about someone being poorly clothed or lacking food.  Think of your neighborhood around you.  Is there someone who is wearing old clothing with holes in it?  Is there someone who goes to the kitchen cabinet and finds nothing in it? 

What if you went to your closet and went through your clothes to find things you never wear?  I'd be willing to guess that you could take half the clothes out of your closet right now and burn them in a bonfire (with marshmallows to roast...I'm not an ogre here) and you will find that you won't miss them at all.  Do you really wear all your clothes before you do laundry and wear items a second time? 

Now...instead of burning them...take the clothes and put them in a bag for the family that's struggling to make ends meet.  I know many single parents that would appreciate getting a good quality set of used clothing for their children because the cost of childrens clothing increases daily.

Another example involves a family that's in need of food.  Say you have a single mother in your church with four kids.  She goes through more groceries in a week than the cast of American Idol.  She often waits in line once a week at the food pantry but sometimes that still doesn't get the job done for her.   How much of an impact you could have on this woman's life if you went through your pantry and gave her just one of each of the items that have been sitting on the shelf for the last two months? 

You can live without one extra can of mini ravioli.  Trust me.

I know it's easy to give money and not actually take the extra step to collect the clothes, bag them up and take them over to the family who needs it.  It's easier to give a gift card to Wal*Mart than it is to pick through the items in your pantry and drive over to the family who is hungry.  Still, it's clear that God calls us to do more than just be generous with our finances.  The simple action of taking that extra step can do so much more to help not only fulfill needs of someone but also lift their spirit to know someone viewed them as important.  How much better do you see life when you feel important to someone else?

Take some time today and think about ways you can give beyond money.

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I've had some interesting thoughts over the last few years regarding wealth.  I will freely admit there was a time in my life where I was really concerned with chasing money and wealth.  I think a lot of us can get quickly caught up in the chase of money with society so driven by status based on "stuff" instead of the person you are inside.  If you own a big house and big car and big boat then people will look up to you regardless how much of a jerk you are because you're successful.

However, that's not God's way for us to live and in the last year I've really seen the other side of this coin. 

"No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money."" - Luke 16:13 (ESV)

I've been able to see people who have little in what the world terms as "riches" but has still been blessed beyond belief by the Lord.  They've dedicated themselves to teaching the Gospel, to feeding the homeless or just stepping out in faith to a new ministry that had no guarantee of success.

The interesting thing about the whole picture was that while these people were never rolling in cash they always seemed to have enough to survive and meet all their obligations.  Most of the time they also had a little left over for something nice like a movie or dinner.  On top of all of it...they had the joy of serving the Lord.

At the same time I've been able to look from the outside at some friends who are obsessed with money.  They work 50-60 hours a week to make sure they have cash for the big boat the the lake.  They take vacations where they fly around the country and stay at the best hotels.   They're also up to their eyeballs in debt and they have no savings if something happens but they do get to see Brad Pitt walk the red carpet.

Which sounds more satisfying to you?  The temporary glow of money or the deep satisfaction of God's service? 

The kicker to all of this is that God doesn't necessarily want everyone to be poor.  Serving God doesn't mean a destitute life where you live on nothing but Ramen noodles and toilet water.  There's a very real possibility that God could decide to make you a multi-millionaire!  "Rich" and "Christian" aren't necessarily opposites despite what many thinks because of Jesus talked regarding the rich young ruler. 

But remember...Jesus didn't say it was impossible for a rich man to get in but that it was easier for a camel to get through the eye of a needle.  Why?  It's a lot easier to fall in love with money when you have a lot of it.  Still...a Christian could be blessed with God's riches.  Look at this verse:

"One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much." - Luke 16:10 (ESV)

That means when God can trust you with the little things He'll also trust you with the big things.   That DOES include money!  So realize that when you develop discipline in finances it puts you in a position where God can trust you with more money. 

Now...He may not as well.  I'm not promising you wealth and I'm certainly not asking you to "name it and claim it."  I'm just saying God himself has said when He can trust you with little He can trust you with much and it didn't say that money was excluded from that trust of God.

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Freedom.

What does that word bring to your mind?  America, the flag and the Fourth of July?   Perhaps you thought of leaving home and getting your very first apartment? 
Did you ever think of freedom as serving others?

It seems almost like a contradiction in terms to suggest that freedom is serving.  The concept of serving is mostly seen as a kind of obligation or job.  It's a commitment that ties you down and puts restrictions upon what you do in a day.  However, there's a different way to look at this concept and I want to challenge on that today.

"For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.  For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."" - Galatians 5:13-14 (ESV)

Now, obviously, the verse isn't telling you that freedom equals service.  The verse basically asks you to turn your freedom to a place where you're using that freedom to serve your brothers and sisters.   As the verse says, loving your neightbor as yourself.

So what can you do to bring that freedom into service?  Take a look at your church for example.  Does the chruch have ministry outreaches that take place on your days off from work?  It's very tempting to just stay home and play Halo 2 on your Playstation 3 while eating chips off your chest and you have the freedom to do just that.  However, you also have the freedom to go out and join up with your church to bring the hope of the world to the world. 

What do you think would make you feel more satisfied with your freedom...or....free time?  Sitting at home blasting away at imaginary space aliens on an imaginary planet using imaginary weapons or handing a bag of actual groceries in an acutal brown paper bag to an actual single mother who actually has empty cupboards in the kitchen? 

Yes, I'm aware that I'm laying it on a little thick.......or am I?  You don't have to be giving your time to video games.  It could be books or the internet or basketball or American Idol.  You have the freedom to do or see all those things but at the end of the day does it really make any difference?  Was it a good use of your freedom?

Now, I'm not saying you should never take time to enjoy some things.  I know that if there's a NASCAR race or Philadelphia sports event on TV I'll take a break from life and watch it.  However, if I had to choose between sitting and watching Monday Night Football between Green Bay and Arizona & collecting bread for homeless folks it's not hard to get out of the house and help.

So take some time to think about the freedom of your life.  Rejoice that in Jesus we have true freedom from sin and the constraints of the world.  Then think about how you might be able to change your freedom around to allow for service in that freedom.  I think you'll find more satisfaction and happiness in life and I know those you serve will appreciate it.

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Given my dislike for the made up holiday on February 14th it would be very tempting to write a blog today on something like sweat socks or Wheel of Fortune or perhaps even my extreme dislike for all things Jeff Gordon.  (Go Martin Truex, Jr.!)

Instead I'm going to focus on a passage of scripture that's relating to the ultimate expression of people who think they're in love:  marriage.  I have fairly strong feelings on Biblical responsibilities for marriage and why not share them on this day of "love"?

Here's our passage for the day:

" 22Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. 24Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands.

 25Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, 26that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. 28In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, 30because we are members of his body. " - Ephesians 5:22-30 (ESV)

OK, let's jump right in with the part that will make a lot of women angry if they don't bother to read the entire entry today.  Do I believe a woman should submit to her husband totally?  Yep.  Sure do. 

It seems pretty black and white to me.  We're supposed to submit to Jesus in all things.  We're supposed to give our life to Him.  All we own.  All we do.  All we think.  If Jesus tells us to jump, we start jumping.  There's no ambiguity in the fact the Bible clearly tells us to follow Jesus, the son of the living God. 

So when a woman's commanded to "submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord" then she's to submit.  If the husband says they can't afford to go on a vacation to Branson then they don't go.  If the husband says they can't afford to buy a new car they keep driving the old beater.  If the husband says his wife can't go to a church retreat because he needs her help with some weekend project then she needs to stay home and honor her husband. 

The thing is that women don't realize they get the easy part of this bargain. 

Why?  Because men are given responsibility here far beyond what ends up being a simple act of obedience.  Men are called to love their wives as Christ loved the church.  What did Christ do for the church?  Everything including DYING for the church.  You're called to die for your wife.  Seriously.  It's not a metaphor. 

Look at this part of the passage:  "without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish."  What does that mean?  To me it means that the husband is to provide his wife with everything she needs to be a great woman of God.  He needs to make sure all of her needs are taken care of lest she turn away from the teachings of Christ and be "with blemish." 

If she's hungry, poorly clothed, neglected, abused or any other treatment that's not giving all to her then she'll be tempted to turn from God and run to another man or to immerse herself in something that's not Christ-honoring.  In that case you can say she is at fault for sinning (as we all our for our sins) but the bigger sin lies on the husband for not fulfilling his responsibility to provide for her that she is without blemish. 

Now, that doesn't mean she can demand new cars or fancy clothes or large houses or large diamonds.  That's not what I'm referring to when it comes to this passage.  Jesus didn't drive around in a Mercedes-Benz, he didn't fly around Israel in a Gulfstream 5 jet and he didn't live in a giant mansion.  He had all the basic needs of life and if you look at how he treated his disciples they also had all the basics of life. 

Likewise, when it says "In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself" the husband is under the responsibility to respect and give honor to his wife.  As an example, very rarely would a man freely tell a story to his buddies where he looks like a complete stupid fool.  He certainly wouldn't want someone to tell a story like that about him behind his back.  That means when he's hanging with the boys it's not time to jump in and tell stories about how his wife can't operate the stereo system. 

Be honest guys...how tempting is it to share those stories?  Do you even realize it makes her look bad and how much it would hurt her when she finds out you shared it?  (And believe me...she will.)  Do you think Jesus would do that to you?  No?  Then you shouldn't be doing it either.

I'm not saying it's easy to obey for women especially when a man isn't living up (or at least really trying to) live up to the responsibilities laid out before him in the Bible.  I still think it's easier because the man needs to make himself as Christ-like as possible because then it's no hardship on his wife to follow him. 

Now, not to rant on for a while but I really believe men have neglected this responsibility on the whole.   I think I can count on my two hands the number of men I know who actually strive to love their wives in the manner outlined in that passage.  Men need to step it up and be Godly husbands, fathers and men. 

I think that's a large reason why the divorce rate among Christians is so high.  If a man's doing all he should be doing as a husband then it's very hard for Satan to get in and cause divisions in that marriage.  I'm not saying both parties don't have individual sins they deal with that could be factors but if a man's loving his wife as Christ loved the church she should have very few reasons to be tempted away.

Well, I'm sure I stepped on toes today.  If you're offended, I'm sorry because I really don't mean to offend.  I want to make you think and to challenge you to live up to what's outlined in that passage.  I think everyone's relationships will be better off for it.

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I had a person I know who's very anti-Christian send me a speech by a politician who now running for President.  I'm not going to mention who it was because that really doesn't matter for the issue I'm about to raise but they are in position to be the next leader of this country. 

In this speech, the person talked about reaching out to people of faith and communicating with them about the issues of the day.  They seemed to champion having people with strong religious convictions (like they claim to have) as a part of the government and in Washington D.C.

Then I read further and noticed that suddenly the tone turned to a discussion of compromise.  This man seemed to think that as a Christian he can believe one way but when it comes time to take a stand on issues that should be guided by one's personal convictions...like abortion, gay marriage, etc...then you should just based on everyone's faith and not yours.  In other words, he sells out his allegedly deep Christian faith in the public arena to be popular.  He won't stand for the truth of Jesus Christ that he claims to believe.

Look at the word of Jesus himself:

"If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father's glory with the holy angels."  - Mark 8:38 (ESV)

Look at what Christ says...it's more than just being ashamed of him but also HIS WORDS.  That's God's words because Jesus and God are one.  That means what you see in the Bible.  That means "thou shalt not kill" is God's word and (for example) it shouldn't be avoided just because you don't want to stand up against abortion. 

I have a real fear this is going to be the next wave of attack against people who stand firmly for God and His word.  You'll have people who are standing there saying they really want God's people to be involved in the process but they'll insist you put the good of everyone ahead of what God teaches you.  Don't be fooled...if you think you're compromising your faith then you are compromising your faith.  Don't be ashamed of what Jesus has taught you.

Always show love to others.   Always treat others as you would have them treat you.  Keep the commands that Jesus gave but NEVER deny Jesus' teachings just because you're in the public arena.  You need to stand everywhere because at the end of the day God's not going to give you a free pass just because you were asked to take a stand outside of the church walls.

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I had an interesting discussion today with a friend regarding supporting a business that openly does things or supports things that run counter to our faith.  I'm not talking things that are a measure of debate among believers but things that are clearly counter to the Word of God. 

My friend was of the opinion that it was OK for a Christian to support a business that openly supports groups out to harm Christianity because there's no way to guarantee the money you spend with them will be used to harm the cause of Christ.  I was of the opposite opinion because there's no way you can communicate your belief that a cause is wrong except for not giving someone supporting it the means to support it.

Where did I get my view?  Partially from this passage of scripture:

"For they have gone out for the sake of the name, accepting nothing from the Gentiles. Therefore we ought to support people like these, that we may be fellow workers for the truth."- 3 John 1:7-8 (ESV)

As I read that verse, it says to me when I support an individual or a group that's working for the cause of Christ, I'm also working to support the cause of Christ.  That means when I give to Compassion International or shop at the First Baptist Thrift Store or support a business that gives honor to God like Chick-fil-a restaurants I'm doing something that's working for God just as if I was physically handing a hungry person a sandwich.

So logic would say the converse of this would be true as well.  If I'm supporting a group or business that advocates a position which is counter to Christianity then I'm supporting the advancement of that cause.  Yes, I could argue that perhaps the five or ten or twenty dollars I spent wasn't directly used to advance a position that attempts to damage Christianity.  However, if there are hundreds or thousands of Christians who support that business or group it's impossible to say some Christian's money isn't being spent to hurt the cause of Christ.  How can you really say that your money isn't the money that was used?

Now, I'm not sitting here calling for boycotts.  If I was advocating boycotts, I'd be telling you how to live your life and how to spend your money.  All I want to do today is make you think about where you spend your money and ask if that's where God would want you to spend the provisions He has given you.  Remember...you have nothing except what God allows you to have given to you.

There are some times you have no choice but to support a group or business that's working against God's teachings and will.  For example, when you live in a small town and only have one option for groceries then you're stuck.  However, if you have the option of two places...and one honors God and the other has corporate policies that do not...why not pick the Christ honoring business?

It's just food for thought and I know that many people have different opinions on the matter.  I guess to me it all comes down to the fact every penny I have in my pocket belongs to Him...how can I justify giving that money to someone who works to deny His truth?

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Anna Nicole Smith is dead.

First, let me say that my heart goes out to her friends, family and especially to her newborn daughter who has now lost her brother and her mother.

Anna's death bothers me because here is a human being who is going to be remembered as a punch line.  No one's going to think of the millions she's given to charity or the good works that she had done through her life.  She's going to be known for being a stripper who married a 90 something billionaire; for doing Playboy magazine photo shoots and for being a "dumb blonde" "Marilyn Monroe knockoff" who became really fat and then lost it on "TrimSpa, baby!"

It lead me to think about what legacy I'm going to be leaving behind when God says it's my time to come home.   When I'm the one who's body is laying in the morgue what will people be saying and thinking about me?

I don't say it in terms of wanting praise for myself or hoping that when I'm gone there will be scores of people who are mourning the fact I'm not breathing oxygen.  I'm thinking about it in terms of what people will be thinking when the time comes around.  Will they say "well, he worked a lot and he loved NASCAR"?   Will they say "he did all he could to be a part of his kid's life"?  Will they say "he was a man after the heart of God"?

I'm hoping when I'm gone people will look at my life and say that I was someone who was after God's heart.  The greatest compliment I could be given when I'm gone is to have someone look at my life and make them turn to God in wonder because I was so enamored with our Lord.   A life where my brothers and sisters in Christ, while sad, also celebrate the fact they know with no doubts I'm in heaven with our Lord and they will see me again.

Looking through that lens, I'm really looking at my life and what I'm doing in terms of my life legacy.  Even today some of the things I've been doing lose a lot of their meaning when viewed through a filter of time.  What about your life?  What changes could you make to leave a legacy where God gets the glory?

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