Following The Son

Halloween gets most of the attention today, but today is pretty significant for another reason.  It's Reformation Day!  In fact, today marks the 500th Anniversary of the day when a Friar named Martin Luther nailed his written work, known as The 95 Theses, on the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany on October 31, 1517. This is largely considered to have initiated the great Reformation. I don't think he had a costume on, and it's pretty unlikely anyone gave him any Laffy Taffy. I'm not a church historian, and other writers can give you far better insight into the church at that time and the years that followed. However since it is reformation day I wanted to share what are known as the 5 pillars of reformed theology today. My Latin is a little rusty so I'll stick to English. Scripture Alone: The Only Foundation-  The Bible is the only infallible and sufficient rule for governing issues of life and doctrine. Christ Alone: The Only Mediato

When the children of Israel were delivered from 400 years of slavery in Egypt they had every reason to celebrate. Initially they did, but it was very short lived. In no time their celebration was replaced with complaining. They complained about the water being bitter, they complained about the food, they complained about Moses, and the list went on. Once they reached the land God had promised Abraham they sent spies in to check it out. When they returned only two of the ten spies said that God would give them the land. The rest complained. They said we're like grasshoppers in their sight. We'll all die out here. God was so angered by their constant complaining that at one time many of them were killed, and he said no one is going into the land I promised except for the two spies who brought back a good report. For the next 40 years the complainers would wander around in circles and go no where. When the Holy Spirit spoke through Paul to the early church He inspired

Everyone's feet are dirty. As the disciples and Jesus sit around the table during Passover everyone has dirty feet. It's the last supper. When you entered a home in the first century there would be water at the door. Roads were dirt, most folks were in sandals or barefoot, and feet got dirty. They needed to be washed. As you entered a home your host would have your feet washed. A servant may have done this, or the host themselves may have humbled themselves and poured the water and towel dried your feet on their own. Your feet were dirty. They needed to be washed. She came and knelt down in front of me. I was in Zambia. In her hands she held a bowl of water. We were guests in her home and there was no running water. I was seated at the dining table. She had prepared us lunch. It was one of the most awkward moments of my life. I was told to hold out my hands, and she proceeded to wash and dry them. It wasn't my feet, but it was such a moving experience. She then

(You probably already have a strong opinion on this day's subject matter, but I really hope you'll read all the way through this. Then feel free to share your thoughts with me, or follow up with any questions. Thanks, and know that I love and pray for all who read this each day, which has been several thousand a day of recent. Wow!) Wine is a mocker and beer a brawler; whoever is led astray by them is not wise. Proverbs 20:1 Woe to those who rise early in the morning to run after their drinks, who stay up late at night till they are inflamed with wine. Isaiah 5:11 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery, but instead be filled with the Spirit. Ephesians 5:17-18 The Bible records many people drinking wine. When Noah drank wine he ended up in his tent naked and his son cursed. When Lot drank wine he had sex with his daughters. When the Israelites drank waiting for Moses they

"He ran right into the cabinet!" We were playing with our dog, Mr. Fox, and he took off running while looking back at me. The result was a collision with a piece of furniture. It was hard enough that there was that initial confirmation he was ok, followed by laughter. "You have to look where you're going, Pup." Looking in the right direction, or at the right thing, is pretty important in life. " Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus." Hebrews 12:1-2. Being focused on Christ is not only important in setting the course for our lives, it also directs our perspective. Check out this quote. "If you can't see the sun you will be impressed with a street light. If you've never felt thunder and lightening you'll be impressed with fireworks. And if you turn your back on the greatness and majesty of God you'll fall in love with a world of shadows and short-lived pleasures.&q

Most of us know the story of Moses leading the children of Israel out of Egypt. Thinking of it we tend to recall the plagues, crossing the Red Sea on dry ground, and the Egyptian army being swallowed up by the water. Before we get to most of that some haggling goes on between Moses and Pharaoh. Pharaoh doesn't want to lose his free work force, but Moses doesn't plan on sticking around. After a number of plagues Pharaoh calls for Moses and offers a compromise.  " Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, 'Go, sacrifice to your God here in the land'." Exodus 8:25. Did you catch that? Pharaoh was a shrewd fellow, and he knows something about people. As long as they're in Egypt, and as long as the Hebrew people are surrounded by Egyptian people, nothing was really going to change. That's because, whether we like it or not, we conform to our surroundings.  I don't say y'all anymore. If I do it's forced. After 23 years i

There's a great account in the Bible of a boy learning to hear from God. His name was Samuel, and he would grow up to be a great prophet. In Samuel's later years we read of conversations he has with God. He had to grow into that relationship. When God first speaks to him in his youth things were different. He heard the voice of God with such clarity, but he didn't know who it was. He actually thought the priest was calling him from another room. Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord: The word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him. A third time the Lord called, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.” Then Eli realized that the Lord was calling the boy. So Eli told Samuel, “Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place. The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” Then Samuel said, “Speak, for your

We like phrases like, "when the moment is right." Carpe Diem type phrases can be great rallying cries. Here's the problem. The moment may not ever be perfect. Ecclesiastes uses farming to illustrate this. If the farmer is looking for the conditions to be just right then he will never plant his crops. The conditions could always be better. Likewise, if he waits to harvest based on conditions he may miss his harvest, and lose his crop. The author writes it like this; "If you wait for perfect conditions, you will never get anything done." Ecclesiastes 11:4 . It will never be the perfect moment to do anything. Life on earth is simply filled with too many variables and imperfections. Sure we want to exercise wisdom, and do our best. The call is not one to haphazardly live with no plans beyond today. Yet, if we linger in an effort to see everything come together then we may end up lingering for the rest of our lives. Sometimes you just have to jump. That&

"It's a good thing you woke me up! That was a close one!" This is actually something Jesus never said. It seems like something he could have said, but instead we find this, " He replied, 'You of little faith, why are you so afraid?' Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm." Matthew 8:26. The setting finds Jesus and the disciples in a boat crossing the Sea of Galilee. Jesus had gone below deck and fallen asleep. An unexpected storm sprang up that was beyond ordinary. There were experienced commercial fisherman among the disciples. They know how to handle a boat in a storm, but they're afraid. The waves were high, and the winds became violent. As they battled the storm, struggling to keep their boat afloat, Jesus continued to sleep. Finally they went below deck to wake him.  "Lord, save us! We're going to drown!" Matthew 8:25. As we read above, Jesus got up and rebuked the

Something terrible has happened to the church in America. We became consumers. I suppose it was easy for it to happen. We grew up in a capitalistic society where, "the customer is always right." I was trained in retail management in a department store. In our training we were taught to do our best to stick to the store's policies, but if a customer was pushy enough; made a scene; wouldn't back down; then bend the rules to make them happy. Ultimately, the customer had to be pleased. I pastored the same church for nearly 23 years, and always parked in the back corner of the church parking lot. That was where I had been taught to park when I worked retail. "Leave the good spots for the customers." When I go to Walgreens I love getting a good parking spot. That's ok. I'm a customer. Here's the problem, church. "You're not the customer." The only people coming to church who could ever be considered customers would be unbeliev

Leaving a legacy. A legacy is defined as something one generation leaves for those that follow. It serves as a bit of a challenge to all parents, grandparents, uncles & aunts, and really anyone who has opportunity to influence the next generation. There was a man who lived a long time ago who had great influence over the generations that followed him. His descendants were nomads and we read about them in Jeremiah 35. " Jehonadab son of Rekab ordered his descendants not to drink wine and this command has been kept. To this day they do not drink wine, because they obey their forefather’s command." Jeremiah 35:14. What's amazing about the account is that Jehonadab had been dead for multiple generations by the time you get to this passage. Yet his life was still having a direct impact on his great great grandchildren and beyond.  My wife and I will soon experience the addition of our second grandchild. As our family grows I'm awed by the awesome res

It keeps happening to me. At night I get tired and go to bed. I sleep for a while, and then the next morning I wake up. It's been going on for years. Pretty much all my life. One of the great things about each new day is that it's a bit of a fresh start. Sometimes the thought of what the day holds can seem overwhelming, which is why thinking about what's praiseworthy as you enter your day is so important (Philippians 4:8). There's an awesome truth over each new day you never want to forget. No matter what lies before you today this promise is true as soon as you open your eyes. " The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness;  his mercies begin afresh each morning." Lamentations 3:22-23. God's mercies are never stale. Ever pour a bowl of cereal only to discover the cereal is stale? Or fill the bowl and then discover the milk is sour? So disappointing. My eldest son and his wife saved their wed

What are you thinking about? That's actually pretty important. The Bible has much to say about our thought life. In Paul's second letter to the church in Corinth we find these words; " We take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." II Corinthians 10:5. You don't have to live too long to discover this isn't always easy. Our minds tend to wander. There is incredible value, however, to seeking to control where those thoughts go. " For as he thinks in his heart, so is he." Proverbs 23:7 . That's more than simply being a positive thinker, although the children of God are a people who think positively. If all I think about is the worst possible outcome in a situation my heart will be filled with anxiety. Mark Twain once wrote, "I've had a lot of worries in my life, most of which never happened." Instead of thinking negatively about what we're facing the Scriptures teach us this; " Fix yo

Imagine a day like this. The families in your neighborhood all come outside on the same evening and come to your home and knock on your door. I know, I know, I scared you because you imagined all your neighbors became Jehovah's Witnesses, but that's not what I'm talking about. It's called Halloween. Halloween is pretty controversial among believers. We all agree that witches and demons are evil and shouldn't be played around with. It's the other stuff we debate. Can I love Jesus and still dress like Buzz Lightyear and eat Kit Kats stuff? Let me sneak in a few quick thoughts. A lot of the stuff you read about the origins of Halloween isn't even true. Scholars debate greatly over the beginning of it. Also, remember that you can just as easily argue that Easter and Christmas are of pagan origin as you can Halloween. In fact, more easily. When you tell people you don't participate because of the day's origin, yet you do participate in days wi

40 years is a long time to wait for something. I get impatient when it seems like it's taking too long for my food to come out in a restaurant. I was in Costco the other day, and when I got to the front all the lines were long. So I left. I don't like to wait. For 40 years the Hebrew people had wandered around in circles in the wilderness waiting to enter the land God had promised to give to Abraham. Once it was finally time to go in I'm sure they were eager to move in quickly. The promise was that they would become a great nation. It was time. "Let's go!" Instead God gives these words over them as they prepare to enter. "Little by little I will drive them out before you, until you have increased enough to take possession of the land." Exodus 23:30. Little by little? How about mucho by mucho? A little at a time was the plan though. They weren't ready yet for the fullness of what God had for them. For now they would need to keep follo

"You still look the same." I hear this sometimes from people I haven't seen in a while. I smile, say thank you, and walk away thinking, "he really needs to have his vision checked. I'll pray for his healing." Of course telling someone they look the same after a few years is intended to be a compliment. It's not a good thing to stay the same spiritually though. God's plan for us is growth and change.  Paul wrote these words to the believers in Corinth, " But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit." II Corinthians 3:18. "Being transformed." That's God's desire for all of us. He uses everything. The Holy Spirit is working on us, the Scriptures renew our minds, other believers sharpen us, times in his presence refresh us, and even work and school are part of the plan.  Her