God’s Word
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Tuesday, March 18th, 2025
“When you play with fire you either get burnt or smell like smoke.” That was a saying I learned many years ago and have probably said it so often that if someone paid me $1 for every time I have said it I could retire. 🙂 It is one of those sayings (IMHO) that just stays with you and carries with it eternal truth.
There are many people who do just what this saying suggests. They see how close they can get to the fire without getting burnt. Or to put it another way: see how close they can get to the edge of the cliff without falling off. The teenager (or anyone for that matter) who sees how close they can come sexually but not “go all the way.” A pastor who cozies up to another but tries to draw the line at full-blown adultery. An accountant who plays with the numbers in an attempt to fudge them a bit in order to make himself look good or to benefit financially (I think that is called embezzlement). The person who says, “Just this once” but then finds himself craving the drugs.
Sin is like that. The enemy never makes sin look bad or ugly. The high, the good feeling, the adrenaline rush, the sexual release, whatever you may want to call it is never seen as ugly or bad. Why would he do that? Why would he make sin look so unattractive? We would all turn away if that was the case. Nope. He makes it look wonderful or fulfilling. The Christ-follower is especially vulnerable to this approach. Bolstered by the belief that “I can do this” that person is prime beef for the enemy to pounce. But most often it is a slow and enticing process. I have yet to talk to anyone who just says, “WOW! That is blatant temptation. I think I’ll just give in.” He slowly entices, sort of the like the cobra that seems mesmerized by the musician, until one moment he strikes.
By then it is too late. The failure to be prepared to do battle against the temptation; the failure to expect the temptation to come; the failure to keep our eyes wide open to what is possible and what we are putting ourselves through by exposure to sin, eventually becomes that which takes us down. In Judges 2 the tribes of Israel were told to take the land and not leave anyone standing. The failure to do so would leave them vulnerable to false gods. Needless to say, they didn’t do as they were told. They fought battles but ended up living in and among those they were supposed to erase. The result was compromise. They got too close to the fire and soon got burnt or smelled like smoke.
Don’t give into temptation. Let’s be aware of what “we are playing with.”
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Tags: Choices, Christian Living, God's Word, Lifestyle, Opinion, Reflection, Sin, Temptation
Thursday, March 13th, 2025
“Just follow your heart.”
If you’ve heard it once, you’ve heard it a thousand times. You can’t watch a Hallmark movie or Great American Family without hearing it. You can’t read a self-help book (I will leave them unnamed since I don’t want to publicize them) without hearing that phrase. You can’t go to a high school or college graduation without hearing those words somewhere in the speech. Without a doubt it may be one of the most popular phrases used in our culture.Â
Last night in my group I call Wednesday Night Conversations, we discussed this phrase. I shared some statistics with them that I thought were quite telling:
- 84% of Americans believe that the “highest goal in life is to enjoy it as much as possible.”
- 86% believe that to be fulfilled requires you to “pursue the things you desire most.”
- 91% affirm that “the best way to find yourself is by looking within yourself.”Â
(Source: “Don’t Follow Your Heart by Thaddeus Williams-p.xiv)
But, in reality, following your heart is a really bad idea. To follow your heart implies that you take it as seriously as the Christian takes the Bible, the Muslim takes the Koran, or some cult follows its rule book/leader. You must redefine your identity and anything less than full obedience and expression of every subjective feeling of sexual attraction is unforgivable. Anyone who questions you is a bigot, a phobic, a hater, or worse, an “R.” Our ancestors got a lot wrong, like us. But the one thing they got right was that feelings were not the final authority of right and wrong. Why? Simple. Feelings cannot be trusted. You wake up one morning and you feel absolutely great. Your day goes well. You wake up the next morning with a headache to beat all headaches and you didn’t sleep very well. You day goes terribly. What was the difference? How. you. felt. The fallacy in all of this, the unalterable truth the “follower your heart-ers” want us to think, is that deep down we are all basically good. Aaaah yeah. I know myself. I know I rationalize, make excuses, point the finger of blame, and tend to dismiss criticism.Â
Word to the wise: don’t follow your heart. It is deceptive and desperately wicked (Jeremiah 17:9). Instead, we need to align ourselves with God’s Word, whether it goes against our grain or not. The TRUTH is not up for grabs or auction. We need to pray that God will give us a new heart (Jer. 24:7), one that will follow His lead and not our own.
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Tags: Choices, Christian Living, Faith/Feelings, God's Word, Lifestyle, Ministry, Opinion, Reflection, Sin, Story, The Heart, Truth Telling
Wednesday, March 12th, 2025
“God says what He means and means what He says.”
So I have heard it told. After reading the story of Joshua and Jericho and the subsequent defeat and ultimate victory at Ai, I would have to agree. The story of both are found in Joshua 5-8, which was my Everyday Gospel (EG) reading for today. Even if you are not taking part in the reading of the EG devotional or in the daily reading associated with it, I’d encourage you to read those chapters sometime today.
Chapter 5 has Israel reestablishing covenant ceremonies with God. There is also an interesting encounter between Joshua and a commander of the Lord’s army.
Chapter 6 is the fall of Jericho. I chuckled as I read the account again and tried to put myself in that situation. The people of Israel walked around the city speechless. Point of interest #1. Point of interest #2 is what the army and the people of Jericho had to be thinking. “Wow. Now that was exciting. They got their daily stretch walk done.” All was fun and games until Day 7 when the people of Israel marched around, shouted and watched the walls come crumbling down.
Chapter 7 is the consequence of disobeying the Lord’s word of not taking anything from Jericho and keeping it for yourself. Little did Joshua know that Achan had stolen articles from Jericho and buried them under his tent. That is, until the army of Israel was routed by the army of Ai. An anguishing, face down inquiry before God revealed Achan’s sin and what was needed to erase the curse.
Chapter 8 is the return trip to Ai and the rout of that city by Joshua and his army.
Chapter 6 contains God’s specific instructions for the defeat and sacking of Jericho. Notice the word specific. Here are some of the words Joshua uses: “completely destroy.” “Do not take any of the things set apart for destruction.” “Everything made from silver, gold, bronze, or iron is sacred to the Lord and must be brought into his treasury.” Words clear; no questions.
Except for Achan. 7:1 opens with “But Israel violated the instructions about the things set apart for the Lord.” Achan is specifically mentioned and Joshua is too soon find that out. I go back to the statement I made at the beginning: “God says what He means and means what He says.” I’m snarky enough to ask, “What part of ‘Do not take’ do you not understand?”
We don’t like to talk about God’s instructions. We often see them as stifling, as God being a cosmic killjoy. First, let’s grasp that He says what He means and means what He says. Second, let’s realize that His instructions are there for our good. God has our best interest in mind. Achan and all the Israelites found out God was not playing games. God is still not playing games. We will still reap what we sow.Â
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Tags: Choices, Christian Living, Consequences of Disobedience, God's Word, Leadership, Lifestyle, Ministry, Obedience, Opinion, Reflection, Scripture look, Story
Tuesday, March 11th, 2025
“Be strong and courageous.”
We might say that to a high school or college graduate who is about to step out into a brand new world.
We might say that to someone who has just received a cancer diagnosis or some other disease that ravages the body.
We might say that to someone about to set out on the adventure of a lifetime-hiking, biking, marriage 🙂 , or opening their own shop.
We might say that to someone who is about to take part in a life-changing event.
Or it is something we would read in Joshua 1 where God has commissioned Joshua to lead the people of Israel across the Jordan and into the Promised Land. “Be strong and courageous…Be very strong and courageous…Be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:6.7, 9 NLT) Do you think God is telling Joshua not be afraid, to be strong and courageous? 🙂
Courage means different things to different people. I suspect it is determined by the task in front of them. God defines courage as obeying His laws no matter the cost or consequence. He tells Joshua not to stray to the right or left, but to stay on the path. He is to allow it to control his every thought, motive and action. Same with us. It is NEVER easy to follow God’s Word, the laws written down for us to give credence to and follow with all our heart. Anyone who tells you it is easy needs a reality check.
The words to Joshua are good words for us as well. We never know what our day will look like. We can wake up excited to face the day, fully anticipating a day filled with good things only to watch it crumble to pieces shortly after or even before we walk out of the house. So no matter what today brings for you or for me, let’s face it head on with courage and strength that comes from the ONE who told Joshua to “be strong and courageous.” He will give us the strength to face the day and to come out on the other end with courage knowing that strength came from Him.
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Tags: Christian Living, Courage, God's Strength, God's Word, Ministry, Opinion, Perseverance, Reflection, Scripture look, Story, Strength, Suffering, Trials
Friday, February 28th, 2025
“Come on in! The water is fine!” We might hear that from someone inviting us to join them in the pool or the ocean. However, a smart person will check out the person inviting them. Are they shivering? Are their lips blue? Are their teeth chattering? Or do they look totally relaxed and comfortable? We tend to be somewhat cautious in situations like that.
Why, then, are we less conscious when it comes to an invitation to join in where we are told to “Follow your heart” or “YOLO” or “Do what makes you feel good” or “I can do whatever I want. We live in an age of grace”? You recognize those statements, and others like them, I’m sure. The desire of our culture is to hide the consequences of those lines of reasoning, and “suck us into” its hideous swamp.
My sermon for Sunday finds the people of Israel seeking independence from God but also failing to see there is a consequence to that thinking and to their sin. Sort of like many of us, we want to indulge but we don’t want the extra pounds that come with indulging. They took it a step further: it had nothing to do with what they ate or did not eat. It had everything to do with lifestyle and obeying God’s law. We find many today taking that same approach. “I will do what I want. I don’t want to even think about results and consequences.” That’s a pretty scary (and dead end) philosophy.
I would appreciate your prayers for Sunday’s message. It is one that we all need to hear, but not all will take it well. If you can join us in person, please feel free to do so at 9 and 10:45. If not, we live stream both services at the same times. You can catch them on YouTube or on our website during the week. 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.
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Tags: Choices, Christian Living, Faith/Feelings, God's Word, Opinion, Sermon Series
Tuesday, February 25th, 2025
Politics or not? Racial shots or not?
I have pondered writing this since last night, but decided to sit on it. I’d like to preface it with these words from the Apostle Paul: “The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God…When I first came to you, dear brothers and sisters, I didn’t use lofty words and impressive wisdom to tell you God’s secret plan. For I decided that while I was with you I would forget everything except Jesus Christ, the one who was crucified. I came to you in weakness-timid and trembling. And my message and my preaching were very plain. Rather than using clever and persuasive speeches, I relied only on the power of the Holy Spirit. I did this so you would trust not in human wisdom but in the power of God.” (I Cor. 1:18; 2:1-5 NLT)
With those words in mind, please allow me to share my thoughts. While waiting for a delivery late yesterday afternoon, my wife had the TV on and featured was an African American “pastor” ranting and raving and hyperventilating this past Sunday morning from his pulpit. He was using racial slurs that if I had used them would have led to demonstrations and calls for me to be cancelled. It was, in my opinion, a disgusting display from the pulpit- the place where God’s Word and God’s Word only should be preached. I have NEVER in my 72 years and 50+ years of ministry ever preached politics from the pulpit (and I won’t start now), nor have I ever displayed the disgusting speech I heard from Sunday’s “sermon.” I will not give the man’s name since I don’t want to give him any press. I won’t call him a “pastor” because pastors are shepherds who feed sheep, not incite or beat sheep. Now, maybe his people are used to that type of carrying on. But I do not see that as anywhere close to what the Apostle Paul says ought to be our main focus: Jesus Christ and Him crucified. (2:2). How anyone could have walked away from that display and said, “Christ was preached and honored today” would be beyond me. Nor could anyone walk away saying, “I heard the Gospel of Jesus and how much He loves me and I want Him as my Savior and Lord.” All they would walk away with would have been hatred and vitriol and incitement to riot.
I’ll get off my soap box. I’ll close with more words from Paul: “You see, we are not like the many hucksters who preach for personal profit. We preach the word of God with sincerity and with Christ’s authority, knowing that God is watching us.” (2 Cor. 2:17 NLT). I will continue preaching the Word of God and only that. Not politics. Not incendiary garbage. Christ crucified and raised and coming again.
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Tags: Church, God's Word, Jesus, Leadership, Ministry, Opinion, Politics, Preaching, Reflection, Scripture look, Sermon topic, Speech, Story
Thursday, February 20th, 2025
“You are as stubborn as a mule.” Ever heard those words…only not so kindly? Other words can be and have been used as substitutes. Since I don’t talk that way, I prefer to use the more bland word “donkey.”
My reading this morning from Everyday Gospel included Balaam and his incident with his donkey. Balak was fearful of the horde of Israelites who were at his doorstep so he commissioned Balaam, a “prophet from God,” to pronounce a curse on them. Balaam first refused but the lure of money drew him to Balak. It was on his way there when Balaam’s donkey saw an angel and three times was beaten by Balaam for his stubbornness. (See what I did there?) 🙂 Anyway, eventually Balaam saw the angel and was rebuked by his donkey and the angel for beating his donkey. Long story short Balaam pronounced what was supposed to be a curse on the Israelites but it came out as a blessing. Unable to pronounce a curse, Balaam gave Balak another approach: have your women seduce the Israelite men, thus compromising who they were. Intermarriage was forbidden in the Israelite culture and, more importantly, by God. It got so bad that one of the Israelite men flaunted his Midianite woman in front of others and took her into his tent. Phinehas, the grandson of Aaron, took a spear and thrust the spear completely through him and into the woman’s stomach. Lovely picture (and you can use your own imagination), but it stopped the plague.
Okay…so that might have been a bit TMI for now. But not really. God doesn’t take sin lightly. But let’s pedal backward for a moment. I’m still intrigued by the donkey and Balaam. I have been called the other word (with some adjectives added) in the past, and I may hear it again in the future. But, in this case, it just might be a compliment. I have, at times, been as stubborn as a mule. I will admit that. As I have gotten older I realize there are some hills worth dying on and some that I will let others have. I’m sort of stubborn when it comes to truth. But other times? It’s not worth it. When I think of being stubborn and being almost cartoonish about it, I think of a little child standing with his arms crossed and a lower lip pouting out. I heard it once said that a little girl was being punished and told to go to stand in a corner. Her comment to her mom was, “I may be standing on the outside, but I’m sitting on the inside.”
That’s me sometimes. “Do what God? You talking to me?” “I don’t wanna!” And there you have it. Stubbornness. I need to be more like Balaam’s donkey and less of an…well you know. Are you stubborn? How have you learned to deal with it? Has God softened your heart?
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Tags: Choices, Christian Living, God's Word, Lifestyle, Ministry, Opinion, Reflection, Scripture look, Sin, Story, Stubbornness, Surrender
Tuesday, February 18th, 2025
Don’t you just love being around negative, griping people? (In case, you can’t see it I have my tongue fully in my cheek).
You could be having a fully alive morning and then meet someone whose very presence seems to put a damper on it. You walk through the door into your office or a meeting and immediately you can tell “that person” is in the room. The joviality and ease of the room is missing. Or worse, you may already be in the room, laughing and having a nice relaxing moment with colleagues and then “that person” walks in and it seems like something has sucked out all the air in the room. Gone is the joviality. Gone is the ease of conversation. Gone is the sense of anticipation of a good and productive meeting.
I’m not very tolerant of negative, griping people. I avoid them like a plague if possible. I hate to admit that I will sometimes take the long way around rather than come face to face with a “Debby Downer” or a “Frowning Fred.” Neither of them seem to have a good thing to say and seem to only cling and hang on with helpless rambling.
Numbers 16-17 is one of those passages of Scripture which makes perfect sense and we can relate to. Several of the men (Levites) decided they didn’t quite like Moses and Aaron’s leadership. They couldn’t understand why they had to listen to and do what Moses said. So they rebelled. Bad thing to do. Moses was God’s appointed leader and to take this approach was not going to turn out well for them. Long story short: it didn’t. The earth swallowed them up. Even after that show-and-tell, the very next morning they began muttering against Moses and Aaron again. What is wrong with those people? They just had a vivid demonstration of God’s judgment as He reacted to their rebellion and now they are at it again. Needless to say, it did not turn out well for them either.
There are several lessons to be learned in these two chapters. One is the stupidity of complaining against God’s work. Perhaps the most prominent is that God’s grace is seen as Aaron stands between those being destroyed and those kept alive by his actions. It is a great picture of a future time when someone who would be on a hill called Calvary and He would stand in the gap and take God’s judgment for sin on His shoulders.
Now THAT is amazing grace!
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Tags: Choices, Christian Living, Complaining, God's Plan, God's Word, Griping, Lifestyle, Opinion, Reflection, Scripture look, Sin, Speech, Story
Thursday, February 13th, 2025
Everyone needs a pick-me-up from time to time. Whether it be a kind word or an arm around the shoulder or a heartfelt handshake or a hug, sometimes ya just need one. You know?
Church people are no different. Unless they are wired cockeyed, no one wants to come on Sunday to be screamed and yelled at and made to feel worse than when they arrived. Even when the topic of sin is preached on it can be done in such a way that people aren’t made to feel lower than a snake. I believe it was D.L. Moody who once said,Â
“No preacher should preach on hell without tears in his eyes.”Â
That is my philosophy. I am not a screamer and a yeller from the pulpit. I don’t even do that at ballgames, let alone from the pulpit. It accomplishes absolutely NOTHING, except making people feel really bad.
So I began the practice of leaving them with a Scripture. I got tired of finishing preaching, praying, then saying, “Have a good week!” That is when I hit on the idea (with a little help from a book I was reading at the time) to close with the time-long-gone-by-tradition of a benediction. But not just from my lips. I pray, then have the congregation read it along with me from the screen in front of them. The most common one I use is from Numbers 6:24-26 (It was in our Scripture reading from Everyday Gospel Devotional for today). This is from the New Living Translation:
May the Lord bless you and protect you. May the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord show you His favor and give you His peace.
After we have all said that passage, I simply look at them and say, “Thanks for being with us today. Go with Him this week” or something to that effect. It gives people something to remember, something to identify with, and hopefully, something to carry with them during the week. The original passage was given to Moses to pass along to Aaron in order to bless the people.
May I encourage you to repeat that Scripture to yourself before you walk out your door or begin your work day? May you be blessed today with the awareness of His presence in all you do.
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Tags: Benediction, Blessing, Christian Living, Friendship, God's Word, Grace, Kindness, Lifestyle, Mercy, Ministry, Opinion, Reflection, Scripture look
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.
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Tags: Boundaries, Choices, Christian Living, God's Word, Leadership, Love, Opinion, Parenting, Reflection, Right/wrong, Scripture look, Story
