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I usually don't read long passages of scripture because I feel led most time to just to focus on specific things but today I have to share with you a passage of Scripture that to me is just so powerful it cannot be taken one verse at a time. However, before I get there, let me ask you a question...have you ever said "Lord, if you do this for me, I will do that for you"? Have you ever made a vow to the Lord for something major or insignificant?

I know I've done it in the past. I've told God that if He delivered me in a particular situation that I would in turn give something back to Him. He did, I did but I have to admit the sacrifice I made wasn't that major of a sacrifice...it was more along the lines of what I should have been doing all along. Still, God humored me and I'm better in my relationship for it.

Still...have you vowed anything to Him?

This is what jumped out at me today from the reading of the Daily Audio Bible. It's the story from the book of Judges where Jephthah vows to the Lord that if God delivers unto him the Ammonites, Jephthah would offer whatever came out of the door of his house first as a burnt offering to the Lord. Here's that story from Judges 11:29-40 (ESV):

"Then the Spirit of the Lord was upon Jephthah, and he passed through Gilead and Manasseh and passed on to Mizpah of Gilead, and from Mizpah of Gilead he passed on to the Ammonites. And Jephthah made a vow to the Lord and said, “If you will give the Ammonites into my hand, then whatever comes out from the doors of my house to meet me when I return in peace from the Ammonites shall be the Lord’s, and iI will offer it up for a burnt offering.” So Jephthah crossed over to the Ammonites to fight against them, and the Lord gave them into his hand. And he struck them from Aroer to the neighborhood of Minnith, twenty cities, and as far as Abel-keramim, with a great blow. So the Ammonites were subdued before the people of Israel.

Then Jephthah came to his home at Mizpah. And behold, his daughter came out to meet him lwith tambourines and with dances. She was his only child; beside her he had neither son nor daughter. And as soon as he saw her, he tore his clothes and said, “Alas, my daughter! You have brought me very low, and you have become the cause of great trouble to me. For I have opened my mouth to the Lord, mand I cannot take back my vow.” And she said to him, “My father, you have opened your mouth to the Lord; do to me according to what has gone out of your mouth, now that the Lord has avenged you on your enemies, on the Ammonites.” So she said to her father, “Let this thing be done for me: leave me alone two months, that I may go up and down on the mountains and weep for my virginity, I and my companions.” So he said, “Go.” Then he sent her away for two months, and she departed, she and her companions, and wept for her virginity on the mountains. And at the end of two months, she returned to her father, who did with her according to his vow that he had made. She had never known a man, and it became a custom in Israel that the daughters of Israel went year by year to lament the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite four days in the year."

When I read that I just sit there with a stunned brain that just keeps saying "wow." Jephthah killed his only child and offered her as a burnt sacrifice to the Lord.

Now, in today's Daily Audio Bible, Brian talks about how pastors have used this story as a metaphor and try to say that Jephthah didn't kill her. They try to say that he offered her in service to the Lord and that the mourning was the fact she would never marry and have children. However, that's not what the Word actually says about the vow. The vow clearly says that whatever comes out would be made a burnt offering to the Lord (which you can't do with something and still have it be alive when it's over) and the passage said he "did with her according to the vow that he had made." In other words, she became a burnt offering. There's no other way to really look at it and still be truthful to the actual text.

Now, some will say that it doesn't say if God stepped in and stopped him from killing her as He did with Abraham in Genesis 22.  It certainly makes the story a lot more palatable to parents and non-believers to put the story in that manner.  However, I have to believe if God stepped in with power in that manner that it would have been written in the narrative.  God saving the life of this young girl...and therefore excusing Jephthah of his vow...would be too important to leave out of the lesson.

There's no other alternative but to say he killed her.

So then I have to look at this story and think of my children.  I know I would never make a vow to the Lord to sacrifice something in a way that would leave the door open for the enemy to put something in front of me that I just can't sacrifice like my children.  (I'm talking in a manner such as death.  He's already asked me to sacrifice some things concerning my children and I'm not happy about it but I'm obeying the Lord with joy.)  It drives home just how important a vow is to the Lord and how much He takes it seriously.

So when you say "Lord, if you deliver me from this situation I will never take another drink of alcohol" the Lord takes you at your word.  If you say "Lord, if you deliver me from this I will never look at pornography again" the Lord says "OK."  If you say "Lord, if you bless me with a child I will raise them up to serve You" then you better have that kid in church, be teaching them at home and make sure they realize the value of service to the Lord.  (We all have free will and the child may turn away but I believe in that case if you've done all the Lord has led to you to do to raise up that child to serve Him your vow will be fulfilled.)

Making a vow to the Lord is not a sin.  I know some people would like to say that it is but clearly according to the Word it is not sinful to make a vow to the Lord.  The sin comes in when you don't live up to that vow because it's suddenly become a lot harder than you thought it would be when you uttered those words to the Lord.  Still, your word is your word and His word is His word.  He takes yours seriously and your response to how you fulfill your vow says how seriously you take His word.

(Listen to the Podcast at www.bibleblogpodcast.com or subscribe at iTunes.)

This was not the blog I planned to write today.

Yeah, I know that was also the title of the blog but I really wanted to emphasize that before I jumped into the meat of today's blog.  I was out walking this morning and listening to the Daily Audio Bible and was thinking about the concept of slavery and how we are to be slaves but in a slavery different than anything man has created because of the master. 

As I sat down to begin writing, I opened my Wordpress, myCCM.com and MySpace because that's the three locations where the blog is posted each day.  If you're not familiar with MySpace, when you log in you'll see a notification if blogs of which you've subscribed have new posts.  Mine did, so I thought I would check them out because they were people for whom I have great respect for their ministry efforts.

I was a little taken back by what I had read because both of them contained passages that seemed almost vindictive in nature.  Now, I know these people and I know it was not their intent...but to a non-Christian for sure and to a good handful of Christians too it would have seemed like they were essentially gossiping about someone because they did something hurtful.  It's not that they were wrong in what they had said...I'm sure what was posted was true...it's just that the information really didn't need to be shared to get the point across concerning what they were discussing in their blog entries.

It made me think how easy it is for we as Christians to gossip and say things aimed at making someone else look badly or cover for our own shortcomings.  I'm not talking about those times where you're discussing something that is directly concerning the people involved (for example, telling your parents if your brother or sister has a problem with alcohol, etc.) but rather those times where you tell someone not involved about something that reflects poorly on someone (like telling some girls at school that your brother or sister has a problem with alcohol.) 

We may not even look at it like gossip and that's the danger of it.  We think we're just sharing information with a fellow believer or co-worker or relative when in reality we're giving up details that do not need to be released to anyone.  It's as if we need to get a filter in our brain that says "does this person really need to know this?"  If the thought or the information can't pass that filter then it shouldn't be said to someone else.  In that we can avoid spreading gossip that might come back to hurt us as much as it might hurt the person who is the subject of the gossip.

In James 3:4-5 (ESV) it says "Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs.  So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire!"  I love the imagery that James uses because most of us have been in a boat at some point in time and know how small the rudder is that turns the entire boat.  Proportionally, the tongue is about the same size within our body yet it can guide us so many places that we don't want to go!  I don't know how many times in my past I've started roaring forest fires because of one misplaced word. 

I'm not going to say it's easy for us not to gossip.  I know that as I started to write this blog I could think of half a dozen things I said this weekend that would fall into this camp.  I'll be willing to bet that you had at least one thing pop into your head from the start of this blog.  We all have times where we slip up and say something that should have been kept in our confidence (even if in the worldly sense the person didn't deserve to have us protecting their reputation.)  The problem is that gossip reflects on us...and God because we represent Him if we profess to be Christians...and it gives people a negative view of us as well.  Most of all, it hurts our witness because Christians are supposed to be above gossiping about others.

(Listen to the Podcast at www.bibleblogpodcast.com or subscribe at iTunes.)

It's been a long, deep week so I think we'll go with a Friday quick hit.

Proverbs 3:5 (ESV) is an oft-quoted passage of Scripture: "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding."  It's usually quoted at someone when they're either in the midst of a problem or when they're facing a situation that seems impossible to conquer. 

It's so hard to just to have faith like a child and not try to figure things out in our own logic.  However, there is a real freedom when you get to the point that you realize God rarely works in the manner we think He is going to work.  Our understanding is based on a field of human logic and boundaries that we as humans set upon situations.  The Apostle Paul even mocks the weakness of human understanding in Romans 3:5 (ESV) when he's talking of people wanting to logically conclude God is unrighteous in bringing wrath on us and says "I speak in a human way."  Paul's flat out saying that we are in capable of understanding the whole of God.  It's a wonderful mystery.

I know in my own life I've found that when I just trust in God the solutions arrive in ways I never would have expected them to arrive.  When that happens, it strengthens my faith in the Lord and isn't that the point of all we do?  The simple act of trusting increases trust in the Lord when He provides us what we need!

(Listen to the Podcast at www.bibleblogpodcast.com or subscribe at iTunes.)

After yesterday's confession at the end of the blog and podcast, it's probably not "wise" in the world's eyes to make another confession at the start of today's but I have to do it. I have a very hard time forgiving people who I believe are putting off the image of being a Christian while denying the truth of the gospel in their very lives. I won't say that I don't forgive them but it can take an incredible amount of effort. The reason is that it's so hard to take the truth of Christ to a lost and dying world in itself without having someone saying they are a Christian but living their life where the world can look and laugh at them.

These are the people that were spoken of in 2 Timothy 3:1-5 (ESV): "But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people."   Now, you can probably look at that list and say "well, I've done X, Y and Z, so is he talking about me?"  I'm only talking about you if you're doing those things and plan to continue doing so while claiming to be a child of God who is seeking Him.  If you're truly desiring to serve and not do those things I'm not speaking about you.  The intent behind the actions are what make the difference.

I'm talking about the teenager who goes around school telling his or her friends how they need to come to Jesus and how they need to visit their church while at the same time getting drunk at parties on Saturday night or becoming sexually active with one or many other people.  The businessman who tells people he's a Christian businessman to try and obtain their money while treating his employees like dirt or shortchanging his customers on deals.  The worship leader who revels in the attention they get for leading worship and seeks to have the spotlight on themselves Sunday mornings so they get more and more theatrical in their worship leading.

Yes, you could just say they're "hypocrites" and move on but if you look at the passage from 2 Timothy it really spells out in black and white the real seriousness of the situation.  The word "hypocrite" is used so much that sometimes you can really lose the depth of the sin within the life of someone.  This can be especially true when it's someone seen in a position of power...a businessman, a pastor, a ministry leader...because you want to believe they're doing things out of the desire to follow God's teachings in their lives.  You don't want to stop to think that perhaps the repeated stumbles in their faith are not just the mistakes we all make but rather a deliberate pattern on their part because they are a lover of self or money or power.  You don't want to believe that these people who put off the persona of being a strong Godly man or woman is really denying God's power in their lives but essentially being their own God.

Now, you might be asking, "how can I tell if someone is really being like we're warned about in 2 Timothy and how can I tell if they're just slipping and falling like we all do?"  That's a great question.  Not to sound flippant about it...because I really believe this...I think the answer is that the Holy Spirit will let you know.  1 Corinthians 6:19 (ESV) says "do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God?"  I believe that when you're interacting with someone who professes to be a Christian but you see actions that say otherwise the Holy Spirit within you will give you that uneasy feeling in the pit of your stomach when you are dealing with the person seeking their own love first rather than the love of the Lord.  If you trust in the Holy Spirit he will open your eyes to the reality of the situation and at this point you can see how you are to proceed in any situation.

What are you to do if you encounter someone like this?  The scripture says to "avoid such people."  Does that mean you ignore them?  I would say no because Jesus didn't ignore anyone and I think you should pray that their eyes are opened to how they are really living their life versus how they profess to be living their life.  I do think you should avoid situations where you are yoked to that person to continue to feed the problem.  For example, if you work for a businessman who claims to be a Christian businessman but you know runs their business in a manner that is not reflecting Christ you should pray earnestly for another job.  It would be better to work for a non-Christian than it would be to work for someone who professes Christ yet denies His truth.  If you're in a church where one of the leaders is bringing the spotlight to themselves instead of Christ then do not volunteer your time and efforts into ministry activities that could allow this person a chance to puff up their pride. 

If you follow the leading of the Holy Spirit and you are cautious about the people with whom you associate your walk with Christ then you will find that you can avoid many of the people spoken of in 2 Timothy and the traps that inevitably go along with being associated with those people.  Still, pray for them.  Pray they see the reality of their situation.

Most of all, if you're guilty of the things spoken of in 2 Timothy there is hope.  You just have to repent.  I know that sounds incredibly simple to say and incredibly hard to do.  In some cases, perhaps it IS hard to do.  However, the more you seek Christ and the more you really put Him first in your life the easier it will be to turn things.  Also, don't get down on yourself if you slip up and make a mistake because we're all human and we'll all slip and fall at some point in our walk.  Just dust yourself off and keep moving forward with your eyes focused squarely on Him.

(Listen to the Podcast at www.bibleblogpodcast.com or subscribe at iTunes.)

Have you ever had a time when you couldn't see?  Perhaps you have had bad vision your entire life and without glasses the world is a blur.  Maybe you've had eye surgery and they've had to bandage your eyes for days or weeks.  Perhaps you allowed yourself to be blindfolded for some reason.  Whatever the cause of it...there's such a helpless feeling that comes from being unable to see.  It can be very hard on us in those situations because we have to be completely dependent on someone else because there are just some things you can't do without being able to see.

When you're in those times, what do you lean on if you don't have someone there to guide you?  The things you've done in the past.  Try this sometime:  close your eyes and walk around your house.  (You can put your hands in front of you if you wish just for safety reasons.)  Begin to walk to the bathroom or the kitchen.  Even though you can't see where you're going because of where you've been you have a general path to walk.  It's uneasy...it's unsteady...but it's a path that eventually brings you to where you had guided yourself to go. 

That's what jumped into my head today when I read Paul's words in Philippians 3:13-14 (ESV): "Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."  Many times when I hear sermons on these verses the focus is always on the "press on" angle of this passage.  The sermons are aimed at making people keep marching on through tough times and while that is a vital message to convey it's also one that I think is dampened without focusing first on another portion of that passage: "forgetting what lies behind."

It is so easy in our spiritual life to focus on what is behind us versus what is in front of us because we can't see the big picture ahead of us.  Only God knows what He is going to place in front of us for the rest of our life.  He knows when we'll meet our spouse, when we'll lose our job, when we'll get an unexpected blessing, when we'll get sick, when our children will move out, when we'll die.  None of those things we can look at say "this is going to happen on this date" without God first revealing those items to us.   (Now, I know some will say "if someone kills themselves they know the day it will happen."  That could be true if someone is planning that but I would also say that if they are doing that they are not listening to God.  I'm speaking here of people who truly want to serve God and listen to His direction.)

When we're facing a situation that is uncomfortable because God has not given us any revelation about what we are to do or where we are to go it's tempting to just look at the things we have done for God and "keep on trucking."  If you've been involved in a ministry for years and you are comfortable working at the homeless shelter or running the M.O.P.S. ministry (that's Mothers of Pre-Schoolers, by the way) or delivering meals to shut-ins then you likely will run back to those kinds of ministries or seek out those opportunities because you want to serve the Lord and you're unable to see Him putting anything else on your radar screen.

The problem is that when you're looking at what lies behind it's impossible to strain for what lies ahead of you.  Sometime you're in a large field where you can't run into anything, try running forward at full speed while looking behind you.  It won't take long before you have to slow your pace or end up losing balance and falling down hard.  It's the same thing with our spiritual sprint toward the Lord.  If you're doing some ministry that you've done in the past and suddenly discover that the ministry isn't bearing fruit or that you get asked to leave for some reason it might be because you're not looking ahead to whatever God places in front of you. 

When Jesus was telling the parable of the talents and said in Matthew 25:21 and 25:23 "His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’" it's a lesson to us in more than just money.   God could be placing in front of you something that seems so little...so insignificant...that to you it seems like you're doing nothing for the Kingdom.  It's entirely possible...I would even say almost a certainty...that the "little" thing you're doing is part of God's bigger plan for your life and days, months, years or even decades down the road the things you're learning now and the humbling that is being brought to you will pay huge dividends.  However, if you look back at the things you did before in ministry and you place your focus there because God is not allowing you to see what you're being prepared to do you will end up thwarting what God is preparing you to do by committing the sin of idolatry. 

Yes...it's idolatry.  Why?  Because you're putting doing ministry ahead of listening to God and doing His will.  Doing ministry of your choosing becomes your idol.  If you are coveting an idol you may end up gaining "stuff" by following that idol like recognition or importance that fills an inner need but it's not the kind of fulfillment that will come from turning everything over to Christ and allowing Him to guide you.

Be honest with God.  He already knows everything.  Sit down and say simply "God, I'm frustrated.  I want to do great things for you and right now you only have me doing something that to me seems like very little.  It feels like I'm not doing anything to really advance the Kingdom by being your hands and feet.   You've blessed me with wonderful talents and I want to use them all to their maximum to accomplish your purposes and it feels like you don't want me to use them.   Yet I know you are in control, I know that you have a plan for me and I am going to continue to do Your will in my life as you guide me.  All I would ask of you is that you give me the wisdom to discern your leading in my life."

Now, let me be honest with you.  God's kicking my spiritual butt today as I'm writing this blog.  This is as much for me as for anyone.  You see, I've struggled with this over the last year or so.  I see the statistics for the blog hits when I log in to write the blog every day.  I see the numbers on the podcast as to the total downloads.  So when I see that I only get 50-60 hits a day and that number doesn't increase in a year and a half I started to think that I wasn't doing God's will in my life.  I was doing this blog and podcast because I like to do these things and not because the Lord wanted me to do it.

So a day last week I prayed that if this wasn't His call on me to give me a peace about stopping it.  What happened was that day I had more hits to the written blog and more downloads of the podcast than I had since I started doing this.  In the midst of that, God asked me a question: "If you were pastor of a church that had 50-60 people showing up every Sunday, would you feel like you were accomplishing a lot?"  I felt the humbling sting of that rebuke when I had to admit that I would feel like I was making a difference if I could SEE that in front of me.  Writing this blog, doing the podcast...I can't see you who is reading this or listening to the podcast.  So it felt like I was really doing nothing when in fact I was doing what God is calling me to do right now for the group of people He's bringing to the blog and podcast.  Had I looked back at things I did in the past that had much greater "success" in the world's eyes I would have completely been out of His will for me and doing what He is wanting me to do right now.

So just be honest with God and let out your frustrations, your worries and your desires.  Let Him open your eyes in His time to see what you need to see beyond what's immediately in front of you and trust that even though you cannot see the big picture that what you're doing right now is part of God's plan for your life.  It may seem small to you...and it might even be literally small...but to God it's anything but small.  It's important...it's showing Him devotion, love and trust that you are surrendered to Him in everything.  God is not going to let that go unrewarded in this life or in the next.

(Listen to the Podcast at www.bibleblogpodcast.com or subscribe at iTunes.)

I love Civil War history.  I've always been a buff about the war and especially about the Battle of Gettysburg.  I often like to joke that my father and I could give someone a tour of the battlefield that is better than anything the National Parks Service could imagine of giving someone.  While I have the utmost respect for the men and women who sacrifice their lives to protect us and fight for our country I am not really a big fan of military history.  There's just something about the Civil War that sparks my interest.

I read and enjoyed the book The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara and when the movie Gettysburg was released my father, brother and I went to our local theatre to see it because we were living in the Gettysburg, PA area.  It was something to see on the screen.

There is a scene in that movie where Col. Joshua Chamberlain (played by Jeff Daniels) gives a speech to 120 men from the 2nd Maine regiment who were refusing to fight because their regiment has been disbanded and they had signed three year enlistment papers instead of two as the rest of the regiment had done.  Chamberlain gives a speech to the men about the 20th Maine and the reasons for fighting the war. 

"This is an army out to set other men free," Col. Chamberlain told the troops.

A few minutes later in the film, the brigade is marching toward Gettysburg and Chamberlain's brother Tom comes rushing up asking Col. Chamberlain what he thinks.  When Col. Chamberlain asks what he means, Tom tells him that 114 of the 120 2nd Maine soldiers voted to join their ranks.  As Tom rides off, you see the right hand man of Col. Chamberlain, Sgt. "Buster" Kilrain (fictional for the movie but allegedly based on Sgt. George Buck), look at him with a smile that just exudes pride in his leader as being sound, wise and in strong command of the troops.

At that moment, I had a revelation.  If you are a Christian, then you are also in a situation that is just like the Civil War.  You're part of an army that is out to set other men free.  Women, too.  We're fighting to free them from the penalty of sin and death.  Free them from spending eternity in hell. 

Remember that in Ephesians 6:10-12 (ESV) it says "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.  Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.  For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places."

Look at the military imagery in the wording...armor...forces.  "Be strong."  Fortunately, just like the 20th Maine had Col. Chamberlain, we have a commander for our army that is worthy of respect, honor and someone you can just look at and immediately feel pride in them for their sound judgment and wise direction.

Jesus.

In Colossians 1:18 it says "He is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent."  (In case you don't know what preeminent means, the dictionary definition is "supreme.")  He is our leader in everything and In Him we find our direction, peace and strength for the battle to set others free through our leader. 

I know it's not fun to think of our Christian walk in these terms.  Many churches won't even bother talking about something like this because they're more interested in being "seeker friendly" and not saying anything that might possibly offend someone and the idea of you and me being in a battle for life and death isn't something that is easily appealing.  Still, just like the Union in the Civil War, the battle to set other men free isn't something upon which we can compromise.  We need to follow our leader into battle and if we keep our eyes on Him then the battle will be won and we can all rejoice in freedom.

(Listen to the Podcast at www.bibleblogpodcast.com or subscribe at iTunes.)

Sometimes I really have to laugh at the way we as humans but restrictions on God without realizing that we're doing it.  We pray, we go to church, we have our small groups and we talk about the concepts of living that God teaches us but still many times it doesn't go from the brain to the heart.  It's in those times we can find ourselves getting discouraged or allowing ourselves to doubt God because of restrictions we placed upon Him.

One of those places is in the area of rewards.  When we think of a reward for good behavior, we think of something tangible like money or gifts.  We think perhaps of public recognition or some kind of trophy or plaque that we can put on the wall to show others that we were rewarded for something that we had done.  Because in the Bible it says we will be rewarded for being faithful, we automatically assume (in our human weakness) that these rewards are going to be tangible and on the same physical or financial level as anything we do for God or give up for God at His leading. 

You'll hear people mention verses like Colossians 3:23-24 (ESV) that says "Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ" or Hebrews 11:6 (ESV) that reads "And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him."  People usually run to those verses when God asks them to give up a job they love or a car they love or a hobby they really enjoy because they think it's giving them a promise of reward as a human being would reward someone for obedience.  It doesn't work that way.

Think of reward as God's blessing upon you and your eternal security in Christ.  In Matthew 10:42 (ESV) Jesus says "And whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward."  Everything you have in this world...every possession, every "glory" from man, every dollar in your bank account...can be taken by the Lord.  God can say "I want all of it" and you're suddenly Job 2: The Sequel.  Yet Jesus said that if you give even a cup of cold water in His name you will not lose your reward.  So your reward from God cannot be something tangible because otherwise it can be taken away from you.   That reward is salvation through Jesus Christ.

Now I'm not saying that God won't provide you more material possessions or money or even fame.  The parable of the talents teaches us that if we're faithful in the little things that God will give us more things to manage and use to serve Him and His kingdom.  I'm just saying that we need to redefine the way we look at the concept of a reward and realize that our reward is in the Kingdom of Heaven and not in the Kingdom of man.  If we keep that focus, everything else...including things that humans on this fallen Earth would consider rewards...will come along as well.

(Listen to the Podcast at www.bibleblogpodcast.com or subscribe at iTunes.)

I was out on my early morning walk in the cold rain listening to the Daily Audio Proverb when my ears leapt at the opening verse from Proverbs 18 (ESV): "Whoever isolates himself seeks his own desire; he breaks out against all sound judgment."  Immediately the rest of the podcast just zoned out as God also brought into my mind the part of Hebrews 10:25 (ESV) that says "not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some." 

Immediately I thought of a couple I knew named Gary and Monica.  They had a ministry outreach but they actively avoided any kind of accountability.  They claimed their accountability was God and not from man in any way.  They would not allow anyone to comment about their ministry when they would post videos online.  If someone connected to their ministry didn't fall in lock step with the commands of Gary then they would be ex-communicated from the ministry.  They were doing all they could to be isolated from other believers as if they were afraid of what people would find out about them if they were able to look behind the curtain. 

I remember times they were invited to go to churches and be a part of congregations but ultimately they would stop going because of some small difference in theology.   All kinds of active effort was made on the part of this couple to stay away from gathering together with other believers. 

I often feel sorry for this family because of the actions being taken but I can see how someone could get so skewed in their theology that even a desire to serve the Lord can be twisted and manipulated to where they are mostly ineffective for the kingdom of God.   They might be able to reach one person and bring them to Christ but at at the same time they're driving away nine others who see them and think Christians are just judgmental, hate filled and lacking in compassion.  Let me ask you this...if Satan had to choose between someone working for God saving one person or saving ten...which one do you think he would choose?   If he can get someone who thinks they're making great strides for God to get to a place where they refuse to listen to Godly counsel from others, openly insults and mocks other believers and drives more people away from Christ than help them then Satan is winning the battle in that person's life.

If you put your own desires ahead of Christ then you are not serving Him even if you are in a position of ministry.  Even if you spend your days running around talking about Jesus and even doing "ministry" activities you are not serving Him if you put those things...your desires to do certain ministries...ahead of the calling of Christ.  A good indication you have your desires put ahead of Christ would be an unwillingness to meet together with other believers or to be held accountable for the actions of your ministry.

If you're in that place, here's the good news...it can change.  It starts with being humble and telling God that you were putting "ministry" ahead of Him.  You were isolating yourself from His correction and teachings.  Then offer up everything you're doing and see if He wants you to keep doing it or if He wants you to do something else.  Then obey Him. 

In the end, whatever you end up doing will be more effective for the kingdom of God because it's His plan...not yours.

(Listen to the Podcast at www.bibleblogpodcast.com or subscribe at iTunes.)

If there's something that almost all Christians struggle with at some point it's the idea of waiting for the Lord. When we want something, we want it now. We want to serve God by heading out to do great ministry works and do them in the ways we want to have them done. The problem creeps in when we go and do those things ahead of what God has in store for us.

You see, not everyone is equipped for every kind of ministry. I know that you have some pastors that will tell you every believer can be equipped for any ministry...and I don't put limits on God so it's possible that you could have moments where you do ministries you're not ready for...but I think the Lord prepares us and gifts us all with inherent abilities that perform different tasks in the body of the church. I think part of that preparation is waiting for God to present us with opportunities for growth, for knowledge, for experience and for service. They key to all of it is letting the Lord guide our steps and give us the wisdom and direction we need as we move forward in that desire to serve Him.

Lamentations 3:22-25 (ESV) says "The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. “ The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “ therefore I will hope in him.” The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him."

God is steadfast in His love for us and His desire for us is to have a stronger, deeper, intimate relationship with him and to take that relationship to impact the world for Him.  The Lord is the source of your hope...he is your portion...and He will provide you with opportunities to serve Him in mighty ways but you need to let Him do the leading and wait for Him to guide your steps.

"God helps those who help themselves" may be a legendary phrase but it's not anywhere in the Bible.  We are to really do the opposite in most cases...we're to let God help us and guide us so that we stay within His will even if that means passing up a ministry opportunity we find extremely desirable or an opportunity that would be a big financial bonus to the church or give a solid boost to attendance.  We need to make sure that what we are doing for the Lord is what He is telling us to do because if we get out in front of His will then we risk not having His blessing upon our efforts. 

I don't know about you but I'd rather miss what seems like a golden opportunity to us as humans for one that seems to be a less special situation but is what God is wanting for us to have and do.   If we truly believe in the steadfast love of the Lord, that His mercies never come to an end and that His faithfulness is great then we should have all that we need to wait upon Him and His leading in our lives. 

I'm not saying it's fun.  I hate to wait just like anyone else hates to wait for things.  I just know that whatever I might do before God says it's time will be nothing compared to what will come in His time.  And I trust in Him.

(Listen to the Podcast at www.bibleblogpodcast.com or subscribe at iTunes.)

There was this guy who was coaching his daughter's softball team.  One night between the fourth and fifth innings he walked out on the field and up to his daughter.

"You're a horrible shortstop!" he yelled.  "You never throw the ball to second base on a double play ball like you've been told to do.  You never guide the outfielders to where they should throw the ball and you know the way they're supposed to go!  You're afraid to say anything at all to one of the other players because you're afraid you might offend them and look bossy.  You're quick to say something to Bethany who's your best friend and you know her thoughts on softball but these other players you don't know well you just try not to offend.  Get out there and be the player you're supposed to be and quit messing up!  And if you don't do it, you don't love softball and you don't want to be a great softball player!"

How would you react if you were sitting in the stands watching that?  I know I'd wonder what was wrong with this guy and wonder how in the world he could act that way to someone he allegedly loves so much.  I know that I would think that's a horrible way to motivate someone and I would think that this attitude would do little more than drive his daughter further into her shell because she's being condemned.  I doubt she's going to look at in any way other than condemnation and scorn.

So why do Christians do that to each other?

I'm thinking specifically of the e-mails that get sent around to Christians that say "why are you so afraid to forward e-mails about Jesus?  If you believe in the Lord then you need to stand up by forwarding this e-mail to everyone on your address list!" along with the requisite statements about how true Christians aren't afraid to speak the name of Jesus around non believers and other wonderful statements of condemnation to those who really just don't like e-mail spam.

Yes, I'm calling those e-mails spam.  Why?  Because they aren't showing the truth of Christ's love in any way...it's statements about the glory of God couched in subtle attacks on the strength of another's faith.  It's also spam because a non-Christian that gets something like that in their e-mail will just delete it and write it off as Christian wackos flooding their inbox.  It's not going to minister to them. 

Proverbs 16:21 (ESV) says "The wise of heart is called discerning, and sweetness of speech increases persuasiveness."  If you truly want to spread the Word of God or you want to encourage a Christian brother or sister to be a little more outgoing in sharing their faith with someone else then you don't want to take the course of action where you send forwards of e-mails telling them in essence if you don't forward this on you're a horrible Christian and you don't really believe in Jesus.   If anything, it will do the opposite of what you want to do and it reflects a little bit on your maturity in Christ.  It could make someone wonder about where you are spiritually that you're forwarding on e-mail after e-mail telling people they must send this to someone else if they love Jesus.  

There's nothing wrong with sharing Jesus and there's nothing wrong with forwarding an e-mail of encouragement or instruction in and of itself.  Yet you need to think before you click send about the content of the e-mail and whether or not the message is really that of the love of Christ or if it's attacking another believer and giving them commands about things to do if they really love God.  That's really the way the Pharisees ran things and we all know that we are not to be like the Pharisees. 

Be wise and discerning in your words and deeds and try to say things that uplift and encourage other people in their faith.  Correct someone if they need correcting but avoid the bulk correction and condemnation that comes from forwarding e-mail after e-mail about Jesus loving you and sending it on if you love Him.   If that was a really good tactic to use then we'd have a verse called Romans 16:28 that would say "And I, Paul, tell you that you need to send copies of this to ten other people or you hate our Lord and do not wish to serve Him."

(Listen to the Podcast at www.bibleblogpodcast.com or subscribe at iTunes.)

While I was out for my morning walk wondering where this global warming was that everyone is talking about (30 degrees in mid-April? Come on!) As I listened to the Daily Audio Bible in my earbuds I had an interesting revelation regarding a passage in Scripture where the Lord is talking about the day of His return. You've likely heard this passage either from Matthew or Luke (and today I'll quote Matthew 24:44 (ESV) that says "Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect." There's no question that Jesus is talking about the second coming and that you, me, Joel Osteen, Billy Graham, Oprah...none of us know when Christ will come back to collect His own. However, I think there's another lesson that can be learned from that passage and it has to do with our serving the Lord.

The return of Christ will be unexpected so we are to always be ready for it. That means living our lives in a manner that we should expect Him to return. If we are living that way we should then be ready to go into His service at any point in time and I wonder if we're really ready to make that kind of commitment when we don't see "God's call" immediately in front of us.

We've become a society where we are seeking instant gratification for the things that we want in life. If we're hungry, we go to a fast food place and usually get what we want in a matter of minutes. If we want to watch a movie, the video store is down the street or you could even download something on your computer to watch in seconds. We only really prepare for things when they're imminent and we know they're coming because we have a problem planning and looking for things that are months or years down the road. It's especially hard to prepare if we don't know what's going to happen or if it's ever going to happen.

I think that when it comes to serving the Lord, we fall a lot into the last part of the last paragraph. So many times we say we want to serve the Lord yet we don't take the time to prepare for it. We don't read our Bibles every day. We don't help out at church or attend Bible studies or small groups. We show up on Sunday mornings...and Sunday nights if there's a potluck dinner...but outside of that we give a curt little "yeah, I want to serve God" when asked about it but we never really take it to heart.

What will you do when God says "OK, it's time to go" and you realize that you're not ready? I know many say God will give you what you need to do the job...and He will...but that doesn't mean it's instant knowledge of the Word of God or the skills to do something. That preparation...that "giving you what you need"...could be months or years of training in something that you never realized was going to be God's call upon your life. He sees the whole picture...we only see a piece of it. God could be placing in front of you a task that seems meaningless right now but is actually training you for a larger ministry in that same field.

Did you ever stop to think that making a sandwich for a homeless man at a shelter could lead to you running a shelter in your town? That taking the time to sit and comfort a friend could lead to you becoming a counselor to help hundreds or thousands of people in emotional turmoil? That volunteering at the crisis center could lead to you running a home for battered and abused women? It may seem like some little task that doesn't mean very much to the grand scheme of things but in reality it's a little thing that is being driven by the grand scheme.

It's very scary to ask the Lord to show you the things that are in the way of serving Him and the things you need to do to prepare for what He has planned for you next because it will likely make no sense. He will ask you to give up things you don't want to give up and He will ask you to do things you do not want to do. However, the more you surrender to God's will the more He will bless you and even if you're facing a serious trial He will give you what you need to get through and be refined into what He wants you to be.

So take that first step and pray asking the Lord for His will be to be done in your life and for Him to show you the way. Then be encouraged that your Father loves you enough to give you that guidance and direction.

(Listen to the Podcast at www.bibleblogpodcast.com or subscribe at iTunes.)

I'm sure this will not win me any points in some circles but I'm not a big fan of cheerleaders at sporting events.  Nothing against the ladies (and sometimes guys) who put in the time and effort to do their routines...I just feel that if I'm at some football game and I need to have people pump me up then the team needs to do something on the field rather t