The Third Heaven

One of the cool things about a daily walk with God is that if you will let Him lead you through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, you will get to learn some interesting things.  Here is what I mean.

2 Corinthians 12:2(NKJV)

2I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago—whether in the body I do not know, or whether out of the body I do not know, God knows—such a one was caught up to the third heaven. 

When I saw the phrase "the third heaven" I thought what the heck is that?  This is where letting the Holy Spirit lead is important.  I felt prompted to go learn what it meant.  As I've written before, the internet is an incredible resource for your faith walk. 

I went to Yahoo and searched on the following phrase: the third heaven

I got back 188,000,000 hits.  Apparently I'm not the only person who has had this question because there are a lot of pages out there with this phrase on it.  So I just started at the top with the first article.  I then read a couple more of the articles.  If two or three sources seem to be saying pretty much the same thing then I accept that as the answer. 

Where it gets really interesting is when you start getting somewhat different answers.  That can lead you into many different areas as you try to get the what the Holy Spirit leads you to believe is the correct answer.  How does He do that?  Well in my view He does that by guiding you on what links to click and read and what "rabbit trails" to follow as you do your research. 

One of the first places I like to go is Wikipedia.  While I detect a bit of subtle anti-Christian bias in some of their articles I find it is a great place to pick up a lot of knowledge quickly.  This again is where the guidance of the Holy Spirit is so important.  Wikipedia articles are loaded with links to other info.  You could waste a whole day clicking on all of the links.  Let the Spirit guide you on which ones are worth the time and which ones aren't. 

As I read about "the seventh heaven" I learned about superapostles, shamayim, the incident at antioch, judaizers, and many other interesting things.  These are things that I probably wouldn’t have normally ever read about but they definitely deepened my understanding of God's Word.

Now to get back to the original question, what the heck is the third heaven?  Would you like to know the answer?  Then I invite you to enjoy the journey and find out.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_Heaven

Simplicity

I've always been a big fan of simplicity.  I'm sure you've all seen the acronym KISS-Keep it simple stupid.  That's why this passage jumped out at me.

2 Corinthians 11:3(NKJV)

3But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the £simplicity that is in Christ. 

Pay attention to the warning here.  Paul is telling us that our walk with Jesus should be pretty simple.  It's not like the OT with a whole bunch of rules and regulations.  It's pretty simple.  Accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior.  Stay in the Word and pray.  Stay focused on Jesus.

The warning is to guard against anyone that tries to make it more complicated.  Satan is the Lord of deception.  It's hard to be deceived when things are simple.  Satan can only deceive you by making things more complicated than it needs to be. 

So as you enjoy your walk with Jesus, remember Simplicity is the word of the day!

An Abundance for Every Good Work

Do you have a cool new idea on a way to serve God.  Something that He has laid on your heart, but you're not sure if you can do it?  You don't know where to begin.  You don't know how to fund it.  You don't now who else can help you with it.

If so then look at the second part of this passage from II Corinthians.

2 Corinthians 9:6-8(NKJV)

6But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 

7So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. 

8And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work. 

"may have an abundance for every good work".  That is a promise from God.  If He has given you a vision of something that He would like you to do for Him, don't let fear and doubt get in the way of your serving God.  He has promised you an abundance for every good work.

But an abundance of what?  Everything you need!  You need direction?  He'll provide you an abundance of it.   You need the courage to get started?  Just ask Him, He'll provide you an abundance of it.  Need help?  Just ask, He'll provide it.

If God has given you a vision, what are you waiting for?  God has promised you an abundance of everything you will need to bring that vision to fruition.  All you have to do is get started!

Are You a Finisher?

2 Corinthians 8:10-12(NKJV)

10And in this I give advice: It is to your advantage not only to be doing what you began and were desiring to do a year ago; 

11but now you also must complete the doing of it; that as there was a readiness to desire it, so there also may be a completion out of what you have. 

12For if there is first a willing mind, it is accepted according to what one has, and not according to what he does not have.

You know it is one thing to get all excited about something, it is another thing to stay excited and engaged, to see it through and finish.  We see this issue in all walks of life including our faith walk.

Our faith walk with Jesus is meant to be a long term, life long event.  So  many times you will see new Christians all full of excitement, but a year or two later it has faded away.  They started but they couldn't finish.

What does it take to be a finisher?  Discipline.  It's simple but not always easy.  That's why it takes discipline.  That ability to make yourself stay on task even when you don't want to. 

Let me give you an example from the physical world.  A couple of months ago I decided to start doing a minimum of 10 pushups a day, every day, for the rest of my life; as long as I am able.  For me it was a way to commit to a minimum level of physical fitness.

It was pretty easy at first when I was excited about it.  Now that I've been doing it awhile, there have been a few days that I just haven't felt like doing it.  Discipline is making my body do it when I don't really want to, day after day.

So here is the simple part.  First, accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior.  If you haven't done so already, simply say a prayer asking Jesus to come into your life and guide you.  Next step, get into the Word every day and pray every day.  Simple right?  This is the part that takes discipline.   It's real easy to let life interfere with your Spiritual walk.  Don't let that happen.  Stay disciplined. 

Scripture tells us that there is an advantage to being a finisher.  What could that be?  Well in your spiritual walk with Jesus it will be a life beyond measure.  Don't believe me?  Give it a try!

Outside Was Conflict, Inside Was Fear

2 Corinthians 7:5(NKJV)

5For indeed, when we came to Macedonia, our bodies had no rest, but we were troubled on every side. Outside were conflicts, inside were fears. 

What causes us to fear?  The Bible tells us clearly that we shouldn't fear but yet it is hard not to sometimes isn't it?  There seems to be this disconnect from what we know intellectually, that God tells us not to fear, and what we experience in the "real world". 

I think the thing that causes us to fear is generally things that are happening outside of our control.  We as humans like to feel in total control of our situation.  Lack of control leaves us feeling less than certain.  Think about it.  If you are certain of the outcome your generally not as fearful. 

So how to change this?  First become conscious of it.  Second, know God's promises.  Are you as certain of God's promises as you are when you are in control of things?  You should be.  It's called faith.  When you start to learn all of God's promises and learn to lean on them with the same certainty that you lean on your own decisions, you will begin to experience the fear free life that you can live in Christ!

Atheist Blogger Converts!

Last week I wrote a post called "I Don't Believe There Is an Invisible Sky Daddy" in which I talked about the value of asking questions to lead people to Christ.  I ran across this story today.  It's about an atheist blogger who has just converted to Catholicism. 

Sometimes as we go through life we are hesitant to witness to certain people because we figure they already have their mind made up, or we are intimidated by them, or whatever.  Well here was a young woman that was not  only an atheist but a very public atheist at that.  She wrote a blog that was read by many!  There was a comments section of her blog where she argued her views in a very public way.  And yet others still witnessed to her even though they knew her mind was already made up. 

So the first lesson here is we need to do our job which is to spread the Word.  Our charge is to spread the seed.  Let God worry about the harvest!  The second lesson is again the value of questions.

It was a question from a friend that finally moved her to our side.  She had a sense of morality but when her friend asked her where that morality came from she didn't have an answer.  I encourage you to read her story.  I've provided a couple of links.  And I would also ask that we keep this woman in our prayers as she continues her faith journey.

http://www.catholic.org/hf/faith/story.php?id=46700&wf=rsscol

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/unequallyyoked/2012/06/this-is-my-last-post-for-the-patheos-atheist-portal.html

Do Not Despise a Thief

Proverbs 6:30-31(NKJV)

30    People do not despise a thief      If he steals to satisfy himself when he is starving.

31    Yet when he is found, he must restore sevenfold;     He may have to give up all the substance of his house.

I found this scripture interesting.  There are many in the world that would agree with the first part of this passage.  That if someone is starving or needs to feed their family and they steal, we as a society should overlook their offense.  We should be compassionate and understanding.  We shouldn't  punish them or at least we shouldn’t punish them as severely because of extenuating circumstances.  Because of their circumstance that would be the Christian thing to do.

Look what Scripture says about the issue.  It seems to say yes be understanding because of the circumstance BUT the thief still has to provide restitution and damages, even if it costs him everything he has.  Pretty interesting isn't it?  

The Letter Kills, but the Spirit Gives Life

2 Corinthians 3:6(NKJV)

6who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the £Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

I've been reading Leviticus lately and that really brings this bit of Scripture to life for me.   Let me explain.

Leviticus lays out all of the sacrifices.  What you sacrifice for a sin offering, a wave offering, a thanks offering, a heave offering, etc.  It lays out which offerings the priests get to eat and where they can eat them.  It is very detailed.  In other words there are a lot of letters to the law. 

Leviticus 10:1-2(NKJV)

1Then Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it, put incense on it, and offered profane fire before the Lord, which He had not commanded them. 

2So fire went out from the Lord and devoured them, and they died before the Lord. 

Leviticus 10:16-18(NKJV)

16Then Moses made careful inquiry about the goat of the sin offering, and there it was—burned up. And he was angry with Eleazar and Ithamar, the sons of Aaron who were left, saying, 

17“Why have you not eaten the sin offering in a holy place, since it is most holy, and God has given it to you to bear the guilt of the congregation, to make atonement for them before the Lord? 

18See! Its blood was not brought inside £the holy place; indeed you should have eaten it in a holy place, as I commanded.”

As  you can see from the preceding two passages it was real easy to get confused and mess it up.  And sometimes the penalty was quite severe!  In other words, the letter of the law kills.

Because man is sinful and the letter of the law is quite broad and complex, man was doomed to die.  No matter how hard he tried, man could not satisfy the letter of the law for his whole life.   But Jesus changed all of that.  The only way to avoid that death is through accepting Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior.  Through acceptance of Christ we receive the Holy Spirit.  And as the passage from II Corinthians says "the Spirit gives life"!

 

Righteousness Will Have a Sure Reward

I thought these verses from Proverbs 11 paint a neat word picture of the rewards of righteousness.

Proverbs 11:18(NKJV)

18    The wicked man does deceptive work,     But he who sows righteousness will have a sure reward.

How do we sow righteousness?  By first accepting Jesus and then by taking Jesus' love to others.

Proverbs 11:25(NKJV)

25    The generous soul will be made rich,     And he who waters will also be watered himself.

As part of that sowing righteousness, we give generously of our time, efforts, and treasure.  "The generous soul will be mad rich" simply illustrates the principal that the more you give the more you get.  The second part of that verse illustrates what most of us who have ever helped someone in need already knows, that we get a great feeling out of helping others.  In other words it helps us.

Proverbs 11:28(NKJV)

28    He who trusts in his riches will fall,      But the righteous will flourish like foliage.

The righteous won't flourish just a little bit, they will flourish like the trees and bushes all around us.

Proverbs 11:30(NKJV)

30    The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life,      And he who wins souls is wise.

And that tree of life is like a family tree of all those souls you have touched who you will get to spend eternity with.  Pretty cool!

But by the grace of God I am what I am

1 Corinthians 15:10(NKJV)

10But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. 

I love that phrase.  It reminds me that all that I have been through are what make me what I am today.  The good times and the bad.  The good decisions and the bad.  The great people I've met and the scumbags. 

It's all of those things that have helped to shape my beliefs and outlooks.  As I look back, would I want to do it all again?  Not necessarily but do I regret any of it?  Not really because it is what has made me what I am to this point. 

My one hope is that God continues to guide my path and finds ways to use all of those experiences to reach others for Jesus. 

Spend some time this week reflecting on how God has blessed you in your life's experiences. 

Guard Your Heart

There are many places in the Bible that tells us things like the following.

Proverbs 4:23(NKJV)

23    Keep your heart with all diligence,     For out of it spring the issues of life.

Other versions say it this way.

New International Version (©1984)

Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.

Pasted from <http://bible.cc/proverbs/4-23.htm>

Why is it so important that we guard our hearts?  Wouldn't you know it, Scripture has an answer for us.

2 Corinthians 1:21-22(NKJV)

21Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God, 

22who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.

Quite simply because that is where the Holy Spirit resides in us. 

So how do we guard our hearts.  First by accepting Jesus as our Lord and Savior.  Then by being in the Word daily and by being in prayer daily.  It takes focus and it takes discipline but it is well worth it!

So how is your heart doing?

Desire Spiritual Gifts

Today's verse surprised me a little bit.  I had always thought that we were all give different gifts and God gave us the gifts He thought we should have and we should just be happy with that.  The thought never occurred to me that we could or should actually desire the gifts and ask for certain ones.

1 Corinthians 14:1-2(NKJV)

1Pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy. 

2For he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God, for no one understands him; however, in the spirit he speaks mysteries. 

So according to 1 Corinthians, not only is it OK to desire spiritual gifts , it tells us the one that we should desire the most.

Prophesy.  Just to make sure we are on the same page here is the definition for prophesy.

proph·e·sy

verb (used with object)

1. to foretell or predict.
2. to indicate beforehand.

3. to declare or foretell by or as if by divine inspiration.

4. to utter in prophecy or as a prophet.

verb (used without object)

5. to make predictions.
6. to make inspired declarations of what is to come.
7. to speak as a mediator between God and humankind or in God's stead.
8. Archaic . to teach religious subjects.

Pasted from <http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/prophesy?s=t

Wow!   Look at definitions 3, 4, 6, and 7.  Looks like a big responsibility but I guess God wouldn't tell us to desire it unless He planned on giving us the ability to fulfill His plan so desire it I will! 

"I Don't Believe There's an Invisible Sky Daddy"

One of the greatest challenges for me and I suspect for many of us is effectively witnessing.  I'm the type of person who likes to be right.  I want to make sure I have my facts straight.  I want to be able to rebut any argument or excuse. 

What an ineffective strategy!  The thing is, I should know that.  How many of you have ever read How To Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie?  Great book.  If you have not read it I would suggest you do so.

Why?  Because number one it will help make you more effective at witnessing about Jesus.  The second reason is that no matter what you do for a living, it will help you advance in your job or career. 

One of the most effective tools you have available to you is the question.  Why? Because questions make the other person think and it allows you to direct what they think about. 

There is an old saying in sales.  "If you say it they can doubt it, if they say it it has to be true".  You can lecture someone til you are blue in the face but it is still you "saying it".  By skillfully using questions, you can lead them to the conclusion that you want them to reach, in essence getting "them to say it".

If you would like to see a great example of using questions, watch this video called "I Don't Believe There's an Invisible Sky-Daddy".  Now he doesn't get this atheist to accept Jesus right then and there (this isn't like TV), but you can see he does get the atheist to start thinking.  Maybe someday down the road this guy will come to Christ.  The point is that another seed was planted.  He got the guy to start questioning.

Learn this technique from the video and then make it a point to start using questions in your daily life and see how it works for you.

http://www.wnd.com/2012/06/i-dont-believe-theres-an-invisible-sky-daddy/?cat_orig=faith

Reproofs of Instruction

I love the simple lessons of Proverbs. 

Proverbs 6:23(NKJV)

23    For the commandment is a lamp,     And the law a light;     Reproofs of instruction are the way of life,

re·proof

1. the act of reproving, censuring, or rebuking.

2. an expression of censure or rebuke.

At first I wasn't sure what this meant.  I had to think about it a bit.  Another way that you might say this is that negative feedback is the way of life.  Failure is one form of negative feedback.  Another form of negative feedback is correction in the form of a reprimand, etc.  Negative feedback is a valuable form of feedback, sometimes more valuable than the feedback when you succeed, in my opinion. 

Let me give you an example.  I've often said that I think participating in sports teaches valuable lessons.  The most important lesson it teaches is how to lose!  "Don’t you mean how to win?"  Nope.  How to lose.  It teaches that failure (losing) isn't a permanent condition.  It teaches that there will be another game tomorrow (or next  week or whatever) and that if you practice your skills and get better you can overcome failure.  This is one thing that winning doesn't teach you.

So here is what it means to me.  Listening to good honest criticism and instruction, if taken in the proper spirit and attitude, can be an incredible blessing in your life!  

...And Kill It At The Door

I've been reading Leviticus lately and I am astounded at the minute detail described for all of the sacrifices.  As I was reading I ran across a couple of verses that answered a question that I've long had. 

Why was it necessary that the Jews turn on Jesus?  I understand that His blood had to be shed but there were many ways that could have come about.  Was there a particular reason that it had to come about at the hands of the Jews?  I think I've found my answer.

Leviticus 3:1-2(NKJV)

1‘When his offering is a sacrifice of a peace offering, if he offers it of the herd, whether male or female, he shall offer it without blemish before the Lord. 

2And he shall lay his hand on the head of his offering, and kill it at the door of the tabernacle of meeting; and Aaron’s sons, the priests, shall sprinkle the blood all around on the altar. 

When the Jews brought their sacrifices to the alter, they were to lay their hands on the sacrifice and kill it.  So in the case of the Jews and Jesus, I think it was a symbolic "laying his hand on his offering". 

Isn't it neat the way God reveals His Word a little at a time?  Enjoy the journey!

We Are The Hands of Jesus! (Thanks Ben!)

My cousin posted a great question of Facebook the other day.

"What was the last thing you did to help someone in real need, and why?

I would like you to read some of the stories.

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Bought a homeless man dinner...because he was sitting in the booth across the restaurant with his glass of water, filthy, falling asleep, looking frail and felt he needed to get something in his belly.

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I try to help someone every day in one way or another. It could even be animals. I have a 98 year old lady on my mail route I check on every day. Her concern is that her dog will be by it's self if she passes. I am concerned for them both!

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Bought a homeless person a mea last week.

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helped an older woman a few days ago in Walmart. I put a case of water in her cart for her and then helped her find detergent!

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A friends wife and son were going to do a tandem skydive in Goshen. He asked me to go along as he was going to be on the ground by himself. He felt he needed support if things went awry. I had my day already planned but went along with him anyway. He wouldn't ask if he really didn't need me to go along. So hey, plugged in Magellan and had a great ride.

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Two Friday's ago I took the day off and with another guy from our church we went to a lady's house down in the Edison neighborhood and did some repairs on her house. Her front stairs were all rickety. Under the stairs was all open and varmints were getting into her house. We fixed that and sealed it all up. In the back the soffit was all open and birds were getting into the insulation and building nests so we got that all sealed up as well.

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Two weeks ago, I donated the entire video collection of MASH and "I Love Lucy" to the John George Home for Elderly Gentlemen in Jackson. When I went to the residence, I found a bunch of delightful old gentlemen who just wanted to chat and share some old stories. I am going to continue to visit them and most likely set up a volunteer schedule for whatever they need. According to one of the administrators there, one gentleman "lives, breathes, and sleeps I Love Lucy", but he can no longer get it on his TV, so he is thrilled with the videos.

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This morning I stopped for gas and ran inside to get a coffee. The lady before me paid in silver dollars. Since my husband saves silver dollars I asked the clerk to buy them from her - there was $20.00's worth - I was beaming from ear to ear knowing that this would make Carey's day when I got home. When I got outside I saw the lady that had paid for her gas with the silver dollars shutting the hood on her car - which was a very old and VERY beat up car. That little voice in my head told me to go over there and give her the silver dollars back - she was overwhelmed with joy and it felt great to give these back to her. When I walked past her car to get to mine - I saw three little faces staring at me - I reached in my purse to give her another $20.00 but as I handed it to her I realized it was a $50.00 - it stung for just a second then it felt real good!!!

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put in a gas stove for a bedridden elderly woman in Benton Harbor. because i know how, and she needed it done.

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Why?

Because it is a great way to demonstrate the love of Jesus in a very real and concrete way, as you can see from the stories above.  We each have unique situations in which we can touch other peoples lives in a way that no others can.

Folks we are all the eyes, and ears, and hands of Jesus.  He's counting on us.  Let's not let him down!

Life Lessons From God

As you know, one of my themes is "of what practical use is the Bible"?  What are the actual real world benefits of our faith in Christ?  Eternal life is great but it is a bit hard to wrap our minds around in the here and now. 

Well today I want to offer a great example of how exquisite God's plan really is.

Once we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we are told that one of the foundations of a growing faith is to seek God through daily study of His Word.  We are taught to make it a daily, lifelong habit to seek knowledge and wisdom from God's Word.  It's not easy.  It takes discipline.  But it creates a lifelong habit of learning.

But how does that help us in the real world?  Take a look at this scripture.

Proverbs 3:13-18(NKJV)

13    Happy is the man who finds wisdom,      And the man who gains understanding;

14    For her proceeds are better than the profits of silver,     And her gain than fine gold.

15    She is more precious than rubies,     And all the things you may desire cannot compare with her.

16    Length of days is in her right hand,     In her left hand riches and honor.

17    Her ways are ways of pleasantness,     And all her paths are peace.

18    She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her,     And happy are all who retain her.

Did you catch that last part?  She (knowledge and wisdom) is a tree of life to those who take hold of her, And happy are all who retain her.

Now how is that of practical use?  Let's compare two kinds of people.  First you have the type of person that graduates from high school or even college and then declares something like "Glad that's done.  I'm never reading another book again".  Then you have the other type who is curious and continues throughout life to learn new things and skills.  Long term, of the two types, who do you think is going to have the more satisfying and successful life?  My guess would be the ones that continue to learn new things throughout their lifetime, wouldn't you agree?

The practical thing that transfers from your daily faith walk is that you are already a daily seeker of knowledge.  It is really easy to transfer that discipline and skill to all other walks of your life.

Now look at how Proverbs describes the different results of our two types of people.

Proverbs 3:35(NKJV)

35    The wise shall inherit glory,      But shame shall be the legacy of fools.

God's plan is so cool!

I just don't get Paul

I have always had a hard time understanding Paul.  Quite frankly I just don't get him.  He says things that to me seem to contradict other Scripture. 

Now once again, as I question something in the Bible I want to make perfectly clear that I am approaching this from the aspect that God is way smarter than me and so it is me that is failing in my understanding. 

If you've been reading my posts for any amount of time then you probably realize that I am just an upfront kind of guy.  I think to have an honest discussion about our faith we need to talk about the things we understand as well as the things we don't. 

Anyway, I am going to go through this section from 1 Corinthians and comment on what I don't get.  If anyone out there has answers to my questions I would love to hear them

1 Corinthians 10:23-33(NKJV)

23All things are lawful £for me, but not all things are helpful; all things are lawful £for me, but not all things edify.

(All things are lawful, really?  So there is no right or wrong anymore?  To each his own?  Let your conscience be your guide?)

 

24Let no one seek his own, but each one the other’s well-being.

(OK, that makes sense.   Put others first.  Golden rule, etc.)

25Eat whatever is sold in the meat market, asking no questions for conscience’ sake; 

26for “the earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness.” £

27If any of those who do not believe invites you to dinner, and you desire to go, eat whatever is set before you, asking no question for conscience’ sake. 

28But if anyone says to you, “This was offered to idols,” do not eat it for the sake of the one who told you, and for conscience’ sake;£ for “the earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness.” £ 

(So all of those rules in the OT about what foods you can eat and what foods you can't are out the window?  Bring on the bacon baby!  Here's the part I really don't get.  Eat any food you want and don't ask any questions about it and you are fine, BUT if the person who gave you the food mentions that it was offered to idols, now you can't eat it?  So Paul is saying that as long as we stay purposely and blissfully ignorant we are OK?  That just seems very odd to me.  I'm in the financial services business and if I suspect someone is committing some sort of fraud and I purposely remain blissfully ignorant, that's a felony punishable by prison and a big fine.) 

29“Conscience,” I say, not your own, but that of the other. For why is my liberty judged by another man’s conscience? 

30But if I partake with thanks, why am I evil spoken of for the food over which I give thanks?

31Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. 

(So no matter what you do, as long as you do it for the glory of God it is OK?)

32Give no offense, either to the Jews or to the Greeks or to the church of God, 

33just as I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved.

(This seems to be one of Paul's themes in 1 Corinthians, be all things to all people.  To me that seems to go against the Scripture where God says it is better that we be hot or cold because if we are just luke warm He will spit us out.  Isn't pleasing all people a form of being luke warm?)

Now here is why I love studying Scripture so much.  First, this doesn't challenge my overall beliefs in any way.  Second, I know that I can stand on God's promise to reveal that knowledge to me when I need to understand it.  As long as I continue to diligently seek God, I will continue to grow in my understanding of God's word.

How is your understanding of God's word coming along?  Do you have questions?  If so, have you taken them to God in prayer?  He promises to reveal His word to all who believe in His son Jesus Christ.  Have you accepted Jesus yet?  If not, why don't you do it right now.  Then enjoy the journey as God starts to reveal His word to you as well.

Are you playing God to win?

How do you play God?  Do you play God to win or do you just play God to participate?  Do you want the First Place medal or do you want the pretty little ribbon that all of the kids got for simply showing up? 

1 Corinthians 9:24(NKJV)

24Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it.

Now obviously I am being a bit facetious.  I don't mean to imply that your faith is some sort of a game.  The issue I want to highlight is how do you approach your faith?  Is it something that you take seriously  and are focused on or is it something that you just show up for on Sundays? 

Those of you who were athletes know what I mean.  It takes a tremendous amount of commitment to compete at the highest levels.  There are fundamentals that you have to master.  It takes a lot of discipline and work.  It takes a time commitment.  It takes passion.  It takes all of these things to be the best!  Or you can just show up on Saturday for the pickup softball game and call it good.

Does it make a difference?  Yes it does in my opinion.   Here is why.

Revelation 2:23(NKJV)

23I will kill her children with death, and all the churches shall know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts. And I will give to each one of you according to your works.

Never noticed this before.  Jesus telling us that He will give to each according to their works.

Jeremiah 32:19-20(NKJV)

19You are great in counsel and mighty in work, for your eyes are open to all the ways of the sons of men, to give everyone according to his ways and according to the fruit of his doings. 

20You have set signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, to this day, and in Israel and among other men; and You have made Yourself a name, as it is this day. 

Notice it’s not each according to his need but each according to his doings.

Revelation 22:12-13(NKJV)

12“And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work. 

13I am the Alpha and the Omega, the £Beginning and the End, the First and the Last.”

We are all saved by faith by accepting Jesus as out Lord and Savior and that is a great start.  But that is like getting the pretty little ribbon that all the kids got for showing up.  Scripture tells us that our reward will ultimately be determined by the work that we do for Jesus.  If you really want to experience all that God has to offer then play the game to win.   Work hard at it.  Be passionate about it.  As Paul says "Run the race to win!"

Playing With Snakes and Faith

You know there are some things in the Bible that I just flat out don't get and this is one of them.  Here is a link to an article that I will be referring to in case you haven't seen it.

http://news.yahoo.com/serpent-handling-west-virginia-pastor-dies-snake-bite-173406645--abc-news-topstories.html

Now let's look at some verses that these people base this practice on. 

Mark 16:17-18(NKJV)

17And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; 

18they£ will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

The first aspect of this that I find puzzling is who is it that draws the line on things like this?  Some denominations say speaking in tongues is important, others don't really support it.  Some denominations believe that total immersion adult baptism is the only type of baptism that counts while others say sprinkling when you are an infant is fine. 

The church that I currently am a member of believes in tongues and that total immersion baptism is necessary but even they don't promote snake handling.  My question is, who makes that decision?  Who said we get to pick and choose? 

The second aspect is more of a practical level.  I've always felt that I have a very strong faith but I got to tell you there is no way I'm gonna be handling snakes to prove it.  Call me weak of faith if you want but for me it just doesn't pass the common sense test!