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Burning Hearts – February 9

Friday, February 7th, 2025

We all have different battles we face. Some are mental-we struggle with depression, or suicide, or feelings of low self-worth. Some are physical-a long-standing physical battle like MS, or cancer, or chronic fatigue, or back issues. Some are social-we hate crowds so anxiety is a daily struggle, or we have this fear of rejection, of being seen as a misfit. Some are spiritual-we seem to struggle daily with distance from God, or of feeling guilty because we don’t keep a vow we made, or of a sin that keeps haunting us. But there is one battle we all face and we cannot get away from it, cannot rationalize it, nor can we “set the table right.” The struggle we all face is a 3-letter word:

S-I-N

“Sin leaves each of us guilty. The question is, ‘What will we do with our guilt?'” Paul David Tripp states in his little opening gambit from February 2nd.  The Scripture reading for this past in the Everyday Gospel Devotional and is the basis for this week’s message is Leviticus 5-23 and it is all about sin. As I have already stated, we all face it. It and the guilt that accompanies it is inescapable. In the OT Law system they had different kinds of offerings to make. We in the NT era of grace have Someone who had already made that offering for us. His name is Jesus.

We will be exploring that in depth Sunday morning. I’d like to invite you to join us in person if possible. If not, we live stream both services at 9:00 and 10:45. You can send a request to our Facebook Group at Owen Valley Christian Fellowship or view our public page at Owen Valley Christian Fellowship-Spencer, IN. You may also watch via our YouTube channel at Owen Valley Christian Fellowship. If you happen to watch, would you mind letting us know? No pressure. I promise. I look forward to hearing from  you.

February 5

Wednesday, February 5th, 2025

Boundaries. Most of us have a love/hate relationship with them.

Take the adolescent. He wants to test the boundaries. The teenager is not fond of them at all. College students think, “Hey! I’m out of the home. I can do what I want!” They want to discard or disregard boundaries. Many young adults and even older adults want nothing to do with them. F-R-E-E-D-O-M!! is their cry (tapping the inner William Wallace there). 🙂

But while boundaries are seen as confining and stifling and downright unnecessary, they actually are or can be a good thing. It used to be stove doors were not insulated against getting burnt.  When they got hot they got HOT. Ask my youngest brother. He was learning to walk when he got too close to the stove. He touched the stove (after being told constantly not to) and felt the burn on his hand. His reaction was to use the other hand to catch himself. Result= trip to the ER to have severely burnt hands wrapped like mittens. Fortunately, God answered prayers and his hands healed with no sign of burns or inability to use his hands. The boundary of “Don’t Touch!” was for a good reason.

But, our natural inclination is to kick against the boundary. Teens don’t like the rules mom and dad have established so their natural desire is to kick against it, or to see how much they can stretch it. Adults do the same thing. We eat what we know we shouldn’t, even though we know it is leading us down a bad road health-wise. That friendship/relationship needs to be checked. It is getting too intimate or too familiar. That financial arrangement is shady. Someone has said, “When you play with fire you either get burnt or smell like smoke.”

Reading Leviticus 14-15 this morning was almost mind-numbing. It was all about skin diseases and bodily discharges and contaminated/mildewed houses. Seriously? Two whole chapters on that? Yes indeed! And a quick look ahead tells me there is more of the same-prohibitions against eating blood and forbidden sexual practices and multiple other prohibitions. Or shall I say boundaries?  I don’t know all the whys and wherefores of these boundaries. I just know that they matter to God because I matter to Him. God is not setting these boundaries to be a killjoy but because He knows what is best and wants me to avoid heartache and sickness and even injury. These boundaries seem like minutia to me/us, but let’s not see them as that. Let’s see them as an act of a loving God who only want the best for his child.

Sort of like a parent with a child.

February 4

Tuesday, February 4th, 2025

As I read this morning from Leviticus 11-13 during my reading through the Bible, I kept wanting to either skip past some things or to simply say, “I read this” and close my Bible. After all, no one is checking up on me. Right? I mean, who would know? Well…you know the answer to that question. 🙂

Now…in case you are not in the “read-the-Bible” mode, I’ll just tell you that Leviticus is part of a mind-numbing section of Scripture where rules, laws, and stipulations are laid down for the people to follow. I recently had someone ask me, “How in the world could they remember all of those laws and ‘eat this and don’t eat this’ or ‘don’t touch this'”? That’s a great point! The answer is: I don’t know. Leviticus 11-13 is about what they can and cannot eat, touch or get near. It is about skin diseases and what is clean and unclean and how long to be in quarantine and when to get out. See why I was looking for a way out?

Then I went back and read a couple of sentences I highlighted in Paul David Tripp’s Everyday Gospel Devotional.

“By the loving miracle of God’s grace, unclean hearts are made new and pure.” (p.42)

“Although the laws surrounding leprosy had to do with God’s lovingly and wisely protecting his people from a deadly infection, they also point to something profoundly deeper. Sin is the ultimate infection. No one escapes this disease.  {My note: Romans 3:23 shows us that}. It separates us all from our Maker. It cries out for the ultimate cure, one only the Messiah can provide.” (p.43)

Psalm 69:5-6 is rather poignant: “O God, you know how foolish I am; my sins cannot be hidden from you. Don’t let those who trust in you be ashamed because of me. O Sovereign Lord of Heaven’s Armies, Don’t let me cause them to be humiliated, O God of Israel.” (NLT)  What a difference our lives would make if that verse was a daily prayer. The stain of sin won’t just go away.  We can’t wish it away, hope it away, dream it away, fantasize it away, speak it away, sleep it away, or pretend it away. It is humanly unremovable and can only be taken away by an act of grace. 2000+ years ago that act of grace was done on a hill outside Jerusalem.

February 3

Monday, February 3rd, 2025

One of the topics that is often taboo to talk about these days is S-I-N.  It puts us on edge and make us feel uncomfortable. The “why” is up in the air. Sometimes it is conviction. Sometimes it is guilt. Sometimes it is “I’m not as bad as so-and-so because they have done such-and-such.”  Close to that last one, but not quite landing on top of it, is “I just don’t care.” I’m wondering if this might be the most common these days, but also the most dangerous.

Someone has said, “Sin will take you farther than you ever wanted to go, cost you more than you ever wanted to pay, and keep you longer than you ever wanted to stay.” You don’t have to think about that statement too long before you realize it is true.  Take, for example, the people of Israel. They clamored for a representation of God so Aaron molds a golden calf. In Exodus 32 not long after their promise to follow God, Exodus 32:6 tells us “The people got up early the next morning to sacrifice burnt offerings and peace offerings. After this, they celebrated with feasting and drinking, and they indulged in pagan revelry.” That is a $10 word for “immorality.” Yep, they just slid down that slippery slope they found themselves on. I hate to think of how much that describes me.

Here’s the thing though. God takes sin seriously. While we may pooh-pooh it. While we may turn a blind eye. While we may even justify ours or someone else’s sin, God takes it seriously. Very seriously. Case in point: God goes to great lengths to prepare Aaron and his sons for their responsibilities as High Priest (Aaron) and priests (his sons). Moses makes sure that all God told him to do is fulfilled. He relates it all to Aaron and his sons. All seems right. Until Leviticus 10. Verses 1-2 tells us that Nadab & Abihu, two sons of Aaron, offered strange fire-fire different from what had been commanded-and “fire blazed forth from the Lord’s presence and burned them up, and they died there before the Lord.” What exactly that means is up for debate. Some suggest they offered the wrong kind of incense. Some suggest they were drunk (God stipulates no wine or alcoholic drink in verses 8-9).  Whatever it stands for, they disobeyed God. And as I have said before, God takes sin seriously. To quote Paul David Tripp: “To God, no disease that has befallen humanity is more significant and destructive that sin.” (February 3-p.42 from Everyday Gospel Devotional). Expulsion from the Garden was the consequence of the first sin. Who knows what the consequences of our sin will be?

Let’s take sin seriously. Adam and Eve. Nadab and Abihu serve as just 4 examples of the consequences of taking sin lightly. Let’s not be one of those statistics.

January 29

Wednesday, January 29th, 2025

The year was 1969. The group was Blind Faith. One of the main members was a man whom you probably have heard of. At the time he was also one of the founding members of another well-known group from the era: Cream. His name was Eric Clapton. Cream was known for “In the white room with black curtains is a station.” By the way, did you know that was not a drug song or about a drug trip? It was a song about purity and innocence-no drugs, no Nam, and no trouble.  Okay…circle back. Blind Faith recorded a song that was so strange at the time called Presence of the Lord. The final chorus had the following lyrics: “Everybody knows the secret/Everybody knows the score/I have finally found a place to live/Oh, in the presence of the Lord.” I’m not sure what was on Clapton’s mind or heart at the time. Perhaps he was figuring out the futility of the 60s kind of love. (As many of you may know Clapton again wondered about heaven and would his son know him in “Tears in Heaven.”)

My reading this morning was from Exodus 33-35 and its main them was the Presence of the Lord. At one point God told Moses He wanted him to go back up the mountain in order to receive the 10 Commandments again (Moses had smashed the original ones out of anger). I was struck by Moses’ requests from God. Here they are in a nutshell:

“Lord, let me know your ways so I may understand you more fully.”  (33:13)

“Lord, guarantee your presence.”  (33:16)

“Lord, show me Your glory.” (3318)

For each of these requests God has a favorable answer.  He desires we seek Him. He desires that we know His ways in order to follow. He desires that we know His presence will always be there. And He desires that we seek/crave His presence.

Blind Faith (and Moses) had it right. The best place to be is in the presence of the Lord. I’m not naive to think we won’t have distractions today. But I also know those distractions do not and will not impact our day as deeply if we are living with the promise of God’s presence. Why not begin today…right now…by praying these three requests Moses made? I can’t and won’t promise you a pain-free or trouble-free day. But I can promise you God’s presence throughout the day. Stop right now and pray those three thoughts and then live today with them in mind.

January 28

Tuesday, January 28th, 2025

“Some things never change.” I’m sure you have heard or used that phrase before.

It struck me as I read today’s Scripture in Exodus 30-32. Short recap: Moses and Joshua are up on the mountain where Moses is receiving instructions from God for numerous things. The Tabernacle. The Altar of Incense. The Table of Shewbread. The Lampstand. The Ark of the Covenant. The clothing for the priests and a myriad of other things. He is also receiving the Law, commonly referred to as the 10 Commandments. But there is trouble in the camp.

In chapter 32 the people come to Aaron and ask him to make them some gods who can lead them. Moses, after all, is an unknown to them (so they say) and they have no clue as to his whereabouts. So in Exodus 32:4 it says, “Then Aaron took the gold, melted it down, and molded it into the shape of a calf.” That latter phrase is especially important. When God tells Moses to get down to the camp, he is livid. He throws the tablets down breaking them into pieces and then turns to Aaron and asks, “What did these people do to you to make you bring such terrible sin upon them?”

Now…here it comes. Two vital thoughts:

  • Aaron’s first response: “Don’t get upset, my lord. You yourself know how evil these people are. They said to me, ‘Make us gods who will lead us. We don’t know what happened to this fellow Moses, who brought us here from the land of Egypt.’
  • Aaron’s second response: So I told them ‘Whoever has gold jewelry, take it off.’ When they brought it to me, I simply threw it into the fire-and out came this calf!”

Okay…do you see the two thoughts? One, Aaron placed the blame on the Israelite people. Not himself. Remember when that happened once before? “The serpent tempted me.” “The woman you gave me.”  The apple didn’t fall too far from the tree with Aaron did it?  Two, do you notice it says he melted it down and molded it into the shape of a calf. But then he tells Moses that he threw it into the fire and out came this calf. WOW!

I think that is called “Passing the buck” and then “Lying.”  But like I said at the very beginning: some things never change. The Garden of Eden. Aaron. January 28, 2025. It may be a new dog but it is the same old tricks.  Let’s break that cycle. Let’s stop the blame game and let’s start telling the truth.

{Note: All Scripture from the New Living Translation}

January 27

Monday, January 27th, 2025

As I sit down at my computer to write this morning, I’m speechless…or is that write-less?  I could complain and say I am super tired. Which I am. (I have been up since 1:00 because my knee hurt and I could not find a comfortable zone). I could say my brain is mush after a long day yesterday of preaching, interacting, building relationships, studying, and drinking one bottle too many of Dr. Pepper Zero. (At the most I drink one every other day or so. I drank two yesterday afternoon. I think I’ll think twice before I do that again). To top it off I have a whopper of a headache that I have just now taken some ibuprofen to take care of (I do that very sparingly). Then when I got to the office the young people decided to “decorate” my office. I think it took me almost 1/2 hour to get it cleared out.

So what do I do? I remember a book I read last week by Jon Gordon called The No Complaining Rule. I just hate it when something I read comes home to roost so quickly. Well…not really but I wanted to get that off my chest! 🙂 Jon likes to write Leadership Fables and this was in an office setting of a company that just had a disaster hit its product. It is well worth the time to read it. It is a  quick read of 120 pages with suggestions after the story. One of the solutions to complaining is what I needed to practice and see again this morning. It is called Five Things to Do Instead of Complaining. I decided to practice them and to share them with you:

  1. Practice Gratitude. Counting our blessings changes our perspective and our attitude. I needed an AA (Attitude Adjustment) this morning to be thankful that I have wife and family who loves me; a church who is grateful for me and whom I love; for the two who made public confessions of their faith yesterday and then were baptized; and for another day vertical.
  2. Praise Others. Part of my sleeplessness last night was doing just this: how can I thank the two at the YMCA who opened early for us to use the pool for our baptisms?
  3. Focus on Success. We had a good day yesterday. Many pastors focus on numbers and I’ll admit I’m not immune to that (although I try to be). But from the very first note of our worship, I sensed God’s presence. I loved the songs we sang and one of our men did a bang up job (with help from his daughter and wife singing) on his Communion Meditation.
  4. Let Go. Focus on things we have control over, not those we don’t.
  5. Pray and Meditate. I will say Pray and Read Scripture. This morning I read Psalm 57 and 58, as well as Proverbs 27.  I triple dog dare you to read them. 🙂 

As I look this over, I have written more words than I thought I would. Guess that is what happens when you stop complaining!!

January 22

Wednesday, January 22nd, 2025

The #1 dysfunction of a team Patrick Lencioni says in his book The Five Dysfunctions of a Team is an absence of trust (p.43). I’ve been reading it the past two nights and had trouble finding a stopping point last night (but my early morning rising told me I needed to stop). 🙂  He goes on to write: “Trust is the foundation of real teamwork. And so the first dysfunction is a failure on the part of team members to understand and open up to one another. And if that sounds touchy-feely, let me explain, because there is nothing soft about it. It is an absolutely critical part of building a team. In fact, it’s probably the most critical.” (pp.43-44)  To further emphasize its importance he goes on to write: “Great teams are honest with one another. They are unafraid to air their dirty laundry. They admit their mistakes, their weaknesses, and their concerns without fear of reprisal.” (p.44)

I suspect you may be thinking, “Bill, I don’t read this devotional to read about leadership from another book.” Please stick with me for a moment.

Our reading this morning was Exodus 13-15, the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt to crossing the Red Sea. But that whole scene was not without its drama. At the end of chapter 13 it says they were guided by a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. This allowed them to travel, it says, by day or night. But it wasn’t long until the Egyptian army, led by Pharaoh, decided they didn’t like the idea of the Israelites (their slaves) being gone. And so they pursued the Israelites. Soon, the people of Israel saw Pharaoh and his army approaching and were gripped with fear…and griping.  I love Moses’ words to them: “Don’t be afraid. Just stand still and watch the Lord rescue you today. The Egyptians you see today will never be seen again. The Lord himself will fight for you. Just stay calm.” (Ex. 14:13-14).  In other words: T.R.U.S.T.  If you know the story, God came through. He parted the Red Sea, a strong wind dried the sea bed and the Israelites walked through on dry ground. Meanwhile, the Egyptian army decided to follow and had all kinds of issues with their chariots. Once the people of Israel were on the other side, it was sayonara to the Egyptians. Exodus 15 is a song of praise and adoration to the God who saved them by His mighty power.

The people of Israel were a fickle bunch. Trust. Disbelief. Trust. Disbelief. You get the picture. It wasn’t long after they were complaining about water then a lack of food. Are they any different from many of us? A lack of trust comes into play two ways in the life of a follower of Jesus. First, failing to trust implicitly in the goodness and promised provision of God. Facing life with fear not faith. Second, failing to trust others to understand and help.

We don’t like to admit we may be dysfunctional. Seems to me the first line of defense is to admit we just might be and start trusting.

January 21

Tuesday, January 21st, 2025

“Man, that is one stubborn dude!” 

Have you ever used those words? Have they ever been used about you? Trust me when I say they are not a compliment. Other ways to say that don’t lessen the impact. “Stubborn as a mule.” Aaaah yeah…highly complimentary. Pig-headed. Another highly complimentary phrase.

Of course there are those who consider being stubborn a compliment. I’m not sure why, except they will rationalize it by saying, “I stick by my guns.”  “I have convictions and people know where I stand.” I beg to differ with that assessment. There is a difference between convictions based on truth and stubbornness based on personal opinion or belief.

The Bible is filled with stubborn people. Balaam is one. He is the one who had a donkey talk to him. His full story is found in Numbers 22-24. I’d say it is not a compliment when your donkey knows what is better than you do! There are also the kings who decided to do things their own way. How about Jonah who decided to forego a cruise to Ninevah for parts unknown? But I think one of the most stubborn people in the Bible is Pharaoh. My Bible reading for the Everyday Gospel Devotional has taken me from Exodus 7-12 the past two days. You may be familiar with the plagues that struck Egypt because of Pharaoh’s stubbornness: the Nile turned to blood, frogs, gnats, flies, death of livestock, boils, hail, locusts, darkness, and finally the death of the firstborn. It appears the Israelites were spared these plagues, especially the last one due to the Passover Meal. With blood on the doorpost and down the side of the door, the death angel passed over the household.

Back to Pharaoh. Talk about stubborn! After each plague he would tell Moses to take the people and get out of here but then would change his mind. Even when his advisors told him to let them go (after the plague of locusts) Pharaoh would not listen. The death of his firstborn son finally broke him. At least temporarily. His final act of stupidity…I mean, stubbornness…was chasing the people of Israel into the Red Sea which had parted for them but swallowed Pharaoh and his army.

Being stubborn is not a positive trait. That is especially true when it leads to being bull-headed and taking action which is not good. Standing by/for something that is not true or good. Being stubborn is an act of selfishness. Pharaoh could have saved himself and the people he ruled a lot of heartache and headache if he had not been so stubborn and listened to his advisors. We are often no different. Verse after verse in the Bible speaks of the stubbornness of the people. Deuteronomy. Jeremiah. Isaiah. And others. And we are not exempt either.

Humility. Kindness. Mercy. Love. Grace. They all keep stubbornness in check. It’s time…

January 16

Thursday, January 16th, 2025

What do you do and where do you go when you feel like you have had enough? As I read some Scripture this morning and thought about what to write, that is the question which came to mind.

Last night I began a new class called Wednesday Night Conversations. The class itself is not new; I had started it last Fall but took a break around the holidays. I restarted it last night and it will run until March 12th since the 19th is Spring Break (and I will not compete with that!). 🙂  The series of lessons is based on a book by Shane Pruitt entitled 9 Common Lies Christians Believe. The book is about one-liners many Christians are guilty of using when talking to people. Last night’s lie was “God will never give me more than I can handle.”  We investigated it using I Cor. 10:12-13 as the basis. Of course, the context is important. Long story short, God never says He will give us more than we can handle. He does want us to know that when temptation comes or when trials hit, He is there to go through it with us. That is the promise of not getting more than we can handle. He wants us to know with Him we can handle anything.

All of that was fresh on my mind when I read Scripture from Psalms this morning. In Psalm 35:9-11 it says, “Then I will rejoice in the Lord. I will be glad because he rescues me. With every bone in my body I will praise him; ‘Lord, who can compare with you? Who else rescues the helpless from the strong? Who else protects the helpless and poor from those who rob them?'” In the very next chapter I read this: “Your unfailing love, O Lord, is as vast as the heavens; your faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds. Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your justice like the ocean depths.” (36:5-6).

It was common to hear from myself and others last night that life is hard but that God has promised His presence and faithfulness. I am not ashamed to admit that I thrive on that truth.  There have been times I have felt like I was at the end of my rope. Not emotionally. Not that way. But just felt like giving up. I had nothing left. I had no more desire to go on with what I was doing. But God had other plans and I am so glad I listened to Him and didn’t follow my heart (one of the common lies BTW). If I had given up, I would not be experiencing the love and joy of the church I pastor and the sheer joy of knowing I am in the center of His will. He was and is and (I’m sure) will always be sufficient.

{All Scripture from the New Living Translation}