Play The Odds….

There are times when the best thing you can do is to keep your mouth shut. Saying nothing, tends to diffuse most situations. There definitely are times to speak, but they are fewer than you think. Speaking truth, at the right time, is only learned through experience. Lots and lots of experience leads to wisdom. For every 100 people who regret saying something they shouldn’t have, there’s one that regrets not saying anything. Play the odds by controlling your tongue. It will save you more often than not.

3 Those who control their tongue will have a long life; opening your mouth can ruin everything. Proverbs 13:3

Live Out The “Golden Rule”…..

You’ve heard of the “Golden Rule”, treat others as you want to be treated, what exactly does it mean and where does it come from? It comes from an attitude of humility. And it means we are to remember what God did and does for us, and extend those blessings to others. Everything we own is a gift temporarily given to us from God. If it’s things, we must remember that some day they will belong to someone else. If it’s family, our roles change as we and our members age. The entire point of this is our attitude should always, and I mean always, be focused on the Giver of the gift and not the gifts themselves. Jesus said, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also”. This means when we have God as #1, the “First Great Cause”, in our heart, He will make everything treasured. We will find contentment, peace, joy, and true love and fulfillment. God first, others second, self last. We need to see ourselves as God sees us, undeserving but very much loved. When you adopt this attitude, it’s easier to live out the “Golden Rule”.

17 “True justice must be given to foreigners living among you and to orphans, and you must never accept a widow’s garment as security for her debt. 18 Always remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the Lord your God redeemed you from your slavery. That is why I have given you this command.19 “When you are harvesting your crops and forget to bring in a bundle of grain from your field, don’t go back to get it. Leave it for the foreigners, orphans, and widows. Then the Lord your God will bless you in all you do. 20 When you beat the olives from your olive trees, don’t go over the boughs twice. Leave the remaining olives for the foreigners, orphans, and widows. 21 When you gather the grapes in your vineyard, don’t glean the vines after they are picked. Leave the remaining grapes for the foreigners, orphans, and widows. 22 Remember that you were slaves in the land of Egypt. That is why I am giving you this command. Deuteronomy 24:17-22

If God Commands, Do It….

There are many truths tucked away in this passage of scripture, Luke chapter 5. I want to emphasize two of them. First, God doesn’t ask/tell us to do something that doesn’t accomplish His objective. He will never send us somewhere for no reason. Peter realized this, and thus obediently obliged to do what He said do. The reward was unbelievable. In peter’s obedience, he was rewarded for his faith. God’s word never returns void, never. It always accomplished its purpose. Secondly, when we realize we are in the presence of God, it’s always a humbling experience. It always reveals how much greater He is to us. God’s holiness always humbled us. We can’t compare. His greatness reveals our unworthiness. The only thing that makes it bearable is His Grace. It perfectly balances out our rightful fear, with the ability to rightfully approach Him and be obedient. This “Grace” is what rescues a soul from staying in our condemned state of “prideful, contented rebellion”. Peter experienced this numerous times. It’s the reason he became such a bold, and relentless leader of the early church. His soul was refined through the purifying fire of God’s grace, turning him from being a boastful, quick to speak, prideful man, into one that humbly served God whole-heartedly. If God commands us to do something, do it. And do it with a mind-set and spirit that is grace-filled. That way, you will accomplish what you set out to do, without being controlled by the ways of the world.

1 One day as Jesus was preaching on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, great crowds pressed in on Him to listen to the word of God. 2 He noticed two empty boats at the water’s edge, for the fishermen had left them and were washing their nets. 3 Stepping into one of the boats, Jesus asked Simon, its owner, to push it out into the water. So He sat in the boat and taught the crowds from there.4 When He had finished speaking, He said to Simon, “Now go out where it is deeper, and let down your nets to catch some fish.”5 “Master,” Simon replied, “we worked hard all last night and didn’t catch a thing. But if You say so, I’ll let the nets down again.” 6 And this time their nets were so full of fish they began to tear! 7 A shout for help brought their partners in the other boat, and soon both boats were filled with fish and on the verge of sinking.8 When Simon Peter realized what had happened, he fell to his knees before Jesus and said, “Oh, Lord, please leave me–I’m too much of a sinner to be around You.” 9 For he was awestruck by the number of fish they had caught, as were the others with him. 10 His partners, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, were also amazed.Jesus replied to Simon, “Don’t be afraid! From now on you’ll be fishing for people!” 11 And as soon as they landed, they left everything and followed Jesus. Luke 5:1-11

What Builds Character In A Nation…..

Do you think America, much less the world, would be better off if we applied this principle in our lives: do not ignore your responsibility? Regardless what people will admit or not, America was founded on Biblical principles. It’s these principles that made America work. They made America prosperous. They still work today, for truth does change over time, even though people do. No matter what society tries to dictate or legislate, don’t neglect your responsibility. It’s what holds the world together. And it’s what builds character in a nation, one man at a time.

1 “If you see your neighbor’s ox or sheep or goat wandering away, don’t ignore your responsibility. Take it back to its owner. 2 If its owner does not live nearby or you don’t know who the owner is, take it to your place and keep it until the owner comes looking for it. Then you must return it. 3 Do the same if you find your neighbor’s donkey, clothing, or anything else your neighbor loses. Don’t ignore your responsibility.4 “If you see that your neighbor’s donkey or ox has collapsed on the road, do not look the other way. Go and help your neighbor get it back on its feet! Deuteronomy 22:1-4

Do What Is Right….

If we were to compare this passage in Deuteronomy to modern day America, how would it correlate? How many murders go unsolved? How many innocent people are killed every day in America? In this time, the Israelites of the nearest town had to break the neck of an innocent cow, in order to be absolved from the guilt of the dead body found closest to their town. Half the murders in America today go unsolved. Is there any one trying to shed the guilt of our nation because of it? What about abortion? Over 65 million babies have been murdered since 1973. Our country is divided on this “valuing life” issue. The only answer I have is one truth about God. It says it here, and throughout scripture: God hates hands that shed innocent blood. And He will not let the guilty go unpunished. Those that support it are just as guilty as those that do it. If you’re confused on this truth, maybe you need to examine your own heart. Look into why you don’t take this seriously, or even why you support the “devaluing of life”. One day each one of us will stand before God, and give an account of our life. I will only have one thing to say. With that in mind, I try my best to live those words out in my life now, working out my salvation. Thanks be to God, for rescuing me for His glory. Stand up for the innocent. Love what God loves, hates what He hates. And depend on Him daily, to empower you to “do what is right”, regardless of the cost.

1 “When you are in the land the Lord your God is giving you, someone may be found murdered in a field, and you don’t know who committed the murder. 2 In such a case, your elders and judges must measure the distance from the site of the crime to the nearby towns. 3 When the nearest town has been determined, that town’s elders must select from the herd a young cow that has never been trained or yoked to a plow. 4 They must lead it down to a valley that has not been plowed or planted and that has a stream running through it. There in the valley they must break the young cow’s neck. 5 Then the Levitical priests must step forward, for the Lord your God has chosen them to minister before Him and to pronounce blessings in the Lord’s name. They are to decide all legal and criminal cases.6 “The elders of the town must wash their hands over the young cow whose neck was broken. 7 Then they must say, ‘Our hands did not shed this person’s blood, nor did we see it happen. 8 O Lord, forgive Your people Israel whom You have redeemed. Do not charge Your people with the guilt of murdering an innocent person.’ Then they will be absolved of the guilt of this person’s blood. 9 By following these instructions, you will do what is right in the Lord’s sight and will cleanse the guilt of murder from your community. Deuteronomy 21:1-9

Feed The Monster….

I’ve always told myself, “humble yourself, so others won’t have to”. It’s always been something I adhere to. No one likes arrogance, especially coming at you full blast. Growing up playing sports, I always opposed “showboating”. I thought, “why do the people have to brag and display actions of arrogance?” “Why can’t they just let their actions do the talking for them”? As I’ve aged, I realized insecurity breeds arrogance. It’s a coping mechanism. The attention getting actions, by way of arrogant behavior, causes opposition from the recipients of these actions, which makes the person feel like they are justified or victimized. This brings comfort to the insecure soul. And thus gives them a fictitious enemy to fight against. Let’s call our opponent a name, get them stirred up, until they react in a way that opposes you, which motivates the arrogant one to rise to the cause of “how dare they treat me this way”. It’s a pride thing. Yet so many continue to do it just to feed the monster, their ego. When a man isn’t willing to look himself in the face and admit his weakness, he’s only guaranteeing himself a life of prideful behaviors that protect his pride. Arrogance is one symptom of this self-defeating behavioral pattern. Humility is its remedy.

23 The wise don’t make a show of their knowledge, but fools broadcast their foolishness. Proverbs 12:23

Extending Grace…..

Only God would ever do this for an enemy. And since He did and still does, so should we. This principle of extending Grace has been employed by many nations when at war. Alexander the Great used this tactic, as did America in its battles, to name a few. This just shows God’s character. We should do the same. Extending Grace is only possible, because God extended it to us first.

10 “As you approach a town to attack it, you must first offer its people terms for peace. 11 If they accept your terms and open the gates to you, then all the people inside will serve you in forced labor. 12 But if they refuse to make peace and prepare to fight, you must attack the town. 13 When the Lord your God hands the town over to you, use your swords to kill every man in the town. 14 But you may keep for yourselves all the women, children, livestock, and other plunder. You may enjoy the plunder from your enemies that the Lord your God has given you. Deuteronomy 20:10-14